How to Get Your Blog Picked Up by Google News
Every day, I receive a slew of Google Alerts in my inbox. These alerts show the latest headlines for keywords related to the topics that I write about. The same blogs appear over and over again in these alerts, which means that they are probably getting a ton of traffic from people who subscribe to […]
Does Building Relationships with Customers Really Help Drive Sales?
It seems as though everyone who works in sales is discussing The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation. The book outlines the five types of sales professionals and cites research showing that the ones who focus on building relationships with customers actually perform worse than all of the other types of salespeople, with only […]
How to Take the ‘Boring’ Out of Your B2B Research Reports
Social media … mobile content … online video … Although these marketing channels are getting a lot of attention, another tool has surpassed them in terms of increased usage. And that tool is … research reports. According to the B2B Content Marketing: 2013 Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends – North America report, research reports jumped in […]
5 Easy and Low-Cost Ways to Get More Bang From Your B2B Blog Posts
It’s that time of the year again … the Content Marketing Institute has released its annual B2B Content Marketing: 2013 Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends – North America report. Last year, the biggest B2B content marketing challenge was producing engaging content. However, this year, 64% of respondents say they are having trouble keeping the content machine […]
Should You Let Others Syndicate Your Blog Content?
When you publish great content on your blog, others will want to share it with their communities. They may even ask if they can syndicate some or all of your posts to their blogs. However, as a marketer, do you want your company’s posts on someone else’s blog? Syndicating your content has a number of […]
How to Create B2B Content that Converts and Shortens Sales Cycles
Highlights from my session at Content Marketing World 2012 I had the pleasure of speaking at Content Marketing World 2012 on the topic of using content to generate leads and shorten the B2B sales cycle. One of the big issues that I wanted to address in my presentation was how B2B companies, particularly technology companies, […]
Will Your Competitors Steal All of Your Content?
A few years ago, I came across one of my articles online. Only, I no longer wanted to claim it as my own. Some mass article website had taken one of my articles – something I put a lot of time into researching, writing and proofing – put it into a blender, spit it out […]
The Biggest B2B Content Marketing Fear
Wow – it’s less than one week until Content Marketing World 2012 – the world’s largest gathering of content marketing professionals. I’m thrilled to be speaking at this event. My presentation will explore how B2B companies can use content marketing to generate leads and shorten their sales cycles. In preparation for Content Marketing World, I […]
The Biggest Mistake That Technology Companies Make with Their White Papers (A Rant)
One of my current projects involves helping a client develop content for their blog. As part of their content curation strategy, I scour the web for resources that the blog’s readers – technology professionals – will find valuable. Then I write short positive reviews of these resources and post links to their landing pages. I […]
15 Ways to Get to Know Your Target Audience
One of the biggest factors impacting the success of your marketing is how well your audience relates to your content. If your audience feels that you understand their needs and can help them, they will be more likely to respond to your calls to action. If your content isn’t relevant, they will tune your messages […]
How to Prioritize Your B2B Lead Generation and Content Marketing Efforts
Whether you’re starting out with content marketing, changing your marketing strategy to focus more on your customers or planning your next lead generation campaigns, it can be easy to get overwhelmed. You’ll probably have a mile-long list of projects that you would like to tackle, such as new white papers, launching a blog or […]
How to Create Google-Friendly Content that Increases Your Conversions
By Rachel Foster If you’re using SEO as a marketing strategy, you’ve probably heard about Google’s recent algorithm changes. The updates are designed to penalize websites that are engaged in shady content practices, such as keyword stuffing and publishing bad content just to get traffic. I recently received an email from Outbrain stating that […]
3 Keys to Increasing Your Content Conversions
By Rachel Foster Do you know how well your content is working for you? Although a growing number of marketers are turning to content marketing to increase their conversions, many have a hard time determining how well their efforts are paying off. I recently interviewed Scott Armstrong, general manager of Brainrider, a Toronto B2B content […]
What You Can Learn from the World’s Worst Sales Email
You might be cringing and thinking, “My business would never send out something this bad.” However, many businesses are guilty of at least some of the same crimes in this email. Here are three things that are wrong with this message, along with tips that will help ensure that you never make these mistakes in your sales or marketing emails …
How to Make Your Content Marketing More Social
The 2011 Social Media Marketing Report stated that 93% of marketers are now using social media for marketing purposes. Although almost everyone is using social media, many marketers are still uncertain of how to get the greatest ROI from their efforts. The 2011 Social Media Marketing Report also revealed that marketers’ #2 concern is how to integrate and manage all of their social media activities.
Content marketing and social media go hand-in-hand. They both focus on sharing ideas, building relationships and growing communities. Here are three ways you can integrate social media with your content marketing to increase your ROI …
The Biggest B2B Content Marketing Mistakes [Video]
A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of speaking at the Toronto B2B Marketing Meetup. This regular networking event is sponsored by BrainRider and includes short presentations on all aspects of B2B marketing. If you’re in Toronto, I encourage you to attend the next meetup. Here is a video of my presentation – The Biggest B2B Content Marketing Mistakes …
3 Keys to More Compelling Case Studies
This post was originally published by the Content Marketing Institute. According to the Content Marketing Institute’s B2B Content Marketing 2012 Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends Report, 70 percent of B2B marketers find case studies to be an effective content marketing tool. That’s because they can increase customer confidence in your organization, educate prospects on how to […]
The 5 Most Cringe-Worthy Technology Marketing Buzzwords
Certain technology marketing buzzwords have become so widely used, that you may not question how awkward they sound. In fact, I’m also guilty of using some of them. Here’s my list of the five most cringe-worthy technology marketing words and phrases …
Is Your Content Marketing Too Safe?
Asking tough questions and challenging your customers can strengthen your content marketing. The B2B sales cycle is long – with customers reviewing multiple service providers before they make a purchasing decision. If your content is too general or “safe”, you won’t stand apart from your competition or show potential customers that you really understand their issues.
By challenging your customers – or providing them with content that forces them to think deeply about their problems and how to solve them – you will make your messages stick. Your content will resonate more with your target audience, which can lead to increased sales and improved ROI. Here are three ways that you can challenge and inspire your customers …
5 Easy Ways to Improve Your Headlines
Is the headline on your home page “Welcome to My Site”? If so, you are missing a vital opportunity to gain your readers’ attention. This Fresh Marketing Blog post will show you five simple techniques that will improve your headlines …