I can’t tell if January is crawling or flying by…either way, it’s the best day of the week, Friday Fix Day! This week’s posts are pretty interesting; a big running theme among creative marketing minds has to do with personalizing your brand; it’s all about being authentic and putting yourself out there. Also, even though 2015 has already started, it’s not too late to employ a strategy that will make 2015 your year. Since content marketing’s star will continue to rise, why should you not rise with it? So, grab your venti quad latte, read on, and prepare to shoot your arrow of success into the stratosphere. (Insert battle cry here.)
How to Tell the Story of Your Business
Like every person, every company has a story, and your story plays a big role in how people relate to your business. Of course, telling a unique, compelling story that is somehow memorable and compelling is easier said than done. Kudos to Brad Kuenn for providing tips, like not neglecting the “About Us” page. Speaking of the About Us page, I love reading a company’s story on their website especially when it’s voiceful and richly detailed; when there’s no About Us, it’s just a website…no heart. Picture this…an Italian ingredient website whose founding was inspired by the owner’s grandma Sophia’s stories about life in Sicily. That’s got heart.
How to Use Ebooks to Improve Your Content Marketing Strategy
At the mention of ebooks playing hero to lady content marketing, I swooned (this is possibly unrelated to my love of books and an indication of a much more serious medical condition; I’ll keep you posted!). As James A. Martin tells it, a complimentary self-published ebook can be a major heavy hitter for not a lot of hassle. From lead generation to helping customers learn about you to providing your target audience with helpful, friendly (free, did I mention free?) advice, an Amazon ebook can be a low-output way to have a big impact.
How to Dominate Content Marketing in 2015
“This is my year,” you tell yourself during your morning mirror pep-talk. You shake your fist and bare your teeth, make a mental note to pick up some more Rembrandt on the way home, and strike out to crush it. You get to work and…uh…line please? What now? If you’re ready to climb to the top of the content marketing mountain in 2015, then check out what Neil Patel has to say. To reach new heights, you’ll need to embark on new ventures from guest blogging like it’s your job (it kind of is), to raising your content marketing budget, to personalizing your brand. There’s more; check it out and get ready to ‘80s movie montage your way to success (note that by ‘80s movie montage, I mean put in the time and effort).
My Content Marketing Hero – Johnny Cash
John W. Hayes’ article does a lot of things right. The title is catchy because most people know Johnny Cash as a musician, but as a content marketer? Okay, I’m clicking. I mean, the guy was also a code breaker during World War II, so it’s not totally farfetched to imagine he somehow created content marketing. In a short and sweet story John explains why and how Cash’s storytelling abilities heavily influence his content marketing. John was sold on Cash’s authenticity and then begs the question –who’s inspiring you?
Brands Lost Big with Content Marketing in 2014 – Here’s How to Recover This Year
They say hindsight is 20/20, so with ever-increasing clarity, John Hall takes a look back at a fading 2014 to determine who took the roughest tumbles and who reached the highest peaks. In an earlier Friday Fix, we discussed Verizon’s cringe-worthy SugarString that –even if its intentions were pure, its mistakes made it look downright diabolical. On the flip side, Zapier, a small software startup, succeeded by being focused on its users and providing applicable, topically relevant advice. So, as we all toddle into 2015 like the naked and afraid New Year’s babies we all are, we should take the time to reflect and then see what John says about redeeming one’s self with content.
What is the Future of Content Marketing and How Can You Prepare?
Most content marketing pundits we’ve covered in recent Fixes have been content to explore the future as far as early 2015, but Arnie Kuenn has bigger fish to fry as he (wisely) questions what’s beyond 2015. Well, spoiler alert, it looks like content marketing’s star is going to keep rising, and it really will get easier (for those who feel like they’re climbing a mountain without having first learned to belay). For example, content will be handled like a product, each organization will need to find its own approach and its own identity, and it won’t necessarily be necessary to have a presence on every network (is anyone else sighing with relief?). Check out what else wise man Arnie has to say.
Top 2015 Nonprofit Content Marketing Challenges are Budget and Buy-In
If you’re a new or existing nonprofit, then Jonathan Crowl’s article is like a crystal ball to the obstacles you must overcome to sup on the fruits of success (the rest of us are all jealous because who wouldn’t want this kind of insight?). Not only does Jonathan share what the hurtles are going to entail, he also provides hope and tips for overcoming those obstacles (I wonder if I could get Jonathan to do this for my personal life? Hmmm…). For example, the power of video marketing is huge; think of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge that dominated in the latter part of 2014. Read oracle Jonathan’s article for more great ideas.
7 of the Best Content Marketing Tools to Use in 2015
This post by Sujan Patel is great for content marketing newbies or to those who could use a couple of additional resources in their back pocket. I know there a literal truckload of resources available for every aspect of content marketing; however, just like there’s no one-size-fits all approach to content marketing, there’s not one-size-fits all resource, so if you’re still looking for a tool to help with content ideation and research or hiring ghostwriters or social media publishing or …you get the idea, then check out this post.
Content Marketing Trends at the Golden Globes
Any major event with a plethora of fanfare like the Golden Globes is automatically going to be fodder for some kind of content marketing lesson, and Justin Spicer delivers an analysis worthy of a little gold statue (even if it is filled with chocolate). He explains how the Golden Globes influences content marketing by breaking with tradition, rewarding the youth culture, and making old things new. This article is extremely insightful even if you’re like me and the only thing that you know about the Golden Globes is Tina Fey and Amy Poehler’s jokes (because you looked them up on Facebook).
History of Content Marketing: Who Put the “Soap” in Soap Operas?
Even if you’re not really interested in brushing up on the history of content marketing relative to radio soap operas, you should read Anne Handley-Fierce’s post just to pick up tips on how to write stories well. I kind of want to grab a teddy and curl up on Anne’s lap for story time whenever she posts; however, her (fabulous) profile pic tells me that she would not be okay with that. In this webisode, Anne talks about radio soap operas and their soapy sponsors and how that integration laid the groundwork for today’s content marketing. If you whippersnappers don’t remember what radio soaps were, worry not for Anne explains them quite well.
Amy Delcambre is a freelance content and travel writer from Mobile, Alabama with a Master's in Creative Writing. When she's not painting the page with nouns, verbs, and adverbs, she's slaying grammar beasts as a freelance editor and saving the world one sentence fragment at a time teaching university writing classes. In her free time, Amy enjoys cooking, traveling, and testing which plant species best survive prolonged neglect.
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