Ann Gynn edits the CMI blog. She also serves as the Tech Tools editor for Chief Content Officer magazine. Ann regularly combines words and strategy for B2B, B2C, and nonprofits, continuing to live up to her high school nickname, Editor Ann. Former college adjunct faculty, Ann also helps train professionals in content so they can do it themselves. Follow Ann on Twitter @anngynn or connect on LinkedIn.
Too often, when content marketers talk mistakes, they’re referring to typos, grammatical errors, and misspellings.
That narrow focus on the granular could be their biggest gaffe.
That’s what we discovered after asking ContentTECH Summit presenters for the biggest mistakes they see happening in the content creation, production, and promotion processes.
Updated July 7, 2020
Taken for its denotative meaning, clickbait does what all content marketers want – it helps “attract attention and encourage visitors to click a link to a particular web page.”
So why does it show up on lists, including Facebook’s, of content marketing mistakes or practices to avoid?
David Ambrogio, paid search specialist at Peter Mayer, offers a definition that touches on what the word “clickbait” connotes for many people – “any content with sensationalist headlines used to encourage clicks or drive ad revenue.”
Editor’s note: The challenge remains, so we updated this article from a couple of years ago.
You and your co-workers have personal brands.
Your employer has a corporate or business brand.
But how do the two work in harmony? Should they? Should people closely connect their personal brand to their employer? Does improving your personal brand now appear as though you don’t expect your current role to last? Should companies actively encourage their employees to use content marketing, including social media, to talk about the company?
Editor’s note: Since cursors continue to mock writers, we updated this 2018 article.
“When are you going to start?” Blink.
“Are your fingers frozen?” Blink. Blink.
“Why aren’t you typing?” Blink. Blink. Blink.
“Don’t you know what to create?” Blink. Blink. Blink. Blink.
Editor’s note: We’re sharing this article originally published in January given its timeliness to current and important conversations.
A content marketer searches for a stock image to accompany a blog post titled The Top 10 Business Lessons Every Young Professional in Our Industry Should Know.
The first result for “business” appears:
Editor’s note: Hearing the same questions from multiple stakeholders about content marketing can get frustrating. We updated this post to provide you with go-to answers for 25 of them.
Do you frequently hear tough (or even easy) questions about content marketing from your executives or clients?
Want a handy dandy cheat sheet for those questions? We are here to help.
Words, glorious words.
They can convey so much. Or they can convey nothing.
They can persuade. Or they can repel.
During these unprecedented, historic times (wink, wink), our lexicon has both grown and become stunted.
When three companies essentially closed their retail businesses during the coronavirus pandemic, their marketers made a detour to their kitchens.
Though none of the companies is a food-based brand, each created content marketing strategies around their oft-requested, never-disclosed recipes – content that surprised and delighted their target audiences and attracted widespread attention.
Let’s explore their basic content recipes, a few add-in ingredients, and a couple recipe tweaks.
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When I did PR for an air show, one factor most influenced the event’s success – and it was something no one could control. No matter how well the event was marketed or how spectacular the lineup of acts, we were at its mercy.
This uncontrollable predictor of success? The weather.
That’s why the air show team noted the forecast, actual weather (temperature, rain amount, etc.) alongside the attendance numbers in its annual records.
Self-isolation doesn’t sound like the optimal environment for collaborative brainstorming. Yet, that’s where many content marketers find themselves today.
Can you harness that collaborative mentality to create content ideas, strategies, and more at a distance?
