Content Marketing

Author: Jayson Demers

Online marketing isn’t a passive game; it demands active participation. New trends emerge quickly, and new information spreads like wildfire. You know your competition is going to be quick on the uptake, so if you want to stay ahead of them, you need an effective roster of news sources and blogs to consult.

Ideally, you’ll have a handful of “general” news providers, covering the most important developments in a number of different niches. But be sure to add in some niche providers that are more detailed about specific types of strategies.

If you’re looking for a good list to get started, here’s a lineup of 10 sources every CMO should regularly read:

Marketing Land is a dependable source of the latest news in online marketing. Covering a range of topics, from SEO and content marketing to the latest advertising platforms, Marketing Land works with a number of different guest contributors and subject matter experts to provide concise articles on the latest in the marketing world. Search Engine Land, a publication from the same company, takes a specific look at SEO issues, content marketing and paid search.

 

Read More at entrepreneur.com

Author: Outside Of Her Role At Toprank Online Marketing

There is an art to planning and executing on a successful social media marketing strategy. Social algorithms are constantly evolving, new networks popping up and users are adapting the way that they use social platforms.

Keeping up with a steady and quality publishing schedule and engagement strategy for social media is no easy undertaking. To find relief, marketers have begun taking advantage of the many social media monitoring and publishing tools available on the market today. These tools help with everything from scheduling and publishing social posts, to providing insights into content performance and audience segmentation.

To help you keep abreast of the latest social news, I’ve uncovered 8 awesome content creators that work for some of today’s top social media monitoring platforms. In this post you’ll find information about these social media mavens as well as insight into some of their killer content.

Maggie’s accolades speak for themselves. She is a three time Peabody award-winning journalist with a diverse background that includes both traditional and new media journalism. You can find Maggie’s award-worthy content on the Oracle Social Spotlight blog.

 

Read More at toprankblog.com

Author: John Rampton

Mobile use is at an all-time high, and shows no signs of slowing down. It has been predicted that by 2020, there will be the equivalent of 1.5 mobile devices for every person in the world.

It’s no wonder this trend is sometimes referred to as the “mobile revolution.”

But what does this mean for search? How will mobile SEO — including keyword research, content creation and device targeting — be impacted? This post will look at current trends in mobile search, and how you can get ahead of the game.

Mobile first is a popular term these days, but what does it really mean?

A few years ago, the phrase mobile first was largely used to describe the need to accommodate increased mobile usage by having a mobile app or responsive website design. Basically, the term was telling us to get our apps and websites ready “now.”

Related: 3 Ways to Use Mobile Marketing to Keep Customers Coming Back

Today, the words and definition of “Mobile first” has become a clarion call we need to heed as marketers. Most marketers and business owners are on board with having a mobile-friendly site. The so-called Mobilegeddon update of 2015 spurred many complacent site owners to action. And, those persons who have been comparatively sluggish in their perception of the magnitude of how quickly this “thing” is moving? Those who weren’t convinced the first time? Their minds may have been changed earlier this month — when Google increased their mobile-friendly ranking signal.

 

Read More at entrepreneur.com

Author: ryanbattles.com

“Growing your business without tracking your marketing performance is like driving with both hands over your eyes.” – Hiten Shah, Co-founder of KISSmetrics

Analytics helps your business determine what is working well, and what needs to be improved. We can always go off of a hunch, but the real power comes when we know the hard data behind our marketing efforts, and can make informed decisions that improve our business over and over.

I’m often surprised by how many things I try that should work, but don’t. This has taught me that moving forward on my assumptions (without validating them with data) can be a huge mistake. Because we track our marketing efforts, we haven’t been fooled when we’ve seen fewer conversions turn into more paying customers (which has happened more than once).

Seasoned entrepreneurs know just how important analytics are in growing your business. Without a serious analytics strategy, you are simply relying on hope and luck to grow your company.

The Lean Startup has become such an influential book that it is often referred to as “The Lean Startup Movement”. While there is certainly more to the book than the following 2-sentence summary, the basic tenants of the book (or movement) are:

 

Read More at ryanbattles.com

Author: AMA.org

A content hub is a set of content (usually web pages) organized around a specific topic (usually a central page). It could be a category on a blog or a section of pages on a website. So content hubs are relevant to both web design and ongoing content marketing.

Website sections are content hubs for related services. Ecommerce product catalogs often resemble content hubs. Make sure to use descriptive navigation and pay close attention to internal linking. See How to Make a Sitemap for details.

Content hubs are the key to winning attention in a crowded field. They work because they have a structure: a wide base around a high center.

DO: Create a well organized hub of diverse assets, in many formats, in many places, created by various people.

“Who” creates this content? You don’t have to do all the work. Co-create content with people your audience trusts, people who have already built an audience that overlaps with yours. Collaborate with influencers.

“What” you publish should vary. Appeal to your audiences’ various learning styles using various formats: blog posts, guides, videos, infographics, audio, etc.

 

Read More at ama.org