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.
The #ContentChat Bulletin: Building a Strong Foundation for Content Marketing Strategy
I am a proponent of lifelong learning in all its forms. That’s why you’ll find me regularly listening to marketing podcasts, reading books and blogs, and attending the occasional online course in addition to creating these types of content myself.
But whenever I have a truly all-immersive and engaging in-person learning opportunity I’m reminded of just how powerful it is to be able to meet and have real conversations with others who share a love for what we do.
While at the MarketingProfs B2B Forum earlier this month, I had just such an experience.
It wasn’t just because the amazing Ann Handley kicked things off by speaking my (Weird Barbie) love language. It was also because at every break and in between sessions, I had the opportunity to talk with dozens of content marketing leaders about what they’ve been working on that lights their inner fires.
And one of those things might surprise you: it’s governance and documentation.
Don’t run away—I promise it’s not scary!
You see, in addition to having a ton of sessions that made us think about how we might work differently and the trends we need to adapt to in our everyday work, the conference also had a series of hands-on sessions.
These sessions included mine on how to create a style guide that will help you stay on brand and empower your human and AI content creators. While the topics differed, they all shared one promise: that the attendees would leave the room with a tangible work product.
Imagine being able to come back from a conference not just full of great ideas but with some documented plans, templates, and frameworks to take your content marketing program to the next level.
These sessions were held in smaller rooms to allow plenty of one-on-one feedback and Q&A, and required attendees to preregister through the conference app in advance. And the sessions were at capacity throughout the event.
It’s so rare for content marketers to get a chance to slow down and focus on strategy. After all, that editorial calendar isn’t going to fulfill itself!
But if we aren’t able to invest the time in putting our guidelines, workflows, and strategies in place, everything we do ends up being a lot harder in the end. These foundational elements have always been important. But they take on an elevated importance in a business environment where just about every company is looking for ways to use AI to work smarter and deliver a more personalized experience. Without them, we run the risk of AI just adding more noise to our customer journeys, and losing our content strategy’s competitive edge.
Coming Up on #ContentChat
Content Chat is my weekly LinkedIn live video 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, we’ll talk with Kanaar Bell to explore how to develop a brand sponsorship strategy for content marketing! KB will explain the value of brand sponsorships and how to find and engage the right sponsors to help you meet your goals.
- Next Monday (Oct. 23) on #ContentChat, I’ll explain the importance of content governance, templates, and guidelines in getting the most benefit from AI for marketing. Let me know if you have questions you’d like me to answer during 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 November 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.
Content Marketing + Related Jobs
Freelance B2B Writers (MarTech/SaaS Experience Preferred), GrowthLoop.
Thank you to our friend and longtime community member Melanie Graham for sharing this opportunity!
“GrowthLoop, formerly known as Flywheel, is a marketing agility platform provider empowering marketers with robust tools and strategies. We're currently looking for experienced B2B freelance writers for website content. Applicants should have extensive SEO content writing experience, including blog posts, knowledgebase articles, webpages, and eBooks. MarTech/SaaS experience preferred. Please send your resume and clips to melanie.graham@growthloop.com.”
Internal Communications Manager, Chobani.
Chobani is a leading provider of oat milk, yogurt, creamer, and other food products. Its team seeks an internal communications manager based in its Twin Falls, ID facility. The role involves engaging employees through email, video, and print channels and capturing multimedia content at internal company events and external community activations.
Video Content Marketing Manager, Outreach.
Outreach empowers sales teams with its AI-powered platform designed to create and close more pipeline opportunities. The brand is hiring a video content marketing manager based in Seattle (2-3 days in the office each week) to strategize, film, and edit internal video content. This is a great opportunity for someone with film and animation experience to own a video content strategy.
Senior Brand Writer, Ramp.
Ramp offers a finance platform that combines corporate cards with expense management, bill payments, vendor management, accounting automation, and more. The company is looking for a senior brand writer to write copy that spans all customer-facing assets from advertising to the website. The role involves working from the company’s NYC HQ at least two days per week.
Employee Communications Lead, Asana.
Asana offers a leading project management and strategic planning platform used by more than 80% of the Fortune 100. Its team is hiring an employee communications lead to own its internal editorial and events calendar, serving as the company’s lead internal storyteller. The role is based in San Francisco with an “office-centric hybrid” schedule, meaning you’ll work in the office on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.
Senior Manager, Internal Communications (G&A), Procore Technologies.
Procore Technologies makes it easier to manage construction through its top-rated platform for project execution, workforce and financial management, and construction intelligence. The brand seeks a communications professional to lead the overarching communications strategy for its global talent, finance, and legal business units.
Are you hiring? We can help!
If you have a content marketing contract position, full-time job, or freelance opportunity, reply to this email and let us know. We are always happy to share jobs with the community.
ICYMI—In Case You Missed It
2024 Creator Economy Expo (CEX) Call For Speakers.
The CEX 2024 call for speakers is open until Oct. 31! Joe Pulizzi and his team are looking for content creators who want to teach other creators how to build a better content business model, innovative ways to grow an audience, and strategies for revenue generation.
How Style Guides Supercharge Your Content Strategy.
A content style guide is one of the most valuable assets for a marketing department, yet so many teams don’t have a documented style guide! In this #ContentChat replay, I explain how style guides can help you scale your content creation beyond your team and share what you should include. If you missed my MarketingProfs B2B Forum session, this gives you a few highlights. And stay tuned for a future blog post that dives deeper on the topic, too.
9 Best ChatGPT Alternatives For 2023 (Pros & Cons).
ChatGPT has become the “kleenex” of generative AI, but there are many alternatives geared toward specific use cases. This Reddit post provides pros and cons for nine ChatGPT alternates—have you tried any of them?
Top 25 B2B Marketing Influencers and Experts To Follow #MPB2B 2023.
If your social media feeds could use a boost of quality content marketing content, this post from Top Rank shares 25 speakers from the MarketingProfs B2B Forum (including me!). Who are some of your favorite industry experts on social? I’m always looking for new people to follow (and guests for #ContentChat).
Buyers Want to Trust Content. But Do They Value Yours? [New Research]
Tech buyers want trustworthy and valuable content. Unfortunately, 71% are often or sometimes disappointed in the value of the gated content they receive, per new research from Informa Tech. The recent survey digs into what B2B audiences want from content and where current teams need to catch up. Check out the highlights in this CMI Content article.
B2C Strategies for Better B2B Content Marketing.
B2B content has gotten a reputation for being bland and impersonal (and, at its worst, boring). But it doesn’t have to be that way! This MarketingProfs article explains how to create better B2B content by borrowing from proven B2C strategies, including three tools that help to create more personalized content.
Until next time, stay safe and be well!
Cheers,
Erika
Erika Heald, Founder & Lead Consultant
Erika Heald Marketing Consulting
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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