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Holiday Shopping Made Easy with Social Media

Santa Carrying Shopping BagsSearching for the perfect holiday gift to spoil yourself or that special someone? Instead of scouring hundreds of stores only to come up short, try checking out your social media feeds for some holiday shopping inspiration.

According to a recent infographic by Crowdtap, a collaborative social marketing platform, almost 65 percent of shoppers use social media to search for gifts, while 70 percent purchase items they’ve found on social media. Moreover, social media and peer recommendations have proven to have an enormous influence on the habits of holiday shoppers.

In fact, 90 percent of recently surveyed participants said they trust social media recommendations more than any other form of advertising, which shouldn’t come as a surprise. Shopping for holiday gift ideas on social media is like having all your closest friends shopping with you except there are no long lines, pesky salespeople, or crowds of unruly shoppers.

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Top Five Content Marketing Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

mistakesThere’s no doubt that content marketing is the most popular inbound marketing strategy on the block. In fact, 93 percent of B2B marketers utilize content marketing, while 58 percent plan to increase their spending in this area in 2014, according to Content Marketing Institute’s “B2B Content Marketing 2014 Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends” report.

Although this burgeoning strategy has shown no signs of slowing down, there are still many mistakes being made by companies big and small. Below are the top five content marketing mistakes and ways in which businesses can avoid them. Continue reading “Top Five Content Marketing Mistakes and How to Avoid Them”

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Is Your Content Making a Point?

349497988_fb751a5e3a_oHave you ever read through an article only to walk away asking yourself what the real point was? If this sounds familiar then you’re not alone. I recently read what I thought was going to be a compelling article judging by its witty title, however, when I finally got to the end I thought to myself, ‘Wow I didn’t learn a thing I didn’t already know.’

In content marketing, you hear the word storytelling a lot. While every story needs a beginning, middle and end, it also needs a point. As a business, your goal is to persuade a customer to take action, whether it’s downloading your latest whitepaper or ebook or leaving a comment on your latest blog post. Continue reading “Is Your Content Making a Point?”

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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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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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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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Anthropologie: A Master in Fashion and Content Marketing

I have to give it up to fashion retailer Anthropologie. Not only does the fabulously quirky retailer offer today’s best fashion designs, but the company has mastered the art of content marketing. Blogs, videos, photo galleries, social media – you name it, Anthropologie has it. The fashion maven offers its customers custom creative content across a multitude of platforms, which has undoubtedly placed the brand ahead of the curve.

Let’s take a look at three ways Anthropologie has built its success using content marketing, as well as some helpful tips you can implement into your very own marketing strategy.

anthro 1All about the Customer

Knowing their customers’ wide-range of interests, Anthropolgie’s blog “Anthro” is the go-to spot for the latest trends in everything fashion and culture. From “The Perfect Sunday Dinner Outfit” to the “Ultimate Road Trip Playlist” to “Designer Spotlights” to “The Summer Sendoff Margarita,” Anthro has a diverse mix of content for every type of customer.

Let’s face it; your customers don’t want to read a blog filled with promotional content. They want a place to go to read about the topics they like without being bombarded by ads. Content marketing is all about finding a happy medium between promotional and informative content.   Continue reading “Anthropologie: A Master in Fashion and Content Marketing”

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Want Better SEO Rankings? Create Better Content

SEO - Search engine optimizationJust when you thought you finally understood today’s SEO best practices, Google unleashes another animal from its cage and totally flips what you thought you knew upside down. While you can curse the Google Gods and swear never to use the search engine again, it won’t do you any good. Face it; in a world in which 93 percent of online experiences begin with a search engine, you need Google and Google needs you.

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LinkedIn: A Goldmine Filled with Quality Leads

Linkedin_ChocolatesWhen LinkedIn first launched in 2002, it was a small but mighty social media platform used by eager job seekers to connect with other like-minded professionals. Fast forward to today, however, and LinkedIn is the go-to social media vehicle for marketing and sales professionals. LinkedIn is no longer seen as Facebook’s “ugly step sister” but as a valuable tool for gathering quality leads and developing strong client relationships.  Continue reading “LinkedIn: A Goldmine Filled with Quality Leads”

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Think You Can Avoid Optimizing Your Email Marketing Campaigns for Mobile? Think Again.

mobile emailI have to admit, I am an eNewsletter junkie. From marketing to fashion to hard news to sports, by morning my inbox is jam-packed with tantalizing content that I can’t wait to get my hands on. However, nothing is more frustrating than opening one of my favorite eNewsletters on my iPhone and seeing a bunch of jumbled words, dead links and distorted photos. And I’m not alone. Continue reading “Think You Can Avoid Optimizing Your Email Marketing Campaigns for Mobile? Think Again.”