It’s always good to know where you stand, in order to get better at what you do. It’s also important that you stay up-to-date with everything new.
This is why we’ve compiled a list of the most noteworthy content marketing resources published and shared in October. The main areas covered include content strategy, SEO, time management and content research.
1. How To Convince Management To Invest In Content Marketing, by Marketing Land (1k shares)
Here’s one challenge we’ve all had to overcome at least once. Most marketing officials face the same difficulty: getting their bosses to take content marketing into account when organising marketing tactics.
Marketing Land’s article gives a few suggestions for getting management to comply with content marketing expenses :
– explain how content marketing as a part of an overall online marketing strategy can “help the company achieve business goals, including increasing revenue, higher conversion rates, better customer service and thought-leadership;” we would add brand awareness to the list.
– find their content marketing soft spot. Do they like to read? Does they blog? This may make them susceptible to better understading a creative point of view.
– illustrate your stance in a comparative manner; show them examples of how competitors are utilizing content to better reach their audiences.
[Image credits: Kevin Dooley cc]
2. The content marketing trends your business should be implementing, by The Next Web (3,9 k shares, 7 comments)
A blog post about the content trends your business will be forced to look into, if it hasn’s done so already:
– optimize content for mobile devices;
– use video content;
– include “one-stop online resources by which visitors can educate themselves on issues and topics relevant to your industry”;
– look toward new social media platforms like Google+ or SlideShare (this is already old, so if you haven’t already focused some efforts on “visualising” your content, do it asap)
No need to explain the popularity of this piece. It’s extremely visual, well-written and talks trends. Something no respectable content marketer would neglect.
[Image credits: Steven Depolo cc]
3. 11 Killer Tips to Leverage SlideShare’s Power in Your Visual Content Marketing, by CMI (1071 shares)
Albeit a little overdone lately, SlideShare coverage still makes sense. In case you have’t yet redesigned your online content for SlideShare, here’s why and how you should contemplate the options:
– SlideShare is a great visual content marketing tool;
– using a call-to-action (CTA) at the end of every presentation increases chances of engagement;
– don’t forget to…share your content efforts.
If you had to choose one and only one channel for distributing your pieces of content, pick SlideShare. It’s the safest way out of anonymity.
[Image credits: Odan Jaeger cc]
4. 7 Content Marketing Tips For When You Lack Time & Resources, by Marketing Land (3,2k shares)
Original content is key, but producing it around the clock can be difficult. Content curation tools can be your ticket to inspiration-land. Popular tips for solving major content marketing dilemmas:
– curate content and add your personal touch. Easier said than done, in our opinion, but it’s worth a shot. Especially when it’s your only chance at producing engaging content.
– be sure to mingle syndicated content with a personal point of view, or else you may attract the wrath of Google
The lack of time (and, more importantly, inspiration) is an issue everyone struggles with. That’s why an article on how to improve results with minimal effort is always welcome.
[Image credit: Lucas Cobb cc]
5. How to Turn Research Into Content Marketing Strategy AND Tactics, by CMI (1234 shares)
Research is key in building an efficient content marketing strategy. On that note, CMI advises us to keep in mind one of the main content marketing principles: “find a way to provide relatable, relevant content that brings something new and thought-provoking to the conversation.”
Research results can also be turned into various things: infographics, e-books, podcasts or several blog articles on the same theme.
Coming up with fresh new content is one of the main challenges in marketing. One of the key solutions to solving this problem is given by data gathering. Results of a survey can be interpreted and then recirculated multiple times, which, in the end, provides significant fuel for debate.
6. 4 Ways to Break the Insanity of Content Marketing Competition, by CMI (1025 shares)
We are all competing for customers’ attention, especially on Google and LinkedIn. Content Marketing Institute offers a few tips on how to trump competition:
– “Figure out something that nobody else is doing and seek to create a monopoly in some area that’s been underdeveloped” (Peter Thail, co-founder ar PayPal).
– Effective content marketers are witnessing amazing results with both podcasts and printed books. That’s right, print is not dead!
Stand out in the crowd, yadda yadda…you know this…But it’s still an article worth reading.
7. How to Build a Better Content Marketing Strategy, by CMI(1482 shares)
You can now explore the “why”s of content marketing strategy in general and try applying these guidelines to your business:
– documenting your content marketing strategy on a regular basis and monitoring its performance is what makes the dfifference between a thorough content marketer and their less successful counterparts, CMI seems to think;
– “We have to be able to tie content to business objectives” (Carla Johnson) – something that most marketers nowadays completely neglect. After all, content marketing is still marketing and marketing needs to sell.
– review your marketing strategy, and identify what is constant and appreciated on social media, and refer to that regularly.
All content marketers employ the term “strategy”, often times without actually applying one to their work. Try putting it into practice.
[Image credits: stephen boisvert cc]
