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... [...]

Rachel Rodgers says, “If you’re doing it right, your digital media business is probably an intellectual property factory. Smart small businesses have a content creation conveyor belt and publish new content all day everyday, from ebooks to infographics. And while there is a lot of talk about the benefits of creating content, there is very little talk about protecting it. Yeah, I said it. Your content needs protection. Because your content is intellectual property, otherwise known as original creative works used in commerce“. Are These 4 Common Legal Mistakes Putting Your Content... [...]

Rainmaker team says, “Today’s guest on Hack the Entrepreneur has dedicated her life to making the world a better, brighter place … with the power of doodles. She was a Financial Empowerment Consultant and the founder of The Empowered Dollar. During this time, she helped millennials and low-income families fix their finances and feel empowered to take control of their financial destinies. Her latest and fastest growing venture is Art To Self, which she started earlier this year. It is a website and newsletter of daily art and inspiration sent straight to your inbox“. Stephanie Halligan... [...]

Brian Honigman says, “For those in the marketing industry, there’s very little doubt. Content marketing works. While there’s no debating that content marketing works, it only works if it’s done right; and one of the keys to doing content marketing right is to do it consistently. Woody Allen famously quipped that “80% of success is just showing up.” For content marketing this is certainly true“. A Guide For Creating Consistently Great Content ‘Entrepreneur’ Blog  [...]

Mark Walker says, “Everyone wants to get in on the content marketing act these days. According the Content Marketing Institute’s 2015 Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends Report, 86 percent of B2B marketers are now using content marketing as a tactic, and 70 percent of those surveyed are creating more content than they did a year ago. It’s not surprising — given the impact that can be significant — with high profile startups like Buffer and Hubspot and more established SaaS companies like Moz all crediting a large part of their success to content marketing. Non-tech brands... [...]

Arnie Kuenn says, “You’ve heard it before: To be successful with content marketing, your content must be catered to the customer. More specifically, content should speak to customer pain points and challenges throughout the buyer’s journey. However, to create content that is truly targeted, you need to understand exactly who your buyers are and what their journey looks like. Enter persona-based content marketing: creating and promoting content with a specific buyer persona in mind“. Why You Need A Persona-Based Content Marketing Strategy Marketing Land  [...]