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?”
By now many of us have been doing content marketing long enough that we’ve made plenty of mistakes along the way. But they do say that mistakes have value, right? Our successful moments can at least partially be attributed to the fact that we’ve had less successful ones first—and they’ve ultimately helped us become better at what we do.
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. 
Dear Content Doctor: I was recently hired to join the marketing department of a reputable, well-established organization in my hometown. When I accepted the position, it was with the understanding that marketing would be enabled to do its job with the full cooperation of the C-suite. I believed that any company of note in today’s day and time would understand the need to leverage forward-thinking marketing strategies to get a leg up on the competition.
When a third party touts your brand message, it’ll hit home with your key targets a lot sooner than anything you say. Sorry, but that’s the cold, hard truth. Most audiences are inured to the slick promotional brand avowals they’ve heard in company-sponsored ads and other promotions most of their lives.
Two words that describe the Crayola brand are imaginative and artful. Since the company’s beginnings in the early 1900s straight through to today, these descriptors have remained relevant despite the fact that the company’s products have continually changed. From simple wax crayons to the newfangled Digital Light Designer, Crayola’s “true north,” according to Vicky Lozano, VP of Corporate Strategy, is “to help parents and teachers raise creative and inspired kids.”
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 
It was the beginning of the end for Jeb Bush on Feb. 3 when he felt compelled to ask his New Hampshire audience to “
But enough about the actual game.
If this is happening, take heart. Brand storytelling is a new and often misunderstood phrase that shamelessly gets tossed around, often incorrectly. It’s difficult, too. Many companies are now using it, but are finding it much harder to pull off than they expected.