Content That Works

If you're not aggregating your content on your company's Facebook fan page, you should be -- especially now that Google Analytics can be set up to track activity on the page. As this article from Buzzmarketing Daily notes, Facebook's default traffic analyzer, Facebook Insights, only tracks the activity of users who have become fans of your page. Google Analytics, however, tracks the actions of anyone who visits the page and provides information related to "visits, average time on site, visitor location, and more."

Check out Buzzmarketing Daily to learn more about what Google Analytics for Facebook can help you determine about the visitors to your page.

The photo of three angry-looking guys and the caption, "Are your people pages scaring away prospects?" accompanying this content marketing article by communications consultant Jon Buscall made me laugh. Maybe your company doesn't have people pages that would actually frighten away prospects, but are those pages showcasing your team in a way that would make those prospects eager to work with you?

Looking for a shortcut to creating an online buzz and driving more traffic to your Web site? While it's true there are overnight success stories of companies whose traffic spiked after something they posted went viral, this kind of success is only temporary, as this Buzz Factory blog points out. Instead shoot for lasting success, which comes from creating engaging content for your target market across several social media sites consistently and every day. Just a little bit of daily activity on your part will bring in traffic that will ultimately prove to be more beneficial than a one-time spike.

A successful content marketing strategy is not limited to only posting relevant, engaging content on your website. You have to learn how to take that great content and distribute it—syndicating it to other online outlets. One of those outlets is Twitter.

Twitter is where a growing portion of your audience is consuming their content, whether breaking news or pithy analysis. So embrace the power of Twitter to drive people back to your site’s compelling content. Twitter should become a larger source of your referring website traffic.

Wondering how to make Twitter part of your content marketing strategy? Here are three content marketing Twitter tips from Meqouda’s Amanada McArthur:

This film nerd always gets super-excited around Oscar time. Just for fun, I've checked out the content available on Oscars.com, sponsored by ABC, the home of this year's Academy Awards broadcast, and Oscars.org, the official site of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). These two sites have different strengths, but both add valuable content for their audiences.

How do you view your newsletter—whether e-mail or print? Do you see it as separate from your website? If so, you're potentially overlooking a huge opportunity to maximize your content marketing impact, says Newt Barrett on Web2journal.com.

In his post, Barrett shares seven ways to get more for your newsletter buck. Depending on your business, all seven of his ideas might not apply, but on his list are a few must-dos to make your newsletter work harder for you:

• Link each newsletter story to a page on your website. "You want your readers to find their way easily to your online home so they can discover lots more about your company, its products and its people," he says.
• Be sure to make RSS feeds available for your newsletter and for all of your web content. "This is an easy and free way of syndicating your news stories that will extend your newsletter subscriber base dramatically," Newt says.
• Be sure each article integrates social media sharing capabilities. "If you’re lucky, a great article may go viral and be spread across the web by enthusiasts who value and want to share your content," he says."

Valentine's Day is over, but if you're looking for a good content marketing strategy, you could probably take a few lessons from the best Valentine's cards and gifts you've received through the years. According to the Idea Launch blog, effective content marketing is like a valentine. It is:

•Funny
•Intelligent
•Keeps things fresh and exciting
•Trustworthy
•Dependable
•Thoughtful and considerate
•Understanding

Your blog, e-mail newsletter or Web site can be well-written and come with the best "packaging" in the world, but remember: If it doesn't have heart and connect with the audience, you won't make an impact.

If you are looking for the best places online to keep up with the latest on content marketing, look no further. The savvy folks of Junta42 have done the work for you—reviewing hundreds of blogs to come up with the best of the best when it comes to content marketing blogs for your reading pleasure. While we might be a bit biased (as our own Rex Hammock’s rexblog.com comes in at number 11), we think this is a great list full of cutting edge thinking about content marketing.

Here are the top 5 blogs from the list:

Many businesses have realized the importance of maintaining a blog, but how many see their blog as a product? New media marketing master Chris Brogan discusses the importance of viewing your blog as a part of a "content ecosystem," noting that as soon as you recognize your blog as "only 'a' channel, that’s when you start thinking of other outreach opportunities."

According to Brogan, being able to view your content -- and all of your products -- as an ecosystem instead of completely separate entities increases its value and opens the door for development.

If you're not getting all you want out of your content marketing efforts, this content marketing essentials article on copyblogger.com provides a few essential ideas on how to keep readers coming back for more.

1. Offer a reward. Give your readers something that will benefit them in some way. The content must entertain or help, and hopefully do both.
2. Show that you know your stuff, but don’t get a big head. Be a trustworthy source of information. Your readers want someone they can relate to, not an over-their-head college lecturer or smarter-than-everyone-else guru.
3. Create a relationship first: You won’t create relationships—or sell anything—without building trust. Think about creating a “content net” in which you can sell what you have over time and not rely on one hard sell.

Focusing on these content marketing basics and making them part of your overall content marketing strategy should help lead you to the results you are looking for.

The latest issue of B-to-B tackles the topic of social media as a revenue-generating marketing channel—more specifically, can social media be a revenue-generating marketing channel?

The article features opinions from experts on both sides. It seems the jury is still out, but nothing sums up the dilemma better than this quote from Matt Ceniceros, who runs FedEx's Citizenship Blog:

“If you look at social media as a channel instead of a new frontier, it becomes more tangible. From a media relationship standpoint, the way we talk to print isn't the same way we talk to broadcast, for example. As the business world becomes more sophisticated in using social media, its special way of being addressed will become more sophisticated as well.”

We couldn't agree more.

Among the many weird Facebook groups springing up every day—“I bet this pickle can get more fans than Nickelback” is a recent gem—one grabbed this editor’s attention: “'Let’s eat Grandma!' or, 'Let’s eat, Grandma!' Punctuation saves lives.”

As long as punctuation continues to make a difference in Grandmas’ lives everywhere, good proofreaders will be necessary. But how do Hammock editors and designers keep our proofing wits about us, especially if it’s something we’ve read, edited and commented on a hundred times? From the well-proven strategies to the unusual ones, here’s how we keep those proofing pencils sharp.

Want to attract customers with your content marketing? One of the first steps to hooking readers is making sure that everything you publish is polished and error-free. Blogger Sean Rasmussen recommends these steps when editing online content:

•Let it rest. Don't rush to publish. After writing something, let it some time pass between your first draft and final edit. You'll be more likely to catch errors this way.

•Proof carefully. Always run spell-check, but remember it's not foolproof. Read your text thoroughly and ask someone else to proof it, too, so another set of eyes can catch what yours may have missed.

•Preview before publishing. If you're adding content to a system that allows you to do this, take advantage of it and check for proper formatting, line breaks and photo placement.

•Content first, SEO second. You want to drive search engines to your sales page, but don't put SEO keywords ahead of producing quality content. Write the piece first—and then add the keywords.

Is your company doing a good job executing your content marketing strategy? Are you struggling to find the resources to carry out all of your plans? Are you unsure about whether your content strategy is effective?

Today companies who provide relevant and engaging content for their customers and prospects are positioning themselves ideally to retain and attract new sales. That’s why it’s not a surprise that according to the results of the recent Junta42 Content Marketing Spending Survey, content marketing accounts for one out of every three marketing dollars spent. Having a content marketing strategy is important, but execution is key. Here are five tips on how to improve your content marketing implementation from interactive marketing strategist Heidi Cohen:

Still relying on old forms of media to get the word out about your business? If so, your content marketing strategy needs an update.

The mindset of prospective customers and buyers is evolving, says content marketing blogger Bernie Borges. An integrated approach of old and new is needed to get this audience to fully connect with your brand.

So, what exactly would such an approach look like? It could mean forging ahead with a brick-and-mortar trade show, while using blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube to engage an audience before, during and after the event. (Hammock managed a similar old/new media blending with Association Media & Publishing last year.)

For more practical ways to take these old media formats--phone, print ad, tradeshows and direct mail--and convert them to new media marketing, read more of Borges' article here.

The New York Times "On Language" column for Jan. 27, 2010, introduced us to a new term for headlines that trip over themselves: "Crash Blossoms."

The column brought back memories of learning to count characters in journalism class, and even more so of designers asking for ever-shorter headlines that wouldn't interfere with their aesthetics, would make a play on words and, oh yes, relate to the story.

As far as I know, I've never published an unintentional howler like "“British Left Waffles on Falklands," but that's not to say I haven't written some on my way to a more sedate statement. My philosophy is, if one entendre is good, then two is doubly so.

Here's one for the doesn't surprise us folder: Social media usage in content marketing jumped 500 percent in two years, according to a new Junta 42 study.

Other content products that have seen the biggest increases since 2008 are blogs, online video and eBooks, followed by digital magazines, podcasts and microsites.

Does this mean your company should be using the hottest tools and ditching the least popular ones? Not at all. What it means is that there are a lot more ways to communicate with your audience these days.

Are your content marketing efforts hitting a wall? Does it seem like your e-mail blasts and newsletters disappear into cyberspace? Do your carefully crafted Tweets, status updates and posts feel like a waste of time?

The truth is converting content into cash is easy, but it takes getting into the skin of your readers and winning their trust and friendship. Here are secrets on how to do this from online business blogger Dan Ohis:

A recent interview with Joe Pulizzi of Junta42 provides some great insight into the role of content today in the marketplace and why companies are looking to outsource the creation of this content to experts in custom media and content marketing. Today companies can’t rely on their customers to tell their story. They need their own custom content to tell their story, and then as Joe points out, "great content should spawn useful user-generated content."

Here are Joe’s keys to success in content marketing: