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Friday Reflections: Trust your Gut

As any marketer will agree, content marketing feeds that curious and adventurous spirit in all of us. I’m always learning something new and no two days ever feels the same. At the same time, content marketing reinforces tactics and strategies that we inherently know, and it’s great to be reminded of them time and again.

This week, I decided to begin a “Friday Reflections” series, dedicated to doing X y and Z. I truly believe that personal growth, development and fulfillment come from reflecting not only on new lessons learned, but also on those things that we already know. Revisiting our roots as marketers is what will help keep us grounded and level headed.

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So this is my promise to you: Every other Friday I (or another member of my team—I have challenged them to join me!) am going to challenge myself to turn away from my stack of emails and ongoing projects, and reflect on the Continue reading “Friday Reflections: Trust your Gut”

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Content Boost’s Marketing Seminar Heads to the Big Apple

IMG_1431As marketers, there is no richer experience than having meaningful dialogue with our industry counterparts. After all, just one quick conversation can give us the motivation to launch our next marketing campaign or encourage us to look at digital channels in a whole new light.

This very notion was on our minds when we conceptualized our first Content Boost Content Marketing Crash Course last December. Though we wanted to educate like-minded marketing professionals on the latest happenings in the industry—particularly content marketing happenings—we also wanted to create an open forum for all marketers to organically share their best tips and tricks. Our team was gratified that a group of busy marketers had the determination to spend a whole day listening to breakouts, participating in small group discussions and meeting one-on-one with our team. It shows just how much we crave insight into our craft and collaboration with our peers, especially in an eye-opening learning environment.

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Gen X Marketing: Don’t You Forget About Us

Generation XLately, it appears that most marketing content is geared towards millenials or even baby boomers. Although I’m sure they’re all perfectly nice people, it seems like Generation X—born between 1961 and 1981—has been relegated to second-class citizen status when it comes to product promotion.

I don’t only say that because I am approaching middle age (whatever that means) and feeling left out, but because I believe that much of what defines our popular culture today—such as rap music and ground-breaking TV series like “Breaking Bad,” “The Sopranos” and “Sex in the City”—is a product of my generation. Therefore, our absence from marketing content seems like an anomaly.

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Key Takeaways from Market New York Expo

Content Boost Director Carrie Majewski and I had a blast last Thursday, May 12, at Market New York Expo. We learned so much about how to keep improving our marketing strategy from some of our peers in the industry. If you didn’t get a chance to get out to the show yourself, stay right here; I’ll fill you in on the top marketing takeaways of the day.

With a variety of sessions and advice from innovative speakers, suffice it to say I left the conference with a mind full of ideas and insights. However, the biggest takeaway of the day was the emphasis that was placed on the importance of target marketing.

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Employee Spotlight: Five Minutes with Content Producer, Mark Lugris

IMG_4687It’s hard to believe we at Content Boost were able to get our hands on this globetrotter. After working as journalist and editor in Connecticut, in 2000, Content Boost Content Producer Mark Lugris moved to Spain to start his own communications company, which published a travel magazine for German and English speaking tourists (impressive right!?).

His company also developed communication, marketing and translation projects with multinational corporations such as IBM, Coca-Cola, MSC, Loewe and Allianz Insurance.

“My time in Spain and Switzerland presented an incredible opportunity to work with major multinational companies in order to fulfill their marketing and communications objectives,” Mark said. “One of the most important lessons I learned from this experience was how language elicits a singular response in different cultures. Being aware of the cultural and linguistic perspectives of each client is vital to developing an effective and affecting campaign strategy.”

When he returned to the States a few months ago, we knew we had to reel in this seasoned marketer. Learn more about Mark in our five minute catch-up… Continue reading “Employee Spotlight: Five Minutes with Content Producer, Mark Lugris”

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Get the Boss to Say ‘Yes’ to Content Marketing

IMG_1431In April, we held the second iteration of our Content Boost Content Marketing Crash Course, a one-day educational seminar providing marketers with the opportunity to learn about content marketing best practices. We led a series of breakout sessions covering everything from the definition of content marketing (hint: using custom content to drive awareness and profitability around your brand) to the key ingredients of a robust blogging and lead-generation strategy.

We rounded out the day with a session titled “Getting the Boss to Say ‘Yes’ to Content Marketing,” designed to equip participants with the ammo needed to walk into their boss’s office and get the green light. Whether you are just starting out on your content marketing journey—or looking to get the “yes” for a new project—let’s take a look at how to get your boss on your side.

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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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Why Marketing Is Still an ‘In Person’ Game

Don’t get me wrong; I definitely believe in the power and prominence of digital marketing. After all, digital vehicles like eNewsletters, blogs and digital magazines are ranked as top tactics being used by marketers today, according to the Content Marketing Institute (CMI)’s “2015 Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends—North America” report. Furthermore, research from Gartner shows that digital marketing budgets will increase by 8 percent in 2015.

There’s no denying that digital marketing is here to stay, but, still, there is something exciting—inherently dynamic even—about having a face-to-face interaction.

face to face Continue reading “Why Marketing Is Still an ‘In Person’ Game”

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Playing Twitter Like a Game

If you’re interested in content marketing chances are you’re most likely also interested in learning how your business will play in the world of social media.

It’s well known that many small- to medium-sized business owners are hesitant about getting on social media, specifically Twitter (I’ve come across too many to count). Oftentimes, they are worried they’re getting into the game too late and therefore won’t be able to compete with more established brands. I wanted to take a moment to share with you a recent experience that I had with this 140-character megaphone.

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