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Our lives and work require so much of us. It’s sometimes hard to know what to focus on. But underneath all that is you. And there’s no greater return on investment than the expertise and skills you learn when investing in yourself.

Yearly conferences are a wonderful way to level up your writing, marketing, and tech skills while boosting your creativity. You learn, network, and open yourself up to new possibilities. Plus, you make connections that can last a lifetime.

But, with so many conferences out there, it can be hard to know where to put your time and money. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the top freelance conferences for creatives in 2025 so you can decide what’s right for you.

Top Freelance Conferences and Creative Professionals

South by Southwest

Dates: Mar. 7-15, 2025

Location: Austin, Texas

Cost: $730-$1,695

Sponsor: SXSW

Description: The SXSW® Conference began to help creatives achieve their goals by celebrating the film and music industries.

South by Southwest is one of the go-to top freelance conferences for creatives now. It’s a hub for industry leaders and artists to celebrate technology, film, music, art, and comedy. There are many opportunities to meet people and connect at festivals, meetups, and parties. You can listen to keynote speeches from industry leaders, change things up, and customize your schedule from the wealth of workshops, roundtable sessions, and media events. There’s something for everyone.

Great for: Writers, authors, artists, filmmakers, YouTubers, musicians

Startup Grind’s Global Conference

Dates: April 29-30, 2025

Location: Silicon Valley, California

Cost: Tickets are $149-$599

Sponsor: StartupGrind

Description: The Startup Grind Conference is an annual gathering of startup teams from around the world. Startup Grind is a community of over one million entrepreneurs across 120+ countries. It’s a great entry point for freelancers trying to get their careers off the ground and connect with like-minded people. It’s attended by everyone from Forbes to Slack to Facebook. It encourages space to network, brainstorm, and build relationships with people looking to take their careers to the next level.

Great for: Business owners, startup founders, creative entrepreneurs

Social Innovation Summit

Dates: June 3-4, 2025

Location: Chicago, IL

Cost: Full-conference pass $1,895; single-day passes $1,295

Sponsor: Landmark Ventures

Description: The Social Innovation Summit is a conference about action. It encourages a space to explore the next big idea and start building it instead of just discussing it. It curates a calendar of topics that all center on innovation. It covers everything from the impact of AI to the new leading practices in business. This is the place to go if you’re looking to take your freelancing to the forefront of your industry and make an impact. Previous speakers include Mark Cuban and Van Jones.

Great for: Entrepreneurs

Creative Pro Week

Dates: June 2-6, 2025

Location: Phoenix, Arizona (and online)

Cost: $845+ for one-day pass, $2,695+ for full five days; virtual passes $395+

Sponsor: Creative Pro Network

Description: This is one for the freelance designers. Creative Pro Week focuses on creating a learning environment where you can get your pressing Adobe design and publishing questions answered. It covers tips and tricks for all proficiency levels and encourages a warm networking environment. Through their workshops, you can take your design to the next level by learning how to increase the quality of images, create digital documents, design the best layouts, and more.

Great for: Graphic designers, artists, and publishers

Adobe Summit

Dates: March 17-20, 2025

Location: Las Vegas, Nevada (and online)

Cost: Passes range from $1,895-$2,295 (some sessions available for free for online participants)

Sponsor: Adobe

Description: Adobe Summit is a conference covering everything from generative AI to personalization at scale. It’s an epicenter of creativity, curating labs, and workshops led by some of the top industry leaders. Adobe Summit is an excellent choice to level up your skills, learn new trends and technology, and boost your career. There is also a lot of space for networking opportunities to help you share and develop new ideas.

Great for: Creative directors, digital marketers, content creators, content strategists, writers, and business strategists

HOW Design Live

Dates: TBD

Location: TBD

Cost: TBA

Sponsor: HOW Design

Description: Helping designers to be more creative and inspired, HOW Design Live began as a design magazine and expanded to help designers build connections and improve their skills. This conference is for designers and creative leaders who want to make a positive impact. HOW presents opportunities to test-drive new technologies and gain insight to benefit your clients and team. Vendors share implementable resource materials with attendees. It’s a great place to collaborate on projects that can lead to lifelong business connections and partnerships.

Great for: Business owners, designers, creative leaders

Things to consider for your 2025 conferences

When you’re considering the top freelance conferences, think about the return on your investment. You want it to be worth your time and money. Whichever conference you choose, you should leave feeling empowered by the experience.

Don’t forget to consider the distance, travel time, and hotel options. Always check conference websites to see if they suggest hotels or offer discounts for conference attendees. Many conferences also offer early bird pricing — sign up before the specified deadline to save some cash.

At the conference, and when networking, try to relax and be present, and make sure to take great notes. Most of all, have fun learning and growing.

Conferences not for you? Try a writing retreat, where you can find inspiration in a solitary environment.

Freelancing Next Steps

Freelancing is a journey that can come with a lot of pitfalls and challenges. If you’re looking to upgrade your freelancing career, ClearVoice can help. Joining our Talent Network can lead to a wealth of connections and opportunities.

And if you’re wondering how to get better pay and build bridges as a freelancer, check out our guide here.

The post Top Conferences for Freelancers and Creatives in 2025 appeared first on ClearVoice.

While TikTok has taken much of the social media limelight recently, X continues to add new users and has actually risen in popularity with Gen Z—one of the largest pools of consumers. That means it should very much a part of your marketing playbook.

One of the keys to unlocking X is total hashtag mastery. That has always been true and it is still true today, even with the array of changes brought on since going private.

So what does a good hashtag strategy look like on X? Let’s dive in.

Building an effective X (Twitter) hashtag strategy

Hashtags are important on X (It’s OK if you still want to call it Twitter) because they allow users to group topics and conversations. Hashtags help searchers find your content and increase your following.

Here are some best practices when using hashtags:

Don’t overload on hashtags

While you can add many hashtags within the character limit, X recommends no more than two. Choose your hashtags carefully for each post, and make sure to vary them from post to post.

Research the hashtags that are popular with your niche. There are different hashtag types you can use, including the following:

• Brand hashtags: Unique to your brand, such as #nikenews
• Topic hashtags: About the topics you create content around like #skincare, #bohostyle, or #contentconference
• Niche hashtags: Specific to your field of work, such as #veganrecipes or dogtreats
• Daily trends: Topics that are popular on certain days of the week, such as #MotivationMonday
• Current trends: Topics that are popular currently. Could be a news event or holiday like #holidayprep

You could use a brand hashtag and a niche hashtag on one post and a topic hashtag on another. See what combinations work best for your audience.

Get on trends when appropriate

If you click the Explore tag on X you can see what is trending. Look for hashtags that are in line with your brand and content so you can take advantage of trending topics. Remember to add value to the conversation. You can adjust your trends settings and even see local trends.

An easy way to see trends is to visit X on the mobile app. You will see the top five trending topics listed first. Different days will have different trending topics like #TuesdayThoughts or #WisdomWednesday so check often. Do not add popular hashtags to your content if they have no relevance.

Research Your Hashtags

Use a service like RiteTag to find the right hashtags for you based on real-time engagement. Once you have your hashtag strategy in place, it’s time to post.

Create your own hashtag

To help followers find your content you can create a hashtag for your brand or campaign. Your hashtag needs to be easy to spell and easy to remember. Use the explore tab to see if your hashtag idea is already being used.

Retweet your hashtag

When someone does use your branded hashtag, retweet them. Encourage and incentivize followers to use your hashtags.

Participate in X Chats

X chats are a great way to utilize hashtags and build your X community. Schedule these little online events to engage with your target audience on a regular basis. Host a chat for your brand and create a special hashtag for that event. You could make the event a weekly or monthly occurrence. Find other chats to participate in.

Type “X chats for” into Google and then whatever your topic or niche is. Since many people still call the platform “Twitter,” also try your search that way in case it yields better results: “Twitter chats for.”

Pay attention to holidays

Using hashtags for special holidays and occasions is a great way to gain attention, but make sure your tweets are relevant. A good behind-the-scenes post could also be a great choice. Take the opportunity to create a new compelling offer or promotion and use a catchy seasonal hashtag to go along with it.

What is the best time to post on X in 2025?

Many people use X during their work day, which is why you should post during the day.

Here are the best times to post on X, according to Sprout Social research:

• Monday: 10 a.m.–noon
• Tuesday: 9 a.m.–3 p.m.
• Wednesday: 9 a.m.–3 p.m.
• Thursday: 9 a.m.–3 p.m.
• Friday: 10 a.m.–noon

The best days of the week to post on X are Tuesdays through Thursdays — but avoid Sundays because that’s when engagement is the lowest.

Your audience may be different so test for yourself.

How to grow on X

Short, quality content and an effective hashtag strategy will go a long way in building up your X community.

A few more ways to grow:

• Optimize your profile with a clear bio — what you do and why. Also have a clear profile picture and banner.
• Build a strategy of three to five tweets a day. Think story, transformation, tips, and inspiration.
• Comment and engage with your followers. Remember to be sociable and respond to DMs too.

Look at accounts in your field that are smaller than yours and bigger than yours for inspiration. Track what seems to be working for them and what could be better. Are there any gaps that you could fill with your content?

When you share content from others, tag them as mentioned but also add something valuable — why you liked the content or how you plan to implement the tips.

Some bonus tips

For more success with hashtags on X in 2025, employ these bonus tips:

• Complete an audit: If you have not checked your X followers lately, do an audit. Write down who you are reaching, who you want to reach, and the strategic content ideas that will help you get to that audience.
• Engage and be social: If you’re on X to get engagement, you need to give engagement. Find profiles that are supportive of the type of content you put out. Look for accounts that go well with your content but are not direct competitors and engage with those. One way to find them is by looking at content that share the same hashtags you use.
• Use X lists: Use the X list feature to keep track of the profiles that you find. When you share valuable content from others with your audience, tag the author and let your audience know where the content came from. It’s a way to support other profiles and get your brand out there also.

Use the right X hashtag strategy and grow

Whether you call it X or Twitter, when you put a consistent publishing strategy in place with well-written text and engaging graphics, your hashtag strategy will be more effective too.

When creating content for X, remember to be authentic and purposeful. Look at successful accounts in your field not to copy, but for inspiration. Figure out how you can add value to the conversations that are happening.

Need help with content? We’re more than happy to help. Reach out today for managed content production.

The post How to Build an X (Twitter) Hashtag Strategy That Drives Engagement appeared first on ClearVoice.

Probably Google.

Google is the world’s most popular search engine and the most popular website. So much so that in 2006 “Google” was officially recognized as a verb. Google also owns the second-largest search engine, YouTube.

Powerful, for sure.

But did you know there are alternatives to Google that you could be taking advantage of with your SEO?

Bing, Yahoo, and DuckDuckGo are some runner-ups that all have strengths for your content.

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket, as they say. Focusing on Google alone could make you miss out on other key traffic sources.

Here’s how to take advantage of alternative search engines:

1. Yahoo

Aside from Google, this is one of the better-known alternative search engines.

Did you know that Google tried to sell out to Yahoo for 1 million dollars when it was just a small company back in 1999? They refused the deal and later tried to acquire Google for $3 billion, but the tables were turned.

Still, Yahoo has been around for a long time and has a power of its own.

One advantage to Yahoo is when people go to the homepage to access news and their email accounts they have the search bar right there. Since 2009, Yahoo’s search power has come from Bing which we will talk about next.

Another potential advantage of the Yahoo search engine is that algorithms are not updated frequently as with Google. This makes it a lot easier to optimize your content and keep it optimized.

You can get a higher website ranking with Yahoo through:

• Researched and strategic keywords
• Page titles that match users’ searches
• Keeping relevant text and links in HTML not images
• Using ALT text for images also brings your relevant content up in search
• Cross-links that provide added value and meaning to your content
• URLs that represent the content of your pages
• Unhiding Javascript content for crawlers with non-script HTML elements

Just like with Google, Yahoo accepts site maps so you will also want to submit your site map with Yahoo’s SEO tools.

2. Bing

Bing powers Yahoo search so you can take advantage of both search engines with similar standards.

While Bing is a smaller search engine than Google it still has a good portion of the search engine market share. So, it’s worth looking at.

Microsoft created Bing, another big-name company, and has a dynamic algorithm. This algorithm requires you to cover multiple bases rather than focusing on one ranking factor. The Bing algorithm is a machine learning model and is big on cutting out spam.

As with any of the search engines, you want to make sure your content that comes up in search is relevant to what users are searching for. Think about not just keywords but user search intent.

If you create quality content and use the same SEO tips listed above under Yahoo, you can rank faster on Bing than you would with Google. This is due to lower SERP competition.

Google likes to be a bit secretive about how pages are actually ranked. Bing on the other hand lets you know through their webmaster guidelines.

You can submit your sitemap to Bing through their sitemap tools. Once you submit your sitemap, Bing will continue to crawl it regularly.

Bing best practices:

• Avoid duplicate or very similar content and keep your page numbers reasonable
• If you move anything on your site use appropriate redirects whether permanent or temporary
• Allow Bingbot to crawl deeply and frequently in the webmaster settings
• Use the Bing content removal tool for pages that present a 404 error
• Make sure your pages are thorough with useful content, not just ads and links
• Make all content unique including written and visual

Bing likes to rank quality content that is engaging but also fresh content. So, make sure you have a good content strategy in place to keep the content coming.

3. DuckDuckGo

Have you heard of this one?

DuckDuckGo is becoming a more popular search engine for its commitment to users’ privacy.

“DuckDuckGo had an estimated 70-100 million users as of June 2021. This estimate is based on market share estimates, download figures, and surveys.” Startup Bonsai

Unlike the other search engines, DuckDuckGo chooses not to collect customers’ data as they use the search engine. They use private search, tracking blocking, and site encryption. Already popular in the United States, DuckDuckGo is set to increase in market share. Especially as internet privacy becomes a bigger issue.

DuckDuckGo also does not store search history which can cut down on the retargeting ads users receive. The custom algorithm compiles results from other search engines, including Yahoo and Bing.

To optimize your content for DuckDuckGo you have to get a bit more specific since the search engine does prioritize privacy.

If you are a local business, you will want to add local keywords as users may not want to share location data. By prioritizing local SEO optimization users will still be able to find you, without sharing their location. Another way for searchers to find you locally is to claim your listing on Apple Maps.

DuckDuckGo uses a large variety of sources to get users results that focus on answers, not just links.

This platform also presents users with a very clean and minimal user interface that some love because it cuts down on distractions. Another advantage for users with private browsing is removing them from filters.

Many users claim DuckDuckGo is less intuitive than Google.

So, follow the same best practices but be more specific. Users of DuckDuckGo appreciate privacy and minimalism. Make sure your website presents a good user experience- easy navigation, minimal pop-ups, and interruptions.

What is the best alternative search engine?

Multiple search engines mean multiple opportunities to rank and get found online. Whatever search engines you choose to focus on, think about the user and how your content can add value to their lives. Search engines want content that is a win-win for everyone.

Get your content strategy on point

With our SEO content services, we can help you create data-driven content. For Google as well alternative search engines. So that your content can reach a wide audience and earn you organic traffic.

The post Are You Ranking in These Alternative Search Engines? appeared first on ClearVoice.

There is. It’s LinkedIn.

LinkedIn is a platform focused on business and professionals. There are 900 million members on LinkedIn. Of those millions, only a few are creating quality content compared to other platforms.  This presents an opportunity for you to fill the void with standout content. To grow your brand on LinkedIn, focus on thought leadership content.

What’s the difference between thought leadership content and SEO content?

SEO content is all about getting found online. You focus on your potential customers and search engines alike.

Thought leadership content is based on building relationships with potential customers. You’re not just trying to get people to click. You’re showing your leadership in your field through insights and first-hand experience. The ultimate goal is to build a solid reputation of trust with your target audience.

So, what does a solid LinkedIn content strategy look like?

Content goals: every piece, every time

Whatever type of content you are creating on LinkedIn, you need a goal. What do you want the post to achieve?

Here are some questions to ask about every piece of content:

• What insight are we sharing?
• What challenges are we solving?
• Will this post increase our brand awareness?
• Will this post increase our authority?
• What benefit does this post give to our audience?
• If I saw this post in my newsfeed, would I be interested in the content?

Keywords researched and used strategically

While the goal of your LinkedIn marketing is creating thought leadership content and building relationships, you can still use keywords to help people find your content. LinkedIn allows users to add up to three keyword tags to each long-form post. Tags make your content more discoverable by readers that don’t yet follow your posts. When they click on a shared tag on another user’s post, they might come across your content as well. Choose tags that specifically relate to your post. Also consider crafting posts that relate to some of the most popular tags on LinkedIn such as innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship. 

Get to know your LinkedIn audience

LinkedIn is a social media platform, but it differs from other platforms. If you copy and paste your content from other platforms over to LinkedIn, you probably won’t get the results you want. This is true whether it’s your LinkedIn summary or daily posts. Why? Because the audience that follows your LinkedIn account is probably very different from those that follow your other accounts. LinkedIn provides an audience of professionals seeking career growth advice and decision-makers.

Create fresh content for LinkedIn with your content goals in mind. Then get to know your audience on the LinkedIn platform. LinkedIn offers people and industry insights from its members all over the world. Look at who your followers are and adjust your content to offer value and help them overcome the challenges they face.

LinkedIn is also different in that people want to see thought leadership content. Not generic content about your business and services, but content that will position you as a thought leader in your industry. Show that you are growing and learning and leading the way, but in a way that gives value to your audience. You’re building those relationships and building trust. That is what will give your brand long-term results.

How to write thought leadership content for LinkedIn

When it comes to writing thought leadership content, think about the experiences you have that are unique and helped you grow in your career. Also, think about the problems and challenges that you have overcome and how you can lead others to do the same. Use relevant stories to share your experience that people can relate to. Even if you are just one or two steps ahead of someone else, you can lead the way. Research your topics and work to be as clear and helpful as possible.

Use a mix of content types

Using written posts to expand your thought leadership is just the beginning. LinkedIn allows these content types to be added to the platform:

• Live video
• PDF uploads
• Articles
• Newsletters
• Video and slideshows

As with all platforms, some content types will be received better than others by your audience. Try out some different types and see what brings not just the most engagement but the most messages and sales too. For some profiles, slideshows will do very well. For others, long-form articles could be the key. Continue to offer a few different types to keep your audience engaged.

According to the LinkedIn blog, “Video is 5x more likely than other types of content to start a conversation among members.”

Audit your strategy to see what is working

Remember your content goals with LinkedIn? We discussed having a goal for every piece of content you put out. But what about your overall goals? With LinkedIn, you don’t want to focus on vanity metrics. What you want to focus on are the relationships that are being built. Those relationships can turn into long-term and loyal customers. 

After you’ve implemented your content strategy for a while, review what is working. Are there posts with a lot more views than others? Do they have anything in common? Are overall profile views going up or just certain posts? Which hashtags seem to be getting results? What topics are people engaging with? Are people reaching out to connect?

Ask strategic questions, track the data, and adjust accordingly. It is a good idea to audit your strategy every quarter.

Elevate your team as thought leaders, too

As you are building trust and authority for your brand, you want all the top executives on your team to be seen as thought leaders and experts in their fields too. This is going to elevate the whole company. The founders of top brands are sometimes controversial but you hear about them and not just the company because they are leading and growing in innovative ways. Work to raise the profiles of key company executives by creating strategic content that shows their expertise.

Ready to create your LinkedIn strategy?

Create content with purpose in a way that others are failing to do on LinkedIn and you could gain so much traction for your business on a platform that is being underutilized. If you are struggling to build out the right LinkedIn content marketing plan, we can help you with a content strategy session. Book yours today.

The post LinkedIn Content Strategy: Thought Leadership For the Win! appeared first on ClearVoice.

And then…nothing happens. The traffic is dismal. The views are low. But you know it’s good content. So, what happened?

The fallout may be in your content distribution strategy. Maybe you had an effective content distribution strategy in place before that brought the traffic pouring in. But, the content marketing world is constantly changing.

So, how can you refine your content distribution strategy so your content gets to the right places?

It’s time to audit, strategize, and tweak your plan.

What is a content distribution strategy?

First, what is a content distribution strategy?

A content distribution strategy is how you share your content across different channels.

For example, you write four articles. You can share those articles on your blog, LinkedIn publishing, and on a platform like Medium.

But it doesn’t stop there. There are so many ways to repurpose and distribute your content.

Articles can become downloadable eBooks or PDFs, Slideshare presentations, or even webinars. Small sections of your articles can be turned into social media posts and video scripts.

The question is – how do you know what are the best channels for you?

That’s where a content audit can really help. Conducting an audit of your content distribution every few months can help you stay up to date and keep the traffic coming.

How to refine your content distribution strategy

Sixty percent of marketers create one piece of content each day. If you want to compete, you don’t want to drop the ball with your distribution strategy.

Are you getting fewer leads and less traffic than you used to? Check your content. If the quality is still great, then it is time to re-evaluate your distribution methods.

1. Analyze

Check your website traffic, your social media engagement, your sales, and any analytics you have available. Evaluate what is working and what is not.

Are there areas where numbers have decreased? Are there new potential channels that you could be using?

Also, check what is not working for your business as far as time and money go. Maybe social media ads are working, but they cost too much. Perhaps blogging is bringing in traffic but consuming too much time.

You can adjust everything as needed. Maybe a better, more engaging graphic could reduce your ad spend. Outsourcing your blog writing could get you your time back.

Track your findings so you can move on to the next step.

2. Strategize

You have researched what is working and what isn’t. Now you can take that information to develop a more effective content distribution strategy.

Start with your home base (most likely your website). You want to start with “real estate” you own. Algorithms change on outlets that others control, like social media channels, so it is best to start with content on your website.

That will be your base and then you can distribute that content to other channels from there.

What content type and when?

Ask yourself some questions about your audience and what you found during your audit. Does your audience prefer written content, videos, or visual graphics?

It’s better to start with a few distribution channels and be consistent. This lets you test in a focused way instead of distributing your content everywhere haphazardly. Remember, quality over quantity.

Visual brands do well on visual platforms like Pinterest and Instagram. If your company is great at making engaging videos, YouTube could be an excellent channel for you.

If your audience loves downloading written content, consider turning your most popular posts into downloadable PDFs or eBooks. Consider how your audience wants to receive content and let that inform your distribution channels.

Next, check your analytics for the times that people are engaging. The problem could be not just where the content is being distributed but when. There are general guidelines online about when to post, but every audience is different, so do your research and find your posting times.

What’s the budget and method?

Go over your content budget with your team. How much do you have to allocate to paid promotion versus organic?

If you can mix some paid and organic distribution methods, you will reach a wider audience. The key is to focus on content that is already popular and then give that content a boost. Align your strategy with your sales goals.

When budgeting for paid distribution opportunities, you may consider the following:

• Ads on social media
• Pay-Per-Click ads
• Influencer content
• Sponsored content

And don’t forget about forums and online communities when deciding on your distribution methods. If you have someone on your team who can take the time to be active and helpful in online communities, you can get some free traffic to your content.

Formulate a new plan based on effective channels, your overall budget, sales goals, and your particular audience and posting times. Then build your content calendar, putting in your content creation needs and distribution plan. If you need help with that, you can download our content calendar workbook.

Don’t forget to set and track marketing goals for your content so you know if you are hitting the mark or not.

3. Tweak

Once you put your new distribution strategy in place, it’s time to tweak it. Always test and keep checking those numbers.

Also, don’t change things too quickly. Give each new strategy time to work before you change anything while you consistently grow and tweak. The work never ends. Ask yourself how you can make each piece of content and distribution method more streamlined and effective. Keep the channels that work best in your distribution arsenal, but don’t be afraid to try new approaches and channels from time to time, too.

It’s a balance.

Get Help with Your Content Distribution

At ClearVoice, we’ve helped companies build successful strategies for over a decade. If you’re looking to expand your reach, our content distribution solutions build your authority, enhance your brand, and position you as a leading voice in your industry.

We also know it doesn’t matter what your distribution strategy is if you don’t have great content. Our customized content creation plans can accelerate your ROI and keep your business growing and thriving. Talk to a strategist today to see how.

The post How to Refine Your Content Distribution Strategy appeared first on ClearVoice.

What is a Content Strategy?

A content strategy is the process of planning, creating, delivering, and maintaining content to align with business goals. It’s not just the what. It’s also the how, why, when, and where. 

Content strategy requires understanding the needs and behaviors of the target audience. The easiest way to do that is by first identifying key performance indicators (KPIs) and goals. Then, determine what types of content will be most effective in achieving them. Some examples of goals for a content strategy would be: 

• Increasing brand awareness
• Driving more traffic
• Increasing leads
• Increasing conversions
• Building brand loyalty
• Retaining customers
• Higher brand visibility 

In addition, a content strategy involves creating a plan for regularly producing and promoting the content you create.

The strategy may also include guidelines for how you will govern, update, and evaluate your content. Creating a content matrix to categorize content by customer journey and segments can also be helpful.

A well-crafted content strategy helps ensure the content aligns with business objectives, user needs, and organizational resources.

The core components of a content strategy include: 

• Audience analysis
• Defining your goals
• Research and planning
• Content creation
• Content optimization
• Content distribution
• Measuring your success
• Refining and adjusting

If you’re unsure where to start, check out our guide to elevating your content strategy.

Why Having a Content Strategy is Important

You wouldn’t drive cross-country without a map. Nor should you create content without a strategy. 

97 percent of marketers reported using content marketing as part of their overall marketing strategy. But, only 57 percent reported having a documented strategy. And only 19 percent considered their strategy “advanced.” 

That means most businesses are using content marketing but not unlocking its full potential. 

Without a solid strategy, your content marketing efforts will be like throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks. Haphazard content marketing leads to haphazard results (if any at all). 

A content strategy aligns all your team members, workflows, and technology and gets them moving in the same direction.

Breaking Down the Core Components

Audience analysis

It all begins with understanding your audience. Before you begin any content creation, you have to pinpoint who it’s for. Here, analytics are your best friend. Tools like Google Analytics can give you an overview of who’s already engaging with your brand. In order you build your buyer personas, start with demographics like:

• Age
• Occupation
• Gender
• Education
• Location

Then, dive deeper into your audience’s psychographics: 

• Values
• Opinions
• Attitudes
• Interests

Ultimately, you’re gathering all this data to answer two questions: 

• Who is your audience? 
• What drives them to take action? 

Then, you can start to build goals around meeting their needs and pain points. 

Defining your goals

A content strategy without clear goals is dead in the water. Your goals ensure all your efforts are headed in the same direction. The beauty of content marketing is in its versatility. You can tailor it depending on your brand’s specific needs. We mentioned some goals earlier. Most content strategy goals revolve around four areas:

• Brand awareness
• Thought leadership
• Lead generation
• Engagement and loyalty

Creating SMART goals

Use the SMART framework to make sure your goals are concrete instead of vague. SMART stands for: 

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Relevant
• Time-bound

Using that structure will ensure your goals are clear and well-crafted. It’ll also inform how you plan and research your content creation.

Research and planning

It’s finally time to start building your content roadmap. As you go through this, keep in mind that this will likely evolve as your business does. The important thing is having a plan you can refer back to you. Follow this five-step process: 

Conduct content research 

Start by examining your existing content (if you have some). Make a list that analyzes strengths and weaknesses. Note which pieces are doing well and which aren’t. Use your key performance indicators to identify where the gaps are. Rework or eliminate content that doesn’t match your newly defined goals. That should give you a clear picture of your current content situation. 

Create a keyword and topic portfolio 

Next up is your keyword strategy. Build a list of strong keywords relevant to your business that will likely attract organic traffic. Once you brainstorm a list, use a tool like Google AdWords Keyword Planner to research the monthly search volume of each keyword. You’ll notice some keywords are highly competitive while others are easier to rank for. Strike a balance and pick keywords with good traffic volume but aren’t the most competitive. 

Topic ideation and prioritization

Now, it’s time to think about topics. Use each keyword as a starting point to brainstorm potential topics around. Each topic should also generate a list of relevant subtopics for more niche content creation. 

A great way to generate ideas is to type your keyword or topic idea into Google and see the most popular related questions. Or, you can use tools like ChatGPT to ideate large topic lists quickly that you can pull from. 

Once you have your topics, it’s time to think about which ones you’ll create first. 

Taxonomies

You might be wondering what a taxonomy even is. We’ll make it simple. It’s a classification system for organizing content. Think of it like a hierarchy. The top of your taxonomy chart will begin with your broadest, most-search for topics. Each of those will generate multiple subtopics, and so on. 

A good technique is to organize your content around themes instead of keywords. Or you can use a pillar content strategy where one piece of content covers a topic comprehensively, and then you create “cluster” pieces that branch off into subtopics. 

Having a strong taxonomy structure in place ensures Google knows how to rank the importance of your pages and which ones to give more authority to.

Content briefs 

We’re at the last step! The final piece of the puzzle is to create a content brief. Content briefs keep everyone on the same page about what’s being created and why. They also organize tracking your content’s progress and making sure it’s meeting your goals. 

Templates work great here. An example would be this: 

• Main deliverables
• Word count
• Suggested titles
• Target audience
• Suggested keywords
• Goal of the piece
• Key takeaways
• Questions to answer
• An outline (optional)
• Suggested resources
• Internal linking
• Any additional details

And with that, it’s finally time to create. 

Content creation and optimization

Creating high-quality, compelling content is one of the most important aspects of your content strategy. Great content helps generate organic traffic, turn users into leads, and convert those leads into paying customers.

Creating high-quality, engaging content 

To ensure your content is as good as it can be, ask yourself these seven questions: 

• Is it providing value? 
• Is it engaging and well-structured? 
• Is it clear and actionable? 
• Is it proofread and polished? 
• Is it upfront and honest?
• Is it updated?
• Does it align with your business goals?

If your content hits all those checkmarks, you can move on to optimizing it. 

Optimizing for SEO and User experience

It doesn’t matter how high the quality of your content if no one can see it. Even more so if it’s also hard to digest. A robust content optimization process ensures two things:

• Your content has a strong and seamless user experience
• Your content is optimized for SEO

Both work together to make your content highly visible and engaging. Incorporate best SEO practices, user experience guidelines, and AI tools to streamline your optimization process while maximizing its effect. 

Content distribution and promotion

Alright, you’ve created amazing, high-quality content that couldn’t be any more optimized. Now, we have to make sure it actually reaches your target audience! So, let’s get it out there. 

Your previous audience research will inform how and where you distribute your content. Where is your audience hanging out? Are most of them reading your blog? Are more of them on one of the social media platforms? Or, maybe your best engagement is through your email list. 

Developing a detailed content distribution plan will ensure you’re setting your content up for success. 

Measuring your success and refining

Alright, you’ve hit publish and now you’re done! Except… you’re not. 

Remember when we talked about identifying KPIs? It’s time to use them. They’ll help you understand where your content is succeeding and where it needs improvement. Some of the most common metrics to monitor are: 

• Conversion rate
• Website traffic
• Click-through rate
• Bounce rate
• Churn rate
• Time on page
• Page views
• Unique visitors

The information you gather from these metrics will inform you next steps. From there, you can make adjustments to your content creation. You can shore up the gaps where needed and double down on the parts of your strategy that are working. It’s a continuous process. So, make sure you have regular content audits and reviews in place. 

Next Steps to Elevating Your Content Strategy

This guide is designed to give you a basic framework. But the work doesn’t stop there. Recalibrating and refining your content strategy is a never-ending process, which makes sense. As technology and user behaviors evolve and change, so should your strategy. 

That being said, partnering with a proven content agency could be a better and more cost-effective solution for your brand. At ClearVoice, our expert strategists and content teams can help you craft a top-tier content strategy that drives your brand’s growth and success. 

Discover our solutions or connect with a strategist today to see how we can take you to the next

The post Deep Dive Into Developing Your Content Strategy appeared first on ClearVoice.

With the total number of podcast listeners projected to reach 504.9 million this year, it’s far past being an alternative marketing strategy.

But is podcasting really marketing?

In this article, we’ll dive deep into that question, explaining why it’s an effective marketing strategy and how you can incorporate it for your specific business to drive growth and success.

What is podcast marketing?

Podcast marketing is centered on engaging and expanding your audience through high-quality, valuable audio content. It’s a less traditional medium, but with that comes a unique opportunity to increase your brand awareness and connect with your audience on a more personal level

The best podcasts have:

• Great sound quality
• A clear purpose and theme
• Relevant topics
• Dynamic hosts and guests
• Consistency and strategic distribution

Why is podcast marketing an effective addition to your content strategy?

Podcasts are built for the modern consumer. They’re one of the most convenient and accessible types of content out there – people listen to podcasts constantly – like during their commute, while they work, when they’re running errands, and even before bed.

Podcasts also support goals designed for your existing audience and new audiences simultaneously. They keep your brand and content fresh by engaging with your existing audience in a new format and they can attract potential new listeners who prefer audio content.

Plus, if you’re trying to enhance your content’s lifespan and reach, podcasts are ripe for repurposing. How? Here’s just a few ways:

• Take audio from your existing video content and transform it into a podcast episode.
• Video record your podcast and then distribute it on places like YouTube.
• Turn key insights from a blog post into a podcast by recording a narration.
• Have transcription made of your podcast episodes to create blog posts.

Bottom line, podcast marketing can diversify your content strategy while fortifying your brand’s presence on multiple platforms (which will make your content distribution strategy happy).

You just have to make sure it’s implemented properly.

How can you use podcast marketing for your business?

There’s two words that come to mind when thinking about how podcast marketing can drive your business’s bottom line – advertising and collaboration.

A podcast can work as both a promotional tool and a potential revenue stream.  Not only does a podcast advertise your own services or products, if it becomes successful enough, other brands will pay to advertise on your podcast.

Another asset of podcasting is its ability to cross-promote collaborations. When you are being interviewed on podcasts and when you have guests on your podcast both of you get the benefit of each other’s audiences. Look for guests who can teach your audience something and have a complementary business to yours. They will likely share with their audience and you receive a wider reach.

Are you convinced that podcasting would be a great channel to expand your content marketing? But how do you get started and grow?

What should you think about when starting your podcast?

To get started, figure out how you will record your podcast and what technology you will need. That means microphones, soundproofing, audio interfaces, and other recording equipment. Then you’ll need to choose a podcast platform, such as Buzzsprout or Spotify. Choose a name for your show and decide on an ideal episode length.

You want to post often enough to keep your audience engaged but not over-commit. It’s better to podcast less and be consistent than upload randomly. You need to consider editing time, too.

Get a professional to design your podcast artwork. This is important because your artwork is the first impression your podcast makes before anyone ever listens to an episode. A professional designer can make sure the artwork is clear and engaging even on a smaller smart device.

What do you include in a podcast content strategy?

When it comes to growing your podcast audience there are three main areas of focus:

• Your website
• Social media platforms
• Your email list

You can also seek out online communities in your niche to share your podcast episodes.

As for the content, remember the content golden rule: Provide value.

A great podcast marketing strategy should include a workflow of how to record your podcast, edit it, and how you will upload it. Batch processing can also be helpful if you have a busy schedule. It will also help you stay consistent.

Your strategy should also include the distribution channels you will use. Decide and track how you will find and invite guests on your show, as well as how you will make yourself available as a guest on other podcasts. Don’t make the common podcast mistake of not setting quarterly and annual goals, either. Add these details to your strategy.

You may also need a monetization plan. If you are using your podcast to share other aspects of your business, this may not be necessary. But if you plan to make money from your podcast, you will need to figure out how to share your products and services or search for relevant advertisers to work with.

Not all podcasts need a script or even an outline. However, having a script will keep you on track and make sure you are sharing what your audience is waiting to hear. A script is important, especially if you are just getting started. An expert freelance writer can help.

Another part of your podcast strategy is to focus on Search Engine Optimization (SEO). You can help search engines find your podcast by using relevant keyword phrases in:

• Your titles
• Podcast descriptions
• Episode descriptions
• Show notes
• Any other places where you are sharing about the episodes

Once you are up and running and have a few episodes completed, you can create a media kit. This will ensure that you are ready to reach out to press outlets. You can also share it with the host when you are a guest on other podcasts. Don’t forget to share internally. If you are a mid-size to more prominent corporate brand make sure you are sharing podcast episodes with the company and all your teams.

Share, share, share. Make sure you add a tab on your website that shares your podcast. Add it to your email signature and send episodes to your email list. Just like there are RSS feeds for blog posts, you can find podcast directories that you can ping too.

Keep a check on your analytics, comments, and feedback so you know what is landing well with your audience.

Power Up Your Podcasting

Regardless of whether you’re integrating a new podcasting strategy or revamping an old one, one thing remains the same – you need great content. And if you’re looking for help creating great content, you’ll want to partner with a great content agency. That’s where we have you covered. Talk to one of our content specialists today to see how we can take your content creation to the next level and maximize your impact.

The post How To Use Podcasts To Leverage Your Content appeared first on ClearVoice.

If that’s you, you might consider partnering with a content agency to help with all your content creation needs. But there are a lot of companies out there. Which one’s right for you?

In this article, we’ll compare two of the more proven content agencies: ClearVoice vs. Rock Content.

We’ll cover the features of each, compare their pros and cons, and analyze which one would be right for you.

What is Rock Content?

Rock Content is a Brazil-based company that aims to help brands plan and execute their content marketing strategies by delivering a strong “content experience.” 

To create that experience, they pair you with freelancers in their network that fit your content creation needs. Their talent covers a variety of areas, including: 

• Copywriting
• Graphic design
• Project management
• Website development
• Content strategy

Their services

One of their main focuses is the technology in their platform. Their strong management platform enables structured and efficient workflows between marketing teams. They can produce content campaigns that include multiple content types. And they have a professional services team ready to help with technical, content, or strategy support. Other service options include:

• Managed services: Overseeing your content creation
• Adoption services: Training you on their content strategies
• Technical services: Focusing on their Ion Interactive Experience
• Strategy services: Working with you to design your content strategy

We just mentioned their Ion Interactive Experience. What does that mean? Interactive content (quizzes and assessments) that you can gather data from. They put a lot of emphasis on it throughout their solutions.

What is ClearVoice?

ClearVoice is a content agency designed to bridge the gap between top-tier brands and highly skilled content creators. We’ve curated a vast Talent Network of over 4,000 seasoned freelancers spanning over 200 industries. When you partner with us, we pair you with the exact writers, designers, and editors that fit your needs and budget. 

Each freelancer in our network undergoes a rigorous vetting process by our talent managers, who verify each person’s credentials, experience, and viability. 

Our additional services

We also build a team to fully manage your content creation from ideation to creation and distribution. We like to use a holistic approach to content. So whether you’re creating a few blogs or an entire content marketing strategy, we’re with you every step of the way. 

Our content creation combines the power of skilled content creators and the best AI tools. We believe AI can be essential to scaling and optimizing your content production. But we always include human review and oversight to ensure you’re content has a personal touch.  If that resonates with you, check out our comprehensive guide on using AI in your content creation. 

Our services include additional support options, such as: 

• In-depth SEO and content audits
• Thorough competitive landscape analysis
• Crafting marketing personas aligned with brand vision
• Ensuring web pages are primed for optimal performance

Rock Content vs. ClearVoice

Rock Content

Pros

• Range of services 
• Services are scalable to your needs
• Network of experienced writers and designers
• Well-known for their interactive content 
• A good option for international companies
• They offer training sessions and workshops

Cons

• A wide array of services can be confusing 
• The services themselves are a little confusing
• You have to use their tech stacks and tools
• Longer turnaround times
• Higher price point

ClearVoice

Pros

• Complete content creation platform
• Personalized approach to content creation
• Robust additional services
• Great for brands that need content at scale 
• Extensive Talent Network 
• Provides a wide range of content types
• AI with a Human Touch

Cons

• Pricing is determined on a project-by-project basis. 

Who is Rock Content best for? 

Rock Content could be a good option for many brands. They’re great if you’re looking to create interactive content. That’s right in their wheelhouse. They’re also well suited if you’re prioritizing strategy over creation. They have several different strategy services to choose from.

Their network of freelancers makes them a good choice if you’re an international company looking to target different cultures and areas around the world. 

Who is ClearVoice best for? 

ClearVoice is best suited for brands looking to create high-quality content at scale while having a streamlined and smooth experience. With us, we lay the groundwork for you, taking care of the talent matching and team building while you focus on higher-level strategy. 

ClearVoice is also best for companies that want to consistently work with proven, experienced, and manually vetted creators who produce top-tier work. We also provide additional managed services such as SEO optimization, content promotion, and distribution.

Finally, whether creating one piece or one thousand, ClearVoice can help you ensure your content is high-quality and high-performing. We’re happy to customize our plans to ensure you get the exact service and content you need.

FAQS

Q: What exactly is ClearVoice?

A: ClearVoice is an online content agency and platform that connects brands to a vast network of vetted content creation. We assist brands in content strategy, creation, and distribution and offer additional services like content audits and SEO optimization.

Q: How does ClearVoice ensure the quality of its freelancers?

A: ClearVoice has a rigorous vetting process where talent managers personally verify the identity, credentials, and past experiences of every freelancer who applies to be part of the network.

Q: What types of content does Rock Content specialize in?

Rock Content strongly focuses on interactive content ranging from quizzes to assessments. They’re also invested in strategic services to support a brand’s broader content needs.

Q: What additional services does ClearVoice offer apart from content creation?

A: ClearVoice provides a range of additional services services, including SEO strategy, technical audits, content audits, keyword planning, webpage optimization, and more.

Q: How do I initiate a collaboration with ClearVoice?

A: To begin working with ClearVoice, you can set up a free content strategy session to discuss your project and see if our services suit you.

Ready to Outsource to a Content Agency?

Outsourcing to a content agency saves you time and money while producing high-level content matching your brand. Hopefully, this comprehensive breakdown helped you hone in on which platform might be right for you. 

If you’re still unsure, ClearVoice is happy to help. Talk to one of our specialists or discover our solutions to see if we’re right for you. We’d love to take your content creation to the next level. 

Other Comparisons

Compare against Verblio

Compare against Upwork

Compare against Contently

The post Thinking About Rock Content? Try ClearVoice Instead appeared first on ClearVoice.

But where do you start?

ClearVoice and Verblio are content writing services that can help you scale your content creation effectively. They each have a pool of professional talent you can draw from and match to your brand’s needs.

In this article, we’ll break down the differences between ClearVoice and Verblio. Then, we’ll discuss which one would best suit your business.

Verblio

Verblio is primarily a blog and content writing service. They focus on creating written content for agencies, small businesses, marketers, and publishers.

Once you sign up, you input your business, content type, and target audience. Then, freelancers in Verblio’s network complete and submit your assignment. You review all the submissions and choose the version you want from there. Verblio also handles the payment for you.

Their platform is like their service: pretty straightforward. It’s intuitive and easy to navigate. And pricing is a subscription model.

Overall, they market themselves as an “Applebees” style company. In their words, “appealing to most humans and it gets the job done.”

ClearVoice

ClearVoice is a content agency that provides top-tier content creation and strategy solutions.  We go beyond just written content. We build a custom team of experts to manage everything from strategy to SEO to writing and distribution.

When you partner with us, we match you with seasoned writers, designers, and editors who fit your project type and budget. Our talent managers personally vet every freelancer who applies to our network.

ClearVoice also tailors its managed content creation to your brand’s unique needs. We don’t employ a one-size-fits-all approach. We prefer to ensure that each piece of content is crafted with your goals and voice in mind.

We also invite collaboration. You can monitor each piece of content through the ClearVoice platform, and you’re welcome to be involved as you want.

We also offer the following additional resources:

• Technical audits
• Content audits
• SEO strategy
• Competitive analysis
• Gap analysis
• Keyword planning
• Marketing personas
• Webpage optimization
• Content roadmaps
• And more

Bottom line, ClearVoice combines hiring freelancers and working with an agency. Our unique range of vetted, proven services and creators separates us from other content agencies in the industry.

To get started, you can talk to one of our specialists to set up a strategy session. Pricing depends on your project. We give you a quote based on your brand’s specific needs. We’re also happy to help you determine if our services suit you.

ClearVoice vs. Verblio

Verblio

Pros

• Simple and straightforward
• Covers a good range of written content
• Their subscription pricing is budget-friendly
• Easy-to-use platform

Cons

• Limited content creation types
• Lack of additional services
• Limited vetting process
• No management
• No support team
• Some people might not like the “freelancers choose you” model
• No direct collaboration with the writers

ClearVoice

Pros

• Comprehensive content creation that offers more than just writing
• Extensive network of freelancers with a wide range of expertise
• Offers full lifecycle services from strategy to distribution
• Additional services like SEO and technical audits
• Strong content scaling services
• Produces a wide range of content types
• Human touch with AI

Cons

• Pricing varies per project
• Might be an extensive service, depending on your needs

Who is Verblio best for?

Verblio is best for brands looking for a simple, “no-frills” way to outsource some written content that gets the job done. It favors companies taking a slightly more passive approach who want a cost-effective solution to their outsourcing.

Its simple setup and process make getting solid-level content fairly easy. The turnaround times are pretty good (48-72 hours). It also has the perk where you only buy the content you choose. And there can be something nice about getting a bunch of finished product submissions to choose from before you buy.

Ultimately, Verblio is for companies looking for lower investment and involvement in their content outsourcing. It could also be for brands looking for a few specific pieces of content.

Who is ClearVoice best for?

Clearvoice is best for brands seeking a complete content creation experience. We produce custom content tailored to your specific mission and goals.

We’re best for companies looking to work with creators who have been rigorously vetted to ensure they’re at the right level of skill and expertise. Our writers are some of the best in the industry, with many being specialized subject matter and SEO experts. But our content creation also extends beyond writing. We can produce everything from infographics to animations and videos.

ClearVoice is also great if you’re looking for help managing your creation and distribution. We identify the right creators, handle the back-and-forth between teams, and communicate as needed.

Bottom line, ClearVoice is best for companies who are:

• Need help producing better content consistently
• Serious about their content creation
• Looking to work with the best creators and consultants
• Ready to achieve long-term growth and success

FAQS

Q: What’s the difference between a content agency and a content writing service?

A: content writing service revolves entirely around providing written content for you. A content agency has content writing services as part of its solutions, but it also goes beyond that. For example, ClearVoice can also create other content types and plan your strategy and distribution.

Q: What additional services does ClearVoice have besides content writing?

A: Besides content writing, ClearVoice offers almost all other marketing content types. Plus, additional resources include technical and content audits, SEO strategy, competitive analysis, gap analysis, keyword planning, marketing personas, webpage optimization, and content roadmaps.

Q: Does Verblio have other services besides content writing?

A: No, it’s essentially just content writing. Their service produces written content and helps you scale up. But they don’t create any other content types or have additional services.

Q: What does Verblio mean when they refer to themselves as an “Applebees” style company?

A: Verblio’s comparison suggests that their aiming for a broad appeal and straightforward service. They want to provide a simple, budget-friendly solution for content creation that appeals to most businesses and gets the job done.

Q: Who should opt for ClearVoice?

A: ClearVoice is ideal for companies serious about creating content and seeking high-quality creators, specialists, and strategy support.

Q: How do I initiate a collaboration with ClearVoice?

A: To begin working with ClearVoice, you can set up a free content strategy session to discuss your project and see if our services suit you.

Is Outsourcing Right For You?

If you already have an in-house marketing team, you may be wondering why to outsource content at all.

Sometimes, your in-house team doesn’t have the bandwidth or expertise your content requires. Outsourcing can help match your content to creators with the specific skill set and experience you need to produce high-quality content.

If you’re looking for personalized content creation, we’ve got you covered. Connect with one of our specialists or discover our solutions to see how we can help you produce content that engages your audience and drives your brand’s success.

The post Thinking About Verblio? Try ClearVoice Instead appeared first on ClearVoice.