“It’s about getting people to create less content but also more meaningful content.” Amen. This week’s guests aren’t just content marketing professionals. As leaders at Upland Software and co-authors of Mastering One Voice, Toby Murdock and Zoë Randolph are on a mission to help content marketers create better content with a more cohesive, meaningful brand voice. We discussed all of this and more on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast.

About Toby Murdock & Zoë Randolph

Toby Murdock, General Manager, Upland Software — Toby co-founded Kapost in 2009 and served as CEO through its 2019 acquisition by Upland Software. When he’s not sharing his vision for the future of marketing. Toby is biking, hiking, or skiing in Boulder, CO with his wife and three daughters.

Zoë Randolph, Content Architect, Upland Kapost — Zoë brings her love of writing and business strategy to her work leading strategic messaging and content creation. When she’s off the clock, Zoë can be found immersed in a book, talking politics, or agonizing over the mediocrity of Cal Bears athletics.

Episode Highlights

What are the biggest challenges that content marketers today face? “We’ve lost a lot of control.” From distributed teams to distributed content creation, marketers today need better systems, frameworks, and infrastructure as both Toby and Zoë noted during the show.

Getting off of the content marketing “hamster wheel.” Toby noted that many are stuck in a cycle of creating more content for the sake of creating content. “We need to get off the hamster wheel.” As Zoë added, “It’s about less content but also more meaningful content.”

In the midst of a pandemic with great social unrest, is it harder for marketers to find their authentic brand voice? “It’s not that they don’t know what to say,” says Toby. “It’s that they don’t have the infrastructure to share.” Both Toby and Zoë pointed to Salesforce’s leadership as a successful model. However, both noted that this doesn’t happen overnight. It comes over time through attention from leadership and great effort internally.

What brands have made Toby and Zoë smile recently? Like their personalities, both offered divergent brand choices. Zoë pointed to Nike’s strong voice on Black Lives Matter while Toby pointed to the guidance REI provided during his recent purchase experience.

To learn more about Toby and Zoë’s work and their book Mastering One Voice, go to contentoperations.com.

As We Wrap …

Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show.

On Brand is sponsored by my book Brand Now. Discover the seven dynamics to help your brand stand out in our crowded, distracted world. Order now and get special digital extras. Learn more.

• Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn, and RSS.
• Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to Apple Podcasts and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And, if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the podcast.
• OK. How do you rate and review a podcast? Need a quick tutorial on leaving a rating/review in iTunes? Check this out.

Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices