Influencer Interview Series: Jan Barbosa Marries Content Marketing and PR

Influencer Interview Series Jan Barbosa Marries Content Marketing and PR

Last year was a great year for us partly because during the last quarter, our Influencer Interview Series was graced by three of the most respected people in the industry – Matt Heinz, Ted Rubin, and Mike Allton – who each talked about their specialties. The Savvy Marketer can’t thank those geniuses enough.

2017 is just a few days old, meaning it’s not too late to make good on our promise to start the year with a bang. So here we are picking up where we left off, with yet another brilliant and well-liked influencer, brand ambassador, and thought leader, Jan Barbosa. Here’s what he shared when The Savvy Marketer caught up with him.

The Savvy Marketer: You’ve been doing content marketing for a while. For you, what are the attributes of a successful lead generating content?

Jan Barbosa: I try to keep it simple and stand on 3 very basic rules:

First, define your target. Mine is social media oriented and I try my best not to stray — I stay far from politics, religion and themes that may offend some of my readers. It’s quite hard to get a following interested in what you have to say and it will be ridiculous to lose them over an emotional comment or share. There’s a place for everything and everything in its place.

Second is the value of the content you are sharing. I don’t blindly share content just because it comes from influencers or gurus. I read the post once or twice and think of my followers. Can they learn from it? Can they apply this content to their jobs? Will knowing the creators of these articles influence them? To create value you have to leave your ego behind and step in the shoes of your followers.

Third and last, my content has to be found. Some say the less hashtags, the better. I say use enough hashtags to be discovered. Your content needs to rise above social media background noise, and if it can’t be found, it doesn’t matter how good it is, it will pass as static. Also, don’t ever forget the power of relationships. When you help your peers to be found, you are also helping yourself to be found. Building your social media squad beats going at it solo anytime!

TSM: A good content marketing program paired with significant social media presence is a must-have these days, but how do you operate in the social media bubble where sometimes, what you see is not what you get?

JB: There’s a true need to be as open and transparent as possible (within what is professional), and this can be attained by using social proof, such as comments or testimonials from influencers in your field, or even co-producing or publishing a case study with a bigger brand. The key here is trust! With so much fake news and lies spreading throughout social media you really need to show your relevance and trustworthiness in your content and relationships. 


Get to know and Follow these SOCIAL INFLUENCERS!


TSM: What do you think of video in content marketing? Can we go any further or have we reached its peak?

JB: Although I think that text content is dominant (and will still be), we cannot by any means deny that when used right, video can deliver a lot of content in a small amount of time.

About reaching its peak, we are far from that, and Gen-Z is going to break the ceiling of what we Gen-X’ers would call peak.

Just days ago a coworker was showing a home video about his 6 year old “experimenting“ with his phone. This kid was recording tips on how to play console games and on making a secret camera out of a box of Corn Flakes, and posted it on YouTube.

I was just amazed! Imagine, this knowledge had been passed along to 50, 500, maybe even 5000 other youngsters like him. That’s the kind of video marketing Eureka moment we will receive from Generation Z.

Create your own viral video with this Three S’s Rule: Short, Substanstial and Shareable!

TSM: You’re also into PR. Tell us how you marry content marketing and public relations.

JB: Content marketing means having a new great book in a library and those who regularly visit become aware of it and read it. PR means announcing in the local newspaper and radio station about this great new book and why everyone should come inside the library and take a look at it. PR brings awareness to your content. It creates the excitement and curiosity that attracts a whole new audience that can convert into followers. I like content marketing, but I love PR. I must admit, I always think of myself more as a Thought Promoter and Social Networker than anything else.

Related: Influencer Interview with The Modern Marketer: Matt Heinz

TSM: What do you think are the content marketing trends we should all watch out for?

JB: Great question! I’m very excited about two particular trends which I think will become dominant in 2017:

Live Stream: Just weeks ago I said this trend would be grabbing headlines in 2017, and I stand by my word. After the fall of Meerkat, the surviving video platforms have been evolving at rapid pace. Just recently, Twitter announced the capability to broadcast live video from the Twitter app itself while Instagram has added IG live; Facebook steps the ante with Live 360 and Snapchat pushes group messaging. In all, it’s a hectic take-no-prisoners race to be video king of the hill as users and marketers study which platform could better tell their story.

Mobile: The age of smartphones is upon us and it will obliterate the desktop once and for all. Mobile friendly content marketing will be indispensable for any serious presence in the web. Pages must load faster, graphics load smoother, content easy to read and be shared. 

Related: Here’s How to Manage Google’s Mobile First Indexing for SMBs

The added capability of Mobile to take advantage of VR and Augmented Reality will push content marketing to whole new realms of possibilities. And if we look anywhere around us, smartphones are one of the most affordable and efficient means to push content. Why? Well, most people own one and how many times a day do we check them for messages or updates? There’s the answer.

Comments? Questions? We’d love to hear from you, guys!

Influencer Interview Series: Mike Allton Wears The Social Media Hat

We are in the search for our next influencer interviewee,

we would love to read your suggestions. Comment below!

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