Blog

10/03/201603/26/2018

Are We Still Arguing More or Less in Content Marketing?

qualification-543661_1280 Maybe I’m getting old or have been in the content marketing business too long, but are we really still arguing whether more or less content is the issue—vs. the value of the content itself?

Content marketers: Your goal is to write—or have your in-house staff or outsourced content producers write—succinct content until you’ve made your point/concluded your argument with reasonable premises and so forth. This is the well-established standard for good writing. Even Shakespeare told us that “brevity is the soul of wit.”

Continue reading “Are We Still Arguing More or Less in Content Marketing?”

11/25/201503/26/2018

Is There Enough Time To Start A Content Strategy in 2015?

We’re just days away from some of the biggest shopping events of the year, Black Friday and Cyber Monday—the two days which officially kick off the holiday season. Many marketers are therefore scrambling for last minute ideas to promote their businesses and gain a leg up on the competition before swarms of shoppers hit retail and online stores in search of deals.

It’s around this time of the year when marketers tend to turn to content marketing to either resurrect their sluggish online presences, or start building one from scratch. The question is: Is there enough time left in 2015 to start a content marketing strategy?

Here’s our take on the matter: Continue reading “Is There Enough Time To Start A Content Strategy in 2015?”

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”

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”

09/11/201503/26/2018

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 business 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”

09/04/201503/26/2018

Content Marketing and Craft Breweries: A Match Made in Beer Heaven

I can still remember the moment I fell in love with craft beer and, believe it or not, it had nothing to do with the taste, color or aroma of these hop-filled brews.

I had just turned 21 and was flying out to visit my sister who now lives in Boulder, Colorado, which is home of some of the country’s best tasting, and most successful craft beers.

Yes, Colorado has a lot more to offer than that fizzy yellow water that Coors attempts to pass off as beer.

Having been out to Colorado once before turning 21, I was excited to return over the Thanksgiving holiday and tour some of the local breweries such as Avery Brewing Co. (before they moved into their massive new location). In fact, Avery was the first brewery I ever toured and it was the place where I learned that craft brewing is far more about culture, love and passion than it is about making a great beer (but it’s a lot about that, too).

Continue reading “Content Marketing and Craft Breweries: A Match Made in Beer Heaven”

08/28/201503/26/2018

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:

Fresh 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”

08/10/201503/26/2018

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.

It’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”