Scripps PRSSA was more than pleased to welcome Nicole Spears, Senior Content Strategist from Upward Brand Interactions to speak to the Chapter.
Nicole Spears studied strategic communication with a specialization in anthropology during her time at Ohio University. She was involved in many orgs during her college career and was the Scripps PRSSA president her senior year. After interning with Express Conseil in Paris, France, she began her career in tech PR and transitioned to more social media work with Geben communications in New York City. She is now in Columbus working as a Sr. Content Strategist with Upward Brand Interactions. She is currently in grad school studying emerging media and is passionate about mental health causes.
Here are some takeaways:
- Her definition of content strategy: organizing digital experiences around a brand’s purpose. Your brand identity and the content have to match and be working toward the same goal.
- There are five key elements Nicole uses when planning out her content strategy:
- Personas
- Story Formats
- Syndication
- Editorial Approach
- Measurement
- B2B companies normally have very concrete goals and messages they want to send to their audiences, which makes it easier to show them whether or not their content strategy is effective.
- Nicole is always watching GE’s content, because she believes that they’re one of the leaders in the industry in terms of effective strategy.
- Topics and experiences that everyone can relate to is a good way for B2B companies to engage with their audiences.
She also discussed the importance of personal branding and how to position yourself for success! Nicole gave us all some advice:
- Lacking authenticity in your personal brand could end up hurting you. Sometimes talking about your interests and hobbies could land you in niche markets where you could really develop.
- It’s important to look at the different industries you’re interested in and try to figure out what they expect of you in terms of personal branding. Will you stick to professionalism or can you be more expressive?
- Get-to-by statements can help bring high level ideas down and make them very simple and concise. The shorter the better. You can use them in so many aspects of your life!
Livi Wise is a senior Journalism-Strategic Communication major and current Scripps PRSSA VP of Social Media. Keep up with her on Twitter @LiviWise