In the olden days of marketing, we talked about positioning statements, the “4 Ps,” marketing plans, branding, etc. Some pundits and bloggers might claim that these concepts and practices are obsolete and have been replaced with content marketing, social media, marketing automation, SEO, SEM, and so on. I suggest these so-called “old-style,” obsolete concepts, strategies, and tactics are more important than ever. As professional marketers, I suggest we go back to the future and embrace the fundamentals before we begin to use the modern tools like content marketing.

Implementing content marketing tactics (or social media tactics, or any communication practice, for that matter) without first preparing a strategic marketing plan is like building a house with no blueprint. Adding rooms (marketing tactics) on a whim without an understanding of how each room supports the overall structure (business goals), the purpose of each room (objectives), and how you will decide if the room is successful (measurement) is a recipe for disaster at worst, and for sub-par performance even in the best-case scenario. Continue Reading

This is a story you may use to help explain why a content-focused thought leadership strategy works. Simply put, if you are willing to create content that shares your expertise with your target audience — with no strings attached — that audience is more likely to place your firm at the top of its credibility list, and potentially give you its business.

Successful content marketing helps to make the lives of your target audience better in some way. The following story of Ugah, a Neanderthal thought leader, explains how the concept of “Youtility” combined with thought leadership, is a highly effective marketing strategy. This story is meant to be fun (and even a little whimsical) to help gain the attention of your internal audience and spark some discussion around the topic. Let me know how it works out for your tribe.Continue Reading

According to the B2B Content Marketing 2014 Benchmarks, Budgets & Trends survey published by CMI, 93 percent of B2B marketers are using content marketing, and only 9 percent consider their efforts as “very effective.” Although we are not sure what the term “very effective” means to those who responded, it is safe to assume that revenue generation influences whether or not the effort is effective at some level.

In the B2B world of marketing, if our content and associated content marketing efforts are not generating revenue, then we should fix it — or stop the effort altogether — so budget and resources can be diverted to those tactics that are generating revenue.

The framework I present below is highly effective — and measurable. In fact, I have employed it at a global electronics manufacturing company, resulting in growth rates of 20 percent to 30 percent.Continue Reading