Tis the season for giving thanks, and today I’m going to start by saying I’m thankful that it’s Friday Fix Day! I expect by this time next week, everyone will be in a turkey coma, so I’m also thankful that our Tips of the Trade Tuesday post decided to cover copyright laws related to music for business videos this week. Other savory Friday Fixings we cover this week include: the absolute essence of a human touch in your content marketing approach; how the New York Times nailed virtual reality; using content marketing to improve sales; king content’s queen, and more. So, fill your favorite coffee mug with a little liquid pep and get ready to throw down with the Friday Fix.
From Super Bowl Sex Ads to Storyteller: An Interview with GoDaddy Editor-in-Chief Shawn Pfunder
Marcy McCreary starts this article with a fun question: What does GoDaddy do? Go ahead and try to answer before you click the article. If you weren’t able to answer that or came up with three or four different things, congratulations, you’re not alone. This reality didn’t eclipse the good people at GoDaddy either, which is why efforts were made to change that. How can one change an audience’s perception of them or to create (or in this case define) an identity? I’m not going to say easy, but it’s through storytelling. How? Check out the article to find out what GoDaddy did.
Washington Post CRO Jed Hartman: If Content is King, Then Platform is Queen
versio.com
Well, I for one am happy that King content has found something to rule alongside him (it can get lonely in the spotlight). The important of platform couldn’t be more obvious than it is in Sarah Sluis’ article, which analyzes steps taken by The Washington Post that put its traffic ahead of The New York Times for the first-time ever. Per Jed Hartman, it’s not just about creating good content; you also have to be good at technology. Read on to see how the Post plays both the king and queen for a strategy-winning approach.
The New York Times Makes Virtual Reality Real
Howard Homonoff have something in common…okay, well until his latest rub with The New York Times virtual reality implementation we had something in common: we were both skeptics of VR. For me, I just don’t get what the great enhancement is; I kind of see it like Gwenneth Paltrow’s Goop Christmas list: a bit overrated, a little more than unnecessary (though I’m pretty curious about how much my life would change with $956 toilet paper), and somewhat indulgent. I mean, don’t we have enough? Well, take it from Homonoff that the Times’ VR approach has elevated its storytelling abilities to a new level, so if you’re curious about VR or want to see how it’s being done right, check out this article.
Brands Must Evolve with Technology to Truly Engage with Their Audience
markmosphere.com
I don’t know why, but this article conjured the refrain from a Spice Girls song that said, “I need somebody with a human touch.” I’m not sure who (or what) Baby, Posh, Sporty, Grumpy, Sleepy, Happy...whoever they were…were trying to hook up with, but shouldn’t everyone have a human touch? Well, sure, but just because they should doesn’t mean that they do. In this article, Michael Lisboa hits the nail on the head. People could care less about brands; what they do care about is connection. So, how do you make a connection with an individual without thinking of them as an audience? Storytelling…the answer is always storytelling.
How Industrial Companies are Stuck on SEO for Content Marketing Strategy
In this article, Achinta Mitra isn’t dismissing SEO or even making it one of those things that you are attentive to; however, he is saying that when SEO becomes the entire focus of your content marketing strategy, you tend to forget those funny little things called human. As it turns out, humans are really important for building leads, brand identity, success, etc. So, if you’re concerned about lead generation but can’t see past SEO –whether you’re an industrial company or not—Achinta’s article has some good advice for overcoming those tech-centric obstacles.
How to Use Big Data to Enhance Your Brand Storytelling
distilled.net
We’ve mentioned using data in brand storytelling previously, but in this piece, Rick Delgado puts a different yet clever spin on it. Rick explains that by gathering your own data you have advantages such as seeing how others are interacting with your brand; you’re able to include more relevant visuals and other information, for example. Used sparingly, big data can really enhance your story, which is why Rick also includes a couple of tools that he’s found useful for organizing and analyzing big data.
5 Content Marketing Lessons from Grantland’s Shutdown
I’m one of those people who reads about bad news, and my first thought is, “I’ll never make that mistake,” or, “That won’t happen to me.” This is the same logic a lot of teens use right before they find out they’re pregnant. Um…oops? So, lessons can be learned from others. In this piece Austin Talbert looks at five key things that may not have saved Grantland (because there were other variables at play) but certainly that you can use to help avoid a similar fate.
Thread Connected Content Puts the Focus on Creative Storytelling
slideshare.net
It’s always inspiring when you see an organization hit the ball out of the park; sure you wish you were the guy batting, and maybe one day, you will be. Just take notes from the ones who’ve figured out their swing. In this article, Brian Martucci looks at MSP’s Thread Connected Content, which is a multidisciplinary approach to creative campaigns with emphasis on “high-touch storytelling”; it’s an approach that’s impossible to fully explain here, which is why I say that reading this article is a must-do.
How Can Content Marketing Improve Your Sales?
So, I’m sure at some point while reading all of the rhetoric on content marketing most of you have asked, “Yeah, but what about my bottom line?” This article by Mike Huber gets to business starting with a close look at the altered landscape of sales. He goes on to discuss content marketing’s role in sales (as well as sales people’s roles in content marketing) and includes a snazzy list of how content marketing helps to improve sales (it’s a list that makes so much sense, you may be wonder why you asked the question).
10 Guidelines for Your Content Marketing in 2016-2017
Okay, Steven Van Belleghem gets the prize for looking ahead…2016-2017? Geez…Thanksgiving is next week, and I haven’t even written a grocery list. In all seriousness, we’ve definitely made the point before that looking ahead (content calendar, for example) makes a world of difference in an organized, cohesive, and measurable content marketing strategy. If you want 2016 to be your best year yet, then check out Steven’s blog and see what his suggested guidelines for next year are; apply the ones that work for you and start the New Year with a spring in your professional step.
Music for Business Video: Copyright Laws, Song Selection and Where to Find Music for Your Videos
storytelleragency.com
Recently, a friend showed me a video of the interworking of the human body, and while the video content itself was undeniably cool, what made it a work of art that made me wish I’d been more attentive in freshman biology was the music. Music plays a huge role in business video and is one that you need to define. Once you know what you want the music to do, you then need to find a piece (or a way to use a piece) that permits you to use with without breaking any copyright laws.
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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