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#ContentWritingChat Recap: Repurposing Your Event Experiences Into Brand-Building Content with Cathy McPhillips

#ContentWritingChat Recap: Repurposing Your Event Experiences Into Brand-Building Content with Cathy McPhillips

by | May 10, 2019 | ContentWritingChat

These days, in-person events are the place to be if you want to expand your knowledge, strengthen your skills, and network with others in your industry.

But while these events are beneficial for you, it’s also smart to turn them into something valuable for your audience as well. And that’s exactly what we’re talking about in this month’s #ContentWritingChat!

Before you head out to your next event, start planning how you can repurpose your experience into a fresh piece of content your community is sure to love and learn from.

#ContentWritingChat Recap: Repurposing Your Event Experiences Into Brand-Building Content with Cathy McPhillips

Our guest host for this month’s chat was Cathy McPhillips. Cathy is the VP of Marketing for our friends over at Content Marketing Institute. And since CMI has their own in-person event, #CMWorld, each year, Cathy knows a thing or two about turning event sessions into incredible online content for their audience to consume.

Q1: Why should we be creating fresh content from live events we attend? How is it beneficial for brand-building?

Is it really worth your time to create content based on the events you attend? Will you actually see any ROI from it? We say YES! Here are some great reasons why it’s beneficial:

Cathy feels live events are the perfect place to collect content. From the speakers, sessions, and conversations you have from others, there’s a lot to take in that can be repurposed into original content afterwards.

Gaby said you can use event experiences to create content that shares your own insights, sparks new conversations, builds connections, grows awareness of your brand, and establishes thought leadership.

As Sarah said, we can take what we’ve learned from an event and then share a fresh piece of content that features our unique take on the topic at hand. She feels this helps to build credibility while also strengthening relationships.

Joining timely conversations is a great way to gain exposure for your brand and this includes talking about events that are going on at the moment. But as Lexie said, you need to make sure you’re putting your own spin on the content you’re sharing.

If you need an example to draw inspiration from, check out how Julia recapped an event she spoke at. People who weren’t able to attend still get to hear the advice from her talk, thanks to this recap.

Q2: When creating content, you have to keep your audience in mind. How do you decide what to share with them and what would be valuable?

There’s a lot to take in when attending events. So much so that it can be hard to figure out what’s worth sharing with your audience. This advice will help you figure it out:

Cathy suggests checking out the agenda for the conference beforehand. This way, you’ll know what to expect in terms of speakers and topics being discussed. You can then plan your content accordingly and have it in mind when you’re attending various sessions.

It’s also smart to see what your audience is already engaging with. This way, you can create similar content from your event experiences. If there’s a particular topic that really seems to resonate with your audience, you can build off of that.

Carla’s advice is to think about the problems you can solve for your audience. What are they struggling with and what will you learn at the event that could help them? That’s what you should be sharing.

Consider what your audience is interested in, what they want and need, and what their pain points are. Create the content that is going to address their concerns.

Before the event, you can spend time engaging with your audience to figure out what they’d be interested in seeing so you can arrive at the event prepared.

And another great piece of advice is to consider the questions you had going into the event. There’s a good chance your audience is wondering the same things, so you can seek the answers and share them afterwards.

Q3: What kinds of content can you create from your event experience? Is one content format better than another?

Blog posts, videos, podcast episodes… There are so many different ways to create content online. So, how do you choose the best format for sharing about your event experience? Here’s what you need to know:

Cathy suggests doing live videos, interviews, and Instagram or Facebook Stories while you’re at the event. It allows you to make use of the time there, while also making your audience feel like they’re there alongside you.

Lexie thinks creating multiple content formats is the way to go. This way, you have something for everyone in your community.

After an event, Julia likes to create a video with captions, a blog post, social media content, and slides in the form of a PDF. This gives people plenty of options so you audience can consume content in their preferred way.

You can’t go wrong with infographics, videos, audio, and photos. Just get creative with it!

Videos, round-up posts with slides, and posts that feature expert advice are all great options.

You can even create a mini ebook sharing tips and tricks that you learned at the event.

Q4: How do you choose what to prioritize when attending events with a jam-packed schedule?

Because events can be so busy with multiple sessions going on at the same time, it can be hard to choose which ones you should attend and which ones to skip. Here’s some great advice to keep in mind:

The most important thing to consider is why you’re attending this event. What are you hoping to get out of it? You can then choose the right sessions based off of your current personal goals, as well as the the things you want to achieve in the next 6-12 months. Cathy also suggests considering what sessions would most resonate with your audience so you can attend those as well.

John agrees that it’s all about determining why you’re there. This way, you can prioritize the sessions that matter the most to you and your end goals.

Gaby is also in favor of setting goals for the event! Are you there to learn, connect, or collaborate? This determines what you’ll want to prioritize.

Lexie suggests taking a look at the topics and speakers so you can choose the ones that are most appealing to you. What are you most interested in learning about and sharing with your audience?

Think about which sessions and speakers are going to benefit you and your company the most in the long-run.

Sam’s advice is to attend sessions on topics you’re familiar with and want to learn more about, topics your audience is familiar with and wants to learn more about, and topics you’re unfamiliar with and that will challenge you in some way.

For Michelle, she prioritizes events based on the speaker. This comes before the topic for her in most cases.

Monina’s advice is to interact with the speakers before the event. This way, you can get a feel for them and the topics they’ll cover. Then, you can decide if it’ll be interesting to you.

And of course, keep Lauren’s advice in mind… Do your research and create a plan ahead of time so you can make the most of the event.

Q5: How can we really absorb information and make events an amazing experience?

To make sure you’re really taking in the information during the sessions you attend, keep this advice in mind:

Cathy has tons of great advice to help you make the most of any event. She said you should plan ahead when it comes to knowing which sessions you’ll attend, connect with speakers ahead of time online, and don’t try to do it all while you’re there.

Lexie said it’s time to put your phone away! Don’t allow your phone to distract you during valuable sessions because it can prevent you from soaking up valuable information.

John agrees that it’s better to ditch the phone during sessions.

Julia’s advice is to LISTEN! Put the phone away and really soak in what the speakers have to say. You can use your phone to take notes and record things, but don’t let it be a distraction.

We couldn’t have said it better: be present in the moment.

Bring a notebook and jot down what you learn. If you have the ability to, watch video sessions of the events you attended afterwards. This way, you can pick up on anything you may have missed.

Bill suggests creating an recap blog after the event or sharing takeaways with your team. It’s a great way to keep everything you learned fresh in your mind.

Q6: What tools can we use to help us take notes during live events?

To easily take notes during sessions, here are some tools you can use to jot down tips, ideas, and more:

You can’t go wrong with a notebook for jotting things down, but if you’re a digital person, Evernote is great as well. Cathy also suggests using an audio recorder or purchasing post-show videos or audio so you’ll always have it to refer to.

Evernote is a great way to take notes digitally.

Lauren suggests using a Google Doc and sharing it between your co-workers.

Gaby said to use pen and paper, a notes app on your phone, Google Docs, or Evernote to record what you’ve learned during an event. Her personal favorite is a pen and notebook.

Carla relies on her notebook and her phone.

Q7: Who has done a great job at repurposing event experiences into new content? Share a link with us!

Need some inspiration? Check out the post-event content from these creators!

There’s no denying that Content Marketing Institute does a great job recapping their #CMWorld conference, but Cathy also shared some other creators that are worth checking out.

Julia shared a couple suggestions to help you get inspired, but we’ve also done a few recaps of our own that are worth taking a look at.

Gaby’s workplace even does this for events that happen on their campus.

Q8: What can we do to make sure our next event experience is a hit?

Before you head to your next live event, make sure it’s a hit with this advice from the chat:

Cathy says you should be prepared, but don’t be so rigid in your schedule. Be flexible and allow yourself the opportunity to get away and have a little fun.

Julia also agrees that planning ahead is worth it. She said to consider how you’ll take notes, how you’ll network, which sessions to attend, etc.

If you and your team are going, have everyone go to different sessions. You can meet up later and share what you’ve learned with each other.

Consider what your audience would want to learn and share it with them afterwards.

Learn from the mistakes you made at past events (if any). This way, you can make the experience better each and every time.

Join us for #ContentWritingChat on the first Tuesday of every month at 10 AM Central! Follow @ExpWriters and @writingchat for all the latest.

SXSW 2018: 3 Session Takeaways (Lessons From Kristina Halvorson, Content Panel with Slack, IBM & Visa, & Shark Tank Guest Judge Alex Rodriguez)

SXSW 2018: 3 Session Takeaways (Lessons From Kristina Halvorson, Content Panel with Slack, IBM & Visa, & Shark Tank Guest Judge Alex Rodriguez)

by | Mar 20, 2018 | Events

This year, I finally made it to SXSW.

I live 25 minutes away from the event, and it’s always been a wish of mine to make it there. The interactive ticket isn’t cheap at over $1,000, so that held me back for a while. This year, I decided to go all in and do it.
I’ve been warned by many locals that the event is a total madhouse, and I was worried.
Luckily, my experience was mostly pleasant. I attended brand marketing sessions only, none of the music festivals, so I can’t speak for those crowds: but the marketing, startup and brand sessions were extremely smooth and easy to attend.
If you’re looking to attend the event, it might help you if I list a few important things I learned about attending SXSW:

  • Registration and session lines at SXSW are run well. Yes, crowds and crowds of people start gathering in-between events, but the lines move fast. I was pleasantly surprised by this. When I was at a session in the Austin Convention Center, SXSW volunteers held up big signs with the session name that showed you where the line started. The line ended up going down three hallways with hundreds of people single-file, which looked daunting. But the minute the doors opened, there was more than enough room to hold everyone, and we all got seated easily.
Registration day at SXSW. It was a breeze to get in and pick up my badge.
  • Absolutely, definitely, use the SXSW map they give you at registration. Really – study the map and let it guide you. Once you know where the buildings are, and most of them are blocks away from each other, things get really easy. I walked to the Dell Experience, tiny house of smart, and a session inside the Convention Center all within two hours after studying the map and knowing which direction to walk in once I left each building. It was super easy and simple to get in to each of the separate events.
  • SXSW traffic really IS terrible. Use Lyft. I took Lyft both ways, from home to the event, and got around easily that way. With the app, I could literally request a driver sitting at the curb I was walking down. Downtown, you’ll end up crawling from block to block if you drive. Not just because of the surge of 90,000 extra people in Austin, but also because many roads get blocked off. If you’re just going from session to session, it’s far easier to walk than drive.

Okay, now that we’re past how I learned to actually navigate and get around at SXSW, let’s move on to the good stuff: three sessions I attended and some major takeaways. Ready?

SXSW 2018: 3 Session Takeaways (Lessons From Kristina Halvorson, Tech Content Panel, & Shark Tank Guest Judge Star Alex Rodriguez)

Let’s dive in to the sessions I attended and what I learned from them.

The Truth About Content: Broken Dreams & the Big Fix with Kristina Halvorson

Kristina Halvorson is a world-leading expert on content strategy, founder at Brain Traffic, and author of Content Strategy for the Web. (I have a dog-eared copy of her book.) She was ridiculously funny and down-to-earth in the presentation she gave at SXSW. I seriously loved attending her session. And I got to meet her afterwards!

Meeting Kristina Halvorson!

Here were some of my favorite takeaways from her presentation, The Truth About Content: Broken Dreams and the Big Fix.

“Content strategy is not 1,400 articles dumped on the floor of your site.” She literally showed hundreds of toys dumped on the floor in a pile for the slide representing this tatement (My Little Pony toys, specifically – Kristina’s a huge fun of MLP). I loved this reference, because just sometimes, I’ve come across a client or two that thought this was the right strategy. FYI. It’s not.
“Nobody cares about your content because you didn’t ask them what they cared about in the first place.” ????
[bctt tweet=”“Nobody cares about your content because you didn’t ask them what they cared about in the first place.”” username=”halvorson”]
“Content strategy must:

  • Define
  • Prioritize
  • Integrate
  • Systematize
  • Measure”

“Blend the editorial side and experience. You can’t have one without the other.” Great content is nothing without great usability. These two really do go hand-in-hand.
How do we get better at content? Kristina shared five keys:
1. Reset. Example: Coca Cola went from a lifestyle publication and got clear on being a publication for a drink. Their website now makes SENSE! They actually dis-invested in content marketing and simplified. What can you simplify for your end user?
2. Get aligned. Many businesses only know TACTICS. Know your vision, mission, goal, objectives, etc. The RACI chart can help.
3. Actually know your audience. Pay attention to them. Exceed their expectations. Many times they don’t want to be challenged. They want to find the coupon on the site. (GREAT point.) It’s not just in SEO Research. You should be talking to your audience. Do website polls. Phone interviews. Get your support team involved in knowing your audience. Don’t just know their name and age, know their needs.
4. Establish common systems and standards. Content structure must have a taxonomy. A governance plan.
5. Beware the silver bullet. Silver bullet = AI. But guess what? Your tech did not fix the content mess and lack of strategy. The AI prediction does not cover this. “AI can mine and repurpose the best stuff.” An actual human will fix it, not AI. AI is coming, and it requires three things: 1) a reliable source of data and content. 2) accurate info suited to the application: know what you’re using it for and your end goals. 3) a framework for organizing. We’re not even there yet as website owners running a clean website.
Content first? No, humans first.
In Q/A time, I asked Kristina this question: “What’s the biggest no-no that brands just starting out with content strategy do?”
Her answer was right on: “Businesses start with tactics instead of very clear business goals and objectives that are clear. 9 out of 10 businesses don’t really know what their customer needs. And remember: storytelling isn’t a technique or replacement for a strategy.”

Innovation Fatigue: Tech Content In a Noisy World

Another session of note that I attended was a panel with ladies from Slack, IBM, and Visa.

My #1 favorite takeaway from this panel was this statement: “It’s no longer B2B / B2C content: it’s B2I content, because in the end, everyone we’re trying to reach is an individual.”
Visa on creating content that stands out: Visa used the characters and storyline from Stranger Things to incorporate a story that stuck. Give people a path for more information. Get deeper, provide better content.
Slack on creating content that stands out: Clearer, concise and human is Slack’s current motto for developing content. They want their content to read like a colleague showing you how to do something.
Internal vs. external content: Slack has a few channels where they introduce new people – a “yay!” channel, which is a channel to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries. They also keep a “kudos” channel, where teammates thank other employee for being helpful. This becomes external content easily.
Internal vs external content isn’t something that’s been truly defined at IBM. Purposefully internal becomes external. They’re very careful about rights in photography, messaging and video. IBM has a Chief Privacy Officer now. They are very sensitive about using others’ data.
The panel was asked, Is practical content a high priority? For Slack, creating content that teaches users their app is critical. At the same time, they balance reader-friendly content. Their Work in Progress Podcast has little to do with Slack. It’s about empowering people in the workforce. Slack has to be curious about how people do their work daily. They do a series on friendship at work. “Learning how human relationships work is just as important to us as creating practical user guides.” Love that point.

Alex Rodriguez: Baseball, Business & Redemption with CNBC

Ever since I saw Alex Rodriguez appear on Shark Tank as a guest judge, I knew I liked him. His uncanny sense of clarity in business is something I don’t see in a lot of so-called “business experts.”
In the Monday session I attended, Alex said several statements about business that I had to write down. I’m going to apply these to my HR department. I didn’t take a ton of notes from this session, but the quotes I did write down are worth their weight in gold. Sometimes, one sentence can be worth a thousand words.

Alex Rodriguez On Hiring
When asked, “How do you hire good people?”, here’s what Alex said.
Hire people that are:

  • Poor
  • Hungry
  • Driven

It’s not about a big resume. It’s how driven they are.
Alex Rodriguez On Working with the Right Clients
How to choose clients to work with: A quick yes or no is far better than a slow maybe.
Alex Rodriguez Answers “How is Business Like Sports?”
“Less than 5% of major league baseball players have college degrees. It’s not just about education. It’s about hard work. There is no shortcut in business. I had to work just as hard in business as in my baseball career.
That includes taking full responsibility for my mistakes. You have to get to the bottom, and acknowledge the bottom.”
[clickToTweet tweet=”There is no shortcut in business. I had to work just as hard in business as in my baseball career. @AROD” quote=”There is no shortcut in business. I had to work just as hard in business as in my baseball career. @AROD”]
The Real Reason Alex Rodriguez Hires Women in Leadership Roles
I seriously love this answer. As a woman, I especially appreciate getting noticed for my talent and my creative skills, not just given preference because of my gender. I think Alex put it so well:
“Women have a big leadership position in my company. They got those jobs not because they were women, but because they were the best people for the job. Talent is talent, and so is character.”
Alex Rodriguez on Leadership
“As a leader, you shouldn’t ask your people to do anything you wouldn’t do. Even if it was to clean a toilet in the basement. Those are the most respected leaders. At the end of the day, we’re in it together. That’s how it is in sports, and business.”

SXSW 2018: Event Recap

I enjoyed my time at SXSW 2018!
Another highlight was that along with the sessions I attended, I met up with Mark Schaefer, who is an amazing marketer (one of the top five in the world) and author of my foreword to Practical Content Strategy & Marketing. Mark invited me to breakfast along with the Director of Marketing at UPMC, and the conversation I listened in to was amazing! Mark is strategizing his next book, which will make some waves in the industry. I can’t wait for that book.
Between the people I met up with, conversations I was a part of, cool tech I saw, and sessions I attended, I definitely recommend SXSW. It’s a forward-thinking event where you get a glimpse at the future of innovation.

Enjoying the “red carpet” at SXSW!

I would recommend considering it if you want to meet up with a lot of marketers, brands, see some cool innovative tech (check out all the interactive houses and displays – seriously amazing stuff), and if you want to be an ear and listen in to some amazing speakers and sessions.