Baer says, “Did you know Convince & Convert‘s content plan includes publishing 8 to 10 blog postsevery single week? I’ll speak for the rest of us: holy moly! For a team of only 3 people involved in the content planning process at Convince & Convert, that’s a massive amount of content that they: Review Optimize for keywords Create graphics for Edit Share with social media and email”. How to Rock an Awesome Content Plan Jay Baer’s ‘Convince & Convert’ Blog  [...]

Isla McKetta says, “If you’ve ever achieved the holy grail of content marketing success—true virality—you know the rush of endorphins as you watch the share count climb. You’ve smiled the enormous grin when one of your friends shares that piece on Facebook without any idea that you helped create it. Maybe you’ve even felt the skin-chilling prickle when Buzzfeed picks up your content. Then you’ve undoubtedly experienced the heart-stopping numbness when the traffic finally stalls. Where did all the people go? Was it real? Can you do it again? What happens next depends... [...]

Sonia Simone says, “Marketers tend to get very caught up in thinking about how to persuade people to buy a product or service. Which makes sense … but it’s often jumping the gun. Because it’s quite common (and perhaps increasingly so) that we have to market our ideas — and connect our beliefs with those of our audience — before we can do any business. Which is why, for my money, one of the greatest content marketers working today is astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. You think your product or service is a hard sell? Try astrophysics. (So many science, so many math.)“. 5... [...]

Graeme Parton says, “Diving into data to find content opportunities can certainly seem overwhelming at times but the rewards can be substantial once you know where to look and how to interpret it.  The success of your marketing depends on your ability to highlight and capitalise on untapped opportunities. This applies across all areas of digital marketing, but it’s especially true in content. If you’re going to write something worth reading – and boost traffic to your site as a result – you’ll need to find gaps. What hasn’t been said already? Or, if it’s been said a hundred... [...]

Markelle Harden says, “As social channels gain traction in search marketing, the need to create content that peoplewant to share becomes crucial to an inbound campaign. A 2014 study from Social Media Examiner found that 92% of respondents identified social media as “important to business.” Then why are brands still sharing unoriginal, dull content? It’s easy, that’s why. Too many brands think it’s better to share something than to leave social channels to the sound of birds chirping. As brands gain momentum with social media marketing, they must deliver fresh, share-worthy content... [...]

Tom Treanor says, “Having worked with a lot of newer marketers as well as writers moving into content marketing roles, I’ve learned that there are subtle differences that separate a newbie from a more experienced content marketer. For newer marketers or writers who are hoping to shift into more of a content marketing role, you’ll know that you’re getting there when the five things below become second nature. Here are the 5 things that experienced content marketers do in their sleep: Use strong visuals that play well in social media Someone who’s checking the box of “post done,... [...]

Christopher Ratcliff says, “You know how content marketing is the saviour of digital marketing? I’m sure you’ve heard that once or twice before. Especially now that display advertising is all but dead in the water and native advertising is ethically dubious at best. Content is the thing now. Content is King. Content is Queen. Content is the new SEO. Content FTW. MOAR Content. It’s almost like you’ve now heard the word content so much it’s lost all meaning. Without a doubt though, digital marketing’s reliance on content is making the internet a less blatantly shouty sales-based... [...]

Joe Pulizzi says, “I’ve had the amazing pleasure of meeting with over a dozen of the largest companies on the planet over the last six months. These companies are some of the most innovative in the world, and create many of the products you use on a daily basis, both personally and professionally. Over the past few years, these companies have hired journalists, producers, broadcasters, and editors to refine and tell their story on a consistent basis. It’s amazing to see firsthand the transformation of the marketing departments, as we once knew them. But here’s my issue: Not one of... [...]

Aaron Agius says, “Content marketing is one of the most powerful strategies businesses can use to cultivate relationships with existing followers and reach new customers, but far too many brands fail to utilize this technique properly. According to a recent report from Forrester, 87 percent of brands struggle to create content that their customers will want to read and share, and only 14 percent said they feel that their content is highly effective at building value for their businesses. Clearly, this illustrates the need for businesses to deliver more valuable and engaging content to their... [...]

Mark Yeager says, “Salespeople spend a whopping 30 hours per month searching for and creating marketing collateral, according to the American Marketing Association. That’s a lot of time to spend on something they really shouldn’t have to do… Where are all those materials that are constantly being created by the marketing department? Some 60-70% of content produced by B2B marketing departments is unused, Sirius Decisions has found. Companies are wasting massive amounts of time and resources on materials that are not exactly what sales teams need, or Sales simply doesn’t... [...]