A beginning. A middle. An end. Every news story has them. Image © David Meerman Scott. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution – NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Here’s a great antidote for anyone who’s scrambling to find a topic for their next blog: Read your favourite news feed, find a hot topic that you genuinely find interesting, come up with an original twist that gives the story new life, and newsjack it.

I first stumbled across David Meerman Scott’s concept of newsjacking about 18 months ago, and while I haven’t practiced it nearly as often as I’d like to, I love the idea. That’s partly because it takes me back (way-y-y-y back) to my days as a freelance feature writer in Canada’s Parliamentary Press Gallery: if I could come up with two or three unique angles on a story that matched different clients’ content interests or geographic scope, I knew we’d have a good chance of paying the next month’s mortgage.

Own the Second Paragraph

Fast forward nearly 35 years to a post on the TopRank online marketing blog, where Lee Odden advised would-be newsjackers to own the second paragraph of the day’s headline news.

When a story first breaks, he explained, journalists will scramble to pick up the lead—the who, what, where, when, and why of the story. “If you are clever enough to react to breaking news very quickly, providing credible second-paragraph content in a blog post, tweet, or media alert that features the keyword of the moment, you may be rewarded with a bonanza of media attention.”

An Unlimited Source of Material

I’ll confess that I’ve never understood the would-be bloggers who complain that they never know what to write about. It’s more than likely that their organizations have years of great material in their archive, just waiting to be updated and redistributed.

One way to refresh a piece of content that is solid, compelling, but a bit out of date is to give it a new lead. Newsjackers do that by spotting a breaking story, thinking out a plausible, genuine connection to their own material, then moving quickly to seize the opportunity.

Meerman Scott points out that timing is all-important here: every story has a life cycle, often a short one, and it makes most sense to introduce an edgy new angle after the news first breaks, while reporters are still scrambling for new information.

A Standard for Content Marketers

What I like best about newsjacking is that it sets a high standard for content marketing.

To use the technique and use it well, we have to be organized enough to move quickly, nimble enough to quickly shift our editorial calendars, and knowledgeable enough to come up with a smart, genuine news angle that aligns a story with our underlying objectives.

But the stakes are high, because a newsjack that is contrived, superficial, or just silly will stand out just as much as an effective one—and for all the wrong reasons. If you try to newsjack for spin, not for substance, you’ll be better off with no coverage at all, if the alternative is to be mocked for the effort.

350.org

Grassroot organizations with years of communicating for the common good under their belts know how to persuade people

to take action. In that sense, these organizations have something to teach today’s content marketers who are striving to win hearts and minds by educating and building community.

Smarter Shift President Mitchell Beer has been helping grassroot organizations to do this for years, both on and offline. He shared some of his tips with the #ContentChat gang this week.  Below is the summary of that chat.

Hildy Johnson. Fictitious journalist’s journalist. Handled a typewriter with two fingers. Wouldn’t have handled the shift to content marketing. Image: timelinetheatre.wordpress.com.

If you’re a content marketer, did you enter the field to sell products or to help people tell their stories?

If you’re using content marketing services, is it more important to you to boost your quarterly results or build better, more trusting long-term relationships?

Both questions are deliberately polarized, far more so than the day-to-day reality of marketing and communications. But the difference in traditions between journalism and marketing runs through the emerging practice of content marketing. And the approach for your next campaign should be a conscious choice, based on whom you’re trying to reach and what you need to achieve.

Opposite Sides of the Coin

The original spark for this post came from my colleague, the amazing and insightful Jenise Fryatt. A few months ago, she spotted the large number of former journalists who were reinventing themselves as content marketers, after seeing their original news outlets fold or go through massive budget cuts.

As ex-newshounds ourselves, we found the trend fascinating, not least because we both remembered the journalist’s creed: Job One is to serve the public interest, independently and without fear or favour, and writing PR means irrevocably going “over the wall”.

As we thought through the inevitable differences, collisions, and potential synergies between the two sides of the content marketing world, we realized it was no surprise—and no accident—that companies were snapping up journalists to deliver the smart, responsive content they needed.

Not that there was no place for marketers in the subspecialty that bears their name. It just meant both disciplines could learn from each other—by imitation, and by arguing out the rules of engagement:

• Marketers traditionally do a great job of focusing on their clients’ objectives, messaging, schedules, and bottom lines. But they sometimes fall into the trap of treating their audiences as a target to be attained, not a community with its own mind, voice, and interests.
• Journalists who understand their craft pride themselves on delivering an accurate, unfailingly honest story that serves the public good. They aren’t usually too concerned about sales, and nor should they be. Their independent mindset depends on being able to separate themselves from revenue generation, until advertising tanks and they find themselves reinvented as…content marketers.

The Strength in the Synthesis

Enter content marketing, with its focus on fostering inbound rather than outbound communication. It’s a far cry from independent journalism the way Woodward and Bernstein practiced it. But compared to the traditional hard sell that we’ve all learned to resent and resist, it’s much more about bringing people together around the knowledge and content interests they hold in common.

First, the content creates conversations.

Over time, enough of the time to make content marketing a valid strategy, those conversations lead to sales and durable business relationships.

And sometimes, smart content is a catalyst for a deeper dialogue that leads to new ideas, products, or services. Or the kind of persistent, courageous, community-based action that creates lasting change.

This ability to create conversation and real understanding is what makes content marketing so exciting—as a fresh approach to communication, and a smart starting point for social media campaigning. I’m not sure it would work so well without bringing together the best that journalism and marketing have to offer.

The incisive storytelling we all want to see on our blogs and websites depends on the nose for news and ear for a timely quote that you learn best in a professional newsroom. (Just learn it fast, before the newsroom shuts down.)

The connection to a client’s messaging and deadlines is something you’re more likely to find in a marketing plan.

The balance between the two traditions is still sorting out. But when it works, the result is far greater than the sum of the parts.

How is this connection between journalism and marketing playing out in your own work?

And how is your organization reacting to the transition from outbound to inbound marketing strategies?

Beginners as well as long-time bloggers found useful tips & inspiration for creating consistent, quality online content on this week’s #ContentChat  with Doreen Ashton Wagner of Greenfield Services.

#ContentChat is a Twitter chat sponsored each Monday at 3 pm EDT by Smarter Shift.

This week’s discussion covered: the importance of fresh, quality content; finding your blogging voice; battling writer’s block and more.  Check out our summary of the chat below.

(Photo by Drew Coffman)

Our inaugural #ContentChat in January featured guest Scott Lum, senior digital marketing director for Microsoft, sharing tips for beginning content marketers on choosing topics to focus on.

A summary of that chat appears below.

(Photo by Horia Varlan)

Photo: U.S. Air Force via Wikimedia Commons

For the second year, our friends and colleagues at Greenfield Services are conducting an extensive survey to track the big issues facing Canadian associations.

And for the second year, we’re excited that Greenfield has invited Smarter Shift along as a production partner for the report.

Last year’s Pulse Report was a snapshot of an association sector that was hanging in against a tough economy, but having trouble keeping up with new trends in membership, communications, and technology. Many of them were scrambling to:

• Meet basic objectives in spite of limited funding and insufficient staffing
• Discover new ways of generating revenue, without raising membership dues
• Adopt the latest engagement tools to retain current members and attract new ones
• Counter low levels of volunteer involvement, social media participation, and non-dues purchases
• Rethink their operating models, at a time when many of the benefits members traditionally received from their associations are now just a few mouse clicks away, at little or no cost.

The 2013 Pulse Report will give us a second year of data to track against the original survey, and we’ll be asking some new questions to keep up with more recent developments in the sector. We expect to learn by leaps and bounds from the results. Just as we did last year.

If you work with a Canadian association, please click here to participate in the 2013 Pulse Report survey. For your effort, you’ll receive an advance copy of the survey report and a chance to share your own views on what the next year will bring for the non-profit sector.

Photo by andyp_uk

Landing sponsors for your event is a tough job that is getting tougher.

Drastic changes forced on marketers by the advent of the internet, social media and mobile communication  have organizations re-evaluating the value of such partnerships.

So how do you convince potential sponsors that supporting your event is worth it to them?

Meagan Rocket, director of client solutions for Greenfield Services, a demand generation consultancy specializing in hospitality and meeting industry suppliers, shared some of her tips for gaining sponsorships on this week’s #ContentChat.

This is a summary of that chat.

(Photo by andyp_uk)

With the slow demise of ad supported media it was inevitable that journalists would begin finding their way to content marketing. After all, few other professions focus more intently on the skills required for creating quality content.

The newly arrived ex-journo surveys a marketing landscape in which “content is king,” but those touting its virtues come from a traditional marketing background focused on driving buyers more deeply into a sales funnel.

Rather than public enlightenment and entertainment being the expressed mission, this new media marketing environment makes no bones about ROI and increased sales being the main goals.

Journalists And the New Marketing World

As Dennis McCafferty recently noted on the CMI blog, some journalists may have trouble with the new mixing of what they viewed as the best-kept-separate PR/Advertising/Marketing and Editorial departments.

However many seem to recognize that content marketing has more in common with traditional media than it has differences.

The goal, in the end, is usually to attract the interest of a potential audience, with the optimal result being financial gain. In traditional media, the content and its creators may have been kept separate from marketing, but an increase in sales was still the goal.

Quality Content is What Draws People In

While both may have the same ultimate goal, marketers and journalists often have a very different idea of the best way to get there. Journalists are focused on creating quality content that engages and entertains, while marketers are often more focused on direct sales appeals.

The value of direct appeals has certainly been proven, but today marketers tread a dangerous road when they are too fixated on them. Smart marketers readily admit free content that informs, educates, inspires, and entertains is what draws an audience in and keeps them coming back.

“I’m a fan of hiring CCOs (chief content officers) with a background in journalism,” said MarketingProfs Ann Handley recently in eContent Magazine. “Journalists are the only people, in my mind, who put the needs of the audience first. Paradoxically, that serves a company’s needs far better — because the content they create is customer-driven rather than corporate-driven.”

Skills that Journalists Bring to Content Marketing

The mix or clash of ideals that may come from this assimilation of two historically different mindsets will no doubt make for interesting developments as content marketing continues to evolve. But clearly apparent right now is the obvious need for the skills that journalists bring to content marketing, and the fact that forward-thinking companies are recognizing it.

These skills include:

• Ability to take complex concepts and put them into lay terms
• Ability to write with polish and follow basic reporting style
• Ability to write in an entertaining manner that is brief and to the point
• Ability to identify and make use of reliable sources of relevant content
• A more than passing familiarity with social media and social media strategy
• Ability to write attention-grabbing headlines and tweets
• Ability to design aesthetically pleasing articles and page layouts
• Often a general familiarity and understanding of current events and politics
• Passion for and ability to identify quality content
• Creativity and process orientation
• A thirst for knowledge; ability to learn and adapt

It’s a great time to be in the market for a content creator.  The talent available is abundant, and your search will most likely end happily as long as you know what skills you are looking for.

For journalists, FINALLY there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.  As I’ve learned, content marketing provides a place for us to do what we love most and be adequately compensated.

Journalism isn’t dying, it’s evolving. By coming together, both sales and editorial may learn useful things and become more honest in the process.

“My theory is that in the age of the Internet, it’s what you write, not where you write it, that matters.” said media veteran turned Hubspot marketing fellow Dan Lyons in his inaugural blog post.

“If I can have a platform to write interesting things, if I can work for a company that’s growing and having fun, if I can depend on something other than advertising to deliver a paycheck — if all those things are true, then I’m in a better place.”

If smart companies continue to appreciate the value that people like Dan bring to content marketing, perhaps we’ll all be in a better place.

(Photo by Reporter do Futuro)

Photo by mrsdkrebs

When thinking about ways to generate content for a blog, not many of us consider Google+ Hangouts, but this tool can be a powerful way to create fascinating interviews, discussions and more.

This week’s #ContentChat guest, Google+ Hangouts ninja, Elaine Lindsay of Trool Social, shared her tips on the topic, interspersed with some instructive screen shots that you may want to refer to in the future. You may want to bookmark this page.

(Photo by mrsdkrebs)

Photo by james_kassam

When I first started learning to use social media to market my audio visual company, one of the first things I noticed was that the people who had the most followers, friends and interaction were those who established a consistent presence in their online communities. So I strove to learn all I could from watching these folks and then experimenting myself. Here is what I learned.

What is “presence” on social media?

Your social media presence is your attendance, existence, and actions over time on social media. Because interaction on most platforms is brisk, what you do there only counts if it’s consistent. Sporadic posting does not constitute a presence. To give you one example, if you post a link to your latest blog post on Twitter at 9 AM, only those who are using Twitter around that time will see it. Consider that for those who follow thousands of other Twitter accounts, you will barely be a blip on their radar unless they have specifically flagged you or a specific term you have used in your Tweet.

Why is it important?

Social media allows you to build relationships with like-minded individuals who could potentially become clients, customers or brand ambassadors. This can’t happen if you only pop in from time to time. Think of it as an opportunity to establish yourself as a valuable member of a team. Your team mates won’t be able to learn about you or trust you if you only show up once in a while. That’s why it’s important to find out when most of the players are on and then make sure you are there at the same time every day.

Where should I establish a presence on social media?

First you must find where your particular community is hanging out on the various social media platforms. Conduct searches on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google of key words that define your target audience or that your potential clients might be using. These might lead you to hashtag communities on Twitter, discussion groups on Facebook or LinkedIn or even comment sections of certain blogs. Once you find these communities, monitor the interaction there. What members are well-liked? What actions are discouraged?

How should I be present on social media?

Treat each platform with respect for how it is used. This means, in general, it’s not a good idea to use automation that simultaneously posts to different platforms. What works for one platform will not be seen or will be annoying on another platform. For instance:

Facebook 

Most people on Facebook have 300 friends or fewer. This means that the posting stream is much slower. Scattering a few posts (usually less than five) throughout the day works best. You may even get away with posting just once a day, if most of your Facebook friends have low Facebook friend counts. Facebook has always been about connecting with people you already know so what you post can be much more casual, less straight-laced or business-like.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn was designed as an online resume-sharing business networking site so your posts should always be more business oriented there. Because many people aren’t in the habit of using it to post status updates, you have a good chance of being seen if you post regularly there. However, remember that since the stream runs slow, many posts in one day will seem obnoxious to some. Use discretion. I rarely post more often than once a day on LinkedIn.

Twitter

Most Tweeters who have been on the platform for any length of time have built up more than 1,000 followers. This means that, as noted earlier, their Twitter stream runs by fast. Thus, to establish a presence there you will need to post several times a day. That being said, research has shown that it’s best not to post more often than once an hour on Twitter if you wish to be retweeted (and you most likely do!) As an event industry blogger, I have learned that most of the event industry tweeps are on the east coast and tweeting between 9 AM and 5 PM EST Monday through Friday. So that’s when I make sure to schedule my tweets, one hour apart. I also check back throughout the day to answer any questions or comments or to participate in Twitter chats.

Once I realized I would need to establish a strong presence on social media, I began to formulate a strategy based on the type of interactions I saw that consistently led to strong online relationships. I used a three-pronged approach I called #EIR – Engage, Inform and Retweet, which you can learn more about here.

Four years after finding my community on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, the results I’ve received, both personally and professionally, continue to spur me to maintain a strong presence there. My online community has become a home to me and a source of support that keeps on giving.

(I shared a version of this post on the Cvent blog.)

(Photo by James_Kassam)