Original research projects are a fantastic way to build authority and demonstrate thought leadership. I’ve been recommending them to my clients for years.

For a long time, I wanted to do one of my own – creating a content brand I can build on over time. This past year, I finally did it – The State of Writing 2020. And boy, did I learn a few things, not the least of which is that original research provides a good ROI.

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Technology promises to save us time, help us drive more revenue for our companies, and, in many cases, make us more creative to boot. It’s a seductive lure, but the promise can quickly be broken once tech debt sets in.

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Marketers are awash in data. But ask marketers if they’re measuring the right things and most answers are closer to “damned if I know” than “you betcha.” So, what can be done when big data gets the better of you?

In May I judged a category in the 2018 Content Marketing Awards. I was particularly interested to see how the entries reported success metrics. I was beyond disappointed to see many entries relying on the same ubiquitous (and often useless) metrics everyone touts regardless of the nature of the content or the business goals it’s meant to achieve. Even when people clearly defined their goals for the project – and not everyone did – there was a striking disconnect between the goals and how they claimed to demonstrate success.

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In a content-cluttered world, could podcasting be the next big play for content marketers? Maybe “big play”’ is a stretch – a survey from Edison Research and Triton Digital shows consumer awareness about podcasting is flat. Yet the same research also shows podcasting holds broad appeal. Men and women listen with equal frequency, and there is no age barrier among listeners – all age groups are equally represented.

Podcasting is particularly appealing for marketers because regular listeners tend to be better educated and have higher household income than the general population. What’s more, podcasts have particular appeal among commuters. Consider that high-wage earners in London commute for over an hour on average. And in major U.S. cities like New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Boston, commute times are 30 minutes on average … the perfect amount of time to make podcasting a daily habit.

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Many brands build communities and even acquire fans, but precious few turn fandom into cult followers through their marketing strategy. But one notable exception is Black Milk, a quirky Australian fashion brand, which uses brand storytelling to chart the future of retail, social cliques, and the so-called “third shelf.”

The great equalizer in attracting the new fashionista set is content, and no brand understands that better than Black Milk Clothing. The online retailer sells Spandex clothing (primarily tights) and is rapidly expanding to dresses, skirts, and workout gear.  What’s so special about that? Black Milk is revolutionizing how online clothing brands use social channels and consumer-generated content to sell online. And it’s getting bankable attention — without fancy shop windows or big advertising campaigns. In fact, Black Milk has never advertised, never promoted a post, or paid for a “like.”Continue Reading

Here’s an eye-opener: Less than 6 percent of the world’s population speaks English well enough to conduct business. Furthermore, many who speak English don’t know how to read it. In fact, 96 percent of the world’s consumers do not live in the United States.

Scott Abel, consultant and content futurist, explains the content marketing significance of these realities: “Many of us treat the worldwide web like the Ohio web or the American English web. Marketers are overwhelmed and unprepared to produce content for a global audience.” Continue Reading

Each year, CMI honors the individual content marketers who inspire us to achieve more. These notable content experts caught our eye in 2013. Join us at Content Marketing World from September 9–12, where one of these award winners will be named Content Marketer of the Year for 2013.Continue Reading

(Or Lessons from My Big Fat Content Marketing Project)

Last year I led a content marketing project involving more than 700 pieces of original content developed by 15 writers across three continents in 60 days — a careers and industry guide for the Australian Mines and Metals Association (AMMA) online jobs board. In two short months, I learned the do-it-or-die essentials for a large-scale content marketing kick-off.Continue Reading