So, what happened in the wonderful world of content marketing this month? For one, we are finally moving into the fall season, which means it is time (maybe even past time!) to start implementing your holiday season content marketing plan.
I also attended Content Marketing World in Cleveland, which is a fantastic event hosted by Content Marketing Institute. If you didn’t make it to this awesome event, I wrote a few recap posts on SEJ you should check out.
(Editor’s note: SEJ received a press pass in exchange for providing coverage of CMWorld)
Besides getting ready for the holiday season, and eating all the pumpkin spice, here are a few other things you shouldn’t miss out from the past month.
(As always, this list is totally subjective and in no particular order.)
Bigger, Braver, Bolder Content Marketing: 3 Examples from the Cutting-Room Floor of My Latest Presentation by Ann Handley
This article by Ann addresses a topic that is often overlooked – what to take out of content you produce. Sure, you should add first-hand accounts and examples to create what she calls “bigger, braver, bolder” content, but what you leave out of your content can be just as important as what you put in.
Ann walks us through three examples she removed from her Content Marketing World presentation and why she chose to remove them. If you struggle to develop clean, streamlined content, this is a great read. Plus, Ann is hilarious.
10 Ideas for Finding Blogging Inspiration by Larry Alton
Stuck on what to write for your blog? This article on ProBlogger provides a few unusual places you can look for inspiration for your next blog. From paying to other blogs in your industry to farming your mistakes for content ideas, this article is a good kick off point for anyone who is stuck on what to write. And we all end up there at some point!
Why a Washington Post Editor Left to Work With Starbucks by Clare McDermott
My favorite keynote from Content Marketing World was Rajiv Chandrasekaran, a former Washington Post war correspondent who recently left the newspaper to work with coffee super-brand Starbucks. Which seems like a really odd career change, especially for someone who actually enjoyed their job as a journalist. This is an interview with him on the same topic he spoke about at CMW, and is really worth a read.
His interview was originally published in COO, CMI’s print magazine, and he goes on to explain why he left The Washington Post, how working on a book with Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz changed the way he looked at the brand, and how other brands can use Starbucks’ method of telling real, honest stories – without looking like they are trying too hard.
This isn’t an article about how to use stories to spread your brand as much is it is about how sometimes telling interesting stories and being a good citizen can create an authentic movement.
3 Marketing Metrics for Savvy Content Marketers by Michael Peggs
This article, from Convince and Convert, addresses an area many content marketers chose to ignore – metrics. Sure, you are creating content you think is awesome, but what do the numbers look like? And, do those numbers even matter?
In this post, Michael Peggs discusses three different metrics you should be paying attention to if you want to make sure your content in performing well. In addition to telling you which metrics you should be looking at, he also explains why they matter and how you can use those numbers to guide your strategy.
If you are overwhelmed by all the available metrics and what they mean, this article is a great starting point.
Why King Content Has Been Overthrown by Context by Marie Huitsing
Is the King dead? In this article, Marie Huitsing says the old “Content is King” phrase has met its match – in context. While there are plenty of dead/not dead arguments out there, this post makes a pretty valid point: Making sure we are creating the type of content our audience wants and putting it in the places they are ready to read it is more important than just creating content.
She then goes on to break down the attribution model, which can often start offline or with PPC ads – which might not be on many content marketers radar.
Did I miss any other awesome posts from the last month? Please share you favorites in the comment section!
Featured Image: Illustration Created by Paulo Bobita
In-Post Image: Unsplash, used with permission
