Lindsay Kolowich says, “Ever feel like your business is too “niche” to benefit from blogging? Then consider this: 16% to 20% of searches people ask in Google have never been searched for before. No matter how unique your niche is, it’s likely that people are searching for the content you’ll create. The great thing about an inbound marketing tactic like blogging is that it lets you attract the most qualified prospects to your business, wherever they may be. In fact, some of the most dramatic successes we’ve seen with blogging come from businesses in niche industries. Take... [...]

Tamara Littleton says, “Around 15 years ago, forums and blog comment sections were staples of brand-to-fan communication. But the world’s moved on. While many choose to focus on social media channels, some of the world’s most popular brands still blog as they have spent years attracting readers and building an engaged community. But how do they manage reader comments to ensure the engaged community doesn’t become a free-for-all? In this post I’ll look at the different ways that brands curate comments on their blogs. Free-for-all Some brands allow anyone to post comments. It can... [...]

Tamara Littleton says, “Around 15 years ago, forums and blog comment sections were staples of brand-to-fan communication. But the world’s moved on. While many choose to focus on social media channels, some of the world’s most popular brands still blog as they have spent years attracting readers and building an engaged community. But how do they manage reader comments to ensure the engaged community doesn’t become a free-for-all? In this post I’ll look at the different ways that brands curate comments on their blogs. Free-for-all Some brands allow anyone to post comments. It can... [...]

Rick Riddle says, “You don’t have time. That’s a given if you are a small business owner. And often, you don’t have the money to hire others to plan and implement a content marketing strategy. You’re advertising as much as your budget will allow, and you have a Facebook page; you’re putting in effort on LinkedIn, and your daughter is showing you how to use Instagram and Twitter. But a business blog? Do they even work? The quick answer is yes, they do. And, yes, they take some work. But the benefits are well worth it. Here are five of them. Related Article: Why the Company Blog is... [...]

Stefanie Flaxman says, ““Come sit down, Child. Gently put your hands on my crystal ball,” I say, directing you into my dimly lit fortune teller studio. I’m wearing a Stevie Nicks-inspired black lace shawl and gold hoop earrings. “You’d like to know if you should publish guest blog posts on your website, yes? Let’s ask.” My long, blood-red fingernail taps on the glass, as a thick fog swirls underneath the surface of the orb for several minutes. “Looks like I can’t help you. Good thing you paid in advance.” And with a swift kick in the rear, you exit the studio without... [...]

Rick Riddle says, “You don’t have time. That’s a given if you are a small business owner. And often, you don’t have the money to hire others to plan and implement a content marketing strategy. You’re advertising as much as your budget will allow, and you have a Facebook page; you’re putting in effort on LinkedIn, and your daughter is showing you how to use Instagram and Twitter. But a business blog? Do they even work? The quick answer is yes, they do. And, yes, they take some work. But the benefits are well worth it. Here are five of them. 1. SEO It’s hard for business owners... [...]

Valerie Levin says, “Static marketing content is as outdated as print-only newspapers. Just as day-old newspapers become litter in the streets, static digital content is useless to the average reader. With such an inundation of static marketing content, one piece hardly stands out from others, meaning brands blend and ideas fade. Readers crave the dynamic nature of interactive digital content. An ion Interactive study measured the success and general feeling from marketers regarding interactive content. In terms of effectiveness, 93% of marketers say interactive media is great at educating... [...]

Lisa Pierson says, “It’s so frustrating: You work hard running your business. You know your industry inside and out. You offer something that nobody else does. And you take precious time to write about it in your business blog. Yet… nobody is reading. Your social share buttons are untouched. And your comment sections are empty too. And you’re definitely not getting more phone calls or walk-in traffic to justify the time you’ve invested in writing a new post week after annoying week. So, why isn’t your blog getting the attention it deserves? You know people are... [...]

Sarah Gooding says, “This week Mandrill announced that it will be discontinuing its free tier for transactional emails. As of March 16th, new Mandrill users will create their accounts through MailChimp and existing users will be required to merge their accounts with a MailChimp account where they will be charged $20+/mo for transactional emails. The deadline for merging accounts is April 27th. MailChimp is choosing to focus on delivering “personalized transactional” emails that require more design. For those who want to continue delivering utility type emails, the company recommends... [...]

Corey Wainwright says, “It’s one thing to write great content, but it’s another thing to get it read and ranked — which is where nailing the title comes in. Titles are what sell the content. They represent it in search engines, in email, and on social media. It’s no surprise, then, that one of the most common questions we get is around crafting titles. Download this free report to get even more data-backed tips on writing catchy titles and headlines. How long should my headline be? What words should I use? What words should I avoid? Should I optimize it for search... [...]