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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January 23, 2023 Content Chat Recap: Why Brands Need Both Content Marketing and Public Relations

January 29, 2023 by Alek Irvin Leave a Comment

You’d be lucky to get a room of executives to agree on the value of public relations and content marketing, but both of these areas fill necessary and unique brand needs that are critical to your success. In this #ContentChat recap, Michelle Garrett (@PRisUs), PR consultant and host of #FreelanceChat (Thursdays at 9 a.m. Pacific/noon Eastern), and the community discuss why brands need both content marketing and public relations, including what each field involves and how to balance your efforts. Read the full recap below to learn:

Advantages and disadvantages of public relations and content marketing
How to align your content marketing and PR teams
Ways to assess which area is a better investment for your brand

Q1: How do you define content marketing and public relations?

Here is how the community defines content marketing:

A1: This is a great article that helps define/explain content marketing via @cmicontent. https://t.co/hvSbO4bOq0
1/2#ContentChat
— Michelle Garrett (she/her) (@PRisUs) January 23, 2023

A1: PR is reaching your audience through existing external media platforms, while content marketing is creating incredibly useful content that puts you top of mind for your audience as a helpful resource (leading to being a future purchase to consider).#ContentChat https://t.co/NxamvFQI26
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) January 23, 2023

A1: I define content marketing as a way of providing value to customers above-and-beyond product benefits. I have not really thought about a definition for PR. #ContentChat
— Andi Robinson (@hijinxmarketing) January 23, 2023

And here is how we define public relations:

A1: For a definition of PR, I like: “Public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.” via @PRSA
2/2 #ContentChat
— Michelle Garrett (she/her) (@PRisUs) January 23, 2023

A1a: #PublicRelations varies greatly across organizations, but at the highest level possible: PR is about engaging your key audiences to increase your brand awareness and strengthen your brand reputation and thought leadership. #ContentChat
— Alek Irvin (@AlekIrvin) January 23, 2023

A1b: Many people mean “media relations” when they say “public relations,” but I’ve worked with brands on the PR side for speaking and awards programs, bylined content creation, social media management (for better or worse), internal comms, and more. #ContentChat
— Alek Irvin (@AlekIrvin) January 23, 2023

It’s always interesting to me how often that’s the case! But PR is about more than just getting a company’s name in print.#ContentChat https://t.co/2VmbQq8VBM
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) January 23, 2023

Q2: What goals can your brand meet by investing in content marketing vs. public relations? What are the shared and unique needs they can address?

Content marketing and public relations activities can both result in content—blog posts, news articles, videos—that helps your buyers find the information they need to make purchasing decisions.

December 12, 2022 Content Chat Recap: How To Optimize Your Content for Semantic Search

January 19, 2023 by Alek Irvin Leave a Comment

The days of keyword stuffing to get a top rank on search engines are out. If you’re trying to reach your audience through content, you’ll need to factor in the new way that they search for content and the language that they use.

In this #ContentChat recap, Mariah Obiedzinski (@MariahWrites), AVP of content services at Stamats, and the community discuss how to optimize content for semantic search. Read the full recap below to learn:

What is semantic search and what has led to its rise
How to understand your personas’ semantic search profile
Ways to address semantic search needs in your new and old content

Q1: What is semantic search, and how does it differ from other forms of search?

Mariah says that semantic search involves the natural way that people type or speak into Google when they’re seeking information.

A1a: Semantic search isn’t a fancy style of search – it’s just the natural way that people type or speak into Google when they’re seeking information. #ContentChat
— Mariah Obiedzinski (@MariahWrites) December 12, 2022

The “people also searched for” section on Google is a great example of how people conduct their semantic searches.

A1: You know how #contentmarketers are always being encouraged to write for humans, not robots? That’s also writing that is optimized for semantic search, i.e. the way your typical content consumer would type in a search query.#ContentChat https://t.co/iWtUyWh6rd
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) December 12, 2022

If you are struggling to understand this part, the “people also searched for” related search results in Google search are a great example of this.#ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) December 12, 2022

Semantic search gives us insights into how to tailor our content pathways, the language we use, and the topics we discuss.

A1b: Content producers can serve our audiences by creating work that reflects those pathways, the phrasing, and the answers they seek. #ContentChat https://t.co/HsCgoVgKLE
— Mariah Obiedzinski (@MariahWrites) December 12, 2022

A1c: #Semantic search is simply more natural phrasing and intentional, relevant responses that offer closure or a next step. #ContentChat https://t.co/HsCgoVgKLE
— Mariah Obiedzinski (@MariahWrites) December 12, 2022

A1: Context matters in semantic search#ContentChat
— Sweepsify 🎈 (@Sweepsify_) December 12, 2022

Q2: What has led to the rise of semantic search?

December 5, 2022 Content Chat Recap: How Social Media Can Improve Your Content Marketing Strategy

December 8, 2022 by Alek Irvin Leave a Comment

Social media budgets are on the line in 2023 as executives demand results, according to new research from Hootsuite. But after yet another turbulent year for brand communities, what does success look like on social media? And how can marketers use social in new ways to drive meaningful results?

In this #ContentChat recap, Brandie McCallum (@LttleWys), a writer and digital marketer, and the community discuss how social media can improve your content marketing strategy, including lessons from the past three years to help you use social to your fullest advantage. Read the full recap below to learn:

Ways to stand out on social with video
How to measure your results on social media
Tips for identifying your opportunities on social

Q1: Given the turbulence of 2022, what are you recommending your clients do with social media in 2023?

Excluding Twitter, Brandie is recommending that her clients stay their course and use social media to collect emails, drive traffic, and engage their communities.

A1: With the exception of Twitter, I am keeping reccos the same. Use social to collect emails, drive traffic to websites & chat with your community!
#ContentChat
— Brandie McCallum (@lttlewys) December 5, 2022

A1: I am reserving judgment on Twitter, I have a core group, that still chats and my bestie @KellyInPhoenix keeping me up on Football, otherwise meh! #ContentChat
— Brandie McCallum (@lttlewys) December 5, 2022

I’m always surprised when marketers don’t have clickthroughs on links to owned content as a KPI for their social media programs. It can be such an effective traffic driver.#ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) December 5, 2022

I’m shocked. It amazes me that people don’t think it through, they spend thousands on a website and don’t maximize #contentchat
— Brandie McCallum (@lttlewys) December 5, 2022

Right?! And if you are #B2B, in particular, driving clickthroughs to your content from buyers who are in the market is one of the most valuable actions social media can drive for you!#ContentChat pic.twitter.com/hnZ0DoGeTv
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) December 5, 2022

Lets not forget how it factors into the KPI’s of your budget and the C-Suite! #contentchat
— Brandie McCallum (@lttlewys) December 5, 2022

Review your 2022 social media data to understand what kind of content and which topics you should prioritize in 2023.

A1a: If you haven’t already done so, now is a perfect time to look at your social media data from 2022. What kind of content and which topics got the most engagement on which platforms? Use this information to adjust your 2023 social media mix.#ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) December 5, 2022

This is a must do! Especially if you don’t do it consistently. Don’t forget to change those passwords and check those bios!! #contentchat
— Brandie McCallum (@lttlewys) December 5, 2022

Conduct social listening—here are eight steps to do so—to identify new communities and platforms that you should explore.

A1b: Next, take a look at what you’ve earned from your social listening. Are there new communities and platforms where your best customers are talking about you or the benefits you deliver? COnsider adding one or more of those platforms to your experiments list.#ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) December 5, 2022

Remember: The new year is a chance for new beginnings. Be authentic, and use data to guide your strategy.

A1: Be authentic. 2023 is about new beginnings even for legacy brands.#ContentChat
— Sweepsify 🎈 (@Sweepsify_) December 5, 2022

Q2: Many marketers predicted that video content would be increasingly popular on social media—are videos top content?

November 14, 2022 Content Chat Recap: How Content Marketers Can Build Trust With Their Content

November 21, 2022 by Alek Irvin Leave a Comment

What’s the one marketing KPI that every team should track? According to Melanie Deziel, international keynote speaker and author of Prove It, the answer is trust.

If your brand cannot earn the trust of your community, then it will be significantly harder—if not impossible—to get them to purchase from you. Every message you send or post you write is an opportunity to prove your claims and show that you are trustworthy, and we want to teach you how.

In this #ContentChat recap, Melanie (@MDeziel), founder of StoryFuel and co-founder and VP of marketing at The Convoy, and the community discuss how content marketers can build trust with their content. Read the full recap below to learn:

What type of content can help to earn and nurture your community’s trust
Common business or marketing claims that need to be proven
How to audit your content for opportunities to build trust

Q1: Why is it important for content marketing teams to build trust with their brand communities?

According to Melanie, trust is the precursor to every KPI you track.

A1: We optimize for lots of different KPIs but the reality is, Trust is a precursor to all of them!
People don’t click, subscribe, follow, download, buy, etc, without trust!#ContentChat
— Melanie Deziel (she/her) (@mdeziel) November 14, 2022

If your brand doesn’t seem trustworthy, then people will hesitate to purchase from you.

A1: Trust is a big factor when it comes to making purchase decisions—whether you are B2B or B2C. If you don’t seem trustworthy, why should someone purchase your product or services?#ContentChat pic.twitter.com/iviiMJSc1T
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) November 14, 2022

A1. Trust is absolutely crucial to be able to sell anything. Content marketing needs to develop trust, nurture the interest and only then get folks to convert #ContentChat #contentmarketing
— Shruti Deshpande 🇮🇳🇬🇧 (@shruti12d) November 15, 2022

And without trust, you can’t build relationships.

A1 Without trust, you can’t build relationships. People may/will hear what you have to say, but they won’t *listen*. They won’t connect. And they almost certainly won’t buy. They’ll remain an “audience,” not a “community.” #contentchat
— Martin Lieberman (@martinlieberman) November 14, 2022

Agreed. In a nutshell, trust is the difference between a community and an audience. And an audience is one and done, while a community stays with you (and your brand) over time.#ContentChat https://t.co/zYyEmnvF5p
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) November 14, 2022

A1 What’s the point of saying anything if no one believes you? Who’s going to come back to a source they don’t trust? #ContentChat
— Dan Goldberg (@Jonas419) November 14, 2022

When customers trust you, they will be honest with you and help you create a better experience for them.

A1: Trust fosters conversations. By building a brand community based on trust, you can personalize your products and services to your customers needs. Why? Bc they will be honest with you!#ContentChat
— Sweepsify 🎈 (@Sweepsify_) November 14, 2022

A community that trusts your brand is so much more likely to come to you directly when there is a product or service delivery issue, too, instead of just venting on social. Trust is critical for maintaining your reputation. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) November 14, 2022

Treat your community with respect to earn their trust. Take their questions and needs seriously, and help them overcome their challenges.

A1: Customers build trust by answering specific questions in their heads. Businesses build a different trust unique to their business.
Building trust means answering those questions and proving that you take them seriously.
It’s key for moving customers up the decision funnel
— Vahag Aydinyan (@vahaging) November 14, 2022

Trust is easily broken. Be genuine. Stay consistent. And use content to prove that you are trustworthy.

And just as trust takes longer to build it can be broken quickly. So the key is to be genuine, persistent and helpful all the way #Contentchat
— Shruti Deshpande 🇮🇳🇬🇧 (@shruti12d) November 14, 2022

Q2: What type of content can help you to earn and nurture your community’s trust?

November 7, 2022 Content Chat Recap: How to Use Surveys to Fuel Your Content Marketing Strategy

November 10, 2022 by Alek Irvin Leave a Comment

One survey can give your marketing team enough information to plan a year’s worth of content—do you want to learn how?

In this #ContentChat recap, Michele Linn (@MicheleLinn), founder of Mantis Research, and the community discuss how to use surveys to fuel your content marketing strategy. Read the full recap below to learn:

Why survey-based research is valuable for marketing teams
How to write questions that will help you tell stories
Ways to announce and repurpose your survey findings
Mistakes to avoid throughout your journey

Q1: Why do content marketing teams conduct and publish survey-based research? What are some examples of brands doing this well?

Survey-based research is valuable because it adds something new and meaningful to your industry’s conversation.

A1a. Survey-based research works well because you are answering your audience’s unanswered questions. By its very nature, you are adding something new and meaningful to your industry’s conversation. #ContentChat
— Michele Linn (@michelelinn) November 7, 2022

The work you did with the @CMIContent annual research projects are such fantastic examples of this, Michele. At the time when the term “content marketing” was new, it was SO helpful to have compelling data to help us make the case for investment.#ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) November 7, 2022

A1a: Survey-based research can be very powerful for storytelling because it provides a snapshot of real human experiences and feelings. It helps for creating timely content and reinforces the importance of certain topics/potential content angles. #ContentChat
— Alek Irvin (@AlekIrvin) November 7, 2022

And there are business benefits of conducting survey-based research: it can improve your brand awareness and authority, generate new subscribers and leads, and ultimately boost your revenue.

A1b. Publishing survey-based research can help you with so many of your marketing & business goals:
– Brand awareness
– Brand authority/thought leadership
– Backlinks/SEO rankings
– Email subscribers
– Leads
– Even revenue 🙂 #ContentChat
— Michele Linn (@michelelinn) November 7, 2022

Your research can be used to engage thought leaders and potential partners.

It gives you a great reason to reach out to industry thought leaders, potential partners, and past/current customers, too. Nothing like sending an email with the gift of useful research inside!#ContentChat https://t.co/66iMRQ80iH
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) November 7, 2022

Independent research is great for earning backlinks, which strengthens your SEO.

A1. Brand positioning and immaculate SEO power. Independent research is some of the most linked-to content out there #ContentChat
— Chris Tweten 🍁 | SaaS SEO (@ctwtn) November 7, 2022

I second this. I know I am always looking for compelling research and recent survey data to back up key points in everything I write.#ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) November 7, 2022

+1 on the value of backlinks. A few of my clients get media mentions from high-reach outlets for more than a year after they publish their research. #ContentChat
— Alek Irvin (@AlekIrvin) November 7, 2022

Surveys can also fuel your content strategy.

A1c. One of my favorite reasons to conduct research: One study can give you a year’s worth of content. A wonderful way to tell a connected story + fill your editorial calendar. #ContentChat
— Michele Linn (@michelelinn) November 7, 2022

Exactly that. But also: It’s not just content, it’s *credible* content, backed by research. Not just your opinion, but opinion that can be backed up by others’ opinions. #contentchat
— Martin Lieberman (@martinlieberman) November 7, 2022

YES! This is so important. We recently wrote a piece for a client where we are citing and quoting a number of stats from recent research that supports their mission and POV. Takes it from opinion to fact.#ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) November 7, 2022

A1: It provides valuable industry insights—which is useful both for the company’s own understanding, and for their audience. Bc of the latter, it fuels high-value content that gains links and builds thought leadership. #ContentChat
— Kristen Hicks (@atxcopywriter) November 7, 2022

Absolutely! The biggest mistake is to invest all that effort and $ in research and not make the most of it. #ContentChat https://t.co/joH73Zx7tV
— Carmen Hill (@carmenhill) November 7, 2022

A lesser-known benefit of original research: It energizes your team.

A1d. One unexpected benefit I’ve seen with original research: it energizes teams. There is nothing like brainstorming questions that people want answered and then finding out what people actually think. #ContentChat
— Michele Linn (@michelelinn) November 7, 2022

What brands publish great survey-based research? The community shares our favorites below.

A1e. Check out PWC’s annual CEO study. A great example of how to present research for multiple audiences in multiple formats (e.g. interactive charts, audio, etc.): https://t.co/EV8dS3IndM #ContentChat
— Michele Linn (@michelelinn) November 7, 2022

A1f. Another great example: StackOverflow’s annual developer study: https://t.co/9TWUgU3ui9 #ContentChat
— Michele Linn (@michelelinn) November 7, 2022

A1b: I think that @salesforce, @CMIContent, and @HubSpot effectively use survey-based research as part of their #contentmarketing strategies. #ContentChat
— Alek Irvin (@AlekIrvin) November 7, 2022

In addition to those, I love the work @McKinsey is doing on the future of work, and @pewresearch has been publishing on global internet usage and COVID-related topics.#ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) November 7, 2022

A1: I like how @YouGov handles content marketing. They leave the interpretation open to the audience and explain how the survey was conducted every time.#ContentChat
— Sweepsify (@Sweepsify_) November 7, 2022

Q2: How do I get people to respond to my survey? Should I use an incentive?

October 24, 2022 Content Chat Recap: What It Takes to Create A Successful Thought Leadership Program

October 31, 2022 by Alek Irvin Leave a Comment

A brand thought leadership program can be a great way to organize your content pillars and activate subject matter experts to engage your ideal communities. Building a successful thought leadership program, however, is a uniquely challenging task—and it starts with finding and differentiating your thought leaders.

In this #ContentChat recap, we help you learn how to build a thought leadership program, with a focus on getting things started and measuring your results. Read the full recap below to learn:

How to choose a brand thought leader
Thought leadership activities for getting started
Common mistakes to avoid as a thought leader

Q1: Let’s start with a common definition: What is thought leadership from a content marketing perspective?

From a content marketing perspective, thought leadership content is created by or with a subject matter expert who has a unique perspective and experience to share on a topic. Not all content is thought leadership content—you need an actual expert to share their insights for it to count as thought leadership.

A1a: Thought leadership content is created by or with a subject matter expert who has a unique perspective and experience to share on a topic. #ContentChat https://t.co/PC7C16HVY0
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) October 24, 2022

A1b: Ghostwritten content that doesn’t have any actual insights from the person whose name goes on it is just content—not thought leadership. #ContentChat pic.twitter.com/PVeErAMlvy
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) October 24, 2022

Thought leadership should spark new ideas, examine trends, and advance conversations happening in your industry, which makes it ideal for the earliest stage of your buyer’s journey.

A1: “Thought leadership” content is at the earliest stage of your buyer’s journey. Built to bring people into the funnel by addressing top trends in your market/space/industry. #Contentchat https://t.co/7d5z4v5olZ
— Amy Higgins (@amywhiggins) October 24, 2022

A1: The ability to integrate content it all its forms into an omnichannel customer experience = Content mastery
Thought leadership = identifying what brands should be doing now to adapt to the coming content strategy trends.#ContentChat
— Sweepsify (@Sweepsify_) October 24, 2022

IMO you can deliver though leadership in almost any area/industry. What matters is that you pay attention to trends, changing cultural norms, how ppl express themselves through design & art…#ContentChat
— Sweepsify (@Sweepsify_) October 24, 2022

Create thought leadership content using experts both inside and outside of your business.

Ab: I also think thought leadership content SHOULD come from both inside and outside experts of your business #ContentChat
— Amy Higgins (@amywhiggins) October 24, 2022

Anyone can be a thought leader—in Q2 we’ll explore what qualities make for a great thought leader.

One type of thought leadership I think of is Paradigmatic Thought Leadership, which becomes a new filter through which people see the world, in a manner that leads to new value creation, behavior change, and so on. Also, Informed Opinion Thought Leadership. #ContentChat A1a
— Carlos Abler (@Carlos_Abler) October 24, 2022

Or perhaps it’s a hybrid genre of Thought Leader Fiction.
As an aside, ghost writing also has nothing to do with ancestral practice or relations with the disembodied.
Or does it? A1b #ContentChat
— Carlos Abler (@Carlos_Abler) October 24, 2022

So, say a hopesmith with a unique take on how to live a hopeful and joyfilled life?
Or a faith-based vlogger that sees things in a simple way?#ContentChat
— Kathryn Lang – hopesmith and dream ignitor (@Kathrynclang) October 24, 2022

Q2: Who should or shouldn’t serve as a brand thought leader? What qualities make for a great brand thought leader?