Content Chat

#ContentChat is a weekly twitter chat 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.

December 18, 2018 Content Chat Recap: Year End Wrap-Up and GIF Party

December 27, 2018 by Alek Irvin Leave a Comment

This was an incredible year for #ContentChat, and we are so grateful for our guests and community for joining us each Monday. In this year end wrap-up, we reflect on our work this year and look forward to next year’s lineup, which resumes on Monday, January 7.

Be Our Next #ContentChat Guest!

Interested in being a guest on #ContentChat next year to discuss one of the topics the community identified below, or for a fresh idea we’ve yet to discuss? Leave a comment with your pitch!

Q1: What is your content super power?

The power of distilling complicated information and making it accessible and helpful.

A1: My #contentmarketing super power is taking the complicated and technical and breaking it down into content that helps people do their jobs better. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Strategy (@SFerika) December 17, 2018

A1: My content super power is being able to digest all kinds of complicated topics & make them more accessible. #ContentChat pic.twitter.com/hFVHLEftVD
— Berrak Sarikaya | Content Strategist | Speaker (@BerrakBiz) December 17, 2018

A1: My content super power is simplifying complicated stuff and making it engaging to target audiences. #ContentChat
— Wayne Hendry (@ideakid88) December 17, 2018

A1: Our content super-power is making complicated information digestible. Our creative and editorial teams have amassed expertise across many different industries and businesses, and can break down all kinds of dense info for anyone to comprehend. #contentchat
— Brafton (@Brafton) December 17, 2018

The power of channeling your audience and (figuratively) stepping into their shoes.

A1. I think I’m good at putting myself in readers’ shoes.

Figuratively, of course. Not literally. That would be a little gross.#ContentChat https://t.co/3V5oBlwqYW
— David Simanoff (@dsimanoff) December 17, 2018

A1 My content superpower is helping organizations shift their focus from telling customers what to do to helping customers do what they want. #ContentChat
— Bill Skowronski (@BillSkowronski) December 17, 2018

The power of writing — a lot.

A1: Writing. I can write for hours on end. If I’m given a topic and target audience, I immediately jump into bullets and can churn it out quickly. I love being involved in the entire process and strategy, but I love writing most. #ContentChat
— Patrick Delehanty (@MDigitalPatrick) December 17, 2018

The power of creativity.

Our super power is definitely our creative team! With a talented team of creatives, we’re able to offer a unique full range of content services to our clients. #ContentChat
— Pelicon (@PeliconCreative) December 17, 2018

The power of developing a consistent and memorable voice.

A1. Voice, being able to create, hone and write in an engaging, memorable voice. #ContentChat
— MeetEdgar (@MeetEdgar) December 17, 2018

The power of SEO and developing a long-term strategy.

I would have to pick 2:
– Content + SEO
– Creating long-term actionable content strategies

The big secret is that that Venn diagram is reaaaaaaally circular! But the spread between the two gives me the chance to hit both sides of my brain, which is the fun part! #ContentChat
— Rebekah Meyer (@RebekahLMeyer) December 17, 2018

The power of being there and joining the conversation.

A1: My content super power is being there! I’m always trying to make our business visible and engaged, so I’m constantly checking in on our socials and creating content on the fly to be part of the conversation! #ContentChat
— Click Ctrl Marketing (@ClkContrl) December 17, 2018

The power of turning content into a conversation.

A1 I’d like to think my “super power” is my ability to turn content into conversation. 😉 #contentchat
— Martin Lieberman (@martinlieberman) December 17, 2018

The power of taking a larger piece of content that can be used in different ways across channels and formats.

A2: My content super power is planning “big rock” content that can be used in a variety of different ways and styled into various formats to create multiple smaller content pieces and touchpoints. I like my content to multitask! #ContentChat
— Caitlin Kinser (@caitlinmarie89) December 17, 2018

A1: My content super power is being able to take content and rework it for multiple channels #ContentChat
— Bernie Fussenegger 🐝✌️the7️⃣ (@B2the7) December 17, 2018

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December 10, 2018 Content Chat Recap—Community Conversation: How to Get Internal SMEs to Share Content

December 17, 2018 by Alek Irvin Leave a Comment

It’s well known that audiences respond better to content from their peers compared to content from brands. At your company, you likely have a plethora of subject matter experts with rich social followings interested in topics that your company is directly involved in.

If life was easy, you could ask your SMEs to share your content, they would, and in turn their audiences would engage with your brand—but it’s more complex than that (and for good reason).

In this #ContentChat community conversation, we engaged in a free-form discussion about engaging your internal SMEs to share content on social.

Q1: What is the current state of your company’s social sharing of your brand’s content?

For some, sharing of branded content appears to be on the decline. That said, it’s key for companies to also share content that isn’t branded but is still relevant for their audiences.

A1: Across my clients, I see a significant decline in the amount of social sharing of brand content. Even the most employee advocacy-focused companies seem to be struggling right now. I think it may be due to social media fatigue. #ContentChat https://t.co/1RrBpCw1e3
— Erika Heald | Content Strategy (@SFerika) December 10, 2018

Can definitely see this, but I think the key is not sharing strictly your own content, something a LOT of brands and businesses tend to do. Sharing content that’s not branded that’s relevant to audiences is huge – it comes across as more genuine and not salesy. #ContentChat
— Patrick Delehanty (@MDigitalPatrick) December 10, 2018

You think this is a world wide trend? #ContentChat
— Tod Cordill (@todcordill) December 10, 2018

I am only working on social for U.S. clients. However, I have solopreneur friends outside of the U.S. who are definitely taking some social breaks so it very well may be. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Strategy (@SFerika) December 10, 2018

A1: I’d say our social sharing is fairly low right now – but that’s somewhat of our own doing. We don’t ask our employees to use their personal social accounts to share business-related things unless they want to. #ContentChat
— Click Ctrl Marketing (@ClkContrl) December 10, 2018

For others, their brands and audiences are more eager to share content.

A1. Our organization (a publisher) does a good job (phew) of sharing content. Individuals are sometimes encouraged to but I don’t think they see strong returns, which can be disappointing. Broadcast posts are less compelling than posts to foster engagement. #contentchat
— allison ryder (@allisonryder) December 10, 2018

A1: Fortunately many of our staff and our members are heavily engaged and invested in the nature of our content (hello, science!) so they will often share, particularly on Twitter and LinkedIn. For meetings and events we’ll also share recommendations for sharing. #ContentChat
— Caitlin Kinser (@caitlinmarie89) December 10, 2018

A1: We like to have our team members share our social content with all their friends and followers – not to be the voice and not to engage our followers on socials but to share or retweet etc #ContentChat
— Bernie Fussenegger 🐝✌️the7️⃣ (@B2the7) December 10, 2018

There are some things that companies can do to combat low posting or engagement, such as sharing a social media suggestion email.

A1 Every week we send an email update that includes social sharing suggestions. No consistency in what, where, or when people will share, tho. #contentchat
— Martin Lieberman (@martinlieberman) December 10, 2018

I have found that emails like this are consistently a solid way to make folks aware of the content the brand has available to share without being pushy. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Strategy (@SFerika) December 10, 2018

I’m also on a local board for a non-profit and going to suggest this idea for them to send something like this to all their employees and board of directors each week to help them get their social message out…thanks for the idea!!! #ContentChat
— Bernie Fussenegger 🐝✌️the7️⃣ (@B2the7) December 10, 2018

If you try something like this (like Bernie is going to), create content suggestions that are flexible and easy for people to personalize.

Totally agree! Avoiding the click to share option means extra incentive to help our team make generic copy we provide their own when they’re sharing 📣 #contentchat
— Right Source (@rightsource) December 10, 2018

Many non-marketing people on social media don’t understand the value of customizing social posts and adding relevant context. They just want to share something. #contentchat
— Martin Lieberman (@martinlieberman) December 10, 2018

You don’t have to solely rely on email to get the word out. Use tools like Slack to share social suggestions, or Buffer to facilitate the posting.

A1: We have a #slack channel to make sharing content as painless possible for our team. Making it as easy as copying and pasting has helped us boost share rates significantly 💪 #contentchat
— Right Source (@rightsource) December 10, 2018

A1: We’re investing more into tools that help us consistently share branded content, like @buffer, and also having team members share content on relevant platforms like LinkedIn / Twitter as well. We’ve seen great results from it! #ContentChat
— Patrick Delehanty (@MDigitalPatrick) December 10, 2018

Employee advocacy solutions can also be your new best friend.

A1. We publish content weekly and send an email to the entire company with easy-to-share social links and suggested copy. Currently seeking out employee advocacy tools to help our efforts! We’ve demoed a few, but all ears if anyone has recommendations! #contentchat pic.twitter.com/sYvwbCudZ2
— PathFactory (@pathfactory) December 10, 2018

One partner company I worked with used @EveryoneSocial for employee amplification. Their comment: “It allows messages to be pre-programmed, makes it easier for employees and also keeps posts on message.”

I have no experience with it myself, however. #ContentChat
— Tod Cordill (@todcordill) December 10, 2018

Have you tried @BambuBySprout and @influitive ? #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Strategy (@SFerika) December 10, 2018

We’ve looked into @BambuBySprout @GaggleAMP and @postbeyond. Is anyone here using any of these tools? #contentchat
— PathFactory (@pathfactory) December 10, 2018

Even with the best tools, there are some other pitfalls you may run into. We’ll dive more into how to address these in the next couple of questions.

Agreed. Atho we struggle to:
a) encourage employees to find their own voice (suggested copy feels canned, esp if everyone is using it)
b) Get employees motivated and excited to actually share since they are so busy in their day-to-day
c) Track who is sharing what#contentchat
— PathFactory (@pathfactory) December 10, 2018

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December 3, 2018 Content Chat Recap: How to Drive Organic Growth Through Content Marketing

December 10, 2018 by Alek Irvin Leave a Comment

Content plays a vital role in connecting consumers with brands, but simply pushing out random acts of content won’t drive company growth. In this #ContentChat, we were joined by Noah Kalson (@noahkalson), head of organic and growth marketing at Tailor Brands (@TailorBrands), to discuss how you can drive organic growth through your content marketing strategies.

Q1: We keep reading that content marketing is dead. Convince us otherwise!

Content marketing is far from dead. Content is the link that connects you with your audiences, and without it, they would probably never find you.

People say content marketing’s dead b/c they’re not really doing it! They’re using content for marketing purposes, which is completely different. Content marketing is about creating content assets that are aimed @ a clearly defined audience, not multiple audiences. #ContentChat
— Noah Kalson (@noahkalson) December 3, 2018

A1: While #contentmarketing may no longer be the trendy new topic everyone is talking about, brands are continuing to invest in it because it is consistently showing positive business results over time. #ContentChat https://t.co/viXVxhun1X
— Erika Heald | Content Strategy (@SFerika) December 3, 2018

Hardly anything declared dead is dead. Print isn’t dead. Email isn’t and neither is content marketing. #ContentChat
— Christoph Trappe (@CTrappe) December 3, 2018

A1. Content marketing is FAR from dead! Content marketing is great for SEO, it educates, informs and entertains your audience (and shows you off as an industry expert). Content provides value for your audience which builds trust in your brand #contentchat
— MeetEdgar (@MeetEdgar) December 3, 2018

A1: Content marketing is far from dead! If anything, it’s grown into something a little different from its start with more social traction. People want more authenticity and a look into how brands are operating, and content marketing is the way to do it! #ContentChat
— Click Ctrl Marketing (@ClkContrl) December 3, 2018

You could maybe argue that the term ‘content marketing’ has lost some allure. But that’s simply because ‘content’ and ‘marketing’ have converged. Today, content IS marketing. Content shape-shifts into many different forms & is fuel at every stage of the buyer journey #ContentChat
— @matchacontent (@matchacontent) December 3, 2018

A1. Absolutely not. We need content for organic visibility, without it, we may not as well exist because content attracts, informs, and converts our target audiences. If you don’t have it, search engines can’t find it, and searchers can’t find you. #ContentChat
— Patrick Delehanty (@MDigitalPatrick) December 3, 2018

WHAT? Who said content marketing is dead? LOL — the KING is dead? It was king, now it’s dead – hogwash – -never. Content marketing has never been dead even before it was content marketing#ContentChat
— Ivana Taylor (@DIYMarketers) December 3, 2018

Again, the emphasis is on your audience and creating assets that are of value to them.

A1. It’s not possible for content marketing to be dead. Buyers need to make informed choices and it’s content that educates them! I think the focus is shifting from content creation to being smarter about how we deliver and measure it. #contentchat pic.twitter.com/dfbeDKOHxi
— PathFactory (@pathfactory) December 3, 2018

A1: I don’t even know where to start. Content marketing is the KEY to creating meaningful interactions between brands and potential customers. Provide value. Always. #ContentChat
— Caitlin Kinser (@caitlinmarie89) December 3, 2018

A1 You mean consistently delivering valuable insights to build and serve an audience over time is dead? News to me. #contentmarketing #contentchat
— Bill Skowronski (@BillSkowronski) December 3, 2018

A1: Content marketing is certainly not dead in our eyes. As long as people search the web, Google maps, on social media, for information, for ideas, for educational assets, etc. content will be there to guide them to brands, products, and services. #contentchat
— Brafton (@Brafton) December 3, 2018

A1: It is alive and well and even more important when you know who your customer is so that you can deliver content that is more personalized and 1:1 – use data and insights on your customer to deliver content and experience on your channels #ContentChat
— Bernie Fussenegger 🐝✌️the7️⃣ (@B2the7) December 3, 2018

Content marketing also blends with other vital functions in your organization.

Not to mention #contentmarketing integrates nicely with #PR & #socialmedia. Not at all dead. #contentchat https://t.co/RymmNi9uY1
— Michelle Garrett (@PRisUs) December 3, 2018

If you need evidence, look at the data and case studies of content marketing success.

Might be a little bias in this as it’s Hubspot, but lots of great data here showing more content = more leads / conversions. #ContentChat https://t.co/nlxYACvumH
— Patrick Delehanty (@MDigitalPatrick) December 3, 2018

A1: For #SMBs, the best example of how to use content marketing is @RiverPoolsBlog. He created a blog with a single focus – to be the go-to place for info about fiberglass swimming pools. That blog helped him skyrocket his business to the no.1 spot in the U.S. #ContentChat https://t.co/L2yrXfPdkI
— Noah Kalson (@noahkalson) December 3, 2018

November 26, 2018 Content Chat Recap: Best Practices for Using Social Media to Promote Your Content

December 3, 2018 by Alek Irvin Leave a Comment

Social media can give your content the exposure it needs to drive actual results for your company, but navigating the multitude of channels can be an extensive exercise in trial-and-error. In this #ContentChat, we were joined by Laura Roeder (@lkr), founder of Meet Edgar (@MeetEdgar), to discuss everything you need to know about using social media to promote your content.

Q1: What social media channels are the best for promoting written content?

The ideal channel will depend on your audience. Pay attention to the sites they use and how they like to consume content on those sites.

A1. It’s important to know your audience, no matter what content. Pay attention to what channels they like best. But overall without knowing your audience Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook are great for written content. Pinterest too depending on your topic #ContentChat
— Laura Roeder (@lkr) November 26, 2018

A1: I think that “best social media channels” is a deeply subjective question… and it elicits the dreaded “it depends” answer. What works best for us is twitter and LinkedIn because our market actually sees them due to employee and partner sharing. #contentchat
— Maureen Jann (@SuperDeluxeMo) November 26, 2018

#contentchat A1
The channels you choose for promotion depends less on the type of media (written/graphic/video) and more on the audience. Where do your users spend their time? https://t.co/1HbccvVNhp
— K. (@KaylaNaab) November 26, 2018

A1: I think it depends on the type of written content we are talking about. Different audiences on different social platforms want different kinds of written content #ContentChat
— Alex Crump (@alcrump12) November 26, 2018

A1: As with most channels and content, it is best to know where your customers are, what channels they are using and then develop the content for them in that format/channel. Each channel will have it limitations so each needs a goal to be planned for differently #ContentChat
— Bernie Fussenegger 🐝✌️the7️⃣ (@B2the7) November 26, 2018

Different companies will find their audiences react to content differently across channels.

A1: For us and most of our clients, Twitter is tops. For B2B, Linkedin is pretty strong as well. Facebook has gotten less and less important. Reddit is a slept on but smart place to promote written content depending on your industry. #contentchat
— CHARGE (@CHARGEgoforward) November 26, 2018

A1: Twitter and LinkedIn are great for us for promoting blog posts as they tend to be more educational/professional development in nature. FB is good for informational downloads as those tend to be more general public-facing. #contentchat
— Caitlin Kinser (@caitlinmarie89) November 26, 2018

It depends on where your audience is! We love LinkedIn, Twitter, and even Pinterest in some cases. Facebook is certainly falling off for most of our B2B clients. #contentchat
— Brafton (@Brafton) November 26, 2018

If you can, look at hard data to guide your strategy.

Yes! Tracking the performance of different content asset, formats, etc on each channel can give you great insight into what works. You can even just use a spreadsheet to track and see patterns. #contentchat
— SqueezeCMM (@SqueezeCMM) November 26, 2018

Facebook especially has changed in value over the years. As the algorithms change, video content and groups may be your best bet to reach new audiences. If you choose to develop a group, ensure it stays active by assigning a moderator that can keep engaging with the group.

A2b. With that being said, algorithms are changing now. Facebook especially, is prioritizing video content so you want to really focus on headlines and images in addition to great content. #ContentChat
— Laura Roeder (@lkr) November 26, 2018

I’ve found that using videos or infographics on Facebook that connect to/compliment the written content and can get attention to direct to the content on our site is a strong strategy. #contentchat
— Caitlin Kinser (@caitlinmarie89) November 26, 2018

Agreed on Facebook. there’s a place for it but it’s harder than ever to be seen organically, especially for written content! #contentchat
— Laura Roeder (@lkr) November 26, 2018

A1. I feel that Facebook’s changing algorithm has made it fruitless when it comes to promoting content organically. But groups earn good points when it comes to promoting content. Been hearing Pinterest is excellent for driving traffic and promoting content though. #ContentChat
— Masooma // Content Writer (@inkandcopy) November 26, 2018

Absolutely, you can make Facebook work if you study the algorithm. They LOVE videos these days! #contentchat
— Laura Roeder (@lkr) November 26, 2018

That’s been my ongoing advice for clients… if you want to use Facebook to reach your audience, build or participate in active communities. #contentchat
— Maureen Jann (@SuperDeluxeMo) November 26, 2018

Love Facebook groups! I think they’ve been a great solution to the decline in organic reach on Facebook. #ContentChat
— Laura Roeder (@lkr) November 26, 2018

Facebook groups are either too quiet or too noisy for me. Either nothing happening, or all the notifications all the time. I guess finding a stable balance is hard – especially if you want to grow a community. #contentchat
— David McGuire (@McGuireDavid) November 26, 2018

November 19, 2018 Content Chat Recap: Building an Effective Guest Blogging Program

November 25, 2018 by Alek Irvin Leave a Comment

Running a blog can quickly become resource intensive, especially if your team hasn’t first taken the proper planning steps. Scrambling to push out content, some teams may default to inviting guest bloggers to fill the content gap. While this can be a great idea, it’s not the best for every blog, and not every guest blogger is a fit for your brand.

In this #ContentChat, we explore how to tell when your blog is ready for guest bloggers, and how to approach the relationship.

As we gather for #ContentChat please introduce yourself and share your experience with guest blogging.
— Erika Heald | Content Strategy (@SFerika) November 19, 2018

Q1: When is a blog ready to start inviting guest bloggers to contribute?

Your team first needs to develop the objectives and goals for your blog before you can bring on guests (we explored how to start your planning in this content chat). Also, ensure you have an established brand voice to find contributors that complement this.

A1: Everyone hates this answer, but, it depends. Specifically, it depends on the objective and goals you have for your blog. For most of my/client blogs, I’ve waited until the site had a well-defined editorial voice before inviting guests. #ContentChat https://t.co/1IYNGsSS3I
— Erika Heald | Content Strategy (@SFerika) November 19, 2018

A1. Once you have a clear voice, message and direction for your blog. It’s important to really establish the mission of the blog before inviting others to contribute or else it feels all over the place! #contentchat
— MeetEdgar (@MeetEdgar) November 19, 2018

A1: A blog is ready for guest bloggers when it has defined it’s voice and brand so it knows what guests will be a fit.#ContentChat https://t.co/rtTxfMUqB1
— Kathryn Lang (@Kathrynclang) November 19, 2018

Double check your blog traffic to make sure that you are already meeting your goals and that there is a value for any guest contributors.

It definitely does. After all, have you really defined and honed your editorial voice if no one is engaging with your content? #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Strategy (@SFerika) November 19, 2018

A1: I guess the answer really depends on the blog or site and what the goals are for that blog. Does it have a good following and how are they promoting of the blogs/content out to other channels? Plus, is the blog content of interest to others to want to contribute? #ContentChat
— Bernie Fussenegger 🐝✌️the7️⃣ (@B2the7) November 19, 2018

A1b: However, we also need to look at it from the guest blogger’s POV. If you have a domain authority of 1, for example, what’s in it for the blogger? #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Strategy (@SFerika) November 19, 2018

To make a long story short, Tod recaps it well:

Lessons learned on #ContentChat: A blog is ready for guest bloggers when it has:
(1) Defined Goals,
(2) Defined Audience,
(3) Defined Voice and POV, and
(4) Traffic that interests guests.
— Tod Cordill (@todcordill) November 19, 2018

November 12, 2018 Content Chat Recap: A User-Generated Content (UGC) Primer

November 18, 2018 by Alek Irvin Leave a Comment

User-generated content often lends authenticity to your brand and its messages, but there is a right and wrong way to approach UGC. In this #ContentChat, we were joined by Olga Egorsheva (@egolya) to weigh the pros, cons, and pitfalls of a UGC strategy.

Q1: What is user-generated content (UGC)?

UGC is anything your audience creates that showcases your brand, most often online (but it can be offline as well). Think everything from photos and videos to comments and reviews.

#UGC is any content created by everyday users. It doesn’t have to always be branded and often times works a lot better when it’s not.
All the photos and videos you post daily on #Instagram, #Facebook, #Youtube etc is all considered #usergeneratedcontent #ContentChat
— Olga Egorsheva (@egolya) November 12, 2018

A1: User-generated content is any piece of content that was created by users of a website or platform for the benefit of the user community and their needs. #ContentChat
— Patrick Delehanty (@MDigitalPatrick) November 12, 2018

A1) it’s content generated by consumers that marketers hope will provide positive consumer advocacy for the brand. #contentchat
— Jenn 💙💖⚪️💖💙 (@Renoe) November 12, 2018

A1: UGC is any content created and submitted by your audience, like blog comments, product reviews or testimonials, and more. #contentchat
— Brafton (@Brafton) November 12, 2018

A1 #UGC is when your brand’s fans create and share content that showcases your brand. This happens frequently through social media channels, but can happen offline as well. #contentchat
— Erika Heald | Content Strategy (@SFerika) November 12, 2018

A1. I would say that there are two types of user-generated content. The first is anything created by someone outside your organization that reflects on your brand. The second, which is more powerful, is content co-created with your users and the general public. #UGC #ContentChat https://t.co/ZrX2Ggm6iq
— David Simanoff (@dsimanoff) November 12, 2018

A1. UGC is content created by consumers/users. It’s anything from product photos shared from a buyer or reviews on Yelp or testimonials. It just has to come from the end user. #contentchat
— MeetEdgar (@MeetEdgar) November 12, 2018