129: Content Marketing Like a Boss with Clare McDermott

Productivity tools can save you incredible amounts of time when you find and use the right ones correctly. Here to help you streamline your productivity procedures is Clare McDermott. Clare was the chief editor at Chief Content Officer Magazine, and is just opening a brand new business, Mantis Research. She’s a productivity tool junkie, an expert content marketer and chief editor, and a skilled demand generator. She’ll talk about all these topics and more in an accessible conversation that will help anyone become more productive.

Find Out More About Clare Here:

Clare McDermott on LinkedIn
Mantis Research

 

In This Episode: [01:11] - Clare talks about content marketing and her experience as a chief editor at Chief Content Officer Magazine. [04:06] - When does Clare think that content marketing as a discipline began? [07:20] - Clare digs what demand generation is, and how it differs from content marketing. In response, Stephan shares a quick story to see whether it would fit Clare’s definition of demand generation. [13:02] - Clare responds to Stephan’s example, and Stephan then points out that demand generation was a critical strategy for the growth of his business. [14:26] - We hear more about the differences (or similarities) between demand generation and content marketing. [17:44] - Research shows that students still learn better from print than screens, Clare points out in answer to why the magazine is still in print instead of only digital. [20:15] - How did Clare find the right people to interview for articles? [22:04] - Did it ever work for a thought leader to reach out to Clare directly and pitch themselves as an interview subject? [22:47] - Stephan shares a related story about something he was working on with a client. [25:15] - Clare points out that it’s important to look at what other people are publishing to see if there’s traction to the idea. [27:56] - Rarely is the bio relevant, Clare says, then explains what she means. [30:21] - Clare herself doesn’t generally use HARO, she explains, but knows people who have used it successfully. [30:41] - We hear about how Clare’s tool upgrade has affected both her professional and personal life. She then lists some of the tools that she uses. [35:45] - Clare has used Asana, but is starting to rethink it because it’s sometimes too complicated. [38:03] - Stephan shares his own trusted system for getting things done, which involves using Things (for Mac). Clare then recommends The Emergent Task Planner. [41:22] - Other than the one she has just managed, Clare doesn’t use paper planners. [43:36] - Clare talks about the risk of your productivity tools becoming unproductive and taking up (instead of saving) time. [44:38] - We move from productivity to market research tools, with Clare talking about some of the tools she uses for this purpose. [47:39] - For now, Clare’s team is using Google Docs for their writing. [48:34] - Are there any other tools that Clare wants to mention for other purposes? [51:41] - Clare talks about where listeners can find her to work with her or her new company.

 

Links and Resources: Clare McDermott on LinkedIn Mantis Research Chief Content Officer Magazine Joe Pulizzi Content Marketing Institute Content Marketing World The Optimized Geek HARO G2 Crowd Product Hunt 16 Apps and Tools to Keep You Productive and Sane by Clare McDermott Airtable Todoist Asana Mike Vardy on the Optimized Geek Things The Emergent Task Planner John Lee Dumas on Marketing Speak John Lee Dumas on the Optimized Geek The Mastery Journal by John Lee Dumas The Freedom Journal by John Lee Dumas Day One SurveyGizmo Tableau Wrike BuzzSumo Grammarly Insight Timer Focus@Will Will Henshall on the Optimized Geek RescueTime