The Content Marketing Institute team says, “Marketers are in the midst of a content marketing arms race. More content is being created every day, and a myriad of technology options make it easier than ever to efficiently distribute that content to broad audiences. But as it becomes easier to distribute content, more of that content is failing. According to new research from TrackMaven, a growing majority of professional marketing content fails to have an impact. In other words, marketers have become very good at distributing content, but not very good at creating content that is worth distributing. In... [...]

Steve Smith says, “In 2008, Walmart announced an ambitious store-remodeling program called Project Impact. It sought to increase sales by (among other things) significantly changing how products were organized and displayed. The project was a spectacular flop – with losses in the billions – and Walmart eventually reversed its methods. Techniques of visual merchandising (i.e., displaying products to make them more appealing) can make or break brick-and-mortar retailers. Visual merchandising incorporates elements such as traffic flow, lighting, color, signage, product packaging, organization,... [...]

Neil Patel says, “When people talk about “optimizing content,” they’re usually thinking of it as a technical task that requires “SEO best practices” and “relevant keywords.” In today’s content-driven world of digital marketing, I see it differently. In my experience, there are other factors that are far more influential in optimizing content. Optimizing content is less a matter of keyword presence and metadata and more an issue of trust, intent, quality, and authority. In this article, I will explain a six-step process that you can use as to create perfectly optimized content... [...]

Tim Matthews says, “In the wake of Thanksgiving, no doubt we all lived on leftovers. I, for one, could lunch on turkey sandwiches and snack on pumpkin pie slivers for weeks. For those who prefer a little more variety, I can get you the recipe for my wife’s turkey gumbo. (Or you could go to the Food Network for suggestions. I’m not sure about the turkey crostini, though.) Few meals take as long to prepare as Thanksgiving dinner, so it’s a good thing all that food doesn’t go to waste. And it struck me this Thanksgiving that marketers could take a lesson from turkey... [...]

Verónica Maria Jarski says, “Marketing may be in charge of social media for a company, but customer service teams are the kings of customer engagement, according to the following Sentiment infographic. So, how do marketing teams and customer service teams approach customer engagement? Here’s a look at the different goals, tools, and skills that marketing and customer service teams employ to support customers. The customer service team does so by using tools such as social media monitoring, engagement dashboards, CRM integration, personalized routing, supervisor visibility, and access... [...]

Jay Acunzo says, “If there’s one mortal sin content marketers commit way too often, it’s obsessing over tools or tactics instead of customers. When we talk marketing, we love to jump right into a discussion about a given social network, a new tactic hitting the blogosphere, or some other content format we “have to” learn. Instead of asking customers how we can help them, we ask other marketers how many words make up an ideal blog post or which marketing automation tool they use. Important? Sure. Good place to start? Nope. It’s understandable that we do this. We’re experiencing... [...]

Brian Clark says, “In 2008, Pat Flynn was happily employed by an architectural firm. And then, like a lot of people in 2008, just like that … out of a job. It was the best thing that ever happened to him. Since that point, Pat has built a business that supports his family through blogging and podcasting. And he’s just getting started. Rather than some “Master of the Universe” type, Pat shares with you that (like most of us in this industry) he was initially scared and winging it. But it wasn’t long until he had the confidence to take the next step, and then the next … all by... [...]

Skip Besthoff says, “At least eight of every 10 pieces of content flatline when it comes to generating web traffic – often the goal of many content marketing campaigns. So, how well do your pieces of content perform? It’s possible to leverage your analytics to measure, improve content performance, and create content that drives better web traffic. Most publishers and marketers only look at general, site-level trending graphs to see how content performs. This single measurement approach is not only misleading, but it will not work if you’re serious about improving content performance.... [...]

Allison Howen says, “AddThis is helping its Pro subscribers get personal, as the content engagement platform has unveiled new audience targeting capabilities that enable brands to deliver more personalized content and offers to site visitor. The new audience targeting tool leverages insight from 1.8 billion unique users across the Web and is designed to improve engagement, increase conversions and boost revenue for website owners. With the tool, site owners are able to personalize a visitors’ experiences based on factors such as the websites they are coming from, the devices they’re... [...]

Demian Farnworth says, “Customers. Complex bunch. They pull out their wallets and purses to trade hard-earned dollars for stuff. Stuff we design, organize, grow, program, or manufacture. Stuff like curved TVs. Endurance events. Spicy vodka. Graphic design textbooks. Massive multiplayer online games. Lilac bulbs. Tax preparation software. Workout regimens. If customers buy the stuff you make, then you got two things right: You built a healthy audience. You built products they love, which, of course, explains their buying behavior”. How to Use an Experience Map to Develop a Winning... [...]