Its 12 am and I can’t, for the life of me, fall asleep…so, what’s the first thing I do? I turn to my nightstand where my iPhone is resting, pick it up and search, “how to fall asleep quickly.” A wealth of blogs and YouTube videos greet me and I scroll through each of the “how to” options until I find one that seems effective.
Continue reading “How to Get on Top of the “How to” Content Trend”
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.
As 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?”
In what is arguably the biggest social media story of the week, Joss Whedon, the screenwriter and director of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “The Avengers” films, stormed off Twitter after fans turned against him for what they perceived to be sexism and misogyny in the latest Avengers film, “Age of Ultron.”
Whedon deleted his account after Tweeters objected to his depiction of Black Widow, played by Scarlett Johansson, in the film. Here’s a look at his seemingly ironic farewell message…
I’m not one to stay on top of events like the Met Gala, an annual fundraising gala to benefit the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York City, but I do enjoy perusing the images of celebrities and their luxurious, stylish and sometimes downright ridiculous outfits every year once the event is over (BuzzFeed has a complete lineup of this year’s outfits if you’re interested).
So, I scrolled through Web pages full of perfectly snapped shots of celebrities and their fashion collaborations that reflected this year’s theme of “China Through the Looking Glass.” Continue reading “Why This Year’s Met Gala Got Me Thinking About Content Marketing”
As content marketers—and professionals in the marketing outsourcing business—we are always searching for new tools that will make us better at our jobs and therefore make your content marketing strategy that much stronger.
One tool we talk a lot about here in the cubicles is buyer personas. They aren’t a piece of software or a neat gadget that makes life easier. Rather they are descriptions of our client’s target audience that help us hyper-focus our writing and create the top notch copy you come to expect from us here at Content Boost.
Continue reading “How do I Reach my Target Audience? Crystal Knows”
Whether you’re looking to debate the art of strategic thinking or just shoot the breeze about baseball, Salvatore Trifilio is your guy. Sal, who gives the chatterboxes at Content Boost a run for their money, is… how should we say it?… quite verbal.
“People say I talk a lot, and I guess that’s true,” Sal says, “but when you grow up in a large Italian family, like I did, you’ve got to do what you can to be heard at the dinner table.”
Fortunately, Sal’s love for words, creative thinking and storytelling is a perfect match for the job of a Content Boost Content Producer (have you caught his killer blogs?). Learn more about Sal in our latest five-minute catch up:
Continue reading “Employee Spotlight: Five Minutes with Content Producer, Salvatore Trifilio”
I’m sure at some point in your life you’ve heard someone label you (or perhaps you labeled yourself) either “right brained” or “left brained.” But I say, why do you have to be just one? In fact, as a content marketer, I know that I cannot afford to fall into the trap of exclusively thinking either one way or another. Instead, content marketers must extract valuable qualities associated with each side of the brain and integrate them to produce a well-rounded content creation strategy.
So, let’s refresh our memories about which characteristics are associated with each side of the brain. “Left brained” thinkers are usually analytical, literal and organized while “right brained” thinkers are dreamers, emotional and creative. But, the best marketers are analytical and creative; here’s a better look at how they use each side of the brain to create the most effective range of content:
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?”
Don’t get me wrong; I definitely believe in the power and prominence of digital marketing. After all, digital vehicles like eNewsletters, blogs and digital magazines are ranked as top tactics being used by marketers today, according to the Content Marketing Institute (CMI)’s “2015 Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends—North America” report. Furthermore, research from Gartner shows that digital marketing budgets will increase by 8 percent in 2015.
There’s no denying that digital marketing is here to stay, but, still, there is something exciting—inherently dynamic even—about having a face-to-face interaction.
Continue reading “Why Marketing Is Still an ‘In Person’ 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.
