In 2020, Hugh Stephens, founder of Sked Social was eager to introduce more editorial depth to the blog and invited me to write six thought-provoking articles per month.
How Long Should Marketing Videos Be Anyway?
How a deaf actor brought media accessibility to Hollywood
Interview: How blind users experience Instagram
Spotlight: Alexa Heinrich on Accessibility in Social Media
Using Reels to Generate ‘Know, Like and Trust’ (with Examples)
Spotlight: Alisha Marfatia on Instagram Reels that Work
How to Save Yourself from Procrastination Damnation
Spotlight: Michelle Garrett on Digital Don’ts for Freelancers
Protecting Your Reputation Online is Critical…. But Not Like This
Six Mistakes to Avoid When Writing a Brief
Working with Technology Means Planning to Fail
Spotlight: Jay Acunzo on Podcasts and the Art of the Interview
The Small Business Checklist to Building an Online Presence
Privacy Technology & Legal Updates: Death to the Cookie
Is 2021 the Year of Customer Acquisition or Customer Retention?
2020 is NOT a Blip: Marketing Predictions are Anyone’s Guess
Using Side Projects to Develop New Skills
Investing in Your Personal Brand
Spotlight: Sam Turner on gender equality and inclusivity in marketing
Spotlight: Author Joe Moran on Improving Business Communication
Debunking the Myth of Professional Language
How to Find Your Brand’s Voice
How to Create an Effective Style Guide – And Why You Need One
Lights, Camera, Action: Look & Sound Great in Virtual Meetings & Events
Automation and Organisation: Connect Your Technology Network
Spotlight: Clare McDermott on creating great survey-based content
Cloud busting: Are you the weak link in your team’s sync?
Taming Copy Workflows with Microsoft Word Templates
The Right (Write) Tool for the Job: Must-Haves for Digital & Social Writers
Spotlight: Dr. Jay Spence on managing mental health in the workplace
The Sound of Silence: Managing Interruptions in the Workplace
Spotlight: Monina Wagner of CMI talks social media for events in 2020
Community Education: Four Lessons for Better Forums and Groups
Fact or Fiction: The Battle for Truthiness in Social Media
Do you really need a business website or can you get by with just social media?
Stuck on Repeat: Why automatic reposting is a bad idea
Writing for social media: Sarah Mitchell from Typeset explains how to create quality social copy
Sharing ≠ Engagement: How to gauge content reach & effectiveness
Digital Shortcuts: Ready-made assistants, not human replacements
How to manage internet trolls and frustrated customers – AND how to tell them apart
Crossposting: It’s not enough for marketers to COPE on social media
Spotlight: Buddy Scalera on Visual Strategies for Social Media
Self care for social media moderators
How many social networks do you need?
Debunking the Myth of Brand Awareness
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How Long Should Marketing Videos Be Anyway?
Short-form video is booming, leading many video marketers to conclude less is more. But a longer runtime doesn’t have to mean a lower completion rate. [Via Business 2 Community] -
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How a deaf actor brought media accessibility to Hollywood
The story of media accessibility stretches back nearly a century. It’s a story of how technology and innovation can leave people behind – and how it’s often left to those who can’t access the content to solve what many content creators don’t even consider to be a problem. -
Interview: How blind users experience Instagram
Ever wondered how a blind person uses Instagram? Two blind social media users share their experiences to demonstrate the importance of digital accessibility. -
Spotlight: Alexa Heinrich on Accessibility in Social Media
As social media becomes increasingly visual, accessibility advocate Alexa Heinrich explains why marketers and content creators need to lift their game. -
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Using Reels to Generate ‘Know, Like and Trust’ (with Examples)
Not sure why your Instagram Reels aren’t getting results? These examples demonstrate the three qualities your content marketing needs to drive business. -
Spotlight: Alisha Marfatia on Instagram Reels that Work
Instagram Reels quickly established itself as a vital tool for video marketers. Alisha Marfatia of The Social Impact explains how to make Reels work for you. -
How to Save Yourself from Procrastination Damnation
Procrastination is easy when everything is a touchscreen away. How can you take back control? And could a little procrastination actually be good for you? [Via Business 2 Community] -
Spotlight: Michelle Garrett on Digital Don’ts for Freelancers
Freelancing is easier than ever in today’s online world, but whether you’re a freelancer or a client, there are still myths to bust and mistakes to avoid. -
Protecting Your Reputation Online is Critical…. But Not Like This
In social media, deleting or suppressing negative or unfavourable content usually turns out to be a mistake. So how can you protect your online reputation? [Via Business 2 Community] -
Six Mistakes to Avoid When Writing a Brief
The success or failure of a project, campaign or content asset begins with the briefing process – and that means avoiding the most common mistakes. [Via Business 2 Community] -
Working with Technology Means Planning to Fail
When most of us are so heavily reliant on technology to get anything done, being unprepared for failure is probably the biggest mistake a professional can make. [Via Business 2 Community] -
Spotlight: Jay Acunzo on Podcasts and the Art of the Interview
Thinking about launching your own podcast or online show in 2021? Speaker, author and podcast maven Jay Acunzo reveals what separates the best from the rest. [Via Business 2 Community] -
The Small Business Checklist to Building an Online Presence
Whatever your business, it needs to be findable online. A digital presence is vital. But the internet is a big place, so where should a small business begin? -
Privacy Technology & Legal Updates: Death to the Cookie
In 2021, marketers will need to develop new ways to acquire audience and customer data to avoid getting into ethical, legal or reputational strife. -
Is 2021 the Year of Customer Acquisition or Customer Retention?
The lockdowns of 2020 changed online consumer behaviour forever. How will the latest trends impact marketing priorities and what can brands do to adapt? -
2020 is NOT a Blip: Marketing Predictions are Anyone’s Guess
2021 may be a year of recovery following the pandemic, but that doesn’t mean marketers can dust off the old strategies and continue as before. -
Using Side Projects to Develop New Skills
It isn’t always possible to learn new skills on the job. But you can still increase your professional value by embarking on your own side projects. -
Investing in Your Personal Brand
It may not always feel like productive (i.e., paid) work, but developing your personal brand can be a vital part of a modern career. -
Spotlight: Sam Turner on gender equality and inclusivity in marketing
Inclusivity consultant Sam Turner explains why the marketing and advertising industry has more work to do to become genuinely inclusive and representative. -
Spotlight: Author Joe Moran on Improving Business Communication
Are your business communications enjoyed or endured by readers? Author Joe Moran explains why he has an issue with “managerial blah” … and why you should too. -
Debunking the Myth of Professional Language
How professional your writing is has less to do with how clever and important it sounds, and far more to do with how easy it is to read. -
How to Find Your Brand’s Voice
A strong brand takes more than just a good logo, colour palette and memorable tagline. It needs a personality, with a recognisable tone of voice. -
How to Create an Effective Style Guide – And Why You Need One
Do you and your writers share the same opinions on writing style? Probably not – which is why style guides are valuable tools. -
Lights, Camera, Action: Look & Sound Great in Virtual Meetings & Events
You don’t need to turn your home office into an audio/visual studio to make a professional impression in online meetings and virtual events. -
Automation and Organisation: Connect Your Technology Network
Your effectiveness in working with various digital tools may depend on how well they support each other to form a connected digital ecosystem. -
Spotlight: Clare McDermott on creating great survey-based content
Data from a survey can fuel valuable marketing content people want to read. Clare McDermott of Mantis Research explains how to get the best results. -
Cloud busting: Are you the weak link in your team’s sync?
With cloud apps like Dropbox and Google Drive, ‘the office’ can be wherever you can get online. But they still require a bit of file management. -
Taming Copy Workflows with Microsoft Word Templates
Customised copy templates can help content teams reduce confusion, increase consistency, save time and even take back control of Microsoft Word. -
The Right (Write) Tool for the Job: Must-Haves for Digital & Social Writers
Most of us perform some form of writing every day, usually related to work. But how much thought do you give to the tools you choose to write with? -
Spotlight: Dr. Jay Spence on managing mental health in the workplace
In 2020, the workplace – whether the office or the kitchen table – is full of additional stresses. How can managers better manage employee wellbeing? -
The Sound of Silence: Managing Interruptions in the Workplace
The ideal workspace isn’t just about a tidy desk or the right digital tools. It’s creating the perfect environment for your brain to focus. -
Spotlight: Monina Wagner of CMI talks social media for events in 2020
Spotlight: Monina Wagner of Content Marketing Institute talks social media for events in 2020. -
Community Education: Four Lessons for Better Forums and Groups
Before the arrival of social media groups and hashtags, online communities were all about chat rooms and message boards. But some lessons remain constant. -
Fact or Fiction: The Battle for Truthiness in Social Media
Accuracy in social media might seem like an impossible goal – but getting the facts right is essential if you want to retain the trust of your audience. -
Do you really need a business website or can you get by with just social media?
When a business can find and interact with customers, publish content and even sell products in social media, what’s the website for? Quite a lot. -
Stuck on Repeat: Why automatic reposting is a bad idea
Don't come off as spammy by reposting content over and over. Some situations DO call for reposting but here's how you can do it without looking like a bot. -
Writing for social media: Sarah Mitchell from Typeset explains how to create quality social copy
Content writer Sarah Mitchell believes marketers don’t treat the writing of social media posts with the same importance as the content they promote. -
Sharing ≠ Engagement: How to gauge content reach & effectiveness
Your social media sharing metrics might look impressive, but they’re probably not the best indicator of whether your content is actually any good. -
Digital Shortcuts: Ready-made assistants, not human replacements
Marketing automation is everywhere, including social media. But relying too much on automation can undermine the quality of your social media marketing. -
How to manage internet trolls and frustrated customers – AND how to tell them apart
There's a difference between a social media troll and a follower with a legitimate complaint. And getting it wrong can potentially make things worse. -
Crossposting: It’s not enough for marketers to COPE on social media
Every social media platform has its own style, quirks, strengths and weaknesses, rewarding marketers willing to tailor their content and strategy for each. -
Spotlight: Buddy Scalera on Visual Strategies for Social Media
Content strategist and comic book writer Buddy Scalera knows a thing or two about visual content strategy. Want to get more from your social media images? -
Self care for social media moderators
Social media moderators routinely expose themselves to all kinds of negativity so the rest of us don’t have to. But they’re not invulnerable to harm. -
How many social networks do you need?
With so many social networks available, it’s tempting to see each one as another opportunity, another channel to add to the toolkit. But should we? -
Debunking the Myth of Brand Awareness
Brand awareness is the most common goal cited by social media marketers. But without a way to measure it, can brand awareness still be called a goal?
