I spoke at an AMA webinar today sponsored by Curata talking about content marketing and content curation. There were a number of questions about the “fair use” of online content when it comes to content curation. Since this is a topic we get questions about all the time, I thought the following...

The process of identifying what information each of your personas needs throughout the buying process can be time-consuming; but it's not difficult if you follow these steps and use the templates provided to get you started.

An abbreviated article based on this topic first appeared in BtoB Magazine. Arnie Kuenn, President of the Phoenix-based search and content agency Vertical Measures, calls the latest Google algorithm update (dubbed the Panda or Farmer Update) “one of the biggest, most significant updates from Google in...

You’ve probably used demographics or psychographics to identify and understand your customers and your market. But have you ever thought of using these data to create content? This post shows you how to: Limit the data you collect to extract the best ideas for content for your industry, product or service Identify...

I used to think of LinkedIn as a tool for recruiting, job hunting and professional networking. Now with the launch of Company Pages, LinkedIn may also become a powerful tool a content strategist can use for content marketing.Continue reading

Are you feeling overwhelmed by all of your analytics? Last Friday I explained how to figure out the business goals for your website, assign dollar values and set up customized reports so you can view your key performance indicators (KPIs). Taking these steps is a great start, but what do you do with...

I’ve had a number of clients tell me, “I looked in my Analytics for about three hours yesterday and it was really cool, but I don’t know what I learned.” Do you suffer from from ERH (Eyes Rolling into Head) when you look at the multitude of reports in analytics? Most marketers...

The  Content Marketing Institute (CMI) today announced the launch of their strategy consulting practice dedicated to the emerging category of content marketing strategy and editorial services.  The practice is focused on helping organizations of all sizes address the opportunity for original content...

Okay quick – how many marketing consultants does it take to change a light bulb?  There is no shortage of punch lines here.   “It depends – how large is your budget?”  Or – “We don’t know – they never seem to get past the requirements stage.”  Or, here’s my favorite (maybe because I made it up) – “Four,...

I know nothing about the company that produced this video. After watching the video, I’m compelled to find out more about them. Now that’s content marketing! Thanks to Bob Leonard from acSellerant for calling this out.  It’s worth the time.

Are you developing buyer personas for your B2B content marketing efforts? A number of CMI contributors have tackled the topic of personas because it’s one of the most important things you can do. Those posts do a great job helping you get started, but today I want to answer some questions I frequently...

Marketing budgets are growing for most companies, but so are the requirements to reach more empowered, skeptical and frugal buyers via more channels. How can you know that the content you invest in will forge effective connections and engagements that will ultimately lead to incremental sales? To help...