Here’s one of the first rules of your visual content strategy: Don’t use stock images on your branded website. Stock photos are cheap and easy, hence tempting. Do not be tempted by cheap and easy. (That’s advice that you can apply in other situations, as well.)

Visual content is a cornerstone of almost every branding campaign. And yet, we still see respectable brands using stock photographs that undermine the credibility of their hard-earned visual-branding standards.Continue Reading

Pilar Alessandra, photographed by Kevin Scanlon

If “content strategy” is one of the most overused and abused phrases in marketing, then “storytelling” can’t be far behind. Trendy brands are jostling to tell brand stories and catchphrase-savvy marketers are adding “storytelling” to their LinkedIn profiles at a breakneck pace.

The big problem is that just because storytelling is becoming more popular doesn’t mean it’s always being done well. In truth, effective storytelling is deceptively difficult, requiring dedication, focus, and ongoing practice (talent plays a bit part, as well).Continue Reading

It’s spring; the snow has finally melted… and believe it or not, Santa is already starting to make a list. And, as you know, he’s checking it twice (there’s also the whole naughty and nice thing, but that’s not really the point of this).

If you are 6 years old (or ever were at some point), you can sing the song of Santa. Though the ditty was conceived as a way for scheming parents to bribe kids into behaving, it also serves as a lesson for adults — but probably not in the way you’re thinking. And I’ll bet you definitely haven’t considered what this means for content marketers.Continue Reading

Image via The Washington Post

Almost all content is visual in some way. Numbers themselves are visual — they can even be quite beautiful in the hands of a talented designer. Yet many of us are stuck in a traditional mindset of treating numbers like they are supposed to be dull.

Visual content, like infographics, can strap a jetpack to your data in ways never before possible. It provides the ability to tell both static and interactive stories that help increase the depth and understanding of data, analytics, and even math.Continue Reading

Chapter 1: The battlefield

When the gun smoke cleared, they saw what they had done. A dozen dead — or perhaps the word is “deader” — zombies lay still on the ground. At least now, the dead were no longer walking.

Gick Rimes turned his gaze to his team. There was Haryl Hixon, a bowman as accurate as a superhero. Michette, who wielded a machete sword like a samurai. And his pre-teen son, Carrrl, who is finally becoming a cool guy.

They were survivors — and killers. They were neither good nor bad. They did what was necessary to survive.

They. Were. Marketers.Continue Reading

My workbench is covered in junk. It’s usually tidy, but today it’s strewn with screws, clamps, wires, and knobs from an old guitar amp. You’d love it.

In my life, taking things apart is a time-honored tradition. These days, when things break, we just buy a new one. But at one time, we had no choice but to fix things that broke — two-day-free-shipping-with-your-Amazon-Prime-account just wasn’t an option. Often there was just you, a box of tools, and a workbench.

Wondering how this relates to content marketing? Don’t worry, I’m getting there. Continue Reading