Yep. It’s already mid-April. And you may have been meaning to fine-tune your brand’s content plan since early January. Oops.
The truth is, it’s tough to plan out a steady stream of fresh content that entices your audience, drives engagement and delivers the value your readers deserve.
Unless, of course, you have the tips, tactics and techniques that make it easy.
You’ll get all that right here, at this year’s Content Marketing Conference.
CMC2021 features a double-whammy of content intelligence, with on-demand learning you can start immediately, along with brand-new sessions that run from Apr. 27 to 29
The content planning track kicks off Tuesday, Apr. 27.
- Content planning keynote Tamsen Webster takes the virtual stage at 8 a.m.
- Content planning sessions run from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Skilled content planners are charged up to deliver a bounty of know-how you’ll wonder how you ever lived without.
Ashley Faus: Engaging Social Media Copy
Ashley Faus | Sr. Manager of Integrated Media | Atlassian
Ashley Faus is a marketer, writer, and speaker by day, and a singer, actor, and fitness fiend by night. Her work and insights have been featured in multiple publications, including “TIME,” “Forbes,” “Harvard Business Review,” and MarketingProfs.
Session: 10 Tropes for Engaging Social Media Copy
More details coming soon!
Kenneth Kinney: Fast-Track Your Podcast
Kenneth Kinney | VP of Marketing and Digital Strategy | Ai Media Group
Nicknamed “Shark,” Kenneth Kinney is a highly accomplished and creative marketer, lead generation and growth executive. He’s led national campaigns for brands that include Citi, Chase, Target, FedEx and more than 50 colleges and universities. He’s been an on-air host and producer of TV and radio programs, including his current podcast “A Shark’s Perspective.”
Session: How to Start a Podcast in 2 Days or Less!
Learn how to start a successful podcast with the latest hacks, tactics and gear that will save you time and get you going on the right trajectory. Get your voice out and the leads in with the right equipment, recording techniques, editing skill, publishing channel, and planning methods for success.
Attend this power-podcast how-to session and learn:
- The best gear to buy on a shoestring budget.
- Production tips to save you time.
- Three mistakes to avoid that are essential for success.
- Secrets to a successful launch Benefits and incentives to offer guests and listeners.
Karine Bengualid: The Dangerous Side of Emojis
Karine Bengualid
Karine Bengualid is a French-Canadian-Moroccan-Jew, a recovering introvert and an aspiring comedienne who aims to save the world from un-fun marketing. After 13 years leading corporate marketing teams, she started “Brought to you by the letter K,” where she helps B2B brands like Shopify Plus and the Toronto Raptors find their Threshold of Fun™. In 2019, Karine launched P is for Planner, the first-ever physical content planner designed for marketing teams
Session: Emojis and Memes and GIFS, OH MY!
Ever wonder how to use the exact right emoji, meme or gif to convey the exact right emotion or thought in your communication? Believe it or not, you need an intricate understanding of these backstories and possible hidden meanings if you want to get it right. (Eggplant emoji anyone?)
Many brands have been burned by not truly grasping the social references these ideograms represent.
In this presentation, you’ll learn:
- The difference between emojis and emoticons.
- The secret life of emojis. There are more than 40 emojis that could get your brand in a world of trouble if used inappropriately.
- Why (and how) you should start incorporating memes, gifs and emojis in your content.
Zoe Hawkins: Blog Topics Made Easy
Zoe Hawkins | Content Marketing Whiz
Zoe Hawkins is a former video game and tech journalist turned content marketing expert, adding a combination of wordsmithing and marketing strategy to her unique perspective. She has lived on three continents and is longing for the days of travel in the post-plague era. In her free time, she enjoys great food and books, as well as trashy science fiction and console gaming.
Session: How to Plan 6 Months of Blogs in 30 Minutes or Less
Get the step-by-step guide to planning your content calendar for the next six months of blog posts, with the help of some amazing tools and tool-free alternatives. Build your site’s authority, establish credibility, and spend more time on implementation by getting the planning process out of the way. This approach is particularly ideal for startups where product or identity is constantly shifting but content needs to be consistent.
Attend this session and learn:
- How to build out your content pillars and develop an editorial calendar.
- Best practices for deciding what to write and how frequently to publish.
- Content planning tips to ensure your plan is easy to enact.
Martha van Berkel: Creating Stand-Out Content
Martha van Berkel | CEO | Schema App
As CEO and cofounder of Schema App, Martha van Berkel loves helping companies optimize for machines. She’s currently focusing on unleashing the power of structured data for organic search, business intelligence and structuring open data. Her specialties include leading and building teams, inspiring change and identifying leapfrog opportunities.
Session: 10 Things to Know about Structured Data to Make Your Content Stand Out
Google’s search results have special features called Rich Results. Learn to design your content to have it literally stand out in search with FAQs, how-tos, and more. We will explore how to architect your content for maximum visibility in search, resulting in more clicks and traffic.
You’ll leave understanding the basics of schema markup and advanced strategies you can apply the next day.
Attend this session and learn how to:
- Figure out what to include in your content to achieve “rich” search results.
- Identify topics to include in your content to inform search engines.
- Connect topics and properties with the Schema Paths tool.
- Create schema markup for articles with FAQ and videos.
Tools discussed and showcased:
- Google Rich Results Test
- Schema Paths
- Merkle’s
- Schema Markup Generator Schema App
Robert Freund: Legalities to Protect Your Biz
Robert Freund | Advertising Attorney and Advisor
Robert Freund is an experienced advertising attorney and advisor focused on social media marketing and e-commerce. Before opening his own firm, Rob honed his legal skills working at Greenberg Traurig, LLP, one of the largest and most respected international law firms on the planet. Rob has lectured about advertising law at the University of Southern California and the University of San Diego, and he has been quoted in The New York Times on legal issues. Rob was named as a Southern California Super Lawyers Rising Star in Media & Advertising for 2020 and 2021.
Session: Tips, Tactics, and To-Dos When Contracting with Influencers
Every influencer campaign needs an agreement in writing—even if it only involves giving free product in exchange for a post. But not just any template agreement will cover you. Understand the legal issues that you need to think through to limit the risk of an influencer campaign turning from a partnership into a problem.
Attend this session and learn:
- The must-haves for every influencer agreement.
- FTC disclosure rules and how they apply to your campaigns.
- Lessons learned from the mistakes of others and how to avoid them.
- What to do if something goes wrong.
Session: Sweepstakes and Giveaways: Tactics for Compliance to Keep It Legal
Do you know the difference between a sweepstakes and a lottery? For starters, running a lottery is illegal in every state. Ensuring that your promotion isn’t a lottery requires careful planning and understanding of relevant state laws—but the risks don’t end there. To safely run a sweepstakes or giveaway, you need to understand the rules regarding registration, record keeping, methods of entry, official rules, and more. Learn the rules today so you don’t have to pay for problems later.
Attend this session and learn:
- How to ensure your sweepstakes or giveaway is not an illegal lottery.
- The rules regarding state registration and record keeping.
- Tips for drafting your official rules.
- What disclosures you need to make and how to make them.
Lindy Roux: The Art of Style Flexing
Lindy Roux | Vice President, Managing Director | Tendo
Lindy Roux has more than two decades of experience in content and digital strategy, CMS, SEO, user experience, consumer insights, branding and analytics. She’s led a broad range of engagements, from enterprise-level websites to experimental micro sites, and is well-versed in a number of enterprise CMSs, digital asset management (DAMs), e-commerce and community platforms. Her experience spans leading media, technology, consulting, non-profit, travel, pharma and consumer retail brands.
Session: Conquer Multi-Channel Content Creation with Style Flexing
Content creators struggle with creating content for multiple channels. “Style flexing” is a new art, science, and skill required for success, and not something that comes naturally to everyone. Learn to create a structured content framework and experience map as the starting point. Then learn the tactics to create content for all your channels smarter, better, faster and wiser.
Attend this session and learn how to:
- Create a structured content framework.
- Use a new toolkit for omnichannel content strategy.
- Style flex your content for all your channels.
Victoria Albert: To Gate or Not to Gate?
Victoria Albert | VP of Marketing | INFUSEmedia
With 20 years of experience in strategic marketing and program execution roles in the financial services and healthcare industries, Victoria joined INFUSEmedia as VP of Marketing in 2020. Past accomplishments include multiple nominations and awards for her work, along with degrees from Boston University, Tufts University and Yale University.
Session: To Gate or Not to Gate Content: Let’s Answer this Question
More details on this session coming soon!
Register for CMC2021 Now
Content planning is just one of the six tracks at this year’s conference. And the three-day extravaganza is only one part of the deal.
In addition to three days of brand-new sessions, your registration gets you instant access to recordings from past conferences—and our Content Strategy Certification program. Boost your know-how. Amaze your audience. And get that content planning done already!
Register for CMC2021 now.