What organization doesn’t want a loyal following?

As Joe Pulizzi says, “If you build engaged audience members who devour your content, and thus, trust and like you, they will begin to change their behavior. They will stay longer as customers. Or they will buy more. Or they will close faster …”Continue Reading

Your content marketing only works when your audience responds to it. That’s a “no-duh” statement – we all know that. So beyond buyer personas, how can you really, really understand what your audience wants and how you can help them?

We asked the presenters for Content Marketing World 2015 and some friends of CMI to share how they truly focus on their audiences (besides creating personas). Almost all their answers fall into a few broad categories – connect in real life, monitor social, and dig deeper with data. Read on for some of their insightful comments to help tune into your audience with razor-like precision.Continue Reading

The challenges for marketers in the financial industry are similar to those being experienced in other industries: The marketplace is changing, and customers are no longer responding to one-size-fits-all approaches. But this industry has its own unique considerations: Financial marketers operate in a heavily regulated industry and their customers can no longer be categorized as being interested in only business finance or only personal finance.

In its latest white paper, the Content Marketing Institute examines the finance sector – sharing research about how these marketers use content marketing and highlighting examples, tips, and takeaways from those who are finding success.Continue Reading

A lightbulb moment can set you on a new course or change the direction of your path. Whether a seemingly obvious observation or an innovative insight, it reveals something that you never realized in a particular context.

In the rapidly evolving world of content marketing, these aha moments can come from almost anyplace. We asked the presenters for Content Marketing World 2015 to share their favorite content marketing revelations from the past year. While their answers cover everything from the simple to the complex, each has the potential to turn on a switch in your mind or make you nod in agreement.Continue Reading

A lot of brands are embracing the power of content marketing. Red Bull, Kraft, GE, Caterpillar are familiar names in the land of enterprise content marketing, but dozens of other brands are doing great work, too.

As Vertical Measures CEO Arnie Kuenn explains, “There are a lot of brands out there that have done big content things – Chipotle comes to mind. There are also less flashy, but just as successful brands that may not get a ton of news headlines, but consistently create useful, helpful content that has transformed their business.”Continue Reading

SEO is only one way to get your content found, but it’s essential for content marketers to understand the basic principles. During Content Marketing World, Stephan Spencer, co-author of The Art of SEO, shared nine common mistakes you should avoid.

Please note that all of these suggestions are intended to help you maximize your SEO potential. Some of the tips below are things that do work well in social, but they aren’t necessarily best practices when it comes to SEO. In Stephan’s opinion, there is often no downside to applying the principles if you are focused on SEO.Continue Reading

If you only view LinkedIn as the site where you keep your digital resume and virtual business card collection, you won’t see how it really can help grow your business, expand your content’s audience, and build valuable connections.

LinkedIn is the definitive professional publishing platform and one of the largest business publishers in the world, according to Todd Wheatland, Head of Content Strategy at King Content.Continue Reading

Content marketers may not have cause to shout, “Lights, camera, action,” but in a way, we do work in an entertainment industry, of sorts. As Academy Award-winner and raconteur Kevin Spacey said in his keynote presentation at Content Marketing World 2014, “We’re all struggling to meet the same goal — to make a connection with the audience.”

So do you think about your content marketing job like someone in the entertainment business thinks about producing their next show? Spacey and several Content Marketing World presenters think that perhaps you should.

Have any doubts? Just look at the recent announcement from Marriott that it is creating its own global creative and entertainment studio with the goal of becoming the largest producer of travel content. Of note is that Marriott hired a former Disney-ABC television executive and producer to lead its initiative.

While most B2B, B2C, and nonprofit brands can’t make the level of investment Marriott has, all content marketers can improve their programs by recognizing how the job of a content marketer resembles the work done at a Hollywood studio. Continue Reading