In the lead-up to this August’s Content Experience, we’ve invited our speakers to participate in a series of Tweetchats, focused on how remarkable experiences can drive every stage of the buyer journey. Last week, we sat down with Andy Crestodina, Co-Founder of Orbit Media Studios, for a tweet chat discussing content marketing tools, content experiences, inspiration, and much more. We’ve captured the highlights of our conversation to share with you.
Want to learn how you can create remarkable content experiences for every stage of the buyer journey? Join Andy Crestodina in Toronto for The Content Experience this August! We’re bringing together like-minded people in content marketing, demand generation and sales in order to connect them with interesting and impactful players that understand and champion the importance of experiences for the buyer journey.
Intro and Warm-up
Welcome everyone to our first #conex17 tweet chat! We’ve got SEO & analytics expect @crestodina here to share his knowledge!
— Uberflip (@Uberflip) May 31, 2017
Hey @crestodina! Thanks so much for joining us for the first in the series! #conex17
— Uberflip (@Uberflip) May 31, 2017
Glad to be here. 🙂
#conex17— Andy Crestodina (@crestodina) May 31, 2017
Anything you want to start with @crestodina? #conex17
— Uberflip (@Uberflip) May 31, 2017
Insight #1: Leverage More Detailed Research
Takeaway: Andy’s work has evolved over the last two years — he’s writing longer, more detailed articles. Orbit Media’s 3rd Annual Survey of 1,000+ bloggers revealed that the length of the average blog post is up, while shorter articles are on the decline. Articles of less than 500 words are being published with less frequency. Regardless, the research still supports the fact that frequency of publishing correlates with strong results.
Sure! You shared a list of questions. Here’s a good one…
How has your work evolved over the last two years? #conex17— Andy Crestodina (@crestodina) May 31, 2017
A1: On the #contentmarketing side, I’m publishing more research than before. I writing longer, more detailed articles. #conex17
— Andy Crestodina (@crestodina) May 31, 2017
The research that longer, more detailed posts perform better… https://t.co/EueFfgCWUQ #conex17
— Andy Crestodina (@crestodina) May 31, 2017
It’s partly SEO, but more detailed content also correlates with better social traction! #contentmarketing
#conex17— Andy Crestodina (@crestodina) May 31, 2017
Even if search volume is low, it’s almost always worth the time to align the content with a phrase.
#conex17— Andy Crestodina (@crestodina) May 31, 2017
One of the surprises from the research is that frequency also correlates with strong results. Quality AND quantity! #conex17
— Andy Crestodina (@crestodina) May 31, 2017
No content, no growth. Content grows the audience, the site converts them into leads. It’s a 100% #contentmarketing approach. #conex17
— Andy Crestodina (@crestodina) May 31, 2017
Insight #2: Finding Inspiration by Finding Teachers
Takeaway: Content marketers are on the leading edge of new marketing practices, which makes them much harder to mentor. Regardless, Andy found inspiration from both Sonia Simone, co-founder and Chief Content Officer of Rainmaker Digital, and Ann Handley, best-selling author and Chief Content Officer of MarketingProfs.
Q2 for @crestodina: Who has been your greatest inspiration? #conex17
— Uberflip (@Uberflip) May 31, 2017
A2 They didn’t know it at the time, but my original two teachers were @soniasimone & @annhandley. They’re the best… #conex17
— Andy Crestodina (@crestodina) May 31, 2017
We love them both! @AnnHandley will be at #conex17 speaking again this year too!
— Uberflip (@Uberflip) May 31, 2017
— Andy Crestodina (@crestodina) May 31, 2017
Insight #3: Content as Key to Growth, Networking, and Sales
Takeaway: Andy is a proponent of “zero waste marketing”. The idea is to narrow your content’s focus and write for a very specific set of people, creating content for people who are already in your sales funnel, collaborating with prospects and partners, and using your blog as a networking tool.
Q3: Understanding what Uberflip does, how have you used a focus on #contentexperience to grow @orbiteers? #conex17
— Uberflip (@Uberflip) May 31, 2017
A3: Content is the key to growth! We’re now at $5M in revenue with $0 spent on advertising. #conex17
— Andy Crestodina (@crestodina) May 31, 2017
— Uberflip (@Uberflip) May 31, 2017
Q3: But I also use content for networking & sales support. It’s called “zero-waste” marketing. https://t.co/39WrWD0AK6 #conex17
— Andy Crestodina (@crestodina) May 31, 2017
Great link! We’ve bookmarked this one! https://t.co/tuC6qlR0pL
— Uberflip (@Uberflip) May 31, 2017
Insight #4: The Blog as a Building Block for Relationships
What are some tips you have for using your blog for networking? #conex17
— Uberflip (@Uberflip) May 31, 2017
Q3: A blog is an amazing networking tool, if you know how to use it properly. Content => Relationships. #conex17
— Andy Crestodina (@crestodina) May 31, 2017
To use your blog as a networking tool, reach out to people and ask them to provide quotes for your next article! #conex17
— Andy Crestodina (@crestodina) May 31, 2017
Invite your sales prospects to contribute to your content. Use interviews to warm up cold leads. Meet new referral partners. etc. #conex17
— Andy Crestodina (@crestodina) May 31, 2017
When you use your content as a networking tool, you’ve won before the post goes live… #conex17 #ABM pic.twitter.com/EVbykouSi1
— Andy Crestodina (@crestodina) May 31, 2017
Great advice!
— Uberflip (@Uberflip) May 31, 2017
Insight #5: Marketers, Avoid Bad Formatting
Takeaway: Andy maintains that properly-formatted content makes it easy for potential customers to engage with your business, but the practice is often overlooked. For example, he’s careful to never write a paragraph longer than four lines, and ensures scalability by implying subheads, bullets, bolding and italics, et al.
Q4: What mistakes do marketers make when it comes to creating and publishing content? #conex17
— Uberflip (@Uberflip) May 31, 2017
A4: The biggest mistake is bad formatting. You need to add all the little things that make the content good for digital. #conex17
— Andy Crestodina (@crestodina) May 31, 2017
A4: I’m careful to never write a paragraph longer than 4 lines. In the words of @jasonfried… pic.twitter.com/9v6AX7wRik
— Andy Crestodina (@crestodina) May 31, 2017
A4: Make it scan-able by adding…
• subheads
• bullets
• numbered lists
• bolding & italics
• internal links
• multiple images. #conex17 pic.twitter.com/Ts50ZuhNls— Andy Crestodina (@crestodina) May 31, 2017
Insight #6: Align Your Topics to Your Audience Using Data
Q5: How about the toughest content marketing pitfalls or challenges? #conex17
— Uberflip (@Uberflip) May 31, 2017
A5: Picking the topic is critical. Know thy audience! #conex17
— Andy Crestodina (@crestodina) May 31, 2017
A5: Use data to pick the best topics. Your #Analytics is telling you what your readers want. #conex17https://t.co/cESA24JlrJ
— Andy Crestodina (@crestodina) May 31, 2017
A5: There is a place for inspiration, but marketers often miss the chance to use their data. Take a tip from @contentverve… #conex17 pic.twitter.com/Yxn8WexdgS
— Andy Crestodina (@crestodina) May 31, 2017
Insight #7: Leverage Automation and Content Marketing Tools, but Leave Room for Art and Creativity
Takeaway: Creativity and automation are not mutually exclusive; however, Andy cautions to always leave space for the “art” when it comes to content creation.
Do you see this becoming increasingly automated?
— Uberflip (@Uberflip) May 31, 2017
I do and I worry about it. We always need to leave room for creativity, inspiration. #conex17
— Andy Crestodina (@crestodina) May 31, 2017
Agreed, that’s a foundational part of the content experience #conex17
— Uberflip (@Uberflip) May 31, 2017
There’s still an “art to the science” (quoting @dsendecki on that one!)
— Uberflip (@Uberflip) May 31, 2017
Insight #8: The Amazing Power of Offline Experiences
Takeaway: While marketing has experienced a paradigm shift with the rise of all things online and mobile, most successful businesses practice a combination of online and offline marketing strategies to generate leads and boost sales.
Q6: Has anything about the evolution of digital and content marketing has surprised you? #conex17
— Uberflip (@Uberflip) May 31, 2017
A6: I’m always surprised at the power of the OFFLINE piece. The phone calls. The networking. The events. #conex17
— Andy Crestodina (@crestodina) May 31, 2017
Yes! Offline marketing gets forgotten way too often! #conex17 https://t.co/XWjqq59zbE
— Uberflip (@Uberflip) May 31, 2017
A6: People who are the best at #contentmarketing are great networkers. Get out there to conferences …like that one in Toronto! #conex17
— Andy Crestodina (@crestodina) May 31, 2017
Thank you so much for sharing all this knowledge with us @crestodina! Can’t wait to see you in August! #conex17
— Uberflip (@Uberflip) May 31, 2017
