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How The Travel Industry Can More Effectively Market Towards Millennials

Let’s get one thing straight: I love the experience of travelling, from packing my bags and heading out the door to adventuring and exploring new and exciting locations. So in most cases, if you approach me and say “let’s go on vacation,” I’ll probably agree on the spot.

shutterstock_234823648Getting me to follow through with the process, on the other hand, is like pulling teeth.

Allow me to explain why.

First, a bit about myself: I’m 28 years old (that’s right, I’m a millennial), have two dogs to look after, a full time job, financial obligations, and a tight schedule.

So while it always sounds great to plan a vacation, it’s difficult for me to actually make it happen. I say this from experience; right now my girlfriend and I are trying to plan a trip to Denmark. It’s just not easy. We can’t up and leave on a whim, even when we see amazing travel deals.

But alas, you say! Aren’t all millennials freewheelers like the ones the mainstream media likes to portray? Continue reading “How The Travel Industry Can More Effectively Market Towards Millennials”

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Understanding a Blog’s Position in the Sales Funnel

A lot of people ask me, “should my business be blogging?”

It leads me to believe that there is still, amongst the majority of professionals—particularly at the small-to-medium sized shutterstock_283237730business level—a fundamental misunderstanding as to how blogs fit into the sales funnel.

If you don’t grasp how the sales funnel works, it can be easy to dismiss a blog as a frivolous expenditure and thus, a gigantic waste of time. But rest assured, blogs have an important place in the sales process.

Here is how a blog fits into the sales funnel. Keep in mind that the sales funnel works from the top-down: Continue reading “Understanding a Blog’s Position in the Sales Funnel”

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3 Unexpected Benefits From Outsourcing Content Production

You’re still trying to decide whether a content strategy vendor is right for your business. After all, partnering with any vendor is a big decision and one that requires a lot of trust.

By outsourcing either some or all of your content needs, you can spend less money on the resources required to obtain professional, compelling copy. There are also several hidden benefits to outsourcing content production that you may not be aware of.

Here are three unexpected perks of working with a content strategy vendor:

shutterstock_194954891Fresh perspective about your brand: As a marketer, it’s easy to spend so much time thinking and talking about your products and services that you become bored with them.

What winds up happening is you lose the spark of interest that is needed to make your brand exciting to consumers. Continue reading “3 Unexpected Benefits From Outsourcing Content Production”

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Does Content Marketing Actually Work?

contentLast week, Mike Templeman, a contributor to Forbes Magazine, boldly claimed that “content marketing doesn’t work.” Templeman, a content writer himself, contends that most brands are doing it wrong, either by utilizing outdated creation and promotion strategies or simply having misguided expectations.

There may be some truth behind this statement given that many companies view content as a necessity but not always a priority. We live in a world that is connected to data all day; whether online, on our phones, our tablets and even TV. This new age of information can be as instructive as it can be overwhelming for consumers.

Continue reading “Does Content Marketing Actually Work?”

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Lessons From The Donald: Don’t Trump Up Your Content

It is ironic that the most business-savvy candidate in the 2016 presidential race also appears to be the least adept at branding. Donald J. Trump, 69, an American real estate tycoon, television host, politician and author, has a long history of successfully marketing casinos, resorts and even clothing lines that bear his name, yet, in the political arena, his personal branding efforts seem unfocused and unpredictable.

trump Continue reading “Lessons From The Donald: Don’t Trump Up Your Content”

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Retooling Your Brand? Make Sure You Have Supporting Content

Back in April, PepsiCo made headlines when the company announced plans to stop shipping bottles of Diet Pepsi containing aspartame—a widely used but controversial artificial sweetener. And this week, the first shipments of its new aspartame-free beverages, containing the sweeteners sucralose and acesulfame potassium (or “Ace-K”), will slowly make their way onto grocery store shelves.

shutterstock_178657133It’s a big change for the Diet Pepsi brand, and one that comes at an important time as we’re exactly one month away from the big September 10 kickoff to the NFL season. So executives at PepsiCo are waiting with bated breath to see how customers will react to the change.

The big question is, will the change encourage consumers to continue reaching for Diet Pepsi? Or will more people start reaching for Diet Coke? Only time will tell how consumers react to the new product.

As you can see, making a change to a product can be a stressful experience. This is especially true in the food and beverage industry, where making even a small adjustment—like replacing an ingredient—can have a massive impact on taste, and thus consumer perception. Continue reading “Retooling Your Brand? Make Sure You Have Supporting Content”

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Three Important Elements of Every Engaging Blog

shutterstock_301366778Marketers behind the brands with large blog readerships rely on much more than just good luck to attract their readers. Instead of crossing their fingers each time they press “submit” on the latest post, these marketers employ a wealth of strategic elements that make their blogs the most attractive to their audiences.

Just take look at this article from Bussiness2Community.com that lists five of today’s most successful corporate blogs. Each of the featured blogs is unique and immediately sets the tone for what its personality and content will be like. In other words, each of these featured blogs draws in and captivates the reader before he or she even begins reading the content, due to a few important key elements.

Continue reading “Three Important Elements of Every Engaging Blog”

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Three Reasons To Consider The New Content Boost Word Bank Package

Right now many Major League Baseball teams are scrambling to make last minute deals before tomorrow’s looming trade deadline. Just about every team in the playoff hunt hopes to land a multi-faceted player who can contribute across the board with both his bat and glove; such a player will prove to be much more valuable in October than a one-trick pony who can occasionally clobber the ball, but produce little else.

shutterstock_125212661This need for flexibility is equally important when selecting a custom content vendor. It’s critical that your vendor can provide your business with a wide variety of assets as opposed to a narrow set of deliverables.  Such is the concept behind Content Boost’s new offering, a flexible package which lets you pick and choose the number of words you want to receive per month with almost no limit as to how you can use them.

Here are three reasons your business should consider the new word bank package from Content Boost: Continue reading “Three Reasons To Consider The New Content Boost Word Bank Package”

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Should Your Content Be Inclusive?

Inclusive

Not one to follow reality TV or tabloid gossip, I did happen upon the E! channel’s new series, “I Am Cait,” in which Caitlyn Jenner leads viewers through the early stages of her recent gender transition. I only watched the first 20 minutes of the show, but what I found most interesting was not in the show at all, but an ad for Airbnb, the community marketplace for people to list, discover, and book accommodations around the world, which aired twice while I watched.

Continue reading “Should Your Content Be Inclusive?”