Demian Farnworth says, “Once in a while, wouldn’t it be nice if there was a way to publish a piece of stunning content without writing it from scratch?You’re in luck, content marketer, there is.But wait … No doubt right about now you’re wondering if I’m depriving some village of their idiot.If maybe I hit bottom and kept digging? If maybe I’m about to introduce you to the content creation version of the ShamWow?Relax. What I’m saying is completely achievable. It’s called republishing.Republishing is the process of updating and polishing an old article — and then publishing... [...]

Jay Leary says, “Stating the obvious here, but content is a massively important part of any inbound marketing campaign. The problem that most of us run into — and I know this well from years of SEO consulting with publishers — is that even “good” content can fade from view without a share, link, or conversion. Engaging an audience isn’t as simple as clicking “publish.”So, how do we avoid making phantom content a habit?For Moz, timely data has been a big part of the answer. Over the years, we’ve built internal tools like1Metric to guide our work.... [...]

Matt Aunger says, “If you find yourself intimidated by the concept of creating video content, you’re not alone.Every minute of the day, YouTube users alone upload 72 hours of new video content, not to mention uploads to Facebook, Vimeo, Daily Motion or Wistia.With all that noise, making your video stand out, increasing engagement and finding ways to add value is a mammoth task; which makes doing it right even sweeter.Fortunately, there are tons of great blueprints for creating valuable, meaningful video content.I’ve taken a closer look at some of these strategies and have condensed... [...]

Ronell Smith says, “When the client asked to “go mute” during our monthly client call, there was no reason to sound the alarm. After all, being able to talk through what they’ve heard as a team, in private, was normal. But when the always-skeptical global marketing director said the COO (who has been in the room for the 10 minutes of analytics discussion) wants to take the discussion offline for a bit, but wants you to hold on, I knew things had likely gone off the rails.“Thanks for holding, you guys,” says the head of marketing upon taking the phone off mute... [...]

Verónica Maria Jarski says, “Snackable content is perfect for on-the-go consumption. Check out these ideas for creating bite-size content for mobile users.Consider regramming, retweeting, and reposting your customers’ content, suggests Marketo in the following infographic created by Column Five. Doing so saves time and builds customer engagement.Also, keep your content current. “Celebrating national holidays, sporting wins, and other of-the-moment events with snackable content is a great way to demonstrate your brand’s personality and point of view,” states Marketo.And... [...]

Pamela Wilson says, “There’s a certain type of client who’s naturally drawn to Amy Butcher’s work. And there’s a certain type of client Amy Butcher is naturally drawn to.The common thread?Amy helps nonprofits, research institutes, and public sector agencies craft ultra-effective content. Her words help them get more support and more donations.Her words help them change the world.Once a month here on Copyblogger, we tap the collective wisdom of our community members to bring you reports from the front lines of the content marketing world.For this month’s Hero’s Journey feature,... [...]

Simon Penson says, ““How do I know if my content campaign is going to work?”This question is the one I get asked more than any other at present, and for good reason; creating hit content, consistently, is one of the biggest challenges in marketing.I’m certainly not going to pretend that every piece of content I’ve ever been involved in has been a hit. In fact, the opposite is probably closer to the truth — but failure teaches you much more, and allows you to iterate faster.The result of that heartache and frustration is a process I want to share with you today, one that’s... [...]

Ruth Carter says, “Do you know who the kings of content are?They’re the copyright owners. They have the right to decide how the work will be used, copied, and distributed.Without copyright ownership or permission (preferably in writing) for scope of use, you:Can’t crop the image to fit your website headerCan’t repurpose a blog post for an e-newsletter or social mediaCan’t give permission to other sites to repost your videoYou are essentially handcuffed in how you use the content.Most of us recognize that we can’t just find text and images on the web, then cut and paste... [...]

Fergal Glynn says, “Sales reps are often disconnected from marketing processes, only working with leads when they’re qualified and passed over from the marketing team.Too frequently, that means that sales representatives have little to no input in content marketing.Instead, marketing teams prepare the content that they know will attract leads.The content progressively leads them through the sales funnel to the point of sales-readiness, and then their job is done.The Reality: Sales-Marketing Alignment is Critical for Content Marketing SuccessThe reality, however, is that marketing and... [...]

Jack Simpson says, “With Black Friday and Christmas on their way there is plenty to keep marketers’ minds distracted. But come the new year the problem of ad blocking is going to be more prevalent than ever. I caught up with Forbes’ European managing director, Charles Yardley, to find out how the publisher moved toward a native content revenue model and why it chose to go down that route.How worried are you personally about ad blocking? Ad blocking is a hugely important topic and poses real threats to all ad-supported publishers. It’s very much top of mind at Forbes.How damaging... [...]