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4 Content Marketing Guidelines to Humanize Content. Content marketing – either through blogging, newsletters, social media or microsites – is growing in popularity for a reason.

4 Content Marketing Guidelines to Humanize Content

The results of our most recent study show that 71% of marketers are planning to increase their content marketing spend this year, as 76% of survey takers saw an increase in buyer engagement and 62% saw an increase in lead quality. How to Use Ideas, Messages and Themes to Build Your Content Strategy. A content marketing plan can be daunting to put together.

How to Use Ideas, Messages and Themes to Build Your Content Strategy

It is a lot of work, involves hours of research, takes input (at least it should) from various areas of your organization, and requires some deep thinking. Buyer Personas: The Foundation of Content Marketing. We say it all the time – your marketing needs to be audience-centric.

Buyer Personas: The Foundation of Content Marketing

By focusing on delivering information that the audience craves and wants, you’ll build a relationship and draw them in closer. But first, you have to be able to answer the old Jerry Seinfeld question: Who ARE these people? The reason this matters is that the sales cycle has changed from those glorious cold-calling days of yore. 4 Pillars of Content Marketing. We see it every day — it’s in our newsfeeds, behind the headlines, and when we decide to learn more about anything in the world.

4 Pillars of Content Marketing

It’s an omnipotent force that has the potential to raise brands sky high and smother them beneath oceans of competition. It’s what we do for a living and what you should do to make yours more profitable. This is content marketing, a new-age form of social pseudo-advertising that winds up positioning your company as a reputable authority in your industry. You’ve probably heard the phrase thrown around the office when your boss (or marketers) says, “What’s the point of having all this online stuff if it’s not making us money?” Well, that question is easy to answer: You’re not doing it right.

8 Content Marketing Lessons From Improv. 5 Things Hollywood Can Teach You About Better Content Marketing. Matthew Kumin | March 4, 2014 | 3 Comments inShare46 With these tried-and-true Hollywood tactics, you can produce great, targeted content more often, ensure your customers see it, supplement it with expert input, and bring it back again when the time is right to win big with your customers and prospects.

5 Things Hollywood Can Teach You About Better Content Marketing

It's the end of the movie year here in Los Angeles and the studios are calculating their successes and losses from the content they created last year. While not everything is always a big hit, one thing is clear: Hollywood has their content creation process down to a science, even if they make it feel like an art. They may be storytellers, but there are a lot of smart techniques they've developed to maximize the success of their product that work well for content marketing.

Time Management is Key for Successful Content Marketing. Popular Today in Business: All Popular Articles Successful content marketing requires time management and a very well laid out plan.

Time Management is Key for Successful Content Marketing

Inbound Marketing vs. Content Marketing – What’s the Difference? Are there any major differentiators when it comes to inbound vs content marketing, and what are they?

Inbound Marketing vs. Content Marketing – What’s the Difference?

Caution. You’ve just unwittingly stepped into one of the fiercest marketing debates today. While both inbound and content marketing are relatively new practices, they’ve both won some serious proponents (and probably a few detractors) during their years in use. Simply Googling the phrase will bring up search results with strong opinions on both sides. To help you become an informed marketer (or debate participant, your choice,) we’ve curated a comprehensive history of the practices, as well as highlighted the differences and similarities, and some insight on how you can apply these tactics at your business: History of the Terms Both inbound and content marketing rose to prominence for the same reason, which was a rapidly shifting landscape of consumer behaviors. Content Marketing History [Infographic] Those of you whose marketing careers started in the 1990s know all the about rise and fall of the Internet bubble and its impact on the industry.

Content Marketing History [Infographic]

Sites like theGlobe.com, Pets.com and Boo.com ruled the web and gained substantial profits before the bubble’s collapse on March 10, 2000. The majority of these organizations became extinct, though a few got bought out by Yahoo! , like GeoCities and Broadcast.com. Thousands of marketers lost their jobs and struggled through a tough job market for years to come. The U.S. The early 2000s was a time for rebuilding and innovation for the marketing function after the Internet bubble burst; with a much greater focus on marketing return on investment (ROI). Curata defines content marketing as the process for developing, executing and delivering the digital content and related assets (non-product focused) that are needed to create, nurture and grow a company’s customer base. A Content Strategy Checklist You Can’t Miss. This post is the third part of the 1-10,000 Visitors Series, a series showing you how to take your blog to a level where you can generate significant income.

A Content Strategy Checklist You Can’t Miss

The series assumes a level of progress on your site including already having selected a niche and having set up your site. More From The Series: 1. Are You Making These 5 Common Content Marketing Mistakes? Buyer Personas: The Keys To Content Marketing. Popular Today in Business: All Popular Articles Customized content can help drive your prospects through the sales funnel and ultimately convert them to buyers.

Buyer Personas: The Keys To Content Marketing

But first, you need to understand your customers. Do they live in suburbs or in the city? Do they watch reality shows or PBS? Create More Effective Content Marketing with the Active Reading Technique. 3 Steps to Building Your Content Marketing Mission Statement. Three Ways To Turn Your Content Marketing Efforts In To A Blazing Fire. 17 Surprising Facts About B2B Content Marketing. Content Strategy: 4 Questions You Need to Ask. Your content strategy is something that, whether you know it or not, influences both your web traffic and social media presence. Professional content strategists build narratives for companies through search engine optimization, powerful content and ensuring that the brand voice stays consistent across all platforms.

Content strategists ensure that best SEO practices are being followed and suggest new routes for content to take, but you don't need to hire someone to handle your content strategy. In fact, managing your own content strategy can teach you an arsenal of skills that will improve your decision making down the line. 11 Untapped Content Promotion Strategies. 6 Content Marketing Insights from Joe Pulizzi. Joe Pulizzi of the Content Marketing Institute was in our town last week, speaking to a Meetup group about content marketing.

(Thank you to sponsors Content Strategy PDX, Social Media Club PDX, and Babcock & Jenkins). After a bit of palaver on the state of marketing (prognosis: marketers are doing okay and if we keep learning we’ll do even better) Joe launched into the six key points he wanted to share with the group. And now, I share them with you: 1. Marketing Predictions: The 5 Biggest Things of 2014. What’s going to be big in 2014 online marketing? What actions do you need to take to keep your marketing strategy relevant? This article will tell you. I’ll give you the five things which are going to be more important in 2014 than they were in 2013, and why. Content Creation: Is It Time for a Re-Brand? As a marketer, I read like crazy; books, blogs, articles, posts, tweets, forums, you name it.

Everything I read is created content, regardless of the media, platform or delivery channel. I also write all the time, in the name of content creation, innovation and creativity. One of the latest books on my shelf is Epic Content Marketing by Joe Pulizzi. How Did 2013 Change Content Marketing? 50 Content Marketing Predictions for 2014. Storytelling 101: How to Seize the Attention of a Distracted Audience. As inbound marketers, we focus on the power of pull and do everything possible to anticipate the needs and wants of our buyers. We then invest heavily in different messages and media to get clicks, appear on whichever rectangular piece of glass flickers before the prospect, and command their undivided attention for a spell.

And we usually fail. We are all hopelessly distracted. It’s not a disorder -- it’s the new world order. Can I have your attention, please? 7 Ugly Truths a Pretty Website Can't Hide. A version of this post originally appeared on Inbound Insiders, a new section of Inbound Hub. The Five Content Archetypes. Today, the talk of the town amongst marketers is the potential for brands to act as publishers and media companies, going direct to their customers or consumers in the fight to earn attention.

52 Unique Ways to Create Social Media Magic. 5 Ways to Become a Social Media Rock Star. Editor's Note: Entrepreneur's Ask the Expert column seeks to answer questions about everything from starting a business to growing one. To follow the column on Twitter -- and ask a question -- use hashtag #ENTexpert, or leave a comment below. Your query may be the inspiration for a future column. Q: Please name the top five things that make your social media advertising strategy successful.

6 Content Marketing Principles Every Business Needs to Follow. How to Grow Your Business with Inbound Marketing. One of my favorite quotes about inbound marketing is from Guy Kawasaki, the Silicon Valley venture capitalist, best-selling author and former Apple executive: “If you have more money than brains, you should focus on outbound marketing. How to Build a LinkedIn Marketing Plan that Delivers Ongoing Results.

What Is a Call-to-Action? [FAQs] New to Pinterest? 10 Ways To Add it To Your Marketing Strategy (Infographic) How to Get Started on Pinterest: 8 Boards Worth Creating. Pinterest Marketing Tips: What You Can Learn From 20 Big Brands. Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter: Know Where Your Customers Really Hang Out (Infographic) 6 Steps to Finding Your Twitter Audience. Three Steps to Success with Twitter for Your Business. 3 Mobile Tools to Improve Your Social Media Marketing. Google Hangouts, What Marketers Need to Know to Get Started. How to Embed a Pinterest Board on Your Website [Quick Tip]

Got Content Rhythm? Why Every Content Marketer Needs a Beat. How to Create Webinars. Content Marketing Is the New Black. Screw Sexy, Be Helpful: Creating Compelling Content in a Snoozeworthy Industry. Generating Leads on Twitter Just Got Easier: Get Started With Lead Gen Cards. Instagram Marketing: How to Get Started With Instagram. 55 Free Templates to Make Visual Content Creation Quick & Painless. How to Craft Perfect Posts for Facebook, LinkedIn & Twitter [SlideShare] 5 Content Marketing Errors (& How To Fix Them) Content Marketing: How to become a better marketer … of your ideas.

11 Celebrity Tweets You Can Learn From. 12 Ways to Get More Pinterest Followers. LinkedIn Etiquette: How To Use LinkedIn Effectively [INFOGRAPHIC] What It Takes to Excel in a Content Marketing Job: 12 Experts' Advice. 15 Things That Make Your Business Look Bad on LinkedIn. The Shelf Life of Your Facebook Posts Is Shorter Than You Thought [Data] Content Strategy: What Your Target Audience Really Wants. 6 Types of Facebook Posts That'll Help You Generate Leads. 10 Tips to generate more social media traffic. Google Plus for Business - How to Create a Google Plus Page. How You Can Create the 'Perfect' Social Media Post (Infographic) What NASA Can Teach You About Social-Media Marketing.

Facebook Finally Introduces Embedded Posts: What You Need to Know. What It's Like Growing an Inbound Company Culture. A Beginner's Guide to Inbound Lead Generation. How Writing Amazing Emails Can Further Your Career. The Ultimate Google+ Cheat Sheet. The Ultimate Cheat Sheet for Mastering LinkedIn. The Ultimate Cheat Sheet for Expert Twitter Marketing. The Ultimate Facebook Marketing Cheat Sheet. How to Setup Social Media Discussion Groups for Business. Create Precise Buyer Personas With SEO Data: A 10-Step Guide. How to Create Marketing That's Actually Helpful [Printable Checklist] What to Do When No One Responds to Your Pitch Emails. 5 Ways To Make Websites Easier To Read. Optimizing Website Content: How to Fix What You're Doing Wrong.

SlideShare Launches New Infographic Capabilities, and Other Inbound Stories of the Week. Why YouTube Is the Ultimate Platform for Global Social Change. 19 Reasons Your Social Media Might Not Work Out the Way You Planned. The 10 Essentials of Facebook Etiquette. Steps to unclutter Twitter. Top 5 ways to tweet longer than 140 words. Heineken's 'Departure Roulette': Best. Marketing. Ever. The Secret to Being an Awesome Marketer? Act Like a Child. Introducing SlideShare’s New Infographics Player. Top 10 Website Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make. Google Plus For Business: A Series. How to Save to Pocket on iPad. Why YouTube Is the Ultimate Platform for Global Social Change. For Websites - Disqus. Online Content: How to Make it Twang Like Mark Twain. 5 Ways Social Media Can Ruin Your Reputation. Tumblr. Make Your Message Stick. Freakonomics.com.

Alltop.com. Explore more. Web pages, photos, and videos. Write good Tweets. Slate.com.