Stefanie Flaxman says, “How would you answer the question, “If you were stranded on a deserted island — and could only have five books with you — which five would you choose?”I’d choose my favorite stories to help me feel less alone and remain motivated.If stories are powerful enough to bring a sense of belonging to someone subject to the ultimate level of isolation, think of the effect they can have on your clients and customers who are (presumably) integrated into society.This week’s Copyblogger Collection is a series of three handpicked articles that will show you:How... [...]

John Lincoln says, “Content marketing, like any other business initiative, is a learned skill. It’s not as simple as sitting down at your keyboard and typing out a few bits of advice relevant to your niche. (It actually used to be a lot like this, but now it is much more competitive.) In fact, corporate blogging is a learned discipline, just like accounting, marketing and good management.However, some business leaders see it differently. They think that they can hire a good writer to produce content, publish it on a website and watch the visitors come rolling in.There’s much more to... [...]

Susan Dafron says, “In early 2012, I turned on my corporate-provided laptop for my first day of work writing content for a large technology company.To say I was nervous would be an understatement. For more than 15 years, I’d been a dedicated freelancer — rejoicing in my independence, working in my little office from a log home in the middle of a vast forest.Back then, starting my own business was the only way I could live the life I wanted. But thanks to increased telecommuting options and better connectivity, now I get to enjoy my lifestyle along with a regular paycheck.Content marketers... [...]

Steve Olenski says, “Content marketing is an intimidating, but necessary, part of raising brand awareness now.It’s easy to get lost in the whirlwind of SEO elements, content guidelines, audience interests and promotional strategies. But at the heart of it, content marketing has one simple central tenet: Deliver fresh, unique and informative content that taps into the interests of your target audience.How you go about that can vary, and how you continue your content marketing efforts will change as you get to know more about your audience.However, as with anything that seems insurmountable,... [...]

Pamela Wilson says, “Do you need to spend a lot of money to create exceptional content?In a word, no.The barriers to entry for publishing on the Internet are extremely low. That’s why we see so much mediocre content everywhere we look.But you’re here reading Copyblogger. That tells me that “mediocre content” is a phrase that’s not part of your vocabulary. You’re aiming to create content that’s remarkable. Content that attracts an audience and builds your business.Today we’re going to cover how to produce winning content on a budget. A reallysmall budget.The fact is,... [...]

Demian Farnworth says, “Cornerstone content pages can also help you accomplish many of your content marketing goals.Goals like getting links to your website, finding new readers, attracting subscribers to your email newsletter, ranking well in search engines for competitive keywords, and giving new life to old articles.Which makes cornerstone pages important for both seasoned bloggers and brand-new websites. And fortunately, these pages aren’t complicated to create.So, let’s answer nine common questions about cornerstone content“.A Beginner’s Guide to Cornerstone Content:... [...]

Sujan Patel says, “When you want to get your content in front of new readers, tapping into the dozens of targeted platforms on social media is an obvious choice. Whether you share a blog post on Facebook or an infographic on Twitter, social media outlets boast millions of users. These established, engaged audiences give you a chance to not only get your content read, but also shared frequently.However, there are times when you’ll need to go beyond normal social media sharing. Maybe you’ve found that your target market isn’t as active on traditional social sites as they are elsewhere.... [...]

Nadya Khoja says, “How often do you spend hours upon hours trying to think of the next great idea for a blog post?Do you ever come up with something that seems so exceptional, however, the moment you take a second glance, it seems sub-par at best?There are thousands of articles floating around on the web that attempt to sell individuals on the idea that there is a perfect formula for creating “viral” or “addictive” content. But that’s not the case, unfortunately.If it were so, then everyone that ever applied those tactics would be drowning in an abundance of page views.I will... [...]

Anna Francis says, “A lot goes into creating that perfect piece of content.With so many brands now recognising the importance of producing regular, fresh, and high quality content though, it can sometimes feel like you’re simply churning out great work that gets forgotten the very next day.So what’s the solution? Instead of focusing on the quantity of content we are creating, we should shift our energy towards the quality.One amazing, creative piece of content can go a long way, and actually end up making more of an impact than ten smaller pieces of content will.Instead of racking... [...]

Stefanie Flaxman says, “The concept of style has multiple layers of meanings, and this week’s Copyblogger Collection contains multiple layers of insights.At first glance, the following is a series of three handpicked content marketinglessons that will show you:How to tell a meaningful marketing storyHow to optimize every blog post you writeHow to avoid landing page pitfalls that make you lose businessWithin these lessons, however, you’ll also discover three different types of infographics.Infographics visually depict your unique perspective and immediately communicate style“.3... [...]