Happy Labor Day Weekend, fellow Friday Fixers! I’m sure you’re looking forward to the long weekend as much as I am, but before you mentally check out, join me on Friday Fix lane for the what’s-what in content marketing this week. Trending this week (as you’re soon to see) is the importance of video. Last week we launched into the highly relevant topic of visual storytelling, and this week, we and other content marketing pundits are going into detail with a focus on videos. We also explore inbound marketing and content marketing as drivers for ROI as well as why every tech company needs a chief evangelist (we also explain what that is). So, start relaxing early by kicking your feet up and reading the Fix. Oh, and have a Happy Labor Day Weekend!
3 Ways Social Video Marketing Can Propel Your Brand
Video is one of the (if not the) most effective storytelling mediums (sorry, pen and paper…not to worry, I still love you). Adam Toren makes three robust points about what video marketing does for your brand. He explains how video is able to tap into areas of our brain that target emotions and thus bonding, trust, and discussion. Think about it…when you see something that excites you, you talk about it, right?
16 Top Video Marketing Tips and Takeaways from Vidsummit 2015
This article by Owen Hemsath is a great read because it’s power-packed with tips and information that you can use to fully understand the function and relevance of video in content marketing and how you can best use it to tell your stories and boost your brand (and then some). For example, he talks about the three essential components of every successful YouTube campaign (attract, retain, monetize), why you should get rid of videos that are performing up to scratch, and that you should write the script for your videos as a team. Check out the article for all 16 tips and the logic behind them.
The Future of Content Marketing is Online Video
So, we’re three for three on content marketing pundits who assert that video is the bee’s knees for content marketers, and they all have equally unique and relevant points to make about the indisputable power of video. In this post, Hurricane Media operator Jon Mowat sounds off on the power of moving pictures. If you’ve been wondering why you should use video marketing or aren’t convinced by other testimony, Jon brings the statistics. Per a Cisco study, by 2019, video will account for 80% of consumer Internet traffic (that’s up from 64% in 2014). The article goes on to discuss how video levels the playing field and plays into storytelling. So, check it out; get the facts.
Should Content Marketing Entertain? Lessons from a Content Strategist?
skyword.com
My knee-jerk response to Paige Conolly’s rhetorical title question is yes, content should entertain, but don’t take my immediate response for it; see what Paige has to say. While the answer to the content question is a little more cut and dry than yes because there are other things that content storytellers have to focus on, ultimately, there should be some entertainment value in your content marketing…even when your goal has nothing to do with entertainment? Why? Because entertaining means attention grabbing and emotionally compelling. See what Paige has to say to get her full insight on why content marketing needs entertainment value.
What’s Better for Driving ROI: Inbound Marketing or Content Marketing?
Houston, Steve Armeni has identified a problem, and this one isn’t a quick-fix answer because he feels folks have lost sight of a few things and are thus having trouble discerning whether their funds that drive ROI are better invested in inbound marketing or content marketing. To begin, Steve defines the difference between the two types of marketing, so if you don’t know the definition of each, that information alone makes this piece worth the read. Rather than giving a firm answer to his question, Steve explores how you can invest in each to drive ROI. So, are you going to invest in storytelling or in compelling action? There are valid reasons to support action in each instance.
Why Every Tech Company Needs a Chief Evangelist
Theo Priestly is correct when he says that the word evangelist conjures images of some TV personality passionately expounding on a topic (usually a religious one is what pops into my head); however, the term has broad applications. For example, my husband gets evangelistic about how delicious he finds grilled corn to be every summer. In content marketing, your Chief Evangelist does the same thing. Your evangelist creates an authentic and inspiring story that excites and incentivizes folks both in and out of the organization. The end results? Pretty darn spectacular. Read Theo’s article for the full story.
Will Artificial Intelligence Kill Content Marketing?
themediabeast.com
Okay, David Tile…you have my attention mostly because I’m a bit concerned about this thing we call job security. Many feel that there’s a very real possibility that AI could give we humans a run for our money (we created you, AI! We created you! How could you betray us like this?); however, such an event won’t take place for many years (per a quote from Jayson DeMers), and who knows what will happen between then and now? If you’re curious about the logistics or the reality of this discussion regarding the distant future of content marketing, definitely check out this piece.
8 Essential Tweaks to Supercharge Your Content Marketing Efforts
2015 is almost over (take a minute to let that sink in), but there’s still time to get into the fast lane. Ann Smarty brings eight smart surefire tips for stepping it up. These are all tips we’ve seen before (but now they’re compressed into one handy-dandy article). For example, be accessible on all devices, never doubt the power of infographics, and increase the quality of your content. Ann also highlights useful resources like Quora and the Hemingway App, which have been touted previously (so, if you haven’t checked them out, what are you waiting for?).
25 Key B2B Content Marketing Stats [Infographic]
everything-pr.com
I haven’t shared one of these “normal by the numbers posts” in a long time, but I really like Louis Foong’s (perhaps because he uses an infographic to share the details). Anyway, this post is a great way to do what Ann suggests in the previous post and check out the competition. See what others are doing, in what measure, and figure out where you stand among them. Are you normal by the numbers?
25 Digital-Marketing and Social-Media Experts to Follow
Naturally, being the leader of industry that you are, staying abreast of content marketing talks and trends is high on your priority list, but how do you do it in the most time-efficient manner possible? Easy! Click on Jonathan Lang’s article for a list of 25 “who’s who” among content marketing folk in the Twitter-verse and start following those who seem to be the best fits for you (or just follow all of them). So, in addition to reading the Friday Fix every week and the Storyteller Agency on Twitter (insert shameless plug here), following content pundits on Twitter will keep you abreast of the most up-to-date information and content trends.
4 Reasons Why Every Business Website Needs Video
Are you like me in that when you watch shows like Top Chef you feel like you know the people on the video? Like, I feel Padma Lakshmi and I are besties even though she has no idea who I am and would probably be creeped out if we actually met (Oh, Pads! How’s Tom?). Well, as a business, you want your audience to get to know you, right? What better way to do that than via video? There are other perks to rolling the film and posting it to your site. For example, if writing isn’t your forte, video is a platform for you to communicate and to be endearing (which, consequently, grammar mistakes that can happen in even the best of writing aren’t).
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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