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What are the Top Five Content Marketing Trends for 2014?

contentmarketing2013 has been a breakout year for content marketing.  The “star” marketing strategy has now become a staple in many companies’ inbound marketing efforts. In fact, the number of U.S. companies with a comprehensive content marketing strategy in place jumped from 28 percent in 2012 to 49 percent in 2013, according to IMN’s “2013 Content Marketing Survey Report.”

So, what can we expect from this marketing gem in the coming year? Recently, Forbes compiled its top 10 content marketing trends that will dominate in 2014. We chose our favorite four and weighed in on what we think is in store for the coming year. Continue reading “What are the Top Five Content Marketing Trends for 2014?”

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What’s in a Blog?

shutterstock_101774389It is oftentimes the hardest place to start when it comes to your content marketing strategy, but at the same time, the most important—your blogging platform. From deciding on appropriate blog topics to fine-tuning your tagging strategy to cementing your posting schedule, maintaining a blog can feel a lot like a three ring circus; there are so many moving parts that need be accounted for and, as marketers, we are oftentimes left throwing our hands in the air and with a massive headache.

So what’s in a blog? Before diving into the blogosphere, try to remember these three tips and tricks for each and every entry.

Continue reading “What’s in a Blog?”

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The Surprising and Not-So Surprising Demographics of Social Networks

social mediaSome things in life just go better together – for instance, peanut butter and jelly, milk and cookies, Barbie and Ken, Batman and Robin. The same could be said about content marketing and social media. Social media has become an integral part of businesses’ content marketing strategies, helping to amplify customer engagement, boost lead generation and spread brand awareness.

B2B marketers are using a number of social media platforms to distribute content more frequently than they did last year, according to Content Marketing Institute’s “B2B Content Marketing 2014 Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends –North America” study. In fact, marketers are now using an average of six social platforms, compared to just five last year. Continue reading “The Surprising and Not-So Surprising Demographics of Social Networks”

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Top Three Social Tools Every Content Marketer Should Consider

content marketing strategyWhether you work for a large firm with an international customer base, an enterprise with multiple clients or a smaller company operating with a stricter budget, one thing remains true: the business of managing social media can easily get hairy. So, for every content marketer in the world, there should be a handy tool by his or her side. Continue reading “Top Three Social Tools Every Content Marketer Should Consider”

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How to Use Social Media Contests to Generate Leads

social-trophies1Let’s face it; there’s nothing exciting about lead generation. In fact, it can be extremely frustrating. You spend days crafting a compelling eNewsletter and months creating a killer company blog, but the number of leads coming in aren’t what you expected. If this sounds familiar, then maybe it’s time to think outside box and liven up your lead generation strategy.  Continue reading “How to Use Social Media Contests to Generate Leads”

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What Marketers Can Learn from Senator Ted Cruz’s 21 Hour Speech

The next presidential election is still more than three years away, but in today’s world of instant information, members from either side of the aisle need to raise their profiles significantly in order to have a formidable seat in the national conversation.

ted cruzFollowing in the footsteps of U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), who held a 13-hour filibuster earlier this year to question America’s use of violent drone strikes, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) took to Capitol Hill on Sept. 24 and spoke for more than 21 hours, urging his colleagues to support the defunding of the Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as Obamacare.

Though not technically a filibuster—the Senate was scheduled to begin debate on a bill that would prevent a government shutdown at noon the following day, and they did—Cruz’s antics generated a ton of buzz, both good and bad, throughout every corner of the Internet and from anyone politically-connected. Continue reading “What Marketers Can Learn from Senator Ted Cruz’s 21 Hour Speech”

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Can You Handle the 21st Century Customer?

customer serviceSpend just a few minutes with your existing and prospective customers—or just two minutes scanning your Twitter news stream—and one sentiment resounds loud and clear: we are in the Age of the Consumer, one characterized by a customer who is more informed, demanding and expectant than perhaps we have ever seen. Just consider the following statistics aggregated in a great LinkedIn post:

  • For every customer complaint there are 26 other unhappy customers who have remained silent.
  • 96 percent of unhappy customers don’t complain, however 91 percent of those will simply leave and never come back.
  • 70 percent of buying experiences are based on how customers feel they are being treated.

Continue reading “Can You Handle the 21st Century Customer?”