Thomas Stern says, “I’ll just come right out and say it – click-bait content doesn’t work anymore, and consumers are sick of it.Over the last ten years, social content has evolved alongside user expectations and the sheer volume of content production. Today, a demand for entertainment and education has been balanced with a need for transparency and value.It’s time to produce user-focused content your consumers want to read.Despite the whispers around the Internet, click-bait is not a product of the digital age. As far back as 100 years ago, journalists have used a catchy headline... [...]

Aaron Orendorff says, “As content marketers, we have our work cut out for us.Getting our own, original ideas off the ground is hard enough. Unfortunately, when we add all the collecting, clipping, curating, and collaborating necessary for full-scale engagement, overwhelmed is understatement.Yet, curating content is essential, and not just for in-house research. A full 68% of us rely directly on curated content as part of our overall content marketing.Why?Because sharing, linking, and reviewing other people’s stuff is the only way to market your brand to avoid looking like a self-absorbed... [...]

Meghan Casey says, “While I love working as a content strategist, I recognize that many content marketers might not fully appreciate the role that content strategy can play – the power it can have – in your content marketing. After participating in the CMI Content Strategy 101 Twitter chat, I welcomed the opportunity to answer more questions.What key content strategy concepts should content marketers know?Content strategy is about providing the right content, to the right people, at the right times – for the right reasons“.Content Strategy 101 for Content Marketers: Your... [...]

Aaron Agius says, “We all love a good story. It dates back to the Neanderthal days, when that species enjoyed sharing hunting tales and illustrating adventures on cave walls.Although the ways through which we share stories these days have advanced technologically, the following underlying principles haven’t changed:Stories are friendly and conversational.Stories focus on ideas that improve, entertain and inform.Stories touch hearts, minds and lives with a relevant message.Unfortunately, these advantages of good storytelling are too often lost amidst content that’s built for... [...]

Neil Patel says, “It’s absolutely critical that brands achieve relevance. One of the primary methods for accomplishing relevance is to create relevant content.Unfortunately, an aura of mystery surrounds the concept of relevance. It’s misunderstood as a stylistic thing, flair, or something that some writers “just have.” In reality, relevance is more scientific and systematic. You can create relevant content by understanding what relevance is and developing a process to achieve it.The major upside of relevance is that you can accomplish major ranking uptick by creating relevant content.... [...]

Charlie Gilkey says, “Have you ever noticed that your content marketing activities tend to amount to doing the same types of tasks over and over?At the process level, there’s not much that changes from one blog post to the next or from one social media campaign to the next, though the content itself may change.Whether or not you’ve noticed it, your content marketing activities are a collection of workflows.I hinted at this in my last post, on how to delegate content marketing tasks.Now, let’s take a closer look at workflows, because it’s a game-changer when you shift from thinking... [...]

Rainmaker team says, “Picture this. You have a publishing deadline looming. And you are fresh out of ideas. Your audience, one you’ve built on the back of a predictable publishing schedule, is expecting an article tomorrow morning. What will you do?Fortunately, The Lede hosts Jerod Morris and Demian Farnworth have an answer for you. One that they regularly practice, and one that is explained in a recent Whiteboard Friday video by Rand Fishkin.And you’ll be surprised how simple it is to implement, too.Plus, they’ve got more content marketing news and advice to share in this episode... [...]

Selena Blue says, ““I think content is becoming the forefront for any ecommerce or digital strategy,” Andy Wang, Digital Brand Marketing Manager, World Kitchen, said.The struggle, though, can come in creating that content. In 2014, 45% of B2C marketers reported “producing enough content” as a top challenge, according to the B2C Content Marketing 2014 Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends – North America report. And that’s just creating it. Moreover, 51% of marketers struggled with “producing the kind of content that engages.”How can marketers meet the content amount demands while... [...]

Chris Ebbs says, “As of Q2 2015, there is still no convincing evidence that social shares affect Google rankings.You might want to read that again. Be it tweets, re-tweets, Facebook shares, or Google+ posts, there is just no solid evidence that they affect improvements in ranking positions.In recent years there’s been a big shift in the SEO industry. Search agencies and others are pushing the merits of content marketing as an activity that can help drive SEO success.Among the inevitable increase in content, something being widely misunderstood and purposely misrepresented by some... [...]

Rainmaker team says, “How do you write about what you do so that it: a) sells the value of what you do, b) doesn’t sound over the top, and c) doesn’t sound like everyone else?Introducing the four-step copywriting technique known as: “Butterfly Moments” …Writing powerful, evocative, and compelling copy doesn’t have to be an elusive skill known only to a select few.In just a few simple steps, you can create content that describes what you do in a way that makes your customer say “tell me more!”“.How to Use ‘Butterfly Moments’ in Your Content to Captivate Customers‘Copyblogger’... [...]