Ann Gynn edits the CMI blog. She also serves as the Tech Tools editor for Chief Content Officer magazine. Ann regularly combines words and strategy for B2B, B2C, and nonprofits, continuing to live up to her high school nickname, Editor Ann. Former college adjunct faculty, Ann also helps train professionals in content so they can do it themselves. Follow Ann on Twitter @anngynn or connect on LinkedIn.
Editor’s note: Hearing the same questions from multiple stakeholders about content marketing can get frustrating. We updated this post to provide you with go-to answers for 25 of them.
Do you frequently hear tough (or even easy) questions about content marketing from your executives or clients?
Want a handy dandy cheat sheet for those questions? We are here to help.
Words, glorious words.
They can convey so much. Or they can convey nothing.
They can persuade. Or they can repel.
During these unprecedented, historic times (wink, wink), our lexicon has both grown and become stunted.
When three companies essentially closed their retail businesses during the coronavirus pandemic, their marketers made a detour to their kitchens.
Though none of the companies is a food-based brand, each created content marketing strategies around their oft-requested, never-disclosed recipes – content that surprised and delighted their target audiences and attracted widespread attention.
Let’s explore their basic content recipes, a few add-in ingredients, and a couple recipe tweaks.
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When I did PR for an air show, one factor most influenced the event’s success – and it was something no one could control. No matter how well the event was marketed or how spectacular the lineup of acts, we were at its mercy.
This uncontrollable predictor of success? The weather.
That’s why the air show team noted the forecast, actual weather (temperature, rain amount, etc.) alongside the attendance numbers in its annual records.
Self-isolation doesn’t sound like the optimal environment for collaborative brainstorming. Yet, that’s where many content marketers find themselves today.
Can you harness that collaborative mentality to create content ideas, strategies, and more at a distance?
Your clearly defined audience is changing its behaviors. Your well-detailed company goals are in flux.
Your pre-pandemic content marketing strategy isn’t working in this new world.
What should you do? Create an adjusted one-page content marketing strategy as soon as possible.
Let’s make this simple.
Factually wrong content is bad. Accurate content is a necessity.
Whether you’re a content creator or editor, use this checklist to help ensure that your content won’t spread misinformation and need to be debunked. And so your audience can trust your content.
Editor’s note: You can follow this process during a pandemic like COVID-19 that affects nearly everyone. It’s also helpful when the impact of a news story isn’t as clear.
Your editorial calendar looks perfect. Your content team has done everything right.
Each week’s theme aligns with your brand’s content marketing strategy. Each day includes topics that will engage your audience in formats they want. The upcoming month’s content is ready to go – approved by all the necessary stakeholders.
Ghostwriters are like introverted ventriloquists.
They never appear on stage, but they speak for another when they write the content published under another individual’s byline or brand name.
Ghostwriting takes the writing process to the next level – it amplifies the value of some standard research and planning practices and adds a few more steps to walk in another’s “shoes.” And the writer doesn’t get the credit publicly. “Ghostwriting is a selfless job,” says Aisha Ahmed, editorial coordinator at Healthy Links.
When you’re paid to write, you can’t afford to take hours to craft the perfect piece or luxuriate for weeks waiting for inspiration to strike.
You’re facing deadlines. You have multiple pieces to write. Maybe you’re just sick of the assignment taking so long.
