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Content Marketing Workshops Kick Off Today: Will We See You There?

shutterstock_161159720Today officially kicks off the first day of ITEXPO 2014, and the excitement and energy are palpable. Attendees are flooding registration to collect their badges; the TMC team is running around feverishly to make sure opening day sessions—including the Smart Voice Conference and M2M Evolution—go off without a hitch; and Editor’s Day is in full swing as the Content Boost and TMCnet editors meet with various companies to hear their unique company stories.

If you’re already in Vegas and looking to take advantage of each and every minute, I hope you will join me as I lead our Content Boost-sponsored content marketing workshops, taking place today from 2:30-5 pm PT. Here’s a look at the lineup for today’s sessions:

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The ‘24’ Reboot: What Can Your Brand Learn?

shutterstock_178280834Jack Bauer is no stranger to risky moves. Heck he took down President of the United States Charles Logan in Season 5 of “24”; he has managed to come back from the dead—literally—several times; and he has withstood torture as if it was a part of his job description.

This May, the producers of “24” made a risky move of their own when they tried to resurrect the cult phenomenon—a TV show that ended four years ago after 10 years and eight seasons. On May 5, “24: Live Another Day” premiered, a 12-week mini-series that picks up with Jack Bauer’s life four years after the series finale.

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Three Signs you’re in a Writing Slump

shutterstock_171929309We’ve all been there—staring helplessly at the computer screen, resting your fingers limply on the keyboard and willing words to start magically appearing on the screen. It is writer’s block at its best and it is the evil of all evil for marketers. That’s because our job depends on our ability to put pen to paper, redefine originality and string together a series of nouns, verbs and adjectives in such a way that harmony is struck.

So what do you do when your brain starts to enter the “nothing box?” And, even worse, how do you avoid falling into a writer’s slump without noticing it? Let’s take a look at three tell tale signs that you might be slacking when it comes to your copy creation:

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Second Graders Learning the Art of Persuasive Writing? Two Steps Forward for Content Marketing

shutterstock_141101980The concept of persuasive writing—and persuasive argument, for that matter—was not introduced to me until my senior year of high school during AP English. I remember it vividly. I was taught that writing should not just be a string of words, but rather a compilation of words that influence how someone acts, feels and thinks. It’s about taking an active stance and communicating effectively to your audience in a simple, albeit powerful way. It’s in essence marketing. And it’s not easy.

So you can imagine my shock when I learned this Sunday that my niece and nephew (only second graders!) are being instructed on how to write persuasively in school.

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Ready to do Some Content Marketing Spring Cleaning This Year?

If you’re anything like me, then you’ve been counting down the hours—not days, but hours—until spring comes rolling along. And now that it’s just around the corner (only 10 days away!) it’s time to start thinking about everything spring: birds chirping once again; buggies buzzing around; the soon-to-be beach weather; and the 2014 MLB and NCAA seasons if you’re a sports lover.

spring cleaning

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Blogging Lessons from Fantasy Baseball: Use Your Assets Wisely

Earlier this week I participated in the annual player draft for my fantasy baseball league, a time-honored tradition that takes place all over the country and helps drive the $3.6 billion fantasy sports industry. In years past, our league had used a traditional “snake” format for drafting, which simply means that teams draft in a linear order in each round, the order reverses the following round and this continues until all team rosters are full.

baseball

This year, however, we decided to try a new auction format, where each team is given a budget of 260 virtual dollars to bid on players any way they desire. The auction draft is more complicated than a traditional system but can also be more stimulating, as the level of strategy necessary increases immensely.

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Why Shorter Is Better When it Comes to Your Blog Copy

shutterstock_115785298Let’s face it… you are swamped. From logging the 9 to 5 grind (uh… more like 9 to 7) to squeezing in parent-teacher meetings to trying to plan something special for the weekend with a loved one, there are simply not enough hours in the day. Well, guess what? Your consumers feel the same way.

In fact, your target market is so inundated with daily tasks that they are in search of pointed, succinct marketing pitches. Just to give you some perspective on the information overload you are currently experiencing, consider the following:

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Three Ways to Keep Your Content Team Invigorated This Holiday Season

shutterstock_147855167Everybody loves the holidays. Between the surplus of savory sweets and the extra days off to spend with family, this magical time of year gives everyone that indescribable glow and something to smile about. But it can also leave your workers feeling unmotivated, distracted, and altogether lazy.

And while some facets of work can take a back seat the next few weeks, your blog cannot. Already 65 percent of businesses that have a blog haven’t updated their blog in one year or more. All it takes is a few bad weeks of ignoring your blog and you can quickly be heading down a similar road.

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