Pamela Vaughan says, “On the web, there are few things more discouraging than a big block of text. That’s because humans are visual creatures — we tend to gravitate toward content that is pleasing to the eye, and we’re especially drawn to visuals that capture (and keep) our attention. It’s no wonder that 70% of marketers planned to increase their use of visuals in their content marketing this year. Sometimes visuals are just a more effective and creative way to present information, data, or difficult-to-understand concepts. After all, they don’t say “a... [...]

Ann Gynn says, “The challenges for marketers in the financial industry are similar to those being experienced in other industries: The marketplace is changing, and customers are no longer responding to one-size-fits-all approaches. But this industry has its own unique considerations: Financial marketers operate in a heavily regulated industry and their customers can no longer be categorized as being interested in only business finance or only personal finance. In its latest white paper, the Content Marketing Institute examines the finance sector – sharing research about how these marketers... [...]

Isla McKetta says, “If you thought ideation was fun, get ready for content creation. Sure, we’ve all written some things before, but the creation phase of content marketing is where you get to watch that beloved idea start to take shape. Before you start creating, though, you want to get (at least a little) organized, and an editorial calendar is the perfect first step. Editorial calendars Creativity and organization are not mutually exclusive. In fact, they can feed each other. A solid schedule gives you and your writers the time and space to be wild and creative. If you’re just... [...]

Ayaz Nanji says, “Product brochures are the most common content type created by B2B marketers, but whitepapers deliver the highest-quality leads, according to a recent report from the CMO Council and the NetLine Corporation. The report was based on data from a survey of 213 senior B2B marketing leaders (primarily located in North America), with 46% working at brands earning more than $1 billion in annual revenue. Some 84% of respondents say their company creates product brochures; the next most-commonly created content type is slide presentations (79%), followed by whitepapers (78%), and... [...]

James Carson says, “We’ve heard that creating content has never been easier, but this throws up its own challenge. With so many options for audiences, getting your content seen is still a real challenge. That’s why I wanted to write the Econsultancy guide to content distribution. With my tongue in my cheek I prefixed the headline of the guide ‘How to Go Viral’. We can hardly guarantee our content will ‘go viral’, but with all the success of publishers due to social sharing, I feel it’s an idyllic goal for content marketers. But what are the key steps to getting your content... [...]

Mark Thompson and Matt Callen are holding this training session to show you how to use 100% Autopilot Content Marketing to plan, write, publish, and manage all of Your Sites. They are using a system that they say is the easiest way to build and manage your content marketing sites using autopilot processes. They call their system PublishVault. Their special guest for this training is Keith Gosnell. He is responsible for the development of PublishVault. On this webinar, they will show you: • How to generate 1000s of high-traffic Ideas for your content • How to overcome the top 5 common content... [...]

Dan Broztel says, “Worried that your marketing content doesn’t follow the Quest structure? Not sure who your mythic hero is or where you put your narrative crucible? Start simple with these handy storytelling tips… Sometimes, reading the storytelling gurus can make the humble marketer feel a tad inadequate. ‘I thought our marketing materials weren’t too bad,’ he or she might think to themselves, ‘but we haven’t made a single reference to the Jungian trickster archetype in any of our white papers! The narrative arc of our email newsletter lacks any sense of a Falling Action!... [...]

Thomas Stern says, “The integration of digital media into everyday life has reshaped how society functions, evolving how consumers get their news, how they shop and how they build relationships. The Internet is continuously changing, and it is important that your public relations strategy keeps up with the pace. Consumers have grown to demand more than traditional PR techniques to conduct research and interact with companies. Brands must react by developing a comprehensive digital public relations strategy to engage consumers, drive sales and remain relevant in an increasingly digital-focused... [...]

Rachel Balik says, “Content marketing continues to be one of the most hyped — and most misunderstood — elements of digital marketing. Many imagine that it will be a cure-all for a whole host of marketing, sales and branding issues in an organization. In reality, your content marketing will likely mirror or amplify any organizational issues. As a result, content programs often don’t meet goals and lose momentum. Most companies feel obligated to do content marketing and allow their programs to stumble along, which consumes a great deal of time and energy but yields a comparably small... [...]

Sophie Turton says, “Instead of creating content, we should be creating opportunities for content creation: instagrammable moments, inspiring experiences. And instead of broadcasting, we should create opportunities for conversation. Audiences are in control of their own digital story. Businesses are no longer in the driving seat but instead must adopt the role of navigator, cleverly guiding the user’s journey, but ultimately remaining vulnerable to the whimsy of the consumer. The expression ‘content is king’ has become something of an industry cliche and, like all good cliches, it’s... [...]