Rainmaker team says, “Content is everywhere — it’s happening in coffee shops, on phone calls, and in the workplace. But capturing and documenting these ideas is necessary so that the creator or owner of that content has the ability to capitalize on it. Without documentation, all is lost. Conversations without accurate documentation can lead to a Rashomon effect, where a conversation can have different meanings and takeaways”. Why Capturing Ideas Is Essential to Your Content Strategy and Organic Search ‘Copyblogger’ Blog  [...]

Barry Feldman says, “Your content marketing ambitions are large. Unfortunately, your team is not. Though you may need help for one reason or another, it might not be the right time to bring in another employee. Enter freelancers: With a team of contract workers, you can enjoy the flexibility that comes with hiring on an as-needed basis, while avoiding the overhead that accompanies permanent staff. Above all, you’ll get the talent and experience that fit your project. Freelancing is more popular than ever, so the talent pool is immense. This means you need to know how to find, hire, and... [...]

Derek Miller says, “Assume you’re doing content marketing for a plumbing client and you’re tasked 5 blog articles. I know what you’re thinking: Awesome opportunity! Not what you’re thinking? More than likely you’re thinking: “What the heck am I going to write about?” You probably aren’t an expert plumber, so a tutorial on bathtub spout diverters (had to look that up) is out of the question. So how do you create a compelling article? It starts with the idea!”. Inspiration Goldmine: Guide to Creating Effective Content Ideas Business.com  [...]

Robert McGuire says, “The world is full of snappy writers who can garner traffic, clicks, and “likes” that give a short-term lift to your promotion. But it’s getting noisy out there. Successfulcontent marketing has to make a lasting impression and provide something authentic to your customers to create a real return on your marketing investment. Aaron Agius recently shared journalistic practices content marketers should adapt, but I want to make a case for going straight to the source – making experienced reporters a part of your content marketing team – and discuss how to find... [...]

Baer says, “With every passing year, SEO moves further away from the realm of clear and simple guidelines to the world of blurry indicators and stringent punishments for perceived transgressions. Once upon a time, SEO was synonymous with zeroing in on the right keywords and going crazy with a million iterations and use cases for these keywords all over your site. If you stuffed your site, its meta data, and HTML tags with enough keywords, it was enough to win the battle against Google. It was simple to do and easy to understand, albeit not the most ethical of practices. Today, that A = B... [...]

Rainmaker team says, “In this episode of Rough Draft, host Demian Farnworth wants to put some teeth to the things he has been teaching. Some substance behind my claims. He’ll present four research studies you should know about. They’ll help you understand the true state of what it means to write online. But Demian needs to warn you: what you are about to learn could depress you. Could make you throw in the towel. But don’t fear. He’s here to help you get over that hump”. The Ugly Truth About How People Read Online ‘Copyblogger’ Blog  [...]

Baer says, “Scott Stratten’s viral, social, and authentic marketing agency, UnMarketing, keeps him pretty busy. So do his books, like UnMarketing and UnSelling, his UnPodcast, and being one of Forbes’ top social media power influencers. He’s known for his sarcastic tone as he points out brand fails on Twitter. When asked why he goes negative, Scott says this strategy is twofold: It matches his personality, so it’s genuine. UnMarketing came about 13 years ago because Scott was angry that the only way to market to someone was to interrupt them. Tweeting with a sarcastic edge just... [...]

Mike King says, “Simply put, if you’re not measuring, you’re not marketing. In fact, if you’re whipping up blog posts and infographics without business objectives, you’re basically partaking in a very expensive version of arts and crafts. Your job as a content marketer is to show your boss the money — not traffic, not links — mon-naay. Let’s talk about how to get started effectively measuring your content marketing efforts”. A Quick-Start Guide to Measuring Your Content Marketing Efforts ‘Copyblogger’ Blog  [...]

Amy Gesenhues says, “While marketing teams continue to create more and more content marketing materials, anew study from marketing software provider Acrolinx claims brands are not spending nearly enough time on the quality of their content marketing efforts. Using linguistic analytics software to evaluate grammar and style, Acrolinx leveraged a 100-point scale to score marketing, corporate, technical and customer support content from companies with $250 million or more in annual revenue”. Is Poor Grammar Killing Your Content Marketing? Study Says 69% Of Brands Fail to Make The Grade Marketing... [...]

Julia Mccoy says, “Analyzing the impact of your content doesn’t need to be a costly endeavor. These nine analytic tools are free (or almost free). Identifying which ones help inform your content marketing goals, using them regularly, and adjusting your content so your results are aligned even better with your objectives will boost the effectiveness of your content marketing efforts. 1. Google Analytics The first, most important, and the ultimate tool that every website manager and marketing expert needs is Google Analytics. It’s among the best ways to get vital information about the... [...]