The one criteria for succeeding as a publisher is to connect with your readers. That means you have to know your audience so well you can talk to them like a best friend. As content marketers, we are publishers. Our failing is that we forget it. All too often, we miss the heartbeat of our […]
What SPOC Taught Me About Content Marketing
Last month I attended the Self-Publishers Online Conference (SPOC) by Susan Daffron, author of Publishize. I have to say, it was one of the best online conferences I’ve ever attended. (Let me also say that their tag line, Live Long and Publish, is pure genius!) I was impressed enough that yesterday, when I heard Susan […]
Drink up. Twitter Tastes Sweet to Content Marketers.
Three keys to content marketing are ideas, distribution and readers. For each of these goals, is there a better tool than Twitter? If you want to know what others are talking about, tune into Twitter. If you want to start a conversation or get the word out about a new piece of content, put it […]
Should Marketers Create Content?
I recently read an post by {grow} blogger Mark Schaefer that reported a debate over the role of Brands as Publishers. Interesting discussion. The idea behind content marketing is that brands can build their following by providing valuable information to their prospects. In order to do this well, the brand must think like a publisher, […]
Is Content the New SEO?
Correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems to me that content is the new SEO. Since the Panda update in February: Many sites’ traffic fell by more than 70%. Sites with high keyword ratios were seriously affected. Some of these sites still haven’t recovered. Keywords are no longer the end-all in optimization. Google’s update […]
4 Keys to Strong Prospect Engagement
Gone are the days of push marketing. Two-way marketing, we’ve discovered, is far more powerful, building strong customer engagement. But what if you don’t already have a loyal following? What if you’re a new business or simply new to the social arena? If you’re starting from zero, how do you effectively engage with your prospects […]
Thought Leadership Isn’t License to Criticize
I’m noticing a trend that makes me uncomfortable. Perhaps you’ve seen it too. It’s a growing misunderstanding of what it means to be a thought leader. In the last week, I’ve read that people who use quotes in social media are lazy, that upbeat discussions of failure are mamby-pamby at best, foolish at worst, and […]
Fill Your Funnel: Tap into the Power of Online Offers
I love the image of a funnel when we’re talking about marketing and sales. The sales cycle only applies to sales. The 4Ps only work for marketing. But the funnel is where marketing and sales collide. In the funnel, you have a framework for offering relevant communications to generate leads and move them smoothly toward […]
The BEST Way to Develop a Content Marketing Strategy?
We agree your prospects need to know, like and trust you. And your customers should become advocates, sending you hot prospects who are predisposed to like you. We agree the best way to achieve this is through relevant information that positions you as a knowledgeable, customer-oriented resource. And we agree you’ll attract high-quality, pre-qualified prospects […]