Over the course of your career, you will come across a lot of tools and solutions to help you be a better content marketer. That’s great, since we all like to save time, money, and brain-power. But so many tools out there, how do you choose which ones are best for you?
On this week’s #CMWorld Twitter chat, our community told us about the hot tools that make their content jobs easier. If you’re looking to build your arsenal or update what you already have, this is a post you’ll want to bookmark.
A1 Before choosing tools for #content – or any #marketing – analyze your customers’ awareness > evangelist journey and find the weak spots. (Hint: it might be measuring the journey…)
Figure out what you need to do to fix things. Where necessary, find tools to help. #CMWorld
— Tod Cordill (@todcordill) May 21, 2019
A1
How do you choose which#contentmarketing tools to use?Know your
💪🏽strategy
💪🏽budget
💪🏽timeline
💪🏽goals
💪🏽KPIs
💪🏽team
…Then work backwards
Break goal into objectives
Break objs into steps
Steps into daily to-dosWhat tools will help you
ensure you meet them?#CMWORLD— Bentley University (@bentleyu) May 21, 2019
A1: it can be tough to find the right tools. A lot of times it’s about trial and error – discovering what you truly need or what is missing from a tool. Make sure you understand your brands needs in order to find the tool that will work best. #CMWorld
— TSC Americas (@TSCAmericas) May 21, 2019
A1 I always start my search for #contentmarketing tools by asking industry friends for recommendations #CMWorld
— Mark Traphagen (@marktraphagen) May 21, 2019
A1 Your gut, just because someone recommends some piece of software does not mean it is right for you and your business. It needs to feel right #CMWorld pic.twitter.com/GTwwXRnAdf
— Carrie Eddins (@blondepreneur) May 21, 2019
A3: My go-tos are the Hemingway app and the Co-Schedule headline analyzer. #CMWorld
— Jeremy Bednarski (@JeremyBednarski) May 21, 2019
A3: Well, you first have to begin with listening tools. Keyhole, Buzzsumo, and Brandwatch are a few great ones. And of course, Google Alerts. #CMWorld pic.twitter.com/XMUBby5nlm
— Berrak Sarikaya | Content Strategist | Speaker (@BerrakBiz) May 21, 2019
A3. BuzzSumo. When you know the topics your audience is interested in, it helps that much more to create relevant content for them #CMWorld
— Charu Misra (@charumisra) May 21, 2019
A3: I swear by @Grammarly. Even the most experienced writer can use a helping hand. #CMWorld pic.twitter.com/yrsKoUAMN8
— Lauren @ G2.com (@G2Lauren) May 21, 2019
A3: Google Analytics. We can see which content our audience is drawn to–and converting on–and create more like it based on the data.
Yoast SEO is important for our blog (our writing includes title tags + other “meta data”). #CMWorld https://t.co/mLskozjQ0w
— ThinkSEM (@ThinkSEM) May 21, 2019
A3: Hemingway, Grammarly, and Gather Content are the ones I go to. #CMWorld
— Alex Crump (@alcrump12) May 21, 2019
A3.
☀️ @semrush dashboard for researching keywords & content.
☀️ Google auto-suggestions.
☀️ @answerthepublic for further research
☀️ simple competitor research#CMWorld
— Nicky Pasquier [Virtuoso Assistant] 📩 🎨 (@VirtuosoAssist) May 21, 2019
A3 It might be a plug. Still, my content marketing efforts are now amplified by @SocialAnimal_io .#CMWorld
— SocialAnimal (@SocialAnimal_io) May 21, 2019
A3: as part of the @Talkwalker team, I have access to our Quick Search tool with is great for content ideation.
Also, I’ve subscribed to a bunch of newsletters and created alerts that help me stay on top of what’s trending in my industry – a big source of inspiration #CMWorld https://t.co/MEn1P0G4NO
— Albane Flamant (@AlbaneFlamant) May 21, 2019
A3: Keyword research and search intent tools are my go-to when starting a new piece. At @G2dotcom, we typically use @ahrefs before writing a single word. #CMWorld pic.twitter.com/xa3BlomdVd
— Bridging the gap (@bridgetatG2) May 21, 2019
A4.
Content distribution
+ promotion tools:👍🏽@Buffer
👍🏽@SproutSocial
👍🏽@Hootsuite
👍🏽@Mailchimp
👍🏽@Feedly
👍🏽@SlackHQ
👍🏽@Flickr#CMworld— Bentley University (@bentleyu) May 21, 2019
A4. #CMWorld
I’ll start this off by saying I have moved away from a lot of automation. Real time engagement (like chats) has been a winner for me.
That being said: I can’t be everywhere all the time.
So I do use scheduling tools like@Agorapulse @buffer @socialjukebox
— Gene Petrov – Ultra Human Leadership Coach (@GenePetrovLMC) May 21, 2019
A4: @hootsuite, @buffer, and @ActOnSoftware. #CMWorld
— Julia Rose (@Missjflar) May 21, 2019
A4: Our content team as a Slack channel dedicated to posting social links to new content. We all promote, retweet, and hype each other up whenever something new goes live. It’s a lot of fun. #CMWorld pic.twitter.com/1GvHHziI2D
— Lauren @ G2.com (@G2Lauren) May 21, 2019
A4: For social, @HubSpot has an extension you can install to share on social. Love @Tweetdeck as well as @Buffer. For promotion via email, I love @BuzzStream. Using the extension @EmailHunter has been 💯 at finding contact emails, as well. #CMWorld https://t.co/kTyBc4rBbo
— Domenica D’Ottavio (@atdomenica) May 21, 2019
A4: We rely on @MeetEdgar for scheduling content. It’s easy to use and it provides scheduling for all of our Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn accounts. 🙌🏻 #CMWorld
— Express Writers | Your Content Writing Team (@ExpWriters) May 21, 2019
A4: I’m a big fan of Sprout Social, though the cost is a bit prohibitive for a team. Hootsuite was pretty good. too. #cmworld
— John Cloonan (@johncloonan) May 21, 2019
A6: We also frequent Google Search Console, plus we use Raventools and ScreamingFrog for SEO-type analysis (incoming link information, domain authority, etc.). #CMWorld https://t.co/rfsCCfSfCd
— ThinkSEM (@ThinkSEM) May 21, 2019
A6: For my blog, simply just the Jetpack WordPress integration (besides GA). #CMWorld https://t.co/OSnxRu4XWu
— Domenica D’Ottavio (@atdomenica) May 21, 2019
A6: I love using @HubSpot and @ahrefs because they both have a very robust analytics platform. Some of the things I track personally for my content is:
▶️ Social sharability
▶️ Backlinks and referring domains
▶️ Engagement#CMWorld pic.twitter.com/PAsZOdk5W8— Lauren @ G2.com (@G2Lauren) May 21, 2019
A6. To measure #marketing performance I use analytics from each tool:
🗹 Google Analytics
🗹 Email service
🗹 #MarketingAutomation platform
🗹 #SocialMedia platform
🗹 SEO, Google Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools
#CMWorld— Tod Cordill (@todcordill) May 21, 2019
A7: I have my daily goals of what I want to accomplish but also use Slack, Outlook, Fitbit for keeping me on track #CMWorld
— Bernie Fussenegger #Digital360Chat (@B2the7) May 21, 2019
A7: Knowing your content is making a difference is a huge motivator!
For staying on track/keeping on schedule, calendars work wonders. Also: have goals in mind. Working towards the next win is always a good strategy.#CMWorld https://t.co/eN00l7RCro
— ThinkSEM (@ThinkSEM) May 21, 2019
A7: As a journal junkie, I don’t go anywhere without a (at least one) @FieldNotesBrand notebook #CMWorld
— Mike Barzacchini (@MikeBarzacchini) May 21, 2019
Throwing one more into questions A7 and A8 – I am a junkie for @officedepot‘s Tul notebook system. I’ve now got two of them, and if you have multiple projects, they’re world-changing. #cmworld
— John Cloonan (@johncloonan) May 21, 2019
A7: I start every work day with a podcast that inspires me to play BIG: @AmyPorterfield, @MichaelHyatt, @msrachelhollis, @HowIBuiltThis, @garyvee @jennakutcher @marieforleo #cmworld
— Elana Leoni (@elanaleoni) May 21, 2019
A7: I have a project planning notebook where I create checklists every day, @trello boards, and of course, great music. #CMWorld
— Berrak Sarikaya | Content Strategist | Speaker (@BerrakBiz) May 21, 2019
A7: I went all in with my meditation practice this year. @10percent has been amazing in helping me keep centered, focused and mindful. #CMWorld
— Mike Barzacchini (@MikeBarzacchini) May 21, 2019
A7.
Tools to stay motivated:
BuzzSumo (Stay informed)
Trello (Stay on task)
Outlook (Stay organized)
Slack (Stay connected)#CMWorld— Bentley University (@bentleyu) May 21, 2019
A7: For me, I’m old school. A simple pen and paper to-do list, a bullet journal, & Google calendar.
But other time management and project management tools I’ve used in the past— @Asana, @Toggl, @Podio– they all work too. Heard good things about @todoist as well. #CMWorld https://t.co/Fb0iklBDfz
— Domenica D’Ottavio (@atdomenica) May 21, 2019
A7: MUSIC. Nothing beats a good writing playlist. #CMWorld pic.twitter.com/MPor89FCnI
— Lauren @ G2.com (@G2Lauren) May 21, 2019
A7: We use @airtable for staying on track with our content. In terms of to-do lists and project management, I love @ClickUp_app. #CMWorld
— Express Writers | Your Content Writing Team (@ExpWriters) May 21, 2019
A7 I actually use google alerts and news headlines, among other tools, to see what’s catching a buzz in my world; this inspires my research & connects me to journalists, researchers & otherS WITH expertise.#cmworld https://t.co/eyOW3aGicH
— #SaferSocialMedia (Allison Diamond) (@SocialSafer) May 21, 2019
Other tools mentioned in the chat include:
With new technology being introduced all the time, we rely on our community to tell us about what relevant tools they are currently using. What’s in your arsenal? Feel free to leave us a note in the comments below.
If you’re looking to add new tech to your marketing toolbox, connect with many solution providers at Content Marketing World. Our sponsors are ready to meet with you in our Expo Hall!
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