#ContentChat is a weekly Twitter chat focused on all things content marketing. Last week, Erika Heald, Maureen Jann, and a host of other content-minded professionals gathered to discuss attribution and the challenge of measuring how content marketing contributes to reaching business goals.

Attribution. Can you think of another term that evokes such stammering discomfort from so many marketing professionals—all in four short syllables? The ambiguity involved in deciding on an attribution model and measuring its results can feel totally overwhelming—so much so that many organizations end up haphazardly choosing an approach and hoping for the best.

Dear readers: take a look around at your environment (then come back to this post, please!). I’m guessing that for many of you, there’s a bottle of water not too far away. You may be drinking it as you read. Maybe you're in a restaurant or coffee shop, where purchasing a bottle of water is an option, or in a home where the fridge has at least one bottle (or even a case) of the stuff. ​

Bottles of water are everywhere, the fact remains. Many of us reflexively grab one on the way out the door, despite environmental ramifications (buy a reusable one, they're great!).​ ​​Have you ever wondered: what story was told about bottled water that made it so ubiquitous?

I’m facing two big milestones this month.  One that has come and gone and another one is around the corner.  I have been in full-time business for a year as of July 1st and I’m turning 40 as of July 17th.  

Who knew that July would be fraught with so much meaning? Isn’t this supposed to be the happy-go-lucky month where the sun finally comes out in Seattle and it’s semi-acceptable to drink a ice-cold lager at 3 in the afternoon?

Back in May, I was the expert on Erika Heald’s tweetchat #ContentChat about customer personas, and since then I’ve been sharing the highlights of the conversation in a series of blogs. Part 1 was about what you need to know before you start the process of persona development. Part 2 focused on getting to know your customers. In this, the final installment, I’m talking about pulling together all of that work you did to finally create your customer personas. Enjoy!

Early in May, I was the expert on Erika Heald’s tweetchat #ContentChat. The topic was a deep dive on personas: why they’re important, what (and who) who you need to create them, and how to put them into a format that’s usable and helpful. The conversation was so rich I felt compelled to share some of the highlights — and there were a lot! In Part 1 of the blog series, I covered what you need to know before you start the process of persona development. Now, in Part 2, we’ll dig in and focus on getting to know your customers!  And if you're interested in skipping ahead, read Part 3 . 

​Early in May, I was the expert on Erika Heald’s tweetchat #ContentChat. The topic was a deep dive on personas: why they’re important, what (and who) who you need to create them, and how to put them into a format that’s usable and helpful. The conversation was so rich I felt compelled to share some of the highlights — and there were a lot! Following is Part 1 of the chat highlights, where we focus on what you need to know before you ever start thinking about your customers: defining some commonly-used terminology, then working to understand yourself and your competitors.  We have tons more about personas in part 2 and part 3, so keep reading!

Last week I was delighted to be featured on the Content Marketing World tweetchat #CMWorld. If you see me around, you probably know I’m on da twitterverse as @SuperDeluxeMo (look me up! Let’s be friends!) The focus echoed what I’ll be talking about at Content Marketing World during my solo session: turning employees into thought leaders.

Although the whole “what is a thought leader” question might seem like a boring old “state of the union” question, I think it’s actually an interesting opportunity to dig a little deeper.

​I’m in the process of choosing a social media platform.  What’s clear is having a process is going to make this easier.  If you’re a small business owner or leading a small marketing team, you’re probably tired and don’t have time for this kind of nonsense.  That’s why I’ve put together a framework that might help you narrow down your social media tool choices based on your specific needs. Here goes! 

This is not an exhaustive list of social media management tools.  Those exist.  I won’t be recreating them.  See them here, here, and here.

I get that question a lot – and my answer is probably not as straightforward as you’d like.  The good news is: a lot of people have already documented best practices for this subject.  There's no need for me to reinvent the wheel when it comes to social media frequency statistics, but I will provide you with a few choice resources to help you make decisions:

• Infographic: How often should you post on social media? – Buffer
• How Often to Post on Social Media – Proven Research from 14 Studies – CoSchedule 
• How Frequently You Should Post on Social Media According to the Pros – Forbes 

This week I had an opportunity to be a moderator and presenter at Startup Week Seattle, Techstars. Today’s talk, Big Marketing, Little Budget was a sexy little title that didn’t really bely the meaty nature of the topic. What it all boiled down to, is that marketing for startups is about in helping your market understand why they should trust your business.  And that’s no easy project.