Many skilled and experienced marketers still struggle to understand what’s so difficult about content marketing.

On the surface, it seems deceptively simple: You get some writers and designers together, create compelling content, publish it where your audience is likely to find it, and wait for the customer calls and purchases to roll in.

But eventually, you realize doing this bare minimum won’t get you far. A lot more work needs to happen behind the scenes to deliver initial success – and keep it properly fueled, focused, and functional over the long term. And that doesn’t even include securing buy-in for your content marketing business case in the first place.

There’s no quick or easy shortcut for achieving success with content. But there is a reliable process that, according to CMI’s 2021 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends research, 60% of the most successful B2B marketers have a documented content marketing strategy. That strategy should center on three key pillars:Continue Reading

Updated Aug. 24, 2021

No matter how well thought your strategy is and how much buy-in and budget you secure, the success of your content marketing program ultimately hinges on a single, critical component: having the talent to execute your plans.

That puts skilled writers in a position of power. Despite the looming specter of artificial intelligence bots, even the most sophisticated systems aren’t yet equipped to match the emotional depth and resonance of a story crafted with care by humans (though they’re getting closer).

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Updated Aug. 16, 2021

It may not be trending like TikTok or offering the thrill of listening in on a celebrity group conversation like Clubhouse. However, Instagram still reigns among the most powerful and provocative platforms for social media content marketing.

With plenty of creative possibilities, targeting opportunities, and personalization potential, the visual-centric site offers plenty of ways to connect with high-profile tastemakers, break through the competitive noise, and build active, engaged communities.Continue Reading

Who doesn’t love immersing themselves in a compelling video?

Our collective passion for this engaging medium has spurred numerous innovations in just the past few years, from DIY-friendly mobile filming and editing tools to video-centric social channels like Twitch and TikTok to more intelligent automated systems that can make scalable, data-rich video campaigns a breeze to create and deploy.

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Updated July 27, 2021

Before online influencer marketing became a major thing (and way before it was legitimized as a structured technique or a lucrative career path), it was known as word-of-mouth marketing.

As a kid, I learned about the concept by way of a popular commercial for Faberge Organics, in which a smiling Heather Locklear shared her secret for bouncy hair with two friends, who in turn told two friends, and so on, and so on …

Though the underlying mechanisms of the “tell-a-friend” technique remain largely unchanged, social media has fueled its evolution into a strategic discipline infinitely more targeted, impactful, and scalable than anything the 1980s Faberge’s marketing team could have predicted.Continue Reading

Updated July 1, 2021

Unless today is your first day as a content marketer, you know a documented strategy is essential to content marketing success.

But let’s face it: Not all of us play a direct part in crafting or controlling our company’s strategic, high-level view of content. For some of us, the job is to fulfill the promise of those strategic ideals.

And to do that, you have to develop a content plan that positions your content marketing program for long-term success. Whether you’re building a tactical editorial content plan for your organization or refining the one you have, read on for a handy tutorial and some of our best resources to guide you.Continue Reading

Updated May 25, 2021

In 1995, Robert Cringely interviewed Steve Jobs for the PBS documentary The Triumph of the Nerds. The future Apple CEO reflected on the difference between generating big ideas and bringing them to life in a valuable way.

“There’s just a tremendous amount of craftsmanship in between a great idea and a great product,” he said.

That distinction might resonate with you – especially if your job is to spin rough insights and ideas into high-performing content gold.Continue Reading

Updated April 1, 2021

No matter how creative, memorable, or popular your content is, every asset will be judged by the impact it makes on your business’s bottom line.

It’s tempting to think about measurement only when all other tasks are complete. But content performance insights should inform every phase of your content marketing approach. That is why it’s a good idea to establish sound measurement practices from the start of every program, enabling you to continually track, analyze, and optimize your content’s performance.

Of course, just because something is a best practice doesn’t mean it’s easy (or possible) to achieve in a real-world setting. Fear not. Even if you’ve been creating and distributing content for a while, it’s never too late to implement better measurement techniques to identify what’s working, discover areas for improvement, and determine where to scale back to concentrate on more impactful efforts.

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