Blog & Community Management w/ Lisa Dougherty @BrandLoveLLC of @CMIContent #VCBuzz

Last week we chatted with @_Sians, Editor of @TweakYourBiz and today we are gaining even more insight into multi-author blog management and community building!

Please meet Lisa Dougherty @BrandLoveLLC of @CMIContent!

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About Lisa Dougherty

Lisa is a creative marketing leader with over 18 years experience. She is doing Blog & Community Management of @CMIContent, the hugest content marketing resource out there!

Connect with Lisa on LinkedIn, Facebook

Questions we discussed

Q1 For how long have you been managing @CMIContent editorial and community?

I’ve been managing the @cmicontent #blog for almost 2 years. The content marketing community is the best!

Who else manages a multi-author #blog and for how long?

@BrandLoveLLC I used to be the only one managing Search Engine Journal (80+ contributors!) #vcbuzz

— Ann Smarty (@seosmarty) June 7, 2016

@seosmarty Holy cow! #vcbuzz

— Lisa Dougherty (@BrandLoveLLC) June 7, 2016

@BrandLoveLLC yeah some of my best friends are from those times (former and current contributors).Was managing it for 4 years or so #vcbuzz

— Ann Smarty (@seosmarty) June 7, 2016

Q2 What are @CMIContent editorial standards? How do you encourage contributors to stick to it without hurting anyone’s ego?

@cmicontent’s editorial guidelines are here. We have strong blog guidelines.

• Post/share them.
• Include what your tone of voice is and what isn’t.
• Include examples.
• Offer specific feedback if topic is good and post is written well.
• Send examples of top-performing posts.
• Be kind but honest. No need to nurse an ego.

A2 Set up an Editorial / Social Calendar that gives targeted audience great content! #vcbuzz

— Debi Norton (@BRAVOMedia1) June 7, 2016

.@BrandLoveLLC @cmicontent has one of the smoothest editorial processes I am aware of. And I contribute a lot! #vcbuzz

— Ann Smarty (@seosmarty) June 7, 2016

That’s so nice to hear. Thank you!!

@jessytroy I’m totally biased, but here’s a great post chock full of editorial templates: https://t.co/w3UCp52cLd #vcbuzz

— Lisa Dougherty (@BrandLoveLLC) June 7, 2016

Just because a post is not a great fit for our blog, doesn’t mean it’s not a great post. We need to stay true to our mission.

@BrandLoveLLC Exactly! Plus even the greatest authors make errors and need editors! #vcbuzz

— Ann Smarty (@seosmarty) June 7, 2016

I always feel so bad sending rejections. Sending examples of what performs well on the blog helps guide the writer.

Q3 What are the biggest mistakes you saw @CMIContent contributors making?

• Blindly submitting a post w/o doing any research on the site.

Editors can tell when you haven’t read their #blog guidelines. Easy way to find blog guidelines: search “site name + contribute”.

• Fail to follow site instructions for pitching.

It can make an editor wary of working with you.

• Biggest mistake contributors make is too much brand or self-promotion.

Promotional content will turn off an editor.

Focus on info, not on promo… #vcbuzz

— Don Sturgill (@DonSturgill) June 7, 2016

• Be patient.

Because of the amount of submissions/emails a busy #blog gets, give the editor a week before following up.

A3 Avoid those automatic follow-up. They may be huge turn-off (especially when the come two days after the pitch!) #vcbuzz

— Ann Smarty (@seosmarty) June 7, 2016

I usually send examples of posts with similar topic so the author can see what’s been covered. New angles are welcome!

A3 Pitch one article once (if you have to send an article instead of an idea first) #vcbuzz

— Jessy Troy (@jessytroy) June 7, 2016

Some editors take a month to reply and I have no problem following up too. Everyone is busy + emails get lost / missed! #vcbuzz

— Ann Smarty (@seosmarty) June 7, 2016

@BrandLoveLLC Do you like follow-ups on Twitter or are those disturbing? Always feel cautious using social media to ping editors #vcbuzz

— Jessy Troy (@jessytroy) June 7, 2016

I prefer email to Twitter so it makes it easier to follow up

Q4 For writers wanting to guest blog for a new site: How to write an irresistible article for your editors to be impressed? Which efforts do you most appreciate as a multi-author blog manager?

• Is the post prescriptive?
• Targeted to experienced enterprise marketers?
• Are there loads of examples/screenshots?
• Did the author read through recent posts to get a sense of the type of content that’s published?
• Did author take time to check out our About Us page to personalize intro email?
• Or does it say “Dear blog”?
• Humanize yourself!
• Did author review the blog’s technical elements?
• Send in requested format, images, Bio, Gravatar? It makes it easier to process.

Q5 What tools would you recommend blog managers use? What tools make your life easier?

Love Gmail Lab’s Canned Responses for emails I send over and over again. Life-changing productivity hack! Also use Gmail Lab’s Boomerang to schedule follow up emails. It works great and saves my sanity.

A simple tool like Excel for your editorial calendar makes a blog manager’s life much easier.

@cmicontent uses Dropbox and Google Docs for editorial team collaboration. Makes editing process easier.

Couldn’t live without @buzzsumo & @trackmaven for social shares + performance + opportunities.

Love @google Page Analytics Chrome extension to see in page link performance: LOL More Google!

@cmicontent uses Disqus to monitor conversations + control spam on the blog.

Dropbox, Google Docs, Canva… RT @seosmarty: Q5 BUZZERS, add your favorite tools! #vcbuzz

— Jessy Troy (@jessytroy) June 7, 2016

Q6 How do you keep @CMIContent contributors engaged? How do you encourage them to promote the article, reply to comments, etc.?

Collaboration is key 2 success. Give easy ideas 2 promote such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook. #vcbuzz pic.twitter.com/rYQ8lunD0S

— Lisa Dougherty (@BrandLoveLLC) June 7, 2016

@cmicontent team promotes posts 2. Our social queen @moninaw drafts tweets 4 social platforms so everyone can spread em around.

A6 Always tag your contributor in a tweet once their article goes live! Fastest way to engage! #vcbuzz

— Ann Smarty (@seosmarty) June 7, 2016

A6: We give back: Monthly “top blogger” Twitter mentions, social promotion, start-to-finish communication #vcbuzz pic.twitter.com/fGlPLIXFAf

— Lisa Dougherty (@BrandLoveLLC) June 7, 2016

@BrandLoveLLC Do you re-use tweets? I mean tweeting the same article a few times? #vcbuzz

— Jessy Troy (@jessytroy) June 7, 2016

Yes. Both myself and @cmicontent social.

A6: We feature contributors in roundup posts for more exposure & tag them on #socialmedia channels. #vcbuzz pic.twitter.com/L04wvc3SxH

— Lisa Dougherty (@BrandLoveLLC) June 7, 2016

For crowdsourced & posts w/ featured authors, we include pre-written tweets in preview emails 2 help w/promotion.

Regularly promote author’s articles on my personal social media channels & tag authors.

Email authors so they know when they have their first #blog comment. An active community is key to engagement.

A6 Very important for blogs to give back! e.g. “most popular monthly contributors”, free “press” passes to events, holiday gifts… #vcbuzz

— Ann Smarty (@seosmarty) June 7, 2016

Q7 When dealing with multiple authors, how to keep yourself accountable and productive? What’s your productivity routine?

To stay on top of my inbox, I tackle the majority of emails 2-3 times a week for a defined period of time.

Our editorial team meets weekly to conquer our submissions queue and deal with concerns.

Prioritized blog submissions we know are going to work and schedule them first.

Always work ahead to save your sanity. I try to schedule posts at least 4 weeks out.

Always have a backup plan in case a blog post falls through last minute or editing process is taking too long.

Make go/no go decisions early in submission review process; limit feedback to posts we know will work.

@BrandLoveLLC what’s your backup plan? Do you have some extra content handy? #vcbuzz

— Ann Smarty (@seosmarty) June 7, 2016

Yes! Since we plan 3-4 weeks out, I have backup post ready to go.

A7 If I know I’ll be traveling, I may schedule 8 weeks ahead #vcbuzz

— Ann Smarty (@seosmarty) June 7, 2016

Lisa, how long does it normally take after an article is accepted before it is published? #vcbuzz

— Don Sturgill (@DonSturgill) June 7, 2016

If the post doesn’t need much editing, usually about a month or so since we schedule out 3-4 weeks. More like 4-6 weeks due to editorial review.

Lisa. Great to see on the chat. What kind of posts are the most successful on the CMI blog? #vcbuzz

— Tom Treanor (@RtMixMktg) June 7, 2016

The posts that do the best are actionable/how to tips that enterprise marketers can walk away with.

Our previous blog management chats:

• Twitter Chat with @RuudHein on High-Profile Blog Management #VCBuzz
• Blog Launch Tips: Twitter Chat with Ricky Figueroa @LaunchInsider #VCBuzz
• Content Efficiency Twitter Chat with Sherry Smith Gray @sherisaid #VCBuzz
• Set up Membership Site: Twitter Chat with @KathrynAragon #VCBuzz