Event Recap: Boston Content Went Inbound

Boston-based Chuck Leddy has been crafting engaging content since 1995, as a journalist and B2B brand storyteller. He's written for B2B brands such as General Electric, ADP, Office Depot, Cintas, the National Center for the Middle Market, and many more. He's also been published in print publications such as the Boston Globe, Forbes, the Washington Post, and San Francisco Chronicle. His website and blog are at www.ChuckLeddy.com.

Boston Content organized a Tuesday night of learning, networking and community-building on September 26, downstairs at LogMeIn. Co-Executive Directors Katie Martell and Katelyn Holbrook welcomed a packed house of marketing professionals, reviewing some of the group’s recent achievements. Martell and Holbrook first took turns highlighting a few well-attended events over the summer, such as “Mornings Are for Marketing” at GA Boston, a pre-Content Marketing World get-together in Boston, as well as plans to revive the Boston Content awards later this year. They then introduced the three speakers for the evening.

Anuj Adhita talks community.

Anuj Adhiya, Director of Engagement and Analytics at GrowthHackers, kicked off by explaining how building community offers a high return on investment (ROI). While discussing how to build trust, a key component of community, Anuj showed a photo of a man sitting serenely between two large mountain lions. “Think of how long it must have taken this man to gain the trust of these two lions,” said Adhiya, chuckling. “If I tried to sit between them, they would eat me like a snack.”

Adhiya offered some key behaviors for building community, including offering great content and insights. Most importantly of all, he noted, would-be community-builders need to understand that putting others first matters most. “It’s not about you, your products, and what you need to sell,” he said. “Nobody cares about you -- you have to make it about them.”

Dan Waas on the challenges of the German language.

Next up was Daniel Waas, Marketing Director of GoToWebinar, who began with a humorous overview of the maddening challenges of the German language (Waas is German), asking the audience to collectively utter German words like “rechtschreibung” that were nearly unpronounceable. Waas then made a powerful business case for repurposing (or recycling) content, creating webinars that engage target audiences in new and different ways, and then transforming the webinars into repurposed content like blog posts, all at relatively low costs.

In a talk entitled “The Lazy Marketer’s Guide to Content Repurposing,” the energetic and affable Waas recommended that “lazy” content producers (we’re all guilty as charged, of course) give webinars a try, serving the needs of target audiences, while they learn and improve as they go.

Arestia Rosenberg on core values and not backing down.

The evening’s final speaker was Arestia Rosenberg, co-founder of Boston Content, who spoke about how she moved from filmmaking to building content teams at The Daily Beast, to her current role as a freelance storyteller and strategist. Rosenberg’s message was to stick with your gut, creatively and in everything else. She recalled having a difference of opinion with a boss about hiring a new member of her content team. The boss favored an experienced professional, while Rosenberg wanted to hire a less experienced person whom she considered highly coachable. In the end, she said, she backed down and the more experienced person was hired. “This person quit after a week,” she said, “and I asked my boss how he liked his new hire now.” Rosenberg urged the audience never to back down on their core beliefs.

Rosenberg then explained what she looks for in a content professional. “You have to hire people you’d like to hang out with all day, because that’s just what you’ll be doing.” This likeability factor can even outweigh a lack of experience, she told the audience: “If you’re 25 years old and don’t know anything, that’s okay, but I better like you enough to teach you what you need to know.” The ability to learn and adapt are key drivers of success, said Rosenberg.

Dan Waas and Arestia Rosenberg.

After Rosenberg’s talk ended, the group had an hour to network, talk with the speakers and have a drink. If you weren’t able to attend, be sure also to check out our photo gallery here.

What I Wish My Younger Content Professional Self Knew

Shelby Hill is Associate Director of Editorial Services at Skyword.

This industry of ours is so new that it might just be able to drink legally. Seriously, Wikipedia -- yes, I used it as a source, and my college professors just rolled their eyes -- claims the phrase “content marketing” was first used in 1996.

Although the practice of using content to market a business goes back much further than the ‘90s (check out this cool infographic), content marketing as we know it is always changing and growing. There’s so much a seasoned content professional has learned in just a few years; and with a decade under your belt, you’re practically an expert.

So whether you’re just starting out in this field, or you’ve been around the block a time or two, take a look at what 10 accomplished industry pros (and I) have to say:

On Career

“Get over your imposter syndrome. Everyone – from that senior executive to those so-called gurus – is still figuring this whole ‘content’ thing out because the space is evolving so incredibly fast. So, be more confident, take more risks, trust your gut, and know that the creative ideas you were terrified to share in a meeting or present to a big client are actually the ones that will be most successful for the company and rewarding for yourself.”

— Katelyn Holbrook, Co-Executive Director of Boston Content and SVP of Version 2.0 Communications

“Be less concerned with money and promotion, and more concerned with becoming an expert in your field. Don’t learn enough just to get by, get promoted, or earn a raise…Become an expert in your craft. Soak in every learning opportunity like a sponge. Knowledge is power. The money will follow.”

— Kate Westervelt, Director of Content Strategy at Purple Carrot

“Be curious. Ask questions and don’t limit yourself to what you think is required of you based on your job description. Also, don’t be afraid to challenge or push back on the way something’s always been done…Challenge yourself to get out of that ‘day to day’ mindset and consider how your contribution is impacting not only your team or department, but the organization as a whole, and what small adjustments could have a major impact. ”

— Mary Austin Williams, Editor-in-Chief of the Boston Content blog and Managing Editor at CommunityCo

“I wish my younger content professional self knew the importance of measurement. Content is one of the hardest budget lines to measure ROI. By learning that struggle early and finding clever ways to justify the spend to management, you’ll have more success (and more money).”

— Jessica Marble, Marketing Manager at Care@Work, a division of Care.com

“Never stop networking; never quit your side hustle; never stop take your finger off the pulse of the industry. It’s easy to get tunnel vision in a single job and forget the bigger picture: your career. But by doing those three things you’ll become a better content professional for your current company and for your future. It’s a win-win.”

— Shelby Hill, Associate Director of Editorial Services at Skyword and contributor to the Boston Content blog

“When starting out in this industry, the easiest way to wrap my head around ‘content’ was to think of it like a personal relationship. You don’t meet someone you like and immediately ask them to be your BFF, which is what some advertisers tend to do. You get to know each other and eventually connect on a deeper level. That’s what relevant and interesting content can do for a brand and its audience. You might not see results right away, but in the end, you’ve nurtured a loyal customer and that’s sometimes even more valuable than the immediate sell.”

— Megan Birch, Content Strategist at Small Army

On Writing

“Good storytelling will always win out…Storytelling is what connects us: brands to people; people to products; people to, well, more people. The thing I wish I understood earlier on was that the way in which we tell stories will evolve rapidly, and the earlier on I accepted that truth, the faster I could get around to learning the new and evolving tools of the trade. I would have jumped feet-first into learning Photoshop, video editing, social monitoring tools, and SEO tools. Roll with the tide and learn the new tools of the trade.”

— Kate Westervelt, Director of Content Strategy at Purple Carrot

“You can’t schedule inspiration in 30- or 60-minute intervals. Often enough, brainstorming meetings just fall flat, leading to clichés or topic traps…Instead, always be open and seeking out new blog ideas in your daily activities, and just let creativity find you. ”

— Julia Dunlea, Senior Manager of Media and Analyst Relations at Applause

“The hardest part about being a writer is removing your own words, editing yourself. As a young journalist, I got hung up on length: The longer the story must mean the better the story. It took a while, but over time I came to realize the opposite: The shorter the story, the better the story. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for the 3,000-word narrative. But it does mean if a story can be told in 1,200 words, it can often be told better in 700 words. And if a story can be told in 700 words, it might be amazing in 300 words. Never has this been more true than today, when holding a reader’s attention is harder than ever. Shorter stories with more visuals — photos, video, graphics — can be 10 times more powerful than longer stories. But you have to be willing to sacrifice words and reporting, and that’s never easy.”

— Doug Most, Head of BG BrandLab Studio at The Boston Globe

“When I was in my 20s, a writer friend wrote a poem about me called “Foreclosure.” She got it published. That’s poetic irony, because the poem was about how I used to get paralyzed by my internal editor whenever I wrote…If I could send a message to younger self it would be this: Lighten up on the super ego, kid. We’re all winging it out here. Even those of us who’ve been doing it for decades. But you get better with every word you write. And you’ll never write anything wonderful, if you never write anything at all.”

— Darcy Jacobsen, Co-Founder of The Wednesday Group

“You don’t need to win a content marketing award with every blog post! When I first started writing blogs professionally, there were times I would just stare at a blank Google Doc for hours, trying to think of the perfect opening line as if my career depended on it. Now, I just start writing, build the foundation, and then worry about the finishing touches that bring it to life.”

— Chris Kiertz, Marketing Manager at Salsify

Thumbnail image courtesy of Unsplash.

Content Comes Home: What We Learned from #CMWorld 2017

Katelyn Holbrook is Senior Vice President at Version 2.0 Communications. Follow her on Twitter, @KatelynEHenry.

There are two things we know well at Boston Content: a good time and good content.

So when Content Marketing World, the world’s biggest content marketing event, hit Cleveland last week, it was no surprise that the Boston Content community was well represented among the 4,000 marketers, writers, designers, SEO experts, producers and executives, among others, in attendance.

Though the star-studded lineup of speakers included actor-turned-producer/writer/creator Joseph Gordon-Levitt, GE CMO Linda Boff and Boston Content’s own founding father Jay Acunzo, we looked to the members of our community — the people who may work around the corner from you and struggle with the same issues — to give us the their key takeaway from the event.

Here’s what we learned:

• "The good news is that content marketing is really hot. The bad news is that everyone is doing it. Amid all the advice about SEO, catchy titles, social media promotion, and attribution, too many people are missing what it really takes to stand out: an original point of view, and actual knowledge of the topic. What I learned from CM World is that it's not enough to write what you know -- you need to do the work to make sure what you know, and what you write, is based on unique experiences." – Josh Bernoff, Author, "Writing Without Bullshit” (@jbernoff)

• “It’s no longer a question of whether to do content marketing, it is now about how to do it better. Establishing a platform to measure the performance of content through data and analytics is the next challenge. Whether it’s driving revenue, building brand awareness or creating customer loyalty, the ability to define and measure success will solidify the role of content marketing in any organization.” – Jessica Rose, Marketing Communications Manager, Lionbridge Technologies, Inc. (@Jalee27)   

• "I'm coming back from Content Marketing World with a renewed motivation to build our editorial strategy not around what has worked for other brands but around makes our brand and our publication unique. I was really taken by both Jay Acunzo and Caroline Nuttall's sessions — they both spoke about our reflexive tendency to accept so-called "best practices" and crowd into the same real estate with our content without questioning why we're doing it. There's so much more room to be creative with our content, and when the barriers to entry are low, we have space to experiment and see what engages our audience. Why are we trying to occupy the same crowded spaces as our competitors when there's a whole world of original content to explore?" – Rachel Haberman, Content Marketing Manager, Skyword and Managing Editor, The Content Standard (@RachelHHaberman)

• “My biggest takeaway is video, Video, VIDEO! I realized that I should just do more video and not worry about it being perfect. I also realized that webinars can be considered videos and are only second to direct sales engagement and that I should be doing more of them. And that one's YouTube channel should be optimized for SEO with more relevant and frequent videos. – Charu Gupta, Director, Content Strategy & Marketing at In Crowd, Inc. (@charugupta)

• “The biggest thing I took away from content marketing world was that people are still talking about millennials as a huge shift in the workforce. Sure, millennials want immediate feedback, career flexibility, and care about social issues, but who doesn’t? It’s not a separate generation that is changing how we work, it’s everyone’s expectations shifting with the advancement of technology. Whatever thinking you are applying to this generation you should apply to all your employees.” – Mike Wood, Social Marketing Manager, Globoforce (@mikewoodtweets)

• Content Marketing World introduced me to different metrics I can use at each stage of my buyer’s journey to prove Content ROI. The ‘ROI question’ is a tough one to answer, but if you outline engagement metrics that make sense for your audience at each stage of their journey – then the picture starts to become clearer. – Jess Marble, Marketing Manager, Care@Work by Care.com (@Jess_Marble)

Did you attend Content Marketing World this year? Let us know your favorite takeaway in the comments below!

7 Tips for Conducting Your Next Interview

Boston-based Chuck Leddy has been crafting engaging content since 1995, as a journalist and B2B brand storyteller. He's written for B2B brands such as General Electric, ADP, Office Depot, Cintas, the National Center for the Middle Market, and many more. He's also been published in print publications such as the Boston Globe, Forbes, the Washington Post, and San Francisco Chronicle. His website and blog are at www.ChuckLeddy.com.

Writers need a lot of skills, from the ability to write a good sentence, to marketing chops needed to find good paying clients, and much more. Among the most important tools in the freelancer's toolbox is the ability to interview people to inform the content you create. I interview a lot of business book authors, subject-matter experts, and business leaders/owners for my clients, and have gotten pretty good at it over these last two decades. I thought I'd share some of the things I do to make interviews easier.

1. Make arrangements for interviews. In this age of digital and social media, it's never been easier to reach out to people and ask for their time. If your client hasn't already gotten the interviewee's contact information and "buy in" to be interviewed, then you'll need to write a brief email explaining why you wish to interview the subject, your focus, who you're writing it for, how much time you'll need, etc. Then offer the person 2-to-3 good time slots for a possible interview, or ask them to offer the time slots to you. Expect some back-and-forth before you finalize the time.

2. Prepare. Once you've negotiated a time to talk, whether in person or by phone (I've even conducted a few interviews by email, which can work well), you'll need to be prepared for the conversation. Research the person's background and history. Most interviewees have a website or LinkedIn page, in my experience. Once you've learned more about the subject -- by the way, what did we ever do before Google search? -- it's time to start crafting your questions. I usually assume 2 minutes for each question, as long as they're good questions, so a 15-minute phone interview might cover 7 questions.

I highly recommend emailing your questions to the interviewee at least a day in advance of the interview. This not only serves as a timely reminder for the interviewee, but makes the person more comfortable, too.

During the actual interview, if you're not getting enough information in the answer, you may need to follow-up by re-phrasing or paraphrasing the original question. More on the importance of listening and following up later.

3. Test out your recording equipment/technology. You'll want to make sure your equipment is working, so test it with a friend/family member before the interview. Let the subject know you'll be recording the interview. In some states, you must do this anyway. I've recently been using a recording application on my iPhone 4 called "Tape a Call," which works really well and costs me about $9 annually. For face-to-face interviews, you can use a hand-held digital recorder or a voice recording app. Many of the apps cost you nothing and work quite well.

4. Relax and break the ice. You will be nervous before the interview. I like to do a few minutes of deep breathing or listen to music beforehand, which helps calm my nerves. The more natural you sound, the better. It's a good idea to try to break the ice with some small talk. Good topics might be the weather where they are, places to visit in their city, or something about sports. Try to transmit a feeling of comfort, because it will help open the flow of communication.

5. Listen and listen some more. This is perhaps the best advice anyone can offer you. Ask your question and then listen carefully, without interrupting, to the answer. It's OK to say things like "yeah" or "hmm" to prompt them to keep talking, but do not interrupt the general flow of their answer. Interviewees with experience have a little trick they use when they've reached the end of their answer. They actually stop. So when you hear them stop talking, you can either ask a follow-up question ("What did you mean when you said ABC?") to dig deeper or simply move on to your next question. Interviewing is largely about listening. You are serving your readers, so get full answers that add value. Put a line through your question once it's been answered.

6. Transcribe. Now comes the boring part. You'll need to take the audio you've recorded and put it into words. I recommend using an online transcription service. I've used iScribed (www.iscribed.com) for the last year, with good results and at an affordable price. Editing the "raw" transcript is dull, but important work.

You'll need to edit out repetitions, grammatical miscues, and other words that don't add value but may distract readers. Editing a transcript is a skill developed with experience. Never alter the interviewee's meaning or intent, but do edit for clarity.

7. Complete the final steps. If the interviewee has asked to see the finished article/post before it gets published, send it to them with a deadline. I'll give interviewees maybe 48 hours. I tell them that if I don't hear back from them with modification requests by XYZ, I'll run with it "as is." It's also a good idea to send the article, a link to it that is, after the interview has been published. In the olden days, I used to ask my editor to send a free copy of the magazine to an interviewee. Interviewees appreciate seeing themselves in print.

OK, that's all I have to share today on interviewing people. Let me know your thoughts, if you feel like sharing.

A version of this post originally appeared on the author’s website.

Thumbnail image courtesy of Unsplash.