Blog

Content strategy, Social media, Video, what journalists want

Marketing on a budget: ways to be more visible

How do you increase your visibility and (personal) brand awareness outside of social media without spending a lot of money?

Screen shot of me mid flow, talking to Trisha Lewis via Zoom for her Make It Real podcast. The Make it Real logo and episode title: Visibility on a budget appears in the centre of the screen between the two of us.
Me in full flow during my chat with the brilliant Trisha Lewis

Trisha Lewis is a communications and presentation coach I’ve got to know on LinkedIn. We’ve chatted in the comments on each others content and DM’s.

She asked if I would be a guest on her Make It Real podcast and talk about using different channels to build visibility.

So, things like guest blog posts and comment pieces on targeted websites and publications, being on panels at events, as well as posting on social media platforms like LinkedIn.

How I came to be a guest on her podcast reflects a point I made during our chat about the benefits of letting people hear you speak and see you on camera.

I’ve been creating videos on LinkedIn for a while, started doing LinkedIn Lives, and posted links to webinars I’ve chaired.

It gives potential podcast hosts and event organisers a chance to see what I’m like ‘in action’ and showcases my areas of expertise.

Below is a teaser for our conversation, and you can listen to the full podcast episode here on Apple Podcasts or search for Make It Real with Trisha Lewis on your preferred podcast platform.

Some of the things we cover in the episode include:

🎧 What journalists are looking for so you can pitch effectively.

🎧 Ditching the corporate tone using your authentic voice to stand out.

🎧 Using video and audio as part of a content plan

Teaser clip from my chat with Trisha Lewis on her Make It Real podcast

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Content marketing, Content strategy, Social media

How to make social media work for B2B businesses

Social media is a big part of many businesses marketing strategy, and it can be really effective if used well. But if it isn’t, it can be a huge drain on time and resources with minimal return.

Screen shot of LinkedIn Live session. Ayo Abbas, Stacey Meadwell and Emma Drake are on screen. Banner across the stop says It's a B2B comms thing - How to make social media work in '22

In the latest It’s a B2B comms thing LinkedIn Live with fellow B2B comms professionals Ayo Abbas and Emma Drake, we discussed using social media for B2B business, what’s hot, what’s not and how to use it effectively.

Here are some edited highlights, and you’ll find a link to the full discussion, which includes audience questions at the bottom of the post.

Why are you and your business on social media?

Emma: I see lots of businesses chasing social media accounts with no real idea of what they’ll share or are trying to achieve. I use LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

I use LinkedIn for finding interesting people and engaging with them, connecting after or before meetings and events, and keeping in touch – it is really good for that.

Twitter I use pretty much solely for [promoting] podcast content, and I’m a bit more cheeky on there. I think we all feel we have to be a bit better behaved on LinkedIn for some reason.

But it’s completely different people engaging on there, and it’s good for generating traffic to my podcast.

I do have a Facebook page for the podcast, and their analytics are really good for directly targeting people.

Me: I only use LinkedIn for business. I have a work Twitter account as a hangover of my days as a journalist, but I don’t really use it.

I’ve fallen out of love with Twitter over the last few years. And if I’m going to be on there, I need to invest a lot of time, and I’ve just not got the time or energy.

Continue reading “How to make social media work for B2B businesses” →
Freelancing

Freelance life 2021: Successes and some failures

2021 has been a busy year, a fun year and a challenging year as a freelancer. There have been successes…and some failures.

A rollercoaster of a year (I like rollercoasters mostly) Photo by Jack O’Rourke on Unsplash

January kicked off at a cracking pace which was encouraging and while there have been a couple of quieter spells it’s been my busiest year yet.

Am I closer to ironing out the peaks and troughs? I have had spells of working weekends which I want to stamp out but, yes, I think the workflow is getting a little bit more even.

As well as a lot of repeat business, I’ve added to my stable of clients and a new service: Podcast hosting.

It’s giving me a broader base from which to draw work. And when the workflow does start to quieten I find myself feeling less anxious about it. Which is definitely a success.

Part of that is having a better understanding of marketing and putting the work in on that side of the business. Consistency is the key and that’s something I’ve definitely got good at.

Failure to launch

I did a podcasting course at the beginning of the year with a view to starting my own podcast. The course was fab but I haven’t managed to launch the podcast yet. Which is one of my failures this year.

Continue reading “Freelance life 2021: Successes and some failures” →
Content engagement, Content marketing, Content strategy

B2B content: What should you focus on in 2022?

Multimedia, social media, events – there are many different channels for content marketing, but there are only a finite number of hours in the working day.

So making sure your content creation efforts are effective and get seen and digested by your target audience is paramount.

Mobile phone screen with social media app icons: Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn
Photo by Hello I’m Nik on Unsplash

In the third, It’s a B2B comms thing LinkedIn Live*, Ayo Abbas, Emma Drake and I talked about what content to focus on in 2022.

Ayo and Emma are fellow comms professionals working in the built environment sector, and these are some highlights from our discussion. If you are interested in the full chat, the video is towards the bottom of the post.

How do you know what content channels are the right ones for you in 2022?

Ayo: It’s got to boil down to where is your audience? Where do they hang out? If they’re on Instagram, that’s where you should go. If they’re on LinkedIn, that’s where you go.

You choose the content channels that work for you and work for your audience.

The big focus for my business and what I’m saying to my clients is email. As social channels like LinkedIn and Instagram try and monetize and therefore reduce organic reach, driving traffic and potential audience to comms channels that you own and have more control over has to be something to factor in.

Especially when you look at the fact that Facebook was down not too long ago.

Me: I would add to that: be on the appropriate platform and use the appropriate content for the story that you want to tell.

Different stories might require different mediums. Ayo, I know you use Instagram, and a lot of architects use Instagram. It’s a very visual platform, so it works.

Continue reading “B2B content: What should you focus on in 2022?” →
Content engagement, Content writing, Writing tips

B2B content: Using questions in your intro and getting creative

In a previous post, I talked about the importance of your opening line and gave four simple ways to write intriguing intros. One of the ideas was to use a question, and I wanted to explore this a little further.

A neon question mark
Photo by Simone Secci on Unsplash

There are different ways of using questions, from the simple to the bold.

Probably the easiest is to ask the question that you go on to answer in your article or blog post. Here are two made up intros to give you an idea:

“How has the pandemic changed demand for offices? There is no doubt that lockdown has forced a reassessment of working practices, but what does that mean for…”

Or

“Will community uses be the key to reviving the high street? With more shopping taking place online, landlords and local authorities are looking for alternative uses to fill vacant retail units…”

But you can get a bit more creative.

Continue reading “B2B content: Using questions in your intro and getting creative” →