Jodi Harris is the director of editorial content and strategy at Content Marketing Institute and serves as editor-in-chief of its digital magazine, Chief Content Officer. Follow her on Twitter at @Joderama.
Wouldn’t it be great to start your content marketing program knowing it will work as intended? How satisfying would it be to be confident it incorporates the insights, ideas, and focus to create stories that captivate your audience members and turn them into loyal customers?
While we can’t offer a magic formula that guarantees success, we can identify the key practice the most-accomplished content marketers adopt: They document a content marketing strategy.
How is your audience feeling these days?
We always want to learn as much as we can about our audience’s rational preferences, their logical needs, and their transactional behaviors. But their feelings? That’s something we don’t always take the time to ask about – let alone factor in to our strategic decisions.
The marketing landscape has never been more uncertain; but adopting specific skills and practices can expand your career opportunities. Three industry experts weigh in on steps you can take to evolve your role.
Unemployment is on the rise. The U.S. is in a recession. Everyone is wondering about the future. You can choose to sit back and wait for your next opportunity. Or you can take the reins and find your own path to success. Get inspired by these stories from content pros who ventured out in a new direction and rediscovered the passion in their content careers.
Nearly every brand has shared content about adapting to the reality of the pandemic. Admirable and effective (if somewhat repetitive), many of these messages have been delivered with sensitivity and shared responsibility.
But what about your brand’s content unrelated to COVID-19? If your other content doesn’t convey a similar awareness and sensitivity to this all-encompassing issue, you can bet it is affecting your audience’s perception of your brand. It could even undo any goodwill earned from your crisis-response initiatives.
The world has changed so radically in such a short time that marketers are struggling to adapt their demand-generation messaging on the fly. Agile buyer personas could be the key to establishing the right connection.
AARP The Magazine is remarkably spry for a 62-year-old content marketing vehicle. Deputy editor and B2C Content Marketer of the Year winner Neil Wertheimer shares how his team stays agile and focused while serving an audience that’s constantly evolving.
With in-person audience connections on hold due to COVID-19, video is taking center stage.
But which filming formats, conversational features, and delivery options work best for your audience and your goals?
Before you grab that webcam, open a video chat app, or upload that stream-of-consciousness conversation to your social platform of choice, use this decision-making guide. It’ll help make sure the video assets you create suit your marketing purpose and deliver a worthwhile viewer experience.
No matter how well-stocked your content pipeline may be, it never hurts to have a backup plan to ensure that you never run out of essential fuel for your audience relationships.
Content curation is a handy technique for accomplishing this – one that all content marketers should have in their skill sets, whether you have a full team of expert content creators or need to find ways to do more with a skeleton crew.
Every brand aspires to deliver a valuable, engaging, and frictionless content experience across all its touchpoints, yet so few seem to nail it in their execution. Are there steps marketers can take to resolve the disconnect for all their audiences or are there simply too many variables involved to attempt to pursue perfection?
