To date, the term “Big Data” garners about 1.64 billion search results, and counting. The data scientist has been called the sexiest job of the 21^st century. Big Data has been described by McKinsey and Company as the next $100 billion dollar opportunity. So, what is it, exactly?

Big Data is the massive amounts of data that are being created every minute. Continue Reading

We all know that there is more to content marketing than simply creating content for content’s sake — it must be tied back into business goals. One company has proven that content can have measurable impact on your company’s bottom line. This company is Eloqua, a pioneer in the marketing automation space. Eloqua has realized some killer results and, as a result, can serve as great inspiration for other content marketers.Continue Reading

Is your website best positioned to convert visitors to subscribers and buyers of your products or services? Sure, you may have developed a content marketing strategy around your buyer and user personas, but how is your website structured?

Many websites have trouble engaging each of their specific audiences in an effective way.  They often will simply try to market to everyone at once rather than crafting valuable, relevant content for each target audience. In trying to market to everyone, B2B marketers may be setting themselves up for failure.

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Personal branding was definitely a big trend in 2011, and I believe it will continue to be a focus for B2B and B2C companies alike — largely due to the perceived ease of creating a personal brand online. In addition to the career benefits it can bring, many companies appreciate their employees’ branding activities because they recognize the value elevated personal brands can bring to their organization as a whole.

If developing your online persona is something you have yet to master, read on for four helpful steps to get you started.

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In their latest book, Managing Content Marketing, Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose explain that content marketing is an excellent way to build passionate subscribers to your brand. And what company wouldn’t want that? Subscribers, a loyal following, and fans can be critical to the ultimate success of your company in terms of closing new business.

It has been a while since I blogged about my firm’s experiments with content marketing, so I thought it would be fun to write about our experiences growing and maintaining our newsletter subscriber base. My firm creates and publishes weekly newsletters offering new ideas to help senior managers build great companies. Our inaugural edition was sent back in March of 2010 to about 200 subscribers, and we are now sending the newsletters to nearly 10,000 active subscribers. Here are a few ways we helped our subscriber base to grow:Continue Reading

More companies are engaging in content marketing strategies to build their brands, generate leads, and boost thought awareness than ever before. These companies are writing blogs, creating podcasts, producing videos, releasing reports, and designing infographics. But what happens after the creation phase?

That’s exactly what we learned during a panel discussion on strategies and tactics to get found, which took place on Day 2 of Content Marketing World. Continue Reading

This morning, I had the opportunity to sit in on David Meerman Scott’s keynote presentation during day one of Content Marketing World.  In the session, David stressed the importance of real time in content marketing. And in the spirit of real time content marketing, I am writing this blog on my iPad as David speaks.Continue Reading

Chances are if you are reading the CMI blog, you are already executing against one or more content marketing strategies or at least thinking about doing so. But have you integrated influencer marketing into your content program?

First, what is influencer marketing?

Influencer marketing is nothing new. For years, companies have been engaging with the people and groups that their target audience looks to for information. Back in the day, companies practiced traditional PR and built relationships with a few key reporters in their space. But with the shift toward online interaction, a new generation of influencers has come upon us.

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