Author: Andrew Davis

Andrew Davis wrote for Charles Kuralt and produced for NBC. He's worked for the Muppets and MTV. He co-founded, built, and sold a marketing agency. You might have seen him on The Today Show or in The New York Times. He's a best-selling author and one of the most influential marketers in the world. Follow Andrew on Twitter @DrewDavisHere.

By andrew-davis published August 13, 2018

Discover the Real Value of the E Word (and How to Embrace It)

discover-real-value-e-word

You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride

For marketers, “that” word is engagement. And we use it a lot.

We use it in strategy meetings, tweets, videos, and blog posts. We’ve selected “creating more engaging content” as one of our top priorities in Content Marketing Institute annual surveys. We’ve listed “engagement” as one of our most important content marketing goals in the very same survey. At a recent content marketing event, one speaker used the E word 335,000 times in a 45-minute breakout session. (OK, I didn’t keep count but she used the word A LOT.)

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By andrew-davis published June 17, 2015

Rethink the Way You Get New Business: 3 Simple Secrets

steven-jones-podcast-cover

Oklahoma contractor Steven Jones found himself in a predicament. As the new entrant in the highly competitive siding and window replacement marketplace, Steven needed to make a splash.

Steven’s company, Tulsa Renew, could have done what every other contractor does. He could have littered the neighborhood with door hangers offering free estimates or $200 coupons. He could have underbid everyone else in Tulsa to win a few early customers. He could have cold-called his way to a bunch of sales meetings. But instead, Steven did something revolutionary in the construction industry: He redefined the experience using personalized content. Steven created what he calls The Ultimate Client Experience.

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By andrew-davis published August 31, 2014

4 Branded Content Lessons From a Content Cancellation

dog with top hat

Image via Wistia.com

Editor’s note: In his new column for Chief Content Officer Magazine, Andrew Davis is dishing out content marketing guidance to unsuspecting targets… whether they want it or not. This time, Davis serves up unsolicited advice to video hosting company Wistia, which recently canceled its regularly distributed video series called Top Hat Tuesday Tips. Continue Reading

By andrew-davis published September 25, 2013

Spark Your Content Creation Creativity With These 8 Podcasts

As podcasting continues to grow — both in terms of its popularity and its marketing potential — more and more content marketers are leveraging this audio content technique to build regularly scheduled, long-term relationships with customers and prospects. As a medium, audio represents a powerful and engaging content creation platform. Continue Reading

By andrew-davis published June 11, 2013

How Your B2B Content Can Spark Meaningful Connections

b2b-content-meaningful-connection-storiesFrom trash to technological treasure

Meet Kelvin Doe, otherwise known as DJ Focus. Kelvin is a 15-year-old boy from Sierra Leone who wanted to be a DJ so badly that he decided to build his own radio station from electronics scraps he found in trash. If you haven’t seen Kelvin’s story, I recommend you watch it now. (It’s well worth the 10 minutes.)Continue Reading

By andrew-davis published May 27, 2013

How to Publish Content that Drives Audience Anticipation

create-content-appointment-luckyDelivering consistent results for content marketers

Too many content marketers seem to struggle with building a consistent audience. Indeed, some publish content that becomes a big hit — it drives engagement,  it gets shared, and it delivers new leads. However, many of these efforts don’t produce successful results on a dependable and repeatable basis.Continue Reading

By andrew-davis published May 21, 2013

Power Your Business Storytelling by Creating a Content Brand

business-storytelling-marketing-cookieTreating your content like a product

There’s a big difference between creating branded content and building a content brand. Branded content is egocentric brand marketing. Developing a content brand takes an audience-first approach to business storytelling that builds a loyal audience. Deloitte Debates is branded content (notice how the brand is in the title of the content). Will it Blend? is a content brand (see how there’s no mention of the Blendtec brand in the title?). The most successful business storytellers build content brands — not branded content. Instead of thinking like a marketer, try thinking like a television producer.Continue Reading

By andrew-davis published April 25, 2013

Why You Should Create Content With a Hook

creating-content-hook-jetlev-devin-grahamWhat’s a hook?

If you’re going to create valuable content for your target audience, and you’re going to stick to a format, you must have a hook. Formats give your content structure; a hook gives it character. A hook is, quite simply, a unique content concept that is designed to ensnare and trap your unsuspecting audience into consuming and sharing your content.

Hooks enable your audience to build a relationship with your content each time it’s delivered. A twist on a familiar structure is what makes your content unique, but a hook is what gets people to talk about it.Continue Reading

By andrew-davis published March 19, 2013

11 Content Marketing Questions Answered About Brandscaping

brandscaping-new content marketingI had a wonderful time presenting to the attendees of CMI’s recent webinar, Brandscaping and the New Content Marketers. (For those of you who attended, I’m sorry about my cellular connection… I know it made it difficult in those first five minutes.)

The webinar generated 55 questions from our intrigued, interested, and extremely intelligent audience. We only got to four or five of those questions in the time allotted, so I offered to answer some of the questions that we were not addressed.Continue Reading

By andrew-davis published December 21, 2012

Content Creation: Who Could You Partner with on a Million Dollar Weekly Budget?

Content creation Geico_JPCycles

In 2010, GEICO spent $745 million on advertising. You know — the ads featuring the talking gecko urging us to save 15 percent by switching insurance companies. What if GEICO spent more on supporting content creation than on buying ads?

You may already know this (I didn’t), but GEICO sells 19 different types of insurance. Even if you divided its ad spend across all 19 lines, each product would still get $39 million to produce content instead of advertising.Continue Reading

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