Austin McCraw says, “Ah … the ambience of a blank white computer screen. I am staring at one right now. There are the days when this glow speaks freedom and fresh opportunity and I take it. But then, there are those days, like right now, where the glow feels more like an impenetrable force field. So what do I do when I know I have something to say, but I just can’t get it into words? Should I start scouring the Web to find something interesting to comment on? Or should I just rehash something that I have thought about or written about before? Or, the most tempting, do I just give up... [...]

Isla McKetta says, “A fantastic idea is the heartblood of any content campaign or project. Excitement around an idea is what sustains you through the (sometimes) long slog of creation, and it’s part of what gets your audience to share, share, share. Putting time and energy into a bad idea is a waste of your resources and has the potential to turn your audience off. Plus, if your decision maker sees too many resources invested in too many ideas that fail, you could lose credibility, autonomy, and—worst case scenario—your job. Which all makes coming up with the idea sound kind of... [...]

Baer says, “What are some of the biggest challenges of developing tons of content? “It’s mostly just organization.” That’s what Ali Parmelee, Co-Owner and Brand Strategist atTHINK creative group has to say about content development. And I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s tough enough to organize your own marketing. But what gives Ali some credibility here is that she’s managing her own content development process, and she also helps lots of others manage their marketing, too, through her marketing agency. “We’re a pretty small team here. It’s a matter of keeping everything... [...]

Dave Hochman says, “Even the world’s most effectively led, proactive, and well-organized content team is going to end up dead in the water without continuous quality input from within the organization. Content marketing is sometimes referred to as “brand journalism”; however, if content marketers relied on the (sometimes antagonistic) journalism playbook for getting input every time they reached a dead end, they would almost assuredly find themselves jobless. This article will help content professionals apply journalistic tactics to enable them to get great content from... [...]

Christian Jorg says, “As consumers increasingly crave more meaningful and relevant content amid the deluge of digital information, content curation has given marketers a new way to engage with customers. Curation is by no means new, however. Curators at museums and galleries have long been carefully selecting items for collection and display; DJs have made an art out of mixing music; and festivals have curated films, bands, vendors, and more… Curation is a long-practiced means of helping audiences that may not have the time or expertise on a particular subject to find the best and... [...]

Kelly Kingman says, “In the movie Amadeus, the creatively frustrated composer Antonio Salieri discovers pages of Mozart’s original, handwritten compositions and remarks, with utter anguish: He had simply written down music already finished in his head. Page after page of it — as if he were just taking dictation. When it comes to writing, do any of us know what that feels like? Maybe once in a blue moon we are lucky enough to stumble into a Mozart-esque state of content creation — dropping perfectly formed prose into our blog or ebook without any struggle”. Solve Your Blank-Page... [...]

Tiffany Monhollon says, “Have you ever been so overwhelmed with running your business that you barely have time to do the very minimum when it comes to staying up with what’s new in marketing and managing vendors? Sometimes it’s so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day that you overlook a critical aspect of marketing — measuring your return on investment (ROI). Here are five signs you might just need a system to track your marketing ROI so you can make sure you’re getting the most out of your investment. 1. You don’t know what matters — or why — on... [...]

Jeffrey Kranz says, “We’d all love to show up first in Google for something. There’s likely at least one golden search term or keyword you’re striving for —and we’ve all heard plenty of different get-to-the-front-page-of-Google formulas. It can get a little dizzying keeping all the approaches straight. But it can be done. If you’re willing to invest some time, resources and brainpower, you can create the top content on any topic. To share exactly how, I made an infographic mapping out not one, but six foolproof, can’t-miss strategies that real-life people (including... [...]

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... [...]

Kristen Dunleavy says, “Did you know that 91 percent of B2B marketers and 86 percent of B2C marketers are usingcontent marketing? Everybody and their mom, dad, aunt and cat are creating content. So how do you make yours stand out? We thought Marcus Sheridan, author of The Sales Lion blog and highly sought after public speaker, would be the perfect person to ask. Marcus grew his swimming pool company to one of the largest of its kind – all thanks to awesome content marketing. These days, he uses his powers to help other entrepreneurs grow their businesses. Read on in this Q&A to learn how... [...]