Content Marketing

Welcome to the Content Marketing Handbook

Content Mission

Our content mission is to create a shared space where modern developers and decisions makers find and share useful information, advice, resources, and inspiration for becoming better distributed and collaborative development teams.

For every piece of content we share the goal should be to make an individual or a team better. To achieve this we should empathize with our audience, thinking about who the content is for and how it will help. We should aim to share both the "how-to" and "the why it matters" in our content. We should strive to make takeaways clear and actionable.

Content Persona

GitLab is a classic oversharer of ideas, opinions, and experiences that help better the community. We think of GitLab's voice as human, empathetic, light-hearted, and opinionated yet humble. We share our point of view and opinions but do not forget to provide context and ask for other opinions.

Things you can expect GitLab to overshare on:

Community Guidance: Empowering developers to get stuff done by making it easy to get started with git and GitLab
Enterprise Answers: Working in large teams is often challenging. We'd like to understand more about the painpoints of enterprise development teams, present solutions, and answer questions.
Thought Leadership: Share our perspective on variety of topics like open source, open organization, innersourcing, modern development, and change management.
Quirky Culture: Showcase our unique company culture and team members, focusing on remote-only, transparency, product design, employee learnings, stickers etc.)

2016 activities

Publish an active blog with useful content relevant to GitLab users.
Host webcasts which welcome newcomers, celebrate with existing users, and provide access to expertise.
Publish a twice-monthly email newsletter you can sign up to on our contact page.

Q3 Content Pillars

Non-GitLab Specific

Open source and open organizations
Innersourcing
Modern development

GitLab Specific

GitLab workflow
GitLab tutorials and migration guides
Remote-only and team member stories

What is the webcast program at GitLab?

The webcast program consists of regular online events for GitLab users and community members.
The webcasts are recorded and distributed to GitLab users, and can be referred to in the Resource Library as part of GitLab University
How to Schedule a webcast
Technical requirements to view a webcast

Uploading video files to the GitLab YouTube channel

You must be a manager of the GitLab YouTube channel to upload.
To be added as a manager of the GitLab YouTube channel, please request the channel owner add you as manager.
The CMO is the GitLab YouTube channel owner.
How to add or remove users to a channel
The direct link to add and remove users for the manager is here.
If you’d like to add video bumpers to the beginning or end of your video, please download from this issue.
Protip: If you’re using ScreenFlow to record a screencast, there’s a checkbox to remove background noise from your audio.

Monthly Program

This program is in development. For the first month, January, we'll start with one webcast, then add another and build up to the full schedule.

Welcome to GitLab - 20 mins (coming soon!)

Live demo run.
Similar base demo script each month.
- How to use GitLab - essential demo.
- This month’s Q+A (commonly asked questions, recent questions from twitter)
- GitLab’s products and services.
- How to find stuff in the GitLab; getting help, direction, participation.
- Community welcome mat: How to meet other GitLab users what events we’ll be at, how about you?
Aimed at developers or decision makers who have signed up in the last 30 days, inviting them into the community.

Release Party - 30 - 40 mins

Monthly Thursday following a release.
Present highlights from the new features.
Refer to any resources, docs, screencasts, etc.
Guest speakers from the dev team about the new features.
Highlight contributors and the MVP for that month.
New contributors welcomed.
Q+A from audience.

GitLab Tutorials - 40 mins - 1 hour

Live presentation, demo or discussion on monthly in-depth learning theme.
Preceded by 3 weeks of blog posts, screencasts, tutorial and an invitation which leads to the online event.
Live event includes: Guest speaker / interview / presentation / demo as appropriate to topic.
Q+A from audience. Survey to GitLab users on the topic if appropriate.
After event: Blog post of findings from the Q+A, results of survey.
Roll-up content into an downloadable ebook, course or other way to make the content more easily accessed and reviewed.

Delivering Webcasts

Webcasts are delivered in partnership with the Demand Generation team
Webcasts are on Wednesdays, 17:00 UTC (9am PST, 6pm CET)
Panelists should arrive 15 mins before the webcast for a final sound check
Panelists should participate in a rehearsal before the webcast

Pre-webcast checklist

Create webcast copy (Amara)
Create the webcast registration page (Mitchell)
Send calendar invitation (with 15 minute buffer) to presenters with presenter link (Mitchell)
Send webcast dry run calendar invitation to presenters
Create ads promoting webcast (Mitchell)
Promote webcast in newsletter (Amara)
Schedule webcast promo tweets T - 3 weeks, T - 2 weeks, T - 3 days, and T - 1 day, and T (Amara)
Add webcast to banner on about.gitlab.com T - 1 week (Amara)
Create and share webcast deck for feedback (Amara)
Host webcast dry run and ensure everyone is comfortable with platform (Mitchell and Amara)
Load final slides, polls, and resources into webcast platform (Mitchell)

During the webcast

All presenters should log into the platform 15 minutes ahead of time for a sound check
Presenters will deliver slides and must remain mindful of time and shorten their presentations if needed to make up time
Every webcast should leave at least 10 minutes for a Q&A

Post webcast

Edit the recording (Amara)
Protip: If you’re using ScreenFlow to record a screencast, there’s a checkbox to remove background noise from your audio.
Post on YouTube, Speakerdeck, and blog (Amara)
Promote blog post on Twitter (Amara)
Send webinar follow up emails (Mitchell)
Add to newsletter (Amara)