Hi ,

Want to improve your content marketing strategy in 7 steps? In this webinar, Nick Oswald explains how to avoid the mistakes he made when building Bitesize Bio from scratch. Watch 7 Hard Won Lessons for Successful Content Marketing to Scientific Audiences now →

In this month’s email…

1. 5 actionable community and content marketing links

2. What our team is reading and loving this month

3. The deep-dive: What techno can teach marketers about co-creation

4. Marketing quote of the month from Mark Schaefer

5. This month’s team spotlight with our content creator, Skye

If you have a minute, we’d love you to reply to this email, letting us know what you liked, what you didn’t, or what you think we could do better!

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OUR FAVOURITE FINDS

For better marketing, check out these links.

🌱 Digital marketing and content marketing aren’t the same → Marketer Tips, LinkedIn

🌿 When it comes to community, bigger isn’t always better (Circle has the data to prove it) → Pretty Little Marketer, LinkedIn

🌳 Find out how our production team prepares for Hybrid events → Bitesize Bio Content Marketing, LinkedIn

🌾The benefits of having a community marketing strategy → Mike Harrower, Disciple

🌻 How to Build a Thriving Community → Positively lovely panel, The Marketing Meet-up

What we’re reading this month

📖 Very Good Copy: 207 Micro-Lessons on Thinking and Writing Like a Copywriter by Eddie Shleyner → Amazon

What we’re loving this month

🧡 DeNovix’s collection of in-house webinars! A fantastic example of a well-executed educational content program → DeNovix

DEEP DIVE

What techno can teach marketers about co-creation

Before you start reading, I promise this isn’t one of those LinkedIn posts that desperately tries to link art and business 😉

In the context of community marketing, co-creation means that customers are involved in the production or ideation of new content. Instead of marketers unilaterally developing these resources, audiences are directly involved through feedback or engagement. Their input means that the resultant content aligns with their needs, expectations, or personality. 

There are many examples of brands using co-creation to design products. For example, Lego fans can submit ideas for new sets, and Starbucks allows customers to vote on new menu items. However, one of the best examples of co-creation between creators and their audiences is not in marketing: it is in music. 

How Marc Rebillet uses co-creation to make music  

Classically-trained electronic music creator Marc Rebillet (aka. Loop Daddy) has been co-creating music with his audiences since 2016. One thing that is so amazing about Marc’s art is that it is completely improvised and based on whatever he is observing at the moment. For context, you can see Marc work through this unique process on the radio show Sway in the Morning here.

If you’ve been to one of Marc’s shows before, you’ll understand it’s more interactive than the typical audience-artist dynamic. 

If not, I’ll explain why. 

At some point during the gig, Marc jumps off the stage and asks someone in the audience a question. He then records their answer on his microphone and uses the audio sample to create a brand-new song on the spot in front of the rest of the crowd. In this moment, the barrier between the audience and the artist dissolves.

It really is magical to see it in person!

This spontaneous and collaborative approach to music creation has earned Marc sold-out tours and a following of passionate fans that are steadily growing. But what does this all have to with marketing?

Co-creation is the future of content marketing 

Incorporating co-creation into your marketing strategy can lead to deeper brand loyalty and more innovative content because it draws from your target audience's perspective and their real-world needs.

For as long as Bitesize Bio has existed, we’ve been co-creating articles with our community members. When Nick started blogging about his lab knowledge, other scientists (or “mentors”) put forward their ideas for helpful content out of a mutual desire to share knowledge. 

The combined desire to learn and contribute to democratizing knowledge in science led to the formation of the Bitesize Bio community, which now has over 500 contributing mentors who are just as passionate about our vision as we are.

Actionable steps you can take now

If you would like to do more co-creation of content with your customers, the first step is to create a channel where they can share their ideas and problems with you. This could look like a form, focus group, or email address where they can submit ideas for new content. 

For example, at Bitesize, we have a dedicated page on our website for scientists who want to contribute their knowledge to our community. We also periodically survey our audience and interview keen respondents for more in-depth feedback. However, it doesn’t matter what it looks like, just that it exists and your customers can use it.

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

TEAM SPOTLIGHT

The best skill in life is knowing how to cheer yourself up

This month, our team spotlight is on Dr Skye Marshall, Bitesize Bio’s Content Creator.

Skye plays a crucial role at Bitesize Bio, where she develops educational ebooks and articles for our clients. She also contributes significantly to our 1-2-3 newsletters and eagerly participates in marketing and business development meetings.

At work, Skye prefers coffee over tea, humorously noting, “Why keep anxiety at bay when you can hurry it along?” She enjoys the companionship of her golden retriever, Harris, and her passion project is training him to be the best boy he can be. 

If given the chance to have dinner with any scientist, Skye would choose one with a self-deprecating sense of humor, so they could bond over their mistakes. She thinks Nobel Prize winner Katalin Karikó, whose research enabled the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, would be a fun dinner companion.

Skye's career path has been varied, including a research position on the Caribbean island of St Kitts. Her travels have also taken her to Costa Rica, where the rainforests of the Osa Peninsula emerged as her favorite destination.

In addition to mastering the art of napping, Skye believes that the best skill in life is knowing how to cheer yourself up. We couldn’t agree more! If you want to say hi to Skye, feel free to connect with her on LinkedIn.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Remember—there are three ways that Bitesize Bio can help you grow better:

• Brand awareness: Get your products directly in front of a relevant audience, and foster credibility and recognition among scientists actively seeking technical information.

• Lead generation: Obtain qualified prospects for your product and robust data insights that allow your sales team to follow up with leads who show genuine interest.

• Integrated Marketing Campaigns: Blend multiple touchpoints to create a cohesive journey that amplifies the brand message, drives engagement, and generates leads.

Get in touch with us to find out more.

Have a great month, and keep on growing 🌱

—The Bitesize Bio Team

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