Whatever content you create, it's useless unless people can find it, read it, and share it. Try these 3 tips for using Google's Keyword Tool to create content marketing that is much more easily "findable."

There are mountains of data, on the internet and elsewhere, that organizations can use to develop credible stories that are infused with insight, relevance, and inspiration. Pave the way to more credible stories with these 6 steps for data-driven brand storytelling.

A consumer group now too powerful for any brand or company to ignore, digital natives are self-ordained experts accustomed to sharing their opinions with the world. They tend to have significant influence, money and decision-making power. Here are the essentials on the habits of digital natives and how to tailor your content to interest and influence them.

If you haven't performed a content analysis of your website in the last six months, chances are high that there are content issues that need fixing. Here are the essentials on the need for analysis and tips that will help make the job easier.

Facebook can be a tough nut to crack for content marketers. This Q&A with expert Amy Porterfield gives you the essentials on how to find your target audience and use the vastness and power of Facebook to reach your goals.

By now, most of you are already on Google Plus — either using profiles, or pages, or both. But others might be waiting for a little nudge in the right direction. Maybe you’re happy with Facebook and don’t see why you should invest more precious time on yet another network. Well perhaps what you need is to hear from someone who understands both platforms thoroughly and, particularly, what Google+ means for marketers. Continue reading

If you’ve ever struggled to figure out how to use content to grow your business, the keynote session this morning at Content Marketing World presented solid ideas to overcome this problem. In an interactive Q&A session moderated by Aaron Kahlow (Founder, Online Marketing Institute), Mike Stelzner of SocialMediaExaminer.com and Brian Clark of Copyblogger.com, both founders of their  fast-growing online marketing sites, described how content has lifted them up to the top. Continue reading

Do you enjoy hearing how others are leveraging content marketing? How about experts? Are you interested in learning from their industry knowledge and insights? Sometimes hearing what an expert has to say about a subject is an excellent opportunity to improve your content marketing strategy. I sat down (on Skype) with Ann Handley, CCO of MarketingProfs, co-author of Content Rules, and a key speaker at the upcoming Content Marketing World conference.

Has your business been sluggish for some time? Are you worried that you’re not experiencing the growth you expected? Well, there is no shortage of business advice, of marketing gurus and self-help literature out there. In fact, the number of self-acclaimed ‘social media experts’ continues to grow at a mind-boggling rate. But you and I know that Michael Stelzner is, without question, the real deal.  He is the founder of Social Media Examiner, the author of the new book Launch: How to Quickly Propel Your Business Beyond the Competition and a keynote speaker at Content Marketing World. His remarkable success story over the past decade is the stuff that dreams are made of. Continue reading

The word “enchantment” evokes fairy tale stories of Prince Charming freeing young female hearts from the prospect of a lonely, loveless life. It also alludes to every day joys and simple pleasures such as meeting “the one,” getting married and having your first child. But what in the world does enchantment have to do with a successful business brand? According to best-selling author and prominent business icon Guy Kawasaki, “Everything.”Continue reading

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to meet Ann Handley earlier this year at her Content Rules book tour in Arlington, VA. I’d been following her on Twitter and reading MarketingProfs for several months when I became convinced she was emerging as one of the most influential voices in online marketing. So it was a great joy to meet her, pose for a picture together and leave with one of my now favorite marketing books ever – Content Rules. This book blew my mind.  For one, I had not yet made the connection between social media and content marketing – I was still treating them as two separate entities. Reading this book was for me the moment the clouds parted and the angels sang – it was then that I understood social media is impotent without content marketing. And that’s why this book is so important.  I believe it has something for everyone. Whether you’re new in the game or you’ve been marketing all your life, Content Rules is packed with value and wisdom and is a resource that simply...

At the heart of social media is the desire that every consumer has to talk about something interesting, compelling and relevant and to share that information with his or her friends. The question marketers must ask themselves is: “What makes my brand so interesting that people will want to talk about it and share it with their friends?” (Even boring brands have something interesting to say!) You can’t succeed in social media if you don’t have something interesting to say. Continue reading