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Time Out: Let’s Talk About Your Content Marketing Strategy

When the time comes for Kobe Bryant to hang up his uniform and retire, he will be on the fast track to the Basketball Hall of Fame. With five championship rings on his fingers, four All-Star game MVPs in 14 appearances, a record of 15 All-NBA selections and 12 All-Defensive team awards, Bryant has become a household name throughout the world. His brand is recognized everywhere from Los Angeles to Beijing.

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You could imagine the shock, then, for Boston College students when but a few minutes into a recent lecture on how the NBA is a model for successful international marketing, the door to the class opened and in walked Bryant himself.

“It was surreal,” explained Professor Nick Nugent when about the experience.

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Customer Service: It’s all About the Little Things

If you follow the news at all, you are probably well aware by now of the massive data breach that sent retail giant Target spiraling into a public relations crisis from which it has yet to emerge. As you may also know, the company has taken almost as much flak for the difficulty shoppers had reaching customer service—and the treatment they received from call center agents once they did—as it did for the intrusion itself.

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Here at Content Boost, we write often about the importance of  customer service, the impact it has on consumers and a brands image. In thinking about and discussing Target’s predicament over  the past few days, I thought a lot about how companies distinguish  themselves as customer service leaders. As they often do, my  thoughts turned to golf.

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ITEXPO is Around the Corner: Do You Have a Story to Tell?

shutterstock_143009551Every year, the weeks leading up to TMC’s ITEXPO event, one of the largest business technology conferences, feel a bit like the weeks leading up to the first day of school.  The excitement is palpable, the nervous energy is at an all-time high and everyone is wondering, “How will the first few days go?”

That’s because whether you are a sponsor, exhibitor, speaker or participant, you understand—as is the case with any trade show—that your time at the convention is valuable. You understand that every second spent on the trade show floor and in a session are crucial seconds spent away from your home office. Simply put, you understand that you need to make every minute count.

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What Netflix Can Teach Us about Content Marketing

One of the big stories of 2013 was the rise of Netflix. The media company took a big risk by unveiling two high-profile series, House of Cards and Orange is the New Black and it paid off with the media company rising to $306 per share by September 2013, up more than 219 percent in 2013. Both series became critical hits and drew devoted fan bases. Many viewers would “binge-watch” the 13-episode seasons, which were made available all at once by Netflix.

Kevin Spacey, the star and executive producer of House of Cards, spoke to the Edinburgh Television Festival last summer about the challenge in launching the show and his description mirrors many companies’ hesitancy to delve into content marketing.

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“We wanted to start to tell a story that took a long time to tell,” Spacey said. “We were creating a sophisticated, multilayered story with complex characters who would reveal themselves over time.”

Businesses also have complex stories to tell. One of the great benefits of content marketing is that it allows brands to create relationships with their customers and consumers of all types. With each blog post, feature article, e-newsletters, infographic or video, your company shares the word about what’s happening in the world of your business and the industry at large.

Another aspect of content marketing that can sometimes be puzzling is wondering who is reading articles about your business and where they’re looking at them. As Spacey points out, it doesn’t matter where consumers are reading about you, and they’ll want as many options as possible.

“There’s no difference—watching Avatar on an iPad or watching YouTube on a TV or watching Game of Thrones on a computer. It’s all content. It’s just story. And the audience has spoken,” Spacey said. “They want stories. They’re dying for them. They’re rooting for us to give them the right thing. And they will talk about it, binge on it, carrying it with them on the bus and to the hairdresser, force it on their friends, tweet, blog, Facebook, make fan pages, silly GIFs and God knows what else about it.”

The best possible outcome of content marketing is that it will turn consumers into customers and customers into fans. By providing consistent, on-demand content to your audience, you’ll empower them to champion your business. The walls are coming down, and it’s time for the conversation to get started.

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Channel Your Inner Minuteman to Bounce Back Your Brand

I know it’s only January, but I’m already getting excited about college basketball—mainly because my Alma Mater, UMass, is currently holding down the number 19 spot in the nation. And after a victory over rival St. Joseph’s, all signs indicate that they could move up even further in the rankings.

4704575195_a9006fc904In case you are unfamiliar with UMass basketball, there hasn’t been much to get excited about over the past 15 years. But this year, the Minutemen are carrying themselves a little bit differently. While there is still a long season to go, at 13-1 UMass is in a great spot and has re-established itself as a college basketball powerhouse. There is a pulse in the Mullins Center again, and it looks like UMass finally has what it takes to get a little mad when March basketball rolls around.

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When was the Last Time You Had a Conversation with Your Consumers?

phootWhen was the last time you were prompted to buy something after seeing a television commercial, a billboard or a newspaper ad? Now think back to the last time you made a purchase after receiving an email, reading a blog or seeing an ad on social media. If you’re like me—and I’m assuming most of you are—then you’ve probably done the latter. Continue reading “When was the Last Time You Had a Conversation with Your Consumers?”

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Fearful of Getting Shot Down By the Boss? Why Jan. Will Get You The ‘Yes’ to Content Marketing

blog picAre you having an inner debate right now? Is the entrepreneur in you telling you to steal 30-minutes with your boss to delineate the reasons content marketing has to make it into the budget for 2014? Meanwhile, is your inner three-year-old cowering in your boots afraid that your boss does not want to hear from you and will immediately squash your content marketing dreams?

Though it sounds scary, now is the time to silence the latter voice and trust the first one.

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Three Ways You Never Thought to Use Social Media for ROI—Until Now

ROIAccording to an aggregated video composed by Erik Qualman, author of “Socialnomics,” the return on investment (ROI) of social media is that your business will still exist in five years.

That’s a big claim to make, and many brands are still plagued by the question of whether social media drives real ROI. However, on the other side of companies’ inhibitions lies research and testimonies that keep proving the value of social media to be true. For instance, Coffee Groundz, a midtown neighborhood coffee shop, reported a 20-30 percent increase in company sales and market share via Twitter.

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