As noted here previously, content marketing is now ubiquitous, with 93% of all marketers saying they do content marketing. All of those marketers are creating an enormous amount of content, which is making it difficult to stand out and rise above the noise.
To help marketers address that challenge (and others), content marketing experts are also creating an enormous amount of content—about content marketing. These writers face the same challenge.
So what are the secrets to developing content that gets read, shared, and compels action? Here are 88 posts that have risen above the noise, designed to answer that question. Some date back a year or more but remain timely and helpful.
10 Scientific Findings That Can Help You Improve Your Marketing by Twelveskip
The reality is that there are so many messages being thrown at consumers every second of every day that individual voices have a tough time cutting through the noise. Sarah Landrum outlines 10 tactics to help.
Is your Content Boring? 8 Types of Content Every Business Should Consider Publishing by jeffbullas.com
Ever sat down at a dinner party and after a few minutes of conversation the guest opposite you starts yawning? So is your content boring? Here are eight types of content Celina Jones advises you should consider publishing to engage your prospects and customers.
How to Use Visual Content to Drive More Traffic by Social Media Examiner
Do your images inspire your readers to take action? In this article from Donna Moritz, you’ll discover how three creative businesses used visual content to get results.
Writing White Papers to Establish Your Expertise by Prof KRG
White papers allow you to establish your expertise on a topic, making you more sought after and desirable to work with. Kenna Griffin explains how (and what not to do).
5 Engagement-Driven Elements You Should Add to Every Blog Post by Content Marketing Institute
Everyone wants engagement from their content, notes Neil Patel. The problem is we’re not quite sure of the best way to get it. Here are five things to add to every blog post to increase engagement.
5 Steps to Personalize Repurposed Content for Your Target Audience by TopRank Online Marketing Blog
Repurposing content is most often a function of efficiency. Marketers investing in content have always sought to extend the value of their content marketing efforts by repurposing, re-skinning or reimagining content into alternative forms. Lee Odden explains how to repurpose content strategically.
12 classic content marketing problems (and how to avoid them) by Econsultancy
Surveys suggest that many marketers are uncertain of the effect of content marketing. There are quite an array of specific business problems that hamper content marketing efforts. But these often boil down to the same old problems – which James Carson outlines here to help you can avoid them.
Infographics III: animated #content rocks! by Comms Axis
Animated infographics are taking over from static infographics. Dan Purvis explores alternative content and how you can create animated infographics that require minimum effort for maximum impact by using an animated video marketing tool like GoAnimate.
4 Steps to Get Business Results from Your Content Marketing Strategy by Content Marketing Institute
Does your content marketing strategy tie to your business goals? What about your customers’ goals? This four-step guide from Mark Walker shows you how to take a sound content marketing strategy through to measurement via great planning and execution.
The New B2B Buyer And The Collaborative Economy by Tony Zambito
Understanding the new B2B Buyer in the Collaborative Economy can be difference between longevity and struggle. Tony Zambito explains why some traditional B2B marketing tactics no longer works—and what does now.
36 Visual Content Creation Tools the Pros Can’t Live Without by Socially Sorted
We asked 19 Social Media Pros to share their Top Visual Content Creation Tools. Here are 36 of their top tools and a handy cheat sheet for the Top 5, compiled by Donna Moritz (again).
5 Steps to Getting More Engagement with Your Visual Content [Infographic] on Pinterest
Status updates and tweets that include images are roughly twice as likely to be socially shared as those without. Pam Dyer shares helpful tips on optimizing use of visual content in this helpful and informative infographic.
5 Things B2B Buyers Want Your Content To Do by Content Marketing Institute
There’s nothing more powerful than speaking with buyers to learn what they find valuable. Discover the top five things Gordana Stok says buyers want from your content to help them and how to craft specific messages that get you on the short list.
17 Questions On How To Build A Content Marketing Strategy [Q&A] by Marketing Insider Group
Michael Brenner condenses responses from a content marketing strategy webinar into into these 17 questions on how to build an effective content marketing strategy, and worked across his team to come up with their best answers based on our experience with over 200 brands from around the world.
How to Expand Your Professional Network Using Content Marketing by Honigman Media
Content marketing has many uses, but one you may never have explored is its use as a networking tool. Read more from Brian Honigman to learn how to leverage more from your content.
How to Optimize Your SlideShare Deck for More Exposure by Social Media Examiner
Do you use SlideShare? Are you using it to its full potential? In this article, Ann Smarty shares five tips to get the most out of your SlideShare deck.
6 Free Social Media Tools for Startups to Build a Strong Social Media Presence by Duct Tape Marketing
Building a strong social media presence is an imperative for startups in the digital age. Here are a few social media tools, reviewed by Jessica Davis, that will come in hand.
5 Mistakes That Hold Back Your Content Marketing by Content Marketing Institute
Successful content marketers must evolve in a constantly changing industry. What was a good content marketing strategy or tactic a year ago may be a mistake today. Neil Patel (again) asks: how many of these five mistakes are you making?
How to Build an Unbeatable Content Marketing Plan by HubSpot
The first step to getting a leg up on the competition is to have a solid, smart content marketing plan in place. If you’re having trouble planning for next year or need some fresh ideas to include in your plan, read this post from Justin McGill.
56 Reasons Why Content Marketing Works by Marketing Insider Group
This Slideshare from Michael Brenner (again) aims to demonstrate the value of Content Marketing, how it can help build your business, and even convince your CEO why this should be your number one marketing priority.
14 Checklists, Scorecards, and Worksheets to Set Up Content Marketing Success by Content Marketing Institute
***** 5 STARS
Checklists are great when you have many moving parts or want to tackle a new project. Michelle Linn of CMI shares 14 of its most popular scorecards and worksheets to help you better plan your content marketing efforts. You can customize them too.
6 Shocking Revelations About Inbound Marketing We Learned This Year by Square 2 Marketing
Inbound marketing is changing very quickly, notes Mike Lieberman. Here he shares lessons learned you can apply it to your plans for next year and exceed your goals.
The Best Content Types for Each Stage of the B2B Sales Cycle [Infographic] by MarketingProfs
B2B buyers consider short, text-based content most useful at the beginning of the sales cycle, and time-intensive content types (videos, detailed guides, etc.) most useful right before making a decision, reports Ayaz Nanji.
Marketing Research Chart: What content sources do customers trust? by MarketingSherpa
Consider the source, suggests Daniel Burstein. Successful content marketing requires trust in the source of that content.In this week’s chart, we look at data from a survey of 542 U.S. Internet users aged 18-65 to see how much they trust content marketing and sponsored content.
Twitter’s Founder Unintentionally Gave Content Marketers the Best Advice Ever by Content Marketing Institute
Twitter Founder gives content marketers best advice – unintentionally. Learn what steps to follow and avoid to avoid the ice cream sundae syndrome, from Jay Acunzo.
The 3 components of a culture of content by iMedia Connection
Rebecca Lieb explains why a “content culture” is vital to content marketing success, then details the three foundational elements upon which content culture is based.
Using storytelling to strengthen your brand by i-SCOOP
Storytelling is one of the most powerful ways to breathe life into your brand. Stories must be authentic, creative and inspirational. J-P De Clerck explains how, in words and pictures.
7 Ways to Promote Your Slideshare Presentation by Maximize Social Business
Slideshare is the largest Powerpoint sharing community on the web, but it is so much more than that. It is also a social network, a platform for marketing visual content in many different forms, and an essential part of a solid social media strategy. Ann Smarty (again) describes seven ways to promote your Slideshare presentation effectively.
Here’s The Future Of Podcasting by Forbes
Jordan Harbinger launched his popular show The Art of Charm in 2007, making him an elder in the rapidly-expanding podcast community. Podcasting has enjoyed a media blitz of late, reports Dorie Clark. But few have thought as deeply about the future of the platform as Harbinger, who shares his thoughts here about the state of podcasting and where it’s going in the next five years.
(SlideShare) Trends, Innovations and the Future of Smart Content Marketing by B2B Marketing Experiences
Which trends are on the verge of breakthrough, in the land of content marketing? Big content, Robot writers, kinetic motion graphics and marketing apps sound as the future, but they are not. Tom De Baere showcases a SlideShare presentation to keep you up to date on what’s happening in the land of content marketing.
The Storyteller by Content Magazine
While teaching his story design workshops to established and emerging screenwriters and novelists, Robert McKee realized that marketing executives and brand managers were sneaking in. So, last fall he began tailoring his lectures to the business crowd. Here are his insights for content marketers.
The Content Preferences of B2B Marketers [New Research & Infographic] by The Kapost Blog
Get the latest trends on how marketers are getting their news and information from Jean Spencer. Marketing to marketers is not easy.
10 Amazing Powers of Visual Content [Infographic] by Cox Business BLUE
Gone are the days when websites were purely textual. Visual content is your primary channel for reaching out to targeted audiences. This infographic details the 10 amazing powers visual content can bring to your company’s website and content.
6 Tools To Jump Start Your Video Content Marketing by Forbes
Content marketing is more than a trend. It’s here to stay. The only thing that seems to have changed, according to Drew Hendricks, as the technique has evolved is the media through which marketers reach out to customers. Content marketing has moved from social media and blogs to video and infographics, appealing to many consumers’ visual nature.
23 Types of Lead Gen Content to Put Behind Your Landing Pages by HubSpot
Keep things fresh by switching up your content balance. Here are 23 different offer formats compiled by Lindsay Kolowich to experiment with.
Content marketing: How to come up with original ideas by iMedia Connection
There is no chance that you will create something 100% original. But you can create something that is 100% you. Try these tips from Ann Smarty (yet again) for achieving that tone, and you will at least be able to tie an old idea with a fresh perspective.
5 Steps To Boost Conversion Rates Through Your Content Marketing Strategy by Forbes
Jayson DeMers contends that great copywriting is like having a competent salesperson working on behalf of your business, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The same can be said for the content that you create for your website, guest posts, and social media channels, provided that it’s developed with selling in mind.
The Seven Deadly Dangers of B2B Inbound Marketing by MLT Creative
If you seek B2B marketing treasures, writes Billy Mitchell, then avoid these seven dangers that can leave your B2B inbound marketing dead in the water.
At the beginning of 2014, Matt Cutts published on his blog that guest blogging is not working anymore. The main reason, according to Matt, is that such practice became more and more spammy. The main idea of guest blogging is to get quality content and not just a link. But does that mean guest blogging no longer has value? Evgeniy Garkaviy takes a look on what top SEO specialists think about guest blogging.
How to Use Content Marketing in the 7 Touchpoints of Buyer Experience by Kruse Control
Reaching your ideal customer in all phases of the buying cycle is crucial. Content marketing might just be the best way to do that, explains Kathi Kruse.
Syndicating Content – Whiteboard Friday by Moz
Content syndication, or licensing other sites to publish what you’ve created, is a good option for some marketers. In this Whiteboard Friday, Eric Enge talks about some of the benefits and tactics so you can decide if it’s right for you.
Most B2B Marketers Struggle To Create Engaging Content by Laura Ramos’ Blog
When it comes to content marketing, the majority of business-to-business (B2B) marketers we surveyed last month are not as mature as they think. Laura Ramos details fascinating findings from Forrester Research.
B2B Content Marketing Strategy [Infographic] by Visualistan
93% of B2B marketers use content marketing, content marketing is an effective way to engage your fans and followers, whether you’re a B2B company or a B2C company. 78% of the most effective B2B marketers are creating more content than they did one year ago. Find out more in this infographic.
Jumpstart: The Guide To Growing A Startup With Inbound Marketing by HubSpot (on SlideShare)
Jumpstart your startup with inbound marketing. This presentation provide a simple guide from HubSpot for entrepreneurs that want to grow their business using SEO, blogging and social media.
The Great Divide In Content Marketing {Infographic} by Best Infographics
Most businesses understand the importance of having interesting content to keep the attention of their audience. Many marketers don’t track their campaigns properly or are not able to make the hard decisions about how to lead their efforts to become more effective. This infographic from One Spot suggests how content marketers can address time, distribution, and other challenges.
Our Content Marketing Failures – An Embarrassing Introspective by SaturnSocial
*****5 STARS
The title of this article is not mere click-bait. We’ve stunk at content marketing. It’s the truth, writes Andy Detweiler. Then he explains exactly what his team did wrong–and how you can avoid their mistakes.
Content marketing defined: a customer-centric content marketing definition by i-SCOOP
A customer-centric definition of content marketing, evolutions in the viewpoints and a crowdsourced list of other definitions, curated by J-P De Clerck (again).
2 Tough Questions to Ask About Your Content Marketing Strategy by MarketingSherpa
How effective is your content marketing strategy? Are you delivering value to your audience? Read this MarketingSherpa Blog post from John Tackett to learn how to create a mission statement for your content.
Does Marketing Have A Marketing Problem? by Marketing Insider Group
Imagine this: You walk into your first day at a new job and find out you will be presenting to more than 100 very senior marketing executives at an invitation-only event in 2 days. 2 days! Michael Brenner (yet again) shares his lessons learned from such an experience.
7 Outstanding Content Marketing Tips for Small Businesses by Search Engine Watch
Content marketing is now a required component of SEO. And it works by engaging new and existing audiences, and encouraging sharing. Here are seven helpful tactics from Adam Stetzer
for staying on course with the consistent creation of content.
Why Content Goes Viral: What Analyzing 100 Million Articles Taught Us by The Huffington Post
***** 5 STARS
We’ve analyzed the social share counts of over 100 million articles in the past right months, writes Noah Kagan of BuzzSumo. So, he says, it’s fair to say we have a pretty good idea of what gets shared the most.
5 tactics for an epic organizational content strategy and culture by Content Marketing Experience
Successful organizations take on an efficient content strategy as a centrepiece of their activities. Tom De Baere (again) illustrates how to create an organizational content culture.
How to get your content shared: 7 experts share their advice by i-SCOOP
Content sharing secrets: everyone secretly looks for them, observes J-P De Clerck (yet again). Seven of the most socially-shared experts give you their advice here.
30 Content Marketing Lessons From The New York Times Innovation Report by HowToMakeMyBlog
A leaked New York Times Innovation Report reviews the publication’s digital strategy, asks big questions and recommends steps to take to keep up with the shifting digital landscape on the content cluttered internet and the distracted mobile world. Marko Saric says lessons and recommendations from the report are useful for any content publisher.
Contrarian Content Marketing: How to Zig When Everyone Else Zags by The WordStream Blog
Learn why contrarian content that offers new, differing opinions does well in every industry, plus how to create controversial content that gets tons of attention, in this helpful post from Elisa Gabbert.
The Periodic Table of Content Marketing by eConsultancy
Chris Lake presents a visual seven-step guide to content marketing success, from defining a strategy through taking into account buyer emotions.
Top 9 B2B Content Marketing Mistakes by g2m solutions
Tania Di Stefano believes B2B content marketing will generate results if done well. This blog lists the top 9 B2B content marketing mistakes you should avoid.
How to get your blog post shared 1000 times [infographic] by Alltop
Trying to figure out how to make all that original content you’re creating finally garner the attention it deserves? asks Kate Rinsema. No guarantee this will get you 1,000 shares, but it’s worth a look.
What’s the Difference Between a B2B Blog Post Topic and an Ebook Topic? by Social Media B2B
B2B marketers are producing and publishing more content than ever, according to Jeffrey L. Cohen. More social media channels, more followers and ever increasing goals all mean more content.
Use Visual Content to Engage Your Audience: 9 Tips and 25 Examples by Content Marketing Institute
Words aren’t enough to keep customers and prospects engaged these days, writes Michele Linn (again). Use CMI’s Visual Content Marketing Look Book to inspire your next content project.
Marketing Personas: The Complete Beginner’s Guide by Buffer Social
Building marketing personas can help improve the way you solve problems for your customers. Here is a helpful blueprint and beginner’s guide from Kevan Lee to get you started.
How to Develop Buyer Personas (Part 1) by Pamorama
Buyer personas will help you gain a thorough understanding of your audience’s roles and help you frame your brand engagement strategy, explains Pam Dyer (again).
17 Advanced Methods for Promoting Your New Piece of Content by Kissmetrics
This post from Aaron Agius covers some of the more advanced techniques for promoting your content. The most successful content marketers use them, and they are reaping all of the rewards.
15 Types of Content That Will Drive You More Traffic by QuickSprout
Content marketing is more than writing blogs. Way more. If you’re just getting involved in content marketing, advises Neil Patel (yet again), the first thing you need to do is launch your blog and start writing.
7 Costly Technology Mistakes Made by Content Marketers by Razor Social
If you’re creating a lot of content for your business you’re going to need technology skills. Ian Cleary reveals seven costly mistakes which are regularly made.
The Ultimate Guide to Repurposing Content: 12 Ways to Extend the Life of Every Article You Write by Buffer Social
Kevan Lee (again) demonstrates how to breath new life into old posts by repurposing content as ebooks, presentations, guest posts, and more.
13 Pieces of B2B Content You Can Repurpose For Your Inbound Marketing Strategy by iconsive
Struggling to create the B2B content you need for inbound marketing? William Steward recommends checking out these 13 pieces of content you can repurpose.
29 Signs Your Business Is Not Ready For Content Marketing by Marketing Insider Group
Do you sometimes get the feeling that content marketing has become the latest bandwagon people are jumping on before they really understand what it is and what it takes? You’re not alone, writes Michael Brenner (one more time), as he details 29 signs your business is not ready for content marketing.
Content Marketing: Tips from your peers on making use of internal resources by MarketingSherpa
Content marketing is major piece of any digital marketing strategy, particularly for B2B marketers, notes David Kirkpatrick. Here are three of your peers in content marketing sharing their lists of tips and ideas to kick start the process of making use of your internal resources.
20 Best Content Distribution Platforms [Research / Chart] by Heidi Cohen
Is your content marketing reaching the maximum audience? Heidi Cohen looks at 20 content distribution platforms based on global research to adapt to your readers.
40 Mistakes That Are Causing Your Inbound Marketing Content to Fail by iconsive
No marketer is perfect notes Arik Johnstone, but these 40 mistakes could be costing you dear. Don’t let your inbound marketing content fail.
How to Develop B2B Personas for Remarkable Content Marketing by DMR
Buyer personas are fictional characters that marketing leaders create to represent the people they sell to. A persona integrates the characteristics of typical buyers. Jeff Kalter explains how to create these effectively.
Is Your B2B Content Just a Pit Stop? by Marketing Interactions
B2B marketers have taken up the challenge to create great content. They’re investing time, effort and money into content marketing. People are reading their content. But, effectiveness remains elusive. Only 9% strongly agree with the statement: “I know our digital marketing is working.” That’s only 92 of over 1,000 marketers. Yet, 93% of B2B marketers use content marketing. Does this scare you? Ardath Albee believes it should.
15 Tips To Reduce Content Marketing Costs by Heidi Cohen
Want to get more from your content marketing budget? You can. Follow these 15 useful tips from Heidi Cohen (again) to reduce content marketing costs. Examples included.
Infographic: 25 Useful Content Marketing Tools by Sword and the Script
With so many tools available for content marketing and social media, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed; here are 3 on a list of 25 (in an outstanding infographic) Frank Strong says he’d vouch for.
48 Content Marketing Tools To Help You Save Time And Get Better Results by Blogging Wizard
Are you looking to get more out of your content marketing campaign? Plan, create, optimize, measure and tweak with these top content marketing tools, showcased by Adam Connell.
New Research Points the Way to Success in Your Content Marketing Strategy by Professional Services Marketing Today
Lee Frederiksen reviews highlights from The Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs year-in review of the B2B content marketing landscape to help develop your content marketing strategy.
Content Marketing: 9 examples of transparent marketing by MarketingSherpa
The power of content marketing lies in its ability to rip back the corporate curtains of traditional hype-based advertising and marketing, and teach customers, per Daniel Burstein (again).
Content Strategy Gets Tactical: Establishing The Content Workflow by MarketingLand
Content strategy — creating repeatable processes to govern content marketing and make it accountable to measurable goals — has many components. Rebecca Lieb (again) explains that it starts with putting together a content strategy include determining the goals, developing personas, analyzing content needs, and designating someone to serve in an editorial leadership capacity.
The squeeze of the marketing dollar by bowden2bowden
Sales and marketing tactics are the primary instrument for businesses to generate revenue, per Randy Bowden. With that said, during the times, technology has definitely changed, allowing for new methods of marketing. There are now hundreds of applications and social media platforms that are part of digital content marketing.
9 ways for B2B marketers to avoid boring their customers by iMedia Connection
Brian Ladyman lays out nine practical actions for B2B marketers and salespeople to take to avoid putting audiences to sleep–to craft an interesting B2B message, being heard and remembered whether you are in marketing or sales, and most importantly, being purchased by your customers.
Lead Generation: Website Best Practices by Orbit Media Studios
A lead generation website has a specific set of pages, each with specific elements. Here are 24 lead generation tips for any website, from Andy Crestodina.
Crush Content Marketing in 2014: 5 Outside-the-Box Techniques That Get Results by Search Engine Watch
*****5 STARS
If you aren’t upping your content game in a big way this year, you’re going to struggle. With big brands going all-in with content marketing, the competition has never been fiercer. Brian Dean explains how to stand out from the noise with these techniques that get results.
The rise of Smart Content Marketing by B2B Marketing Experiences
Increasingly, marketers must rely on technology to keep on top of the business. These are the trends that signal the era of Smart Content Marketing according to Tom De Baere (yet again).
Why content marketing is not a passing trend by iMedia Connection
Rebecca Lieb (yet again) makes the case for developing a solid content strategy, noting that while strategic underpinnings can’t guarantee bulletproof content, strategy does create a whole lot more signal and a whole lot less noise.
10 Things You Must Know About Your Audience! by Pam Moore
***** 5 STARS
You must know your audience and the value you offer them. To help, download free audience analysis worksheet from Pam Moore.
Optimize Content Marketing Strategy in 7 Steps by Business2Community
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last year, you know content marketing is the BIG thing in digital marketing today. But, do you know how to optimize content marketing strategy to reach your goals? Angela Hausman offers guidance with text and an infographic.
What is awesome content and why do you need it? by bowden2bowden
Randy Bowden (again) writes that awesome content is quality content that adds value to readers. There are many ways that content is capable of adding value, but it all depends upon the particular message that you’re trying to send.
[…] 88 Expert Content Marketing Posts Worth Another Read […]