Erika Heald is the host of the weekly #ContentChat LinkedIn Live video podcast for content marketers, held Mondays at noon Pacific. As a B2B marketing consultant, she helps organizations define and execute content marketing strategies that drive business and professional growth. As a creator, and gluten-free blogger helping people discover gut-friendly farm-to-table food. She frequently speaks at B2B marketing industry events on employee brand advocacy, content strategy, customer experience, AI readiness, and social media topics. You can find her on her blogs erikaheald.com and erikasglutenfreekitchen.com.
No More Marketing FOMO: How to Deal With Not Jumping on the Bandwagon
Not gonna lie: I have some content marketing FOMO right now.
Specifically, it’s centered on Content Marketing World, happening at the end of the month in D.C.
I’ve attended the event as a speaker or registrant for the past 10 years in Cleveland. I’ve fondly thought of it—and called it out loud— my annual content marketing family reunion.
But this year, the timing for the event conflicted with heading home from the East Coast to attend a beloved friend’s wedding. Then, a week later, I’m headed to Boston to attend and speak at the MarketingProfs B2B Marketing Forum.
I mean, sure, I could stay on the road for three weeks. But my partner would very likely be more than a little salty about being on cat and bulldog duty for that long. And it would also blow my entire travel budget for the rest of the year, not to mention the client work that I can’t put on pause for three weeks.
So, even though it’s been a tradition I love, I had to cut it out this year.
And it’s fine. It makes sense. And every time I see someone whose face I miss post about it, I get the sad.
So, instead of dwelling on it, I’ve made a point of celebrating all my friends who are speaking. I’m reaching out and telling them they are missed. I’m finding something fun we can work on together. In short, I’m turning the FOMO into an impetus to take action on keeping up with these folks year-round. And not just relying on the event to make it happen for me automagically.
This approach also works for the other things we marketers get FOMO about.
Don’t have the budget to field proprietary research on your own? Reach out to some marketers you admire with noncompeting companies. Pitch them the idea of collaborating on research that everyone sends to their own email list. Enjoy the expansive reach the survey—and its results—can have from the combined effort!
Work in a highly regulated industry or have a legal department that won’t let you solicit customer case studies? Then go out of your way to amplify (even if you have to make it anonymous) the public praise your company and employees receive!
Sometimes, it takes a little FOMO to get us to think outside of the box to get what we want. Or even to help us better understand what exactly it is we are truly missing out on. And once we do, we’re in a position to go after it. In whatever form that may be.
Coming Up on #ContentChat
Content Chat is my weekly Twitter and LinkedIn audio chat focused on sharing expertise and ideas amongst the content marketing community. Join the conversation on Mondays at noon Pacific / 3 p.m. Eastern. Be sure to mark your calendar to join the #ContentChat community and me for these upcoming guests:
- Today on #ContentChat, I’ll be joined by Meisha Bochicchio to explore how to repurpose and reinvent content to maximize your content marketing value. We’ll discuss the signs that an existing piece of content could drive value in a new form, ways to plan your content variations from Day 1, and our favorite tools to help!
- Next Monday (September 18) on #ContentChat, Kim Moutsos of the Content Marketing Institute and I will dig into the recent Content Marketing Career & Salary 2024 Outlook research. We’ll discuss how marketers use AI, whether we are satisfied with our salaries and opportunities, and how content marketing managers can best support their teams. Let us know if you have any questions you’d like us to answer on the chat!
Get Involved with #ContentChat
Want #ContentChat on your calendar? Use this link to follow our calendar, so you never miss a chat.
We're booking guests for August and beyond—send us your pitch!
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.
MarketingProfs B2B Forum—You Don’t Want To Miss It!
MarketingProfs is one of my favorite marketing networks, and I am thrilled to speak at the upcoming B2B Forum on Oct. 4-6 in Boston, MA.
This must-attend event is packed with valuable sessions that teach you actionable ways to drive growth, elevate your brand reputation, and prove ROI. You won’t sit through painful branded sessions that are just glorified demos—these are real professionals sharing actual ways to help you get ahead. Oh, and did I mention there will be shenANNigans?
My session will share five steps for creating a truly useful content style guide on Oct. 5 at 4:05 p.m. Register today to snag your tickets, and be ready to sign up for sessions on Sept. 20 (spots are limited!).
Will I see you there?!
P.S. Are you looking for a gluten-free dinner companion during the event who loves great seasonal food? Hit reply and let me know you're going to be there so we can make plans (and reservations) for a tasty farm-to-form dinner.
Content Marketing + Related Jobs
Lead Brand Copywriter, Hinge Health.
Hinge Health is a digital clinic for joint and muscle pain that currently serves 1,500 customers and is accessible to 26 million members. The company seeks a lead brand copywriter in Austin, Portland, or Seattle to evolve and develop its marketing message into compelling narratives and copy across all channels.
Philanthropy Writer, Fred Hutch Cancer Center.
Fred Hutch is a leading independent, nonprofit organization providing cancer treatment and conducting research on cancer and infectious diseases. Its team seeks a philanthropy writer to help coordinate broad-based donor acquisition, communications, and event activities. This is a hybrid role based out of Seattle, WA, requiring two days in office per week.
Social Media Writer/Content Creator, Google Fiber.
Google Fiber (GFiber) is committed to connecting communities with powerful internet access that helps them flourish. The GFiber team is hiring a social media writer/content creator to own its presence on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Reddit, and others. The role can be based in several large cities across the U.S., including Atlanta, Austin, Salt Lake City, and San Francisco.
Content Marketing Lead, Webflow.
Webflow’s mission is to bring development superpowers to everyone, providing a visual development platform to build websites without writing code. The team is looking for a content marketing lead to develop, own, and run its content strategy and editorial roadmap for the enterprise audience. The role is remote-first for U.S. and Canadian professionals.
Are you hiring? We can help!
If you have a content marketing contract position, full-time job, or freelancer opportunity, reply to this email and let us know. We are always happy to share jobs with the community.
ICYMI
How To Activate A Brand Thought Leader In Support Of Your Content Marketing Strategy.
Subject matter experts and aspiring thought leaders at your company can give your public relations and content marketing programs a significant boost… if you know how to work with them well, that is. In this #ContentChat recap, Kathy Casciani and I discuss finding and partnering with internal thought leaders, including tips for content creation, media relations, speaking and events, and more!
AI Is Going To Eliminate Way More Jobs Than Anyone Realizes.
AI Is certainly going to replace or reconfigure many jobs, but it’s also likely to create entirely new ones we haven’t thought of yet. In the interim, however, it will get messy. This article explores what we should brace for in the coming months. H/T to Cathy McPhillips for sharing this article in the Marketing AI Insitute Slack (you can request an invitation here).
Big Bump in Ad Spend May Lead to Better Year for Marketers.
As brand marketers continue to optimize their strategies (often with shrinking budgets), paid advertisements may be a smart strategy to drive results. CMI’s chief strategy advisor, Robert Rose, breaks down what you should know in this video and recap article.
Pinterest Pin Formats.
Pinterest switched up its Pin formats so that you can now choose between image, video, and product Pins (goodbye Idea Pins!). In this article and Simple Pin Podcast episode, Kate Ahl explains how to pick the best Pin format for your content. Are you using Pinterest for content marketing? I’d love to hear how you’ve found success on the channel!
Until next time, stay safe and be well!
Cheers,
Erika
Erika Heald, Founder & Lead Consultant
Erika Heald Marketing Consulting
Twitter: @sferika
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/erikaheald
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/misserikasf/
Threads: @MisserikaSF
The #ContentChat Bulletin
Erika Heald is the host of the weekly #ContentChat LinkedIn Live video podcast for content marketers, held Mondays at noon Pacific. As a B2B marketing consultant, she helps organizations define and execute content marketing strategies that drive business and professional growth. As a creator, and gluten-free blogger helping people discover gut-friendly farm-to-table food. She frequently speaks at B2B marketing industry events on employee brand advocacy, content strategy, customer experience, AI readiness, and social media topics. You can find her on her blogs erikaheald.com and erikasglutenfreekitchen.com.
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