The Content Marketing Academy 2016 – Day 1
Yesterday’s opening day of #TCMA2016 saw some of the best exponents of content marketing share their wisdom with an eager audience.
Want to know what happened last year? Read:
Here are some of my top content creation tips from this year’s event.
Speakers
The speakers on day 1 were:
- Amy Schmittauer, SavvySexySocial
- Col Gray, Pixels Ink
- Caroline McKenna, Charity Peeks
- Kate McQuillan, Pet Sitters Ireland
- Richard Tubb, Tubblog
- Julie Christie, Tea Break Tog
- Pete Matthew, Meaningful Money
General content creation tips
1. Just get started!
Lots of people hang back from beginning any form of content marketing. they’re worried about something, or they claim they don’t have the time.
Maybe they’re worried about some aspect of it, or they claim they don’t have the time.
The answer is to JFDI and get going with content creation.
Better to have imperfect content than none at all. 🙂
If you’re really bad at procrastinating – like me – use the Pomodoro Technique.
Set yourself 25 minutes to do a task. This is neither too short or too long.
You’ll be surprised at what you can achieve.
2. Set out to serve your audience
This should be your primary aim, rather than getting business.
You’ll achieve better results this way by putting your audience first.
(Don’t know who they are? Survey them!)
If you give, you get.
3. Educate, Entertain, Inspire
Add value, be appealing – not necessarily funny – and show your audience how they can take positive steps.
Bur remember –
Information without action is meaningless.
Branding and strategy
4. Your brand’s tone of voice needs to be unique
It should be formed from the intersection between your business, your audience and your product or service.
More about brand tone of voice and examples.
5. Don’t be afraid of controversy
Being opinionated can get you remembered.
Look at Gary Vaynerchuk – he polarises his audience (some love him, some hate him) but lots of us know who he is and what he stands for.
6. Use a strategy statement for your content creation
This statement is for videos but could apply to other content types:
I make video for ___________
about ______________
so that I can achive ______________.
Think about WHAT content you make, WHO you make it for and WHY.
7. Ask for feedback
Comments and critiques help you devise better content in future.
Keep a folder of testimonials.
They’re a great pick-me-up for the lean times.
Video creation and webinar tips
8. You don’t need a fancy camera to shoot video
An iPhone is perfectly good and will do all you need.
You don’t even require to buy editing software.
You can edit on your phone apps or on YouTube.
9. Accept you won’t create great video right away
It takes 10,000 hours to master a new skill according to Malcolm Gladwell.
Your first attempt will suck.
But that’s okay, everyone’s does.
10. Save all your old videos
Yes, even the failures.
Your audience will appreciate seeing the journey you’ve come on.
11. Say it, don’t just display it
A video call to action needs to be audible as well as visible.
Make sure the audio is clear.
Viewers can accept less than perfect video but won’t tolerate poor sound.
12. Don’t introduce yourself on every video…
Why? It wastes time and it’s boring to hear if your audience already knows you.
Get stuck into the content.
People have really short attention spans and want to get to the good stuff fast.
You can add your branding to the end of the video.
13. Pimp your screencasts with some on-camera action
It makes you seem more human and not just a voice!
14. Shorter, dynamic videos are winners
Less is more – people prefer shorter YouTube videos.
Adding motion, changing camera angle or adding visuals = keeps eyes moving = more engaged viewers.
15. Webinars must deliver 90% value
It’s okay to put in the sales pitch (we expect it) but you must give high-value content first.
People normally spend an hour on webinars – don’t waste their time.
Get this right and you can build liking and trust very quickly – but not everyone will be ready to buy.
Blogging tips
16. Use Google auto-suggest to come up with content ideas
Start with a few words, and let Google show you the way!
17. Write about the Big 5 of blogging
Marcus Sheridan came up with a list of topics known as the Big 5 – the questions that customers really want the answers to.
They are: cost, problems, comparisons, reviews and best.
Blog about these and you can’t go far wrong.
18. Spruce up your old blog posts to improve conversions
Check your analytics. If you have old posts that don’t convert, reword them so they convert better.
Productivity tips
19. Build a team to help you
Don’t expect that one person will solve all your business problems.
Go for the best in each area.
A mentor/coach/community combination is really powerful.
Building the right team saves you time and money.
20. Your health is your wealth
You need to put your own well-being first to succeed in business.
Create a routine for your day that keeps you in the best shape.
Avoid distractions. That means no checking email first thing!
Over to you
What is your top takeaway from this list? Please comment below.
Thank you for including tips from my keynote, Claire! Honored to be a part of the event. 🙂
Thanks for the comment and for coming all the way to be there, Amy! 🙂
So much knowledge shared over the two days.
Hi Claire,
Good advice; i’m on top of lot of these, except maybe video (is my audience ready to see and hear me, but I have some richer media in the pipeline) and being controversial!
I’m extending my virtual ‘team’ #19 which fits very well with the community I want to grow for my education social enterprise
http://itelementaryschool.com/alumni-awards/
I’ll be coming back to you soon for some expertise 😉
Tony
Looking forward to seeing your controversial video Tony! 😉
Great share. Content creation is an important part and after a while, many get stuck with Writer’s block or do not create content and let their blog die.
Your tips would definitely help many.
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Shafi!
Great share. no doubt, content is king and we need such kind of tips to enhance our writing skills.
Thanks
-Faisal
Thanks, Faisal.