Masters of Content: Recent Episodes
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On Masters of Content, we discuss the experiences and ideas behind what’s working in the content industry – including creation, management, and the rapidly changing digital experience. You’ll hear interviews with thought leaders who have compelling stories to share, filled with new insights for marketing leaders and digital experience gurus who are passionate about finding the best ideas out there to do their work better. Episodes will feature topics such as: content production from A to Z, ideas to improve on your creative operations, exclusive tips from leading analysts, and talks with the experts covering more technical topics such as digital asset and product information management.
Your ideal buyer is already having a conversation. They might even be having a conversation about your product or service.
That’s why it’s so important to consistently churn out relevant content, so that you’re right in front of them when they’re ready to buy.
But how do you figure out what to write about?
Shondell Varcianna, CEO & Founder at Varci Media, has a fool-proof method for finding content topics worth writing about, and she shares it in this episode along with other tips and tricks for starting content production.
We discuss:
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Why personalized writing is so important
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Creating relevant content with consistency
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Handling multiple channels at once
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Tips for starting content production
Find more interviews like this by subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Masters of Content in your favorite podcast player.
The term “Unified Commerce” has been around for some time.
Though the vision for what it could accomplish was appealing, the tech just wasn’t there to make it a reality.
Modern Commerce, however, has proven to be a realistic way of accomplishing the utopian vision of unified commerce.
In this episode, host Josh Van Dyk talks with Filip Lindwall , Head of Sales and Sustainability Advocate at Columbus Sverige , about the concept of modern commerce.
We also discuss:
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The rules and benefits of modern commerce
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Why breaking down silos is so important
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Why people are shifting over to a content hub
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Initial steps for transitioning to modern commerce
Check out these resources mentioned during the podcast:
- Radically Smarter Commerce Podcast
For the entire interview, tune in on Apple Podcasts , Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Masters of Content in your favorite podcast player.
Content must be useful or it won't work.
What makes content useful to a consumer?
In this episode, host Josh Van Dyk and Ian Truscott , Head Of Content - iManage , discuss how to create useful content and where to make it accessible to consumers.
We also discuss:
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Why you shouldn't post content on five channels right from the start
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Marketing technology as the backbone of content
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How to make content more accessible to customers
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Staying informed about content marketing
Reach out to Ian on LinkedIn.
For the entire interview, tune in on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or wherever you get podcasts.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Masters of Content in your favorite podcast player.
Is your digital asset management system (DAM) really working for you?
It's a question that many content teams ask themselves.
Another one: how do you even know which DAM solution is right for you?
In this episode, host Josh Van Dyk and Chris Leaman , VP Solution Architecture at Emmsphere Plus, set out to answer those questions and more.
We also discuss:
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The challenges around digital asset management protection
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Technical challenges like performance issues
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Intangibles to consider
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Getting approval for a DAM
Reach out to Chris at chris.leaman@emmesphereplus.com.
For the entire interview, tune in on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or wherever you get podcasts.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Masters of Content in your favorite podcast player.
What do a blindfolded hawk and a marketing team without consumer insights have in common?
They’re flying blind.
Consumer research is the special sauce that helps you keep your finger on the pulse of customer needs.
In this episode, host Josh Van Dyk interviews Laura Cunningham, Senior Manager - Integrated Marketing at Stitchfix, about the varied sources of consumer insights available to marketers.
We also discuss:
The drivers of consideration
How the customer journey informs content creation
Why a lot of COVID-aware and BLM marketing felt inauthentic
How to stay aware of customer needs
For the entire interview, tune in on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or wherever you get podcasts.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Masters of Content in your favorite podcast player.
The role of creative operations isn’t about dictating how things should be done.
It’s about support — supporting your team and supporting the incredible processes that are already occurring.
And it’s also about empowering your team to create those systems.
In this episode, our host, Josh Van Dyk, interviews Helaine Bach , Marketing Creative Operations Manager at Thrasio , about how she approaches the role of creative operations.
We also discuss:
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How Thrasio helps fulfilled-by-Amazon businesses scale their brand
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How studying design was great preparation for an operations role
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Keeping it all together with systems around asset storage
Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:
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The Coding Train on YouTube
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@helainebach on Instagra m
For the entire interview, tune in on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Masters of Content in your favorite podcast player.
As creative operations people are creating something, they can't walk down the hall anymore and say, “Hey, take a look at this…”
Because now, everybody is spread out working remotely or working from home.
This shift only increases the need for community and solutions that allow workflows to happen across so many different locations.
In this episode, host Josh Van Dyk interviews Milly Louch, Marketing & Communications Manager at Henry Stewart Events, about using virtual events to create community for digital asset management and creative operations teams.
We also discuss:
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How Henry Stewart Events got into the Digital Asset Management space.
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Audience numbers during 2020 versus 2021.
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The challenges that come with building a sustainable community.
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How to be innovative and maintain consistency in creative processes.
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Benefits of leaning into a niche base.
This discussion with Milly Louch, Marketing & Communications Manager at Henry Stewart Events, was taken from our show Masters of Content.
For the entire interview, tune in on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts.
Most companies are very sales-heavy or very marketing-heavy.
And while those two departments should complement each other, they have an adverse relationship in many organizations.
What’s the best way to build relationships, culture, and collaboration across departments for better customer value?
In this episode, Josh Van Dyk interviews Chris Rack, Chief Revenue Officer at Demand Science & President at PureB2B, about bridging the gap between marketing and sales.
We also discuss:
- Sales strategies worth the time investment
- Insights on customization at scale
- Valuable tools for lead generation
- Adapting to Google 2022
- Trends B2B brands should take advantage of in 2021
For the entire interview, tune in on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts.
Sourcing, hiring, and managing freelancers for your business is a frustrating task.
You want to invest in the right people who will help you craft messaging that actually fits your voice and drives results.
But sometimes it’s hard to know where to start.
In this episode, host Josh Van Dyk interviews Zack Holland, CEO & Founder at SelectFew, about how to hire the right freelancers that produce content that creates connection and drive the business results you care about.
We also discuss:
- How leaders can encourage ethical behavior in their organizations.
- How they discover their freelancers and determine pricing.
- The best way to measure content marketing results.
For the entire interview, tune in on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts.
In a time when content marketing is becoming more and more popular, how do you differentiate your brand from other content marketers in your industry?
In this episode, Josh interviews Anastasia Ushakova, Team Lead and Brand Strategist at AJ&Smart, about her content marketing journey and lessons she learned from building a content brand strategy.
We also discuss:
- How to measure content marketing results.
- A better way to do product design.
- The three pillars of content.
- Common content marketing mistakes.
For the entire interview, tune in on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts
Most people didn’t go in a straight line to get to the role they’re in.
It’s what they did throughout their career journey that helped develop them and determine their destination.
In this episode, Josh Van Dyk sits down with Lauren Pope, Content Marketing Manager at Oracle, about her content marketing journey and the lessons she learned along the way.
We also discuss:
- Her path from writer to content marketing manager at Oracle
- How she organically grew a community presence on her personal blog
- Simple strategies that work better than SEO hacks
- Why Lauren promotes ungated, high value content
For the entire interview, tune in on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts.
A few years ago AI seemed elusive.
But today, we’re seeing it really take form, whether through facial recognition, content automation, or big data analysis.
If we’re going to keep up with this evolution, we have to be curious around what’s changing.
Today, Josh Van Dyk chats with Michael Myers, Digital Marketing Professor at the University of Denver, about evolving AI and machine learning capabilities and how to utilize them.
We also discuss:
- How AI and machine learning can work together
- Examples of content produced by AI
- What processes shouldn’t be automated
- How AI can help us better reach business goals
For the entire interview, tune in on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts.
Staying relevant in a fast-paced environment and with your consumers will determine how well you flourish as a brand. The question is…how do you stay relevant?
In this episode, we talk about this and more as Josh Van Dyk talks to Allen Adamson, who most recently co-founded Metaforce.com and released ‘Shift Ahead,’ a book on how to stay relevant in this fast-changing world we live in.
We also talked about:
- Staying focused on your North Star and understanding how to tell your story
- Most valuable memories from working with companies like P&G in advertising
- Understanding how to best use customer insights in storytelling
- How do you become a lasting, successful brand from a ‘Buzz Idea’?
For the entire interview, tune in to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts. Find Allen Adamson on LinkedIn or send him an email at Allen@Metaforce.com.
Question: What happens when you're a writer with no leadership training and you start to lead a team?
Answer: You learn or burn.
In this episode, host Josh Van Dyk talks about how to build and lead a content team with Erin Balsa, director of marketing at The Predictive Index.
We delved into:
- How to use The Predictive Index to build out a team
- Assets that create awareness
- The most rewarding way to approach content creation
For the entire interview, tune in on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts.
Find Josh Van Dyk on LinkedIn or send him an email.
When it comes to SEO, people are always searching for the golden ticket. How can I rank on page 1 for my keywords?
But SEO doesn't happen overnight. And it doesn't work unless you do. Somehow, your SEO research has to turn into a story people will consume.
In this episode, Josh talks about SEO storytelling with Rachel Abraham who most recently served as the senior in-house content editor at HomeAdvisor.
We also discuss:
- The relative pros and cons of building an in-house team vs. hiring freelancers
- Top automation tools for the SEO pro
- What to look for when hiring a content editor or writer
- Algorithm changes and how they influence the online reading experience
For the entire interview, tune in on Apple Podcasts, Spotify , or wherever you get podcasts.
Find Josh Van Dyk on LinkedIn or send him an email.
Content creators work with a huge array of assets. They craft, improve, and push their content into the world over and over again.
But what happens when they make a mistake? Or can't find that content they’ve worked tirelessly on?
To prevent the worst from happening, they need a DAM system. DAM stands for digital asset management, and it's a more powerful approach than you may think.
In this episode, we geek out on DAM with Kristina Huddart, who has served as a consultant in the DAM industry for the last eight years.
We also discuss:
- Kristina's career trajectory from swimming with alligators to managing DAM
- How to know if you need a DAM system
- What to do when your DAM isn't working well
- Mistake-proofing your approach to DAM selection
For the entire interview, tune in on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wh erever you get podcasts.
Find Josh Van Dyk on LinkedIn or send him an email.
Big B2B enterprises push out a lot of content.
It's like they’ve created a content factory that churns out a high volume of personalized work that reaches the right people. You can do that, too.
In this episode, our very own Josh Van Dyk dives into the nuts and bolts of creating a content factory with Fracisco Ruiz, senior vice president at EMMsphere and writer at Brutal Business.
We also discuss:
- How to pick the right software vendor
- Tips on deploying content automation software
- Commonly held myths about user adoption
- The #1 most important step in building a content factory
For the entire interview, tune in on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts.
Find Josh on LinkedIn or send him an email.
2020 taught us to future-proof our businesses.
Ironically, future-proofing looks a lot like digging into the fundamentals, such as putting the needs of your customer first.
In this episode, we jump into Josh's "wayback machine" (listen for it) with Justin Gray, CEO at LeadMD, to talk about pivoting during COVID and what's ahead for content marketers.
We also discuss:
- Justin’s career path and the unique value LeadMD brings its marketing and sales clients
- The major pivots LeadMD made in response to COVID
- How to expand your definition of success to be in-line with your client’s outcomes
- The problems that misalignment in messaging can create
For the entire interview, tune in on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts.
Find Josh on LinkedIn or send him an email.
Meaningful content strategy is asking the question “Why?”
Why are we doing this? Who is it for? What is our goal?
Once you are able to answer those questions, and create a framework around them, that is when you will see success within your marketing strategy.
This is one of the many content strategy ideas Joe Cardillo, Content Marketing Manager at Ureeka, and I cover on this episode of Masters of Content. We dive even deeper into:
- Investing in and using content marketing effectively
- Getting started in content strategy and marketing
- How to think about breaking up large content into micro-content
Find this interview and more by subscribing to Masters of Content on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your preferred podcast player.
What’s a great way to both continuously gain more knowledge and produce more content?
Start a podcast.
In this introductory episode, Rita Richa, a producer at Sweet Fish Media, interviews Josh Van Dyk, VP of Sales North America for censhare and host of Masters of Content, about what led him to start this show.
They also discuss:
- Josh Van Dyk’s martech background and his role with censhare
- His mission to advance his knowledge and become a master of content
- Who censhare works with and what they do
- What listeners can expect in future episodes
For the entire interview, tune in on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts.
Find Josh on LinkedIn, or send him an email.