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“The content marketing industry will be a $300 billion industry by 2019, and SEO is forecasted to be an $80 billion industry by 2020,” said Betts. SEO is the voice of the consumer and it delivers marketers powerful insights, according to Betts. But unless it’s paired with content, marketers won’t realize its full potential.“SEO, alone, is not enough to guarantee success. Content marketing, alone, is not enough to guarantee success,” said Betts. “Together, they build a better customer experience. There’s a massive opportunity for people who are connecting the dots.” Here are the group’s top takeaways for doing so....
Many B2B marketers have seen B2C content at least once and asked, "Why do they get to have all the fun?" But the moments like the one we described above are the ones that remind us: B2C companies haven't locked down all of the truly interesting marketing angles. We're passionate about our product -- and that means our audience can be, too. And for every B2B product, there are even more B2B users out there looking for information, inspiration, and knowledge -- whether it's from their peers, or from the organizations looking to provide them with solutions. The point? No marketing, including content, is uninteresting if you look at it the right way. Done right, B2B content marketing can certainly match -- and sometimes, maybe even rival -- the creativity and appeal of the best B2C ones. And we want to recognize the brands that are breaking that mold and creating great content that grows fervent, dedicated audiences. Below, you'll find a few of our favorites....
The world of visual content can be tough to navigate, with some content cleverly disguised as entertainment. If you’re just getting started with visual content, or looking to optimize your visual content we’ve broken it down into three key categories:
Static: Static content represents stationary images that don’t change based on the reader’s actions. This includes images, infographics, and slideshows.
Interactive: Interactive content, like apps, assessments, calculators, and quizzes, requires your audience’s active engagement and displays content that responds to their actions.
Live Motion: Video content, which includes (as the name implies) videos and webinars, is broadcasted through live video or recorded and then distributed on-demand.
Ready to take a journey through the delectable world of content visualization? Check out our infographic, Content Land: Find the Best Type of Visual for Your Objectives and Content, and find out which method may work best to captivate your audience.
Content marketing mistakes are not always readily apparent. With vanity metrics and anecdotal stories, we can fool ourselves into believing that our content marketing efforts are successful even when they’re not serving the business. In both the video and the article below, what follows are some of the most common and repeated content marketing mistakes made by respected business professionals. They fessed up to their mistake, explained what they did to fix it, and at the end I offer up some advice on how to avoid this mistake so that you’re always serving the business....
2017 marked the fifth year of NewsCred’s annual #ThinkContent Summit. Over the past five years, the event’s theme has reflected the evolution of the digital marketing space. In 2015, the theme was “Creativity, Technology + The Future of Storytelling.” In 2016, it was “Convergence: The New Marketing Imperative.” When I looked at this year’s theme, its proclamation was even bigger and bolder than years past: “The Marketing Revolution.”Not only was this theme different in the scale of its claim, but it begged the question of what, exactly, made this year a revolution? After listening to the speakers at the event and diving more deeply into the current state of marketing, it was clear that we are in the midst of a marketing revolution....
In fact, using display ads, paid search or paid social as a way to generate instant results for brands or organizations is increasingly popular. Don’t believe me? Wrap your head around these figures:In its Q4 2016 fiscal year results, Google’s parent company Alphabet reported a whopping 17% increase in advertising revenue compared with the same period the year before. When Facebook published its fourth quarter and end of year results, it also reported an increase in revenue from advertising, up 12% year on year. Statista estimates we’ll all be spending more this year – with paid advertising expenditure soaring to $92.4 billion worldwide in 2017. Marketers are now branching out to new ad formats, with the IAB calculating that mobile advertising grew massively in the first six months of 2016, with a total spend increase of 89% or $15.5 billion. Big numbers, for sure, but are we missing a trick here? While there may be plenty of plus points to paid advertising and paid social – and it most definitely plays a role in a well-executed marketing strategy – it might be time to take back ownership of your marketing....
Polar tested different ad formats including image-based content (graphics, image galleries, and slide shows), article-based content, and video-based content. It tested more than 30 pieces of content, with each type tested by a minimum of 1,000 people via desktop, mobile, and both. Among the findings of the study, conducted in March 2017: --Consumer awareness of a brand increased to 69% after engaging with branded content, while purchase intent was 51%. The study also used a control group with no branding. --Incorporating companion display ads next to branded content improved purchase intent by 17% and didn’t have a negative impact on brand perception --Imagery (infographics, image galleries, and slide shows) performed the best among content formats. And notably, video isn’t always needed to tell the story. However, imagery outperformed articles by 11%. "We found that consumers responded a bit more favorably when there was less obvious branding,” Bella said....
Storytelling and visuals are two of the most powerful tools content marketers have. Both of these attributes can help get ideas across more effectively and increase engagement. Combining these two elements—well, that’s a recipe for success. How can marketers go about creating a successful visual story? Luckily, there are plenty of tools available to help you take a marketing yarn and weave it into a beautiful visual. Here are 11 of the top software programs, websites, and more for creating your visual content marketing stories....
Incorporating the use of infographics into your content marketing is a great way to boost social media engagement, conversions, and your brand’s credibility as an information source. However, it’s not a “magic bullet” that can be implemented with no strategy whatsoever.
Remember that customers, influencers, and competitors will judge your brand quality by the kind of visual content you publish. Apart from understanding the different types of infographics, you also need to know the essential parts that make an infographic shareworthy. You also need to execute a well-planned promotion strategy to fully leverage the infographic.
Of course, hiring an infographic design specialist and a content marketing expert for promotion purposes is one way to go. But if you have a DIY-style infographic strategy here are the components you shouldn’t forget:
Here’s why I mentioned it. The principle I pointed out––social proof––is important to Google.
Google wants only the most naturally popular sites to show up in the SERPs. And that’s why it is extremely necessary to have brand mentions.
If people are talking about your brand, Google will see those mentions as implied links and enhance your SEO.
But enough about why brand mentions matter. Let’s talk about how.
If you ask us, there are three things that we marketing nerds might love more than anything else: History, visual content, and the 1985 film Back to the Future. So when it came to our attention that our friends at Uberflip combined all three of them, we were thrilled, to say the least. An infographic that uses our most beloved 1980s movie characters to explain the history of content? Be still, our beating hearts. In all seriousness, have you ever thought about where this whole idea of content marketing really began? Perhaps you've wondered what its earliest forms looked like, before there was social media, blogs, or even -- gasp! -- the internet. After all, it's the very thing that, for many of us, can make or break an online presence. So who do we have to thank for it? This fun infographic has the answer, pointing out some of the most important landmarks and developments in content marketing's history along the way. Let's hop back in time, and figure how we got to the present -- something that was once a rather futuristic vision....
If you’re a B2B salesperson, you’ve probably heard about SPIN Sales. It’s one of the most well-known -- not to mention oldest -- selling systems. SPIN gives reps a research-backed framework for working and closing complex deals with extended sales processes. You can use SPIN principles along with your current sales methodology. The strategy focuses on asking good questions in the right order, using active listening, and translating the prospect’s needs into your product’s features. (Many of SPIN’s principles align well with inbound sales.) To help you implement the most useful tips, aspects, and templates from SPIN Selling, we’ve put together the following guide:...
There will be more than one front-runner, but start with a single blog post, or a series of related posts, and brainstorm ways to transform that content into a fresh format that will attract a new segment of your audience. Got that down? Cool. Lather up your content archives, rinse, and repeat. To get your creative juices flowing, here are ten content ideas to consider:...
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From the brilliant brand videos you’ll find on YouTube, the ones that can make you laugh or cry – and subconsciously bond with a brand – to the informative weekly blog posts that have become a part of all our lives, great content is everywhere. They say ‘content is king’, but, if handled well, it is far more than this. Content, along with the digital innovations that have facilitated it, is transforming the way brands and businesses view one another. In effect, we’ve all become a little more human. I’ve put together a list of some of the most important content marketing questions marketers have today. They may help you on your personal quest for content answers....
I’ve written plenty of content in this vein, including posts (and infographics) to help you generate video marketing ideas, infographics, and lead magnets, such as eBooks.
In this post, rather than GIVE you content marketing ideas, I’m going to tell you how (or where) to GET them.
Mostly, you “steal” them. But as I hope you know, I don’t mean you plagiarize the content other brands publish. That’ll get you nowhere. What I mean is marketing ideas are inspired by a myriad of resources—online and off.
The long list that follows explains exactly what I mean. I rely on these resources and you should too.
What’s that adage? “Give a man a fish, and he eats for a day; but teach a man to fish, and he’ll never go hungry.” Widely applied to the value of long-term investments, today we’ll learn why this biblical entreaty also applies to content marketing. Rather than feed your bottom line with a few entertaining pieces of content, or even a short-term campaign, content marketing can indeed be an ongoing source of sustenance for a business. No one understands this better than David Beebe, who was VP Global and Creative Content Marketing at Marriott International for several years until just Monday, and a Content Engagement Award recipient at the most recent The CMO Club Awards. Under his leadership, Marriott’s global marketing department established its brands as preeminent travel lifestyle authorities through a never-ending storytelling program that focuses first on their audience.“ Now that consumers are in charge,” he told me, “we have to shift to not talking about ourselves, but what does that consumer want? How do I entertain them? How do I solve their problems? How do I build a relationship with them and provide value? Then, they’re more likely to pay attention to what I’m actually trying to sell.” Spend some time with Beebe’s story below, and learn how Marriott established its content marketing empire....
Content marketing sounds very simple on its surface but I can tell you from lots of experience that it can be tough to do it right. Even if you have innate writing ability, this may not translate well into results-producing writing if you don’t do your homework and understand what you are selling and who you are selling it to. Plus, prospects are inundated with content from your competitors, many of whom take the creation of content very seriously. Like Dana Brookes, author of Content Marketing Revolution: Seize Control of Your Market in Five Key Steps, who stated,“Think of every contact a customer has with your brand as the most important encounter of your life.” Businesses that need to increase their brand awareness, credibility, and preference with their target audiences are turning to content marketing in greater numbers as a proven, pull-marketing strategy that aligns with business metrics. Whether your goals are to increase market awareness, drive website traffic, build lead generation or improve sales funnel conversion, understanding how to create copy that delivers results is fundamental to achieving success. From strategy to execution, you need content that is consistent and on-target. To leverage your brand’s core promise, quality content turns differentiators into a narrative that systematically engages your critical audiences. Tailored content for every stage of the process compels prospects to take action. In a Lead-2-Revenue Machine, we are not creating content for content’s sake, but rather to drive specific business objectives....
When was the last time you created something online that went viral?Whether you're new to content marketing or are a viral content maven, you probably know that it can be nearly impossible to predict which tweet or video or meme might go viral. Often, it feels like virality is just completely random. We asked three content marketing experts to weigh in on what they think makes some content super-popular while other content goes straight to the internet graveyard.Drawing from their own knowledge and experience, they share their perspectives below. Learn what they think sets viral content apart....
Quality storytelling and narrative matter more than ever, and must be first and foremost in your mind when approaching “branded” content. The quotes are intentional. It is an opportune time to drop the word “branded” from that phrase and from your vocabulary. Content is content. Good content is good content. If a story is moving, no one is going to care that it’s brought to you by a brand. Rather, they’re going to be happy the brand brought it to them. And by the same token, content that is annoying is now amplified rather than ignored (because no one can resist a good call-out) and can be more harmful to a brand than ever....
The old world of publishing worked on a formulaic split between editorial and ads, with a certain number of pages sold to advertisers (say, 60/40). The internet separated the audience from the content, and made it possible to buy an audience wherever they went, rather than paying a publisher for a unique audience. Now, in the next twist, brands have the means of production at their fingertips, and increasingly have become their own publishers. Brands Become Publishers Let’s think about how the internet has changed reader behavior. Display ads on websites or in magazines, television or radio commercials, and billboards are interruptive; they’re inserted into the content you’re trying to consume, or simply stuck in front of you when you’re not consuming content at all. That model worked in the old publishing paradigm, and translated fairly direcly to the web. But on the internet, interruptive ads are easily recognized as ads and are just as easily ignored. In fact, 200 million people use ad-blockers to completely hide interruptive advertising in the first place. We can’t really blame them, either. Ad tech has led to slow-loading pages that can suck up the majority users' mobile data. Using up to 79% of a potential customer's mobile data isn't exactly the best way to start building brand affinity....
Content is king. Create more content. Write more blog posts. That's the story that many content marketing gurus and social media gurus have been preaching for the last few years. It's a story and an idea that has been talked about so frequently that we're now living in a world that is overcome with content. It feels like every topic is being written about. It feels like every acquisition is being analyzed. It feels like it's impossible to keep up with all the great content being created and shared. Which is why now more than ever, there is a real need in the world for people who curate great content....
Content marketing is not as easy as it seems. You don’t just create content, push it on social and call it “content marketing.” Believe it or not, there are efficient ways to do it and there are effective ways to do it. This post is about the latter. Being human, we all fall for the one-size-fits-all formula when it comes to our marketing despite having read numerous blog posts and having listened one too many podcasts on the subject. In the early days of marketing a startup, early adopters play a major role in the direction of the company. Here are 10 content marketing mistakes every startup should avoid...
In our content marketing webinar, we looked at 10 brands from some boring and unexpected industries, and how they’re absolutely crushing it. His examples prove how content really can drive success for any brand. In fact, you might have an advantage if you’re in a “boring” niche. That means you’ll probably have less competition, so it won’t take as long to see results. So, what content marketing tips can you learn from boring companies? Let’s take a look....
You have a content calendar. You have a blog. You have a social media strategy. All you’re missing is, well, the big kahuna: audience share that reflects the value of all the fantastic content you’ve created to promote your brand and your services to the big wide world.
When it comes to content marketing, it’s imperative to stay current with SEO best practices to ensure that your content has the best shot of appearing high on search engine results pages. That means getting crazy smart about how search engines view your content, and how they prioritize rankings based on how helpful your content is at answering the question asked in a search.
How should you incorporate the best SEO practices so your content drives users to your site, and ultimately into those precious conversions you’re after? Here’s a best-practice guide to incorporating today’s SEO principles into your content marketing....
This headline is a bit misleading. In fact, you will probably receive far more than 20 incredible insights from our Marketing Companion conversation with BuzzSumo founder Steve Rayson. The episode posted a few days ago and we have already received more comments on this conversation than any other episode. Arguably, Steve Rayson analyzes more content than any other person in the world — billions of pieces in all. Tom Webster and I tap into his years of experience and I think you’ll find some of his insights both remarkable … and perhaps even a little controversial. Here’s a sample:...
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Marketers can use SEO to better understand the customer journey and create content that maps to it. Here are eight tips for using SEO to improve content marketing.