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It’s Time For Your 6 Month Content Marketing Checkup

Now that we’re about halfway through 2015, it’s an ideal time to take a step back and make sure you are on track to meet the content marketing goals you outlined for your business back in January (like creating brand awareness, or increasing engagement with your customers).

shutterstock_159748715After all, while your brand may appear to be perfectly healthy on the surface, there are countless factors that go into a successful content marketing strategy, all of which need to be closely monitored.

Here are some questions to ask during your mid-year content marketing checkup:

Are you posting regularly? Posting content is a bit like exercising; you have to do it on a consistent basis if you want to maintain a healthy digital brand. If you go for long periods of time between posts, you will have a much harder time building a steady readership.   Continue reading “It’s Time For Your 6 Month Content Marketing Checkup”

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Why Don’t I See Any Case Studies On Your Website?

I’ve visited your Web page. I’ve read your products and service descriptions, analyzed your “About” section and scanned your blog.  Unfortunately, there’s something missing. There are no case studies detailing clear-cut examples of how your company has directly helped any of your customers.

shutterstock_137423564As a result of this shortcoming, I’m left scratching my head wondering why this is (as I head to Google and start searching for competitors who can show me clear-cut evidence their products and services can produce the strong results they claim).

The good news is that your business is not alone in its lack of case studies. This is a problem I see all of the time on both B2B and B2C websites. It’s puzzling, too, considering that customer case studies and success stories are the third most influential type of asset in the purchasing process for customers in both large enterprises and small businesses. Case studies communicate that other businesses trust your company, and they also pique interest from similar prospects who could benefit from your company. Continue reading “Why Don’t I See Any Case Studies On Your Website?”

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Left Brain versus Right Brain: For Content Marketers it’s a Matter of “And” Not “Or”

I’m sure at some point in your life you’ve heard someone label you (or perhaps you labeled yourself) either “right brained” or “left brained.” But I say, why do you have to be just one? In fact, as a content marketer, I know that I cannot afford to fall into the trap of exclusively thinking either one way or another. Instead, content marketers must extract valuable qualities associated with each side of the brain and integrate them to produce a well-rounded content creation strategy.

So, let’s refresh our memories about which characteristics are associated with each side of the brain. “Left brained” thinkers are usually analytical, literal and organized while “right brained” thinkers are dreamers, emotional and creative. But, the best marketers are analytical and creative; here’s a better look at how they use each side of the brain to create the most effective range of content:

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Continue reading “Left Brain versus Right Brain: For Content Marketers it’s a Matter of “And” Not “Or””

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Three Reasons Why Content Marketing Works

While other businesses have been pumping resources into their content marketing strategies, you’ve been waiting on the sidelines assessing the situation to see if it’s right for your business. You’re still looking for proof of how content marketing can help your business grow.

shutterstock_77165428Recent research from Ascend2 sheds some light on this important issue; according to the research, 89 percent of companies surveyed claim that content marketing has helped them achieve important objectives like improving customer engagement, increasing lead generation and increasing brand awareness, among others.

Here are three reasons why content marketing works, as evidenced by the findings from the report:

There are a variety of options to utilize: You may find that one particular content marketing vehicle does not work for your intended audience. For instance, you may start out producing video and find out that your audience is more interested in reading in-depth case studies and white papers. With content marketing, you can easily switch vehicles without disrupting your budget or even your overall strategy. Continue reading “Three Reasons Why Content Marketing Works”

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The No. 1 Reason Your Customers are Avoiding You

shutterstock_223060006Like many people, I hate, loathe, detest when my inbox is full of emails from companies that I’ve never even heard of, or visited only once. So, I’ve admittedly resorted to giving away my dear friend’s email address (whose name I will not mentioned for fear she will disown me) to avoid being flooded by spam messages. Call me a bad friend, a creative genius or what have you, but I simply can’t stand junk email.

Apparently, I’m not alone. Continue reading “The No. 1 Reason Your Customers are Avoiding You”

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Long-Form vs. Short-Form Content: Which is Better?

shutterstock_251549524There’s been a long-standing debate in the content marketing industry about whether long-form or short-form content is more effective. One side argues that long-form content, which typically runs over 2,000 words in length, makes for a more in-depth and compelling read, while the other side contends that short-form copy, or blogs that are less than 1,000 words, is more easily digestible and sharable. Let’s take a deeper look into the pros and cons of each: Continue reading “Long-Form vs. Short-Form Content: Which is Better?”

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TurboTax Mardi Gras Campaign Wins Content Marketing Beads

Mardi Gras—otherwise known for general revelry and perhaps some poor decision making—at its core is a jovial, carnival-themed celebration of color and culture. It’s a bit surprising then that TurboTax, a color-in-the-lines company, capitalized on both ends of Mardi Gras’ reputation in order to present a killer content marketing campaign this February. Continue reading “TurboTax Mardi Gras Campaign Wins Content Marketing Beads”

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Top Dos and Don’ts of Content Syndication

shutterstock_249028792Do you have a group of rock star bloggers writing valuable, interesting and share-worthy content for your company blog, but you still can’t seem to get the traffic you deserve? If you answered yes, then you might want to consider content syndication.

Let’s face it: Developing killer content is just half the battle. The other—more difficult and time consuming—half is getting people to actually read and engage with your content. Content syndication, or the process of republishing content that already exists on your site to a third-party site, is a great way to earn more visibility and expand your reach.   Continue reading “Top Dos and Don’ts of Content Syndication”