A recent post from Joe Pulizzi got me thinking about an important role within marketing teams that too many companies are overlooking these days. Joe calls this role a Chief Listening Officer or the “air traffic controller for your social media and other content channels.” Titles aside, having someone who dedicates time to regular online listening/ monitoring is an extremely valuable role that every company needs.

For this post, here are some insights into how we use online listening tools (and what tools we use) for ongoing monitoring as well as for up-front strategy development and post-campaign analysis of the overall success of our content marketing efforts.

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I’d like to see a show of hands: How many of you have Google Analytics installed on your websites? Most of you? Great!

How many of you have at least one “goal” set up within your account to track your conversions? Ok, I probably just lost about half of you.

Final question: How many of you have a monetary value or “goal value” attached to that conversion goal? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

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There is no shortage of articles on buyer profiling and personas on the CMI blog, but today I’d like to take that process one step further and show you how to improve the effectiveness and performance of your website by incorporating your buyers’ needs and wants into your website’s content architecture.

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Over the years of developing websites for clients, I’ve learned that the age-old adage, “If you want it done right, you gotta do it yourself,” can be a two-way street.

Of course, there are companies out there that have great web writers internally, but most don’t. And the thought of a company turning a great website content strategy (that we slaved over) into an ineffective “brochure site” gives me heartburn. But sometimes you have to pick your battles.

In cases where we give in and let the client take the content reins, we at least want to make sure they are equipped with a template that gives them a fighting chance to produce effective website content that drives action. Here is a template we like to use, and an explanation of what’s included.Continue Reading

As WordPress continues to dominate the blogging world, I thought it would be helpful to share with you my favorite WordPress plugins for content marketers – plugins that will extend the functionality of your website or blog and expand the reach of your online content.

I also hope this post opens dialogue regarding what plugins you are using to reach more eyeballs and bring more value to your audiences.Continue Reading

I’m going to let you in on a little secret that helps me keep up with my content production. I’m dictating this article while in my car on my way to a client meeting using the audio recorder on my phone.

As marketers, we’re all slammed with a never-ending to-do list. And no matter which side of the table you’re sitting on (corporate side or content service provider), one of the biggest challenges you face with content marketing is finding the time to create good content on a consistent basis.

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Editor’s note: Brody Dorland has offered 12 more things on blog promotion in a fresh checklist found here. 

You’ve just finished writing a great new blog post. You’re excited that you’ve shared your ideas and expertise with the world. But what should you do next?

As we work with companies to develop a regular content marketing and social engagement routine, blogging is always key. A strong corporate blog can pay big dividends in the form of increased customer engagement and search engine rankings. But what many companies forget is the “marketing” part of content marketing.Continue Reading