1- How an online retailer created a research report that produced 212% more downloads
Launching a good content marketing campaign does not have to be a step into the unknown. You might have all the resources you need sitting in your office. Learn how an online retailer created a free report from a survey of its email audience and had the report downloaded 212% more times than the previous year. See why the report’s title is the top-referring keyword to the company’s blog.
2- Branded content needn’t be complicated, just focused
from Custom Content SmartBrief, Huffington Post, Posted: 10/5/11, Joe Frydl
Online fashion retailer Net-a-Porter’s site is a good, simple example of what “branded content” should be, providing advice and inspiration that spurs sales, writes Indigenous co-founder Joe Frydl. Branded content is a loose term that encompasses both entertainment and useful information but whose elements in any specific campaign should always be focused on what the brand is trying to achieve.Few concepts in marketing are more misunderstood or abused than “branded content”. For most, the term conjures up either a) an expensive integration with a high-profile entertainment property or b) a custom web-video featuring the brand in such a ham-fisted way that we wonder if anyone will ultimately care about it as legitimate “content”. But adding the word “brand” to the Wikipedia definition of “content” provides a more useful way to think about and use branded content: ”Information or experiences that provide value to audiences in brand-specific contexts”.
3- The Future of Content in SEO
from Social Media Explorer by Jason Falls
Remember the old line “content is king”? For a long time in the SEO community we thought it was that easy. Create good content and they (traffic, social, rankings) will come. But is that still true with the rise of social, local and personalized search? What about the recent Google Panda update? Content “farming” as it’s called, was hit pretty hard by the Panda update and now companies are having to refocus their entire view of content creation as a viable SEO strategy. There’s a big case for internet marketers to take their focus away from content since there are signs that content isn’t exactly “king” anymore.
4- Content is the key ingredient in advertising’s future
Consumers’ growing sophistication in avoiding or ignoring traditional interruptive ads is driving advertisers to put more of their money behind engaging content that audiences will gravitate to, writes Dan Greenberg, co-founder of social video ad company Sharethrough. Look for more developments along these lines, including more integration of social media for sharing among users and friends.
5- 5 reasons for the content marketing boom
from Custom Content SmartBrief, By David Sasson, iMediaConnection.com, on October 04, 2011
The old model of entertainment content produced by advertisers — think soap operas — is having a renaissance in content marketing today, this time taking a more informational approach designed to reach a specific target audience, writes Outbrain’s David Sasson. It’s a smart strategy in a world in which people are empowered to avoid interruptive ads and brand building online has come up wanting. Consumers, however, have shown a willingness to opt in for information that’s relevant to them.
6- Content Based Marketing: It Takes a Village
from Social Media Today by davidjcorr
“While marketing must take the lead and pave the way, the subject matter experts within the organization must be willing to share their knowledge, experience, and time. They must get in the game.”
7- Why pay for content marketing?
from Custom Content SmartBrief By Kelsey Collister, Published September 22, 2011, Business 2 Community
A content-marketing presence does the work of a salesperson, engaging potential customers and explaining products and services. This post offers four reasons why content marketing is worth the investment.To communicate effectively with customers, companies must create messages that align with their positioning and overall marketing strategy. Sounds simple, right? Yes and no. Kristina Halvorson, a notable content strategist said dealing with content can be messy, complicated, expensive and even painful at times.Despite these challenges, businesses should invest in quality content because it’s an integral part to communicating with target audiences. Jonathan Kahn, a web developer and writer for A List Apart said, “the website is the digital manifestation of the organization, critical to marketing and sales, communications, branding and reputation, and customer service and support.”
8- Why brand journalism isn’t about content farming
from SmartBrief on Social Media, SparkMinute.com, on SEPTEMBER 23, 2011
Brand journalism has a undeserved bad reputation for being ethically dubious and producing poor content, David Spark writes. Good brand journalists abide by the same ethical and professional standards as conventional journalists, and can help companies develop the high-quality content they need to prosper on the social Web, Spark writes. For more than 16 years I’ve been a traditional journalist, writing, producing, and appearing in more than 40 media outlets in print, radio, TV, and online. I also own a custom publishing/brand journalism firm called Spark Media Solutions.While everyone can define journalism, not such the case with brand journalism. Both are forms of editorial content. A brand journalist’s goal is to help their brand be seen in the center of an important issue by creating valuable industry and issue-related content that people seek out, want to consume, and engage in debate.
9- 9 Glorious Truths About Creating Great Content
from Six Pixels of Separation – Marketing and Communications Insights – By Mitch Joel at Twist Image by Mitch Joel
Marketers don’t like to make mistakes. People don’t like to make mistakes. Content has become a core ingredient in the Marketer’s recipe for success. The challenge is that creating great content is like creating art: it’s not a perfect science and it requires both time and commitment before you start getting good at it (and great results). Like art, some people never get good at it. There are some core lessons that can be learnt from brands who create great content (and some of them ain’t pretty).
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