Local Marketers Learn How to Boost Digital Content Strategy

Karel Mc Intosh, Lead Communications Trainer of Livewired Group.

Creating quality content is one of the biggest challenges communicators face in social media marketing.

They sometimes feel overwhelmed, unsure of what content will hook audiences and meet business objectives. Some don’t even have a content strategy.

This isn’t unique to the Caribbean, however. Research shows that marketers in Europe and the US are facing this challenge as well.

To help marketers and corporate communicators master content strategy and social media copywriting, Livewired Group, a communications training agency, will host “Branded Conversations: Writing & Creating Content for Social Media Marketing” on July 1-2 at the T&T Chamber of Industry and Commerce.

“Branded Conversations” teaches communicators how to define their brand’s content strategy, create original branded content, write likeable social media posts and web copy, and design visual content – including infographics. Communicators will also learn how to tailor content to different buyer personas, and repurpose content across different social media channels. This is the second time the workshop is being hosted.

Cycle 1, which took place in May 2014, was sold out. Marketers from companies like Guardian Group, First Citizens, eTecK, Angostura Limited, and prominent advertising agencies attended, immersing themselves in interactive, practical activities. They brainstormed new ideas and content formats, and spent numerous sessions writing different types of short and long-form copy.

“Social media has forced marketers and corporate communicators to significantly improve their writing and content creation skills,” says Karel Mc Intosh, Livewired Group’s Lead Communications Trainer, who will facilitate training on both days. “From tweets and Facebook posts, to blogs, e-mails, infographics, and landing pages, marketers have to produce a range of content. They also have to battle the challenges of figuring out what type of content gets results, and how to produce quality content with a limited staff and budget.”

An all-rounder in marketing communications, with 14 years’ experience in marketing, media, and corporate communications, Mc Intosh has carved a versatile path.

Her accomplishments include placing as a finalist for “Magazine Launch of the Year” at the 2010 Global Digital Magazine Awards for Outlish.com. Outlish is a feisty, Trini, online magazine, which she founded and nurtured to an average monthly readership of 20,000 persons, comprising mostly locals and Trini and Caribbean Diaspora. The Global Digital Magazine Awards highlights titles that are innovators in online and digital publishing in their respective markets, and is judged by media powerhouses such as Microsoft UK, WIRED Magazine, and The Guardian (UK). Mc Intosh was also the first Trinidadian to be accepted into the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship.

Karel conducts communications training and consultancy for clients like Neal & Massy Limited, the Barbados Shipping & Trading Company, First Citizens, and the National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago. She has also served on the International Advisory Board for the International Association of Business Communicator’s flagship magazine, Communications World. Additionally, she holds an MSc in Corporate Communications (Distinction) from The University of West London (UK – formerly Thames Valley University).

“Content strategy is pivotal to success in content marketing, but so many companies don’t have one,” she explains. “That’s why you see so many Facebook pages that sound the same, with no distinctive brand personality or value. A random meme might get you some likes, but the real challenge is creating content that builds customers’ trust and drives revenue.

“We’re teaching communicators how to connect strategy, content, and customers, so that they don’t waste their time and money on ineffective content marketing. We’re teaching them how reap better results from their social media marketing, and the bonus is that they can apply these new skills to offline content as well.”

For more information, and to register for this workshop, call 749-6027, email Karel @livewiredgroup.com, or visit the company’s website.