Just when you thought the dust was settling, we’re in for more wild changes. You didn’t really think the dust was settling did you? Of course not, you’re a smart marketer. It’s the age of disruption and baby, it just keeps on disrupting. So what specifically can BTB marketers expect for 2016? Here are my … Continue Reading
Since I started my own content marketing agency, I find myself needing to define content marketing pretty often. Mostly it’s when I’m describing what my new business does to friends, neighbors and family. This is how it goes: Them: “What type of business did you start?” Me: “I started a marketing agency that specializes in … Continue Reading
In 1969 you could walk into a car dealership and get swindled. The dealer had all the information about the car and all you had was a glossy brochure and your sister-in-law’s personal endorsement. When the salesman said the car was safe, powerful and reliable, you didn’t have any counter-information. Hence, the salesman had all … Continue Reading
If you’re like many marketers, you’re knee deep in 2016 budgeting and planning already. Yay, everyone’s favorite time of year (kidding). So I’m here to pile on some more to do’s you should be knocking off your list to hit 2016 running. Your future self will thank me when you’re killing it on January 2. 1. … Continue Reading
Where are companies nationwide putting their marketing budget dollars this year? Content. With more than 50% expecting to increase their budgets for content in the next 12 months, we can expect to see the trend hold well into the future. Why is content marketing so popular? Because, unlike a flashy new social media platform or subject … Continue Reading
It’s day nine of the US Open Tennis Championship. It’s hot. It’s humid. The matches are long and physically grueling. But it’s not the heat or fitness that defeats the players. It’s something far more difficult to train for. Resilience. Tennis is such a personal sport. It’s one person against another mano e mano. These days you can see every … Continue Reading
It’s all the rage–all marketers have to be doing “content marketing” or they’re just not going to be successful, right? I admit, I’m a big fan of content marketing, I’m even building a business around it. But I do believe that there is still a place for more traditional channels and I believe the traditional methods … Continue Reading
I’ll admit, writing comes easily to me. I know many people struggle when they stare at the blank page. Where to start? What should those first words be? It’s particularly difficult if you don’t write often. A few years ago, my husband tried to teach me how to snowboard. He is athletically gifted and things … Continue Reading
Today is D-day for marketers and companies world-wide. Ok, that may be a tad over-dramatic, but today is the day that Google once again updates their algorithm. This update promises to be much larger than the last much-discussed Panda update. Panda effected roughly 11 percent of websites, while today’s update promises to affect as many as … Continue Reading
Total heresy, right? This is marketing 101, you spend lots of money to drive people to your website. We want more traffic! If there were a marketing camp (and I totally wish there was), this would be one of our fight songs. But, depending on what it is you’re selling, driving traffic to your website … Continue Reading
Never mind quitting the cookies and eggnog in the New Year. If you want to rock 2015 with your marketing prowess, take a powder from these 10 items and you’ll be even more amazing than you already are. 1. Social media for your company brand when you’re not personally using social media. To truly understand … Continue Reading
Yeah that’s me. I’m an official NaNoWriMo Winner. What is NaNoWriMo you ask? It’s short for National Novel Writing Month—since that’s a big mouthful, it gets shortened to NaNoWriMo. It’s a worldwide challenge to write a novel in one month. In other words, crank out 50,000 words in the month of November and you’re a … Continue Reading
I honestly get shivers when I hear the term “viral.” If I had a dollar for every time an executive has asked me to create a “viral” something, well, I could probably buy myself something quite pretty. Trying to create something that goes viral is like trying to win the lottery or predict the stock … Continue Reading
Good writing is good writing, right? Yes and no. Readers’ expectations for a blog are far different than for a trade journal or newspaper. Blogging started as a form of an online journal so the style has always been more personal and casual. Readers expect that through a blog, they will get to know you. … Continue Reading
We all want more exposure for our blogs. Why else do we write them? So syndication can seem like a no-brainer. Of course, you want to publish on a site that gets thousands more views than your own does. But before you jump in with two feet, make sure you’re syndicating the right way. First … Continue Reading
Every marketer knows they need to have a company blog to drive SEO, content marketing, leads and [insert next week’s buzz word here]. But do you really need one if it’s just going to suck? No. A bad blog is worse than no blog. Four reasons corporate blogs often fail and suck: 1. They are … Continue Reading
Ok, so it’s not really Monday. It’s even better, it’s Tuesday after a holiday weekend! With a short week ahead, it’s tough to take on new things this week. So, today I’m going to discuss what I do when I have a little extra time on my weekends, especially a long weekend like this last … Continue Reading
It’s easy to get into a routine of executing tasks and solving problems as they come. This is a great way to lose sight of big picture. If you don’t already, try to make “listening” part of that routine. Here’s what I mean by listening. I mean taking in what the world is saying about … Continue Reading
Recently my seven-year-old son, Will, participated in his first science fair. With overwhelming fairness, his school does not offer prizes or rank the projects in any way. Comment sheets are set out with each project so that others can write something about the experiment. I was struck how, even at seven years old, Will was … Continue Reading
Us marketers, we spend a lot of time promoting other people, places and things. It’s time to say “What about me?” We write, edit and anguish over copy, commas, tone, messaging etc. and sometimes we wonder what it’s all for. How would it feel if you used all that expertise, passion and pure mojo to … Continue Reading
People start blogs for all kinds of reasons. But they fail at a faster rate than ill-conceived restaurants. Why? I believe the reason is tied directly to why the blog was started in the first place. It’s important to have a goal, maybe even a dream. It’s especially important when starting a blog. Blogging can … Continue Reading