It all started on Thanksgiving Eve. A colleague had recommended the “Serial” podcast to me a couple days prior, and while rolling my arancini for the next day’s Thanksgiving dinner, I decided to give it a try. I’ve never been a big fan of podcasts, but 15 minutes in and I was hooked. Two days later I was all caught up on the nine episodes that had been released at the time. Is binge listening to podcasts going to be the new “it” term? Continue reading “3 Marketing Takeaways from ‘Serial’”
What Aerial Yoga Taught Me About Marketing
I’ve been practicing yoga for a few years now, but my recent discovery of aerial yoga has taken my love of Zen to a whole new, borderline obsessive, level. If you haven’t heard of aerial yoga, it’s essentially regular yoga but instead of downward dogging on your mat, you’re suspended, often upside down, on silks.
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Forrester Dishes out Tips for Ushering Your New Product through the Launch Phase
Customers have made it more than clear that today, businesses exist in their domain. Today’s empowered customers have thrown a wrench into traditional selling schemes and, as a result, have made the new product market that much more difficult to break into. For instance, manufacturing strength, distribution power and information mastery are no longer considered competitive advantages, according to Forrester Research’s latest “Competitive Strategy In the Age of the Customer” report.
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A Look Back at Day One of CMWorld
Content Marketing World (CMWorld) officially kicked off today in style, with no shortage of orange apparel, cutting-edge keynote addresses, standing room only breakout sessions, and orange-themed finger food.
As a second-year participant, there were iconic moments that kept me on my feet all day. Specifically, I couldn’t wait to see Joe Pulizzi’s latest orange suit (it did not disappoint); I eagerly—err maybe aggressively—pushed my way through the throngs of people to get first row seats at the coveted breakout sessions; and I relished each and every networking event. Who knew you could so easily talk content strategy while grabbing grub at food trucks?
When it Comes to Personalization, Automation Can Help
It’s a challenge to personalize content to meet the needs of your buyers. After all, no two consumers are alike. Luckily, however, technological advances—specifically marketing automation—make the process more manageable; you may just have to add a few new tools to complete the job. Continue reading “When it Comes to Personalization, Automation Can Help”
How to Become a Thought Leader in Three Easy Steps
So you want to be the cream of the crop? The head honcho? The most respected thought leader in your industry? Well, join the club. Being crowned a “thought leader” is one of the biggest compliments in the business world. While it might not get you special treatment at a swanky restaurant, it does garner more exposure for your business, which translates into dollars—lots of them. However, being dubbed a thought leader is one the hardest things to achieve. Continue reading “How to Become a Thought Leader in Three Easy Steps”
Content Marketing Scores in the 2014 FIFA World Cup
The 2014 FIFA World Cup is well underway. Thousands have flocked to San Paulo, Brazil to cheer on their home team. From memorable upsets to unforgettable goals, the world’s largest sporting event has not disappointed fans or corporate sponsors. This year’s World Cup is expected to generate four billion dollars in total revenue for FIFA—66 percent more than the 2010’s tournament in South Africa.
The majority of the revenue will come from—yep, you guessed it—television (1.7 billion dollars) and marketing rights (1.35 billion dollars) from corporate partners such as Coca-Cola, Sony, Visa, and Hyundai. For these companies, it’s money well spent as the tournament draws a massive, passionate following from all over the globe. Successful campaigns have picked up on the emotional appeal that viewers have come to love. Continue reading “Content Marketing Scores in the 2014 FIFA World Cup”
No Such Thing as Bad Publicity? We Beg to Differ
When marketers say that there is no such thing as bad publicity, what they actually mean is that if nobody is talking about your brand, you are in serious trouble. While that is undoubtedly true, all you have to do is take a look at recent news to understand that negative exposure can seriously damage a brand’s image and have a major impact on its finances, customer satisfaction levels and public credibility:
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What Exactly is Good Content Marketing?
As a business manager, you have probably come across the same content marketing tips repeatedly. While some of these slivers of advice are helpful, others are so vague that they are a waste of everybody’s time. One tip that tends to pop up fairly often is to make sure to produce quality content. The phrasing may change slightly from article to article, but the message is generally the same. 
How Do You Talk to an Audience Who Can’t Talk Back?
It’s not enough to just talk to your customers anymore. You have to really see them for who they are. You have to truly understand them and understand your connection to them (or the connection you hope to one day establish with them). What have they experienced in life? What may they be facing now? This is the pinnacle of targeting your audience regardless of the objective – whether it’s raising awareness of a greater cause or generating sales.
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