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In Case You Missed It: Highlights From Today’s Content Boost Crash Course in NYC

Today the Content Boost team stormed NYU’s Kimmel Center ready to convince business leaders to say “yes” to content marketing at the third Content Boost Crash Course.

shutterstock_133099646What they found, however, was that the packed room was one step ahead of the game. In fact, the audience members were ready to jump into content marketing right away.

Their enthusiasm echoed the sentiments from our Director Carrie Majewski about how popular content marketing has become. As Majewski explained during her kickoff presentation, 78 percent of CMOs think custom content is the future of marketing. Further, 86 percent of B2B and 77 percent of B2C companies now use content marketing.

“Our NYC-based Cont Continue reading “In Case You Missed It: Highlights From Today’s Content Boost Crash Course in NYC”

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Don’t Let Social Trends Scare You: Start Using Them to Your Advantage

shutterstock_285775508As more and more people turn to social networking sites as an all-inclusive location for their news, sports and entertainment, it has become more important than ever for marketers to be constantly plugged in to the trends of social media.

At first glance, the idea of constantly keeping up with the giant wealth of ever-changing information present on social networks seems incredibly daunting, especially for smaller businesses without the aid of a full marketing team. In reality, however, businesses with any size and capability can capitalize on social media trends to spread awareness of their brand.

Continue reading “Don’t Let Social Trends Scare You: Start Using Them to Your Advantage”

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Marketing Lessons Learned From the New York Yankee Mustaches

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Editors note: This blog post originally appeared on the Mad Marketer website and was re-posted here with the permission of the author and Mad Marketer team.

Recently, the New York Yankees, formerly noted for their traditional team uniforms and specific grooming code, which since the early ’70s has included a no facial hair policy, have started loosening up their upper lips. That is, they’ve joined the #stachesquad, an Instagram hashtag that has gone viral after prominent Yankees players started posting pictures of their newly grown whiskers.

Continue reading “Marketing Lessons Learned From the New York Yankee Mustaches”

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It’s Time For Your 6 Month Content Marketing Checkup

Now that we’re about halfway through 2015, it’s an ideal time to take a step back and make sure you are on track to meet the content marketing goals you outlined for your business back in January (like creating brand awareness, or increasing engagement with your customers).

shutterstock_159748715After all, while your brand may appear to be perfectly healthy on the surface, there are countless factors that go into a successful content marketing strategy, all of which need to be closely monitored.

Here are some questions to ask during your mid-year content marketing checkup:

Are you posting regularly? Posting content is a bit like exercising; you have to do it on a consistent basis if you want to maintain a healthy digital brand. If you go for long periods of time between posts, you will have a much harder time building a steady readership.   Continue reading “It’s Time For Your 6 Month Content Marketing Checkup”

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Don’t Be Another Face(book) in the Crowd

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The continued expansion of marketing in all its forms has driven most companies to rush into social media promotion without a clear strategy or projected outcome. It certainly pays to be at the party, but if you’re just another guest without anything interesting to add to the conversation, you’re better off staying home.

Like the truth in the X-Files, the data is out there. Web marketing needs to speak directly to its audience, and knowing who that is, is fundamental. More than 1.44 billion people are on Facebook and 936 million visit their page daily. Given that Facebook ads allow you to target people based on location, age, interests and more, your advertising can determine your marketing strategy. In other words, find your fans through advertising, follow-up with effective marketing and let social media work its magic. Continue reading “Don’t Be Another Face(book) in the Crowd”

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Why Don’t I See Any Case Studies On Your Website?

I’ve visited your Web page. I’ve read your products and service descriptions, analyzed your “About” section and scanned your blog.  Unfortunately, there’s something missing. There are no case studies detailing clear-cut examples of how your company has directly helped any of your customers.

shutterstock_137423564As a result of this shortcoming, I’m left scratching my head wondering why this is (as I head to Google and start searching for competitors who can show me clear-cut evidence their products and services can produce the strong results they claim).

The good news is that your business is not alone in its lack of case studies. This is a problem I see all of the time on both B2B and B2C websites. It’s puzzling, too, considering that customer case studies and success stories are the third most influential type of asset in the purchasing process for customers in both large enterprises and small businesses. Case studies communicate that other businesses trust your company, and they also pique interest from similar prospects who could benefit from your company. Continue reading “Why Don’t I See Any Case Studies On Your Website?”

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How Do I Find My Audience on Social Media?

photo 1 (8)Last week, we finished up our Content Marketing Crash Course, designed to bring marketing awareness to the local community, at our Content Boost office (recaps available here and here!). It was a great day filled with interesting dialogue.

One question that seemed to come up a lot was, “How do I find my audience on social media?” It’s an interesting question and one that doesn’t have a particularly short answer. Continue reading “How Do I Find My Audience on Social Media?”

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Playing Twitter Like a Game

If you’re interested in content marketing chances are you’re most likely also interested in learning how your business will play in the world of social media.

It’s well known that many small- to medium-sized business owners are hesitant about getting on social media, specifically Twitter (I’ve come across too many to count). Oftentimes, they are worried they’re getting into the game too late and therefore won’t be able to compete with more established brands. I wanted to take a moment to share with you a recent experience that I had with this 140-character megaphone.

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Top Takeaways From the Content Boost Crash Course, Part 2: Afternoon Sessions

Looking back on the second half of yesterday’s Content Boost Crash Course, the word that comes immediately to mind is “action.” While the first half of the day was focused on educating attendees about the basics of content marketing—the ins and outs of blogging and the need to engage with customers via social media, for example—the afternoon was all about how to put those strategies into motion and move forward with an integrated, revenue-driven content marketing strategy.

shutterstock_134665622What is the best way to get started with content marketing in your organization? As Content Boost Director Carrie Majewski intimated during a presentation titled “Getting the Boss to Say Yes to Content Marketing,” approaching the boss about investing in content marketing may be intimidating. She advised participants to lay such fears aside, however, as, in truth, most decision makers are ready to move forward with content marketing. Majewski backed up her claim with a study from DNN which shows that the top three priorities for marketing executives are to acquire new customers (87 percent), increase customer retention (86 percent) and increase brand awareness (80 percent).
Continue reading “Top Takeaways From the Content Boost Crash Course, Part 2: Afternoon Sessions”