Marina Hoffmeier says, “It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there. Many retail brands are trying to make a name for themselves, but are falling short on one key thing: email marketing. We partnered with MailCharts to challenge retailers to step up their game with quality content. (After all, their crew helps big-name clients like Nordstrom and Everlane send better emails too.) Of everything we discussed, one thing is for sure: Content sells. In order to make significant sales, you have to make significant changes to your content strategy. Don’t be the underdog. Follow these tips from the pros... [...]

Robert Mills says, “Is your content often delivered late? Do you have trouble getting it signed off? Does it typically get stuck in limbo? If you’re nodding your head, your content team probably hasn’t defined its workflow. Every content team that wants to keep its projects on track needs to define its workflow before any content creators’ pens touch paper or fingers hit keyboards. What is a content workflow? A content workflow is a set of tasks that a team needs to complete for a given client or content type — a web page, a blog post, a white paper, an email, or any other kind of... [...]

Jennifer Silverberg says, “With over 80 million Millennials in the US alone, brands recognize the importance of shifting focus to this group. However, doing so often proves challenging, because many of the selling tactics that worked in the past are turnoffs for Millennials. To create connections with this increasingly important consumer demographic, CPG brands must understand the mindsets of Millennial shoppers and what influences their buying decisions. When marketing to this digital generation, CPG brands must first understand that Millennials are far more likely to shop online for CPG... [...]

Blaise Lucey says, “Brands big and small have deployed Facebook Ads. They can come up with an inspirational post to help their fans start their mornings. There are great guides, amazing brand videos and user-generated content that help generate leads and build awareness. Many companies finally have a Facebook strategy in place, and it’s running smoothly. Except for the ROI part. Simply Measured’s “State of Social Media Marketing Report” (email registration required) found that 61 percent of marketers still say their top challenge is proving ROI from social. The report found that just... [...]

George Colony says, “If you are the CMO of a large company, you are probably wondering what the hell Pokémon Go means. If you’re not up-to-date, this “played on a smartphone” game has taken the world by storm over the last three weeks. In the game you collect characters (a Pokémon) by physically travelling to where they are geo-located, capturing them, and then using them to battle the teams of other players. Pokémon are located in specific places; there are “Pokéstops” where you can acquire special powers; and there are “Gyms” where you can fight... [...]

Ellen Bartolino says, “Setting up proper SEO for your website is no easy feat — especially when you’re dealing with constantly changing algorithms. However, as search engines continue to evolve, it’s becoming more and more important for marketers to keep their content fresh and properly optimized. While it’s tempting to implement a bunch of quick fixes to get your page ranking in the short term, it’s important that you’re also planning a strategy that will scale in the long term. This requires you to continuously redefine your strategy over time by using sustainable... [...]

Patricio Robles says, “Twitter has for years offered verified accounts, which help brands and public figures establish the authenticity of their accounts and access additional features, including special filters and opt-out from group Direct Messages. Previously, verification was offered to select brands and public figures, and there was no official way for those not selected by Twitter to request verification. That changed this week. Twitter announced a public verification application process that allows any brand or individual to request a verified account. According to Tina Bhatnagar,... [...]

Pamela Wilson says, “If you aspire to make a comfortable income from your writing, you’ll find inspiration in the stories of the three people we’re featuring in today’s Certified Stories article. This group comes direct from our Certified Content Marketer page here on Copyblogger. You know what I liked best about their answers? That they were pleasantly surprised that writers can indeed make a healthy living doing what they do best. I love hearing stories like that — they make our efforts here at Copyblogger worthwhile. By the way, don’t miss the WORD ebook we developed specifically... [...]

Ben Newton says, “Rapid growth. In the business world, it’s generally thought of as a good thing — scratch that, a great thing. But when you’re an ecommerce site, that rapid growth can also mean more hurdles to jump, especially when it comes to your SEO and information architecture. In this episode of True North, you’ll be given a firsthand look at how one company found a way to overcome the obstacles and unite their processes of search, discovery, and transactions. Architecting a Unicorn – SEO & IA at Envato Episode transcript Ben Newton: “Hi. I’m a... [...]

Lewis Gersh says, “Remember “You’ve Got Mail”? Before it was a rom-com starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, it was an amiable AOL greeting accompanied by a cartoon mailbox. It was a brilliant marketing opportunity. But it also created unintended consequences that continue to reverberate across the digital industry today. We’ve seen this movie The beauty of the “You’ve Got Mail” catchphrase was its simplicity. By appropriating established terminology and imagery, AOL eased the transition to online communication and assured novice users that the brave new (virtual) world was not the... [...]