Effective content begins with the writing. Even if you commission others to write the content, you’re ultimately responsible for the quality of the writing you publish. Should content marketers improve their editorial skills?

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You finally get the C-suite on board with implementing a content marketing program. Not just starting a blog or Twitter account, but developing a strategy and using a real plan – one that understands your audience, how to meet their needs, and where to find them.

Fast forward … You started. You sweated. You launched. Your audience took notice and took action. Your strategy is working (for the moment) and your client/boss is happy. But before you put on your party hat, beware the trouble that may lie ahead.
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Recently, I finished reading the book Let My People Go Surfing, by Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard. It’s a fascinating story by an inspirational business leader. He not only grew a successful company while being beloved by his employees and revered by his peers, but he also intends to continue doing so without destroying the planet—a tall order for a clothing manufacturer that outsources to factories in emerging markets.

I can relate to Chouinard’s paradox. I’m a print guy. That’s how I started in this business and how I plan to sustain it. As a print publisher, I too have a responsibility to seek out ways to make sure that sustaining our business doesn’t compromise the earth’s business—which isn’t always easy.Continue Reading

In the world of custom publishing, there are no second chances. If you’re publishing an article online, you have fewer than five seconds to make an impression; with a print or digital magazine, you may have a bit more time, but not much.

Considering the amount of time you have to capture someone’s attention, you need to make the article “sticky.” For instance, with a magazine, there are really only three things you can control that make for a sticky article—the words, the pictures, and the design. People expect more than words on a page, but for the moment, I’ll spare you the diatribe about the need for thoughtful pictures and design, and focus (sigh) only on the words.

So if you’re looking to screw up your next article, here are three sure-fire ways to do it.Continue Reading

Though it’s said you can’t judge a book by its cover, you can decide if you want to read it – especially if the book we’re talking about is a magazine. Think about it. Given the choice, if you’re waiting at the doctor’s office with nothing to do, and you see two health magazines on the table in front of you, neither of which you know anything about, are you more likely to open the one with pretty pictures on it, or the one that looks like a medical journal?

While there are plenty of other things a cover accomplishes, when it comes to the reader, a good magazine cover should drive two behaviors: First, it gets you to pick up the magazine and second, it gets you to look inside its pages.Continue Reading