More marketers are answering the call to become publishers. In this guest article, Stephanie Tilton outlines the 7 keys to becoming a successful publisher.
An effective content marketing strategy relies heavily on well-crafted writing.
Absent of that, your content marketing strategy is going to be hollow. High-quality writing is what will distinguish you from the competition. What’s the purpose behind this? Your writing has the potential to engage your audience in a way that no SEO strategy or advertising campaign can match. Jodi Harris of the Content Marketing Institute delves into this topic, offering a free companion eBook to go along with her write-up. Engagement is unparalleled as an indicator of your content marketing’s effectiveness, writes Harris. It…
Companies are beginning to see increasing value in content. Few of them understand the strategy behind the process, despite seeing the potential. Margot Bloomstein, brand and content strategist at Appropriate Inc., explains that a content strategy is the bridge that unites these separate parts. One of the factors that’s slowing the adoption of content strategy, says Bloomstein, is the relative lack of related case studies and data-driven content strategy analysis. Companies want the value of new undertakings outlined in black and white. To them, content seems to occupy a gray area. According to Bloomstein, the next step is to demonstrate the relevance…
Hollywood is an ironic choice for an adaptation.
Books are adapted into feature films on what seems like a daily basis in Hollywood. Content marketers need to start following Hollywood’s lead and borrowing some of its ideas. Marketers are tasked with the burden of innovation just as film directors are. In a recent article for the Content Marketing Institute, creative director at Enlighten David Rossiter says that marketers should look to Hollywood for their next big idea. Innovation is what separates a good movie from a bad one. And the same can be said of marketers. Rossiter…
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In a post for Fast Company, Adam Penenberg interviewed relationship guru Charles Orlando about E-Book self-publishing. “With traditional book publishers scaling back on the numbers of books they release and the size of advances to authors they publish, self-publishing is probably your only option,” he writes. According to Penenberg, Orlando abandoned the traditional publishing route when he found out his monetary return wouldn’t amount to much and the book would be released in 18 months. (See Content Marketing in the ‘Spotlight’) “I needed the finished product to look like a professionally…
In a post for the Content Marketing Institute, Ann Meany highlights four critical steps to seducing your customer with storytelling. “Keep it conversational, and from the heart,” she writes. Meany says to focus on meeting your readers’ needs, solving a problem for them, providing information, or maybe just entertaining them for a few minutes, all while using conversational language and avoiding impersonal corporate speak. (See What’s Good About the Content vs. Inbound Marketing Debate?) Choose vivid, lively words that paint a picture of your value “Readers should be able to taste the…
In a post for Tech Crunch, James Altucher explains why every entrepreneur should self-publish a book. Altucher, who has realeased eight books in the past seven years, says that self publishing is the way to go because traditional publishers are cutting advances to zero, there’s less lag time in getting it out to the public and you have more control over content and design. He continues, saying that every entrepreneur should release a book for several reasons, including: You have content. Altucher recommends giving away part (or all) of your ideas…
A content marketing strategy without direction won’t easily arrive at any milestones.
If you’re interested in giving your content a sense of purpose (as well as direction) and want to avoid looking lost in your copy, you’ll need a content roadmap. With one, your marketing-related goals will once again be attainable. In seven steps, the people over at MarketingProfs have created an instructional guide for content marketers looking to create a roadmap. Here are some of the steps, from the beginning: Have goals in mind from the outset. Don’t wait until you’re deep…
In a post for the Content Marketing Institute, Barry Feldman offers up a few pointers to help expand your audience and establish authority in your field. You need a great site to compete Feldman says it’s important to constantly update your site with valuable content and maintain a strategic SEO plan. “A blog is going to be your star player, your authority builder, your captain, so make sure to feature one prominently on your site,” he writes. (See How to Use Your Resources Effectively) Go for the goal “Content marketing champs don’t…
Would you rather let a search engine automatically describe your content or would you prefer to do it yourself?
For the hands-on people that fall in the latter category, meta descriptions are indispensable. And yet they’re largely underutilized. Part of the problem is that meta descriptions aren’t associated with more common SEO practices like using keywords. But don’t be fooled — a meta description can easily help you get noticed within search results. Brad Shorr, contributor to the Content Marketing Institute, explains this in a recent post. Without a meta description, a…
