It’s a little after 6 p.m., and my Uber is crawling down Boylston Street. I can practically see my destination, Atlantic Avenue, but the heavy Back Bay traffic is testing my patience.
A reckless cyclist nearly sideswipes my Uber, making the driver grip the steering wheel a bit tighter. I glance at the digital clock on the dashboard and briefly wonder if he’d express his frustration out loud if it weren’t for those all-important passenger ratings. My destination is 745 Atlantic Avenue, the location of WeWork Boston’s second location in Boston. They’re known for their coworking (and now co-living) spaces, and tonight, they’re generously hosting the first-ever Boston Content Hackathon. This event is the brainchild of Boston Content, a group dedicated to supporting content marketing professionals in the Boston area. I’ve attended tech-focused hackathons in the past, but this content marketing version is new territory for me. I doubt there will be any coding involved, so I’m curious to see what we’ll be “building.” Honestly, I’m not sure what to expect at all. At 6:20 p.m., I’m convinced that everyone else is already mingling and enjoying refreshments. A wave of nervousness washes over me. “Great,” I think, “I’m going to be that person – the latecomer forced to awkwardly hover near the snacks, glued to my phone, while everyone else chats excitedly in their newly formed groups.” Thankfully, a few minutes later, my Uber pulls up to 745 Atlantic. I thank the driver, hop out, and hurry inside. The hackathon is in full swing.
Building a Content Marketing Strategy in 3 Hours
This Content Marketing Hackathon, organized by Boston Content, stemmed from a competition among businesses residing within WeWork Boston. The prize? A complimentary evening of content consulting from seasoned Boston-area professionals. The winning business was Knead, a budding service-based startup providing on-demand, in-office massage therapy to companies in and around Boston. Knead had a strong service and had already secured partnerships with major Boston-area players like The Boston Globe, Babson College, and NECN. However, what Knead lacked was a content marketing strategy. That’s where we came in.
After a round of introductions fueled by cold IPAs, hot pizza, and firm handshakes, Knead’s founder, Nicholas Pierce, took the stage. He shared his story with the group of around 30 content professionals. He spoke about his years spent in the corporate world, how the stress had impacted his well-being, and how that experience led him to leave his corporate job and invest his savings into launching Knead.
The audience listens attentively as Knead Founder Nicholas Pierce outlines his content needs. We engaged in a Q&A session, asking about Knead’s pricing structure, their competition in the on-demand wellness market, and other essential details needed to bolster their content marketing efforts. We then divided into three teams and got down to business.
Content Hacking: A Collaborative Approach
My team was under the guidance of Julie Carey, Product Marketing Director at Virgin Pulse. As we settled into one of WeWork Boston’s conference rooms, a flurry of ideas emerged. People were eager to contribute ways for Knead to broaden its reach and attract new clients. Some team members suggested that Knead should position itself as an authority in the corporate wellness arena, perhaps by co-sponsoring research studies with some of Boston’s numerous healthcare institutions. Others recommended leveraging the impact of social media listicles to increase brand visibility and grow their online presence. Some started drafting content on their laptops, while others jotted down thoughts on Post-it notes.
Boston Interactive’s Matt Naffah, left, and two team members brainstorming with Post-it notes. While the discussion continued, I took a moment to visit Knead’s website on my phone. It loaded quickly, which was a good start. After scrolling past an inviting image of the Boston skyline, I reached the heart of their homepage. The site stated that Knead provides “short-duration chair massage to offices, buildings, or events/parties.” It emphasized “easy online scheduling and payment” and promised “convenient, recurring appointments.” Their tagline read: “It’s time for a relaxation revolution.” It dawned on me that all the content on their homepage and “About Us” page centered solely on the features of their service – there was no mention of the benefits of choosing Knead. I brought this to the team’s attention, and the room fell silent. We had been so eager to dive into content marketing tactics that we had overlooked Knead’s content strategy.
Who IS that handsome stranger in the flannel shirt? This realization was a wake-up call. We regrouped and brainstormed ways to reposition Knead’s messaging to highlight the advantages of their service, not just the logistics. We discussed how to position Knead as a valuable tool for HR departments and wellness program managers – their target audience – emphasizing its potential for employee retention and onboarding. Someone had the brilliant idea of marketing Knead as a way for HR professionals, often the unsung heroes of a company, to “be the hero” by offering Knead’s services as a reward or incentive. After another half hour of intense brainstorming, Julie gave us a five-minute warning to wrap up and prepare our presentation. I was somehow nominated to co-present our findings to the founders. As we watched the first team, led by Matt Naffah, Director of Digital Strategy at Boston Interactive, present their insightful recommendations, we nodded in agreement.
Matt Naffah’s group pauses for a moment of reflection. Then, it was our turn.
Providing Constructive Criticism
Standing before the entire group and the founders, we presented our recommendations. We emphasized the need to move away from feature-centric messaging and urged them to re-evaluate their website’s positioning. I pointed out that offering online payment processing isn’t a unique selling point – it’s an industry standard. This comment was met with nods of agreement from both the audience and the founders. We offered Knead actionable strategies they could implement within the next three months to boost website traffic and generate leads. After the event concluded, I had the opportunity to speak with Knead’s founders. They were incredibly receptive to the feedback, expressing excitement not only for our suggestions but also for the valuable advice presented by the other teams. They admitted to feeling overwhelmed with the abundance of ideas, which was a testament to the event’s success. I’m eager to witness Knead’s progress in the coming months.
Tackling Common Content Marketing Hurdles
Knead might be a young startup, but the obstacles they face are universal in the world of digital marketing. It’s a challenging field, even for seasoned entrepreneurs. Many small businesses encounter similar content marketing roadblocks, struggling with messaging, positioning, and resource allocation for basic content creation, like blogging and social media.
Knead Founder Nicholas Pierce and Account Manager Ned Suh, foreground left, attentively listen to a presenter’s recommendations after the group sessions. I found it intriguing that our team was the only one to concentrate on messaging and positioning instead of diving straight into specific content marketing tactics. It made me realize that many new businesses – not just startups – make this mistake. It doesn’t matter how much traffic your content attracts if you’re targeting the wrong audience or using the wrong approach. Knead understands their target demographic but hadn’t grasped the importance of emphasizing benefits over features. On a personal note, I want to express my gratitude to WeWork Boston for hosting such a fantastic event, to the amazing team at General Assembly for generously providing the pizza and (most importantly) the beer that fuels all content professionals, and to Devin, Mike, and Todd from Boston Content for organizing such a unique and valuable experience. I’m already looking forward to the next one.