Content Lab

I hopped up on my soapbox recently, as I am wont to do, and wrote this: "Over the past year as our news editor, I've edited more than 100 news articles and written 35+ of my own. Because if you're implementing They Ask, You Answer to drive more sales with inbound marketing you need to understand "what's happening!!" in the mysterious realms of search engine optimization, marketing automation, and so on.  "The fact is, however, I could have shoved hundreds of news stories down your throats today – but none of them really matter. And that right there is the "news story" I want us to focus on today. Not every single digital marketing news story matters to you. Some of them do, of course, but a vast majority of them don't. They never will, and that's OK." 

Last week, I wrote this: "If you're creating content as a means to drive traffic, leads, and sales for your company, the imagery you use to augment or communicate your messages is not just window-dressing. "The visuals you choose allow your ideal customers to see themselves as part of the experience of what you're offering. When you use imagery that positions a segment of your ideal customers (e.g., seniors) as a butt of a joke, you're going to turn them off. "Also, if you've adopted a They Ask, You Answer approach to inbound marketing to drive more sales, you need to remember that the pool of ideal customers you have – the 'they' asking all of those questions you're answering in your content – are likely more diverse than you think." This was in response to the fact that recent data from Google unequivocally proves how demeaning and inaccurate meme-like imagery of seniors confused by technology really is.  As practitioners of inbound marketing and, more specifically, They Ask, You Answer, it's easy to forget that every time you hit publish on a blog article from The Big 5 content topics (pricing and cost, comparisons, problems, reviews, and best of), that your words aren't the only things doing the talking. Every image you post sends the message of who is (and isn't) an ideal customer in your eyes.  But talking about diversity and inclusion in the context of They Ask, You Answer is more than just the images you put on a website page or attach to a blog article. In fact, the conversation around diversity in your approach to inbound and They Ask, You Answer extends far beyond the crticial inclusive identifiers many of us are familiar with – race, gender, identity. It also includes age, neurodiversity, disabilities, and much more.  So, for instance: Depending on the background of your ideal customers, they may not be asking those Big 5 same questions in the exact same way.  As we improve our business website user experience to be more in-line with modern buyer expectations, how often are we challenging ourselves to make those website experiences inclusive for those who may have hearing, vision, or other disabilities? Those are just two ways we inbound marketing and They Ask, You Answer companies need to challenge the assumptions we hold about our ideal customers. So, John and I invited IMPACT Demand Generation Manager and DEI Editor Ramona Sukhraj for an open, honest conversation about diversity and They Ask, You Answer.

In the past 45-ish days, Google has rolled out six different updates: Big ups to Search Engine Roundtable for this graphic. It doesn't help that the folks at Google are often vague (if not completely silent) on what some of these updates include, which only further exacerbates the trust issues many of us have with Google. For example, there's the two-part core update that rolled out in June and then at the start of this month. They wouldn't say what was included. They only said that "some parts of it" weren't ready in June, so they had to break the update up. Oh, and they also said that some folks might see increases or drops in June with the first update, and those may (or may not) reverse themselves with the July update.  Then there's the page experience update that is its own can of worms, as a story, with even Google disagreeing with itself about what impact this will have on websites, depending on who you ask. In conjunction with the chatter regarding the impending third-party cookie block in Google Chrome, you might say a few of us content marketers are feeling a bit frayed around the edges, emotionally. And that is why we are dedicating an entire episode to a conversation about the waterfall of Google news recently, including topics like: What are the big picture takeaways from all of these stories? What is motivating all of these different updates and moves? Should we be panicking or not panicking? How is it possible to stay on top of everything or understand what is happening? How is this related to the Apple mail privacy news? Is Google really the "good guy" in the data privacy conversation? Also, during the conversation, I made a mistake. I inadvertently said the new page performance report is in Google Analytics, when it is actually in Google Search Console. Sorry about that, got a little tongue-tied after almost an hour of Google product talk! Related resources Apple Mail privacy news spooks email marketers, newsletter creators Google June 2021 core update live, July core update coming Google's June page experience core update will be mobile first, then desktop Finally, Google page experience core update is rolling out Google July 2021 core update rolling out over next 2 weeks Too many internal links in content can confuse Google about site structure Google punts third-party cookie ban to 2023 for 'responsible planning' Until next time!

Let's say you want to get started with inbound marketing and creating the content you need to establish yourself as the No. 1 authority in your space about what it is that you do or sell. However, there's just one eensy, weensy problem – you don't have anyone on staff who can be a dedicated in-house content manager. On the one hand, outsourcing your content to an inbound marketing agency or other similar outfit can seem like a smart business decision. You get the content you need from a team of "experts" without having to bring on the overhead cost of hiring an additional full-time employee that feels more like a "marketing expense" rather than a "revenue-driver."

If you saw my talk at Video Sales and Marketing World last year – psst, VSMW2021 is coming next month! – you know that when I was given the gift of running IMPACT's video program, I was not thrilled. I always viewed myself as a writer and editor, and video was for... someone (anyone) who wasn't me.  In fact, I hated video. Even though I understood its value, its ability to drive traffic, leads, and sales better than any other medium, on a personal level... hard pass. Clearly, today is a different story.  So, what changed? How did we launch a robust video program during a pandemic? And how can other content and marketing leaders like you get their own video marketing program off the ground, no matter how limited your time, resources, or experience is? Well, those are the exact questions we talk about in this episode. Related resources Video Sales and Marketing World 2021 How to feel confident, be likable, and build trust on camera IMPACT+ course: Video sales and marketing strategy for brands How to adapt a video script from a blog article (Content Lab) Until next time!

This episode features a special guest, Shondell Varcianna of Varci Media. It's not enough to simply create content that answers our buyers questions. As someone who is a "path of least resistance" kind of gal though, I wish I could say it was, though. That we could all just "check the box" knowing that simply "accurate" answers to questions in content would bring all the "buyer's milkshake to the yard." But it doesn't.  Five or 10 years ago, maybe. But not today, when "good enough" content doesn't cut it anymore, and when it's more likely than ever that our competitors are also trying to win more revenue through the same content marketing tactics.  So, how do you stand out? How do you make it so your content is not only correct and educational, it also is so engaging and memorable that your buyers will come flocking to your digital doorstep? Well, that's exactly what we talk about in this hilarious, super informative, totally candid conversation about what it really takes to create content that stands out in these, the "roaring 20s" of content marketing. Related resources How to write a blog post (+ blog post template) How to put personality into your blog posts the right way 6 topics every subject matter expert must address Trailer for The Terror

A couple of weeks ago in the IMPACT+ forums, one rockstar content manager had this very honest answer to a prompt I had about what everyone thinks is the worst part of creating content: Nathan has a point, you know? And it's understandable why he feels this way. It can feel frustrating to be an expert in something and then be coached to what seemingly feels like "dumbing down" content so it's better understood. How does that make creating content feel valuable, rather than an exercise in futility? Well, let's exactly what we tackle in this week's episode – how do you create content you feel good about and is a positive reflection of your deep expertise (or the deep expertise of your team) without creating distance between you and your audience with that very same expertise? To answer this question, John and I invited IMPACT Principle Content Marketing Trainer Kevin Phillips to join us as a guest this week. Related resources Astrophysicist explains gravity in five levels of difficulty How to write a blog post (+ blog post template) How to put personality into your blog posts the right way Essential content manager training resources, guides, and courses How to build rapport with any interview subject matter expert Until next week!

You know what kills me? When someone tells me their people are their greatest asset at their company... and then I look at their blog. Every single article sounds exactly the same. And then, when I pull up the blogs of their competitors, they sound just like them.  We're all wandering around talking a big game about wanting to be thought leaders who have big, boundless opinions and singular voices that get us noticed by our ideal buyers. But something happens when we sit down to create a piece of content. We flip a switch and we turn the unique aspects of our personality off. We crush every syllable, punctuation mark, and sentence through a restrictive, buttoned-up translation machine, so we all end up sounding just like everyone else.  So, in this episode, John and I pull back the layers on this problem and discuss: Why we sterilize our voices in our business content Why it's so important (and profitable) that we overcome this How exactly to do it in your content (both written and video) Related resources How to put personality into your blog content How to feel genuinely confident, be likable, and build trust on camera Liz's trusty content audience planner worksheet Subject matter expert's guide to creating content (IMPACT+ pro course) Fake MLK quotes your stepdad Gary posted to prove he's definitely not racist Until next week! 

Did you know that competition-based content goes hand-in-hand with creating content proven to drive the most revenue at your company? I know, I know. That was a jargon-heavy opener, but let's face it — we're here to do one thing and one thing only. We're here to create content that makes money. And if you want to make money with your content, that means you absolutely must be writing about your competition. That's easier said than done, however. Because, on its face, talking about your competition can feel really awkward. Are you really allowed to do that? Doesn't that come across as biased? Or worse, won't that just drive your ideal buyers into the arms of other companies and vendors? Have no fear, content nerds. In this 100% brutally honest deep-dive of an episode, John and I discuss: Why you need to talk about your competitors What great competition content looks like What you should never do in competition content And some of our favorite competition content hacks Enjoy!  Related resources How to write your competitors in your content (+ examples) Quarantine Day 299: A running list of apologies to everyone I've ever wronged 30-day website redesign: 6 questions to ask an agency making big promises Competition content example: 8 best commercial real estate companies in Austin, Texas (Aquila Commercial) Aquila Commercial inbound marketing success story John's learning corner Compliment - an expression of praise (Thanks for the compliment!) Complement - something that completes or brings to perfection (the wine was the perfect complement to the meal) Principle - a core belief, basis for conduct (a guiding principle) Principal - the foremost or most important (our principal focus) Discrete - individual and distinct (discreet categories) Discreet - careful in one's speech and action, especially to avoid causing offense (please be discrete) Until next week! 

Welcome to 2021, ladies and gentlemen. Although John and I are both forward-thinking individuals, he and I realized something. Yes, it's supremely tempting to blow off the pandemic-themed, quarantined dumpster fire that was 2020 without a single backward glass.  However, we would be remiss if we did not take a moment to reflect before we moved ahead into the new year.  It is with that in mind that I present to you all this very special episode, in which we reflect on the largest lessons we learned in 2020 and our resolutions for the new year. I'll admit, this wasn't the "check the box" resolutions episode I expected. As I noted at the top of this episode, when I finally sat down to prepare for our recording, I was surprised at what I realized were my biggest lessons and my chosen resolutions. Oh, and we talk about this: Enjoy!  Related resources How to hire and onboard a content manager Robert DeNiro's audition for Sonny in The Godfather Important show note As I mentioned a the previous episode, in the coming weeks, we'll be releasing a bunch of episodes John and I recorded over the past few months. For various reasons, we always felt very quickly that they would become obsolete — for example, we would cancel events we were promoting in those episodes, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  After serious consideration, we've opted to release those episodes anyway. So, please understand that there may be some cases where we reference events that ended up not occurring during certain episodes that we opt to publish down the line, as they make sense. They also may be released out of order, based on their topic. The topics we discussed are still very valuable and evergreen, however, so we hope you'll excuse any momentary confusion.  Until next week!

As a content manager, one of the most absolutely essential skills you must master in order to be successful is to be an effective interviewer of subject matter experts. It is from those experts that you must extrapolate the "goods" you need to create the revenue-generating content your company needs to drive qualified traffic, leads, and sales. But beyond rapport-building, there are so many ways your interviews with those experts can go well... or entirely off the rails.  Although, the sad fact is, you may not realize what those weak spots may be in your interview-based content foundation.  So, in this episode, John and I delve more deeply into the ways content interviewing can go wrong — both in terms of your mindset as a content manager, as well as your execution in the interview and post-interview content creation processes. P.S. Don't forget to check out Dark Sitcom Reboots as recommended by John in this episode!  Enjoy!  Related resources How to write a blog post (+ blog post template) How to build rapport with any subject matter expert interview How to interview subject matter experts How to assess the interviewing skills of a content manager Important show note As I mentioned a the previous episode, in the coming weeks, we'll be releasing a bunch of episodes John and I recorded over the past few months. (This is not one of those episodes, but I wanted to be sure to note this here, should you choose to delve into our archives.) For various reasons, we always felt very quickly that they would become obsolete — for example, we would cancel events we were promoting in those episodes, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  After serious consideration, we've opted to release those episodes anyway. So, please understand that there may be some cases where we reference events that ended up not occurring during certain episodes that we opt to publish down the line, as they make sense. They also may be released out of order, based on their topic. The topics we discussed are still very valuable and evergreen, however, so we hope you'll excuse any momentary confusion.  Until next week!

As a content manager, you have a choice when you sit down to look through a draft someone else has given to you. You can simply edit it or you can take the time to coach a subject matter expert who is really in search of elevating their skills so they can become a thought leader.  This is something we engage in quite a bit at IMPACT. We spy those rising voices — whether or not they realize it themselves — and we invest the time to not only get a single piece of content across the line, but also to help them strengthen their content creation and storytelling chops as an individual. But what does content coaching actually look like? And when is it the right choice over traditional editing for your company's content creation? That's exactly what we dive into in this episode. Related resources How to write a blog post (+ blog post template) How to insert personality into your article the right way 7 reasons why your buyers hate your website copy You're killing your messaging with these words Important show note As I mentioned a the previous episode, in the coming weeks, we'll be releasing a bunch of episodes John and I recorded over the past few months. For various reasons, we always felt very quickly that they would become obsolete — for example, we would cancel events we were promoting in those episodes, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  After serious consideration, we've opted to release those episodes anyway. So, please understand that there may be some cases where we reference events that ended up not occurring during certain episodes that we opt to publish down the line, as they make sense. They also may be released out of order, based on their topic. The topics we discussed are still very valuable and evergreen, however, so we hope you'll excuse any momentary confusion.  Until next week!

Whether we're talking about blog articles, website copy, or some other form of business content creation, there is one internal battle we all face as the creator of those forward-facing pieces that we often lose without realizing it.  No, I'm not talking about writer's block. I'm talking about what it means to write for our audience instead of for ourselves.  You see, most of the time when we sit down at our respective keyboards to create some show-stopping copy or engaging content, we do so from a perspective solutions we provide and other stuff that makes us look good.

As I sit down to write this, I'm watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on NBC, and Santa will be arriving soon. Even though I'm only a couple of years away from 40, I still get excited. This year is a little different, though. On the one hand, it's strange to watch in a post-apocalyptic way. There are no crowds and often, parade participants are singing and talking through masks. So clearly, we're all trying to pretend this is all fine and everything is normal. On the other hand, I am thankful to still be able to enjoy this tradition. Oh, and also, as I said on Twitter... Dolly Parton remains flawfree. #ThanksgivingDayParade — Liz Moorehead

The best business websites out there are built by companies that understand you need to attract qualified traffic, convert that qualified traffic into leads, and those leads (ultimately) close as sales for your company. And what's the most common place someone converts from a visitor to a lead? On a landing page. A landing page is simply a place where some sort of offer or perceived value is promoted, and your visitors (in exchange, most commonly, for filling out a form) can capitalize on that value or gain access to the offer.

Starting out as a content manager at a company is super exciting. You get to roll up your sleeves and build a new role that (likely) no one before you has held before! You also are looked to as a one-in-a-million specialist, because (once again) no one like you has existed at the company before! On the other hand... Well, um... you're taking over a role that didn't exist before you, and no one has the same skill sets or focus areas as you do, because you're one-in-a-million. See, that's the tricky thing about getting started as a content manager for the first time at a company. Especially if you're a first-time content manager being hired by a company that is hiring a content manager for the first time.

Editor's note: This episode was originally recorded in July. Please see the show note at the bottom of this article for more context about its delayed release. When you're a content creator — whether you're writing a script for a video, riffing off the cuff on camera, or creating written content for yourself or in the voice of others — words are your bread and butter.  The right words can move people to take action. The right words can give life to an idea.  The right words can inspire someone.  It's why one of my pet peeves is when someone is searching for the words or phrases to express something, then they give up and instead say, "Well, you know what I'm trying to say." And then the other person says, "Yeah, totally." Then they both walk away thinking they understand each other, when there's a good chance they don't.  But how do you find those right words? What are some of the simple word tricks any digital marketer can employ to make the content they create more memorable, more powerful, more engaging? Well, that's exactly what we talk about in this episode. Enjoy! 

Happy spooky-ween

Important show note As I mentioned during this episode, in the coming weeks, we'll be releasing a bunch of episodes John and I recorded over the past few months. For various reasons, we always felt very quickly that they would become obsolete — for example, we would cancel events we were promoting in those episodes, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  After serious consideration, we've opted to release those episodes anyway. So, please understand that there may be some cases where we reference events that ended up not occurring, and may release them out of order. The reason being those topics that we discussed are still evergreen and valuable.  Now, about the episode Since we all last gathered 'round the Content Lab campfire, a lot has changed with my role as IMPACT's editorial director.  And you may have figured that out if you took a gander at some of the content I've been creating recently. For example, how to use Trello to run your video content strategy and how to run a fully blended written and video content strategy. I'm also now making regularly appearances on IMPACT's YouTube channel: That's right — creating revenue-generating business videos for IMPACT now falls under my content umbrella. We've always done video, but we wanted to embrace the They Ask, You Answer way of creating videos at scale (and consistently) that answer our buyers most pressing questions.  So, we post them on YouTube, add them to relevant articles... (Like this one!) ...and share them with our sales team so they can use them during the sales process, since they're a big part of how we determine what types of videos get produced at IMPACT, using the revenue team model. One of the most challenging parts of this process, however, is guaranteeing that every single week we have scripts ready for these videos for filming. Yes, while many videos work best when you're filming off-the-cuff with no script, often videos will require a script because of how much detail needs to go into it.  So, in this episode, I pull back the curtain on my surprisingly easy process for creating video scripts, and integrating the creation of video for sales and marketing into an existing content strategy.  In addition, this week's learning corner is all about my favorite trick for guaranteeing your content always gets in front of the right people at the right time, but why I have serious beef with buyer personas and how they are the red herrings in the content marketing world. John also shares a hilarious "what I'm reading" this week called Small Talk from 1348 from The New Yorker. Enjoy!  Related resources How to run a seamless, blended written and video content strategy How to use Trello to run a video strategy for your business Free online course: Video sales and marketing strategy The ultimate guide of video for sales for aggressive sales teams The Selling 7 sales and marketing videos that get results The Big 5 best business blog topics that drive traffic, leads, and sales

Normally, we dedicate episodes of Content Lab to a broad topic or lesson about how the content sausage gets made in the digital sales and marketing world.  This week, however, we're doing something a little bit different. We're going to take a fully dissect "how a bill became a law" (so to speak) with a specific piece of content, so we can share with you our favorite tips, tricks, and personal processes and philosophies of content creation. 

It's not breaking news that the coronavirus pandemic has left companies around the world reeling, as they've had to quickly embrace an entirely remote work culture.  Prior to COVID-19, approximately 60% of IMPACT employees worked full-time from home. Still, when that number was forced to jump to 100% 34 days ago when our home office closed for quarantine 34 days ago, it was a big adjustment for our team.

This week, Liz and John do a deep-dive into one of Liz's favorite topics — the content style guide, which is one of the most powerful (but also most criminally underrated) pieces of documentation a brand will ever create.  Want more information and resources on content style guides? Check out our content style guide playbook.

The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in a large number of businesses here in the United States and around the world having to completely reimagine their digital sales and marketing strategies. And this is on top many of them also having to adjust to the new reality of having their entire company working from home.

I don't know about y'all but, as a digital marketer and a content specialist, all of the different SEO tactics, trends, and tricks I need to keep track of make my head spin.  Is our website fast enough? What about our average page load time? Are the file sizes for these images too big? Wait, I thought SEO was dead? Seriously, what the heck is schema? ...and am I supposed to know how to do it? Whenever I start panic-spiraling over SEO, I always do the exact same thing. The one thing I know guaranteed to get me back on the right path and help me make sense out of this chaotic, digital, search engine-optimized world. I call upon IMPACT partner and one of my favorite people on this little blue planet rocketing through space, Franco Valentino of Narrative SEO. (He's the SEO wizard who works with us to help deliver outstanding results to our Technical SEO audit clients.)  For this episode, I went to him with one simple question: There are a lot of things digital marketers and content marketers need to pay attention to, SEO-wise every single day. But what are the most important SEO principles and best practices we should be focusing on this year? If you're looking for an accessible, easy-to-understand conversation about SEO in 2020 that doesn't create more questions than it answers, this episode is for you.  In this episode, we talk about what timeless SEO best practices are still critical in 2020, what the heck schema is (and how to implement it), the importance of the phrase "strings not things," publishers not listening to Google about site speed and what that means, and a lot more. Enjoy!  Related links and resources Is SEO Dead in 2020? Don't fear the SEO robots (Content Lab) The Google duplicate content penalty isn't real (Content Lab) Ignoring SEO basics can kill your website traffic by 94% What is schema markup and how to add it to boost SEO Time to first byte: the critical SEO metric you're not measuring 5 ways to improve page load time on your website Learn about IMPACT's Technical SEO Audit service for businesses Google losing page speed battle with publishers — and no one wins Until next week! 

'Twas the week before Christmas and it sure was a beauty, While Liz and John wrapped up the last of their duties They hastened discussion and tried not to blab, As they earnestly planned the new Content Lab, When what visions arose on this morning so dear? but eggnog, and cookies, and a tall glasses of beer, So away to their microphones they flew with a flash, and opened a Drive folder marked "secret stash" And instead of recording, and wasting the night, They pulled up a document, lovely and bright, And subbed it in quickly, nobody would know, (except for the many rabid fans of the show), Rather than sharing how sausage is made, Or other details of the marketing trade, They’d just read a poem that aligned with the season, When lights are a-twinkle and the air is a-freezin, The poem could be festive and clever and cheery, At a time when some feel bedraggled and dreary, We’d remind them of holiday joy and good cheer — And that our show would return in the new year. With presents to open and rich feasts to share, John and Liz raised their voices, to all who did care And with holiday spirit and hearts full of plenty Said, “Content Lab will be back in the year 2020!”  Liz and John sat at their desks many miles apart, With warmth and good cheer in their bright little hearts — They'd saved Christmas week, just as sure as you're born, In just a few days it would be Christmas morn, From John in Connecticut where the snow clouds are gray, And from Liz in her own home, by Chesapeake Bay, We thank you for tuning in to our podcast At any point over this year that has passed We wish you the best in the coming new year, May you spend it with people you hold the most dear, Thank you for listening — but it’s now time to go Happy holidays to all — now go play in the snow!

In grade school, we all learned the same two things: Dodgeball is a no-mercy bloodsport, where champions will rise... and be rewarded with eternal glory. And juice boxes. Never, ever write like a human being. Always write like an unfeeling academic robot — expressing personality through your work is a sin. In content marketing, however, the opposite is true. Humanity and personality are how you become memorable and stand out from your competitors. But how do you undo years of reflexive mental programming to not express individuality or personality in your writing?  For the answer to that question, we invited IMPACT Paid Media Specialist Dan Baum to join us on this week's episode of Content Lab. Dan earned his degree in biomolecular sciences, which initially made transitioning to a more human voice for the content he creates for IMPACT a challenge. However, over this past year, he's consistently delivered exceptional human content experiences for our audiences — from sharing personal stories about anxiety and imposter syndrome, to Google Analytics and Google Ads.  How did he do it? Listen in to find out! Links and resources Blogging tips guide (features the formulas mentioned in this episode with examples) How to write a blog post (+ free blog post template) Is Noise Always Bad? Exploring the Effects of Ambient Noise on Creative Cognition In 2020, Podcasts Will Be Eligible for Pulitzers Until next week! 

If you don't nail the introduction, it doesn't matter how great the rest of your blog article is I am dead serious about that. If you aren't able to: Establish who your article is for What problem you're going to solve for them And why you're the best person to help them In a few short paragraphs, you're toast. Even if what follows your introduction is as prolific as the Magna Carta, no one will read what you have to say if your introduction is a big flop. No pressure, right, content marketers? 

The most effective, engaging, and memorable content creators all have one thing in common. They understand that speaking in generalities when telling their stories through content (blogging, videos, podcasts, and so on) is the kiss of death. As a result, they must do more "showing" rather than "telling." But what does "showing" through content look like?  According to IMPACT Editorial Content Manager John Becker, there are three keys to "showing" in your content: Specificity  Stories Statistics And that's what this episode is all about. How to breathe more life into your content so it's more helpful and valuable to your audience; in turn, making them more likely to remember you and come back for more. Resources we mentioned Branded Confidence and Speak with Confidence The DISH Method by Melanie Spring Hillbilly Elegy Related reads and resources How to be a rockstar brand storyteller with Melanie Spring How to write a blog post (+ free blog post template)

Sometimes a draft lands on your virtual desk, and you know you've got a lot of work on your hands You talked through an outline. You gave feedback on their initial pitch. And yet, somehow, something went awry. It might be incredibly well-researched, but way too long and meandering, ultimately lacking in focus. Alternatively, it could have all the right pieces, but the structuring of information doesn't make sense. Or, it's clear the writer put a lot of thought into their draft, but they still somehow manage to create more questions than answers offered. As a content manager — or a digital marketer who has also been asked to wear the hat of a content editor at your company — this will happen. A lot. Here's the thing about this particular quandary. It can kind of feel like being between a rock and a hard place. 

You can't build a content strategy without content brainstorms Content is the fuel that drives your digital marketing strategy, right? That's why we research blog topics and create content calendars, so our strategy is always moving forward, never missing a beat. But if you're only developing content topics through keyword research or internal conversations with other marketing team members, your content strategy will not generate the website traffic, leads, and sales you need. Content brainstorms with expert teams and client-facing departments are absolutely essential to creating content that drives revenue, and keeping your entire company engaged and excited about the content you're producing. But how do you facilitate content brainstorms with your sales team? Or teams where you're completely out of your depth, because their area of expertise is highly technical, specialized, or niche? That's what this episode is all about.  Whether you're a digital marketing manager who has been tasked with owning a content strategy, or a content manager who owns your company's strategic content efforts, this episode will teach you how to facilitate effective brainstorms that yield fantastic content topics and get people excited about content. What you'll learn about running a content brainstorm How to run a content brainstorm with your sales team How to run a content brainstorm with subject matter expert teams How to build a content brainstorm agenda How to engage people who are not excited about content How to provide space for those who are shy in content brainstorms How to prevent one or two people from doing all of the talking How to coach people on the spot on how to be better at crafting topics How to know if your content brainstorm was successful What your content brainstorm goals should be (beyond topic ideas) Resources we mentioned What is They Ask, You Answer? How remote work is quietly remaking our lives The Big 5 blog topics guaranteed to drive traffic, leads, and sales Related reads and resources How to research blog topics that will drive traffic and revenue in 2020 Content calendar template for digital marketers (+ getting started tips) How to create content that drives revenue (Inbound Success Playbook) How to integrate content into the sales process (Inbound Success Playbook) Until next week! 

There are a lot of fears I hear from folks who want to embrace being more human in their content: "I'm not funny, and I don't know how to be funny." "My industry doesn't allow me to be personal or open." "I'm not sure my bosses will go for it." "How do I know how personal I can get?" "Does this approach actually work, or are us marketers just getting bored?" In this episode, John puts me in the hot seat to address each of those fears. And by the end of this episode, you'll have the tactics, tips, and strategies dumped into your brain about how to be an authentic (and funny, if you desire) human being whom your audience will love enough to give you money in exchange for goods and services.

One of the most important tasks any content management or digital marketing professional will undertake is interviewing subject matter experts for content marketing purposes.  It's so important, I wrote an entire article on how to screen for interviewing skills when hiring a content manager for your company.  Because, here's the thing about interviewing subject matter experts -- it's not as easy as it sounds.  Psst! Check out this exclusive offer from Verblio for Content Lab listeners! Over the past six years, I've conducted hundreds of hours of subject matter expert interviews, and I made a lot of mistakes along the way, because I thought all I had to do was hop on the phone with a list of questions, ask them, get answers to them, and move on with my day.  This is actually quite a common misconception. Interviewing subject matter experts for content is a bit of an art form, and there are a lot of things you need to think about: How you prepare for the interview in advance. What the atmosphere and setting are like for the interview itself; and what you do when you're stranded in a less than ideal interviewing situation. How to build rapport with an interview subject so they (a) feel comfortable with you, (b) loosen up if they're nervous, and (c) ultimately, give you the expert goodness you need. Having backup plans and strategies for interview subjects who aren't cooperating or giving you what you need to consider the interview a success. And a lot more. That's why I invited our new editorial content associate, John Becker, to join me this week to talk about all of those things and more.  Enjoy! 

You guys are in for a treat because, apparently, something magical happens when you get three super passionate content nerds in one virtual room.  This week, I had the distinct pleasure of having Head of Content & Marketing Manager Kali Greff and Manager of Operations Alexa Baray of Verblio (formerly Blog Mutt) on the Content Lab to talk about one of the most unpopular content marketing tasks in existence -- creating outlines.  Psst! Check out this exclusive offer from Verblio for Content Lab listeners! We were forced to do them in grade school, and even though content is now my career, I still haven't gotten over that trauma.  I mean, really. You force me to do an essay as a sixth grader -- which is awful enough -- but you're also going to make me do a bunch of extra work by creating an outline in advance that will be graded as a separate assignment? Obviously, the pain is still very close to the surface for me. Yet outlining still matters a lot in content marketing projects. But because so many of us get downright hostile at the idea of outlining, it's become this thing no one talks about.  So, Kali, Alexa, and I decided to rip off the band-aid this week to help transform outlining from an activity many of us activity dislike into a strategic brainstorm that excites and leads to better content.  Oh, I also may or may not have went off on a rant about why I really, really do not like the traditional inbound approach to buyer personas. In that, I think they're useless 99% of the time.  Enjoy! 

After many late nights and lots and lots of writing, IMPACT Paid Media Specialists Jason Linde and Dan Baum finally saw their massive, comprehensive Google Ads guide for digital marketers go live.  And, let me tell you, their Google Ads Guide is a thing of beauty...  Here's the thing though. Creating a piece of content at this scale is hard enough, but doing so with a partner instead of flying solo is another matter entirely. So, I decided to invite Jason and Dan on the Content Lab this week to talk about what it takes not only to execute such an intensive content project successfully as individual contributors, but also what it takes to be successful as a team who has been tasked to do so together.  We also talk about why sweaters from Old Navy follow me around online until I buy them, and whether or not Dan and Jason are familiar with the internet.  Oh, and save the date, everybody...  Jason and Dan will be doing a totally live AMA in IMPACT Elite about Google Ads on June 4 at 11 a.m., Eastern. So, if you're not a member already of IMPACT Elite, I highly recommend you join now. Enjoy! 

Greetings and salutations from sunny New Haven, Connecticut. If you’re a subscriber of THE LATEST, our thrice-weekly newsletter, you know I’ve been visiting IMPACT HQ this week, as we welcome a new member to our team.    Of course, that means I’m a little tight on time, so this episode is more like a minisode.    But short as it may be, I have an important message for all of you this week — one single thing you can do right now to immediately improve the quality of your content.    Over the past few weeks, I’ve been working with newer IMPACT writers to help them find their voice and improve their writing. And I’ve found myself in almost every single case saying the exact same thing —    “This is really great. But also anyone could have written it. I need more of you in it.”   Since we were little and all throughout our college years, we were taught in school to turn out polished, academic prose, virtually sterilized of all personality.    In many ways — especially in more science-related and technical fields — individuality was not considered a virtue of good writing.   But in the world of inbound marketing and content creation, that couldn’t be further from the truth. 

Recently, a very interesting conversation occurred in IMPACT Elite -- where close to 5,000 of the brightest mights in digital sales and marketing come together to talk shop -- about avoiding the dreaded duplicate content penalty in pillar content: Shout-out to Brian Walker for asking such a great question! (And for listening to the pod!) At one point during this back and forth however, one of my favorite humans in the business (and the technical SEO savant behind our Is SEO Dead in 2019? guide) Franco Valentino broke my brain when he informed me of a simple truth: The duplicate content penalty we all fear from Google isn't real. It doesn't exist.  So, of course, we needed to talk about it: Which brings us to this week's episode.  If the duplicate content penalty isn't real, why do so many of us think it is? And how should we be thinking about duplicating content across our content pillars, geo-targeted landing pages, and more? Don't panic. Franco is here to help make sense of all of this.

April has been an interesting month. In that the highs have been very high and the lows have been very low. For example, on the one hand, I moved into my first-ever house this past week, and it’s incredible. On the other hand, getting here was absolutely atrocious.  While closing only took exactly one hour, both the move out cleaning service and the actual movers I booked no-showed, resulting in last-minute stress-filled scramble to find replacement movers. By the time the day ended, I found myself sitting on the couch mentally willing myself to enjoy the fact that yes, I was finally in the new house. But I couldn’t get over the emotional storm cloud that had settled over me.  So, I sat there and steamed in silence. Yes, I crossed the finish line of the move, but it was much more stressful than I had planned and more costly by hundreds of dollars.  Which is why, this month, I want to focus on the theme of broken expectations.  Broken expectations happen a lot in content. There are the obvious types of content disappointment that centers around results. You launch something, and the reception doesn’t mean expectation. People aren’t as responsive. Leads fail to convert. Etc., etc., etc. But the type of broken expectation I’m talking about are those expectations we have about ourselves… and then fail to live up to. For example, this month I struggled a lot to produce on what I would consider to be an efficient schedule. Content creation tasks that would normally take an hour or two would take twice that. Or sometimes more.  At one point, I even made a joke to someone about how “every time I give you a deadline until the end of April, just add 12 hours to it,” because after operating at 1,000% for two months straight, I had hit a mental wall and everything just felt harder than it would normally. It’s a weird thing, though — I hated recognizing the intellectual why behind what was happening, but still not being able to get over that mental hump of feeling like I was somehow still failing. I mean, I knew I was struggling more to produce and have my voice because I was tired. Really, really tired. But even though I understood I had pushed myself really hard last quarter — and accomplished things I am really, really proud of (more so than ever before) — I had allowed myself to cross that line from hustling into burnout.  Still, again, while I could see that intellectually, I still felt like I had let myself down. That I had an expectation that I could deliver in awesome and profound ways, even when I had crossed that line.  I think this is something a lot of content creators suffer from. Whether you’re someone like me, where content creation is the bread and butter of your profession — or you’re in more of a contributor role, where creating content is an offshoot of what you do, or at the very least, not the primary focus of your career.  We push ourselves to the limit and then wonder why we’re “letting ourselves down,” when in reality, we’re only human beings who — at some point — are going to realize they will only be able to be the high-performing brand storyteller if we put ourselves in a position to do so.  So, how do we put ourselves in a position to be successful high-performing content creators? That's what this episode is all about.

There are few things in the digital marketing world that confound me as much as Google Ads.  I understand what they are and how they work (well, kind of, to the latter), but best practices -- particularly when it comes to copywriting -- are completely out of my sphere of understanding.  Not just because of the limited web copy footprint you have to work with in the Google Ads space, but also because of the context. Because, today, if you're doing Google Ads well, you're marrying the traditional outbound tactics of yore with a new inbound marketing twist.  To help me get around this mental block, I invited fellow IMPACTER, Marylander, and beer nerd Jason Linde to join me this week, because he is a master of Google Ads.  If you're a digital marketer who is still trying to get their footing with the basics of copywriting for Google Ads, this is a must-listen episode. 

When IMPACT VP of Services Brie Rangel hit "publish" on her article Being Nice at Work (& As a Leader) Doesn't Hold You Back, she wasn't prepared for the level response she received from other marketers and leaders. Readers thanked her for being vulnerable. For making them feel less alone. For giving others the conviction and confidence to be nice as a pathway to success.  It was the first time she felt she took a substantive step toward being a genuine thought leader, instead of a content contributor who was given assignments based on the needs of our editorial calendar. But how do we get to those moments of vulnerability in our content and ground them well enough in a productive foundation to make those stories valuable for others? And what are the rewards that come from being willing to get yourself to that place in your content? Those are the exact questions we'll be answering in this episode.  Enjoy!  Resources We Discussed Being Nice at Work (& as a Leader) Doesn't Hold You Back The Toxic Myth of "Fearless" Leadership Happy to Help Content Framework This Episode Is Brought to You Buy Scripted Learn more at Scripted.com, and check out their new content strategy platform, Cruise Control.

Often, there is a Grand Canyon's-worth of difference between what we know are best practices and "ideal" approaches, and what is actually possible given our situations as inbound marketers -- either at an agency or in-house for one company. On one hand, we know to create content (blogs, podcasts, videos, etc.) that actually gets results, we need to focus on answering the most pressing questions our buyers have as thoroughly and as honestly as possible. We also know that content we create ourselves will always be of higher-quality than content we outsource to a part-time freelancer, agency, and so on. On the other hand, it can be hard to reconcile what we know we should be writing about with the desire to get found online -- and the modern SEO principles we know we need to embrace. Moreover, as organizations, we don't always have the ability (or the budget) to bring content creation totally in-house immediately, once we recognize that's what we need to do. Both in working at IMPACT, as well as my years as Quintain's content manager who oversaw the entire content production pipeline for our clients, I know first-hand how painful this disparity between best practice and reality can be.  That's why I invited Scripted CEO Doug Breaker to join me for a candid conversation about bridging those divides, their new product Cruise Control, and more. 

Hey, everybody!

t was only going to be a matter of time before I found an excuse to bring one of my favorite content nerds back to the show -- Justin Champion, content professor extraordinaire at HubSpot Academy.  While I am prone to theatrics -- which, as an only child, I believe to well within my rights -- I am not being hyperbolic when I say this is one of the most actionable episodes of the Content Lab to-date.  Fresh off launching a brand new business blogging course for HubSpot, we zeroed in on the final lesson -- guest blogging as a link-building strategy and how to do it well. We wanted to talk about this topic for two critical reasons: First, link-building is one of the most criminally overlooked aspects of building out effective topic cluster-based content strategies; and Guest blogging has a bad reputation, and there are a ton of people in the marketing and inbound fields who say guest blogging is totally ineffective.  So, in this episode, we talk about: Why link-building is so important if you want to see long-term success with any content you create, but particularly topic clusters and pillars;  Why guest blogging is a strategy you need to bring into your content processes; What you should be guest blogging about and the strategic approach you need to take to develop topics and create guest blog drafts; How to build relationships and effectively pitch story ideas to other publications; How to write an incredible guest blog author bio, because I learned in this episode that I was totally blowing this step. (Oops.) Enjoy! 

Hello, everybody! As subscribers of THE LATEST know, I'm reporting in from Chicago where, earlier this week, I hung out with the Chicago HUG for a talk and workshop on content strategies and pillar content!  That's me, hanging with IMPACT Director of Audience Engagement & Community Stephanie Baiocchi and IMPACT Director of Event Marketing Jen Barrell in front of... well, the Chicago skyline... buried behind snow clouds. Whatever. Anyway, we're not here to talk about my trip to Chicago.  Instead, I have a wonderful conversation for you this week between myself and IMPACT Content Marketing Consultant Kevin Phillips, who you may remember from one of the first episodes of the Content Lab podcast!  He recently published his own definitive pillar guide on content marketing, so he joined me to talk about his experience writing his own piece of pillar content and to share the most mind-blowing content marketing strategy he recommends to everyone.  I kid you not, it is a strategy I had never heard before, and I don't know how I had never thought of it.  Enjoy!  Resources We Discussed Content Marketing Defined, the Ultimate Getting Started Guide The Definitive Blogging Tips Guide for Businesses & Marketers Accelerating Sales with Video from Sales Hacker, feat. Myriah Anderson They Ask, You Answer by Marcus Sheridan  The Big 5 Blog Topics Guaranteed to Drive Traffic, Leads, & Sales Subscribe to the Content Lab Monthly Newsletter Once a month, I'm going to send you an absurdly useful newsletter will tons of insights, tips, and tools for you to make your content amazing. It's that simple. Here's what it looks like, so you know what shenanigans you're getting into with me: So, what are you waiting for? Go to this page and sign-up. Connect with Content Lab  Okay, first, you've gotta subscribe to Content Lab on Apple Podcasts. That way you'll never miss an episode! Liz: Twitter, Instagram  Or you can comment on this episode below! I'd love to hear from you.

This week, it’s just me. And that's because I’m rolling out a new monthly feature called the “What’s on My (Content) Mind,” which will star little ol' me, on my own.  As I mentioned back at the beginning of the year, I wanted to play with the format of Content Lab to make it more valuable to you, and this new feature is part of that.  Before, I was trying to shoehorn in all of my thoughts and ideas around interviews and conversations that really should have been allowed to stand on their own.  In the spirit of radical candor, I'll just put it out there that the end result was a podcast that meant well, but was cluttered and messy.  Once I realized that, however, I was left with a problem. I always envisioned Content Lab as being part interview, part invitation to you all to come behind the scenes of what's happening in my brain, with content strategy, and content at IMPACT.  Enter stage left, “What’s on My (Content) Mind.”  Each month, I'm going to take a break from chatting with others to share with you all what’s inspiring me, any major content milestones from the past month, and what I’m going to be focusing on in the month to come. That way, we all still get to learn from some of the brightest content minds in the industry, and I still get to talk to you, one-on-one, about all of the new tools, strategies, and ideas we're testing here, as well as what's inspiring me and challenging me.  But the goal of Content Lab hasn't changed -- to arm you with “the strategies and tools you need to create the addictive content your audience will love.” OK, let’s do this. 

I'm a huge fan of tools like Hemingway and Grammarly -- which is why I've talked about them so much in the past.  Then, back in December, one of our front-end developers Morgan VanDerLeest let the cat out of the bag on a new application he had found that was similar to Hemingway and Grammarly, but took the idea of robot-augmented writing to a new level -- MessagePath. Unlike the editorial "assistants" we're used to, MessagePath evaluates your writing on a contextual basis. Meaning, you have to let it know what the context of your writing is -- marketing, sales, general business, or press release.  This may not seem like a big deal, but it blew my mind that someone had developed a piece of technology that tackles one of the biggest challenges content creators face -- so many of us know what to say, but we get tripped up in how we're supposed to say it. For example, the way you might frame an argument in a blog article might be more expository and personal. Whereas if you were to try to share the same kind of message in a case study or in a press release, first-person narratives and meandering introductions that don't get to the point are the kiss of death. So, I invited MessagePath founder Will Murphy to join me this week to talk about the problems his team is trying to solve with MessagePath, and the importance of self-awareness and context when we're creating content of any kind.

So, as I mentioned at the start of this year, one of my resolutions is to become a more video-focused content creator.  That's right. After years of resisting and/or saying, "Yeah, video sounds like a great idea -- for you," I have warmed up to the idea of video.  I mean, I kind of had to, you know?  Video is proven to be one of the quickest ways to establish trust with your audience, as a marketer. And video for sales is an exceptionally powerful combination, because video helps sales reps close more deals faster.  But is video set to take over and replace written content, or is there a future where the written word and video can live together in harmony? And how the heck does someone with a ton of fear, but no equipment or experience, get started creating video for their own marketing and sales purposes? I asked IMPACT Director of Video Training and Strategy Zach Basner to join me on this week's episode to answer those questions and more.

Before we get started, I have an important piece of housekeeping to address -- Content Lab will now be coming to you on Fridays, instead of Wednesdays, at 11:30 a.m., Eastern.  Ladies, gentlemen, cats, dogs, otters, and squirrels -- it is 2019, and I am back, as is the Content Lab podcast! And man, I am excited. For the vast majority of the past month, I've lived in a holiday-induced haze of drifting between eating pie and feeling shame about eating said pie while lifting at the gym. So, I am ready to shake off the cobwebs.  The best part about a new year is that it's a new beginning, clichéd as that may sound. I'm a big fan of fresh starts, so I want to spend this episode sharing with you what's on my mind for the coming year.  Both with content creation, and for the Content Lab.  What Will Be My Content Obsessions in 2019? First, I want to think with a more video-first mindset. Or at least with a mindset that embraces video as equally as I do writing. The obvious reason being that, while there will always be space for the written word, video is one of the most effective (and quickest) ways to establish trust with an audience or an individual, and foster a more human-to-human connection.  (Also, I after spending more than a week editing Myriah Anderson's utterly inspiring Video for Sales getting started guide -- which just launched this week at impactbnd.com/video-for-sales -- I kind of have video on the brain.) So, one of my objectives for this year that I'm that I'm particularly excited about is ensuring IMPACT is a best-in-class example of how to use video in your content and marketing.  As part of that goal -- I'm pushing myself to create more video personally -- for email messages, articles for IMPACT, and more. Thankfully, I've got Vidyard GoVideo to help me out with that, which I'm more than a little obsessed with.  Next, I want to be more... open-minded about robots, and the how AI will shape the future of what I do as a content creator. I've always feared the moment when they would design an AI that could flawlessly mimic my writing style and endless devotion to the original Law & Order series. But after learning about what Forbes is doing with AI to empower their writers with a more bionic approach to robots, I'm intrigued.  For those who haven't heard about what Forbes is doing: Forbes now uses a CMS called Bertie. Bertie uses artificial intelligence to suggest headlines and propose topics for contributors based on their publication history.  "That's nice." OK, here's the "big deal" news.  The team at Forbes is currently testing an AI-driven tool within Bertie that gives Forbes writers a very rough draft to build upon, instead of having them start a new article from scratch.  In addition to starting copy, this "rough draft" might include links to other resources -- both internally from Forbes, as well as other sites -- and images.  This is a big, big deal. I mean, just imagine never having to be bossed around or mocked by a blank screen again. Never having to create something from nothing, because your new best robot friend had already curated some raw materials for the express purpose of empowering you to write something powerful and valuable.  It's this idea of content creation bionics -- of leveraging AI with a "How can we help humans?" approach, rather than a "How can replace humans?" one -- that I had never considered.  My only gripe when I first initially learned of this innovation, however, is that it seemed pretty much a luxury of those publishers and media giants with big budgets.  But yesterday, I was introduced to nDash.co's online Content Brief, which is based off a similar model of providing an AI-researched brief on a search term input by a human, that they wish to write about: I took it for a test drive with the term, "why website accessibility is important for businesses," and within minutes, I received an extensive set of resources in this content brief: Unlike Bertie, which creates a rough draft, nDash's Content Brief is clearly a robot-aggregated set of statistics, summaries, and links.  That said, there's enough here for me to keep using it, because it brought together so many resources that I would have had to go out and independently mine for myself. Although, I'll still probably do a bit more research on my own, as well.  We're living in exciting times, content friends.  Third, I want to bring more order and focus to the idea of pillar content and topic cluster strategies.  I don't want to dive too deeply into what I mean by this at the moment, but for now, here is the problem I've identified. Search engines -- particularly Google -- favor websites with a limited number of focus areas. Preferably one.  While the topic cluster model brings some semblance of order to content strategies that were once completely arbitrary, we're still not too far away from organizations having... well, tons of random topic clusters floating around in cyber space, disconnected from each other.  My goal this year is to solve for that in a way that brings even more order to the way we develop content strategies and helps us better network our content for search engine visibility.  So, stay tuned on that front.  Additionally, a goal I'm carrying over from last year is to continue to push the boundaries of what it means to create content that's as absurdly helpful as possible. Our mission here at IMPACT is to be obsessed with leading those within our community -- readers, clients, whomever -- to success. To make your jobs easier every single day. So, if I'm not pushing myself to give more, and do more, and show more, then I'm not doing my job.  That may sound overly simplistic, but we believe that is the core of what it means to be inbound. An innate sense of altruism, where you don't stress about hiding your secret sauce. Instead, you give it away for free.  I did that with my pillar on how to create a content style guide, and I was nervous. I literally gave away my whole process -- workshop guidelines, worksheets, templates, and all.  Then, I saw this message in IMPACT Elite, and I was blown away: My goal is to create more moments like this for myself, and empower others inside and outside of IMPACT to do the same. That's what it's all about, folks.  Finally, I want to continue to innovate with Content Lab, so it is the most valuable podcast it can possibly be.  I've already spoken with a few of you and gotten invaluable feedback on what you love about the podcast already, and what is on your wishlist for Content Lab in the future.  Don't worry, you'll continue to hear interviews with some of the best content brains in the industry, and I'll still be sharing some of my favorite tips, tools, and tricks for being a rockstar content creator. My goal is to make sure I'm doing it in the most helpful way possible.  With that, happy 2019, everyone! I'm so excited to embark on this new year of content creation together.

This week’s conversation touches upon a topic that’s close to my heart -- and one we danced around a bit back in Episode 8, when I talked about SEO and content with Franco Valentino of Narrative SEO. Bridging the mental divide between data and content for writers, copywriters and marketers.  I’ve talked to a lot of folks in our space who feel that data can inform decision-making, but ultimately it gets in the way of crafting compelling brand stories, when that couldn’t be further from the truth.  So, I invited Claudia Pilgrim, known to many as Ms. Copywriter, to debunk this way of thinking and teach others what data really is and why we should all embrace it as brand storytellers.

Good morning, everyone! It's the day before Thanksgiving, and thank goodness, I remembered to pull out the turkeys last night to start thawing. (No repeat of the great turkey crisis of 2016 at the Murphy household this year!) I had originally planned to take today off, but I’ll admit I’m not as salty about working this morning as I might normally would be. That's because Thanksgiving kicks off a time of year that warms my heart.  Yes, the holiday season is clearly underscored in Sharpie by commercialism, but we’re now about to spend the next month or so pretending Uncle Frank’s political rants at the dinner table aren’t terrible. Instead, we'll focus on ways to bring joy to our friends, family, and other loved ones. Probably by way of quality time, gifts, or cranberry-laden baked goods. So, it is with this thankful spirit and grateful heart that I’m setting aside my usual interview format for this week. Next week, I’ll return with a fantastic interview about the importance of data in the art of content creation. But for now, I want to share with you all of the tips, tricks, applications, inspirations and people I’m thankful for today.

Last week, I talked about what it takes to create helpful content. But this week, we’re going even deeper with Marc Amigone, a member of IMPACT’s sales team, to talk about what he believes is the secret ingredient to creating super effective content -- empathy.

There's no one single example of the most perfect and beautiful piece of helpful inbound content in existence that I can point to. However, I can tell you what you should be doing in every single piece of content you create, so you can rest easy knowing you’re being as helpful as possible.