Joe Pulizzi says, “In this week’s episode, Robert and I discuss LinkedIn’s purchase of Lynda.com and what it means for LinkedIn and the content marketing industry. We also ponder the difference between content and advertising and ask if it really matters. We answer a listener question about measuring the impact of content programs. In addition, Robert and I explore the failure of social media as a community-building tool and discuss an alternative for brands that can be more effective but also harder to implement. Rants and raves include Walt Disney’s visionary mindset and how content... [...]

Tim Ash says, “A marriage made in heaven — Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) should be the perfect mate to content marketing. People rely on Internet self-service research for their scouting when making buying decisions about many products and services. In my experience with clients, 60-80 percent of the typical customer journey now takes place unaided and online. The old days of getting a “hot” lead to your salesperson and then having them hard-close are long gone. The expectation is that people will be able to get the information that they need, when they want it, on their terms.... [...]

MOZ team says, “Given Google’s recent changes to SERPs and their April 21 mobile deadline, does SEO still come first? In today’s Whiteboard Friday, Rand walks you through tactics you can use to build a loyal audience before you need to do SEO”. How Google’s Evolution is Forcing Marketers to Invest in Loyal Audiences MOZ Blog  [...]

Kristine Schachinger says, “Infinite scroll (or “endless scroll”) is a web design technique that automatically loads new content as a user scrolls down a webpage, presenting the user with a seemingly endless stream of content. (In some cases, websites will employ a “hybrid” version that displays a “load more” button once the bottom of the page is reached.) Some well-known sites that employ infinite scroll are Twitter, Facebook and Google Image Search. Why do sites use infinite scroll? The idea is that it is better to automatically load in new content when a page reaches the end... [...]

Kelsey Libert says, “In October 2013, Fractl published a study on viral emotions on the Harvard Business Review. The research was picked up by several high-authority publishers, catapulted our brand’s authority, increased our brand awareness, and drove dozens of qualified leads. To our expectation, we proved that our client-facing, research-driven content marketing strategy could have the same long-term impact on our own brand. Then, we were off to the races“. How Fractl Leveraged Content Marketing to Increase its Referral Traffic 6,718% MOZ Blog  [...]

Debbie Williams says, “Basic accounting rules require marketing costs to be listed as expenses on a company’s P&L. However, today’s marketers and smart executives consider marketing an investment in driving revenue rather than a cost. This is where an overall mind shift is needed. Marketing needs to be considered an investment, and your content an asset. We invest in technology, equipment and people to grow our businesses without hesitation. So, why wouldn’t we do the same with our content? It’s time to finally categorize content as an asset and treat it like you would any other... [...]

Neil Patel says, “You’ve got a responsive site with a kick-ass mobile design. You’re ready for Google’s “mobilegeddon,” right? Wrong. With all the excitement over Google’s upcoming mobile-friendly search-results update, marketers are neglecting one of the most critical features: copywriting. Those focusing too much on mobile usability are giving short shrift to mobile copywriting. Content marketers must understand how and why mobile content matters, and how to create content that mobile readers will love. Mobile copywriting. It’s a thing. Smashing Magazine makes the provocative... [...]

Eric Enge says, “It’s time to look at your content differently—time to start understanding just how good it really is. I am not simply talking about titles, keyword usage, and meta descriptions. I am talking about the entire page experience. In today’s post, I am going to introduce the general concept of content quality analysis, why it should matter to you, and how to use term frequency (TF) analysis to gather ideas on how to improve your content“. Using Term Frequency Analysis to Measure Your Content Quality MOZ Blog  [...]

David Kirkpatrick says, “By this point, I think most marketers understand the value and importance of the content marketing channel. It’s well known that prospects for both consumer and B2B marketers are now doing most research on their own — I’ve seen research reporting B2B prospects are now getting 80% down the pipeline before ever raising their hand and letting you know they might be a customer”. Content Marketing 101: Tips on content strategy MarketingSherpa  [...]

Nataly Kelly says, “For most of you, customers can come to you from any country in the world. That means all of your potential customers — the people visiting your website, reading your blog posts, and clicking on your calls-to-action — might speak a myriad of different languages or live in totally different time zones. Once they reach your content, how well will it resonate with them? As your international traffic grows, you’ll want to be sure that you can convert that traffic into leads — and that means keeping your international visitors in mind every time you... [...]