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11/12/201503/26/2018

Target’s “OCD” Holiday Sweater Stirs Up Controversy

If there is one thing people love about the holidays, it’s ugly sweater parties (or maybe that’s just me). And, over the years, Target has met consumers’ unfashionable, but festive, demands by selling “ugly” sweaters throughout this time of the year.

These sweaters are usually a big hit amongst holiday shoppers, but this year one sweater‘s message is creating chaos on social media.

The controversial sweater reads “OCD Obsessive Christmas Disorder,” and it’s generating a storm of backlash on Twitter. This is because the message seems to blatantly trivialize mental illness, specifically Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

For example, one angry individual responded on Twitter by saying “Hey @Target this sweater isn’t cute or funny. OCD is a serious mental illness that shouldn’t be mocked.”

Continue reading “Target’s “OCD” Holiday Sweater Stirs Up Controversy”

11/10/201503/26/2018

Why You Should Consider Trying That ‘Meh’ Marketing Tactic You’ve Been Thinking About

The other day I was preparing a dish of halved avocado filled with cottage cheese and a drizzle of sriracha sauce, and offered a bite to my fiancé. He was pretty reluctant to try it at first, saying that he had never eaten avocados before and they looked like they would taste bad. However, one small, hesitant nibble turned into the plate being finished off completely.

As it turns out, he likes eggplant and zucchini, too.

So, what does trying new veggies have to do with content marketing? Most organizations tend to have content marketing tactics that they love using because they sit well on the palette—like blogs, social media and case studies. Then there are those tactics that seem like they’ll taste funny. For your organization, this may be a tactic that you consider unconventional or have overlooked, like an infographic or eNewsletter. For your marketing team, a first response may be “meh” rather than “yeah!” Continue reading “Why You Should Consider Trying That ‘Meh’ Marketing Tactic You’ve Been Thinking About”

11/06/201503/26/2018

Tips For Building A Lasting Relationship With Your Content Producer

Once you sign up for content marketing and are introduced to your dedicated content producer, you’re bound to enter into the “getting to know you” phase.

During this phase, you’ll want to approach your content producer just like you are onboarding a new member of your organization. The goal is to get acquainted as quickly as possible with one another, so that you can build trust and start brainstorming creative ideas for your brand.

Here are some tips that you can use to ensure that you get off to a great start with your new content producer: Continue reading “Tips For Building A Lasting Relationship With Your Content Producer”

11/02/201503/26/2018

A Recap of Content Boost’s Latest Content Marketing Crash Course

It was an exciting day at Content Boost last Thursday, Oct. 29, as our content marketing Crash Course—our ongoing seminar aimed at offering tips and tricks for organizations to enhance their content marketing effectiveness —was a great success.

Attendees made their way into the conference room for the first set of presentations, presented by our in-house team of content marketing experts.

In case you missed it, here are some major takeaways from the day’s activities:

Plan, plan and plan some more: The vast majority of B2B companies already realize the benefits of content marketing, as 88 percent are currently using it. So if your business is one of the 22 percent of companies that aren’t using content marketing, your direct report may need some convincing as to why he or she should invest in such a strategy. This was the focus of the first presentation given by our Director of Brand Strategy, Allison Boccamazzo.

So, how do you get your boss to say yes to content marketing? You need a plan, the focus of which should be centered on four crucial steps outlined by Boccamazzo:

Continue reading “A Recap of Content Boost’s Latest Content Marketing Crash Course”

10/27/201503/26/2018

Three Types of Engaging Content You Can Begin Producing Today

According to the Content Marketing Institute’s (CMI) “2016 Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends—North America” report, B2B marketers continue to be heavily focused on creating engaging content. In fact, 72 percent of marketers surveyed by CMI claimed it’s their top priority for 2016.

So, what exactly is engaging content?
That is, what kind of content should teams be producing to attract and, more importantly, retain readers? And how can content then convert those readers into repeat customers and loyal brand advocates?

Continue reading “Three Types of Engaging Content You Can Begin Producing Today”

10/22/201503/26/2018

Let’s Talk About That Blog of Yours

At this point, you’re already sold on the idea of starting a blog for your business, and using it to move forward with content marketing like 81 percent of B2B organizations are currently doing.

So what’s holding you back from getting started?

You have questions. Lots of them. And so you’re dragging your feet about moving forward with the project, as you don’t want to rush into the process and risk painting your organization in the wrong light. Meanwhile, your competitors are pumping out multiple blog posts per week.

If this describes your situation, I understand what you’re going through. After all, there are a lot of things to consider when starting a blog, such as:

Tone and style: Should your blog be loose and creative, or strictly business? A blog is a direct reflection of your corporate brand, and so it’s vital that your messaging aligns with the image you are trying to create for your company. Continue reading “Let’s Talk About That Blog of Yours”

10/12/201503/26/2018

CEO’s: Why You Need to Cast Your Voice and Tell Your Story

You know those people who create fake email accounts in order to avoid being inundated with messages from companies on a daily basis? Well, I’m not one of those people.

There’s nothing wrong with being this kind of person, but I’m glad I’m not one of them. Sure, I get slammed with emails everyday from all sorts of companies—many that I admittedly am no longer interested in—but some of these messages really grab my attention. These digital diamonds in the inbox rough, if you will, are intermittent reminders of why I opt to add my name to email subscription lists. I received one such email last week from clothing retailer GAP.

Continue reading “CEO’s: Why You Need to Cast Your Voice and Tell Your Story”

10/06/201503/26/2018

A Second Look At Content Marketing During ITEXPO West 2015

After the first content marketing session of ITEXPO West 2015 audience members had many questions for our director here at Content Boost—and presenter— Allison Boccamazzo, including the best way to incorporate and manage social media in your content marketing strategy and how to best tell your brand’s story through platforms such as Twitter. Continue reading “A Second Look At Content Marketing During ITEXPO West 2015”