Content Chat

#ContentChat is a weekly chat on Twitter and LinkedIn that brings together content creators and content marketers to share their challenges and best practices for solving them.

I took over hosting duties from Lucy Rendler-Kaplan on June 13, 2016. The chat was originated by Jenise Stout Fryatt of Smarter Shift who built up the community over three years.

Check out these recaps from recent chats and join us on Mondays at 12 noon Pacific/ 3:00 p.m. Eastern to join in the conversation.

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Are you a content marketing practitioner or consultant who is interested in being a guest for an upcoming edition of #ContentChat? We’d love to see your topic pitch via our Content Chat guest submission form.

March 23, 2020 Content Chat Recap: Staying Creative And Productive While Working From Home

March 25, 2020 by Alek Irvin Leave a Comment

Countless marketing professionals have started working from home in response to COVID-19, and for many this is the first time that their house is now their office. While having a minute-long commute, no official dress code, and access to all your usual comforts are notable perks of working from home, staying productive can present unique challenges that even a decades-long office tenure could not prepare you for.

In this #ContentChat, we share our top tips for staying creative and productive while working from home, including what to keep at your desk, the tools you need, and the playlists that are keeping us motivated.

Q1: First things first. Right now, how motivated and productive are you feeling when it comes to working from home? On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being “OMG so productive” and 1 being “I am watching Netflix in my jammies”.

Even those who are used to working from home are less productive because of the pandemic. This is due to the severity of the emergency, the economic uncertainty, and because more people are working from home or staying home than usual.

A1. Since I’m a remote worker since before the pandemic, I’m productive enough. Let’s say that’s 8 out of 10 these days. -2 for the anxiety that’s coming from the news. #ContentChat
— Masooma | Content Writer (@inkandcopy) March 23, 2020

A1: I am about a 6. I normally work from home, so my routine hasn’t been disrupted very much. But the economic fallout from the crisis is impacting my project load adversely. OTOH I am using the extra time to work on my passion project which motivates me. #ContentChat https://t.co/0OVb8drMFJ
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Expert (@SFerika) March 23, 2020

A1: Some days my work-from-home-during-the-coronavirus motivation is a 9. Some days are a 5 or lower. And it fluctuates throughout the day.#ContentChat
— Darcy De Leon 👩🏻‍💻 Blog Editor (@darcydeleon) March 23, 2020

A1: It’s not the WFH that’s effected my productivity but the added anxiety and adjustment to *waves* everything. But today, I’m about a 6. I get the 9-5 work done but my own projects have stalled. #ContentChat
— Berrak 👩🏻‍💻| MissQuello on ACNH (@BerrakBiz) March 23, 2020

Going with an 8/10. WFH is the norm here, but there are added distractions and stressors (more “coworkers” at home and general anxiety around the daily headlines). #ContentChat
— WriterGirl (@WriterGirlAssoc) March 23, 2020

That said, many of our community members are able to stay productive at home during these trying times.

A1. 8. I think the 7-8 range is ideal because 10 isn’t sustainable and 6 or below is underperforming. #ContentChat
— GreenRope (@GreenRope) March 23, 2020

A1.
On the scale I am at 7.
2 hours of work and 10-15 mins of rest or other activities.#ContentChat
— ⚡ Vraj Shah 📸 (@vrajshahspeaks) March 23, 2020

I’m about an 8. Quite productive and being kinder to myself and my mental health at home. But seeing things that need to be done around here… and resisting the urge to do them during the work hours.
— Erin Schroeder (@erinbschroeder) March 23, 2020

A1: I’m an online tutor and do content strategy as well, so the productivity is interesting.
– Willingness to do work w/ students & grade assignments? ➡️ 9
– Their willingness to submit assignments? ➡️ 2
– Content work ➡️ 6#ContentChat
— Rachel Wendte (@rkwendte) March 23, 2020

A1) I would say around a 6 or 7. Lucky to even have the opportunity to work remotely, so that’s keeping my spirits up. Just really trying to configure systems/routines for that work-life balance now that it’s all in the same place. #contentchat
— OnePitch (@onepitchsaas) March 23, 2020

A1.
I have to say – I’ve been a strong 9.
I’ve enjoyed time to connect with others online and having time to write. And, I love working from my home office. I love traveling for work but get so much more done than when I’m on the road or in a hotel.#ContentChat.
— Bruce Mayhew (@BMCtrainercoach) March 23, 2020

A1: On a scale of 1-10, I would be at an 8. I’m still getting up at the normal time, showering and getting ready like I usually would and then walking down to the home office. Trying to stick to a routine. #ContentChat https://t.co/D8R2Ek2LEU
— Bernie Fussenegger #Digital360Chat (@B2the7) March 23, 2020

A1: I’m a steady 7 or 8, but WFH is my normal. Only thing interrupting it is occasionally wandering in to talk to my daughter, who is of course home from school. #ContentChat
— John Cloonan (@johncloonan) March 23, 2020

Evaluate your campaigns and assess if they are still relevant/appropriate. If you’ve found your pipeline has come to a halt, consider activities that are valuable during a crisis, such as developing/implementing a business continuity plan.

A1. I’ve been at a 10 for motivation, because I’ve been helping a client plan and create a business continuity content hub (along with a lot of the content). Feels urgent and meaningful. #ContentChat
— Carmen Hill (@carmenhill) March 23, 2020

10 for sure. I’ve been a machine trying to figure out who still needs advertisement and wants to engage in this new online economy. #ContentChat https://t.co/gkXbGFWpHS
— DiKayo Data (@dikayodata) March 23, 2020

March 16, 2020 Content Chat Recap: Content Marketing During Times of Crisis

March 18, 2020 by Alek Irvin Leave a Comment

In times of crisis, business as usual is no longer an option. Whether it’s a contained internal incident, a local emergency, or even a global pandemic like we see with COVID-19, any crisis scenario means that brands must reassess their strategy and place heightened importance on their customer needs.

In this #ContentChat, we discuss ways to manage content marketing during times of crisis, including when to shift your editorial calendar, how to handle paid social advertising, best practices for caring for your audience during trying times, and how marketers can support their local communities.

Check out the recap below, and if you have further questions or are looking for support during this time, please comment below or message Erika and we will do whatever we can to help.

Q1: Where are you tuning in to #ContentChat from this week?

A majority of our members joined #ContentChat from home, and we can expect more people to work from home soon.

Q1: Where are you tuning in to #ContentChat from this week?
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Expert (@SFerika) March 16, 2020

18 Content Creation Tips and Truths From a Year of Content Chat

December 19, 2019 by Alek Irvin Leave a Comment

2019 was yet another successful year for the #ContentChat community—we covered more than 40 pressing topics for marketers, welcomed 10 experts to the hot seat, and a handful of us were even able to meet outside the cyberspace at great events like CMWorld and local content marketing meetups.

Looking back on our chats from the year, we’ve pulled 18 of the best content creation tips and truths of marketing to set you up for success in 2020 and beyond. Check them out below, and comment if we missed any of your favorite marketing tips from this year.

Truth: Content that is not created with your customer needs in mind is not content marketing.

The customer should be at the heart of everything you do as a marketer. Whether it’s a press release about your new product, an infographic on your data report, or a webinar discussing trends in your industry, your content should be geared toward addressing the problems of your customers and helping them do their jobs better.

A1. Truly successful companies are not ego driven, they strive to fix a problem in the marketplace. Think about what your fans want to see, not what you want to project. If your executive doesn’t get that, you’re going to be fighting an uphill battle. #ContentChat https://t.co/ogFGRzwoNW
— GreenRope (@GreenRope) September 30, 2019

A1.
At the end of the day your customer is at the core of everything you do.
The livelihood of your business is in their hands so you have to ensure that your content is of value and of relevance to them! #ContentChat
— Bentley University (@bentleyu) September 30, 2019

A1a: This gets to the heart of the difference between creating content and being engaged in content marketing. If it’s not created with your customer needs in mind, it’s not content marketing. #ContentChat https://t.co/eG4v0o1Mt2
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) September 30, 2019

Tip: For any one piece of content you create, have three uses for it.

One of the best ways to stay budget conscious is to repurpose your work. For any single piece of content, explore the different ways that your customers prefer to be reached and how this content could find new life in a different format. Consider the different channels you could share the content on, or different forms it can take (i.e. a video can be turned into a blog post with an infographic for social).

A1: Always has been, always will be. My mantra for any one piece of content is that if you haven’t used it three times, you’ve wasted it. #contentchat
— John Cloonan (@johncloonan) March 11, 2019

A2b: When you put a lot of time and money into a project, it’s silly to confine it to just one communication channel. It’s a better use of your time—and a better way to reach your customers with their own content preferences—to reuse the content in a few ways. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) March 11, 2019

A2a: Let’s say you interview a customer for a video case study. Not everyone likes or watches videos, so you create a blog post with the highlights. But you need a physical asset to hand out at trade shows, so you create a 1-page case study. #ContentChat https://t.co/ksoBw8rapA
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) March 11, 2019

A2. Planning in advance for repurposing is simply a much more efficient way to create content—and it helps with strategic consistency, connecting the dots from one piece to the next, etc. #ContentChat https://t.co/qzwVlWR6zx
— Carmen Hill (@carmenhill) March 11, 2019

A2: A great way to extend a blog is to pull the key points into an infographic! Super shareable on social media and drive additional traffic back to the blog. A recent example, blog: https://t.co/wom7cBVhwl
Infographic attached. #contentchat pic.twitter.com/cptrKLdCXm
— Caitlin Kinser (@caitlinmarie89) April 22, 2019

A3: Necessity is the mother of invention, as a one-man show I often had to figure out how to do something if it was going to happen. One way out of a rut is to think of a type of content delivery you’ve never done before and read up on how you can make it happen! #ContentChat
— Derek Pillie (@derekpillie) May 6, 2019