The WordBirds Podcast with Chris Willis

In this episode of WordBirds , Chris Willis interviews Joanna Parson, CEO of The Curious Route and author of Innovative Internal Communications . Why it matters: Joanna’s journey from a curious thinker to a leading internal communications expert offers valuable insights and practical advice on rethinking internal comms strategies. Driving the news: Joanna shares key takeaways from her new book and...

Navigating crisis communications In this episode of WordBirds, Chris Willis sits down with communications expert Roberto Munoz (Fannie Mae, HSBC, Tesco) to explore the critical role of crisis communications. Why it matters: Effective crisis communication can be the difference between maintaining your brand's reputation and losing it. Roberto shares strategies from his experiences with major b...

We're back with Season 6! And we're kicking off with Eleanor Hawkins, Axios Communications Strategist and writer of the Communicators newsletter. Eleanor spent years as a communicator in media and politics and now covers the topics and trends that impact how organizations, leaders, and employers communicate. Listen in to hear Eleanor and Chris dig into the… Changing role of the communica...

In this episode, we're thrilled to have Kristine Englert , Director of Customer Marketing at Mirakl , sharing her wealth of experience in the dynamic realm of marketing. Our host, Chris, dives into Kristine's journey, shedding light on impactful campaigns that transcend marketing channels. Kristine kicks off by unveiling the secret behind her most successful campaign — a data-driven init...

We consider the existential future of content on this week’s episode, with Phyllis Davidson — VP, Principal Analyst at Forrester — who doesn’t hold back in her Provocative Statement of the Day. We also cover everything from content experimentation and strategy to the future of the content landscape and role of generative AI, in this insightful interview with a content celebrity! Primary and deriva...

With such a crowded digital marketplace, how can your organization cut through the noise and build relationships with your messaging? Amanda Proscia has the answers in this episode of WordBirds. This week we dive into the world of public relations (PR) and marketing with the Co-founder of Lightspeed PR/Marketing and bestselling author of PR Confidential: Unlocking the Secrets to Creating a Powerfu...

How can we get customers to share their stories with us? For this conversation, Chris spoke to Christine Bottagaro , Chief Marketing Officer at Alviere .  We delve into the strategies behind unlocking the invaluable narratives of happy customers and how to transform them into compelling case studies and brand advocacy. And here’s a hit, it’s all about working with your customers instead of asking...

This week’s guest, Chip Rodgers , Chief Partner Officer at WorkSpan , believes that content is all about community. You have to know your target audience to engage them and build meaningful connections. So how do you create content that cultivates community? Chip has the answers in our interview and educational content has a big role to play — especially in terms of how it can drive conversions. ...

Branding is more than just a logo or a catchy slogan; it's the personality and identity of a company. It's what distinguishes your brand from your competitors and connects you with your target audience. In today's episode, Julie Kaplan (Senior Vice President, Marketing and Revenue Operations at CareMetx ) explains how at the heart of effective branding lies consistent content. Consi...

In today's conversation, we delve into the evolving dynamics between long-form and short-form content, guided by the expertise of our guest, Isabelle Papoulias — SVP Global Marketing at BackBox . Isabelle sheds light on a fundamental shift in the way today’s consumers engage with content, especially during the era of information overload. The conversation centers on the value, or perhaps the...

How do we move from guesswork to governance in the AI generated content era? How can we ensure the quality and relevance of content while harnessing the power of AI to scale production? For this episode, we’re turning the tables on our host, Christopher Willis , who will be the guest and our producer Charlotte Baxter-Read steps in to host (and quiz) Christopher. Be prepared to discuss the ever-evo...

Is it time to rethink the value of press releases? And what if marketing reported to communications instead of the other way around? In this episode, we delve deep into the intricate world of communications and marketing strategy. Our guest, Nikki Festa O’Brien — President of the brand marketing and PR agency Greenough — challenges conventional thinking and offers a fresh perspective on corporate...

In the ever-evolving landscape of B2B marketing, we want to know: Is the primary goal of content marketing to generate leads and conversions, or does it encompass a more profound awareness mission?  We dive into this topic with Flora Felisberto , Senior Director, Global Growth Marketing & Operations at OutSystems , someone who’s not afraid to challenge the status quo. Flora believes thought le...

Are you asking the right questions to find out the reasons why you’re creating a piece of content? And once you’ve created that piece of content, is good enough good enough? In this captivating interview, we delve into the world of marketing and content creation with Gabi Zijderveld , Chief Marketing Officer at Smart Eye . Gabi shares her insights on two essential marketing tactics: the power of a...

What leads people to sharing your content? Rainer Gawlick has the answers in this episode. Is there a formula for content virality? Shareable content has to be valuable for your target audience — regardless of the type of content. A piece of content that’s actionable and informative is easy to share because it helps people achieve their goals or solve a problem. This also means no gimmicks: just f...

This week Chris interviews the Chief Marketing Officer at Caf , Vanita Pandey . We'll uncover the secrets to successful content campaigns, dissect the pitfalls of content that misses the mark, and explore the ever-evolving role of generative AI in content creation. Vanita shares her valuable perspective on the nuances of content strategy , offering a unique viewpoint on how to adapt and thriv...

Welcome to a new season of the WordBirds Podcast: Friends of the Bird! For our first episode Gideon (Gidi) Pridor joins Chris to chat about why investing in content marketing is a must for business success.  Gidi is the Chief Marketing Officer at Workvivo (a Zoom company) and an expert in all things related to content marketing strategy. Gidi shares insight and tips for how to grow your brand awar...

Beth Dunn , Head of Product Content at Practice Better and Founder of Product Content Advisors , joins us this week to discuss why brand voice can’t just sit with marketing.  A strong consistent brand voice is what makes some companies stand out from the crowd. If you have a strong brand identity that’s present at every content touchpoint, from social media posts to customer service documentation,...

For this week’s episode we explore how to rebuild a website, the role of generative AI, and what MarTech stack a successful organization needs with Brian Nizinsky from Paychex .  The website redesign process can be a long and complicated one. But support from the relevant stakeholders and customer journey data makes it a much more manageable task according to Brian. Better yet, once you get a hand...

This week we have a very exciting episode, featuring not one, but two Vice Presidents from Acrolinx! Mariana Just and Cynthia Spiers are here to talk about why enterprises need to focus on marketing harmony across teams.  How aligned is your marketing department? Content teams and demand generation teams need to be talking to each other. And it has to be more than a content strategy update or shar...

It’s time to focus on pain points first.  Stop getting hung up on the nuances of your personas and focus on the problems you’re solving for them. Marciela Ross , Head of Content, Sales Hacker at Outreach, believes that content needs to address pain points in order for it to be effective and engage a community.  As a part of Outreach , Sales Hacker has become a vital online community platform for s...

Does your content really speak to everyone? With one billion people with disabilities , they make up the largest minority in the world. But when it comes to enterprise events, often they’re reduced to a single check box which does take into account the diversity of disabled people. Disability activist and co-founder of Access2Funding CIC , Celia Hensman , explores how ableism is rife in our everyd...

After the pandemic, a lot of organizations had to rethink their content marketing strategy. With in person events out of the question, a thought leadership strategy built on quality content became a must.  Vice President of Content Strategy Wade Coleman , describes how at Fiserv they pivoted to a balanced content marketing strategy to capture the attention of their target audience. Part of that in...

Everyone has business goals tied to enterprise content. So how do you get a handle on your content marketing success?  Yes, you can track social shares, conversion rates, organic traffic, or any other key performance indicators (KPIs). But that doesn’t show how one piece of content has been used and repurposed across multiple channels.  We tackle this and more with Katie Ryan O’Connor , VP of Cont...

How can you capture a reader’s attention? What motivates them to keep reading down a page? Better yet, how can we achieve that across our content marketing efforts? Storytelling in content.  Scott Nyberg , Content Marketing Manager and Senior Writer at Salesforce , believes you should always introduce the problem in the lead and never stop innovating. After all, any good marketing messaging is bas...