Business owners have a decision to make when it comes to website marketing: do it in-house or farm it out to a content strategy vendor. The most important determinant for this choice is the quality of the content that will be created. After all, your brand’s very worth will be impacted by the content you use to engage customers, position your products and services, and create a brand “voice.”
The Measure of a Brand: Content
Marketers have a couple major hurdles to overcome: generating traffic and leads, and proving the ROI of marketing activities. According to a HubSpot survey of 4,500 marketing and sales professionals, these were the top two challenges agreed upon by 65 percent and 43 percent of respondents.
To address these challenges, successful companies are turning to marketing automation (MA) software, which is also known in some quarters, aptly, as “lead generation software.” While MA is certainly a boon to marketers—helping them to shorten the sales cycle and close deals more quickly—it is only as good as the content it supports. Continue reading “The Measure of a Brand: Content”
Are We Still Arguing More or Less in Content Marketing?
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.”
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I’m Supposed to Look at Playboy for the Articles Now?
What happens to a business when its preeminent product becomes passe? Just ask Playboy founder and editor-in-chief Hugh Hefner. The 90-year-old magazine magnate agreed to stop publishing images of naked women—Playboy’s claim to fame—with the March 2016 issue of the 62-year-old publication, which debuted in 1953 with Marilyn Monroe on the cover.
What caused Hef to change his tune? As the Internet evolved and pornographic images became freely available, the magazine known the world over for its provocative photos was forced to undergo a redesign. The content was simply no longer relevant, having lost out to the Web in shock value, commercial value and cultural significance. Continue reading “I’m Supposed to Look at Playboy for the Articles Now?”
Would Your Content Be Good in Bed?
What is good content? You know it; you’ve been lucky enough to read it most of your life. I believe it consists of three primary characteristics: It is engaging, fulfilling and strengthens relationships. Today’s leading content marketers incorporate these attributes into their brand messaging to drive consumer interest in their products and services. Otherwise, they’d be missing opportunities to connect with key targets in a meaningful way. And I couldn’t help but note that these same characteristics brought to bear in the bedroom would lead to successful outcomes there as well. Continue reading “Would Your Content Be Good in Bed?”
How Bernie Sanders Won the Content Marketing Game
Bernie Sanders may not have clinched the Democratic nomination, but his content marketing strategy was a winner.
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How to Humanize Your Brand With Storytelling
You’ve heard it before: The best way to attract new customers and strengthen relationships with existing ones is by connecting with them in a deeply human way. Often, though, establishing a human connection via digital mediums presents a challenging task for marketers. After all, the Web creates a barrier between you and your audience. Unique, personalized stories that resonate with your audience work to diminish this obstacle, and help to create meaningful customer relationships.
Before we begin discussing strategy and highlighting great examples of brand storytelling, let’s talk about what not to do. “Brand storytelling” might make you think this will serve as a great platform to share your brand’s unique story. While this is certainly important, it is not what brand storytelling is about. Rather, this content marketing strategy is about telling the stories of your consumers so they can feel more connected to your brand.
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Three Ways to Make Your Content Blossom This Spring
Springtime is a light at the end of a dark and seemingly never-ending tunnel for residents of New England. Though we are used to crazy weather, the wintry mix of snow, sleet and arctic winds can quell the spirits of even the staunchest optimists among us. Spring’s long, warm days and blossoming flowers are a welcome relief after the cold and ice.
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Marketers: Are You Ready to Excel in 2Q16?
If the first quarter of 2016 didn’t knock your socks off, I have a few tips for ensuring 2Q16 moves your marketing team in a better direction.
Many bumps in the road can be attributed to poor planning. So, let’s make sure that your content marketing strategy is headed in the right direction. A recent Curata infographic has removed some of the guesswork by foretelling 2016 content marketing trends.
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Does Your Content Warrant Applause?
It was the beginning of the end for Jeb Bush on Feb. 3 when he felt compelled to ask his New Hampshire audience to “please clap” after delivering this line: “I think the next president needs to be a lot quieter but send a signal that we’re prepared to act in the national security interests of this country to get back in the business of creating a more peaceful world.” Continue reading “Does Your Content Warrant Applause?”