Your Weekly Content Marketing Round-Up

Welcome back to the weekly content marketing round-up where I scour the internet to find informative content related to content marketing so you don’t have to!

The round-up now includes 5 ready-to-go tweets.

***

The Oldest Ad In The World Was A Piece of Content Marketing

Well, they say everything old is new again and it seems we have come full-circle when it comes to marketing. The oldest piece of content marketing is likely much older than you thought!

LinkedIn Pulse: Oldest Ad in the World

Tweet:

The oldest ad in the world was a piece of content marketing! Who knew? http://ow.ly/DCdE303J84C  #contentmarketing #marketing #copywriting

—

Finding Inspiration to Write Unbeatable Copy for Landing Pages

This fun article with GIFs interspersed between paragraphs offers 9 potential sources of inspiration for writing killer landing page copy. Suggestions range from spending time with the kids to scanning magazine headlines at the grocery store to skimming our social media feed. As a copywriter myself, I look forward to testing out some of these ideas next time I need some help getting in the zone. 

 

Unbounce: Finding Inspiration to Write Unbeatable Copy for Landing Pages

Tweet:

9 Places to Find Inspiration to Write Killer Landing Page Copy http://ow.ly/aj1M303JbUf #marketing #copywriting

—

Why Your Lazy Attempts at Copy are Killing Your Conversations

In this much-needed blog post by Neil Patel, he explains why grandiose claims and superlatives are ineffective in our marketing savvy economy.

Even according to Bob Bly’s The Copywriter’s Handbook (highly recommended), written in the 1980’s (1st edition), fluffy, self-congratulatory superlatives like “This amazing course will make you more knowledgeable about sales than the leading experts” will provoke skepticism from your readers.

This is especially true now when 61% of consumers report reading at least 6 objective product reviews online before making a purchase.

Peter Boyle: Why Your Lazy Attempts at Copy are Killing Your Conversions

Tweet:

This copywriting mistake could be killing your conversations. http://ow.ly/UHaB303JdgT #marketing #copywriting

—

11 Copywriting Principles You Can Implement Today

I like this article, because it lays out 11 concise, actionable tips for writing web copy/online written content:

MAINWP: 11 copywriting principles you can implement today

Tweet:

11 actionable copywriting tips for writing great online written content: http://ow.ly/x6Fo303JhKC #copywriting #contentmarketing

—

The Quick-and-Simple Guide to Getting Started With Video Content Marketing

Video currently accounts for about 60% of all video traffic and this is a trend that is not slowing down.  In fact, that statistic is predicted to reach 80% by 2019. You do not have to be a professional videographer to experiment successfully with this medium.

In fact, I’ve been shooting a lot of videos on my phone lately for Snapchat, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Periscope, and more. As a copywriter who usually operates behind the scenes, it’s been fun to build my confidence on camera. Try it! I think you’ll see great results and positive responses.

The Quick-and-Simple Guide to Getting Started With Video Content Marketing

 

Your Weekly Content Marketing Round-Up

 

Welcome back to the weekly round-up. I scour the internet for useful content about content writing so that you don’t have to! 🙂

In this week’s round-up we throw down, get data-driven, learn how to get paid for our writing, and more.

Enjoy!

 

The following is a must-read. I hear a lot of whining from fellow writers. My advice to them is to quit whining and start winning. B*tching won’t get you paid. Change your situation. Utilize technology to do so.

“If writing is your profession and your passion, you can accept crap assignments for crap money and crap treatment. Or you can choose something better. Because there is something better.”

http://www.copyblogger.com/writer-success-2014/

 

This article by Karisa Egan features 4 valuable, tweetable tips for creating an optimized website from a team of several marketing and UX experts:

Website Throwdown: 4 Lessons From Critiquing Websites With David Meerman Scott

 

Shlomo Zalman Bregman wears many professional hats. He’s a lawyer, a rabbi, an author, an entrepreneur, a motivational speaker and a business consultant whose videos have thousands of views on YouTube.

Check out my exclusive interview with Shlomo Zalman in the Huffington Post about time management, utilizing your energy effectively, and making the most out of every minute to maximize your chances of success:

Shlomo Zalman Bregman on How to Maximize Your Time and Energy Successfully

 

PR is an inbound form of marketing that today, straddles the border between traditional and digital. While it has long been a part of the traditional marketing arsenal, it’s usefulness in driving traffic through link-backs has made it an invaluable part of SEO. However, PR still suffers from a dearth of focus on data.

My good friend, Zach Cutler is a true innovator. Starting his own successful public relations company right out of college, Zach has become a leader in the PR field.

Zach Cutler is disrupting PR and calling on the industry to change, pioneering an effort to raise the bar and hold the PR industry accountable to real-time analytics. Here’s his recent article in Entrepreneur Magazine sounding a clarion call for PR to become more data-driven.

Why the PR Industry Must Become More Data Focused

 

So you’ve amassed a following on social media. Great. Now, how do you turn your following into something that works for you?

Teena Thach shares 7 ways to engage with social media leads  on the Ceros blog.

 

 

 

 

Your Weekly Content Marketing Round-Up

The Weekly Round-up is back and it’s better than ever!

I scour the internet for useful articles about content marketing so you don’t have to! 

Never underestimate the importance of setting aside time for learning and self-improvement. Taking a little time away from urgent and pressing matters and using that time for personal enrichment will make you a lot more productive and successful in the long-run.

Luckily, I was already doing what this article advises one to do. The subhead says: “Benjamin Franklin did this 1 hour a day, 5 hours a week,” so I guess I’m in good company:

Why Constant Learners All Embrace the 5-Hour Rule – Inc. Magazine

Read my exclusive interview in The Huffington Post with Shama Hyder, CEO of The Marketing Zen Group, a global online marketing and digital PR company. Ms. Hyder is a web and TV personality and a best-selling author who Forbes and Inc. Magazine both recently dubbed a 30 Under 30 Entrepreneur.

Get the scoop on her awesome new book, Momentum “How to propel your marketing and transform your brand in the digital age.”

I greatly enjoyed her book, because it demystifies the online marketing ecosystem by supplying step-by-step practical advice. It is essentially a how-to guide for anyone trying to market a brand or master the basics of digital marketing:

Shama Hyder on How to Gain Momentum in Your Marketing – The Huffington Post

Alex Hisaka explains the benefits of content marketing  for salespeople and sales teams. Creating informative, helpful content builds authority which ultimately translates to more leads and sales:

Content & the New Sales Cycle: Creating Authority with Content – LinkedIn

There are many talented content writers out there. But one needs to be able to hustle and develop good business savvy to make a good living from it. I will likely write more on this subject in a future post.

“While successful content writers seem to have an enviable life — they work from home, make their own schedules and work as much or as little as they please — the vast majority have a hard time making a living of it. They lack the skills necessary to succeed. Because no matter how talented they are, writing skill is simply not enough. So, if you want to become successful as a content writer, you need a full toolkit of marketable skills.”:

The 5 Skills You Need to Become a Successful Content Writer – Entrepreneur Magazine

Read 7 interesting case studies from Hootsuite about big brands successfully utilizing social media media with lessons for small brands. Each case study includes actionable tips that small businesses can apply to their own campaigns.

As the article so wonderfully states:
“Solid social media principles can be universally applied—regardless of whether your budget is ‘baller’ or smaller.”:

7 Big Brand Social Media Strategies for Small Businesses – Hootsuite

Your Weekly Content Marketing Round-Up!

Welcome back to the Weekly Round-up where I present you with useful content marketing related articles.

I scour the internet for market trends and content marketing tips so you don’t have to! 🙂

This week we lost iconic legend and recording artist, David Bowie. This was a man who in addition to making fantastic music over the years, was a master of reinvention. Throughout the decades that spanned his illustrious career, Bowie morphed into various personas such as Ziggy Stardust and Major Tom.

What can brands that are looking to rebrand themselves learn from Bowie?

DC based writer, Jeffrey Harvey has some ideas:

Media Matters: David Bowie and the Art of the Rebrand

Are you looking to hire someone to do your social media marketing? What should you be looking for to determine if a social media marketing agency is up to snuff?

In this brief 20-minute podcast, Pam Moore gives you a list of 10 Questions You Must Answer Before Hiring a Social Media Agency in 2016.

The importance of doing research when conducting any kind of digital marketing cannot be overstated. Research isn’t a “step.” It is something you must always be doing to determine if your marketing strategy is working. So #ICYMI (in case you missed it), here is my recent post about the importance of research:

Research, Research, Research!

There are so many components to what we call “content marketing.” There is the creation of the content and then there is the distribution of it on many channels such as social media, email blasts, onsite calls-to-action, blogs, and more. Where does one begin?

This week Brad Hess decided to share some of his special sauce and ingredients in the form of a Healthy Content Promotion Strategy Cookbook on the Ceros blog.

Now you’re prepared to ensure that next week will be even better than the last!

Do you find this post informative and helpful? Share it with friends and subscribe to this blog for more content marketing tips, strategies, and trends today.

Your Weekly Content Marketing Round-Up

This is my weekly round-up of useful content marketing related articles.

I spend time finding articles about the latest trends in content marketing that help you achieve your marketing goals so you don’t have to. 🙂

This article by Hubspot features 15 premier examples of effective landing pages explaining why each is so good at motivating users to take the desired call to action.

15 Examples of Fantastic Landing Pages @Hubspot

A key part of any social media marketing strategy is finding influential people in your industry. Attracting their attention can prove immensely valuable for boosting your bottom line. Identifying influencers and establishing beneficial connections with them is an effective way to engage your target audience. Influencer marketing is bound grow in importance in 2016:

Why You Need to Utilize Influencers in 2016 @Inc

Do you wish to promote your brand on Facebook, but have no budget to utilize any of the network’s paid options? Fear not. This article suggests 10 things you can do that don’t require money:

Top 10 Facebook Marketing Tactics When You Have No Budget @BoomSocialMktg

Content marketing experienced explosive growth in 2015 and it’s not slowing down. The state of content marketing in 2015 and where it’s likely to go in 2016:

The Content Strategist @Contently

If you’re an entrepreneur or a freelancer, here are 7 great books @Entrepreneur Magazine suggests you read: 7 Must-Read Books for the Budding Entrepreneur

Video marketing has experienced tremendous growth over the past year with video now accounting for over 70% of internet traffic in North America. This trend is expected to increase exponentially over the next few years and you need to be ready. Here are 12 affordable apps you can use to edit your videos for social media: 12 Budget-Friendly Video Editing Apps You Can Use For Social Video .

More information about predicted video marketing trends can be found here:

Top 5 Video Marketing Trends for 2016

Hope these links were helpful! If you have any useful articles related to brand blogging, inbound marketing, or content strategy, please feel free to share in the comments.

Do you want more content like this? Subscribe to the blog now for weekly tips, updates, and inspiration.