Q&A with Bethany Fagan, Senior Manager, Content Marketing at PandaDoc

I don’t think there is such a thing as too much content. Especially with today’s buyers.

MEDIA 7: Could you please tell us a little bit about yourself? What inspired you to pursue a career in writing?
BETHANY FAGAN: Hi! I’m the Senior Manager, Content Marketing at PandaDoc and have been at the company for over 5 years. Previously, I started marketing and content at iQ media, which is media intelligence software, and I’ve even gone so far as to sell Xerox copy machines right out of college.

I’ve always been a creative person but I knew a career in content was for me when I was in high school. I grew up in the Northern Virginia area and every year you were required to take a state test to “pass” your grade level and move on to the next one. A component of this test was a writing sample and year after year I’d consistently get near-perfect, if not perfect scores on the writing portion while doing just average in the other subjects. So I thought, hmm I should probably give this writing thing a shot.

M7: How do you ensure that your content team understands the requirements and curates content in an engaging manner?
BF: Well of course we have our content guidelines that help the team determine our tone and voice but I really think our curation mindset changed when we started thinking about how and why we create content. Instead of creating content in a funnel structure (awareness, consideration, decision) we started thinking of it more in the ways people search for information. So we flipped and our 2 stages of content are now inspiration, education, and execution. By pivoting to this search- motivation framework, we are able to create content that is engaging depending on what we think our reader and audience are searching and looking for. We also wanted to make our content more discoverable and allow for potential prospects to move through the stages of the marketing funnel more fluidly.

For content marketing, the channels that are most relevant are website, social, and email.

M7: What channels do you think are the most relevant for Content Marketing? How do you gauge which ones are the most promising, given your target customers?
BF: For content marketing, I think the channels that are most relevant are website, social, and email. For us at PandaDoc, the ones that are most promising are the ones where we can attract eyeballs and get people to subscribe and get more of our content. A new channel that we’re testing at PandaDoc that can be really relevant is podcasting. We launched a podcast show about a couple months ago and we’re seeing more listeners
(viewers) and more time spent on the content than any other channel we distribute content through. It is a decent amount of lift but podcast shows are also great ways to repurpose content into video, blog posts, longer eBooks, and more. Our most promising content channels are the ones that we can measure audience size and engagement rates.

M7: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected businesses worldwide. What has been PandaDoc’s strategy of survival during that time?
BF: Ever since our founding in 2011, one of PandaDoc’s goals has always been to put people over profit. So when the pandemic hit in March 2020, we wanted to create something that would benefit businesses hit the hardest during the uncertain times. We always wanted to introduce a free eSign plan but our plans were accelerated because of COVID-19.

Our free eSign plan has helped hundreds of thousands of users upload and sign as many documents as they like, entirely free of charge. We feel that eSignatures are a commodity and should be available for all. And if people see how easy PandaDoc is to use, they’ll come back to us when their businesses are more stable and have grown and require the entire suite of PandaDoc functionality.

If you make a mistake, that’s okay, move on and do better next time. Fail fast and fail often.

M7: What are your views on content shock? Is it a worrisome trend or a content marketing myth?
BF: I think my answer to this question has definitely changed as my tenure has progressed at PandaDoc. When I joined in 2016, we needed to create as much content as possible as frequently as possible. But now, now that we’re a team of four, we can be more strategic and focused on what we create and why.

I don’t think there is such a thing as too much content though. Especially with today’s buyers. Many people want to do their own research on their own time so make it as easy as possible for them to find your content and consume your content.

M7: The best advice you have ever received?
BF: Don’t assume anything. If you have a question, get it answered. If you need help, ask or do the work yourself to get there. And if you make a mistake, that’s okay, move on and do better next time. Fail fast and fail often.