Michele Linn says, “In a few of the interviews I have done recently, people have asked some variation of the question: What gets you most excited about content marketing these days?While I’m constantly interested in and thinking about content, one of the ideas that excites me most is intelligent content and the conversation that surrounds it.Yes, it may seem like the company line, as Content Marketing Institute recently purchased Intelligent Content Conference, but I’ll be honest. When I heard the acquisition news, I wasn’t all that excited. I thought the topic of intelligent content... [...]

Verónica Maria Jarski says, “How can marketers better create content that achieves optimal results? Here are five suggestions from a Captora infographic.Drive pipeline growth with data: “Research-driven campaigns get results and set your marketing efforts apart from the Internet noise,” states Captora.Some two-thirds of marketers say data drives their digital marketing, and 71% say it enables the delivery of more relevant messaging to more finely segmented audience, according to data cited by Captora.Another suggestion for creating content that rules: play on those heartstrings.... [...]

Sylvia Jensen says, “Managing content marketing can be stressful. This brief guide will show you how to use time and technology to maximize success without raising your stress levels.Successful content marketing doesn’t always involve mountains of content, but it does need some serious planning and management if you are to generate the expected leads and sales.Here are a few things you need to consider early on if you are to avoid problems.1. Plan aheadForewarned is forearmed. Failure to prepare is preparing to fail. You’ve heard it all before, but that’s because it’s... [...]

Mitch Meyerson says, “Your online images are more likely to attract your visitors’ attention and get them to take action if they accomplish one or more of these five goals:1. It’s original.Have you ever noticed how we’ll gloss over an image that we’ve seen previously online but stop dead at a new graphic or photo like it’s a piece of hot gossip? We love things that are new, shiny, or different, and we love to share.You may have heard of the statistic about Pinterest, where 80 percent of content is shared content or “repins.” If you look at other social networks,... [...]

Brian Clark says, “What’s the reality of search engine optimization after the Google Hummingbird update? Can someone destroy your business with negative SEO? Did Google kill the concept of AuthorRank when it eliminated the Authorship initiative?For these types of questions, there’s no better person to ask than Danny Sullivan, founder of Search Engine Land and Marketing Land, CMO of Third Door Media (producers of the popular SMX conferences), and a veteran search engine expert of 20 years. Today’s show is just a warmup to Danny’s presentation at Authority Rainmaker 2015, May 13-15... [...]

Kelsey Meyer says, “When you’re in a bind to create a high-quality blog post that generates brand awareness, educates your potential audience and draws in qualified leads, you can’t expect to come up with an idea for the perfect topic in one sitting. Instead, incorporate the following practices to store, manage and inspire new ideas:1. Build a knowledge bank.A knowledge bank is your secret content marketing weapon. It’s where you store, organize, tag and reference all the information you extract from your team, the content you’ve already created and the insightful research you’ve... [...]

Demian Farnworth says, “One of the first steps to creating adaptive content is becoming aware of the content you already have. This is why we encourage you to audit your site.But before you dive into a full-blown comprehensive content audit, it might be possible to make your job a little easier by first dealing with all of the expired content.What exactly is expired content?It’s those old sales pages, obsolete product pages, and other outdated content. The pages you’ve forgotten about in your archives that desperately need some attention”.A Brief Guide to Fixing Your Old, Neglected,... [...]

Kevin Lee says, “There is a shift happening away from long-form blog articles in favor of social media postings. But is this really the best strategy?This past week, the Content Marketing Institute released a new study on how B2B marketers are using content marketing.Among the study’s interesting findings is a small but measurable tactical shift away from long-form blog articles in favor of social media postings. According to the report, 93 percent of B2B marketers use social media in content marketing (up from 87 percent in 2013), whereas the use of blog/website-based articles has declined... [...]

Ted Wright says, “In today’s digitally saturated world, it has become nearly impossible for consumers to escape the constant chorus of brands vying for attention and “engagement,” so many people are tuning out.  According to Nielsen, 92 percent of Americans trust recommendations from family and friends (i.e. word of mouth) more than any other form of marketing.While word-of-mouth marketing can be a complex undertaking, there are three key elements that form the foundation of any successful word-of-mouth campaign: understanding influencers, finding the right ones and then giving... [...]

Greg Shuey says, “Over the past 5 years, the average sales cycle has increased by 22%.  Well-informed buyers in the decision making process, coupled with slow economic growth, creates for the perfect storm for lengthy B2B and B2C sales cycles. Furthermore, survey data from Crain’s BtoB Magazine reported that 43% of respondents saw an overall slowing of the sales cycle over the past three years. The problem isn’t new, nor is it getting any better.The longer it takes to move a consumer from prospect to purchaser, the more tangible and intangible resources are drained from your firm.... [...]