Friday, September 20, 2013

New article suggests content marketing doesn't work

http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikalbelicove/2013/09/10/content-marketing-study-suggests-most-content-marketing-doesnt-work/#!

In this article, Forbes states that the marketers' eternal quest for the most eyeballs online is futile, especially when a company uses content to accomplish that mission. Per the article,
InboundWriter's new platform
“Our research proves that in content marketing and online publishing, the subjective ‘hit or miss’ approach is a ‘miss’ 80 to 90 percent of the time,” said Skip Besthoff, CEO of InboundWriter, the company that conducted the study.
How convenient is it that a content firm comes out with a study saying that content doesn't work unless it is measured and analyzed with their proprietary solution.

Many companies are now considering adding video and slideshows, twitter and facebook, to their marketing mix, and few have defined metrics on what works and what is a shot in the dark. The essential thing is not the media but the strategy that drives the media choice. For the past decade, internet-related trends in marketing have come and gone, but they are all a shot in the dark, unlikely to ever reach a prospect or show any ROI unless there is a strategy that drives their inception and a plan to measure their effectiveness that aligns with the company's goals. Small businesses are seduced by the promise of increased web presence and succumb to the lure of the latest marketing firm with the slickest message in the new media format, but without a strategy, the marketing dollars spent will be dust in the wind.

Regardless of the media, a strategy is a must. Nothing works without a plan and a comprehensive solution, whether it is drinking Diet Coke to lose weight or creating a single great video.


Friday, September 13, 2013

Head of content at the VP level--finally!

http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/why-companies-need-head-content-strategy-creation-and-distribution-152115#!

This piece made me want to sing, so I had no choice but to post. As a former content writer for a fantastic small marketing firm, I can safely say that this idea has been percolating long in the minds of many. Our clients, many of them, were compelling people with a mission and passion, this they headed progressive and profitable companies. But, even though we knew this to be true, that wasn't the message they got out. They focused so much on product that they actually skipped over the people who delivered it, and those people are so incredibly important. It is the people of the company who most B2B clients buy from, especially in a world where the technology differential is so small.

So, push your tweets, market your blog, and promote all the things that make your company great. Is it beer Fridays, an incredibly effective internship program, a contract that makes clients want to sign on the dotted line and show their friends what they just bought?

The Starr Conspiracy does a great job of this on their website--their culture is out front for everyone to see, and it has been for years. It's authentic, too.

A compelling brand is one thing, but authenticity, from every employee and from all facets of the company? Then, take that another step further and organize it into a consumable format? That is something all together amazing.