If you weren’t a content marketer, you wouldn’t know, but content creation is hard work.

It’s not just the long hours of research, writing, and editing. It’s the always-on mode your brain is in, looking for insight and inspiration everywhere. “Could this be an idea for a blog post? No, I’m just reading the menu at the Olive Garden.” If you’re a content creator, you know what I mean.

That’s why we get angry when people copy us.

It’s happened to me many times. Sadly, plagiarism in the world of the content creator is very common. It’s easy to find if you know where to look. It’s so easy that I should caution you about reading this post: One likely outcome is outrage, since it’s very possible that you’re a victim. Still reading? Ok, but you’ve been warned.Continue Reading

[Editor’s note: Happy Holidays! This week, the editorial team at Content Marketing Institute wanted to share some of the best content marketing blog posts we’ve seen from the CMI Online Training and Certification program’s roster of expert instructors. Today’s post is an updated version of one that originally appeared on Andy Crestodina’s Orbit Media Studios blog in May, 2013.

Content marketing isn’t brain science, but if you know a bit about the brain, you’ll be a better content marketer.

The brain is specialized, each part with its own function. Planning, emotion, and language are all managed by different lobes. They each have their own natural tendencies, and these tendencies are common to all of us.

As we look at the research, we find that there are at least five content marketing tactics that align with different parts of the brain.Continue Reading