You take a bunch of words, string them together, complement those sentences with striking images and stick out there for your fans and followers. If you have the know-how you can add a couple custom images, videos or even podcasts…maybe an infographic or two.
You tweet, post and holler like crazy–until your content goes viral.
It’s that easy, isn’t it?
If only!
Building Customer Trust Through Branded Content Marketing
The lure to create, curate and then distribute content is so strong for brands because it works.
Brands and marketers who prioritize blogging as not 5, or 10 but 13x more likely to enjoy a positive ROI. That’s huge.
Content marketing generates 3x as many leads as its more traditional counterpart, outbound marketing, but costs more than 50% less. So, how come only 30%of all content strategists consider their efforts effective? And, there’s a lot of B2B marketerswho seem lost in translation between their actual business results and content marketing efforts.
So, what’s going on? What’s missing from the big picture? Is branded content marketing really “all that?”
In short: content marketing is all that.
The longer answer: content marketing will work if you care enough to delve into that nitty-gritty element of gaining your reader’s trust and creating content that is catered to them.
Here at Express Writers, we think of branded content marketing as something much bigger than merely a tactic.
It’s an essential tool. Better yet, it’s your lifeblood online to help you build meaningful relationships with customers and prospects. What you put out makes you, online. Or breaks you, if you don’t put anything out. Be the brand that does content marketing right.
[clickToTweet tweet=”Content is your lifeblood online to help you build relationships with prospects. -@ExpWriters” quote=”Content is your lifeblood online to help you build relationships with prospects. -@ExpWriters”]
Building Relationships Rooted on Trust
The swiftly and ever evolving digital landscape has made it entirely possible for brands to overcome all sorts of weird and wonderful barriers in order to reach out to their target demographics. Brands and markets can now effortlessly seek and segment prospects, garner information and very readily respond through a whole shopping list worth of platforms. And best of all, feedback arrives in a matter of seconds.
This all sounds great, doesn’t it? And it is. But you cannot force your services and products on your tribe once you’ve found them. You’ve got to work at building relationships, one solid piece of content at a time.
For every piece of content you post, your number one goal should be to gain trust and elicit a real response from your audience in favor of your content (an action, whether that’s conversion-oriented or a simple responsive comment).
Gaining Trust: Emotions vs. Logic
Charts, statistics data – they’re all pretty cool.
They’re like the geek squad who unwaveringly support your brand’s claim or cheer on about why you’re the best thing to ever happen to your niche.
But hang on just a second.
Have you ever stopped and thought about how your customers and prospects go through the gamut of emotions on a daily basis?
Whether you’re promoting hip replacement surgery, selling a bread knife, or convincing your readers that a holiday to Bali is just what they need, it’s important to craft content that makes them feel.
You need to be creating content that will have them nodding in agreement, chuckling at your humor and leaning in closer to read and share your words.
In due time, it’s those emotions that will draw them to subscribing to your newsletter, signing up for a free trial and ultimately, seal a deal.
According to Roger Dooley, brand campaigns with highly emotional content perform twice as well as content that is rational. Emotional content also does a little better than mixed emotional and rational content.
What’s more, the more positive the readers feel with your content, the more likely they are to start talking about your brand.
5 Ways to Build Trust With Your Branded Content Marketing
To whittle it down: emotions drive buying decisions, and to evoke emotions in your readers, you need to build trust in what you put out online. Let’s explore how.
1. Who Is Your Audience & What Are Your Intended Outcomes?
Brands always need to consider who they’re writing for and why. It’s a lot easier to build trust (which leads to sales) when the right reader is presented with the right content. Then brands need to think about why they’re writing: what’s the goal of your content marketing? If your object is trust – and it should be – make sure you’re not pushing too hard, too soon
2. Determine Content Type, Frequency & Location
While these three elements alone won’t build trust, trust really begins by placing the information your audience wants somewhere where they’ll benefit from it. So let’s say your audience mostly looks for content on Reddit, make sure you make it available to them in their favorite space.
3. Share > Promote > Engage
In order to build trust, you need to get word out that your content is available. That being said, there’s a fine line between spammy promotion and a little nudge towards awareness. Share on the platforms where your audience is most active and curate your content carefully to help the reader realize that want to read it.
Finally, once a reader takes time to engage with your content, reach out and let them know you appreciate it.
4. Make It Easy To Connect With Your Brand
If you’re working hard on your content, chances are good you want to make it easy for people to connect with your brand, right? So make sure interested readers can easily connect with you, be it through RSS, email, phone or any other means.
5. Analyze Responses, Optimize for Next Time
Brands need to look at their content to what’s being viewed, shared and, of course, engaged with.
If particular content is attracting a good response and other posts are being ignored, then you need to pivot and customize to create more of what your readers are connecting with. This will help drive more readers and create new opportunities to build trust.
Here’s What Your Audience Wants You To Know About Gaining Their Trust
Without good old fashioned face-to-face interaction, gaining the trust of your audience can be pretty intimidating.
But, you can gain trust from content marketing. It’s a proven fact.
In order to do so, you have to know what’s in the minds of the common audience as a whole. Here are a few questions and statements that could be surging within your audience, if you’re not on the right path as a content marketer:
I don’t understand what you are trying to tell me. What’s the most important thing you want me to know? What’s your Unique Value Proposition?
Please don’t tell me why your services or products are the best in the whole wide world. Tell me how they can add exceptional value to my business, life or relationships.
Who the heck are you? Why on earth should I listen to you? What exactly have you done in the past to become an authority on this particular subject?
Entertain me with a good story. Stories tend to make people experience, as opposed to see, things. It is stories that elicit those emotions. Stop placing all your efforts on that hard sell and start focusing on communication your brand’s story.
Stop rushing me into doing something, leave me to decide at my own pace. Substantial results from content marketing should take time.
What new tidbit have you taught me today? Will I be able to use this information to improve any aspect of my life, business or relationships that I seem to struggle with?
Please, stop telling me you’re perfect. I’d rather hear vulnerability or honesty when you’re wrong. Being perfect is just too suspicious to me.
Draw on Trust As Your #1 Content Writing Objective & the Sales Will Flow
Content that is successful, is content that takes time to accomplish.
Brands who infuse care, thought, honesty, and the right voice for their audience into their content marketing will win more than those who don’t.
Putting all other aspects of marketing aside, the genuine goal to help along with pure authenticity, as reflected in your content is for sure going to get your brand noticed and talked about, nay, raved about.
Too many marketers try to take shortcuts between each point.
Other marketers blindly create content wastelands instead of becoming content warriors and creators of wordy evergreen gardens that allow the sales to flow like stunning waterfalls.
Which camp are you in?
More importantly, which camp do YOU want to be in?
Don’t let your online content land up in the forgotten pile. Talk to Express Writersabout your brand’s content marketing. We’ll help you build the trust of your audience with great, custom-written content suited to their needs.
Great online content is a powerful marketing tool.
You know that, and I know that: but your clients might not.
If you’ve had the experience of picking up a client with no knowledge of web marketing, you understand how frustrating it can be to try to sell someone who knows nothing about online content on the actual benefits and investment of content.
Even though you’re certain that online content is an effective way to market a business, your client might not be. Luckily, you (and they) don’t have to be stuck in content limbo forever.
These simple tactics will give you the edge you need to convince a non-content marketer about the value of content.
Read on to learn more.
Converting Them to Online Content: What Makes it Difficult?
While many marketers are more than willing to embrace content marketing as a whole, some haven’t turned the corner just yet. These clients may be unfamiliar with the world of web marketing or simply wary about the expense and effort associated with developing a content marketing strategy. For some people, content just seems unnecessary (even though you know it’s not). While dealing with these clients can be frustrating (especially when you’re well aware of how useful content could be to them), it’s critical to understand where they’re coming from.
So much of building a successful client-agency relationship is compassion. By being compassionate about how your customer feels and understanding why they hold the beliefs that they do, you can tailor your approach to suit their needs better. This, in turn, helps you go the extra step and make them into content believers not only because you told them they should be, but because they’ve seen and understood the benefits of content on their own. This creates longer-lasting relationships and a more productive client-agency partnership.
5 Practical Tips to Create Content Evangelists
1. Create a comfortable environment
Imagine walking into a room and sitting down with a total stranger. Before you’ve had a chance to so much as sip your water, said stranger starts pitching you on the value of including space rock dust in your marketing strategy. You’ve never heard of such a thing before, but the stranger keeps pushing and pushing. “You need this!” they insist. Before long, you’re running from the room, screaming as you go.
Sound dramatic? Maybe. But this experience isn’t all that different from how a new client will feel if you fail to create a comfortable environment based on mutual trust before you start pitching. People tend to be resistant to new ideas. According to the Harvard Business Review, this can be due to factors ranging from uncertainty to a perceived loss of control. Regardless of where your client’s resistance is coming from, the only way to overcome it is to build a foundation of comfort and trust right off the bat.
To make your client comfortable, be respectful of their time and don’t get overly complicated with your solution. While content is a large and multi-faceted thing, simplifying it for your client is the best way to help them warm up to the idea without feeling like you’re trying to sell them snake oil.
2. Back yourself up with some serious stats
If you can’t provide data to back up your claims about why your client should be using online content, you’re sunk in the water. In addition to helping you come off as knowledgeable and authoritative, good data can give your client the objective proof they need to take the dive into content.
For examples of great statistics, consider the following:
In 2015, 67% of all B2B companies reported that content marketing was within their top three priorities
Implementing an inbound marketing strategy (that includes content) can double a website’s overall conversion rates – taking them from 6% to 12%
41% of all marketers say that content marketing has a positive ROI
44% of B2B marketers have developed a documented content strategy
When it comes to reach and engagement, blogs and social media platforms reach 80% of U.S. internet users and account for approximately 23% of the time users spend online
61% of customers are more willing to make a purchase from a company that creates custom content for them
Marketers who blog are 13x as likely to earn a positive ROI than those who don’t
70% of customers report that they’d prefer to become acquainted with a company via helpful articles and blogs rather than ads
The good thing about trying to convince someone of the power of content is that there is a ton of online material out there to back you up. Great stats roll in every year, and it’s easy to find solid data to back up virtually any claim you’re making about the power of content marketing.
Two top sources that keep track of the real ROI of online content, perfect to help your case for convincing are Hubspot and Content Marketing Institute.
3. Show your client where content has worked in the past
If you’ve got a customer who is notably reticent about the idea of adopting content, you might need to demonstrate to them that other companies have had success with content.
One great way to do this is through case studies. For an example of a compelling case study, consider one that Content Marketing Institute recently released.
The case study focuses on Eloqua, a marketing automation company. Before implementing a content marketing strategy, Eloqua had been in business for ten years and had built a good reputation. As the popularity of marketing automation blew up, however, the company started to feel pressured to keep up with their competitors, so they opted to implement content marketing to meet their goals. Specifically, the company wanted to create a new branch and build hype around the launch of a new product.
They planned to do this by developing content and building relationships with their customers. They worked to develop a distribution schedule for their content, utilize cross-platform functionality, and reach out to their audiences more effectively.
Soon after they launched their new marketing program, they had 20 new staffers managing Twitter accounts and 3 people writing the Eloquablog. (That’s serious content investment!)
Thanks to these efforts, they earned:
12,000 new blog visitors
35,000 new downloads
A 21% increase in views of their demo
And a bounce rate that decreased by 14%
How’s that for real ROI from online content?
While this is just one case study of many, it’s an excellent way to demonstrate to a customer that content is effective and capable of producing great returns.
4. Appeal to your client’s emotions
Remember Don Draper from Mad Men? You want to be Don Draper when it comes to selling your customer on content. While it’s helpful and necessary to help your client understand why and how content works, it’s also important to show them how it can work for them, which can only be done through effective storytelling. Instead of merely pitching your client, focus on telling them a story that helps them see how content can relate to their particular brand.
Maybe your story revolves around the potential experience a client could have on their website or maybe it involves the power of targeted, customized marketing emails. Regardless of the story you want to tell, appealing to your client’s emotions is one of the best ways to ensure their business.
5. Simplify the process
Again, you could drown your client in complex marketing stats and flood them with data that doesn’t pertain to their company, product, or mission. You could, but you won’t. While there’s no denying that content marketing as a whole is a complicated and involved industry, your job is to make it as simple as possible for your client.
This means paring down your message to include only what the client truly needs to hear, focusing on what pertains to your client’s specific goals or missions, and doing away with jargon and complex language to ensure that your customer actually understands what you’re saying. By simplifying the benefits, process, and payoff of content for your client, you make it easier than ever for him or her to say “yes.”
The Case for Content
Regardless of what industry your client works in, content can do something for him or her. Whether the customer wants to generate more leads, become more visible online, build a community, or establish authority in a particular niche or industry, content is the answer. Unfortunately, your client may be slower to come to this conclusion than you are.
Many times, a client needs a fair deal of coercing and support to understand exactly how content can serve them and why they should be focusing on it. Your job, of course, is to help them get there.
By building a comfortable relationship with your client, using data and case studies to back up your arguments, using storytelling elements to appeal to your customer’s emotions, and simplifying the experience of content for your client, it’s easy to help even the most reticent clients understand how content can benefit and support their brands.
Need great content from talented copywriters? Check out our Content Shop. We hire 1 out of 50 applicants on average–our writers are the best of the best!
For any kind of marketer, Twitter is a hugely powerful tool. This social media platform has more than 304 million monthly active users: it’s a way for information to travel faster and broader than almost any other platform on the web.
That said, within those 304 million users, who are the ones worth following as content marketing leaders? That have similar interests to us as marketers, and are leaders within the content marketing space? Let’s take a look!
60 Top Content Marketers You Should Follow (Today) On Twitter
My list of these top 60 content marketers is made up of the crème de la crème of the industry. These content marketers specialize in everything from Content Marketing 101, SEO and how content fits into that, all the way to advanced branding techniques. I follow these guys and have engaged with them regularly.
Good stuff will follow if you start following them today – you’ll probably learn a few things as you consistently see and read their content.
Here you go (all their names are linked to their Twitter handles), in no particular order:
1. Rand Fishkin. Rand Fishkin is an author, blogger and founder of SEO Giant Moz. People who follow his tweets can look forward to ample marketing, SEO, technology and startup information.
2. Jay Baer. Author of the New York Times bestselling book Youtility, Jay Baer is a global keynote speaker, and digital media entrepreneur as well as being president the strategy consulting firm @Convince.
3. Brian Clark.CEO of Rainmaker Digital, Brain Clark is also the curator of several successful content marketing websites.
4. David Burn.David Burn is a content strategist, writer and brand specialist who assists content marketers in learning to distribute content effectively and write pieces that will draw readers in.
5. Michael Brenner.Michael Brenner is a renowned speaker, author and blogger with @MKTGInsiders as well as being Head of Strategy @Newscred. Brenner is also the former VP of Content Marketing with @SAP.
6. Mitch Joel. President of Mirum, Mitch Joel is a marketer, speaker, author and self-proclaimed “media hacker.” Additionally, Joel is a blogger at Six Pixels of Separation. People that can’t get enough of Joel via Twitter can check out his new book Ctrl Alt Delete.
7. Brian Fanzo.I enjoy catching Brian on Periscope as well as watching all of his keynote speeches. He’s an energetic social media advocate, going by the title “Change Evangelist”, has a huge following, and is behind the iSocialFanz site. Follow him for great insights on how to run your social media.
8. Sue B. Zimmerman.She’s the “Instagram Expert”, a successful entrepreneur, speaker, and Instagram coach. This lady is the go-to expert when it comes to Instagram, and she’s hot on Periscope too.
9. Neil Patel.Neil Patel is a renowned entrepreneur and blogger who has started two analytics companies: @CrazyEgg and KISSmetrics. He’s a top followed content marketer (I read and enjoy all his stuff).
10. Pamela I Wilson. Pamela I. Wilson is the owner of Big Brand System. She also manages the CopyBlogger blog and produces educational products for the company.
11. Jeneba Jalloh Ghatt. Jeneba Jalloh Ghatt is an attorney-turned-content marketer who was named one of the Top 50 Rich Media Influencers to follow.
12. Paul Roetzer. Paul Roetzer is the Founder of The Marketing Performance Blueprint & The Marketing Agency Blueprint as well as being the Creator of Marketing Score (@MKTScore).
13. Aaron Orendorff. Aaron Orendorff’s mission is to “save the world from bad content.” He is also a contributor for publications like @EntMagazine, @FastCompany, @BusinessInsider, @SuccessMagazine, @CopyBlogger and @Unbounce.
14. Lee Odden. Lee Odden is the CEO of @TopRank, where he specializes in online marketing. He is also a B2B Content Marketing consultant and a social media and PR specialist.
15. Bob Geller. Bob Geller is a PR and content specialist as well as being the president of Fusion PR.
16. Joanna Wiebe. She is the genius copywriter and Internet marketer we all aspire to be. CEO of Copyhackers and top-notch wordsmith, Joanna has been featured in numerous places and sites.
17. Jeff Deutsch. Jeff Deutsch is the VP of Marketing for @ptengine. He also contributes content to @HubSpot.
18. Ryan Hanley.Ryan is the host of the popular Content Warfare podcast and author of the book by the same name.
19. Amanda Subler. Amanda Subler is a former journalist turned public relations, content marketing and video production specialist. She is also a PR and Media Manager for @CMIContent.
20. Tim Ash. Tim Ash is the CEO of Site Tuners and author of the bestselling book Landing Page Optimization.
21. Meryl K. Evans. Meryl K. Evans is a writer, editor, social media specialist and content marketer. Her tweets are aimed at helping content marketers adapt to web standards and boost site traffic.
22. Doug Kessler. Doug Kessler is a content marketing, B2B copywriting, social media and tech marketing specialist who focuses on helping content marketers learn to promote their brand and write better content.
23. Matt Heinz. Matt Heinz focuses on helping B2B companies produce more revenue via focused marketing strategies. He also helps companies produce more demand from customers and hone their sales process.
24. Bernie Borges. Bernie Borges is the host of The Social Business Engine Digital TV Show & Podcast as well as being the CEO of popular B2B digital marketing firm Find and Convert.
25. Neal Schaffer. Neal Schaffer is an author at @MaxYourSocial as well as being the founder of @msocialbusiness and @socialtoolssmmt.
26. Bryan Eisenberg. Bryan Eisenberg is the founder and CMO of Ideal Spot. He is also a keynote speaker and author.
27. Rebekah Radice. She’s an award-winning social media author, speaker and strategist. She works at the uber-cool PostPlanner and is behind #InfluencerChat, as well as a co-host for #ViralChat from Post Planner on Thursdays.
28. Jay Acunzo. Jay Acunzo works on content at @NextViewVC, and is the host and producer of the Traction podcast, where he discusses and features super cool entrepreneurial stories.
29. Lisa Petrilli. Named one of the Top 20 CMO’s by Forbes, Lisa Petrilli is dedicated to empowering women in positions of business & leadership in the world of digital communication.
30. Andrew Davis. The founder of Monumental Shift, Andrew Davis teaches marketers how to find and target a niche in order to grow business and produce great work.
31. Heidi Cohen, Heidi Cohen is a speaker, professor and journalist. He shares tweets on social media, content marketing and how to create successful small businesses.
32. Henneke Duistermaat. She calls herself someone who’s on a mission to stamp out “gobbledygook,” and for that alone we love her. CEO of Enchanting Marketing, she is uniquely known for her “doodles” on her blogs and books and has been featured in podcasts and more.
33. Kim Garst.She’s been called the First Lady of Periscope, and rightly so; she’s just a joy to watch. Kim is a Forbes Top 10 SM Influencer and author of the acclaimed Will the Real You Please Stand Up.
34. Ann Handley. Ann Handley is the Head of Content at Marketing Profs. She is also the author of the Wall Street Journal bestseller, Everybody Writes.
35. Joe Pulizzi. Joe Pulizzi is a content expert at @CMIContent. He is also the author of Epic Content Marketing.
36. Kathryn Hawkins. Kathryn Hawkins works with @EucalyptMedia, a booming content marketing agency that focuses on teaching startups, universities, and B2B companies how to manage their clients and produce high-quality content.
37. Erika Heald. Erika Heald is a content marketer, social media coach, writer, editor and blogger. She is also the Head of Content with @HighwirePR.
38. John Jantsch. John Jantsch is a small business marketing consultant at Duct Tape Marketing.
39. Joe Lazauskas. Joe Lazuskas is Editor-in-Chief for @Contently. He was also named one of the Top 10 Content Marketing Influencers to follow.
40. Kari Lloyd. Kari Lloyd is a writer who specializes in content and SEO. She currently uses her content marketing skills to help @VonageBiz boom. She was also named one of the Top 50 Content Marketers to Follow on Twitter.
41. Seth Godin. Seth Godin is an author and blogger who is gaining notoriety for his unique approach to content creation.
42. Guillaume Decugis.He’s a highly successful entreprenuer, content marketing expert, and the founder of curation platform Scoop.it (over 2 million users). Bonus: He’s very approachable! I interviewed him here.
43. Ann Smarty. Ann Smarty is a brand manager with @NinjasMarketing, creator of MyBlogU, and an all-around smart content marketer.
44. Daniel Newman. Daniel Newman is the CEO of @Broadsuite. He often speaks on the topics of social, mobile, big data and cloud computing. Additionally, Newman is the host of #CloudTalk.
Twitter Chat Content Marketers
In addition to offering a wide variety of content marketing specialists, Twitter also provides a platform for Twitter Chats, interactive, web-based communities that offer a space for interviews, collaboration, communication and networking. These chats provide a great way for content marketers to interact with new contacts and build authority in their niche. Additionally, participating in a Twitter chat can be a great marketing tool, in and of itself.
For the best content marketing-focused Twitter chats available on the web today, check out this list:
45. Cathy McPhillips (Twitter Chat: #CMWorld) Cathy McPhillips is the Marketing Director for @cmicontent. Her Twitter chat, #CMWorld |is focused on discussing all things content marketing related.
46. Kelly Hungerford(Twitter Chat: #BizHeroes) Kelly Hungeroford is a Digital Marketer. Her Twitter chat #BizHeroes is focused on helping companies build better customer experiences and promote solid marketing communities.
47. Buffer(Twitter Chat: #BufferChat) We love Buffer… and we love their chat! Buffer is a social media app that lets you schedule posts out to all your platforms. Happening every Wednesday at 11 CST/12 EST, they talk about all things social/content/bookworm related – a wide variety.
48. Sheila Scarborough(Twitter Chat: #AWCConnect) Sheila Scarborough is a writer and speaker with @TourismCurrents and @PerceptiveTrav. Her Twitter chat, #AWCConnect is designed to enlighten and educate women in the professional communications field and takes place on the 1st Thursday of each month.
49. Mack Collier(Twitter Chat: #BlogChat) Mack Collier is dedicated to helping companies build their brand and create winning content. His Twitter chat, #Blogchat, discusses blogging topics for the professional, business and personal fields.
50. Brian Katz(Twitter Chat: #Mobilebiz) Brian Katz is a mobile marketing expert whose Twitter chat is dedicated to all things mobile. Great for content marketers who want to learn about how customers interact with their content on a mobile basis, #Mobilebiz discusses the ins and outs of a mobile world on a weekly basis.
51. Maria Elena Duron(Twitter Chat: #Brandchat) Maria Elena Duron is a Marketing Coach and Personal Branding Specialist. #Brandchat is ideal for content marketers who want to learn more about how to market their unique brand.
52. The Social CMO(Twitter Chat: #MMchat) The Social CMO CMO runs #MMchat, which stands for “marketer Monday” and offers conversations with executives from a whole host of different marketing and social media content firms.
53. Brian Honigman(Twitter Chat: #InsiderChat) Brian Honigman is a Content Marketing Consultant and CEO of @HonigmanMedia. #InsiderChat, which offers interviews with expert influencers to help people “win at marketing and business.”
54. Jenise Fryatt(Twitter Chat: #ContentChat) Jenise Fryatt is a Content Marketing Strategist for Smarter Shift as well as being the Moderator #ContentChat. #ContentChat offers a place for content marketers to discuss the latest developments and trends in the content marketing world. Additionally, the chat offers interviews with thought leaders and plenty of opportunities to network.
55. SEMRush (Twitter Chat: #SEMrushchat) SEMRush offers ways for content marketers to take their business to the next level. Twitter users who follow #SEMrushchat will get high-quality industry updates and tips as well as the chance to connect with top influencers.
56. CoScheduleApp(Twitter Chat: #CoChat) CoSchedule is a drag-and-drop marketing calendar designed to help content marketers create content distribution schedules. The company’s Twitter chat, #CoChat, helps people learn more about editorial strategies, content creation and distribution.
57. Pam Moore(Twitter Chat: #GetRealChat) Pam Moore was named a Forbes Top 10 Social Media Influencer. Her Twitter chat #GetRealChat focuses on how to boost business, maximize existing content and develop new content that readers will love.
58. Kelly Lieberman(Twitter Chat: #PinChat) Kelly Lieberman is a Pinterest expert and, considering the fact that a recent study proves that Pinterest drives more people to websites than LinkedIn, YouTube and Google+ combined, it’s possible that you might want to follow in her footsteps. Content marketers can tune in to #PinChat for tips on how to use Pinterest to drive engagement and distribute great content.
59. Marketing Cloud(Twitter Chat: #ETcafe) Marketing Cloud’s Twitter chat covers digital marketing and the latest trends and topics in the industry. Previous topics include how best to use social media and how to personalize content.
60. Express Writers & Julia McCoy(We’ll be launching a Twitter Chat soon!) Excuse the self-promotion, but it’s just; I’ve been most-read on many of the guest blogs I post at. And we post fun stuff at Express Writers! I specialize in content marketing, distribution and content creation, and share what I know, or stuff I read all over the web that I love. My team shares on similar topics. Follow us, and I hope you enjoy reading what we share!
The Case for Twitter: A Content Marketer’s Paradise
Twitter is a veritable paradise for the content marketer who wants to learn. In addition to offering a platform to access some of the world’s most talented content marketers, Twitter also provides near-instant communication with many industry specialists and chats areas, both of which can help content marketers step up their game and become truly competitive.
One of the most important purposes Twitter serves is to act as an ignition point between interested content marketers and industry experts. Because the social media platform provides the basis for rich and informative connections to take place, content marketers are truly unhindered in the depth to which they can take their Twitter-based connections.
Twitter also offers a formidable way for marketers to stay in the loop. Because Twitter is one of the main social media platforms where news goes to break, interested content marketers can ensure that they will always be on the cutting edge of the content marketing field. This, in turn, ensures access to the best and most up-to-date information as well as an effective and important way to disseminate information of your own.
Lastly, Twitter is a great place for young marketers to build authority and gain notoriety by re-tweeting powerful content and curating a Twitter persona to attract engagement and encourage interaction from other inhabitants of the Twitter-sphere.
The Power of a Twitter Chat
Have you heard how hot Twitter chats are? Many of the experts I’ve quoted above are in Twitter chats.SEMrush hosts #semrushchat, a busy Wednesday morning chat that has had thousands of tweets in it’s lifetime and guests like Hubspot. Sprout Social, hosts #SproutChat on Wednesdays. Ann Smarty hosts #MyBlogGuest, every Thursday at 11 am EST. (I’ve linked to more Twitter chats above.)
Well, I recently found out just how powerful a Twitter chat can be. The first week of September, I started really ramping up our Twitter chats, and one day we joined about 8, including #semrushchat, #bufferchat, #SMchat, #SproutChat, #SmallBizChat and more. That one day when we joined that many chats, we had a huge surge in website traffic. And I’m talking about 2,000 visitors. Incredible, right?
Right now, Express Writers is joining up to 5 Twitter chats each week. This is due to the fact that Twitter chats have the power to seriously enhance any business. Twitter chats are so effective, in fact, that 34% of marketers successfully generate leads using Twitter chats. This iSocial list does a great job of compiling the best Twitter chats for marketers to join and interested content aficionados can find plenty of good stuff in any one of these Twitter chats.
If you’re going to engage in Twitter chats, though, be sure that you’re being a polite Twitter citizen. Our Tweet Chat Etiquette Guide will help you learn the in’s and out’s of Tweet chats so that you can better promote your company and connect with knowledgeable people in your niche.
Yeah! Join a Twitter chat, and follow your industry leaders. It’ll be huge for you. I promise.
Finally.. Did I Miss A Content Marketer?
Let’s make this more than 60! I’d LOVE to know what marketer I missed – even if you want to add yourself to the list, feel free to comment below. I’ll edit this post if you’re (or your suggestion is) worthy!
Download your Free copy of Stop Selling, Start Helping: What The Aim of Your Branded Content Marketing Should Be
The case study focuses on Eloqua, a marketing automation company. Before implementing a content marketing strategy, Eloqua had been in business for ten years and had built a good reputation. As the popularity of marketing automation blew up, however, the company started to feel pressured to keep up with their competitors, so they opted to implement content marketing to meet their goals. Specifically, the company wanted to create a new branch and build hype around the launch of a new product.
