What We Worked on at #FieldDay2018

Last Friday, Boston Content members convened at WeWork South Station to work alongside one another for the day. In addition to collaborating with other content pros while getting that "to do" list done, here's a quick recap of what we worked on during #FieldDay2018:

“Search ads and SEO.”

— Carl Blume, Principal, Atlantic Marketing Advisors

“ I’ll be working on getting out 1 regular blog post, 1 tech blog post, and the company’s weekly Thought Leadership Roundup email, which keeps everyone updated on the week’s social and thought leadership content. ”

— Allison Grinberg-Funes, Marketing Manager, Raizlabs

“Will be working on a white paper for Boston-based digital talent platform Catalant (my client). It’s titled “Re-Imagining Work 2020” and will describe why companies should be exploring “agile talent solutions,” including using Catalant’s software to find internal and external talent for their projects. The white paper will also be prescriptive, describing the steps companies can take to adopt these agile talent solutions.

Will also be preparing for a Freelancers Union “Spark” event, where I’ll be offering attendees (freelancers all) tips on effective negotiation with prospective and existing clients. Might be making some notes and thinking of ways to facilitate and open up this “negotiating” discussion with the Freelancers Union members who attend.

Lastly, will be meeting BosCon member Sean Malvey (he wrote BosCon blog recap of the Wayfair event moderated by Ann Handley) for lunch and “soccer talk.” Both Sean and I are avid soccer players and big supporters of FC Barcelona, the best soccer team in the world.
”

— Chuck Leddy, B2B Brand Storyteller, ChuckLeddy.com

“I set up a few goals for the day: 1 complete post on my own site, 1 for Medium, map out the first 2 episodes of my new podcast, and fill the rest of the time with curation/social. Maybe a little ambitious, but with enough coffee and a positive atmosphere, anything is possible!”

— Katie Dickinson, Blogger, Weird Travel Friend

“The big one right now is trying to push out a new app for online Workers’ Comp insurance quotes, so writing and checking all the content for that on our test site. And for smaller projects, I’m working on writing a style guide for the company, and a project to align and streamline our email and billing communications. ”

— Cat Anderson, UX Writer, AP Intego Insurance Group

“Today I will be working on fleshing out a new venture. Caitlin Pfitzer (also attending), founder of Independent Femail, and I are in the process of starting up a partnership. We will be working on revamping her website to reflect new offerings and tackling a couple branding statements needed for current clients.”

— Kaitlin Provencher, Associate Director, Digital Content & Strategy, Tufts University

“I’m working on a landing page to tell my crazy story for how I came to UX! I’ve found that a resume and portfolio piece aren’t effectively communicating my engineering background in a UX-centric way and I want to try something that I think will work. I’ll be generating some content and sketches today.”

— Katie Fitton, UX Designer, KatieFitton.com

“I’m writing a blog post for a client and setting up an 8-week Facebook advertising campaign for another client.”

— Janet Mesh, Freelance Content Marketer & Strategist, JanetMesh.com

Missed our Field Day event? Not to worry! Check out our events page here to learn more about our upcoming gatherings.

Why You Should Run Your Content Department Like a Newsroom

Katy Kostakis is an Account Executive and Marketing Writer and Editor for Costas Provisions Corp., a foodservice distribution firm in Boston, as well as a blogger and freelance writer. A graduate of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Telecommunication (now Mass Communication) at Arizona State University, Katy holds a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcasting with a Major Concentration in Broadcast Journalism and a Related Field of Theatre. Her distinctive voice and writing style, with its’ conversational and highly descriptive tone, helped her find her true calling in written media. Her vast body of work includes concepts for marketing and advertising campaigns, product descriptions, lifestyle and entertainment articles, film reviews, columns, and commentary. She launched her blog, The Lioness’ Den, in January 2017. Visit The Lioness’ Den at www.lionessden.tumblr.com.

It’s no secret that those with journalism credentials excel in copy and content writing for what may be obvious to those in the “inner circle.” They have a flair for storytelling. They know the ins and outs of many industries. They will give you different styles, moods and color in every piece constructed. Journalists who have transitioned to marketing, advertising, and public relations certainly have the advantage of knowing what their brethren want to create maximum media coverage and great publicity for clients. In talking with other writers, my own journalism degree pops up in debates about tactics and practices in content creation. Everything I learned in journalism school has been applied throughout my career in both freelance writing and in my current position in sales and marketing.   

The industry has changed over time with more and more non-traditional media being at the forefront. Established methods of reporting are being uprooted in favor of influencers who cater to society’s craving for the instantaneous sharing of thought and information. People who may have not had formal instruction in certain areas that journalists are well-versed in are now responsible for content that goes public. Constant technological advancements in web and social media place every writer under a microscope, regardless of training, forte, or educational level. With a litany of concerns and “what if” scenarios that could come into play at any time, those in content need to be just as responsible as journalists in maintaining certain standards. To do that, I recommend running your content department like a newsroom. While the majority of you may never see the office of a media organization, what is expected of a journalist? How can content writers and developers benefit from following journalistic protocol? More than you could imagine! Get ready for my tips to keep your content department functioning like a well-oiled machine!

Implement and use a style guide.

All news organizations and other entities follow a style guide. Associated Press style is the gold standard for American media, as well as Chicago. These stylebooks usually list acceptable word usage and spelling across the board in all types of media. It’s also a good idea to consult other style manuals for rules of grammar. Once a set style guide is implemented, there is a uniformity and clarity to all work, with no second guessing as to what the correct form is.

Take a course in Media Law.

As part of their educational curriculum, journalists are required to take a course in Media Law, which covers a multitude of legal matters that may arise in one’s career. As journalists and writers deal with information that gets reported as fact, such issues that are discussed include plagiarism, libel, slander, trademarks, copyright, and intellectual property, as well as the application of the First Amendment. It’s extremely important for any writer to be educated in those areas, as a violation not only sparks a public relations nightmare and loss of credibility, but can result in litigation. Most universities with a journalism or communications department will offer a Media Law class that you may be able to audit for the course fee.

Set up a standards and practices manual.

Obviously, you should have a legal representative keeping their eyes and ears open, handling tricky instances should something go towards the litigation route, but you must be your own self-governing body against those major infractions I mentioned above. This should also apply to obtaining and using outside copy and images. Along with a style guide, you should definitely fashion a Standards and Practices manual and put it on paper. This not only protects your organization, but also sets a precedent, as changes are made as needed for future editions.

Please do not sacrifice quality for quick publishing. It will come back to bite you.  

Countless media outfits are so focused on constantly churning out content at a rapid pace that they don’t take into consideration the basic rules of journalism and writing in general. I have encountered so many typos, spelling and grammatical errors by major news media. What I’ve also noticed is that these same organizations don’t always catch their mistakes, often not even correcting them or publishing a retraction. It’s a reasonable expectation that as a professional writer, you should absolutely make sure that you…

Check your facts!

Every single quote, name, and statistic needs to be verified, and don’t forget to attribute where you obtained this information. This may be a tad repetitive, but it is crucial that all your T’s are crossed and I’s are dotted. I remember that a major entertainment publication put out an article stating that a well-known town was in Rhode Island rather than in Massachusetts! Even if this particular city wasn’t familiar to everyone, all that had to be done was to consult the internet to find out what state the city was located in. That’s why major news organizations have copyeditors and fact checkers on staff: to ensure that these errors are avoided. Please don’t cut corners just to have content ready for publishing. Take those extra few minutes and go over your copy with a fine-toothed comb. While you’re at it…

Proofread and edit constantly!

In journalism school, I learned a lesson that I still use in my everyday life: edit and proofread as you go. While I usually have a dictionary, thesaurus, and AP Stylebook at my disposal, my eyes always glance over and over at the copy I’ve written. Once I’ve made my initial draft, I read it out loud, tweaking it as necessary. Make sure you are using the correct word and in the correct context and proofread and edit as many times as necessary. Have a colleague check it, then check it again. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

Read anything you can get your hands on and keep your writing skills fresh!

Journalists don’t simply read just their own stuff. They check out the work of their colleagues, competition, and other important entities. Try to read as many trade periodicals and industry websites to stay abreast of what’s happening. When it comes to writing, get out of your comfort zone! If you work in technical writing, take a shot at penning some fiction for a peer group! This keeps your mind sharp and active!

If you don’t have a standing deadline, put yourself under one.

Just like journalists, content and copywriters have some sort of schedule and content calendar they have to follow. Imposing a deadline gives you leeway to proofread and correct what you have written. I try to set a soft deadline for myself to allow for wiggle room in my editing, rewrites, and corrections.

With these tips, you’ll be well on your way to guiding your content department to success!

Social Media Marketing, Team of One: How to Build a Strategy When You're at it Alone

Nisreen Galloway is a digital marketer and foodie with a strong background in writing, graphic design, and social media. She began her marketing career as an intern at Yelp and then worked at several B2B and B2C companies in the food and luxury markets, focusing on content marketing, graphic design, and social media management. Nisreen lives in Boston with her loving boyfriend, fridge full of spaghetti squash, and temperamental, but adorable cat Lilly.

After four years of social media management, I’ve learned that small companies are my jam. While I learned a lot from interning and working for a mix of larger national and local brands, I’ve found my nest of comfort in small companies with big dreams. In these smaller teams, I’ve had the pleasure of producing B2B and B2C social media content across various platforms.

However, the one constant on my resume is that in these smaller companies, I’m often a social media team of one. And while I’d be the first to recommend the experience to every driven college grad, there was definitely a harsh learning curve filled with missed holiday posts and mistakes. Eventually, with practice, the right tools, and an amazing network of mentors and resources, I finally found my step and began creating and executing successful social media strategies.

If you’re like me and on starting a social media role on a small team, hopefully some of these tips can help you get started.

Get started.

So it’s your first week. You’ve got ideas for Facebook Live, memes lined up for Twitter, and you think you’re ready to go. But what do you do first? Before you begin planning content, it’s important to outline and review existing content, platforms in use, and assets. This will help you organize not only your ideas, but the landscape with which you’ll be working in. For instance, do you have all the passwords you need to login to existing social channels? Do you have access to old analytics? Do you have to create any new accounts? Taking stock of what already exists in terms of platforms and content is key to keeping you organized and helpful in proving value and skill in your first few days.

TIP: Google spreadsheets and Trello boards are great tools to organize and make note of your company’s currently social media status. These platforms are also easy to share with other team members so if you’re unavailable for any reason, these notes are easily accessed.  

Personally, I’ve found that while a company website may list their Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, that doesn’t mean they don’t have a few lost and inactive branded Pinterest and Instagram accounts. Take stock of all existing channels, update passwords and usernames, and archive those that don’t make sense for your new strategy.

Now that you know what content is out there, you can use analytics, team insight, and what you know about your industry to brainstorm and begin strategizing your new plans and goals. When you’re in a smaller company that may not have formally had a social strategy or a dedicated social media marketer, it’s helpful to have not only a thorough analysis of how their old content performed, but have a detailed overview of what you plan to do and how you will measure success so everyone is on the same page.

Create a strategy that is realistic.

Even though you may want to commit to multiple daily posts on each platform, 5 new videos a week, and 2 live stories on Instagram, if you’re operating a team solo, you may not be able to reach those goals…yet. Talk with your managers to determine what KPIs and ROIs are important for your company and come up with a baseline of what success will look like. It’s helpful to create a bulk amount of evergreen content you can share and then supplement that with day to day posts as things pop up. I’ve always found creating a content calendar especially helpful and recommend using Hootsuite and Sprout Social to get organized and planned out ahead of time.

TIP: Hootsuite has a lot of free features, but many that are behind a paywall. As a solo social media manager, some of the tools they offer are behind a paywall that may not make sense for your budget or team. I recommend taking a look at a variety of social media management tools that best align with your strategy. For example, if you’re going to focus on Twitter and Facebook a lot, Hootsuite may make sense because of its multiple streams, free integrations with Facebook and Twitter, and cheaper campaign management. However, if your content will be more visually driven on platforms like Instagram and Pinterest, looking into platforms like Sprout Social or Later might make more sense as they have more visual representation of content.

While you’re building your strategy, don’t forget to think about analytics. Analytics are key to maintaining and growing your social audience, especially when you’re working on a small team. Often, those numbers will be a helpful driving force in creating content that is hitting your engagement numbers or knowing when to rethink your approach. On a larger note, it’s also helpful to have social media reports that can show how your initiatives are supporting bigger company goals. Sometimes, it’s easy to get so wrapped up in building campaigns and content that it can be hard to remember the bigger picture.

Creating custom reports for your team will help you stay on track and remember that social media should be supporting the overall company goals. For reports, I have used the Hootsuite analytic platform but prefer the detail in Google Analytics to measure campaign success. If your experimenting with live stories on Instagram and Facebook, make sure you know which KPIs are important to your team and how you will capture them. Both Facebook and Instagram have their own analytic platforms that can be helpful for grabbing quick numbers.

Know your resources.

From finding the best place for free stock photos to adding giphy to your web browser, it’s important when you’re going it alone to have backup when things get tough and you have questions. I’ve found solace in this Facebook group, but also find the e-newsletters, Boston Content, and blogs of some of the social scheduling platforms I’ve used particularly helpful for staying up-to-date on new features and incorporating them into my strategies.

Going it alone can seem daunting but with the right resources and help, you’ve got this!

7 Influencer Marketing Trends to Watch in 2018

Kathleen Ohlson is a writer and editor with over 10 years of experience. Previously, she was a high tech reporter covering various topics, including 9/11 and virus attacks. You can follow Kathleen on Twitter, @kaohlson.

Influencer marketing is where it’s at. Gone (well, mostly) are the days of traditional channels; now it’s all about the web and social media. With all of this competition, companies are relying on influencers to get their message – and their brand – to their audience.

Influencers – anyone from celebrities to athletes to everyday people – give a human, empathetic voice to your brand, developing authentic relationships between them and your audience.

But it’s lost some effectiveness recently. The demand to know what’s real content is higher now with the ramifications of the 2016 U.S. elections and new FTC guidelines. And the fallout continues. The New York Times recently revealed actors, companies, a Twitter board member and others allegedly paid for fake Twitter followers, while Unilever threatened to pull advertising from digital platforms unless Google, Twitter and others clean up fake news, racist and other inflammatory language.

So with all of these changes, where does that leave you? Here are some tips to follow this year to get more out of your influencer marketing strategy.

Keep it real.

In light of FTC guidelines, several companies announced programs and algorithms that would allow for greater transparency. For example, Facebook requires influencers to use its branded tool to identify when a shared post is actually part of a brand partnership. But companies are trying to figure out the new algorithms, while making sure their organic influencer content still reaches their followers and isn’t flagged.

One way you can make sure your influencer content reaches your audience is to ensure your influencers clearly disclose they’re being compensated for promoting your brand. Add in #ad or #sponsoredad in a post.

You’ll also need to be vigilant about fake followers and bot-driven engagement. Look for real results like conversions, downloads and product sales and go beyond likes, retweets, comments and click-throughs.  

Remember it’s not always in a name.

Brands have generally felt more comfortable working with well-known influencers, thinking that notoriety would help get more followers. But that’s changing for some companies with the behavior of some influencers and their costs.

The value of influencers isn’t their follower count; it’s their ability to capture the attention of their audience no matter what size it is. You might want to consider micro-influencers, who typically have thousands or tens of thousands of followers. They have a particular interest and expertise that revolves around a specific niche, such as fitness or beauty. Their enthusiasm for that specialty allows micro-influencers to offer a personal touch to their content, establishing them as a reliable voice. While they may not have the name recognition of macro-influencers, micro-influencers’ content generally resonates with their audience because they’re relatable. According to MarketingProfs, 30% of people said they were more likely to buy a product if was based on a non-celebrity blogger’s recommendation, while only 3% said they would consider buying a product if it was celebrity-endorsed.

Brands are now looking to amplify their messaging to smaller, targeted audiences and they’re seeing results. For example, meowbox, a subscription box service for cat owners, saw sales skyrocket after it started sending free boxes to micro-influencers in its target audience.

Stay connected.

Now that you’ve made connections to influencers, the key is to sustain that relationship. Why? They’ll be more invested in your brand. When they know you genuinely care about them, influencers will promote your brand with more enthusiasm. Influencers may even adopt the role of brand ambassador for you.

If your relationship with influencers is more transactional, their followers will see right through that and will less likely be engaged. When you develop a partnership with your influencers, your followers will see that and your brand will have greater access to trends, feedback and new ideas.

Get back to business.

Now that you’re doing all this work, you’re going to want to see results.

Previously, influencer marketing was all about reach and awareness. Now it’s about expanding into driving conversions and engagement. You can track how much revenue influencers bring in, even though there isn’t a monetary value in getting mentioned by them. For example, assign specific UTM parameters to your influencers so you can track what visitors do when they come to your site. Maybe have your influencers share unique promo codes with their audience. Each time a customer uses that code, you can attribute revenue to that specific influencer.

Look into the lens.

Video marketing is where it’s at for marketing, with all of the different options (YouTube Live, Instagram Stories, Facebook Live, etc.) and new technologies making it more accessible, immersive and engaging.

According to MarketingProfs, the average daily amount of time that U.S. adults spend watching digital video content has almost doubled since 2012, increasing from 35 minutes to 72 minutes. And most of that time is spent on mobile devices.

So why do you need your influencers in front of a lens? Your audience wants to watch real people being themselves on camera, rather than a super-polished production. And the most successful influencers show what’s happening behind the scenes or at that moment in their lives.

Expand your footprint.

While the majority of the action may be focused on Instagram, don’t limit your platform use. Look at Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, YouTube and even Pinterest.

Most influencers base their pricing on their following, engagement and demand. If the bulk of their offers are on Instagram, then that’ll drive up their pricing. But if you start using other platforms, you may not get the same reach as Instagram, but you’ll likely get better ROI if you pay less and get better conversions.

Go on a journey.

There’s definitely an opportunity for influencer marketing to make an impact at every step of your buyer’s journey.

During the inspiration stage, influencers can discuss common questions about products and services, while they can provide educational and valuable content such as tutorials at the consideration stage. Influencers can incorporate promo codes with your content at the decision/purchase stage to sway audiences. Storytelling at any of these stages will elevate your brand’s image and foster a connection between influencers and their followers.

Yes, there are a lot of changes to how you need to engage with your influencers and how that impacts your influencer marketing strategy -- and there are challenges with new algorithms and regulations, as well as what trends you need to follow. But the most important factor to remember is the importance of developing – and maintaining – an authentic relationship with your influencers and audience.