Many of Twitter’s investors have publicly supported Dorsey’s transition from interim CEO to permanent CEO. While Dorsey has always been a candidate for the position, he has been listed fairly low on the short list because he is also the CEO of Square. Running two companies can be exhausting, but it seems that Dorsey has the initiative and energy to run both tech companies. Since Twitter has been operating without a permanent CEO for months, investors are pushing for Dorsey to take over.

The CEO job at Twitter has been vacant since Costolo left the company earlier this summer. Costolo’s tenure as Twitter’s CEO was largely positive; in 2013 Time called him one of the 10 most influential tech CEOs.

But during the latter portion of Costolo’s tenure, Twitter’s user growth was stagnant and the company’s stock price was tanking. While the stock price has somewhat stabilized over the past month, as of today, Twitter’s stock about half of its previous high this year, $55.99.

In an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek, Costolo explained that before he left the micro-blogging site, he met with members of the board and tried to form a succession plan; the board immediately brought in Dorsey as interim CEO and began casting a wide net for the company’s new CEO. But since the search began earlier this year, it’s become increasingly clear that Dorsey is the best candidate for the job.

If Dorsey accepts the position as permanent CEO, the question about how to right Twitter’s ship will still be a problem. How will Dorsey turn 140-character tweets into revenue and make the investors happy? Even if Twitter has the cachet to stay current in popular culture (and in many ways, form popular culture), is it possible to make a profit from tweets?

Will Dorsey be Twitter’s next CEO? Again, potentially. But if he accepts the position, he will have his work cut out for him. At this point, however, it doesn’t appear that anyone else is in any better position.

The post Will Dorsey be Twitter’s Next CEO? appeared first on The Blog Herald.

It’s that time of year again when we release the findings of our annual content marketing survey. Over the years, we’ve talked a lot about effectiveness. But this year, while our team was discussing new questions for the survey, we stepped back and wondered – how many companies even know what effectiveness looks like?

The answer may (or may not) surprise you. Get this: 55% of business-to-business (B2B) marketers said that it is unclear within their organization what an effective or successful content marketing program looks like.

Regardless, what’s great about the research is that we can examine how the most-effective marketers are going about their business so we can learn from them.

Let’s take a look at some of the key findings from the report, B2B Content Marketing 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends – North America, produced by Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs, and sponsored by Brightcove.

Effectiveness increases when the team understands what success looks like

Last year, 38% of B2B marketers said they were effective at content marketing vs. 30% this year. While perhaps the industry is approaching a trough of disillusionment (which isn’t necessarily a surprising or bad thing – and was something I mentioned in my opening address at Content Marketing World 2015), companies that report being clear on what success or effectiveness looks like also show a higher effectiveness rate (55%).

32% of B2B marketers are sophisticated/mature with content marketing

Effectiveness also increases as the organization’s content marketing grows in maturity. Sixty-four percent in the sophisticated/mature phase say they are effective at content marketing, 23% in the adolescent phase say they are effective at content marketing, and 6% in the young/first-steps phase say they are effective at content marketing. Stay tuned for upcoming blog posts so you can understand what more-experienced content marketers are doing.

Communication is key

Obviously, knowing what content marketing success looks like to the organization is beneficial, but the most-effective marketers do even more. (Note: Most-effective marketers are defined as those who rate their organization’s content marketing effectiveness with a 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale.)

The most-effective marketers are more likely than less-effective marketers to document their content marketing strategy, have a documented editorial mission statement, and hold regular meetings. In fact, 61% of the most-effective B2B marketers meet daily or weekly with their content marketing team either virtually or in person. Furthermore, those who meet daily or weekly find the meetings to be more valuable (70%) than those who meet biweekly or monthly (49%).

Work still needs to be done on documenting strategies and missions

For the last two years we’ve shown the positive impact that documenting the content marketing strategy has on a marketer’s overall effectiveness. But B2B marketers have made less progress in this area over the last year. As our fifth annual study (B2B Content Marketing 2015 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends – North America) revealed, 35% of B2B marketers had a documented content marketing strategy, compared with 32% this year.

New this year, we asked if content marketers are documenting their editorial missions: 28% are, but that percentage increases with effectiveness (48% of the most-effective have a documented editorial mission statement).

Read the entire report for more details on these and many more findings, including:

• Which tactics, social media platforms, and paid methods of content promotion are marketers using? Which are the most effective?
• What is the most important metric for measuring content marketing success?
• How much budget do they allocate to content marketing?
• Which content offers are they asking people to subscribe to?
• Which goals will they be focusing on over the next 12 months?
• What are their top priorities for internal content creators for the coming year?

What do you think of the findings? What does effective or successful content marketing look like in your organization? Let us know in the comments.

Over the coming weeks, CMI will be discussing these findings in more depth. To keep up to date, subscribe to our blog posts.

Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute

The post What Effective B2B Content Marketing Looks Like [New Research] appeared first on Content Marketing Institute.

So what did Snowden do with his new platform? Well, not much, really. His first tweet recalled an ancient Verizon Wireless advertising campaign from 2002—“Can you hear me now? Good.”

Can you hear me now?

— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) September 29, 2015

Then, Snowden passed a series of tweets back and forth with astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, director of the Hayden Planetarium In New York City. At one point, Tyson asked Snowden to respond to several labels: hero, traitor and geek. Snowden explained that he’s just a citizen with a voice.

.@neiltyson Thanks for the welcome. And now we've got water on Mars! Do you think they check passports at the border? Asking for a friend.

— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) September 29, 2015

Snowden has already attracted 709,000 followers, but, fittingly, Snowden only follows one Twitter account: @NSAGov.

Snowden gained international acclaim from some, and ridicule from others, when he illegally leaked classified information from the NSA in 2013. Information from Snowden’s leaks appeared in several large publications, including The Washington Post and The New York Times.

As you’d expect, Snowden’s surprise entrance to the Twitterverse stoked a bit of controversy. Many Americans are appreciative of the information that Snowden leaked, but they feel that he should come back to the United States and face the justice system, potentially giving himself up as a martyr for the cause.

Since Snowden blew the whistle on the NSA, he has been granted temporary asylum in Russia, a point of contention between American President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Again, welcome to Twitter, Edward Snowden. We hope you enjoy your stay.

And yes, we can hear you now. The question is, what are you going to say?

The post Welcome to Twitter, Edward Snowden appeared first on The Blog Herald.

Everyone knows the problem with traditional book clubs: frequently, they are more of an excuse for people to get together and drink wine (which can be great), but if you are a reader who is looking for a great discussion of what you’re reading, traditional book clubs may be leaving something to be desired. If that’s the case, say goodbye to book clubs. There’s a better way to connect and discuss your favorite books with likeminded people.

Goodreads

Since it was founded in 2007, Goodreads has been a popular choice for book lovers looking for a social network for sharing what you’re reading. Since Amazon purchased Goodreads in 2013, however, people have been cautious of the site, but it’s still very popular.

Goodreads gives you the option to link your Goodreads account with various other social media accounts like Facebook and Twitter, helping you connect with your Facebook friends and Twitter followers. You can see what books they’ve read and what they recommend, giving you a book club-like experience, but it’s nonlinear, meaning that you and your friends don’t have to read the same books at the same time; you can interact with them whenever you finish the book. While this takes some of the community aspect out of the book club experience, for busy people who can’t devote time to a traditional book club every week or two, Goodreads offers a good alternative.

Oprah’s Book Club

But there are other ways to use Goodreads as well. For example, Oprah’s Book Club, a cultural touchstone (and punchline), is on Goodreads, and if you’re interested in interested in the book club, it’s a great place for lively discussion of Oprah’s picks. Oprah’s Book Club is an open group, so anyone with a Goodreads account (free) can join.

In addition to Oprah’s picks, the community creates threads to discuss books they’re reading. It gives Oprah’s Book Club members an opportunity to talk to one another and be introduced to new books.

Twitter

While it’s not necessarily a digital book club, Twitter gives you unprecedented access to some of your favorite writers. When your kid isn’t busy making personalised children’s books, he or she can actually tweet at J.K. Rowling!

This is a tremendous advantage for reading, enjoying and experiencing contemporary books. Instead of wondering what the writer was thinking when he or she killed your favorite character off in the third chapter, you can ask him or her! Tweeting directly at a writer is definitely a step up from writing fan mail and sending in the old fashioned way; writers can read and (sometimes) respond to you directly. (Some writers have even been known to Skype or FaceTime with book clubs and literature courses that are using one of their books.)

Writers like Rowling, Neil Gaiman, Margaret Atwood and Salman Rushdie have active Twitter accounts.

Reddit

It’s probably not surprising that you can use Reddit for a book club; the social media site is a great place to meet and discuss, well, anything. The subreddit r/bookclub features threads about book suggestions, a monthly reading club and various discussions about books. In comparison to other subreddits, r/bookclub has a welcoming vibe, making it a stripped down but viable alternative to other book club social media sites. Some of the subreddit’s threads are also linked to Facebook events, making it easy to keep up with one another and keep on schedule.

For October, the reading club plans to read a few ghost stories for Halloween, including Kipling, Poe, Blackwood and M.R. James. Join in and keep up with the reading list for Halloween!

#FridayReads

If you’ve ever looked at Twitter’s trending topics on Fridays, you may have noticed the popular #FridayReads hashtag. The hashtag is ran by @thebookmaven, and while some have mixed feelings about the fact that the movement is actually a business endeavor, it is a popular source for bite-sized discussions about books.

If you’re getting tired of your traditional book club, it’s time to take your reading to the next level, and using some of the great services listed here will give you an alternative to your boring book club, and it may even introduce you to a few books that you’ve never considered reading before! The internet is giving us tremendous access to authors and their works in ways that we’ve never had before, so whether you’re making personalised children’s books or sending Rushdie a tweet, you’re using the power of the internet and social media to connect you to others in ways that were never possible before. Goodbye, book clubs!

The post Goodbye, Book Clubs: Book Lovers Unite on Social Media appeared first on The Blog Herald.

But al-Nimr’s punishment is more than just the death penalty; in an absolutely horrendous and savage reaction to al-Nimr’s teenage protests, The Saudi government will beheaded al-Nimr before crucifying his body and putting it on display as a warning for other Saudis. In modern day Saudi Arabia, crucifixion is a relatively rare punishment.

People around the world are outraged, and some are pushing their governments to try to convince the Saudi government to change its mind regarding al-Nimr’s punishment, including French President François Hollande, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls and the United Kingdom’s Labour Party Leader and Leader of the Opposition Jeremy Corbyn. Individuals have taken to social media as an outlet for their frustrations concerning al-Nimr’s impending execution; the hastag #OpNimr has become common on Twitter.

Anonymous – #OpNimr http://t.co/ALun1vMsR2

— anonymous.morroco (@anonimmorroco) September 28, 2015

To make the situation even more complicated, Saudi Arabia has just been chosen to head the United Nations’ Human Rights Panel, a panel that also includes Algeria, Chile, Greece and Lithuania.

In the past, Anonymous has also targeted groups such as the Westboro Baptist Church and Sony. It is also supportive of Julian Assange’s WikiLeaks as well as 2011 and 2012’s Occupy movement. While Anonymous hasn’t gotten much news coverage in recent years, but it has been highly critical of police shootings of unarmed African-Americans in the United States as well as Jihadists’ attack on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.

The post Anonymous Attacks Saudi Government in Protest of Impending Execution appeared first on The Blog Herald.

The challenges of translation aren’t new to content strategists, but the hard work of translating video, film, games, and other multimedia content are. As product and marketing teams produce more video, how will content strategists make sure such content is useful for customers where they are and in their own language?

To answer this question, a team of content strategists and designers met at The Voice Company in Burbank, Calif. on Sept. 23, 2015 to see how a working Hollywood voiceover production studio prepares video for international audiences. The event was organized by Scott Abel, The Content Wrangler, and Content Strategy Southern California, a meetup group for content and design professionals in and around Los Angeles.

Todd Resnick, Managing Director of The Voice Company, led the tour through the studio and shared success stories and information about work his team has been doing for Amazon, HBO, Mattel, and other clients who create motion pictures, television, Internet video, and games. Resnick’s studio provides multilingual voiceover services to firms in Hollywood and throughout the world in a multitude of languages.

“When we begin,” Resnick explained, “we transcribe everything we hear [in the video] — all the dialogue, all the cues, all the special effects.” Content strategists would call this a content audit. This comprehensive transcription then goes to a translator for work.

“The translation process is the initial framework of the show,” Resnick said, “but that’s not enough — it’s the start.” To assist with casting, Resnick’s team then creates character sheets, a cast list that helps them determine how many voiceover actors will be needed for production. Numerous other detailed steps happen before performers set foot in the studio.

In the studio, what happens often goes beyond translation to become transcreation. Content strategists might call this a form of localization: The process of adapting a message from one language to another, while maintaining its intent, style, tone and context. For instance, Resnick explained that, in translating some of the jokes in Amazon’s Transparent into German, translators had to recreate humor about Los Angeles’ Pacific Palisades for an audience that might not be familiar with the neighborhood’s wealth and other idiosyncrasies.

Content strategists and translators share a careful attention to content documentation, structure, and storytelling. Attendees of the tour took home a number of lessons that apply to content strategy work.

Stay focused on the customer.
Jim Rochford, a customer engagement manager at Reprints Desk, attended the event and was impressed by The Voice Company’s focus on customers, not just the content creators but also the viewers who consume the content. “To me the biggest takeaway was speak to the customer the way they would want to be spoken to,” Rochford said. “And make sure you keep a relentless focus on the customer.” Rochford noted that video content with translated voiceovers might not seem to be perfectly synchronized, “but customers see that the brand made the effort and was thinking of them.”

Deliver the right content at the right time.
To synchronize translations as much as possible, The Voice Company documents every audio cue in a video they’re translating. Voiceover performers then use this guidance to match the video — when a character is speaking and when she is not. “The visual presentation matters,” Resnick explained, and noted the importance of matching the characters’ actions and voice with a precise lip synch. This entire process is key to delivering dialogue at the right time. In certain digital flows and products, content strategists similarly balance when to deliver content. Timing is everything.

Pay attention to what you say and how you say it.
Recreating the dialogue in a film or television show requires the work of skilled voiceover performers. These actors deliver dialogue in the appropriate voice and tone for the work being translated. Similarly, content creators need to focus on crafting messaging and other content in the appropriate voice and tone for their audience and experience.

Collaborate with the right people.
Amanda Ahn, an information developer at IBM Enterprise Content Management, also attended the studio tour and was impressed by the team that comes together to work on a translation. “One thing that struck me was that a lot of their translators are local” to the Los Angeles region. This enables the team to achieve an effective synergy, united around a clear plan. “They are able to get everyone in the same room, and this helps them get work done fast.” Achieving these working relationships remains a challenge for most enterprise content strategists.

Plan.
Another attendee, Kerstin Ide, an enterprise content strategist and operations professional currently working at Intuit, noticed how fundamental content strategy principles apply to translation. “Content strategy doesn’t stop with some types of content,” she said. The processes and steps we apply to create and manage content “apply to any form of content, including production for video and film.” Planning is certainly one of the most important steps.

Rochford praised The Voice Company’s planning. Even before the voiceover actors get to the studio, their characters, cues, and dialogue are carefully documented. “By the time they get to the studio,” he said, “they just need to execute what they planned to do.”

Ide praised The Voice Company for their methodical approach to translation and noticed that their efforts smartly plan for the future. The “globalization perspective” they bring to their clients helps them be effective now and prepare for future market growth beyond English-only borders.

Perhaps most importantly, the thoughtful, thorough planning enables the creative work to occur in the studio. “That’s where the transcreation happens,” Resnick said. That’s where the work of the translator, sound engineer, director, actor, and others come together to create a new work — a fresh, localized version of the original. “At the end of the day,” Resnick said, “it is subjective — it is art.”

Live streaming schedule – Oct 1, 2015

PNR: This Old Marketing with Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose can be found on both iTunes and Stitcher.

In this week’s episode, Robert and I discuss the launch of Apple’s iOS 9 update, which may block more than ads – it may affect publishers’ and brands’ ability to do content tracking and optimization. Next, we discuss new research on reader distrust of native advertising, and share our predictions about its future. After that, we turn our attention to a new data-focused partnership between Twitter and Bloomberg, and ponder why content marketers don’t pay more attention to the value of data. Finally, we give two thumbs down to Facebook’s planned “dislike” button, and we reveal why it’s likely to be problematic. Rants and raves include Doug Kessler’s brilliant analysis of the state of content marketing, plus the problem of measurement myopia. We wrap up the show with this week’s #ThisOldMarketing example: Burger Chef.

This week’s show

(Recorded live September 19, 2015; Length: 1:01:29)

Download this week’s PNR This Old Marketing podcast.

If you enjoy our PNR podcasts, we would love if you would rate it, or post a review, on iTunes. 

1. Content marketing in the news

• A correction from last week … John Cleese (4:30): Joe’s rant last week focused on a satirical European threat-level-warnings article that was mistakenly attributed to John Cleese. According to Snopes, earlier versions of this hilarious article appeared online in several previous iterations before someone attached Cleese’s name to it. He had nothing to do with writing or distributing it.

• iOS 9’s ad blocking features may affect content tracking (5:33): Though they’ve been dubbed “ad blockers,” it’s not just ads that marketers and publishers have to worry about with iOS 9’s new content blockers. Many of these new apps are also designed to shut out analytics and other trackers used to optimize web pages in Apple’s Safari browser, reports Marketing Land. This article is paired with one from Folio magazine that makes the case that the value of traditional advertising is no longer clear. Robert and I discuss the big implications of this trend to publishers and marketers.

• Consumers can’t tell the difference between sponsored and editorial content (16:44): A new study from Contently shows that consumers identify native advertisements as articles a large percentage of the time. The study also showed that native ads can lift brand approval. This article is paired with one from the Contently blog that states consumers distrust sponsored content and believe it diminishes a news site’s credibility. Robert and I believe this shows the limitations of native advertising; some marketers may dabble in it to help grow their audiences, but ultimately they need to stay focused on nurturing their own platform.

• Twitter announces new deal with Bloomberg – illustrates the value of social data (26:10): Twitter has become remarkably effective as a data source for stock market analysts – so much so that Bloomberg and Twitter just announced a deal to integrate more tweet data into Bloomberg’s analytics suite. This data will help financial professionals capitalize on breaking news and emerging trends. Robert believes this is a great example of the deep value of data that few marketers ever consider. The poster child for this approach is Kraft, and Robert explains the benefits it has extracted from data. I agree that most brands don’t pay enough attention to the value hiding within their customer data.

• A Facebook dislike button is coming soon (35:10): After years of speculation and member requests, Facebook is finally working on a “dislike” button, CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said. But it’s probably not exactly what you think, warns Mashable. Most likely, it won’t be a way for users to “downvote” posts and instead will let users express other emotions, such as empathy. Robert and I shared some concerns about a “dislike,” which could be interpreted in multiple ways. It could provide some useful data to brands; we explain how one agency envisions using it.

2. Sponsor (40:25)

• This Old Marketing is sponsored by StudioD, a division of Demand Media. In The Content Marketing Files: Lessons Learned from the Last Decade, you’ll learn the ins and outs of content strategy, creation, and distribution. You’ll find over a decade of data and thought-leader tips to help you nail your strategy, track ROI, and publish content that resonates with your target audiences. Download this guide now at http://go.studiod.com/ebook.

3. Rants and raves (42:00)

• Joe’s rave: During my opening keynote talk at Content Marketing World, I presented my take on where content marketing is on the Gartner Hype Cycle. While I was only able to discuss it briefly in my talk, Doug Kessler from Velocity Partners wrote a blog post that takes a deeper dive into the Hype Cycle, explains why content marketing has reached an inflection point, and what will happen next. Thanks to Doug for such an insightful analysis of the trajectory of our industry.

• Robert’s rant: Ian Bell, in an opinion piece on the Folio website, laments the way in which everything publishers do has become overly quantified. In his mind, this has taken some of the joy out of producing high-quality content. Robert agrees with Bell’s assessment, and believes that both advertising and content have become too commoditized in the quest for performance. He challenges content marketers to develop more creative, engaging, memorable content.

4. This Old Marketing example of the week (54:30)

• Burger Chef: Burger Chef was a big fast-food chain in Ohio when I was growing up. DoYouRemember.com recently published a profile of the popular fast-food chain that brought back a lot of memories for me. Five years before McDonald’s launched its Happy Meals for kids, Burger Chef pioneered the concept with its Funmeals. Burger Chef was one of the first fast-food chains to create characters and build stories around them. They had monsters, the Fangburger family of vampires and even Star Wars tie-ins when the movie franchise was launched in 1977. One of the ways Burger Chef brought these characters to life was through audio. It included a flimsy plastic record in its Funmeals that enabled children to listen to the adventures of Burger Chef, Jeff, and the Fangburger family. I fondly remember doing this with my brother when we were kids. This is an excellent application of creating value outside of the products and services you offer, and a terrific example of #ThisOldMarketing.

Image source: DoYouRemember

For a full list of PNR archives, go to the main This Old Marketing page.

How do I subscribe?

The post This Week in Content Marketing: The Coming Crisis in #NativeAdvertising appeared first on Content Marketing Institute.

As many others have pointed out, Rutledge and Owens wrote and published some pretty despicable things but nothing, perhaps, as unnerving as Owens’s discussion of raping a drugged woman in a hospital.

Owens: “It was really fun because we had sex in the shower. Hospital sex is weird, when she’s drugged, it’s strange, but it’s really cool”

Rutledge: “Could she give consent? Could she give consent, Jay?”

Owens: “Uh oh. That’s my bad. That is my bad.”

Rutledge: “You might’ve violated some California laws. Good thing we don’t live in California.”

The Asheville community is outraged over the blog, and on September 21, Rutledge and Owens posted a blog entry on the Waking Life Espresso’s webpage.

We know many of you are very angry right now. That anger is justified. There is nothing to balm the wound for now, and we recognize that. We validate and affirm your frustration and disappointment. We’ve issued separate individual apologies, and those stand more than ever.”

Several women have spoken out against the men on ashevilleblog.com. The women reject the conquest narrative that Rutledge and Owens have been perpetuating with Holistic Game for years (the tagline of the website is “Putting sweet D in the tender V since 2013).

Asheville, North Carolina is a relatively small city located in the Blue Ridge Mountains. In recent years, the city has received national attention for its culture; in 2012, Forbes called it one of the “25 Best Places for Business and Careers.”

The post Running a Chauvinistic Blog is a Bad Business Decision appeared first on The Blog Herald.

Here are some tips for writing great blog posts about crime, law, and justice.

Find Reliable, Unbiased Sources

In the modern internet age, fact and fiction coexist side-by-side, and it can be difficult to distinguish the two. Websites with a particular political or social bias often appear like totally legitimate news sources, but editorialize their content in such a way as to make them an unreliable source.

Then you have tabloid sites, like TMZ or the UK’s Daily Mail, who aren’t particularly rigorous about checking their own sources. If you want your story to be taken seriously, avoid these sites like the plague. In fact, it’s a good rule of thumb to avoid any editorialized content as a source. Even if it seems to be perfectly journalistic in nature, it’s easy to get lost in all the erroneously added details.

Instead, opt for straightforward reporting from news agencies like the Associated Press. Their reports are often short and to the point, giving you all the critical info you need to form the framework of your story, without slipping in any questionable details or opinions.

Turn Dry Reporting Into a Captivating Story

Try to make your post compelling to the reader. Some people prefer straightforward reporting, but they’re much more likely to visit the aforementioned news agencies to read that kind of content. Instead, give the story a little flair without exaggerating the details or making anything up.

For example, if a report by the Associated Press reads:

“Mr. Thompson says he woke up early in the morning on Saturday, around 6:00am, and found his front door had been bashed in.”

Your story could retain the same facts and information while being more interesting to the reader, like this:

“It was a Saturday morning like any other. Mr. Thompson awoke around 6:00am and discovered something disconcerting; his front door had been bashed in.”

Implying that it was a “Saturday morning like any other” is about as much embellishing as you should allow. It grabs the attention of the reader better than the AP report does, and taking that slight liberty is worth it. Remember, as a blogger, most of your material falls under the editorial category, even if you’re reporting recent news. It needs to be interesting to the reader yet able to pass rigorous fact-checking.

Get to Know Local Law Enforcement

As a blogger, you’ll probably be covering news stories from across the globe, but it still pays to have local contacts in law enforcement. Such individuals can provide valuable insight into a particular story and, if they’re willing, may provide a quote for your article.

Making contacts across the legal spectrum will give you valuable resources for your content. Even if the story you’re covering took place in New York while you live in LA, you can still ask a few Los Angeles criminal lawyers for their take on the story, and possibly include their statements as a quote.

So, how do you develop sources within law enforcement and the legal profession? This free course from Poynter News University will help you get started. It takes about an hour to complete, but the insights and tips it provides are totally it. Once you’ve learned how to cover crime, you’ll master the genre in no time.

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The post Crime Beat: How to Cover Crime Compellingly appeared first on The Blog Herald.

For many, working from home is the dream. But those who do it note it comes with a few significant drawbacks. For one, it’s all too easy to let your suddenly sedentary lifestyle get the best of you, making you lethargic, uninspired, or downright inactive.

Combatting this takes a lot of effort, but once you get into the swing of things, it does get easier. Here are some tips for staying active while working a sedentary job.

Take Your Breaks Outside

By now, you’re probably aware that you should take regular breaks when you work from home. They’ll help you focus and prevent you from getting burned out. But taking a break involves more than checking Facebook. Instead of remaining at your desk, take your break outside. The fresh air is invigorating, and exposure to sunlight might ward off that growing strain of vampirism.

This suggestion is great for lots of reasons. Writer’s block got you down? Take a walk! Stressed and frustrated by the day’s activities? Enjoy a cup of tea in the back garden. Whatever you have to do to get yourself away from that computer chair.

Schedule Exercise as Part of Your Work Day

There’s more to working from home than making money. If you’re only concerned about the bottom line, you’ll fatigue yourself pretty quickly. At the same time, it’s difficult to resist the temptation to keep working, even at the expense of your own health.

To counter this, try scheduling fifteen to thirty minutes of exercise into your work day. If you typically work eight hours, one work out session near the beginning of the day will keep your mind sharp and your body happy. If you work for more than eight hours, try to squeeze another work out in there.

Enjoy Healthy Snacks

One of the quickest routes to inactivity is eating unhealthy food that bogs you down. Snacking on chips and cookies might be satisfying, but they’ll also leave you lethargic. Instead, keep healthy snacks like nuts and fruit within arm’s reach. Healthier foods will give you the energy you need to get up and go when the time comes.

Consider Hiring a Personal Trainer

In addition to short workouts during the work week, consider hiring a personal trainer. It’s easy to skip out on hitting the gym, especially after working all week. That’s why many trainers have begun making house calls, which is not only more convenient, but may help you work out more consistently.

When hiring a trainer, be sure to review their qualifications. “Personal fitness trainers are not presently required to have a state license,” says Christine C McCall, a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer. “Proposals to require such license have failed in recent years. There is, of course, a strong trend toward certification by one or more voluntary organizations of fitness professionals.”

Go Out for Lunch

Being active isn’t just about eating right and exercising. A crucial component is staying active mentally and socially. To that end, you should try to incorporate mentally and socially stimulating activities into your day. Going out for lunch, instead of ordering in or eating at home, is a great way to get out and about. The change of environment will help you decompress, and if you can convince a friend or two to come along—you’ll get your social interaction in for the day.

Of course, going out every single day is expensive and can be unhealthy, so try doing it just once or twice a week. Be sure to make healthy choices when choosing where to eat. If you can’t afford to go out, at least spend some time hobnobbing with the rest of civilization before retreating back to your work cave.

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The post Tips for Staying Active with a Sedentary Job appeared first on The Blog Herald.

The statement reads, “Cancel the Bangladeshi citizenship of enemies of Islam [Muslim religious] education, atheists, apostates, unbelievers, anti-Islamic bloggers, agents of India… otherwise they will be killed wherever they can be found in the Almighty’s world.”

In addition to the two Americans on the list, nine British, eight German, one Swedish and one Canadian blogger are also on the hit list. The writers and bloggers are aware of the hit list, but they are determined to continue writing.

The ABT is an Islamic extremist group based in Bangladesh. Earlier this year, the ABT claimed responsibility for the murder of Avijit Roy, a Bangladesh-born American scientist. Roy was the founder of the Mukto-Mona blog site, and he was targeted for his secularism. Roy and his wife were attacked on the way back from a book fair in February; Roy was hacked to death, and his wife survived the attack, but she was critically injured.

While it’s uncertain if the ABT actually has the ability to carry out such attacks on these bloggers, especially the bloggers in western countries, but this hit list may be enough to drive lone wolves to action; the Islamic State has spurred on several attacks across the western world in a similar way.

Similar hit lists have been released in the past, and the people listed were attacked.

The Blog Herald is not reporting the names on the hit list.

The post Ansarullah Bangla Team Publishes Blogger Hit List appeared first on The Blog Herald.

American football has gotten so popular in recent years, the NFL has been holding games in London, a move it calls its International Series. This season, the Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions will all go to London to play. In fact, the NFL’s popularity in the United Kingdom has increased dramatically, and it seems apparent that London will have its very own NFL team in the near future.

With so many people watching so often, it’s easy to see how Americans would think that a team like the Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs or Denver Broncos could be some the most popular sports teams on social media, but they would be wrong. In fact, in a comparison of simple statistics regarding American football and soccer, it becomes clear that soccer is the dominant sport in the world. It’s not even a competition.

An infographic video by Top Eleven highlighting some of the stats and differences between US football and soccer.

Let’s examine some of the most popular American football teams this year (the Cowboys, Patriots, Seahawks, Chiefs and Broncos) and their social media followings.

Here’s how the Super Bowl VI, XII, XXVII, XXVIII and XXX champions measure up: On their official Facebook, 8,108,620 “like” the Cowboys, and on Twitter, the team has 1.41 million followers.

The most recent Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots, have 6,132,609 “likes” on their official Facebook page, and on Twitter, Tom Brady and the gang have 1.48 million followers.

The Seattle Seahawks have a relatively modest number of “likes” on their official Facebook page: 3,656,556. On Twitter, the Seahawks have 1.02 million followers.

Perpetual underdog of the NFL the Kansas City Chiefs have an even smaller number of “likes” on their official Facebook page, clocking in at just 1,376,782. On Twitter, only 465 thousand people follow the Chiefs.

Finally, the Denver Broncos with Peyton Manning at the helm have 3,796,837 “likes” on their official Facebook page, and on Twitter, the team has 790 thousand followers.

To put these numbers into perspective, the official Facebook page of the NFL has 12,402,254 “likes,” and its Twitter page has 13.3 million followers.

These five NFL teams have hugely successful social media accounts and incredibly active social media fan bases, but Americans might be surprised to know that these numbers get unequivocally dwarfed by some other sports teams around the world.

American football fans might be stunned to find out that FC Barcelona, perhaps the most popular soccer team in the world, has 86,918,337 “likes” on Facebook and 16 million followers on Twitter.

Even if you add all the Facebook “likes” from the top five teams, you still don’t get close to FC Barcelona’s Facebook following. (The Cowboys’s 8,108,620 “likes” on Facebook + the Patriots’s 6,132,609 + the Seahawks’s 3,656,556 + the Chiefs’s 1,376,782 + the Broncos’s 3,796,837 = 23,071,404 total Facebook “likes.”)

While American football may be the new national pastime and completely dominate American television in the fall, the raw numbers from social media proves that soccer is a much more popular sport than football. The most popular sports teams on social media look very different than Americans might believe, but this isn’t a discussion about which sport is better, but it is something to give you a little perspective, especially as American demographics change over the next few decades.

The post The Most Popular Sports Teams on Social Media appeared first on The Blog Herald.

During the papal visit, as always, you can depend on Twitter, collectively, to keep its finger on the pulse of the people. For what was probably the first of a series of days, hashtags about @Pontifex were trending virtually continuously on Twitter, including #PopeinUS, #PapaenUSA, #IfIMetThePope and #PopeInDC.

Early this morning, Pope Francis met with President Obama at the White House. The pope pulled up to the South Lawn of the White House in a black Fiat 500L, a physical manifestation of the man’s philosophy of humbleness. President Barack Obama and Pope Francis, aided only by an interpreter, spoke privately for almost an hour. Following his visit to the White House, then Pope led a prayer at St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Washington, D.C. Finally, the pope finished the afternoon with a colonization Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

Tomorrow, the pope is to speak to a joint session of congress. The address will be broadcast for the world to watch. Pope Francis is expected to discuss the threat of climate change and poverty, topics that have practically define the battle lines drawn between Democrats and Republicans for thirty years.

Pope Francis’s speech to the House and Senate will almost certainly inspire a few more Twitter hashtags that trend worldwide, especially if the pope’s tone and message are critical of America’s relatively poor response to climate change.

If you’re not on Twitter and would like to follow the Pope’s visit through the United States, there’s an app (or two) for that. Some other app developers have decided to cash in on the pope’s visit, so if you’re trying to show off your appreciation for the pope (or just commemorating the event), check out Pope Emoji.

The post Pope Francis Starts a Trend (or Two) appeared first on The Blog Herald.

When you work for yourself, you’re more than your own boss. You’re your own company; and as that company’s most valuable employee, aren’t you entitled to be taken care of? This begs the question: who has your back? The answer, as you may have guessed, is you. Make sure you plan ahead and set yourself up for the future. This is no flight of fancy, it’s potentially your long-term career; something you may be doing until the day you retire.

Here are some tips for giving yourself the same kind of benefits you’d get while working for a major corporation.

Paid Vacation Time

Everybody needs to take a break from work every now and again, and one of the benefits of working independently is your ability to take time off whenever you please. This freedom comes with a downside, however. If you aren’t working, you aren’t getting paid. But this doesn’t necessarily have to be the case.

One of the most important thinking adjustments a freelancer can make is viewing yourself as a business. You aren’t just slaving away for a personal paycheck. You want to make a certain amount of overhead to entitle yourself to certain benefits, like paid vacation time. Set aside a little money each week and put it into a business savings account. Make sure this account isn’t easily accessible—it can be an awfully big temptation to spend that money.

When you’re ready to take time off, calculate how much you’d typically earn over the course of your absence. Withdraw that money, but don’t put it in your pocket and call it a day. Wait to pay yourself on schedule, as if you had worked a full week. This will reinforce the idea of your freelance work as a business, and will prevent your personal payment cycle from being thrown out-of-whack.

Health Insurance

If you’re a U.S.-based freelancer, you already know that healthcare is a hot topic in the country. If you live in a state that hasn’t opted out of expanding Medicaid (as part of the Affordable Healthcare Act), it’s fairly easy to sign up and start receiving benefits. This is good news for independent contractors. Using just one state as an example, more than 300,000 residents of Arizona are now entitled to medical assistance they otherwise wouldn’t have. Whereas hiring a Phoenix personal injury lawyer used to be some Arizonians only recourse to receive compensation for medical bills, many people now enjoy access to medical care at a reduced cost.

However, if National Healthcare isn’t an option, or you need a little help footing the bill, try relegating a small percentage of your weekly income toward paying the insurance bill. It’s important to view healthcare not only as a luxury, but a necessity. After all, you’re an employer now, even if you’re your company’s only employee. Take care of your business by taking care of yourself.

401k and Retirement

We’ve talked a lot about savings so far, but no savings account is more important than your 401k. Employers make paying into one easy, but you may feel a little lost when it comes to setting up one yourself.

It can be done, however—all it takes is a little self-control. Putting just $500.00 a month into a savings account will net you roughly $250,000 in twenty years (after interest). The further you develop your business, the more you can pay into your retirement fund. It’s completely possible to make half a million or more by the time you’re ready to retire.

You may also enjoy:

Time to Get Some Insurance?

Top 8 Personal Finance Blogs You Should be Reading

The post Bloggers: Who Has Your Back? appeared first on The Blog Herald.

Zuckerberg explained the current “like” button can come off as a little simplistic or inappropriate for some situations: “If you’re sharing something that is sad, whether it’s something in current events, like the refugee crisis, or if a family member passed away, then it may not feel comfortable to ‘like’ that post.” However, a “dislike” button would give people the opportunity to project sympathy and show compassion to their friends.

It’s hard to imagine that it took Facebook this long to come up with a “dislike” button; after all, Reddit, Yik Yak, YouTube, Urban Dictionary and even Yahoo Answers features a version of the upvote / downvote system that differentiates good posts from bad or spammy posts, but Zuckerberg explained that he put off building a “dislike” button for Facebook because he didn’t “want to turn Facebook into a forum where people are voting up or down on people’s posts.”

While many users rejoice at the news of Facebook’s “dislike” button, others are issuing caution.

Some tech writers are warning Facebook users of Facebook “dislike” button scams. These scams try to lure unsuspecting Facebook users in with appeals to their vanity, calling it an “invite only feature.” After clicking the ad, users are taken to a third-party site that promptly asks for personal information. Because Facebook is browser-based, when it’s available, the Facebook “dislike” button will appear on its own, as all other Facebook updates have in the past.

Other critics argue that the Facebook “dislike” button will lead to further instances of internet-bullying. According to critics, the new button will make it easier than ever for trolls and bullies to make users’ social media experience less than ideal (at best).

While Zuckerburg and his Facebook crew are trying to design the button to denote sadness, it will be interesting to see how Facebook users put the new button to use.

The post Introducing the Facebook “Dislike” Button appeared first on The Blog Herald.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could get out there, amidst all the action, and then come home and write about it? Here’s the good news: it’s entirely possible, if you find a freelancing gig that’s local to your community.

The bad news? Finding a local freelancing gig isn’t always easy, especially if you don’t know where to look. With dedication and patience, however, it can be done. There’s a plethora of companies out there looking for freelance bloggers who live locally. “Of course we want someone who is knowledgeable about the subject,” says Ted Khalaf, a Pasadena family lawyer, “but someone who lives in the area and really understands the community mindset can be a great asset.”

If you dream of blogging locally, check out these resources to get you started.

Job Boards

As a freelancer, frequently checking job boards is an important part of your work. But many of us have tuned out the more traditional channels like Craigslist and Indeed. These websites are actually very useful for finding local work, however, as they allow you to search by state and city. An Indeed search for “freelance writer” in Pasadena, California, for example, brought up 35 recent job postings. The Los Angeles Craigslist site averages about ten job postings a week in the “writing/editing” category.

Then, of course, you have job boards specifically for freelance writers, like Freelance Writing Jobs, which curates job postings for freelancers and allows you to search by location. A great tool for finding local work in no time at all.

Keep an Eye on Your Community Media

It’s impossible to list every local media company here, so it’s up to you to find them in your own city. If you live in an especially populous area, they shouldn’t be too hard to find. Look for community bulletin boards, newsletters, and blogs that may be circulating around Facebook or other social media sites. The editors at these websites and publications are frequently looking for short or long-term collaborators and freelancers to fill their sites with content, and there’s no better writer for a community-driven website than someone who actually lives in that community.

Start Your Own

Okay, we know this isn’t exactly what you were looking for—but starting your own blog about local events might actually pay off. Many people feel media is becoming impersonal due to advancements in communication, specifically the rise of national and international news on the internet. In an age when every city and town is connected, people are actually flocking to content that has a local angle.

Building a blog from the ground up might seem intimidating at first, but it’s an investment that can really pay off if you know the right steps to take. Not to mention, you’ll graduate from being a freelancer to owning your own online business. At the very least, it’s something to consider. Why not read up on the fundamentals of starting a blog and decide if it’s something you’d like to pursue?

So there you have it, a few simple tools to help you find freelancing work in your local community. Consider each one and decide what the best strategy is for you. Happy writing!

You may also enjoy:

Blogging From Your Tablet – The Ins and Outs

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The post Blogging Local: How to Find Freelancing Gigs in Your City appeared first on The Blog Herald.

#AskTrump Send me your questions to answer live from @TwitterNYC later this afternoon.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 21, 2015

But Twitter’s user base, usually so calm and reserved, decided to make fun of Trump’s attempt to discuss real policy issues in short video snippets. Trump may have gotten more than he bargained for.

#AskTrump No seriously, how do you get your face to be so orange?

— Glitchy (@GlitchyShadow) September 21, 2015

#AskTrump If elected President, Would you authorise the construction of a Death Star for Earth. pic.twitter.com/VgbyxM9nrT

— Darth Vader No1™ (@DarthVader_No1) September 21, 2015

It appears that #AskTrump has gone horribly, HORRIBLY wrong for those who planned it.

— Al Smizzle (@AlZeidenfeld) September 21, 2015

That afternoon, The Donald fielded questions from relatively average people with Twitter handles. Surprisingly, however, after some initial jabs, Twitter got down to asking real, substantive questions—okay, relatively substantive (for Twitter) (and for Trump).

Trump gave short video responses to #AskTrump questions concerning his stance on gun control, the presidential salary, what day 1 of a Trump Administration would look like and how he would fix the student loan crisis. But he also weighed in on one of the most important matters of the day: the National Football League. Trump was asked about Joe Flacco’s eliteness as an NFL quarterback and how the Cowboys playoff chances without Tony Romo.

Though peopled poked fun at the GOP frontrunner, Trump’s #AskTrump wasn’t a major disaster like Hillary Clinton’s emoji tweet, but Trump, once again, avoided particularities and opted for more vague responses. Trump was even careful when handling the Cowboy’s Romo situation, copping out with a compliment to the Cowboy’s defense.

.@MarketMavensInc #asktrump pic.twitter.com/6uShpC3BM2

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 21, 2015

We’ll see if Trump’s position on Romo has an effect on his poll numbers, but as of today, Trump leads the polls. The next President of the United States may have just held a Twitter Q&A and weighed in on Romo’s broken clavicle. That’s something to think about.

The post Trump Answers Twitter’s Questions During Monday’s #AskTrump appeared first on The Blog Herald.

It’s rare that psychology goes viral, but here’s a latest infographic from Business Insider that has done just that:  ‘20 cognitive biases that screw up your decisions‘ (thanks to Dr Carolyn Mair of the London College of Fashion for catching it).

The infographic provides a simple introductory summary to our apparent irrationality in love, life and shopping. So here’s the infographic, along with 20 marketing applications.

1. Anchoring Bias – People are overreliant on the first piece of information they hear.
   • How it’s used – Enhancing marketing effectiveness though discounting – the first price (or information) you see sets your expectations and subsequent evaluation
2. Availability Heuristic – When people overestimate the importance of information that is available to them
   • How it’s used – Enhancing marketing effectiveness by presenting a product as a solution to particular problem (to which we then overestimate the importance)
3. Bandwagon Effect – The probability of one person adopting a belief increases based on the number of people who hold that belief.
   • How it’s used –  Enhancing marketing effectiveness by presenting a product as the #1 (best rated, best selling, fastest growing etc)
4. Blind-spot Bias – Failing to recognize your cognitive biases is a bias in itself.
   • How it’s used –  Enhancing marketing effectiveness using stereotypes and unconscious biases, including those on this list
5. Choice Supportive Bias – When you choose something, you tend to feel positive about it, even if the choice has flaws
   • How it’s used –  Enhancing marketing effectiveness by justifying a purchase based on previous purchases we’ve made
6. Clustering Illusion – This is the tendency to see patterns in random events (or clouds).
   • How it’s used – Enhancing marketing effectiveness by presenting a product as a perfect fit to a person’s set of needs (that may well be unrelated)
7. Confirmation Bias – We tend to listen only to the information that confirms our preconceptions
   • How it’s used – Enhancing marketing effectiveness by fitting a product in with your preconceptions and expectations, such as using ‘positive tests‘ to conform what you expect
8. Conservatism Bias – Where people believe prior evidence more than new evidence or information that has emerged
   • How it’s used – Enhancing marketing effectiveness by presenting a product as fitting with your traditional and long-held beliefs
9. Information Bias – The tendency to seek information when it does not affect action.
   • How it’s used – Enhancing marketing effectiveness through the oversupply of information, more information may not be better information, but we can perceive it that way
10. Ostrich Effect – The decision to ignore dangerous or negative information by “burying” one’s head in the sand, like an ostrich (is supposed to, but doesn’t do)
    • How it’s used – Enhancing marketing effectiveness by downplaying or not communicating potential risks or downsides
11. Outcome Bias – Judging a decision based on the outcome — rather than how exactly the decision was made in the moment
    • How it’s used – Enhancing marketing effectiveness by focusing on the benefit of the product, rather than the product itself
12. Overconfidence Effect – Some of us are too confident about our abilities, and this causes us to take greater risks in our daily lives
    • How it’s used – Enhancing marketing effectiveness by presenting a product as helping us attain unlikely, but desired goals performance or ambitions
13. Placebo Effect – When simply believing that something will have a certain impact on you causes it to have that effect
    • How it’s used – Enhancing marketing effectiveness through premium pricing; people’s experience of product can be enhanced if expectations are higher (through higher prices)
14. Pro-innovation Bias – When a proponent of an innovation tends to overvalue its usefulness and undervalue its limitations
    • How it’s used – Enhancing marketing effectiveness by presenting a product to us as new, innovative, ‘next generation’ or trendsetting
15. Recency Effect – The tendency to weigh the latest information more heavily than older data
    • How it’s used – Enhancing marketing effectiveness by controlling the last message we see – often at the point of sale, such as on-pack labelling or online product descriptions.
16. Salience – Our tendency to focus on the most easily recognizable features of a person or concept
    • How it’s used – Enhancing marketing effectiveness using distinctive ‘stand-out’ associations, sensory assets and messages
17. Selective perception – Allowing our expectations to influence how we perceive the world.
    • How it’s used – Enhancing marketing effectiveness by targeting existing satisfied customers; you are more likely to pay attention and make a repeat purchase
18. Stereotyping – Expecting a group or person to have certain qualities without having real information about the individual
    • How it’s used – Enhancing marketing effectiveness by pandering to cultural stereotypes we use (consciously or unconsciously)
19. Survivorship bias – An error that comes from focusing only on surviving examples, causing us to misjudge a situation.
    • How it’s used – Enhancing marketing effectiveness by focusing on positive outcomes (independently of whether the product produced them)
20. Zero-risk bias – Sociologists have found that we love certainty — even if it’s counter productive
    • How it’s used – Enhancing marketing effectiveness by presenting a product or service to us as risk-free

        

You’re crafting compelling and engaging articles, your content marketing strategy is rock solid, and the page-views are increasing at a steady pace. For most marketers, this is the dream. But something doesn’t feel quite right. These precious followers are not converting, or they’re not reaching your set goal.

Why is that? Despite their best efforts, marketers and writers will sometimes attract the wrong kind of readers, and for most, this seems like such a disheartening obstacle that they give up all-together.

Have you ever considered that, while your marketing strategy is brilliant, it may be targeting the wrong audience? This problem is not uncommon. As a matter of fact, most start-ups create outstanding assets without fully understanding what demographic they are actually pursuing. If your website falls into this category, your efforts are being wasted. You have to change your approach.

In the following guide we will answer three very important questions:

• Who is actually visiting my website?
• Why are these people on my website?
• What can I do to attract the right audience?

For this purpose, I will be using Google Analytics, SemRush and SimilarWeb.

Who is Actually Visiting my Website?

Before you jump to any conclusions you should know exactly who your audience is. With so much information readily available to you it is now possible to determine, not only who your readers are, but also what they like and how they are interacting with your content. Don’t listen to marketers who keep screaming “VOLUME! VOLUME!” because it’s NOT all about the volume.

I remember reading a case-study about a company that kept organizing giveaways with really cool prizes. Enticed by the idea of owning an iPad or iPhone, people would sign-up. But as soon as the give-away was over, they would leave. The few that remained didn’t generate a great conversion rate, and the business reached a standstill. Instead of focusing on numbers, focus on quality.

There are three types of data that will help you determine your target market:

• psychographics data (your users’ values, attitudes, interests, likes & dislikes)
• behavioural data (how they engage online, how they consume content what sites they frequent etc.)
• demographics data.

Let’s take a look at the demographics data. Head over to your Google Analytics tab to get started. Google Analytics offers exceptionally useful insights regarding your site’s users. There are a few metrics that you should know, including Location, Age, Gender, Traffic Source, and Top Performing Posts, among others.

From your Audience -> Overview tab you can check out the number of sessions, unique users, page-views, session duration, and bounce rate. The last two metrics will tell you a lot about how your visitors are interacting with your site. High bounce rate and Average Session duration generally means that people are exiting your site in a matter of seconds. In most situations, this means that there’s something they do not like on your page.

From the Audience -> Demographics tab you can check out their age and gender. These metrics are vital. For example, if your website focuses on fashion tips for men, you probably don’t want the audience to be 80% female. Alternatively, if you’re sharing tips & life hacks for students, you don’t want to have baby boomers hanging around. Getting an idea about who your audience is will also help you uncover new opportunities for growth.

Now head over to the Audience -> Interests -> Overview section. This tab usually holds the most important information about your readers’ interests. Based on a user’s searches and preferences, Google will assign him to an affinity category. Example: if you own a photography blog, your affinity category should be “Shutterbugs”, but this doesn’t mean that Tech lovers should be excluded. Determine the affinity categories that are likely to convert on your blog and craft content that solves their problems.

The engagement level tab, which can be found in the Audience -> Behaviour -> Engagement tab tells you how much time visitors spend on your site. Having thousands of visitors per month may sound great, but if they spend less than 30 seconds on your site it is a strong indicator that you are targeting the wrong audience.

There are at least two more metrics that you need to check: Type of Device Used (from the Audience -> Mobile -> Overview or Devices tab) and Traffic Sources (from the Acquisition -> All Traffic -> Channels tab). Needless to say, if more than 60% of your visitors are coming from mobile devices, and your website isn’t even optimized for mobile use, you’re mingling with the wrong crowd.

As far as traffic sources are concerned, they provide incredible insights on your users’ behavioural patterns. You can dig even deeper into this data to find out from which exact source they are coming by clicking on “Organic”, “Direct”, “Referral”, “Social” etc., or by visiting the Referrals or Source/Medium tabs. From the Overview -> All Traffic tab you can check out the bounce rate of specific traffic sources. Find out which visitors are quickly leaving your website and try to create a better experience for them.

Online marketers also reference the term “user intent” often. According to SearchEngineLand, user intent falls into one of three categories: do something, know something, go somewhere. But user intent isn’t limited only to organic search. For instance, the vast majority of people who spend time on Facebook are interested in funny cat videos, not your latest product launch. Each traffic source carries with it information about your users’ interests. You should start building around that.

Organize your Data in an Excel Spreadsheet

You can organize the most relevant information in an Excel spreadsheet for later use. Make a habit out of extracting demographic, psychographic and behavioural data every month, as well as site performance, to determine if your strategies are working. Below is an example of how I organize my data.

Why are These People on my Site?

You probably already have a rough idea about how you want your target audience to be. Now you can compare it with your demographics data. Not quite what you had in mind, now is it? This is probably because you have been sending the wrong signals. Here are a few common reasons why your website might be attracting the wrong readers:

• You want more people to visit your website, so you start promoting yourself on different social channels, forums, discussion boards, websites, and pretty much anywhere you can think of. The message gets diluted. The purpose is lost. While it isn’t wrong to promote your blog across different channels, the truth is that not all channels are worth it (CopyBlogger recently closed its Facebook page because it wasn’t worth the trouble). Instead of spreading your efforts thin, you should focus on a platform that fits your blog best. Focus on building a loyal readership there.
• Another reason why blogs attract the wrong audience is because they do not align their campaign with their growth potential. Remember the giveaway example? Organizing giveaways or offering freebies isn’t a wrong strategy, but giving away stuff that has nothing to do with your website is.
• You don’t know who you’re writing for. This is probably the biggest reason why blogs attract the wrong kind of traffic. While the idea of writing for thousands of readers may sound enticing, it is also the fastest way of killing your writing voice. Writing for the masses will make you sound generic, and nobody is interested in generic.
• You’re targeting the wrong keywords. Believe it or not, high Volume or CPC keywords don’t always make for great article topics. Especially if they are not relevant for your article. Sure, they will secure some organic traffic. Irrelevant, low-converting organic traffic.

What can I do to attract the Right Audience?

According to a recent IconicDigital study, you are irrelevant to 86% of your audience. So how exactly are you supposed to become relevant? The first thing you need to do is to identify your target audience. The following list of questions should help you determine your key followers:

1. What do you want from your target audience?
2. What kind of people are most likely to achieve your goal?
3. What is your target reader like?
4. Can you offer the things that your target audience needs?
5. Are they new or returning visitors?
6. Where do they get their information from?
7. Are you focusing the right target group?
8. Is your relationship with the audience mutually beneficial?

1. Persuade Visitors to Actually Read & Interact with your Content

It takes a great deal of time to create high-quality content, and knowing that it isn’t even read can be very frustrating. Most successful bloggers use heat-map tools like CrazyEgg and SumoMe to find out how their audience is consuming content. According to their findings, the huge majority of readers don’t make it past the first 20-30% content mark.

On the bright side, most of them responded positively to images, links, headlines and highlighted text. Even if long-form articles have smaller chances of being read all the way, they offer other huge benefits, so you should try to draw your readers in with interesting formatting tricks, alternative forms of content (podcasts, videos, images, infographics etc.) and text breaks.

Follow the ‘Inverted Pyramid’ Model used by newspaper journalists. According to it, more than 60% of your readers will never finish reading your article. Place essential information at the beginning of the article to increase engagement.

The next thing you should consider is the device on which content is consumed. You have already obtained this information from your Google Analytics. If more than 20% of your visitors are coming from handheld devices it’s time you adopted a responsive theme.

Most new bloggers write great articles, but they do not promote them at all. This is like holding a speech in an empty room. Simply creating exceptional content and waiting for something to happen won’t cut it. Instead of publishing articles every day, why not spend your time promoting it? The best way to attract relevant traffic to your blog is by ‘snatching’ readers from other websites.

2. Amplify your Content Strategy with User Personas

I strongly believe that bloggers should first write for their readers, and then for search engines. This is the only way to write content that moves. Creating a persona will not only bring you one step closer to your ideal audience, it will also help you tailor powerful messages.

“Personas are fictional, generalized characters that encompass the various needs, goals, and observed behaviour patterns among your real and potential customers. They help you understand your customers better.” (Source: HubSpot)

Creating a persona is difficult and time-consuming, but it will enable you to truly capture the demographics, attitudes, interests, fears, aspirations and values of your audience. This list is far from exhaustive, and you can include as much information as possible. The next time you write an article, write with this persona in mind. Your voice will become personal, concise and clear.

3. Try to Understand SEO

Search engine optimization isn’t some strange kind of dark magic that you can use to manipulate SERPs. Writing content only with search engines in mind isn’t going to get you very far, but failing to implement basic strategies will also make you lose out on organic traffic. By identifying and highlighting relevant and timely keywords you can help Google understand what your page is about. User-experience is also a major part of SEO.

People who are quickly exiting your pages, high load-time, broken pages and other factors will negatively influence your rankings. If you’re new to SEO I suggest reading the Beginner’s SEO guide by Moz, the Beginner’s Guide to Keyword Research and following major publications such as Search Engine Journal, Quicksprout and Kissmetrics.

Furthermore, if you’ve already developed a user persona, you might want to focus your keywords strategy around it. Take into account parameters such as search volume, CPC, difficulty or competition, and the keyphrase’s form (long-tail keywords will always perform better than short tails).

4. Promote your Website on Social Channels

As I already mentioned, the best strategy here would be to focus on the social media channels that are right for your business. Naturally, you should have a basic presence on all major platforms, but your promotion efforts should be directed to one, maximum two channels. If you can’t decide what social channel would be best suited, simply take a look at your competitors.

When posting, you should stick to the 4-4-1 rule (40% curated content, 40% interesting & engaging content, 20% your own content). You can promote anything from eBooks and events to quotes, testimonials and infographics on social media. Sharing content from influencers in your niche and commenting on their pages will also increase your chances of getting noticed by them and, hopefully, have them follow & share your own work.

These are only a few ideas of what you can do. Remember: the most important thing is to work with your demographics data to find out why the wrong audience is coming to your blog. Monitor the performance of your competitors to find out what techniques they are applying to attract their ideal readers and experiment with them.

Hook your readers first: 4 Tips to Writing Great Headlines

Image Sources: depositphotos, Google Analytics

The post When Your Blog Attracts the Wrong Readers, What You Can Do About It appeared first on The Blog Herald.

Without the work / home divide, it can be easy to neglect your health, or even your sanity. Here are five essential tips for staying healthy and keeping your mind sharp while working at home.

Feed Yourself

You need to eat regular meals. It’s awfully tempting to reach for the chips and sit back down at your computer, but you need the right nutrients to keep your mind sharp and body fit and healthy. After all, you may have switched from a more active lifestyle at a retail or labor job to a completely sedentary one. Eating regularly and eating right are essential to keeping the creative juices flowing. If possible, plan your meals in advance. Take a break when it’s lunch time – don’t scarf down that sandwich while typing away at the word processor. Breaking for lunch will help you process the day better and reduce fatigue by the end of your work day.

Keep Regular Hours

In addition to fighting procrastination, having regular, pre-determined work hours will keep you from feeling overwhelmed. When you work at home, you want to do everything possible to avoid turning your house into “the office”. You need to be able to leave work at the end of the day, relax, and let tomorrow’s work be tomorrow’s work. You’ll find sticking to a schedule actually makes you more efficient and less inclined to goof off when trying to get work done.

Leave the Bottle Alone

Excessive amounts of alcohol and drugs may have worked for Hunter S. Thompson, but a blogger he wasn’t. In this business, we write more text in a day than most people will in months. Being at home, we may at first relish in breaking all the workplace rules. ‘Why not have a drink, or two, or three, while I’m here sitting at my desk? It’s not like I’ll get fired for it.’

Unless you fancy a trip to a rehab center, it’s best to stick to the good ol’ standard of drinking after work. Drugs and alcohol will negatively affect your output, and worse—could get you into a pretty bad habit of work day intoxication. Keep psychoactive substances in their place and use them recreationally. It doesn’t matter how many gallons of whiskey Hemingway sloshed down while writing The Sun Also Rises, you don’t want to rely on booze to get work done.

Take Regular Breaks

Carpel tunnel and screen fatigue can easily take a toll on you if you don’t remember to take regular breaks during your work day. Ten to fifteen minutes every hour is ideal, but be warned: a short break can turn into “why don’t I just give myself the rest of the day off?” if you aren’t disciplined about it. Instead of turning on the TV, try playing a game like Sudoku or completing a crossword puzzle. These activates will keep your mind sharp and in “work mode” while giving your tired eyes a break from the screen.

Exercise Every Day

It doesn’t matter how small the gesture is, getting up and being active is essential to keeping in good health when you work a sedentary job. It could be a walk around the block or a full-length workout complete with squats, weights, and chin-ups—so long as you get up and get your blood flowing, you’ll have far more energy to get yourself through the day. An added bonus: exercise fights depression, which can affect you more easily than you think when you work in an isolated environment.

You may also enjoy:

Research: One in three American bloggers writes specifically about health

Healthcare for Bloggers and Podcasters?

The post 5 Tips for Bloggers to Stay Healthy appeared first on The Blog Herald.

PNR: This Old Marketing with Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose can be found on both iTunes and Stitcher.

In this week’s post-Content Marketing World episode, Robert and I discuss how venture capital interest in content marketing continues to accelerate with over $1 billion invested to date. Next, we analyze the results of a new study that reveals that only 17% of content marketers have fully documented their customer journeys and explain why this isn’t necessarily a problem. Robert and I also debate the meaning behind BuzzFeed’s new deal with GroupM, and we love Uber’s plan to roll out a print magazine for its customers. Rants and raves include John Cleese’s mesmerizing creativity speech at Content Marketing World and the way in which Beth Comstock has transformed marketing at General Electric. This week’s #ThisOldMarketing example: The Story of Content: Rise of the New Marketing.

This week’s show

(Recorded live September 14, 2015; Length: 59:25)

Download this week’s PNR This Old Marketing podcast.

If you enjoy our PNR podcasts, we would love if you would rate it, or post a review, on iTunes. 

1. Content marketing in the news

• Content moves to the middle (5:29): Content marketing has clearly taken center stage for brands, entrepreneurs, and investors. The industry is on track to generate $313 billion in revenue in 2019, according to PQ Media’s Global Content Marketing Forecast. To date, venture capitalists have invested more than $1 billion in content marketing technology start-ups since 2006, according to NewsCred. Robert and I agree that PQ Media’s prediction isn’t accurate, and we share a more realistic number. We also tie in an article by Robert, which explains why ROI is the right metric for content marketing, and a 1977 speech by Steve Jobs, in which he explains how Apple starts with a vision of the ideal customer experience and works backwards from there – an approach that content marketers ought to adopt.

• Only 17% of brands have the ability to fully analyze the customer journey (17:38): A new Econsultancy report in partnership with Adobe found that companies are still struggling to embrace multichannel marketing. While 42% of respondents say they are currently working on having the capability to analyze the customer journey, 41% say they are either still in the planning stage or have no plans at all. Robert and I agree that marketers ought to forget about mapping content to elaborate customer journeys, and discuss what they ought to focus on instead.

• BuzzFeed makes deal with agency for preferential rates and technology (23:54): WPP media agency network GroupM and BuzzFeed have signed the latest in a series of deals in which agencies and media companies pool their resources. GroupM will get preferential rates, dedicated staffers in BuzzFeed creative studio BuzzFeed Motion Pictures, and exclusive access to BuzzFeed’s proprietary data and analytics platform as part of the year-long global partnership. Robert and I debate several scenarios for how this deal could play out.

• Ubers are about to start carrying an in-car magazine (31:22): Starting this week in NYC, you can grab a copy of Uber’s new in-car magazine, called Arriving Now, from the seat-back pockets of the vehicle you’re riding in. AdAge speculates that Uber is testing out a content arm through which they can push out cool stories that give people a better brand experience. Robert and I agree this is an excellent opportunity to create a differentiated experience for users of Uber, who are essentially a captive audience during their rides.

Image source: Uber

2. Sponsor (38:22)

• This Old Marketing is sponsored by StudioD, a division of Demand Media. In The Content Marketing Files: Lessons Learned from the Last Decade, you’ll learn the ins and outs of content strategy, creation, and distribution. You’ll find over a decade of data and thought leader tips to help you nail your strategy, track ROI, and publish content that resonates with your target audiences. Download this guide now at http://go.studiod.com/ebook.

3. Rants and raves (40:14)

• Joe’s rave: I give a big hat tip to John Cleese, who gave a mesmerizing keynote presentation at Content Marketing World last week. The audience was expecting him to do a comedy routine, but instead he delivered a thoughtful talk on the nature of creativity and how to cultivate it. Robert’s Q&A session with him also provided a lot of value to the audience. I also want to highlight Cleese’s inspired article on national threat levels in Europe, which is hilarious.

Photo courtesy of Fallon’s Photography/Content Marketing Institute

• Robert’s rave: Robert loves the inspiring story of Beth Comstock, who was recently named vice-chairman of General Electric, the first woman to hold this position. Her career has been marked by an unshakable commitment to digital innovation and telling the 137-year-old company’s stories in compelling ways. She’s an awesome example of a marketing executive who has grown her role into a position of leadership, something to which we should all aspire.

4. This Old Marketing example of the week (51:46)

• The Story of Content: CMI’s new documentary, The Story of Content: The Rise of the New Marketing, debuted last week during Content Marketing World. This 43-minute film contains some amazing case studies, including The Furrow from John Deere, Will It Blend? from Blendtec, Proctor & Gamble’s sponsorships of soap operas, and Marcus Sheridan, who changed the fate of River Pools & Spas by taking a content-first approach. It also contains interviews with content marketing thought leaders like Robert Rose, Jay Baer, Ann Handley, Scott Stratten, and Don Schultz, the father of modern marketing. The Story of Content is informative, inspiring and entertaining. If you have people in your organization who don’t “get” content marketing, have them watch this documentary.

For a full list of PNR archives, go to the main This Old Marketing page.

How do I subscribe?

The post This Week in Content Marketing: Content Marketing Technology Investments Top $1 Billion appeared first on Content Marketing Institute.

In 2008, then Senator Barack Obama’s campaign used social media to crush Hillary Clinton in the National Democratic Primary and, ultimately, to win the presidency over the Republican nominee for president, Senator John McCain. In 2012, Obama’s social media campaign, once again, outpaced the 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney.

But in the 2016 race for the White House, social media is even more significant than ever before, and with many public figures live-tweeting the Republican debates, we see social media actively changing the American politics.

One of the most popular live-tweeters during the second GOP debate was Democratic presidential hopeful Senator Bernie Sanders.

Live-tweeting the debate starting now. #DebateWithBernie pic.twitter.com/iQFf3dj7Hb

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) September 17, 2015

Topsy reports that on September 16, the day of CNN’s Republican presidential debate, there were 103,874 tweets with the hashtag #debatewithbernie. In quick little one-liners, Sanders criticized the Republicans positions on poverty, income inequality, social justice and more.

Waiting, waiting, waiting. Will we hear anything about racial justice, income inequality or making college affordable? #DebateWithBernie

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) September 17, 2015

But eventually, like most other people, Bernie got tired and called it a night.

Thank you all. I've had it. I'm going home. Talk to you soon. #DebateWithBernie

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) September 17, 2015

Sanders wasn’t the only public figure taking advantage of the the Republican debate’s limelight; the Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton and Trevor Noah and The Daily Show quipped at the GOP debaters, but perhaps the best tweets came from one of the most insightful voices of our generation: Law and Order: SUV actor Ice-T.

The Black dude said the Mexicans can stay if they do the work no one wants to do… WTF??

— ICE T (@FINALLEVEL) September 17, 2015

Donald Trump just did every emoji face on your phone in 7 seconds. #GOPDebate http://t.co/0Wh82gtSZh

— ICE T (@FINALLEVEL) September 17, 2015

Oh shit! Bush gets high..

— ICE T (@FINALLEVEL) September 17, 2015

Now more than ever, everyone with an internet connection can put out a constant stream of his/her thoughts, and for politics, this situation is much different than ever before. As a genre, microblogging is more accessible to people who would never consider traditional blogging, and in politics, short and sweet politics fit the United States’s sound bite democracy.

The post Sanders Live-Tweets Republican Debate appeared first on The Blog Herald.

The Benefits of Blogging from a Tablet

Starting a blog from your tablet is a great option if you’re looking to capitalize on the blogging market without a lot of overhead. The convenience of tablet blogging makes it easy to dive into your blog wherever you are, whether on your sofa at home or on vacation at the beach.

Besides that, you can purchase a high-quality tablet and accessories for a fraction of the cost of a laptop or computer. Furthermore, for just a few dollars a month, you can protect your tablet beyond the manufacturer’s warranty for things like drops, spills, and other accidents not covered by the original warranty.

All in all, it’s a simple and affordable option for starting a blog and keeping it going with little cost to you.

Great Blogging Apps for Your Tablet

Using apps is a great way to streamline the blogging process. Most of the popular blogging platforms have apps that you can use on a tablet. Here are some of the best blogging apps out there.

Tumblr: If you’re more into the social networking side of blogging, this is a great app for you. It’s a micro blogging platform that allows you to connect with a large community and test the waters to see how your blog will do. Beginners can use the platform to find out if they have the talent to make it blogging full time and keep up with the conversations with their fellow bloggers.

WordPress: This is one of the most popular blogging platforms in the world. The app is easy to use and allows you to do the same things as the website, including writing posts, uploading photos, editing your pages, designing your blog, and managing comments.

Blogger: You can access the basic form of Blogger for free through Google. Many people recognize this blog as blogspot.com, since that’s its subdomain. The app enables you to compose posts, edit existing posts, read through old posts, easily switch between blogging accounts, embed multimedia, edit your account, and much more.

Related: 3 Chrome Blogging Extensions to Watch Out for 2015

There are many other apps that can help make the blogging process easy as well. If you’re looking to get a little more serious with your blogging career, here are a few more apps you might want to consider.

Google Drive: This is a great way to back up all of your files and posts in case your site crashes. You can store 15GB free, or pay a small subscription for more space.

Camera+: This is an affordable app that makes it easy to edit images and make your own for your blog. High quality images are a must, so it’s important to have the right photo-editing apps.

Dictionary.com: Varied language and an extensive vocabulary are extremely important for bloggers. Dictionary.com enables you to look up words and find synonyms to help keep your language fresh and accurate at all times.

SwiftKey Keyboard: Don’t worry about the small buttons on your tablet keyboard with this app that predicts what words you’re trying to say, helping to eliminate typos and speed up the typing process.

Tape-a-Talk Voice Recorder: The ability to record voice is extremely important for tablet bloggers. It helps to cut down on typing time and even offers multi-media options for your blog.

Evernote: Stay organized with this app that allows you to type notes, set goals, create sketches, capture images, and set up a calendar. It’s a great app for promoting productivity, creativity, and helping you stay on schedule.

Blogging from your tablet will be nothing short of a breeze with these great apps. You can quickly and easily get a handle on the blogging scene and become a pro in no time.

Up next: 12 Best Apps for Your Blogging Business

The post Blogging From Your Tablet – The Ins and Outs appeared first on The Blog Herald.

Before his arrest in 2012, Badawi ran Free Saudi Liberals, a website that investigated and discussed the role that religion plays in Saudi Arabia. After his conviction, Badawi was sentenced to 600 lashes, but that punishment was later adjusted, when Badawi was sentenced to 1,000 lashes and ten years behind bars. Earlier this year, Badawi began receiving his lashes, but they have since been postponed for an unknown reason, leaving some journalists trying to predict when the flogging will resume.

Haidar has maintained that her husband can’t endure any more lashes, implying that his ongoing incarceration and floggings basically constitute a death sentence. Haidar explained to BuzzFeed that Badawi’s forthcoming flogging is “an ongoing nightmare.” Haidar has been around Capital Hill this week, and on Friday she is to plead her case with the United States’s State Department.

Badawi’s story resembles so many others from other bloggers and journalists who are writing against and to expose oppression and censorship, but it is unknown if the United States government has the political will to put even the slightest amount of pressure on Saudi Arabia. Political concerns regarding Saudi Arabia’s oil production and Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah’s support of President Barack Obama’s Iran nuclear deal could produce obstacles for the United States concerning Badawi.

Since his incarceration, Badawi has received a number of awards and honors, including a Nobel Peace Prize nomination.

The post Saudi Blogger’s Wife Looks to West for Help appeared first on The Blog Herald.

Amos Yee

In Singapore, Yee has become known for his searing video blogs that take Singapore’s leaders to task, but earlier this year, Yee’s blog landed him in prison for 53 days. In an attempt to stymie his work, Singapore’s judicial system convicted Yee of obscenity and “wounding of religious feelings.”

Yee’s video blogs are absolutely scathing and defiant but also humorous, making them subversive on various levels. His videos are relatively simple, focusing on his message and inflammatory rhetoric. Yee refuses to bow to anyone, including Singapore’s late founder Lee Kuan Yew, a revered figure in Singapore, or his followers. In response to Yew’s death and the memorials commemorating his passing, Yee wonders why Singaporeans respect Yew, and Yee has an incredibly unapologetic opening line for his “Amos Yee – Lee Kuan Yew Is Finally Dead!”: “Lee Kuan Yew is dead. Finally! Why hasn’t anyone said, ‘Fuck yeah! The guy is dead!’?”

Lee Kuan Yew

Later in the video, Yee goes as far to draw parallels between Yew and Jesus Christ, arguing that, eventually, people will see that both Yew and Jesus were actually “power-hungry and malicious” and not, as they and their followers would have you believe, gentle and kind.

Since his release from jail, Yee has continued to critique his government and Yew, unafraid of enduring more time behind bars. In an interview with CNN’s Paula Newton, Yee explains that he had “a sense” that he would get into trouble as a result of his viral rants, but he explains his speaking out was worth the risk.

In the same interview, Yee speaks plainly about his fear that he may, once again, be detained for speaking out against his government, but that fear isn’t stopping him. Though he seems too humble to talk about his tremendous courage, it’s obvious that for a teenager to continue to defy his government’s censorship of freedom of expression, even after enduring incarceration, he must be extraordinarily brave.

As Yee’s story gains traction around the world, Singapore’s government is coming under heavy scrutiny from abroad. According to the 2015 World Press Freedom Index, a freedom of information watchdog, Singapore ranks at 153 out of 179 countries for press freedom, coming in between the Russian Federation and Libya.

Yee’s not the only Singaporean speaking out against the government. In 2014, Steph Micayle, a talented musician with a sizable following on YouTube, made two videos entitled “Why I am not proud to be Singaporean.”

Check out Amos Yee’s YouTube Channel here.

The post Singaporean Amos Yee Fights for Free Speech appeared first on The Blog Herald.

As a business or technology stakeholder, if you are considering investment in your content and experience management platform, this webinar will leave you with invaluable insights on key content and technology best practices.

This Tuesday, October 6, 2015, join Scott Abel, The Content Wrangler, and Ted Schadler, Vice President and Principal Analyst for Forrester, for a free, one-hour webinar during which you’ll learn about the latest trends, data and perspectives that turn content and experiences into revenue. The presenter will help you understand the fundamental content and technology principles that will differentiate your brand today and for years to come. You’ll leave inspired and equipped with specific actions you can take from the world’s leading authority on content and experience delivery.

Register today!

This webinar is brought to you in cooperation with Forrester, Kanban Solutions, Hippo CMS, and The Content Wrangler.

bookkeeping

Ledesma is an openly gay Catholic, and his blog is an extended meditation on the perceived conflict between these two parts of his identity. Intimate by design, “The Gay Catholic” doesn’t shy from yoking religion and sexual orientation, still a touchy subject for many.

Ledesma’s upcoming meeting with the leader of the free world and the leader of the Roman Catholic Church is absolutely historic, and it’s finally made possible because of the substantial change in America’s feelings towards the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, ally and pansexual community as a whole.

Earlier this year, the Supreme Court’s Obergefell v. Hodges decision and Pope Francis’s “Who am I to judge?” stance have marked a turning point for the nation and the world, making Ledesma’s meeting with Obama and the Pope not only possible but also a cultural touchstone that the world won’t soon forget.

In the midst of a new presidential campaign season, complicated spiritual and political positions are, once again, being presented over-simplistically, making it easier to separate individuals from politics. Ledesma’s blog, a frank and unapologetic reflection on the state of Catholicism, is refreshing because it gives a face to gay Catholics all across the United States (if not the world). We’re not just talking about an issue; we’re talking about people’s lives. Ledesma’s “The Gay Catholic” reminds us of that.

“The Gay Catholic” is an example of a personal blog that truly connects with other people. With a few notable exceptions, most personal blogs never gain traction because other people can’t relate to them, but Ledesma’s new blog is personal and honest while it’s simultaneously relatable for many people. Though this blog is written specifically about a gay man’s faith, it is a thoughtful and provoking read for anyone, no matter one’s religious beliefs or sexual orientation.

Follow Ledesma’s “The Gay Catholic” on Twitter @_TheGayCatholic.

The post Gay Catholic Blogger to Visit White House appeared first on The Blog Herald.

Just before Nick Offerman and I chatted and snacked on bacon on stage, I posed this question – a paraphrase of Jay Baer – to the thousands at Content Marketing World:

Are you just going to go back and make some content, or are you going to make a difference?

I issue the question as a challenge to all in the content marketing community – whether or not you were one of the 3,500 people from 53 countries who made the trip to Cleveland, Ohio, for an amazing week to learn from more than 150 speakers, John Cleese, Nick Offerman, the Barenaked Ladies, and the world premiere of the first content marketing documentary, The Story of Content.

Do you and your brand use content to make a positive difference in people’s lives?

You have more opportunity to change the word than most. This is your moment.

Throughout the week, the presenters and attendees engaged in discussions about how to make a difference with your content marketing that varied from the practical to the inspirational. What I realized is that all their counsel, tips, anecdotes, etc., can be boiled down to two words:

Be authentic.

Be real. Be genuine. Don’t be false or copied. Be true. Be accurate. Be an original.

That should be the mantra for you and your brand. It requires you to focus on the core of what matters – from how to create content that truly resonates with members of your audience (they can see through content designed only to get them to open their wallets) to how to know what metrics truly affect your business goals (“likes” and traffic probably aren’t it).

Start with this question

In her keynote presentation, Kristina Halvorson offered a single question which, if you have yet to ask it, will revolutionize your content marketing: “Why are we doing this in the first place?” If you don’t start by asking “Why?”, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to deliver relevant content to the right audience when they need it.

She shared the story of a company which wanted to grow its content marketing program so it became known as “the Red Bull of paper towels” – a reference to the gold standard of a flashy, creative, multimedia company that sells energy drinks. Yet, when Kristina asked what drove its customers to interact with the company, the answer was coupons on its website.

Don’t try to create content for what you and the executives want your brand to be, create content for what your audience members want your brand to be to them.

Kristina offered this pointed reminder: Remember that the people who are on the other side of the screen don’t follow the hashtags of the brands they use every day. They don’t think about how they “engage” with the brands. They have real problems that need solving. They have genuine stories and images they want to share. They are real people.

Put the ‘why’ in writing

Kristina explained that answering “why” is essential to creating purpose-driven content. I also contend that putting the “why” in writing is essential for successful content marketing. Our 2016 research will roll out at the end of this month, but I shared a glimpse of it. Once again, those with a documented strategy found their content marketing to be effective – four times more so than those without a written strategy.

As Doug Kessler says, “If you don’t write it down, it doesn’t exist.”

Embrace the power of less

A recurring theme was to do more with less with your content marketing. It was covered in the quality-versus-quantity discussions, the recommendations to find what content works well and do more of that (and less of what doesn’t work), and the suggestions on how to manage a team with limited resources.

In her keynote, Kristina said that too many brands want to be everywhere, but you don’t have to be.

The takeaways from these speakers are similar: Don’t try to do so much with your content that your core voice can’t be heard. Don’t focus so much on productivity numbers that you ignore the power of the stories, selective distribution, and proper promotion.

Being selective and deliberate not only gives you more focus, it can free time so you can follow the advice of John Cleese.

Be true to your creativity

Cleese may have surprised some in the audience who expected to witness the silly walk or only be entertained by the English actor and comedian. While he brought his humor, he was more thought-provoking, sharing insight into why you can’t just create something and be done with it.

He discussed the research of social scientists who study the process of creativity and reinforced their findings with his own experiences such as the time he lost a sketch script written by him and his writing partner. John rewrote the script from memory. Of course, he found the original version and when he compared the two, he realized the second one was much better.

His point? Don’t just create content in one sitting and think you’re done. Walk away. Play. Noodle the ideas. Go to sleep. Meditative thinking makes the best use of your brain power – and you can’t tap into your intelligent unconscious if you don’t take the time when you create.

Passion is a requisite for success

In his keynote presentation, Jay Baer shared what I also consider an essential element to success: passion.

As Jay explained, the explosion of content has created so much competition that competency has become commoditized. How can your content stand out? Passion. That’s the differentiator. More than any tactic, passion sets your content apart.

Content is the emotional and informational bridge between commerce and consumer. Building that bridge requires more than budget and an editorial calendar and analytics, and a strategy … It requires people who love content and what it can do. –Jay Baer

Journalist turned content marketer

Rajiv Chandrasekaran followed his passion this past year when the award-winning journalist left The Washington Post to move to Seattle and launch a media start-up backed by Starbucks. Rajiv said the CMWorld audience was the first with whom he shared his story.

Photo credit: Fallon’s Photography/Content Marketing Institute

Rajiv’s move from traditional media to a corporate-backed venture germinated when he and Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz wrote For Love of Country: What Our Veterans Can Teach Us About Citizenship, Heroism, and Sacrifice to share the stories of veterans in the United States. Starbucks went beyond selling the book in its 7,000 stores. It created a more thorough context around the issue of veterans – committing to hiring veterans, donating millions to veterans’ organizations, and more. As Rajiv explained, it wasn’t about selling more coffee or even a book, the initiative created an authentic context around social justice. It wasn’t a marketing ploy.

Rajiv also revealed his simple steps to creating social-impact content. It’s a process that all brands should follow – whether you’re talking about social issues or paper towels:

• Choose authentic subjects and find authentic stories.
• Partner with authentic storytellers.
• Take an authentic point of view (avoid least common denominator).
• Have an authentic call to action.

Authenticity really works

I love the simplicity in Doug Kessler’s six statements about why insane honesty is the way to go for content marketers:

Conclusion

Let me conclude by thanking the thousands who attended, spoke, and worked to make Content Marketing World a truly authentic event. Together, we can make a difference in the future of the content marketing industry – and more importantly, in the future of the people who come in contact with us, our brands, and our content. It just requires us all to be real.

Oh, and yes, this was real too – the bacon and beer are what made it truly authentic.

Folks, I had a dandy Cleveland time at #CMWorld. Thank you kindly @JoePulizzi & co for the beer, bacon & mirth. pic.twitter.com/Nst3drI2YN

— Nick Offerman (@Nick_Offerman) September 11, 2015

We will be bringing you a lot more from Content Marketing World over the coming weeks. Subscribe to our newsletter so you don’t miss anything.

Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing World

The post Two Words Sum Up Content Marketing World appeared first on Content Marketing Institute.

When you want to create killer content for your blog, website, or social media platforms, you spend hours in research, conceptualizing, writing, and editing. If you post the text without any visual incentives, you can rest assured that it won’t reach a great number of readers. The fact that photos attract over 50% more likes and over 100% more comments on Facebook should be enough to convince you to change your approach.

You cannot just locate any photo online and use it in your own publication. You can’t violate copyrights, remember? Thanks to this list of 5 tools to make visual content, you’ll be able to create your own images and attract a wider audience!

1. Canva

Of course this had to be the first tool in this selection. This awesome software enables you to create seven types of visual content: presentations, flyers, blog graphics, Facebook covers, business cards, invitations, and posters. Let’s explain how they can improve your content creation strategy.

First of all – Facebook covers! It doesn’t matter whether you are trying to promote a blog, a business, or yourself on this platform; you cannot limit your imagination to a lame cover photo with animals, flowers or a cloudy sky. When a fan lands at your page, the cover is the first thing he sees. With Canva, you get every tool you need to easily turn your idea into a stunning design.

Presentations are also cool. If you planned to write an elaborate article on a complex topic, try replacing it with a nice presentation. You can add beautiful designs thanks to the ‘search and drag’ feature. Canva also offers photo editing features that enable you to boost the color and design of the images you intend to use.

What is the best part? This is a collaborative tool. You can easily create a collaborative project with a designer or a client. All you need is imagination. If you don’t know how to use the tools, visit the Design School section of the website.

2. Pictaculous

Who knew there was an entire science behind color usage? Not every combination of shades appeals to a human eye. If you’re not educated in art, it’s difficult for you to create lovely designs. That’s what Pictaculous serves for. When you upload an image at this website, you’ll get a color palette that you can use for the page’s graphics, font color, and the other images you include. This palette will provide a base that will make the entire website, look coherent and appealing.

The color recommendations will come with HEX codes included, so you won’t have any troubles creating the best design. It would be wise to get such palette before creating a website, presentation, infographic, Facebook cover, or any other design.

3. Easel.ly

Infographics are huge at the moment! Online users love them, since this type of content offers tons of information accompanied with a visual element that makes everything clearer. It’s not easy to create a stunning infographic, but you can always use tools that make things simple for you. Easel.ly is one of the best ones.

This is a What You See Is What You Get tool, so you won’t worry about the product being suitable for a web page; you’ll know it’s perfect as you design it. You can easily maneuver the elements you choose to use in your infographic. If you don’t like how a particular element fits into the design, try dragging it around to find a better position. You can choose your background and add some of the objects available in the library. However, you can also use your own images.

As a result, you’ll get a professionally-looking infographic that’s ready to get published.

4. Haiku Deck

Aren’t you tired of the plain old PowerPoint? Sure, the software provides most tools you need, but you always end up with a boring presentation that doesn’t convey your enthusiasm for the topic. Try Haiku Deck – a tool that enables you to create presentations and slideshows that will capture and hold the attention of your audience.

The tool is perfect for implementing small amounts of text into awesome visual content. You can choose from the free backgrounds offered in the library, or upload your own images that will be used as a background. With Haiku Deck, you will enhance the emotional impact of the content, while keeping the design clean and consistent. The tool is available for web and iPad.

5. PicMonkey

PicMonkey makes photo editing more fun than ever. This software enables you to boost the quality and appeal of your photos without being frustrated with complex tools (hint: Photoshop). Most of its features are free, so you’ll be able to use the filters you like, recolor the images, add text, insert graphics, and do much more.

The features are separated in four categories: edit, touch up, design, and collage. The free trial enables you to use all features for 30 days, so you’ll decide whether or not you want to purchase a monthly or annual plan.

Why do you need to edit your photos with PicMonkey? Simply because it makes them cooler! You don’t want to post plain images on Instagram and other social networks. Instagram’s filters are okay, but you can achieve a much better effect when you use this software.

Visual content enables your message to reach a greater audience. Haven’t you caught yourself scrolling through a page and paying attention only to the images and infographics? Unfortunately, that’s what most people do. Thanks to the above-listed tools, you’ll hold a visitor’s attention for much longer!

Here are more tools to help you: Paid Blogging Tools to Stake Your Lives On

The post 5 Tools for Making Your Content Visual appeared first on The Blog Herald.

When choosing a website builder, almost no element is as important as its search engine optimization (“SEO”) capability. SEO refers to how well your website will rank on search engines like Google and therefore determines how many visitors will come to your website “organically,” or without requiring you to shell out money PPC providers. Organic traffic is often the key to a website’s success… and given the ever-changing nature of good SEO, the more help you can get from a website builder, the better.

Historically, many do-it-yourself website builders had issues with SEO because their page elements were difficult for search engines to crawl or because of how the code was generated. Today, some website builders have vastly improved their SEO capabilities and a few even tacked on additional features to help users create websites that are SEO-friendly.

Below is a detailed rundown of some of the website builders who offer special features for SEO and an explanation as to why these just might be the top website builders as far as SEO is concerned.

Wix.com

Wix.com is a free website builder which has really begun to dominate the market in the last year. If you’re going to talk about website builders, their platform often heads the list. As far as SEO is concerned, Wix packs a lot of firepower. Unlike GoDaddy’s basic service, Wix include more advanced features making it a great platform for everything including portfolio websites, hotel and restaurant sites, and online stores. They also offer an integrated blog feature that can be added to any site. Regardless of what kind of website you want to build, Wix has tools to help ensure that your site is 100% SEO optimized – desktop and mobile.

Wix makes it very easy for you to add H1s, page titles, meta descriptions and alt text to every page or image on your website. The leading website builder also created an SEO Wizard which walks you step by step through the process of optimizing their site. The Wizard gives actionable advice and task lists based on your website’s content and includes in depth analytical tools.

Wix generates sitemaps for improved online visibility, allows for automatic submissions to linked social media accounts, and has number of search engine features which monitor your appearance in the search engine results pages, provides your website with easy meta tag and robots.txt management.

Jimdo

Jimdo is the small fry compared to the big name linked above, but like the others they have a wide variety of customizable templates. Jimdo makes this list because they bring a great library of SEO tools to the table which shouldn’t be discounted. With Jimdo, you can easily customize meta tags and add alt tags for images. Jimdo also easily integrates blogs onto various pages of your website and if you’re good about managing your blogroll, this can provide an immediate bump up. And like Wix.com, Jimdo allows for the easy integration of social media accounts and has a great social sharing option for your pages. But the best part is that the Jimdo SEO software allows you to make SEO-relevant changes to your specific pages and posts, without limiting you purely to sitewide options.

GoDaddy

A huge majority of individuals go to GoDaddy for hosting and domain names, and with their frequent coupons, it’s easy to snag a great deal. But the Godaddy is also gaining some attention in the industry. For example, their website building tool assists you in identifying the right keywords for your website right from the get-go, helping you to streamline your content to include the buzzwords which will bring you organic traffic. It also offers special fields to help you submit your website to search engines, and offers a full battery of great features: analytics, sitemaps, visitor reports which track your rankings… and those of your top competitors! And there’s more: it tracks links to your site, submissions, and gives you a great SEO checklist to help you make sure your website is optimized. If you’re new to website ownership or the SEO game, this might be the most thorough tool on the market to help you get a leg up.

The Bottom Line

If you’re already bundling your services with GoDaddy, they might be the best website builder for you in terms of SEO options. If you don’t need industry-specific assistance and aren’t intending to put a lot of time into your website, Jimdo’s website builder might be for you. But if you aren’t tied to any other service providers, Wix.com is a clear leader in terms of SEO-related options from a website builder.

How to Cope Up with the Changes in SEO

The post Top Website Builders for SEO appeared first on The Blog Herald.

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PNR: This Old Marketing with Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose can be found on both iTunes and Stitcher.

In this pre-Content Marketing World episode of #ThisOldMarketing, Robert and I discuss NewsCred’s new $42 million dollar round of investment and outline the challenges it’s likely to face as it aims to become an integrated content platform. Next, we explain why Google’s launch of native ads inside Gmail could potentially be a very good thing – if marketers use it well – and, we ponder which of the 10 commandments of content marketing are worth following. Next, we take a closer look at the rumor that Apple may launch original programming and potential business models to make it happen. Finally, we analyze a new survey that claims content development will top 2016 marketing budgets. Rants and raves include an “ode to Joe” and why publishers must change their business models now – or go the way of the dinosaurs. We wrap up the show with a #ThisOldMarketing example of the week from Weight Watchers.

This week’s show

(Recorded live September 4, 2015; Length: 1:01:08)

Download this week’s PNR This Old Marketing podcast.

If you enjoy our PNR podcasts, we would love if you would rate it, or post a review, on iTunes. 

1. Content marketing in the news

• NewsCred raises $42 million and sets its sights beyond content marketing (4:06): NewsCred has announced it has raised $42 million in equity funding to help it expand beyond content marketing. It plans to expand its cloud-based platform to integrate the functions of planning and managing content and to provide a marketplace to help marketers find the content they need. Robert and I discuss the challenges of integrating content creation, optimization, and delivery across all channels. Will NewsCred be the first to reach this Holy Grail?

• Google launches new native ad format in Gmail (13:52): Google has rolled out a new ad format in Gmail to all advertisers. A few years ago, Google launched a new kind of native ad in Gmail that sat at the top of the inbox and mostly looked like a regular email. Advertisers can now buy these new Gmail ads directly from AdWords. Robert and I agree it’s a promising new platform where marketers can tell compelling stories targeted to very specific audiences, needs, and behaviors – but only if they use it well (it’s likely many won’t).

• The 10 commandments of content marketing (18:52): Digital analyst Brian Solis recently published the 10 commandments of content marketing, as he puts it, “to shake the mediocrity out of the marketing ecosystem.” Robert and I liked the overall sentiment of his post, but we both noticed that several of the commandments didn’t quite align with their descriptions or contradicted each other.

• Apple eyes move into original programming (27:16): Apple is exploring the potential of producing original entertainment content, according to this article from Variety. In recent weeks, Apple representatives have met with a number of Hollywood execs to assess their interest in helping the company develop original shows. Is Apple targeting Netflix, as this article suggests, or are they setting their sights on something bigger? Robert and I agree it’s the latter, but we differ in our assessments of the technology giant’s ambitions. We discuss a number of intriguing possibilities.

• How CMOs are spending across the customer buying cycle (35:22): More than half of marketers plan to boost marketing budgets and content is making up the biggest piece of the pie, according to a new study by IBM and the CMO Club. Content development will make up the largest portion of the marketing budget (13.3%), followed by traditional advertising (11.5%), the study predicts. Robert and I are encouraged by the results of this study, but there’s a reason we’re both concerned by the growth of content budgets, too.

2. Sponsor (39:07)

• This Old Marketing is sponsored by StudioD, a division of Demand Media. In The Content Marketing Files: Lessons Learned from the Last Decade, you’ll learn the ins and outs of content strategy, creation, and distribution. You’ll find over a decade of data and thought leader tips to help you nail your strategy, track ROI, and publish content that resonates with your target audiences. Download this guide now at http://go.studiod.com/ebook.

3. Rants and raves (40:44)

• Robert’s rave: Robert waxes philosophical on the first time he met me in person at the first Content Marketing World event in 2011. He recalls its meteoric growth and the amazing community of practitioners it has spawned. From fascinating speakers and networking with incredibly smart practitioners to entertainment and fun, it’s been an amazing ride for Robert, full of memorable experiences. He and I continue to be amazed that we get to do this for a living.

• Joe’s rant: I’m concerned that publishers are making a big mistake by hanging on to their old ad-supported business models for too long. I recently paged through an industry-leading trade magazine which contained only 21 pages of editorial content and 55 pages of ads. At the same time, its annual event is floundering as its readers tire of the constant barrage of ads. Another example: Rumors are circulating that the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) may sue the makers of ad blocking software (I wonder if they remember how this strategy played out in the music industry a decade ago?). Why not innovate instead? If your publication is supported by advertising, now is the time to change your business model!

4. This Old Marketing example of the week (53:44)

• Weight Watchers: Weight Watchers magazine was founded in 1968. It was a collaboration between Al Lippert, the chairman of Weight Watchers at the time, and Marty Simmons, who later founded the National Lampoon magazine. It was one of the first consumer magazines to be circulated via newsstands and supermarkets. It started with 75,000 subscribers; by the early 1990s it had over 4.5 million subscribers, almost 90% of them women – a very focused demographic. Weight Watchers magazine served its target audience well, focusing on weight-loss tips, physician-approved recipes, and ideas for living a healthier lifestyle. After languishing for a number of years, it was relaunched at the beginning of 2015 with a new look and a refreshed editorial direction. It’s an amazing example of a magazine that has not only driven a brand, but also a topic or approach and has spawned a whole family of products. It’s an awesome example of #ThisOldMarketing.

For a full list of PNR archives, go to the main This Old Marketing page.

How do I subscribe?

The post This Week in Content Marketing: Survey Finds Spending on Content to Outpace Advertising appeared first on Content Marketing Institute.

Forget ‘customer satisfaction’, what matters is ‘life satisfaction’.

Here’s a great study in the latest edition of the wonderfully titled academic ‘Journal of Happiness & Well-Being‘ that can help you understand and deliver customer happiness.

The key takeout for marketers is customer happiness is not about satisfaction with a product or brand, it’s about how we help enhance the life satisfaction of our customers.

The study investigated the idea of human happiness and summarised recent psychology of that shows that to achieve high levels of ‘Subjective Well Being’ (SWB) – as happiness is known in psychology, we need to experience three things

1. Frequent positive affect
2. Low levels of negative affect
3. High satisfaction with life

We need all three to be happy. Interestingly, the study found that people seem to be intuitively aware that these are the three factors that drive overall happiness.

Why is this relevant for marketers?  Simply put, we may over focus on immediate ‘affect’ – people’s emotional response to our ads or products – (removing negative affect, adding positive affect – or in plain English are we are creating smiles or relieving pains). This is good, but not sufficient, and it is very brand-centric.  Instead, we need to take a human-first perspective, and understand how what we do fits into people’s lives and influences their perceptions of life satisfaction.

Good marketing and good products enhance life satisfaction.

Tall order, but at least by asking the right questions, we’ll be on the right path

1. Are we increasingly positive affect?
2. Are we reducing negative affect?
3. Are we increasing satisfaction with life?

The measure of good marketing is not ‘brand satisfaction’ or ‘customer satisfaction’, it’s ‘life satisfaction’.

        

In content marketing, success isn’t always easy to define. But one of the surest signs your program is on the right track is when your fellow content marketers recognize it as worthy of their attention and their praise.

This year, we present the 11th annual Content Marketing Awards, celebrating excellence in 75 distinct areas of our industry – the best and brightest achievements in strategy, distribution, design, and editorial from a field of over 1,200 submissions. With so much amazing work from which to choose, the judges truly had their work cut out for them.

In addition to the 75 category winners, four distinguished awards were recognized: Project of the Year, Agency of the Year (fewer than 100 employees), Agency of the Year (more than 100 employees), and Content Marketer of the Year. These special honorees were announced in a ceremony September 10 at Content Marketing World.

Learn what made the nominees stand out from the competition – and how you can follow in their footsteps: Take a look at the Project of the Year finalists and find out a few secrets of their success.

Excedrin reorganizes approach to content (Best Content Marketing Program Strategy winner)

The work: As the fifth largest pain-relief brand by sales, the Excedrin team knew it had to work smarter and harder to compete against rivals with bigger budgets. This meant updating and modernizing its positioning for the digital, mobile era.

Excedrin reorganized its approach around content marketing, developing a comprehensive program strategy that encompassed a web-based education hub, social media, banners, video, email, and more – an innovative move for a health-care company in terms of its scope and scale.

With such a wide-reaching and meticulously executed plan (one of the most well-rounded and well-integrated approaches the judges have seen), it’s no wonder Excedrin also took the Content Marketing Award for Best Content Marketing Program Strategy.

What made it work: Rather than jumping right into content creation, the Excedrin team started by researching the target market’s need for specialized headache relief. The team created an audience map that expanded on where and how the audience prefers to consume media formats, topics, mediums, tonality, and so on.

To take the research from observations to practical insights, editorial strategists recommended story themes and creative territories most likely to drive interest. These efforts ultimately helped to define and validate the overall content marketing strategy, which in turn ensured that the content, once created, would help the brand achieve its business goals.

How you can work it: As we’ve learned through CMI’s annual research, not only do you need a content marketing strategy to be successful, you also need to document it so that your team can align its efforts across the enterprise.

Every strategy is unique to the business that creates it. However, every strategy should include these five components:

Sprint Business content brand catapults in 2015 (Best Launch of the Year winner)

The work: Sprint was looking to create a great content brand to which business decision-makers would return for fresh ideas about applying information technology to business challenges. Its huge launch involved a new brand, a new look, a new website, and a full content marketing program, including messaging, SlideShare presentations, e-books, videos, a new resource center, and a new blog. But what really impressed the judges – and helped earn Sprint the Best Launch of the Year – is that it was all managed masterfully by Velocity Partners in 20 weeks.

What made it work: The Sprint content marketing strategy started with a simple mission statement that made the audience the “hero,” yet still built around Sprint’s cultures and values:

We believe that your people aren’t just your biggest asset as a business. Your people are your business. Get out of their way and they’ll make you successful. Actively help them do their jobs and they’ll conquer the world.

Sprint Business content will help your business tap into the power of people. To remove the obstacles to their success so they can drive yours. The Future of Work is engaged people.

Ready when you are.

How you can work it: Along with a thorough understanding of your goals, a mission statement is one of the two most critical elements of a successful content marketing plan. Defining your content mission helps you prioritize the content you should create and serves as an ongoing reminder of content topics and types that aren’t likely to serve your business goals.

In Epic Content Marketing, I share that a mission statement should outline a company’s reason for existing, as well as the priorities and perspectives it upholds in pursuit of that mission. As such, you need to make sure your mission statement covers these three components:

Lenovo’s Think Progress content marketing program strategy (Project of the Year finalist)

The work: When computer-technology company Lenovo was looking to increase its brand awareness and strengthen its lead-generation process, King Content stepped in to develop and fully execute a strategy that combined elements of content marketing, native advertising, social media, email marketing, and marketing automation. In six months, King Content created Think Progress: a series of eight websites (in seven languages) that serve as hubs for the brand’s ongoing global content marketing activities.

What made it work: The campaign focused on providing relevant, actionable, and insightful editorial content and resources to its target audience, addressing their key questions and helping them make more informed purchasing decisions. The effort both strengthened the company’s public profile among IT professionals and helped it develop and support stronger customer relationships. As a result of the program, Lenovo was able to increase the value of the leads it received by 63% and increased conversion rates for its outbound-calling program, while simultaneously reducing the telemarketing hours by approximately 50%.

How you can work it: If you really want your content marketing to stand out in a crowded marketplace, you need to focus on helping your target audience reach their goals, not just on furthering your own. The best way to do this is through utility marketing – providing something that customers not only would want to use but would also find so valuable that it becomes an important part of their lives.

As I once described, here are a few keys to making utility marketing work:

Mindful by Sodexo (Project of the Year finalist)

The work: As one of the world’s largest food-services and facilities-management companies, Sodexo considers healthy, delicious food to be central to its brand identity. But the goal for Mindful by Sodexo was to take the concept of wellness beyond food, positioning it as a tool to help clients motivate their employees and students to make healthier choices – both inside Sodexo cafes and in their own lives.

What made it work: The content in this multifaceted campaign speaks to all aspects of wellness, from healthy eating and fitness to stress reduction and career success. By leveraging social media platforms to surface seasonally and topically relevant content, the platform (managed by Rodale Grow) has been able to provide a wide variety of fresh social, email, and website content on an ongoing basis.

It’s this diversity – along with a friendly, approachable tone – that enables the program to truly support the company’s content marketing mission: to build a loyal, engaged audience by making a healthy lifestyle more appealing and accessible to them. And it’s working. To date, the Mindful by Sodexo weekly e-newsletter has more than 11,000 subscribers; its Facebook page has more than 45,000 fans, and website page views have increased by 28% year on year.

How you can work it: Members of your audience have varying preferences on how, when, and where they consume content. Over time, you should aim to offer options in terms of content formats, as well as delivery platforms and schedules.

When you are starting your content marketing program, it makes sense to focus your content creation around a single platform or format that you can really dominate in your industry. I refer to this as Building the Base, which has four basic tenets for establishing credibility and building up authority:

Once you have started to build a strong, loyal, and growing audience, you need to expand your efforts to better serve the audience’s interests and individual preferences. I refer to this as diversification, and recommend establishing three sturdy content channels or “legs” for your “publishing stool” – one digital, one print-based, and one in-person platform.

Autodesk initiates Line//Shape//Space (Best Mobile Strategy winner)

The work: It should come as no surprise that a company like Autodesk, a leader in three-dimensional design, engineering, and entertainment software, would build its content marketing program around the future – of design, architecture, emerging trends, the Internet of Things, and other innovation-centric topics. Naturally, Autodesk’s storytelling is packaged in a way that is accessible, insightful, and elegantly designed.

But what truly stands out about its Line//Shape//Space content initiative is just how future-focused its team is on making things easier and more personalized for its audience. This includes an innovative, mobile-first strategy that is ever-mindful of providing readers with a seamless storytelling experience as they move between devices, which helped to earn the company the Best Mobile Strategy award.

What made it work: The Line//Shape//Space team engineered its user experience from the ground up, making it simple to sign up to Line//Shape//Space and clearly articulating to readers the added benefits, such as the ability to save stories to read later, get a more personalized experience based on articles they’ve read, receive digest emails, and vote for content they like or don’t like. All of these benefits also help the editorial team understand how individual readers are interacting with the content across their devices and allows the team to optimize the experience for users as they become more deeply engaged.

How you can work it: True personalization can be a complex and challenging endeavor in content marketing for many reasons, not the least of which is that the technique requires analyzing and applying a lot of audience data.

We asked some of the experts in the CMI community for their advice on applying content personalization in a manageable way. Here are a few tips they offered:

Toasty.TV parodies originals (Best Content Marketing Video Series winner)

The work: Quiznos’ Toasty.TV Original Parodies channel launched with House of Thrones, a mash-up of two popular shows – House of Cards and Game of Thrones. House of Thrones went viral with over 1.5 million views in the first two weeks, and was even mentioned in a tweet by House of Cards’ Kevin Spacey. More mash-ups, like Mad X-Men and Waze Runner followed (along with millions of viewers), helping the brand get its name into the pop-culture conversation, driving consumers into its stores, and cementing its dedication to moving away from traditional advertising. That’s why it won the Content Marketing Award for Best Content Marketing Video Series.

What made it work: The main objective for Quiznos’ content initiative was to produce culturally relevant entertainment that would get consumers talking about the brand. Driving store visits, a key performance indicator, took a back seat to creating high-quality content that would capture the attention of its target audience. Having tasted viral success as far back as 2004 with its “spongmonkeys” television commercials, video was familiar territory, making it the perfect platform to further its brand awareness and consumer engagement goals.

How you can work it: As CMI’s Chief Strategy Officer Robert Rose has said, video has truly emerged to become both a huge opportunity and a considerable challenge for brands in their content marketing efforts. While consumption of streaming video is on the rise and even B2B marketers are starting to embrace the audience-building power of original video, the competition for attention is getting tougher (Google estimates that more than 300 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute), and the number of platforms available for video consumption is growing, as well.

How can marketers start smart, scale up, and stand out by using video as an intelligent piece of a content marketing approach? Robert shared a few pieces of advice gleaned from the results of CMI’s latest white paper, Start Smart, Scale Up, and Stand Out With Video:

More winning content creators

I also would like to take a minute to recognize the amazing agencies and Content Marketers of the Year that took top honors last night.

Agencies – fewer than 100 employees

Winner: King Content

Finalists:

• Head Office NL
• Imprint
• Influence & Co.
• Velocity Partners

Agencies – more than 100 employees

Winner: New Content

Finalists:

• C3 Creative Code and Content GmbH
• Marcus Thomas LLC
• Meredith Xcelerated Marketing
• Pace

Content Marketer of the Year

Winner: Vishal Khanna, Wake Forest Innovations

Finalists:

• David Beebe, Marriott International
• Patty Brown, CSC
• Kathy Button Bell, Emerson
• Paul Crandell, GoPro
• Alia Kemet, IKEA

For a full list of 2015 award winners, visit the Content Marketing Awards website.

Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute

The post Content Marketing Projects That Are Taking the World by Storm appeared first on Content Marketing Institute.

Tension headaches, dry eyes and eye strain are all common complaints from people who regularly use computers. The computer screen’s blue-violet light is usually the culprit; it can accelerate age-related macular degeneration, but most people are totally unaware of it! Technology can greatly enhance our lives, but we have to be careful about how and when we use it. With no moderation, we can do serious damage to ourselves.

Even though that article really has to get done, or maybe it really should have been done yesterday, you should monitor the time you’re in front of a computer screen and keep it to a minimum. When you work at all hours of the day and night, you may be finishing that copy, but you may be hurting your ability to produce copy later in life. Eyestrain is a common complain among writers, but when we do things that exacerbate the problem, we can really only blame ourselves. The truth is, there are a number of relatively simple steps that we can take to reduce eyestrain and help to restore our sanity.

Eyestrain or CVS?

If you’re constantly struggling from eyestrain, you may need to see a doctor. Having eye pain or redness isn’t uncommon, especially for people who stare at computer screens all day, but for some people, eyestrain is more than a casual irritation. For these people, their eyestrain is caused by a condition called computer vision syndrome (CVS). If you notice that after using your computer your vision blurs or your eyes are more painful that normal, contact your ophthalmologist immediately. If you already wear glasses or contacts but you’re still experiencing varying levels of eyestrain, you may need a new prescription, so don’t assume that your eyestrain is normal.

The 20-20-20 Rule

The 20-20-20 Rule has been around for decades, but it’s something that we don’t typically think about when we’re working. If you’re not familiar with the 20-20-20 Rule, it’s fairly simple to grasp: every 20 minutes you take your eyes off your computer and blink rapidly; look at something about 20 feet away from you for at least 20 seconds.

Taking a break every 20 minutes, no matter how small, may seem like a problem for writers. We like to get into a flow and write until our thoughts stop, well, flowing, but it’s vital to take the health of your eyes into consideration when you’re working. A really effective way to incorporate the 20-20-20 Rule into your work routine is by coordinating it with another time-managing technique. For example, if you’re familiar with the Pomodoro Technique for time management and productivity, you can easily use it to gauge how often you give your eyes a break from the computer screen, just adjust the typical 25-minute intervals to 20 minutes. After every 20-minute work period, or “pomodoro,” simply take that opportunity to look away from your display.

Related: The Best Productivity Trends and Hacks of 2015

Awareness App

If taking a break every few minutes is a pain for you and you’re not into the Pomodoro Technique, there are a few great apps available for your computer that will practically force you to take a break. Awareness is a great app that’s available for free for Windows and Mac. The app is a small timer that counts minutes between breaks and alerts you when you should take another break. While that seems simple enough, Awareness actually monitors your activity so that you feel more obligated to take your break!

If you’re spending hours in front of your computer screen every day, it’s really essential to take breaks and focus on not straining your eyes. When you’re working long hours or through the night, you may wear your red eyes as badges of honor, but you’re really hurting your ability to work in the long run

From the archives: Twitter Co-Founder Says Staring At Tweets All Day Is Bad For Your Health

Image source

The post Is Blogging Taking a Toll on Your Eyes? appeared first on The Blog Herald.

Our 2015 B2B content marketing research showed that the average B2B company uses 13 content marketing tactics (i.e., blogs, in-person events, videos, etc.) That’s a lot.

Now, this is not necessarily a good or bad thing, but it is interesting. More than not, enterprises are sporadically distributing content over a number of platforms with a number of content types. Could there be a better way? Absolutely.

If we look at some of the greatest media and branded content marketing examples, a simpler, better model may actually exist.

Where to start?

As Michael Hyatt said in his book and blog, both titled Platform, your ideas and stories need a place to live if you are going to succeed. According to Michael, “Without a platform – something that enables you to get seen and heard – you don’t have a chance. Having an awesome product, an outstanding service, or a compelling cause is no longer enough.”

The greatest media entities of all time selected one primary channel in which to build their platform:

• The Wall Street Journal – print (newspaper)
• Time – print (magazine)
• TED Talks – in person (events)
• ESPN – cable television (programming)
• The Huffington Post – online (magazine)
• Rush Limbaugh – radio (program)

As you can see from these examples, you have two choices to make when building your platform:

1. How will you tell your stories? Will it be through written word, video, audio, or in person?

2. Where will you tell your stories? What channel will you choose to distribute your content?

Matthew Patrick from Game Theory decided to create consistent videos and distribute them on YouTube.

Darren Rowse from Digital Photography School uses mostly articles with images, leveraging a website developed in WordPress.

John Lee Dumas from Entrepreneur On Fire (EOF) does a podcast every day; he distributes it mainly through iTunes, Stitcher, and SoundCloud, and delivers show notes on a website.

Content types

The majority of success stories fall into these following content types:

• Articles or blogs (or content-based websites) – CMI’s main platform for building an audience is by distributing content via a blog. Blog post frequency started at three times per week and now a post runs every day.

• E-newsletter – Social Media Examiner delivers daily content via email to over 400,000 business owners and marketers.

• Videos- Every week, Game Theory’s Matthew Patrick distributes a fresh video via YouTube.

• Podcasts – Every day, Enterpreneur On Fire’s John Lee Dumas presents a new podcast interview.

Companies using a platform strategy diversify their content type onto other properties once they attract a large enough audience with the primary type. In the beginning, it’s important to focus on creating amazing and relevant content with mostly one content type (podcast, video, blog, etc).

For detailed information on the specific pros and cons of each content type, download CMI’s complimentary Content Marketing Playbook.

Content channel

Now that you know how you are going to tell your story, you need to decide how you are going to deliver the content – the channel. Over the long term, you’ll be distributing your content through a number of channels, but right now you need to make a decision about the core channel.

You need to consider two major questions when making this decision:

• What channel offers the best opportunity to reach my target audience?

• What channel gives me the most control over presenting my content and building my audience?

A blog like Copyblogger has more control but less reach than content programs like Game Theory’s videos and Entrepreneur On Fire’s podcasts.

Brian Clark’s Copyblogger has almost infinite control over its channel, a WordPress site that it owns. At the same time, Copyblogger needs to build a system to attract people to its content because its website doesn’t reside within another ecosystem that can naturally bring it traffic.

On the other hand, Entrepreneur On Fire (podcast) and Game Theory (video) have a greater reach possibility than Copyblogger since they publish in an environment with a built-in audience. EOF publishes via iTunes, where millions of people search for new podcasts every day. Same thing for Game Theory. Its target audience of teenagers is already on YouTube every day. As long as Game Theory continues to create compelling content that YouTube will deliver, it should grow an audience there.

The problem with EOF and Game Theory is that they are leveraging platforms that they have little or no control over. Game Theory has over 4 million subscribers. That’s amazing, but technically Game Theory doesn’t control those subscriber relationships; YouTube does. YouTube could decide tomorrow that it doesn’t want Game Theory to have access to those people, or it might decide to promote other content, such as Jimmy Fallon, to Matthew Patrick’s audience instead of Game Theory.

Consider the example of the duo SMOSH: The YouTube sensations built an audience of 20 million subscribers on YouTube. Over the past couple of years, calls to action at the end of their video content always went to their owned website, where people could sign up for an email subscription program that SMOSH controlled. The point here is that if you choose a low-control channel as the main driver of your content distribution, be aware that at some point you’ll want to convert that platform’s subscribers to your own subscribers.

Beware of social channels

Although social channels, such as Facebook and LinkedIn, are great places to build your digital footprint and followers, you ultimately have no control over what those companies do with your connections. Sure, LinkedIn lets your connections see all the content you publish on LinkedIn, but LinkedIn could change its mind tomorrow. It has every right to do so as a private business, and you, a free member of the LinkedIn community, have no rights.

Social channels like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Instagram, and newer channels like Tumblr and Medium may be solid considerations for your platform choice depending on whom you are targeting, but it’s important to understand the dangers.

The safest best

Look at the fastest-growing media companies of today, such as BuzzFeed or Vice Media, or more mature new media platforms, such as The Huffington Post. You can even look at traditional publishers like The New York Times or Time magazine. They are all good at leveraging social channels and building an audience on those channels, but they don’t build their main platform on social channels.

In every case, they build websites or print properties (both with subscribers) that they can own and control, and they leverage other channels to drive people back to the sites they own so they can convert passersby into an audience they can monetize.

Platforms in action

OpenView Venture Partners invests in growth-oriented technology companies. Back in 2009, OpenView launched a content platform called OpenView Labs, which regularly delivers articles to attract subscribers to an e-newsletter offering (which now boasts over 36,000 subscribers … not bad for a venture capital company).

Kraft Heinz (formerly Kraft Foods), one of the leading collections of food brands in the world, owns KraftRecipes. According to Julie Fleischer, senior director of data + content, KraftRecipes employs 20 culinary professionals who work with Kraft products every day. There are 30,000 recipes on the company’s website, where Kraft generates direct revenue from advertising, as well as print advertising in its magazine, Kraft Food & Family.

John Deere launched The Furrow magazine in 1895. Still published, it now is produced in print and digital formats in 14 languages and distributed to 40 countries. The Furrow always has focused on how farmers can learn the latest technology to grow their farms and businesses.

Hollywood celebrity Gwyneth Paltrow recently launched her own Content Inc. strategy, called Goop. Originally conceived in 2008 as a weekly e-newsletter on travel recommendations and shopping tips, Goop has evolved into a fully functioning media site with over 1 million subscribers.

The big idea

Of course, enterprises and businesses of all sizes need to tell stories in different ways, leveraging different platforms, depending on the goal. But the real success comes with building a platform that attracts an audience over time. To do that, you need the following formula:

• One main content type
• One main content platform
• Consistent delivery of valuable content
• Delivery over a long period

It’s an amazingly simple model that hardly any company uses, yet it has proven to be successful. If you want to build an audience that knows, likes, and trusts you, and then see behavior change in that audience over time, this model may be your best bet.

Portions of this article are from Joe Pulizzi’s new book, Content Inc.: How Entrepreneurs Use Content to Build Massive Audiences and Create Radically Successful Businesses, available now on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. For more information about the book, including a free chapter, visit Content Inc.

Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute

The post A Simple Content Marketing Model Most Companies Ignore appeared first on Content Marketing Institute.

PNR: This Old Marketing with Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose can be found on both iTunes and Stitcher.

In this week’s episode, Robert and I disagree with an article that claims social media marketing is dead, and we discuss what the problem really is. Next, we applaud an article about the growth of podcasting and share our thoughts on its importance as a content marketing opportunity. Our last news item is an article by me that declares that native advertising is NOT content marketing, something we’ve been saying for some time on this show.  Rants and raves include the importance of creating engaging experiences (and what needs to happen internally to support such efforts) and an infographic that includes a seven-step process for effective content marketing, but doesn’t list strategy until step four. We wrap up the show with a #ThisOldMarketing example of the week from White Castle.

This week’s show

(Recorded live August 31, 2015; Length: 57:46)

Download this week’s PNR This Old Marketing podcast.

If you enjoy our PNR podcasts, we would love if you would rate it, or post a review, on iTunes. 

1. Content marketing in the news

• Can we admit now that social media marketing is dead? (6:44): Josh Bernoff, who co-authored Groundswell, one of the seminal books on social marketing in 2008, now believes it has become almost worthless to brands. He believes that social as a platform is effectively dead, and there’s no way to resurrect it. I believe that social media isn’t the problem; the way brands are using it is. Robert adds that as part of a solid marketing strategy, you must have clear goals for how to employ social channels. We discuss a key question that all brands must ask when planning strategies for social or any other channel.

• Podcasting embraces a new era of cool (20:58): Thanks to the success of Serial, a product of Chicago Public Media radio and This American Life, podcasting is enjoying new-found popularity. According to this article from Mashable, that’s because podcasts aren’t designed to appeal to the mainstream, but are focused on very specific audiences and niche interests. Even though the technology behind it is now a decade old, Robert and I agree that there are still big opportunities for marketers to build an audience via podcasting. I close our discussion with one must-do for aspiring podcasters.

• Advertising is not content marketing (27:43): Too many marketers and agency executives erroneously use content marketing and native advertising interchangeably. I shared my opinion on this topic in a recent post on CMI’s blog. Robert summarizes: Paying for the placement of content is advertising; content marketing is about building an audience with content of value. Robert and I agree this distinction is often lost in larger companies, where the people who handle content marketing and the media budget for ads may not even be talking to each other.

2. Sponsor (36:32)

• This Old Marketing is sponsored by StudioD, a division of Demand Media. In The Content Marketing Files: Lessons Learned from the Last Decade, you’ll learn the ins and outs of content strategy, creation, and distribution. You’ll find over a decade of data and thought leader tips to help you nail your strategy, track ROI and publish content that resonates with your target audiences. Download this guide now at bit.ly/studiod-cmfiles.

3. Rants and raves (38:31)

• Robert’s rave: Robert is pleased with two articles about experiences, a topic that is near and dear to his heart. This article from Ad Age explains why consumers – especially millennials – prefer experiences over things. Another article from CommPRO offers a similar take, but includes advice on how to create memorable experiences for customers. Both articles offer decent advice, but something is missing from them, and Robert shares what that critical ingredient is.

• Joe’s rant: Social Media Today recently published an infographic, which shows how and where brands are placing their content marketing budgets. It contains a seven-step process to guide you to invest in effective content marketing. The first three steps involve writers; Step 4 is to invest in an effective strategy. Here’s the problem: Until we develop a content marketing strategy, how do we know if we need to hire writers? Many brands begin creating content without first having a strategy in place – over 50%, according to the last CMI survey.

Click to enlarge

4. This Old Marketing example of the week (50:32)

• White Castle: White Castle is a hamburger franchise founded in Wichita, Kansas in 1921. At that time, Americans were hesitant to eat ground beef. Upton Sinclair had just published The Jungle, a novel about poor sanitation practices in the meat packing industry. This restaurant was created with the goal of changing the public’s perception of the cleanliness of the industry. Accordingly, they outfitted the first restaurant with a lot of crystal white porcelain and stainless steel; employees were attired in spotless uniforms. White Castle began publishing an internal magazine called The Hot Hamburger in 1925. Its editorial mission was to get employees excited about White Castle’s unique approach. Most of the content was contributed by employees. Articles covered what was working and what was not in the company’s stores. It was published quarterly until the 1980s. At that time, it was renamed The Slider Times; it has since been converted to a digital format and is still published today. In addition, the company now operates White Castle University, where all store managers get to meet, learn the company’s methodology and become part of its extended family. This is an excellent example of internal content marketing to activate an employee base.

For a full list of PNR archives, go to the main This Old Marketing page.

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The post This Week in Content Marketing: Social Media Isn’t Dead, We’re Just Using It Wrong appeared first on Content Marketing Institute.

Sure, the competition is tough, but that can be a driving force as well as a source of inspiration. For budding entrepreneurs and existing entrepreneurs alike, openness to learning from the best in the business is one of the essential characteristics to success.

With so many high-profile entrepreneurs today, you need to zero in on those who can truly make a difference for your business.

However, if you want a quick reference which can kickstart your campaign to improve your online efforts, here is a handy video showing the top new media tips for entrepreneurs.

Created by New Media Europe, which is holding a conference from September 12-13 in Manchester, the video showcases seven tips from some of the most successful people online.

A quick summary before you watch the video:

• Get the right people to your website
• Build your email list using Facebook ads
• Build the business of You
• Make your first piece of content compelling
• Tell a personal story
• Embrace the “F” word
• How to start podcasting.

Some of the above points may not reveal much hence the video below. I hope you find it useful.

You might also want to read “How Engaged Is Your Brand?“

The post Top New Media Tips for Entrepreneurs appeared first on The Blog Herald.

PNR: This Old Marketing with Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose can be found on both iTunes and Stitcher.

In this week’s episode, Robert and I discuss the $48 million purchase of content agency King Content and then predict we’ll see an accelerating trend of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in 2016. Next, we wonder if digital agencies can effectively compete with publishers that are getting aggressive about content marketing and ponder what’s behind Oracle’s purchase of web-page testing firm Maxymiser. Then, we take a deep dive into F+W’s model of audience development and e-commerce, which contains important lessons for marketers. Finally, does Facebook really draw more news traffic than Google, and why should that matter to brands? Raves include the New York Times’ successful model of e-newsletter development and big opportunities for local publishers. We wrap up the show with a #ThisOldMarketing example from Sherwin-Williams.

This week’s show

(Recorded live August 24, 2015; Length: 59:28)

Download this week’s PNR This Old Marketing podcast.

If you enjoy our PNR podcasts, we would love if you would rate it, or post a review, on iTunes. Missed a previous episode? Go to the main This Old Marketing page for a full list of archives. 

1. Content marketing in the news

• Isentia buys content marketing agency King Content in $48 million deal (4:00): Media monitoring company Isentia has acquired content marketing agency King Content, reports mUmBRELLA. The acquisition is the first major Australian deal to be done in the fast-growing content marketing space. King Content, which is based in Sydney, also has offices in Hong Kong, Singapore, the U.K., and the U.S. Robert and I agree this will be the first of many acquisitions to come in the world of content marketing agencies. This article is paired with the next one from Adweek.

• Can digital shops survive the branded content boom? (6:58): Agencies that once dominated because of their digital expertise now find themselves competing with a growing number of publishers who are forming content studios to handle the creation and production of custom content, reports Adweek. Robert and I don’t believe there’s as much direct competition as the article implies because the mindsets and skill sets that publishers and agencies provide are much different. At risk are boutique digital agencies that tend to focus more on execution than strategy.

• Oracle buys Maxymiser (17:35): Oracle has signed an agreement to acquire Maxymiser, a leading provider of cloud-based software that enables testing, targeting, and personalizing web pages and mobile apps. Robert doesn’t understand why Oracle purchased this firm, other than to get access to its impressive list of blue-chip clients. I theorize it will be “bolted on” to Oracle Marketing Cloud to test the personalized web pages it produces.

• F+W chairman and CEO talks about the company’s decisive strategic shift to e-commerce (21:52): In an interview with Publishing Executive, F+W chairman and CEO David Nussbaum explains how the company transitioned from traditional print magazine and book publishing to e-commerce. In the interview, he shares the role content and e-commerce play in serving communities of enthusiasts and how F+W handled its successful transformation. I believe this proves that if you build a loyal audience and serve them well, you can sell products and services to them. Any company of any size can do this. Even e-commerce firms can reverse-engineer their way into building an audience via content.

• Facebook Has Taken Over for Google as a Traffic Source for News (31:42): Traffic analytics firm Parse.ly says its latest figures show the giant social network now accounts for more of the traffic to news sites than Google. The company’s latest estimates show that social-media sources (of which Facebook is by far the largest) accounted for 43% of the traffic to the Parse.ly network of media sites, while Google accounted for just 38%. I think they’re comparing apples and oranges, and I explain why. Robert points out that breaking news does get a lot of social shares, but most brands would say that organic search is still a bigger source of traffic for them than social.

2. Sponsor (37:48)

• This Old Marketing is sponsored by StudioD, a division of Demand Media. In The Content Marketing Files: Lessons Learned from the Last Decade, you’ll learn the ins and outs of content strategy, creation, and distribution. You’ll find over a decade of data and thought-leader tips to help you nail your strategy, track ROI, and publish content that resonates with your target audiences. Download this guide now at bit.ly/studiod-cmfiles.

3. Rants and raves (40:42)

• Joe’s rave: I love The New York Times’ major commitment to e-newsletters. It publishes 33 of them, covering topics that go well beyond sectional content from the NYT website. They are focused on subjects such as lifestyle and health, plus popular columnists such as Nicholas Kristof. Its open rates for these newsletters are remarkably high – up to 70%. According to this article from Digiday, people who sign up for a NYT newsletter are twice as likely to become a paid subscriber to the newspaper. This is an article you can show to your CMO as an example of the business impact that’s possible when you make a long-term commitment to building an audience.

• Robert’s rave: Robert loves this article from TheMediaBriefing, which suggests that local publishers are well-placed to become service providers to the communities they serve. The examples it focuses on are small firms that provide reliable broadband Internet access to remote areas in the U.K. He believes similar opportunities exist for businesses of all sizes to become service providers to their niche. But first they must overcome a significant challenge – to get good enough at content that they can build a loyal audience.

4. This Old Marketing example of the week (52:17)

• Sherwin-Williams: This paint-and-coatings powerhouse, headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, has a long, rich history of content marketing. In 1896, it launched an internal company newsletter called The Chameleon. In 1910, it launched a monthly print magazine called Home Decorator, which informed Sherwin-Williams customers about contemporary design and decorating trends. It was published until the late 1950s, when the company shelved it in favor of advertising and other forms of promotion. The magazine was resurrected in 2004 and was renamed Stir. It’s now available in digital and print formats, and is focused on the needs of decorators and design professionals. It’s an excellent example of #ThisOldMarketing.

Image source

Can’t get enough of Joe and Robert? Register today for Content Marketing World 2015 this September to catch them in action. Use code CMI100 to save $100.

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The post This Week in Content Marketing: 2016 Will Be the Year of Content Marketing M&A appeared first on Content Marketing Institute.

Disrupt or be disrupted. That’s today’s digital mantra.

But how do you disrupt?

Or how do you respond if you are being disrupted?

Here are 10 business models behind digital disruption, as covered by Jo Caudron and Dado Van Peteghem in their book Digital Transformation, and 7 strategies to respond to disruptors if you are getting disrupted, as enumerated by IMD’s Professor Michael Wade, co-director of the IMD Leading Digital Business Transformation course.

10 Hyper-Disruptive Business Models

1. The Subscription Model (Netflix, Dollar Shave Club, Apple Music) Disrupts through “lock-in” by taking a product or service that is traditionally purchased on an ad hoc basis,  and locking-in repeat custom by charging a subscription fee for continued access to the product/service
2. The Freemium Model (Spotify, LinkedIn, Dropbox) Disrupts through digital sampling, where users pay for a basic service or product with their data or ‘eyeballs’, rather than money, and then charging to upgrade to the full offer.  Works where marginal cost for extra units and distribution are lower than advertising revenue or the sale of personal data
3. The Free Model (Google, Facebook) Disrupts with an ‘if-you’re-not-paying-for-the-product-you-are-the-product’ model that involves selling personal data or ‘advertising eyeballs’ harvested by offering consumers a ‘free’ product or service that captures their data/attention
4. The Marketplace Model (eBay, iTunes, App Store, Uber, AirBnB) Disrupts with the provision of a digital marketplace that brings together buyers and sellers directly, in return for a transaction or placement fee or commission
5. The Access-over-Ownership Model (Zipcar, Peerbuy, AirBnB) Disrupts by providing temporary access to goods and services traditionally only available through purchase. Includes ‘Sharing Economy’ disruptors, which takes a commission from people monetising their assets (home, car, capital) by lending them to ‘borrowers’
6. The Hypermarket Model (Amazon, Apple) Disrupts by ‘brand bombing’ using sheer market power and scale to crush competition, often by selling below cost price
7. The Experience Model (Tesla, Apple) Disrupts by providing a superior experience, for which people are prepared to pay
8. The Pyramid Model (Amazon, Microsoft, Dropbox) Disrupts by recruiting an army of resellers and affiliates who are often paid on a commission-only model
9. The On-Demand Model (Uber, Operator, Taskrabbit) Disrupts by monetising time and selling instant-access at a premium.  Includes taking a commission from people with money but no time who pay for goods and services delivered or fulfilled by people with time but no money
10. The Ecosystem Model (Apple, Google) Disrupts by selling an interlocking and interdependent suite of products and services that increase in value as more are purchased. Creates consumer dependency.

7 Strategies to Respond to Digital Disruption

1. The Block Strategy.  Using all means available to inhibit the disruptor. These means can include claiming patent or copyright infringement, erecting regulatory hurdles, and using other legal barriers.
2. The Milk Strategy. Extracting the most value possible from vulnerable businesses while preparing for the inevitable disruption
3. The Invest in Disruption Model. Actively investing in the disruptive threat, including disruptive technologies, human capabilities, digitized processes, or perhaps acquiring companies with these attributes
4. The Disrupt the Current Business Strategy. Launching a new product or service that competes directly with the disruptor, and leveraging inherent strengths such as size, market knowledge, brand, access to capital, and relationships to build the new business
5. The Retreat into a Strategic Niche Strategy. Focusing on a profitable niche segment of the core market where disruption is less likely to occur (e.g. travel agents focusing on corporate travel, and complex itineraries, book sellers and publishers focusing on academia niche)
6. The Redefine the Core Strategy. Building an entirely new business model, often in an adjacent industry where it is possible to leverage existing knowledge and capabilities (e.g. IBM to consulting, Fujifilm to cosmetics)
7. The Exit Strategy. Exiting the business entirely and returning capital to investors, ideally through a sale of the business while value still exists (e.g. MySpace selling itself to Newscorp)

        

When you see the phrase “native advertising,” what do you think? Do you think of content marketing?

Well, a lot of people do … so much so, that I felt compelled to write an article about it.

Before I go through the differences, let me explain why it’s essential to make the distinction. The words we use are important. From the moment I started in this industry over 15 years ago, everyone used different terms – customer media, branded content (please don’t!), custom publishing, custom content. The good news is that most people today call it content marketing. As I mentioned in a CMI newsletter last year, it’s key that we have moved on from defining content marketing to spending time figuring out how to do it:

Yes, I am personally vested in the term content marketing, but the important thing is that we have universal agreement on whatever term we, as an industry, have collectively decided to use. Now that we have this, we can continue to build our industry, warts and all, together.

For those same reasons it’s important to understand how other industry terms are related to content marketing. A few years ago, the term native advertising caught on (more on its meaning in a second). Too many marketers and agency executives erroneously use content marketing and native advertising interchangeably. When that happens, our industry takes a step backward, as native advertising is simply one way marketers can distribute content.

The point is that using the correct terminology is important. To me, to you, to the industry. If we can’t speak the language fluently, how can we expect others to understand content marketing or respect us as content marketers?

This is content marketing

Content marketing is a strategic marketing technique of creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and acquire a clearly defined audience – with the objective of driving profitable customer action by changing or enhancing consumer behavior.

Content marketing is an ongoing process that is best integrated into an overall marketing strategy. It focuses on owning media, not renting it.

In content marketing, the brand owns the media. It’s an asset.

This is native advertising

I’ve written a thorough overview of native advertising on LinkedIn, but let’s look at one example.

For most situations, longer-form native advertising (I’m not talking about Google or Twitter ads) is:

• A directly paid opportunity – Native advertising is “pay to play.” Brands pay for the placement of content on platforms outside of their own media.

• Usually information based – The content is useful, interesting, and highly targeted to a specific audience. In all likelihood, it’s not a traditional advertisement directly promoting the company’s product or service.

This is where native advertising looks a bit like content marketing. The information is usually highly targeted (hopefully) and positioned as valuable. But again, in native advertising, you are renting someone else’s content distribution platform (just like advertising), except that you aren’t pimping a product or service.

• Delivered in stream. The user experience is not disrupted with native advertising because it is delivered in a way that does not impede the user’s normal behavior in that particular channel.

Brands want their native advertising to look as similar as possible to the third-party site’s content. Though the media company wants that too (because it’s easier to sell that way), it also has to put out a multitude of warning labels around the content to make sure the paid placement is 100% transparent.

To summarize, native advertising doesn’t disrupt the user experience and offers helpful information in a format similar to the other content on the site so users engage with it more than they would with, say, a banner ad. (This is good for advertisers, and if the content is truly useful, good for consumers.) In very simple terms, native advertising is one way content marketers can distribute their content.

A quick review

If you pay for placement, it’s advertising.

If you pay for placement of valuable, relevant content in a format similar to the third-party site, it’s native advertising.

If you don’t pay for placement, the content is not advertising.

If that content is valuable and relevant, designed to attract a clearly defined audience, and posted on your own or other unpaid platform, it’s content marketing. Now, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pay to promote your content as part of your content marketing strategy. If you don’t have an audience that is subscribed to receive your content, you should look into paid media as a way to reach a targeted audience.

The next time someone uses content marketing or native advertising in the wrong scenario, please correct the person. Help us all speak the same language and be part of positive change for the world.

More Resources

The Interactive Advertising Bureau breaks native advertising into six categories. Check it out here.

Want to improve your content marketing language skills? Immerse yourself at Content Marketing World, Sept. 8-11. There’s still time to register and use CMI100 to save $100.

Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute

The post Native Advertising Is Not Content Marketing appeared first on Content Marketing Institute.

PNR: This Old Marketing with Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose can be found on both iTunes and Stitcher.

In this week’s episode, Robert and I discuss the “advertising apocalypse” that’s become a critical issue for publishers – and why it’s an opportunity for brands. Next, we ponder the blurring line between journalists and content marketers and agree what should be done about authors who hijack the term “content marketing.” Finally, we lament the ad hoc state of content creation in many organizations today, and encourage marketers to focus on something else that will deliver greater value to their brands and customers. Rants and raves include the secret behind Nike’s YouTube success and Target’s clever response to a customer service troll. We wrap up the show with a #ThisOldMarketing example from Aldus PageMaker.

This week’s show

(Recorded live August 17, 2015; Length: 59:`8)

Download this week’s PNR This Old Marketing podcast.

If you enjoy our PNR podcasts, we would love if you would rate it, or post a review, on iTunes. Missed a previous episode? Go to the main This Old Marketing page for a full list of archives. 

1. Content marketing in the news

• Publishers have only themselves to blame for the ad-blocking apocalypse (6:06): According to a study by Adobe Systems and PageFair, the use of ad blocking software has increased 41% in the past year alone, and cost publishers $22 billion in lost revenue. This trend is causing low ad rates, which in turn is forcing publishers to resort to more invasive forms of click-baiting, according to this article on Fortune. I believe this is a non-issue for most niche publishers because they have already diversified away from banner advertising. Robert points out that the article ignores the growth of content, which aims to provide a more engaging experience for the audience, while also meeting the needs of sponsors.

• The journalists who refuse to admit they’re actually content marketers (15:40): Grant Feller, in an opinion column on Forbes, ponders what it means to be a journalist today, and what qualifies as native advertising. In his mind, the lines were blurred between journalism and paid placements long before the digital era began. Unfortunately, it’s clear that Feller doesn’t have an accurate understanding of content marketing. Robert points out that we don’t need to defend every hijacking of the term. Instead, we need to stay the course, focusing on building greater value for businesses.

• Only 2% of marketers have “very effective” content strategy (25:40): Though everyone agrees that “content is king,” only 2% of marketers believe their strategies are highly effective, according to research by the CMO Council. Less than half of the respondents agreed that their strategies are somewhat effective. This article is paired with the next one from the TopRank blog.

• Content marketing inefficiencies cost B2B companies nearly $1 billion (26:22): Not only are companies challenged to create a variety of engaging content on a consistent basis with clear ROI, but the making of content is wasteful as well. A study sponsored by Kapost and conducted by the research firm Gleanster found that inefficiencies in companies’ content marketing efforts are costing U.S. B2B companies nearly $1 billion annually. Robert and I agree that too many brands seem to be focused on creating “snackable” content today. A more valuable approach would be to produce consistent, high-quality content that solves problems for customers.

2. Sponsor (37:13)

• This Old Marketing is sponsored by Emma, email marketing for the modern brand. Emma is a provider of best-in-class software and services that help organizations of all sizes get more from their email marketing. In Emma’s new Modern Marketer’s Field Guide, you’ll learn how to identify (and use) the right marketing tools to craft emails that truly stand out in the inbox and create a personal experience for every subscriber. Download the guide now at http://bit.ly/myemma-field-guide.

3. Rants and raves (40:13)

• Joe’s rave: I love this article from The Observer that explains how Nike has employed a “hero, hub, hygiene” strategy to become the sixth most subscribed and ninth most viewed brand on the platform. Surprisingly, the “hero” content – epic videos that have a lot of free and paid promotion behind them – haven’t been the key to the brand’s growth. Rather, consistency of focus and a commitment to publishing videos on a regular basis is the key to Nike’s success on YouTube. Marketers can learn from its practical, focused approach. This article is a must-read for brand marketers.

• Robert’s rave: In mid-August, Target announced it would phase out gender-specific signage in all of its stores. Predictably, this resulted in a backlash from consumers on social media channels. A Facebook user named Mike Melgaard came to Target’s defense by creating an account named “Ask for Help” and took it upon himself to respond to customer complaints — generally in a highly sarcastic fashion. What surprised Robert is that Target responded with a picture of toy trolls with a message acknowledging Melgaard’s efforts and the sense of humor behind his posts. Well played, Target!

Click to enlarge

Image source

4. This Old Marketing example of the week (50:59)

• Aldus PageMaker: Thirty years ago this month, Aldus PageMaker was launched; it was the very first desktop publishing software program. To commemorate this anniversary, the Huffington Post interviewed CMI contributor Roger Parker, who played a key role in helping it to become a success. Until the launch of this revolutionary program, marketers and agencies relied on typesetters to lay out pages for them. This process was slow, troublesome and expensive. PageMaker revolutionized everything, putting the power of design in the hands of content creators. But Parker saw a problem: Users with no sense of page design were turning out amateurish layouts that threatened to undermine PageMaker’s success. So he approached Aldus with an offer to write a premium book designed to teach non-designers the fundamentals of creating attractive, easy-to-read designs with PageMaker. This free book was given away with the program and was widely distributed by Aldus. The Aldus Guide to Basic Design and a follow-up book, Looking Good in Print, were huge successes, and launched Parker’s career in helping people do graphic design effectively. This book is an excellent example of #ThisOldMarketing.

Can’t get enough of Joe and Robert? Register today for Content Marketing World 2015 this September to catch them in action. Use code CMI100 to save $100.

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The post This Week in Content Marketing: End of Days for Digital Display Spells Opportunity for Brands appeared first on Content Marketing Institute.

PNR: This Old Marketing with Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose can be found on both iTunes and Stitcher.

In this week’s episode, Robert and I weigh in on the debate between online and TV-based content advertising – which isn’t really a battle at all. We agree with Facebook’s decision to roll out its new Live video program only to celebrities and ponder an Uber-like model that agencies of the near future may adopt to meet the evolving needs of their clients. Rants and raves include a new web documentary video series sponsored by MillerCoors that highlights artisanal products and their creators, plus an opinion piece that gets content marketing all wrong. We wrap up the show with a #ThisOldMarketing example of the week from Arch Shaw.

This week’s show

(Recorded live August 9, 2015; Length: 1:04:01)

Download this week’s PNR This Old Marketing podcast.

If you enjoy our PNR podcasts, we would love if you would rate it, or post a review, on iTunes. Missed a previous episode? Go to the main This Old Marketing page for a full list of archives.

1. Content marketing in the news

• Why the biggest debate in advertising is irrelevant (4:58): For the last five years, advertising has hosted an ever-louder and more vicious fight: TV versus digital spend, according to Tom Goodwin, a senior VP at Havas Media. But this is an argument that shows a distinct lack of imagination about the near future. He believes TV content will always be loved, no matter how it’s distributed. Robert and I agree that the fundamental question is this: How do we reach our target audience as they become fragmented across a growing number of channels? It’s a complex question marketers must address.

• Introducing Facebook Live (16:28): Facebook announced its own live video streaming service this week, The Next Web reports. But unlike Periscope or Meerkat, only celebrities can use this one, as it’s restricted to people with verified Pages – which gives them access to an exclusive Mentions app. Robert and I like this approach, because it’s a great way to beta test and improve Live. We discuss what differentiates it from other live video services, and debate what the next steps will be in Live’s expansion.

• The Uber of agencies: Why marketers want to ride with a new kind of shop (25:37): The agency model of the future might just look like Uber, according to this article from Ad Age, which interviews senior-level marketing executives from several major brands. Rather than trying to own the capability to do everything itself, the agency of the future may be able to formulate strategy on behalf of its clients, but then tap into networks of outside content creators, technology platforms, and other vendors on demand to handle execution. Robert and I agree that this plays to major brands’ desire to simplify their complex agency relationships.

2. Sponsor (41:07)

• This Old Marketing is sponsored by Emma, email marketing for the modern brand. Emma is a provider of best-in-class software and services that help organizations of all sizes get more from their email marketing. In Emma’s new Modern Marketer’s Field Guide, you’ll learn how to identify (and use) the right marketing tools to craft emails that truly stand out in the inbox and create a personal experience for every subscriber. Download the guide now at http://bit.ly/myemma-field-guide.

3. Rants and raves (43:06)

• Robert’s rave: Robert is delighted by a new web documentary video series that highlights artisans who are preserving traditional ways of making things, produced by Woven Digital and sponsored by MillerCoors’ Banquet brand. Videos include master penman Jake Weidmann and Jon Wegener’s handcrafted alaia surfboards. These videos are fantastic examples of storytelling, and have generated millions of views on both the UPROXX website and Coors Banquet Facebook pages. You can view the entire series of five videos here.

• Joe’s rant: An opinion piece by Ryan Griffin on Marketing Magazine Australia that is critical of content marketing has got me seeing red this week. He calls it a “pyramid scheme,” a source of “quick riches and business outcomes,” and a load of manure (he uses a more descriptive term, which I won’t repeat here). Unfortunately, he doesn’t have an accurate understanding of what content marketing is. It’s not a quick fix; its goal is to build an audience whose members know, like, and trust us – which can then be monetized once we have developed a relationship with them.

4. This Old Marketing example of the week (56:17)

• Arch Shaw: Arch Shaw was a pioneer in proposing a systematic approach to the study of marketing. In addition to being a successful Chicago businessman and early content marketer, he was also a frequent lecturer and writer on business practices, and was the first editor of Harvard Business Review. In 1899, he and a business partner founded the Shaw-Walker Company, which manufactured office equipment and sold office supplies. To help market the business and its products, he founded a magazine called System that illustrated best practices in business and contained business news of the day. It became so popular that he spun off a second magazine from it called The Magazine of Business, which contained only business news. Both publications were instrumental in helping him grow his business in the Chicago area. The magazines were sold to McGraw-Hill in 1928, The Magazine of Business was renamed The Business Week, and eventually the giant publisher rebranded it as BusinessWeek. Over 100 years later, it is still published under the name Bloomberg Businessweek. It’s a wonderful example of This Old Marketing and the way in which the magazines’ content evolved over time is fascinating.

Can’t get enough of Joe and Robert? Register today for Content Marketing World 2015 this September to catch them in action. Use code CMI100 to save $100.

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The post This Week in Content Marketing: The Sad Future Reality of Brands Battling for Advertising appeared first on Content Marketing Institute.

For the past 15 years, I’ve focused most of my content marketing time on the largest of large businesses. This means dealing with politics, silos, budget issues, and agency relations. In large enterprises, content marketing is a complex beast, hard to move without significant culture change. The hardest part? Doing something differently from how they’ve done it in the past (which is mostly paid media).

Enter the research for my new book, Content Inc. In preparation, Clare McDermott, editor of Chief Content Officer magazine, and I interviewed dozens of entrepreneurs. In almost every case, the entrepreneur started the business “content-first.” This simply means that they identified a content niche, built a loyal audience around that niche, and THEN developed products and services to sell.

Most had few resources, especially compared to a large business. What they did have was passion and patience, and that made all the difference. In the following examples, and the 20 examples included in the SlideShare below, each focuses on the same simple formula:

• One content type (textual content, audio content, or video content) as primary

• One main platform (a blog, YouTube, iTunes, etc.)

• Consistent delivery (no campaigns, just a commitment to deliver amazing information on a regular basis)

• Time (the average time to monetization was well over 12 months)

It’s so simple, yet so hard for even mid-sized companies to do this. With financial expectations on a quarterly basis at best, few larger companies have the patience to build a loyal relationship with an audience. In addition, budgets are set up as time-based campaigns, where short-term objectives take priority. That means the business tries to monetize the content program before the audience is ready (a big mistake).

It’s either funny or tragic … even with all the resources in the world, compared to startups, large enterprises usually can’t compete with a one-man band because of these short-term constraints. Something has to change.

6 examples to get you thinking

Matthew Patrick 

Today: Matthew Patrick’s Game Theory YouTube network boasts millions of subscribers and billions of views. He’s turned a simple YouTube channel into a million-dollar enterprise, and even consults directly for YouTube.

It may surprise you: Matthew started Game Theory (a YouTube show about video games) as a resume builder. Over 4 million subscribers and Matthew doesn’t need to look for a job anymore.

NOTE: Matthew (MatPat) is speaking at Content Marketing World.

Joy Cho

Today: Joy Cho has designed and co-produced products for such brands as Target and Microsoft, and she has developed stationery lines, wallpaper, bedding, diaper bags, and even computer accessories. She recently debuted a line of Band-Aid bandages from Johnson & Johnson, which are almost certain to sell out in a similar fashion to her Target line. Joy’s revenues are diverse, from direct client-engagement revenues to product sales to sponsorship to licensing deals.

It may surprise you: Joy started as a simple design blog in 2005. When Pinterest launched, she grew her Pinterest following into more than 13 million followers.

EvanTubeHD

Today: What if I told you one of the most successful entrepreneurs on YouTube is 9 years old? Evan from EvanTubeHD.com consistently reviews toys on his YouTube channel, amassing over 1 million subscribers and a staggering 1 billion views in just a few years. According to ESPN, Evan generated $1.3 million in revenue last year. Wow!

It may surprise you: In 2011, EvanTube started as a father-son claymation project about the Angry Birds game. The initial video has garnered more than 20 million views.

Glossier

Today: The business of Glossier is thriving, with founder Emily Weiss recently raising $8.4 million from Thrive Capital and other investors.

It may surprise you: Emily began the company as a simple blog. Now, 200,000 followers on Instagram and 60,000 Facebook fans later, Glossier has become one of the leading online retailers for skin-care products.

EntrepreneurOnFire (EOF)

Today: Fire Nation (as founder John Lee Dumas likes to call it), has become a multimillion-dollar podcasting empire in the last few years. EOF is consistently rated as one of the top podcasts in the startup space.

It may surprise you: Every month, John releases a podcast to his fans that details where every dollar of revenue comes from. And you know what? Business is doing really well.

Note: John Lee Dumas is speaking at Content Marketing World.

Andy Schneider

Today: Andy Schneider (aka “The Chicken Whisperer”) is the world’s leading expert in backyard poultry, boasting the leading book, top magazine, and most popular radio show about raising chickens in your backyard.

It may surprise you: Andy turned his hobby into a regular meet-up group after so many of his friends wanted to raise chickens as well. Those regular meet-ups turned into a podcast with over 20,000 listeners a week. The rest is (chicken) history.

Call to arms

Look, I know this isn’t easy. I’ve been there. I know the challenges and pressures you have as a marketer … the metrics, the ROI concerns … and of course, the politics. But this is your time now. A decade ago, we didn’t have the examples and case studies that proved content marketing works. A decade ago, a number of barriers stopped us from creating loyal audiences and, ultimately, better customers.

Today, the only thing stopping us is … well … us. Do whatever you must to convince upper management that this is a sound, if not critical business approach. Call it a pilot if you need to. Use fear as a motivator to make change happen.

If that doesn’t work, and you’ve done everything you can … maybe it’s time to leave.

Want to hear directly from some of these inspiring entrepreneurs? Register today for Content Marketing World this September. Use code CMI100 to save $100. Joe’s book, Content Inc., also will be released the same week.

Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute

The post Why Startups Trump Large Enterprises in Content Marketing Every Time appeared first on Content Marketing Institute.

PNR: This Old Marketing with Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose can be found on both iTunes and Stitcher.

In this week’s episode, Robert and I discuss the ridiculous way that HubSpot handled a recent scandal with a “tell-all” news release. Next, we ponder the chaotic world of media companies and why they will start to act more like wire services. We disagree with a columnist who believes podcast sponsorship blurs the line between journalism and advertising and give a hearty two thumbs way up to the growing trend of large companies funding documentary films. Rants and raves include the social media mob mentality surrounding the death of Cecil the lion and why YouTube’s top stars aren’t making as much money as you think. We wrap up the show with a #ThisOldMarketing example of the week from American Bee Journal.

This week’s show

(Recorded live August 3, 2015; Length: 1:02:02)

Download this week’s PNR This Old Marketing podcast.

If you enjoy our PNR podcasts, we would love if you would rate it, or post a review, on iTunes. Missed a previous episode? Go to the main This Old Marketing page for a full list of archives.

1. Content marketing in the news

• Content marketing and the finance industry (3:50): Financial marketers operate in a heavily regulated industry and their customers can no longer be categorized as being interested in only business finance or only personal finance. In our latest white paper, CMI examines the finance sector – sharing research about how these marketers use content marketing and highlighting examples, tips, and takeaways from those who are finding success. It contains some surprising statistics and some thought-provoking case histories. If your job has anything to do with finance, you ought to read this report.

• HubSpot fires CMO – issues ridiculous press release (7:19): Mike Volpe, HubSpot’s CMO, was fired for allegedly having tried to obtain a copy of former employee Dan Lyons’ upcoming tell-all book about his two years with the Boston tech company. To make matters worse, HubSpot published a ridiculous news release that airs its dirty laundry in public. Robert and I are shocked, not only at the amount of detail shared about what happened, but also a quote from one of its directors about how “disappointed” she is in Volpe’s actions. Why include this in a news release, which is supposed to be a factual document? Robert declares this an epic fail and an example of how not to handle this type of corporate communication.

• Mutually assured content? (16:09): Ezra Klein predicts that in a few short years, media companies will become like wire services – publishing original articles that will be automatically syndicated to dozens of channels and outlets. This trend will mean larger distribution for their content, but less advertising revenue. John Herrman published an article on The Awl that expands upon Klein’s predictions. Robert and I are convinced the next several years will be chaotic for media companies as they try to figure out how to effectively work with these distribution channels and compete against brands that are increasingly acting more like media companies.

• Podcasting advertising on a slippery slope (25:10): Joe Nocera, in an op-ed piece on The New York Times website, is horrified at the way in which podcasts incorporate in-context advertising. He thinks it’s another sign of the increasingly blurred line between journalism and advertising. Robert reminds us that podcasts are primarily a form of entertainment, not a format for delivering hard-hitting news stories. That makes Nocera’s rant much ado about nothing. I agree and share a criterion that I use to decide if a potential sponsor is right for this podcast.

• How corporations became documentary film funders (30:56): Since the early 2000s, short movies have emerged as a subtle way of transforming a regular brand into a lifestyle brand, reports Bloomberg. In 2010, Absolut made one with Spike Jonze. Last year, Chipotle had success with a viral cartoon about industrial farming. Ford underwrote This Built America, a documentary series about small-town companies. American Express has become a leader in this form of patronage, investing in films that celebrate the stories of struggling, hard-working local business owners. Robert and I agree documentaries are a fantastic opportunity for brands, especially considering the number of distribution options available today.

2. Sponsor (36:08)

• This Old Marketing is sponsored by Emma, email marketing for the modern brand. Emma is a provider of best-in-class software and services that help organizations of all sizes get more from their email marketing. In Emma’s new Modern Marketer’s Field Guide, you’ll learn how to identify (and use) the right marketing tools to craft emails that truly stand out in the inbox and create a personal experience for every subscriber. Download the guide now at http://bit.ly/myemma-field-guide.

3. Rants and raves (38:38)

• Robert’s rant: The recent killing of Cecil the lion by a Minnesota game hunter calls attention to the growing problem of a mob mentality in social media. It’s one of those situations that spawns what Robert calls “safe outrage,” where there is no discernible alternate position to spewing hate toward the guilty party. This high degree of polarization makes it much harder to discuss issues where there are legitimate dissenting opinions. Robert goes on to discuss the negative effects of mass amateurization and our decreasing threshold for outrage.

• Joe’s rant: My rant for this week is focused on YouTube. An article on Yahoo profiles several YouTube stars and reveals how much money they make. After YouTube takes a 45% cut, the IRS deducts taxes and the star’s production costs are factored into the mix, many of them aren’t making that much money. I predict YouTube’s revenue split won’t be sustainable, especially if Facebook and Amazon get serious about promoting their growing video platforms.

4. This Old Marketing example of the week (56:02)

• American Bee Journal: In the mid-1800s, beekeeping in America was in its infancy. There were few of the implements now in common use among beekeepers, no conventions where they could share ideas, and no books or publications to enable knowledge sharing. The first book about beekeeping published in America was A Bee-Keeper’s Manual in 1853. Spurred by its success, Samuel Wagner launched the American Bee Journal in 1861. It quickly became the voice of innovation in this young industry, sharing new developments in hives, implements, and beekeeping techniques. A series of owners and editors published American Bee Journal until 1912. In that year, the publisher retired and sold his business and the magazine to C.P. Dadant, America’s oldest supplier of beekeeping supplies. The company has published it ever since. Its editorial mission is to be the finest provider of information about bees and beekeeping in the world. It’s an excellent example of a company using a print magazine to support its business, and one of the oldest examples of #ThisOldMarketing we’ve ever seen.

Can’t get enough of Joe and Robert? Register today for Content Marketing World 2015 this September to catch them in action. Use code CMI100 to save $100.

How do I subscribe?

The post This Week in Content Marketing: Chaos in the Media Coming Soon to a Platform Near You appeared first on Content Marketing Institute.

It’s my view that the web is global and any online strategy requires a language element to some extent. To explain this, let me first address what SEO is, and then we can move on to examining multilingual considerations.

What is SEO?

SEO is an acronym for Search Engine Optimization. It is the process of optimizing your website to make it appear higher on the results page of your search engine of choice. The higher your website ranks, the more relevant visitors your site will have. As Brian Clarke says, “The best place to hide a dead body is page 2 of the Google search results.”  If your users can’t find you, they’ll never be able to consume your content.

Richard Brooks

Lots of research and debate go into what makes a page rank in a particular place in a search engine at a particular time. Each search engine has a series of algorithms which determine the position. This process has been shrouded in secrecy, and changes over time. There is a tremendous potential payback to ranking highly for the right search terms, and terms with a high search volume are extremely valuable. A huge industry has grown up around getting your page to rank in the highest possible place.

My run a website translation company. We localize our customers websites for different languages, and then localizes them for new consumers all over the world. As a result, I get to be involved in some complex global SEO strategies and get to see what works.

This article is intended as a starting point, to help you to develop a strategy, experiment with getting your online content enjoyed around the world, and maybe even make the jump to publishing your content in a different language.

Why does it need to be multilingual?

What’s the official language of the United States? It’s a trick question… there isn’t an official one. Data from the 2015 US Census puts English in first place with Spanish second (up 200% to over 37 million native speakers since the last census). So even for the home US market, you’ll have linguistic considerations.

There are over 3 billion people online (40% of the world population, up from 1% in 1995). And it’s no surprise that the growth is coming from developing economies. This list shows the top ten countries currently online (screenshot from http://www.internetlivestats.com/internet-users/).

Look at India ranked third after China and the United States! There are almost 250 million people online, and that’s less than 20% of the country’s population. With the number of Indian internet users growing at 14%, it looks like it will be at the top in a few years.

Once you zoom in on a particular region, then you can consider how that country interacts with the internet. For example, some are desktop-based, but most growth is coming from mobile. Google has taken notice. Their latest mobile algorithm update boosts mobile-friendly pages to the top of the mobile search results.

Your SEO strategy will change depending on which market and demographic your content will be aimed at. Different users in different countries use different search engines. Each one has its own set of rules. The good news is that there are similar rules for each, so we can put the basics of an international campaign together as we drill down into each sector.

Search outside of the US

In the US, your search traffic will probably be in this order: Google, Yahoo, and then Bing. They all publish fairly good webmaster tools (information to help you appear in their search engines), and all are following a pattern of tenaciously fighting spam.

To give you an insight into where some quick wins will be, look first at your own weblogs and analytics. You might notice that some of your content is attracting visitors from a particular region or country. From there, you can start to think about your keywords. Your keywords are the search terms people use to find you. You’ll need to localize them, given the context in which you want the new content to appear. For instance, the new target audience might be a different demographic. At this point, it’s helpful to start a Google Alert for any localized keywords (even if you’re not ready to translate) and to secure the local domain names if budgets allow.

Search outside the US doesn’t always come from Google. Let’s have a look at a few examples to show you that the whole world doesn’t use Google, and that each engine is similar but does have its own nuances to consider.

• Naver. In South Korea, the most popular search platform is Naver. Once upon a time it was powered by Yahoo’s Overture system, but this has now changed as they have their own engine and adword system. Their webmaster tools here are only currently in Korean but there is an unofficial translation.
• Yandex. This is the search engine of choice for Russia. Last year, they claimed they didn’t use links as an indicator of popularity, but later admitted they do. Their engine is supposed to be intelligent which means it will use data from user experience to ‘learn’ about which pages are more relevant for each search. Considerations need to be given to things like the click-through rate and dwell time more so than the traditional engines. An English translation of their webmaster tools is here.
• Seznam. This search engine is used in the Czech Republic claims it’s the most popular in the country. It’s hard to find hard data supporting this claim, but if you are in this region it will deliver traffic. I couldn’t find any published guidelines (even in Czech), and there’s very little talk in the local SEO community. That said, looking at what ranks for competitive keywords, I’d say on-page optimization is more important that Google’s on-page optimization, links from .cz domains count for more, and an Exact Match Domain (i.e. a domain that describes your product/service) works well.

Local Signifiers

You’ll need to tell the search engines which region the content is intended for. Here’s how.

How to Host

You have 3 choices.

• xx.domain.com (subdomains)
• www.domain.com/xx (subdirectories)
• www.domain.xx (ccTLDs)

Where xx is the country code (eg .fr for France), be aware that some codes are not country specific and shouldn’t really be used on their own to signify a site’s intended target audience. There are positives and negatives attached to each choice. For example:

Subdomains. It’s great because the cost is low, and they have minimum maintenance issues. The bad news is that subdomains tend not to rank as well in search engines, and they might dilute domain authority.

Subdirectories. It’s great because they are low cost, easy to setup, and will improve the overall domain (in essence, all inbound links belong to the same domain). It’s bad because they are a weak signal to local search engines and users.

ccTLDs. This is the method of choice if your budget stretches to it, as you’ll have to purchase and administer a LOT of domains on a big project. Cost is the restricting factor here as you are, in effect, running different sites. Research suggests that users are more likely to buy from a localized domain. Also, depending on your business model, it might be worth localizing the domain name.

Use Common Sense

Use the method listed in webmaster tools to tell each search engine which region each site (or subdirectory or subdomain) has been created for. Google has a good explanation about how to do this. The IP address is no longer an indicator of audience, so your site can be physically hosted anywhere provided that it doesn’t interfere with load times (which will negatively impact rank position in the long term).

Even Google admits this isn’t an exact science and you should use ‘common sense’. Additional indicators to recommend are:

• Localize your social media strategy. Social media use changes over time (e.g. Facebook is shrinking and Tumblr is doubling each year), and also varies depending on region. Use the appropriate social media sites to reach out to people in the relevant communities. This, in turn, builds local links, local interest, and local user engagement.
• Make the language on the page obvious. The search engines will look at the visible content on the page, then index that with the corresponding language tag. Think about improving the user experience as much as possible by translating the whole page (not just the navigation), having dedicated pages for each language, and cross-linking to other language variants of your site.
• Translate all relevant metadata.
• Build local links. Never, ever buy links. It’s bad practice. If you get caught buying them you’ll get banned from the search engines. Reach out to local influencers in their own language. Create great content that adds value that people will want to link to and share with their network.

Using the hreflang annotation

Duplicate content is considered spam. So, does translated content fall into this category? What about content which is very similar to the original but different because it’s targeted for a different region (such as different currency or spelling)? Since 2012, there has been a solution. The answer is to use the hreflang attribute solution. Using this, you’ll be able to create localized versions for different regions or languages of your website without damaging the original content.

A great application for this is when you want to target English speakers in the UK, US, China (research suggests there’s a large middle class population who’ll buy in English), and Ireland. You can do this by inserting the hreflang code into the top of your HTML (in the <head> tag), in this instance that would look like this:

Or you can now create an hreflang sitemap. The team at Media Flow created a nice tool for creating a hreflang sitemap which makes the process a lot easier.

Measure Your Results

Results pages are different in each country, so you should track each site’s performance against the competition independently. Be sure to look at how your site ranks in the local search engine of choice, and see who’s above you. From here, you can reverse engineer strategies to see where they get their links from, who they link to, and even what their internal link structure looks like.

You can either ask a local SEO company to report on this for you or use the tools available. Some favorites of mine include:

• http://www.screamingfrog.co.uk/seo-spider/
• http://home.snafu.de/tilman/xenulink.html
• http://www.spyfu.com/
• https://ahrefs.com/
• http://www.semrush.com/

Base your marketing decisions on the results. See what’s working, then gradually improve it over time. Soon, you’ll be on the top of all the search engines all over the world.

Can I use Google Translate?

I work in the localization industry. All the time, I get asked, “Why can’t I just use Google Translate? Why do I need a professional translator?” The truth is, it depends on a lot of things. It would be sour grapes to dismiss the technology and say it’s terrible, because it isn’t. Sometimes machine translation works, but sometimes it’s just not suitable. A lot of it depends on the content creation process you adopt.

A fun test I like to play with is to putting copy into an online translator of choice, then take the translated copy, and translate that translation again into another language you can read. Take the second translation, and translate the content back to the original language. This video is THE best explanation of what happens when you do that. It’s worrying, because it’s using their own language rules to create the language, You can see how content gets distorted!

Sadly, Google’s own advice is inconsistent. Here’s a post from them trying to get you to install a widget to automatically translate your website using their machine translation tool:

http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.co.uk/2009/09/translate-your-website-with-google.html

However, in their Google Webmaster Tools they suggest that ‘automated translations don’t always make sense and could be viewed as spam’. OK, I suppose that’s open to interpretation, but if I wanted my site to appear in the SERPs (search engine result pages), I would not use automated translations on any of my company’s website(s). And depending on your online content strategy, the translated sections of your pages might reflect on the main content.

From Google’s Webmaster Tools

I’m not just picking on Google Translate, as there are lots of other automated translations (like Bing Translator, Collins Translator, and Systran Translator) out there. My advice would be to avoid low quality content altogether.

To sum up, creating content for a global audience is far from simple. Getting it right involves taking complex cultural differences into account, as well as ensuring you have the technical expertise to deliver a great website experience for your visitors.

We have produced a free digital guide called the Digital Content Guide to International Business Expansion that shows you the best practices for developing successful international online content.

Good luck, and if you ever want to talk about anything at all, send me a tweet at @RichardMBrooks.

List of tools and further reading

• http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.co.uk/
• https://adwords.google.com/KeywordPlanner
• http://www.semrush.com/
• https://ahrefs.com/
• SEObook.com
• https://moz.com/blog
• http://www.searchenginejournal.com/
• searchengineland.com
• searchenginewatch.com
• https://goralewicz.co/blog/

There’s a rather brilliant presentation and transcript for marketers interested in behavioural economics over at Evolving Economics by Jason Collins (Australia’s answer to Rory Sutherland). Jason presented “Please, not another bias! An evolutionary take on behavioural economics” at last week’s Marketing Science Ideas Exchange conference in Sydney, and covered the controversial issue of brand personality and why it matters.

Bottom line, brand personality is the set of human personality traits that are both applicable to and relevant for brands (think ‘open brand’, ‘conscientious brand’, ‘extravert brand’ etc…) and brand personality matters because our evolved emotional systems reward us for signalling our personality traits to potential mates, allies and adversaries through display behaviour. So brands that have ‘display value’ have emotional appeal because they help us signal aspects of personality we wish to project. From this perspective, brands are peacock tails for hire, signalling our desirability to the world. In a world where product quality is increasingly a given and where product characteristics are quickly copied by competitors, it follows that brand personality should be a key psychological locus of brand value (along with brand salience).

But brand personality has been controversial in marketing because it has traditionally been a magnet for bad thinking, bad research and brand nonsense. Think brand onions, keyholes and pyramids. Byron Sharp dealt something of an evidence-based deathblow to the idea of brand personality in How Brands Grow, dismissing brand personality as ‘esoteric quackery’, and likening proponents of brand personality to ‘medieval doctors’.  This hasn’t stopped some die-hard proponents from persisting – see this eye-watering example spotted by @neurobollocks last week.

Enter Jason Collins, who attempts to save the concept of brand personality with a theoretically informed framework based on the consumer psychology of Geoffrey Miller.  The key insight is that if brand personality is a set of human personality traits that are both applicable to and relevant for brands, then we would do well do look at brand personality through the lens of human personality, specifically the established ‘Big Five’ dimensions of human personality

• Openness to experience: inventive/curious vs. consistent/cautious. Such elements as appreciation for art, emotion, adventure, unusual ideas, intellectual curiosity, imagination and variety of experience.
• Conscientiousness: efficient/organized vs. easy-going/careless. Such traits as a tendency to show self-discipline, act dutifully, orderly, trustworthy, aim for achievement; planned behavior.
• Extraversion: outgoing/energetic vs. solitary/reserved. Such traits as energy, positive emotions, openness to others, sociability, impulsivity.
• Agreeableness: friendly/compassionate vs. cold/unkind. Such traits as kind, compassionate, modest, trust, cooperative.
• Neuroticism: sensitive/nervous vs. secure/confident. Such traits as anxious, unstable, nervous, vulnerable, a tendency to express unpleasant emotions.

Measure a brand on these five ‘OCEAN’ dimensions (along with general intelligence), you get a unique iOCEAN ‘trait tattoo’ that can be useful – and therefore appealing –  for signalling.  This trait tattoo is a measure of the display value of a brand. Measure your own personality trait tattoo here.

Trait Tattoo

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This is a rather different approach to brand personality than the ad hoc jumble of descriptors we use when personifying brands  (although Stanford psychologist Jennifer Aaker has developed a BPS (brand personality scale) based on five more or less stable clusters of concepts we use when –  Sincerity, Excitement, Competence, Sophistication and Ruggedness). Collins’ insight is that we should carve nature at the joints when we investigate brand personality using the OCEAN dimensions of human personality.

Likewise when we look at the ever-expanding jumbled list of cognitive biases that pepper marketing today; they make better sense when we look at them through the lens of human evolution.  With respect to brand personality, Maggie Geuens has made a similar point in her reformulation of Aaker’s BPS along the lines of the five dimensions of human personality, but rebranding the dimensions for industry ease use (what brand would call itself neurotic?); Simplicity (Openness), Responsibility (Conscientiousness), Activity – (Extraversion), Aggressiveness – (Agreeableness), Emotionality – (Neuroticism).

So there may be sense and utility in what may be dismissed as brand personality nonsense if the framework we use is theoretically informed by evolutionary science. Of course, any framework is useful only to the extent that it has both explanatory and predictive power; and more research is needed to see if the trait tattoos of brands can predict brand appeal.

The full transcript of Jason’s presentation, along with the slides, are available online, and well worth a read.

        

PNR: This Old Marketing with Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose can be found on both iTunes and Stitcher.

In this week’s episode, Robert and I discuss two recent developments that clearly illustrate why you should not build your content house on rented land: LinkedIn has placed limits on your ability to download contact information about your connections, and Google Plus as a social network is no more. Next, we dissect a new report from AOL that claims to be focused on content marketing, but really isn’t. In a strange parallel, Moz publishes a report that says it’s focused on inbound marketing – but its real impact is much broader than that. Rants and raves include an excellent McKinsey report that explains how digital marketing operations can transform business and a pair of TV media talent moves that ought to get marketers thinking about similar opportunities. We wrap up the show with a #ThisOldMarketing example of the week from Flight Centre.

This week’s show

(Recorded live July 27, 2015; Length: 59:15)

Download this week’s PNR This Old Marketing podcast.

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1. Content marketing in the news

• LinkedIn quietly removes option to export contacts (3:57): During the last week, LinkedIn removed the option to export your contacts. Instead, the company asked users to request an archive of their data, but that process took up to 72 hours to complete. After that move caused an avalanche of user complaints, LinkedIn relented and reinstated the feature. Robert and I believe this is LinkedIn’s first step toward transforming user data into a premium service. Marketers need to remember that the providers of social media networks can make any changes they want to their platforms – in other words, don’t build on rented land. This article is paired with the next one about Google+.

• Google Plus is no more (9:25): Google has finally announced that your Google+ profile will no longer be your identity in all Google products. This change will be rolled out over the next several months; the first product to be affected will be YouTube. Google says Google+ isn’t going away, but will be retooled to provide a place where people can engage around their shared interests. Despite Google’s spin on this announcement, it’s clear that, as a social network, Google+ is dead. Robert and I agree that the old strategy of “go where your audience is and build a presence there” no longer applies. Instead, use those channels to pull people to your owned properties.

• AOL CMO says content marketing is about value, not advertising (17:54): In an interview with Marketing Land, AOL’s new Chief Marketing Officer, Allie Kline, mentions a new white paper it has published entitled The Alchemy of Connection. It teaches a data-driven approach to creating, integrating, and measuring effective content programs. Robert and I agree that it’s interesting, but it doesn’t reveal anything new about the ways in which content can enhance customer awareness and preference. Also, it focuses on campaign-based examples, which aren’t really content marketing.

• The inbound marketing economy – content marketing jobs abound (24:25): When it comes to job availability and security, the future looks bright for inbound marketers. So says a comprehensive new research study conducted by Moz and Fractl. Data compiled from a number of sources, including LinkedIn job listings, shows that employers are looking for hybrid marketers who are knowledgeable in a variety of marketing disciplines and have a solid feel for corporate strategy. Robert and I were both confused by Moz’s decision to title this article “The Inbound Marketing Economy,” because it really doesn’t devote much attention to inbound.

• E.W. Scripps acquires podcast network (32:19): Midroll Media, which operates an advertising network for podcasts including WTF with Marc Maron and Nerdist, has been acquired for an undisclosed price by E.W. Scripps Co. Scripps will help Midroll find access to wider distribution and a new set of advertisers who haven’t traditionally spent money in the podcasting space. I predict this is the first of many transactions where podcast publishers will be acquired. It adds legitimacy to audio entertainment as a sponsorship opportunity for brands.

2. Sponsor (38:24)

• This Old Marketing is sponsored by Emma, email marketing for the modern brand. Emma is a provider of best-in-class software and services that help organizations of all sizes get more from their email marketing. In Emma’s new Modern Marketer’s Field Guide, you’ll learn how to identify (and use) the right marketing tools to craft emails that truly stand out in the inbox and create a personal experience for every subscriber. Download the guide now at http://bit.ly/myemma-field-guide.

3. Rants and raves (41:24)

• Robert’s rave: Robert is keen on this article from McKinsey that explains how digital marketing operations can transform business. As consumers become increasingly empowered and sophisticated in the way they make purchasing decisions, it’s never been more important to use data to map customers’ DNA, understand exactly what they want, and then take those insights to develop and deliver a superior (and flawless) customer experience. Robert says this is an excellent article for people who are trying to figure out where to start to change a deeply-ingrained corporate culture to support a broader role for marketing.

• Joe’s rave: I’m loving two articles this week. The first, from Variety, explains that Univision has signed a number of Hispanic YouTubers to create content for its first digital multichannel network. The second article announces that Bill Simmons from Grantland and ESPN fame has joined HBO, where he will host a weekly talk show that will span sports and popular culture. I’ve selected them to remind brands that there are huge opportunities for hiring creative storytellers or buying existing channels to help them create engaging content. Media companies are aggressively embracing this approach, but so far very few brands have done so.

4. This Old Marketing example of the week (51:24)

• Flight Centre: Flight Centre is a travel service agency in Australia. It owns multiple brands that focus on a variety of travel needs, including family vacations and cruises. Two years ago, it started publishing Travel Ideas, a print magazine that does an awesome job of highlighting destinations its customers would love to visit. Its content consistently positions Flight Centre as a travel concierge, someone who can help you plan your adventures and take a lot of the worry out of travel. Over 75,000 copies of Travel Ideas are distributed to Flight Centre’s offices throughout Australia; it is also used as a targeted mailing piece to key customer groups. Flight Centre’s next steps for the magazine are to develop metrics to measure its effectiveness and to transform it into a subscription-based platform. Flight Centre is completely committed to Travel Ideas; it even recruited an experienced travel journalist to serve as its editor.

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The post This Week in Content Marketing: Don’t Build Your Content House on Rented Land appeared first on Content Marketing Institute.

It happened in Tolland, CT last August. I was driving a 27-foot UHaul packed to the ceiling with our stuff and with my car in tow. Just over the Connecticut line, the truck lurched violently to the left. I assumed I had a flat tire and steered into the breakdown lane. It was then that I noticed one wheel bouncing down the median strip and another rolling down the middle lane.

The left rear wheel had completely come off – lug nuts, rim and both tires. The delay cost us a day of travel. Maybe we should have seen it as a warning.

A year ago I decided to abandon Massachusetts, which had been my home for 39 years, and move to Reading, PA so my wife and twin daughters could be closer to their extended family. We rented a house in the suburb of Exeter and I rented a small office in a funky art studio/function hall in the middle of Reading.

We were excited about exploring the area and taking advantage of the much lower housing and living costs. We thought we’d have lots of support from the family as we got our bearings and found a place to live. It turned out that people were busier than we expected, and we found ourselves pretty much on our own from the start. Our bad; we should have asked before we made the decision to move.

We didn’t want to settle in Reading for several reasons, including the schools, so we expanded our search eastward. The closer our search took us to Philadelphia, the higher the prices went. With prices in attractive Philly suburbs like Chester County approaching those of Metro West Boston, we began to question why we had moved from a place we loved to a place we barely knew. Sometimes you don’t realize how much you like a place until you leave it. On a visit to Boston this past April we made the decision: We’re coming back.

We’re scheduled to close on a home in Westborough, MA on Aug. 17 and be there by the 20th. No U-Haul this time. We’ll let a moving company worry about the equipment.

The Pennsylvania experiment was expensive and disruptive, but we had to do it. Being 350 miles away from family creates pressures that constantly weighed on Dana’s conscience. The only way to know if this area was right for us was to move here.

There’s a lot to like about the Reading area. The surrounding valley is beautiful, and the view from Mt. Penn is stunning in places. The Lancaster area about 40 miles to the south is the heart of Amish country, where the farms, quaint homes and horse-pulled carriages are charming. Southeastern Pennsylvania is corn-farming country. The stalks spread for miles, and the cornfields come right up against the back yards of people’s houses. Some of the attractions we particularly liked were Longwood Gardens, the Strasburg Railroad, Cherry Crest Farm and Hershey Park. They’re all well worth a visit, if you’re in the area.

As far as Reading itself, well, let’s say you can cross it off your bucket list. It’s the poorest city in America as measured by percentage of residents below the poverty line. While we did find some charming local restaurants and a couple of interesting attractions, I would characterize the overall mood in this once-thriving town as hopeless. It’s sad. Reading was once a vital hub of the railroad industry, but it never diversified its industrial base or built academic institutions that would fuel new business. I did kind of enjoy my office in Reading Art Works. It’s an example of the kind of artsy lofts that spring up when a neighborhood gentrifies. Unfortunately, I don’t see any other signs of gentrification in the area.