Happy new year, everyone! To kick off 2020, the #ContentChat community reflected on our content marketing firsts, fails, and favorites from 2019, packed with tips to start the new decade strong. Check out the full recap below, and if you’re interested in being a guest for an upcoming #ContentChat, fill out this short form so we can get a conversation started.
Q1: What is something you did in content marketing in 2019 that you’d never done before?
2019 had a range of firsts for our community. For a few people, content marketing was a new area in 2019.
A1: Content marketing was new to me in 2019! I always knew it was important to be online but did not have a consistent approach until 2019. I’m excited to see where it will take me in 2020.#ContentChat
— Dr. Donald Hecht (@realDocHecht) January 6, 2020
Content marketing was also new to me in 2019! My company is investing more in content so looking forward to shaping strategy in 2020 #ContentChat
— Danielle Bullen Love (@daniellewriter) January 6, 2020
Others explored new content types like ebooks or wrote content on new topics.
A1. Write an ebook (me personally, not our company). #ContentChat
— GreenRope (@GreenRope) January 6, 2020
A1: I wrote blogs for a whole slew of new clients, and that included posts about parking bollards and analytical materials testing! I love learning a little bit about a lot of things. #contentchat
— RenéeDeLuca (@ReneeDeLuca) January 6, 2020
Some folks had notable firsts with guest blogging, both paid and unpaid.
A1. In 2019 I got my first check as a paid writer. I’ve done plenty of guest blog posting, and written email, landing page, website, etc content, but getting paid for a blog post was a first for me. 🙂 #ContentChat
— Tod Cordill (@todcordill) January 6, 2020
A1 Hi All! I had my first guest blog post published! #ContentChat
— Michael Martucci (@LoneDigiMarketr) January 6, 2020
Visual chops were tested, and marketers experimented with live streaming, IGTV videos, and moving images.
A1: I’d never done an IGTV video before! And in October, they introduced IGTV series, so I started one. #ContentChat
— Brianne Fleming (@brianne2k) January 6, 2020
A1: Multi-channel live streaming! Did a live panel across six different live social channels and recorded it. #ContentChat
— John Cloonan (@johncloonan) January 6, 2020
A1: I started a social media manager class, created moving images with @PixaloopApp & cool graphics with @PicsArtStudio, and learned a ton about photo editing. #ContentChat
— Alexis Smith (@Alexified) January 6, 2020
Processes were optimized to automate tasks, better assess a content’s impact, try new ways of writing, and reprioritize certain social channels like Twitter.
A1. Write lots of intros before I picked the final one. Before 2019, I worked on possibly editing the intro to polish it. But I’m more about writing a couple before deciding which one is best now. #ContentChat
— Masooma | Content Writer (@inkandcopy) January 6, 2020
A1: With content marketing in 2019, I was able to step back and fully look at the impact or lack of impact it has on all our channels when not coordinated or consistent. #ContentChat
— Bernie Fussenegger #Digital360Chat (@B2the7) January 6, 2020
A1) Automation!!! Figuring out automation funnels for our different initiatives has been really, really fun! #contentchat
— Diana Richardson (@DianaRich013) January 6, 2020
A1: I stopped treating Twitter as an afterthought. The truth is for a long time Twitter has been the social media platform I use the least.
I started giving much thought to how I use the platform and over time, I’ve learned a lot and connected with great minds.#contentchat
— Oluwafemi Oyelola (@meetoluwafemi) January 6, 2020
Several marketers earned certifications or researched technical topics like SEO.
Get a @semrush certification
— Helene Fleischer (@hellzy_bellzy) January 6, 2020
A1: After 6 years in marketing copywriting, 2018 was the year I moved into content marketing and 2019 was the year I really did a deep dive into SEO and taking on more keyword research and optimization responsibilities. #ContentChat https://t.co/bP1MFJowMt
— Jennifer L. Dawson (@JLDContentQueen) January 6, 2020
a1. I started creating content strategies for social media and sem. I used to just write copy and plan seasonal campaign launches. Now I get to create detailed and elaborate content strategies which I absolutely love to do 🙂 #ContentChat https://t.co/GRMyxOOpSE
— Maddie Clark (@maddieclarksem) January 6, 2020
New revenue streams were introduced.
A1: I transformed my three major approaches into trainings.
And for my #intro: My name is Gary J. Nix and my favorite cold-weather breakfast is spare ribs. Yes. Spare ribs.#ContentChat https://t.co/Ciirgf4WY7
— THE Gary J. Nix 💰: the emoji is the mood (@Mr_McFly) January 6, 2020
Clients were encouraged to adopt more inclusive language.
A1: I got to work with a client who has an equity language guide, and persuaded another client to adopt one too. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) January 6, 2020
Content was optimized for consistency in style.
A1. Fully integrate { and manage } SEO, email, social media (per platform and content type), website, print, direct mail, and ads to have one synchronized messaging tone, language, and style from a hierarchy level.
I never did it to that scale.#ContentChat
— Troy Sandidge 🚀 (@FindTroy) January 6, 2020
Teams were expanded or freelancers were brought in to help meet content goals.
I was actually able to (finally) get a few freelance writers together to work on our content #ContentChat Hallelujah!! https://t.co/tiBVrNOtIv
— Jen Brass Jenkins (@chrliechaz) January 6, 2020
And tools like Click to Tweet were tested to help in content sharing.
A1: Hi, sorry I’m late. 😬 I used Click To Tweet in my posts, and I featured quotes & recs from folks I wanted to cultivate a relationship with. C2T gives readers a chance to share the item & give extra exposure to the person being quoted. 👍🏆😊 #ContentChat
— Mark Armstrong (@mrstrongarm) January 6, 2020
Q2: What was your favorite new content marketing tool, template, or technology?
Did the community miss any of your favorite tools? Here are their top picks:
A2. I’ve recently started using Toggl for tracking my time. Although it’s not a content marketing tool, but it’s part of my daily work so I figured it’s worth the mention. #contentchat
— Masooma | Content Writer (@inkandcopy) January 6, 2020
A2: I loved finding and using the mobile app for @canva #ContentChat
— Bernie Fussenegger #Digital360Chat (@B2the7) January 6, 2020
A2: New tools for me may not be new tools for the rest of you, but I’ve enjoyed using Hootsuite and Hubspot #ContentChat
— Dr. Donald Hecht (@realDocHecht) January 6, 2020
A2: I love https://t.co/PVoqwc22wQ to keep track of content calendars. #contentchat
— RenéeDeLuca (@ReneeDeLuca) January 6, 2020
A2: I’ve recently started using Bear. It’s a note taking app and I use it to capture my content ideas. #contentchat
— Oluwafemi Oyelola (@meetoluwafemi) January 6, 2020
A2) @ActiveCampaign !!!! #contentchat
— Diana Richardson (@DianaRich013) January 6, 2020
A2: I’m really into @PicsArtStudio. It’s a photo editor & a social platform. I made my favorite pic of my bf yet! #ContentChat pic.twitter.com/JfL86gbWWj
— Alexis Smith (@Alexified) January 6, 2020
A2: We used @MURAL for online collaboration. #ContentChat
— Danielle Bullen Love (@daniellewriter) January 6, 2020
A2: @ClickUp_app was definitely my favorite tool that I’ve used over the past year. It’s become an essential for handling project management for me! #ContentChat
— Express Writers | Your Content Writing Team (@ExpWriters) January 6, 2020
A2 This may call me out as a total noob, but I love Adobe Spark Post! #ContentChat
— Michael Martucci (@LoneDigiMarketr) January 6, 2020
A2: I discovered a browser plugin / site called https://t.co/rGn8F3YAUS which is basically Pinterest but for marketing content only! It’s a great way to stay up-to-date on content trends. I’ve also published my own articles there and have gotten so much traffic! #ContentChat
— Brianne Fleming (@brianne2k) January 6, 2020
A2.
Maximizing the use of:@SlackHQ@MondayDotCom@AirTable@Microsoft To Do@GSuite#ContentChat
— Troy Sandidge 🚀 (@FindTroy) January 6, 2020
a2. I love the simplicity of bannersnack. Great tool to create eye-catching images! #ContentChat https://t.co/WGZJ8ybPLE
— Maddie Clark (@maddieclarksem) January 6, 2020
Some of our members implemented new guidelines and templates in 2019. Have you encountered any of these?
A2: Developed an editorial set of guidelines for my subject matter experts. It’s always an uphill battle with highly educated peeps to suggest content industry best practices. I’m hoping this will help #ContentChat https://t.co/7EqT1CVdkf
— Jen Brass Jenkins (@chrliechaz) January 6, 2020
A2: I’ve been working off of a template three-celled Venn diagrams and going from there because threes can be quite powerful!#ContentChat https://t.co/bu4p1uaEim
— THE Gary J. Nix 💰: the emoji is the mood (@Mr_McFly) January 6, 2020
A2: Not new, but new to me. Our SEO team adopted ahrefs for all SEO research and review, so I’m learning the ins and outs of that. #ContentChat
— Jennifer L. Dawson (@JLDContentQueen) January 6, 2020
Q3: What would you like to have in 2020 that you lacked in 2019 when it comes to your content marketing work?
Are any of these on your content marketing wishlist for 2020?
A3: I want the ability to scale in 2020 so I don’t have to turn down clients I’d love to work with. This means finding all sorts of great #b2b freelance talent to work with. #ContentChat https://t.co/PkOSunvtGo
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) January 6, 2020
A3: I would have to go with more time for my solo or personal content #ContentChat
— Bernie Fussenegger #Digital360Chat (@B2the7) January 6, 2020
A3. A bigger budget for video content and some quality lapel mics. Fingers crossed. #ContentChat
— GreenRope (@GreenRope) January 6, 2020
A3: content coordination with some of our other initiatives. We started to get this kicked into gear at the end of 2019, so I’m stoked to really kick this up a notch in 2020 #contentchat
— Diana Richardson (@DianaRich013) January 6, 2020
A3: I would love to have more time to devote to the content on my personal blog/website, trying to ramp up my side hustle! #contentchat
— RenéeDeLuca (@ReneeDeLuca) January 6, 2020
A3: I would like to learn how to create lenses (IG, FB, and Snap) and filters. And do more with live video. #ContentChat
— Alexis Smith (@Alexified) January 6, 2020
Consistency! 🙈
— Corey C Walker (@marketing_gal) January 7, 2020
A3: I’m looking forward to writing for other publications. I’m working on a few guest blogs! #ContentChat
— Dr. Donald Hecht (@realDocHecht) January 6, 2020
As we scale up, a way to better track content performance for not only internal content channels, but also for external content channels (such as social influencers and affiliate publications). Data, data, data all in one convenient place.
— Elise Hofman (@eliselhofman) January 6, 2020
A3: Yes; fewer silos more content coordination across our department #ContentChat https://t.co/5JxzYKkCkT
— Jen Brass Jenkins (@chrliechaz) January 6, 2020
A3: I’d like to have something that only I can provide… a lot more discipline and consistency with my publishing! Also hoping to start scheduling Instagram content on desktop. Carpal tunnel is reallllll #ContentChat
— Brianne Fleming (@brianne2k) January 6, 2020
A3: I’d say better considered, more comprehensive campaigns. We seem to throw so much stuff against the wall to see what sticks. #ContentChat
— John Cloonan (@johncloonan) January 6, 2020
A3b: Which really translates to more time to design, build, and launch campaigns. #ContentChat
— John Cloonan (@johncloonan) January 6, 2020
A3: Looking forward to a professional development budget so I can grow my content marketing knowledge #ContentChat
— Danielle Bullen Love (@daniellewriter) January 6, 2020
A3: I will build up a marketing budget for 2020.
That will definitely be different from 2019. #ContentChat https://t.co/PXBRxtSfbW
— Kathryn Lang (@Kathrynclang) January 6, 2020
a3. more confidence in my work and less perfectionism. In 2019, I treated any content I produced like an artist showing off their work; shy and prone to self-judgement. I’m going to leave that behind in 2019 and be proud of what I create in 2020 #ContentChat https://t.co/NLXFtM9uGP
— Maddie Clark (@maddieclarksem) January 6, 2020
Q4: What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Our community had some big wins in 2019, including speaking at major conferences…
A5: I was asked to speak at my first major conference. The conference is this year, but having them accept my proposal, interview me and ask me to speak happened in 2019. I can’t wait!! Huge career goal achievement! #contentchat
— Diana Richardson (@DianaRich013) January 6, 2020
A4.
Inbetween the work I was able to do for current company and speaking at #ISUM19 #ContentChat
— Troy Sandidge 🚀 (@FindTroy) January 6, 2020
Working with dream clients…
A4. I’ve worked with dream clients 🥳 and Twitter has started delivering fruit. #contentchat
— Masooma | Content Writer (@inkandcopy) January 6, 2020
Crushing marketing goals…
A4. Drastically raising KPIs for marketing, Twitter engagements have increased over 100%. Also building a whole new brand from scratch for white labeling. #ContentChat
— GreenRope (@GreenRope) January 6, 2020
A4: Increasing blog traffic QoQ, every quarter of last year. #ContentChat https://t.co/FTvrRwxxu8
— Jennifer L. Dawson (@JLDContentQueen) January 6, 2020
Creating a team…
A4: Creating a team (which grew by 2 members to make us a fantastic foursome…) that is high performing and delivers high value #ContentChat https://t.co/AJZyfVSyXw
— Jen Brass Jenkins (@chrliechaz) January 6, 2020
Launching an email newsletter…
A4: I finally launched my email newsletter! Just sent issue 3 last Friday… #ContentChat https://t.co/IP9kUTi5K6
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) January 6, 2020
Starting a company and podcast…
Starting my #datascience media company https://t.co/K8Y6JanutB and the podcast #DataFemme. I couldn’t be prouder of what I accomplished in the last few months. #ContentChat https://t.co/WAH6m9o0cU
— DiKayo Data (@dikayodata) January 6, 2020
Being quoted in top industry publications…
A4: I got quoted in @PRWeekUS which was pretty cool! Hoping to get published and get my first paid speaking gig in 2020 🙏 #ContentChat
— Brianne Fleming (@brianne2k) January 6, 2020
A4: A pull quote in @Adweek. My first one!#ContentChat https://t.co/HCA9npSmwH
— THE Gary J. Nix 💰: the emoji is the mood (@Mr_McFly) January 6, 2020
Moving (both locations or career paths)…
A4: Mine was moving back to CLE and landing a great job with a great marketing team. #contentchat
— RenéeDeLuca (@ReneeDeLuca) January 6, 2020
A4: Moving into content marketing from another field#ContentChat
— Danielle Bullen Love (@daniellewriter) January 6, 2020
a4. moving from agency to in-house marketing. I didn’t think I’d get here in 2019 but super proud I did. I love being able to dive into my work without the fear of driving up a client’s bill #ContentChat https://t.co/3BgkGiK6PL
— Maddie Clark (@maddieclarksem) January 6, 2020
And getting 100% referral-based clients.
A4. It may sound strange, but I consider my biggest 2019 achievement to be that all of my new clients came from referrals, not networking. #ContentChat
— Tod Cordill (@todcordill) January 6, 2020
Q5: What was your biggest failure?
Some of the best lessons come from failure. What did our community learn last year? Pay attention to red flags with clients, especially related to payments, and get safeguards in place as best as you can…
A5. Ended up working with a client who still hasn’t paid. 😡 I’m surprised I didn’t see the red flags. #ContentChat
— Masooma | Content Writer (@inkandcopy) January 6, 2020
Honestly, I think it happens to everyone at some point! Difficult clients can happen when you have a service-based business. Fingers crossed it never happens again though! #ContentChat
— Express Writers | Your Content Writing Team (@ExpWriters) January 6, 2020
Some clients may require more education than is worth your time (especially if there is are ongoing conflicting views on how to approach a campaign or project)…
A5: I kept trying to educate and help a client that I really should have just fired. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) January 6, 2020
Great content takes time, especially if you’re launching a new podcast or newsletter. Factor extra time for reviews/approvals, and set a creation cadence that allows you to maximize the quality of the content and your ROI…
A5: My biggest failure for business was a daily podcast. I loved it, but never got traction. #ContentChat https://t.co/Tn7yJSBRmn
— Kathryn Lang (@Kathrynclang) January 6, 2020
A5: ouch, biggest failure was probably starting an email list without a plan of steady content. I need to start automating and also get over the fear of the unsubscribe! Getting there… #contentchat
— Brianne Fleming (@brianne2k) January 6, 2020
A5: Having to rush to get content on the site by a certain date because I didn’t factor in all the approvals into the timeline#ContentChat
— Danielle Bullen Love (@daniellewriter) January 6, 2020
A5: Not finishing writing my book (because I had at least infinity ideas while trying). Will be fixed in 2020.#ContentChat https://t.co/PXfKulfo90
— THE Gary J. Nix 💰: the emoji is the mood (@Mr_McFly) January 6, 2020
Breaking down siloes takes time, so take little steps toward progress whenever possible and overcommunicate your needs to your leadership…
A5: Getting help with said silos… #ContentChat https://t.co/OCGm7PGaYq
— Jen Brass Jenkins (@chrliechaz) January 6, 2020
And fully explore the expectations of a position before accepting.
A5: Having to leave my last job because I didn’t fully explore the expectations, and the position was only half-right for me. #ContentChat
— John Cloonan (@johncloonan) January 6, 2020
Q6: What did you get really, really, really excited about in content marketing in 2019?
From experimenting with new content types and topics to listening to inspiring podcasts and keynotes, the community had a lot to be excited about in 2019.
A6. Writing a blog post for Trello. 🤫#ContentChat
— Masooma | Content Writer (@inkandcopy) January 6, 2020
A6: relationship building. It’s been great to connect with other professionals in my field and get their insights on top news in #HigherEd#ContentChat
— Dr. Donald Hecht (@realDocHecht) January 6, 2020
A6: I had a guest post published on the @CMIContent blog, and they didn’t even make me wear orange! Also: got a book illustration assignment where I had to swear confidentiality, which made me feel like a big-shot spy! I also quoted @SFerika in a post– whoa! 🏆😊 #ContentChat
— Mark Armstrong (@mrstrongarm) January 6, 2020
A6: For me, it was using content for employer branding, rather than just trying to sell stuff. It was a new twist on something I’ve done for a long time. #ContentChat
— John Cloonan (@johncloonan) January 6, 2020
A6: I always love hearing @JoePulizzi talk #contentmarketing. But his opening keynote for #CMworld last year really nailed so many things that had been top of mind and put them out there. #ContentChat https://t.co/2N8TodQah5
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) January 6, 2020
A6. Oddly enough, when algorithms started to change and everyone had to adapt strategies. Idk, it leveled the playing field again. But it’s a constant change which means you really need to pay attention and modify content strategy accordingly.#ContentChat https://t.co/HQDmiR8juH
— Troy Sandidge 🚀 (@FindTroy) January 6, 2020
A6: Honestly? @halvorson and @BrainTraffic podcast. Maybe I just discovered it this last year? #ContentChat https://t.co/Dvc3c1Bj7B
— Jen Brass Jenkins (@chrliechaz) January 6, 2020
A6: finally figured out a topic I want to talk about! Experts! Super Excited! #ContentChat https://t.co/GEcdFK55rL
— Deb Mitchell (@deb_mitchell) January 6, 2020
Q7: What do you wish you’d done less of in 2019 when it comes to #contentmarketing?
Potential goals for 2020? Read more books…
A7. I’m really scratching my head here but there doesn’t seem to something I wish I hadn’t done. 🤔 Though I do wish I had read more books. #ContentChat
— Masooma | Content Writer (@inkandcopy) January 6, 2020
Automate tasks…
A7: posting to all of the different channels manually. I haven’t quite found the right tool to help automate that part of the process yet. I’ve tried a few, but just haven’t found my fav yet. #contentchat
— Diana Richardson (@DianaRich013) January 6, 2020
Cut down on meetings…
A7: I wish I’d spent less time in recurring meetings. Haha. I so prefer working meetings or strategy sessions to status updates. #ContentChat https://t.co/jztb8Efnwn
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) January 6, 2020
Balance priorities to maximize success…
A7: I wish I balanced all my social media publishing with more consistent email marketing. It’s much easier to nurture relationships when you have subscribers #ContentChat
— Brianne Fleming (@brianne2k) January 6, 2020
Create systems to better locate team assets…
A7: Chasing around inside a very large corporation trying to figure out where resources that I know we must have, live. #ContentChat
— John Cloonan (@johncloonan) January 6, 2020
And something we should all remember: believe in yourself.
a7. Doubt myself. Although I’m not new to digital marketing, I often thought less of my skills than I should have because I only have a few years under my belt #ContentChat https://t.co/lHoMGt9wlM
— Maddie Clark (@maddieclarksem) January 6, 2020
Q8: Share a valuable content marketing lesson you learned in 2019.
Check out these lessons from our community, and comment below if you have any additional advice to share.
A8. Focus on engaging with your audience and work on relationship building. You’ll get more than you bargained for and I’m sure everyone here will agree with me. 🙌#ContentChat
— Masooma | Content Writer (@inkandcopy) January 6, 2020
A8: When you’re supplied content by others to publish, check their sources. #ContentChat
— John Cloonan (@johncloonan) January 6, 2020
A8: There are many companies who think they are doing ABM. Rather, there are a lot of companies out there who think that budgeting for inbound tactics and having their salespeople send out daily unsolicited emails to companies they want for their logo slide = ABM. #ContentChat https://t.co/5akn5k2smU
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) January 6, 2020
A8: Quality over quantity#ContentChat
— Danielle Bullen Love (@daniellewriter) January 6, 2020
a8. Planning really is everything. Without a plan, you’re just shooting in the dark and hoping for the best and often times off-tone for the brand #ContentChat https://t.co/BwEUvYuzco
— Maddie Clark (@maddieclarksem) January 6, 2020
Always have a call to action. #ContentChat https://t.co/g53JOjh9Je
— DiKayo Data (@dikayodata) January 6, 2020
A8: design your content for the platform. For example, rather than using Instagram to tell people to go listen to my podcast at the link in my bio, I made video/audiograms so people could hear a snippet within their feed. #contentchat
— Brianne Fleming (@brianne2k) January 6, 2020
Q8: How much I need to be looking at what other companies outside my particular niche industry are doing #ContentChat https://t.co/8paEr4t8lw
— Jen Brass Jenkins (@chrliechaz) January 6, 2020
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