Executing a content marketing strategy is a daunting task.  As the wealth of information on this site and popularity of how-to posts attest, there is great interest in the key pillars of content marketing process. Joe Pulizzi’s post How To Effectively Manage the Content Marketing Process is a fantastic outline of six key strategies that are imperative to making a content strategy work. I’d like to add a seventh: establishing an effective Thought Leadership Council.Continue reading

We content marketers take a lot of pride in writing material that engages, inspires and motivates our customers. We talk about having a crystal clear focus on key messages that are relevant to our audience. We spout platitudes about “adding value” with “thought leadership.” Our Holy Grail is the perfect triangulation of message, media and customer receptivity that results in a 100% conversion rate. And yet, we (that is, those of us in B2B) often forget, ignore or even confuse our most important audience of all – the one we should be closest to and know best: our sales force.Continue reading

When building an editorial schedule, you naturally look to your roster of subject matter experts for ideas. Even so, you may find that the well soon runs dry. Before it does, dig a little deeper into sources that you may not (yet) have mined, and you might uncover not only a mother lode of great content, but some added benefits as well.Continue reading