Building Authority By Publishing Content by Jack Schoenberger

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Announcement: Melissa Krivachek’s “BOLD Helping YOU Unleash the Hero Within” Nominated For Small Business Book Award Leave a reply Melissa Krivachek wrote a fantastic motivational book called BOLD Helping YOU Unleash the Hero Within (An Amazon Bestseller available on Amazon Kindle for only $0.99 for a limited time). The really cool part is Melissa’s book was just nominated for a Small Business Trends 2015 Small Business

Book Award. First we recommend you pick up a copy while it’s on sale. It’s a fast read and provides a lot of great actionable information to reignite your passion and your business. Second please click on the vote banner below and give this inspirational book your vote so it gets some much deserved exposure, reaches a broader audience, and is able to serve more people.

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This entry was posted in Business News, Small Business Trendsetters and tagged amazon bestseller, amazon kindle, Melissa Krivachek, motivational book on March 13, 2015 by Jack.

Building Authority By Publishing Content By PatHurinenko Publishing content is an excellent way of building authority, so long as it is done the right way. The goal is to build brand authority and this can be achieved by ensuring there is high quality, fully relevant content and that this is delivered at the right time, in the right place. Doing this, as a side bonus, helps to deliver insight. It does this through detailed data that demonstrates customer preference and behavior. “In reality, there is too much content, but insufficient time,” says Steve Rubel, Global Strategy and Insights EVP. “More content will be created today than existed in entirety before 2003.” Rubel explained that people do not have a lot of time, and their attention span is also becoming shorter. As a result, they are experiencing what he calls an “overload,” both in terms of information and in terms of people. He believes that the solution is to build authority, as we are currently in a period of “Validation,” which has come after the first period of “Commercialization” (between 1994 and 2002) and the second period of “Democratization” (between 2002 and 2010). In essence, authority is a score that is assigned by the Google robots, it is also something intangible. It is the

value that a reader assigns to a piece of content. The main reason behind this is that people now use social media for their main communication, and this has given them the opportunity to actually check that the content they read is correct and relevant. This effectively means that the same piece of information has to be seen in multiple places, as this tells an audience that the information must be correct, and hence of high authority. There are five things that you can do in order to build authority by publishing content. 1. Process of Execution Content is likely to be created by a number of different people in an organization. Some may respond to customer questions on social media, some may write marketing content, others still will document product specifications. Systems must be in place that make these individual pieces of content float up. In doing so, the same information can be used several times, thereby creating authority. Naturally, this means you must have a process in place. 2. Curate Your Content Content curation is a great opportunity for brands to elevate existing content. It is a method of structuring content in such a way that customers read what they want to hear. This makes an organization look like a leader and expert in their field. Additionally, using external content within curation is very important. This demonstrates that a company has actually looked for information to validate their content and is unafraid to seek the advice of other experts on this, although the reality is that attention is given to the competition. “A content curator continually seeks, makes sense of, and shares the best and most relevant content on a particular topic online,” says Rohit Bhargava from the Influential Marketing blog. “Content curators have integrated this skill into their daily routine.” 3. Click here to read more… Source:: http://smallbusinesstrendsetters.com/building-authority-by-publishing-content/

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This entry was posted in Business Articles on March 17, 2015 by Jack.

Dr. Peter Lathrop, PhD, Neurophysiologist La Jolla History Of The SCENAR – Self-ControlledEnergo-Neuro-Adaptive-Regulator – In Stopping Pain By chbruce@c4aba.us Dr. Peter Lathrop, PhD, Neurophysiologist La Jolla and co-developer of the SCENAR, when asked about managing pain or stopping pain, answered, “Why would one want to manage anything that is so alien to a normal happy life?” In 1978, two Russian scientists were developing electronic medical devices for the treatment of pain. At the same time, Dr. Peter Lathrop with his scientific colleagues was working along the same path here in America. Both groups of scientists were developing the same theories, in many cases duplicating each other’s work and the results were uniform both in Europe and in the United States and Canada. Eventually, they discovered that they could not only stop pain using electronic signals, but could repair tissue damage; soft tissue damage, tendons, ligaments, nerves and muscles, at the cellular level. In 2006, the two groups met. The devices developed here were much larger than the Russians which were hand held, about the size of a remote control for a TV set. The two groups agreed to work together rather than developing the SCENAR separately. Working together the partners have been able to develop tools and treatment protocols much faster than they would have had they remained following different paths. The SCENAR has been improving over the last 9 years, the SCENAR is an FDA cleared electronic medical device that is sold all over the world. It is an electronic medical device with a biofeedback component, which means that when you put the device’s electrode on the skin it will read the tissue, determine what’s wrong, and feed it back in an algorithm, which is translated into a number. The therapist can read and understand that number. It measures the injury, feeds it back to the SCENAR, and the SCENAR puts back a signal to correct the injury, electro-chemically, at the cellular level. The SCENAR is used on a much broader basis in Europe than in America. In America, there are two solutions to an injury, narcotic drugs and surgery. The SCENAR has been designed, and works in clinical practice, to avoid either or both of those. Pain can be stopped with it, and an injury can be repaired with it, negating the need for narcotics or surgery. You can see more about Dr. Peter Lathrop on his website at: http://www.amplifiedagility.com/. Or, by contacting his office: Amplified Agility, LLC 4275 Executive Square, Suite 200 La Jolla, CA 92037 (619) 501-3752 Click here to read more…

Source:: http://smallbusinesstrendsetters.com/dr-peter-lathrop-phd-neurophysiologist-la-jolla-history-of-thescenar-self-controlled-energo-neuro-adaptive-regulator-in-stopping-pain/

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This entry was posted in Business Articles on March 17, 2015 by Jack.

Empire Investigation Helps Give Spotlight To The Highmark Caring Foundation By flbeltran@gmail.com On February 18th, 2015 at the grand opening of the new, beautiful and luxurious Monaco Hotel in downtown Pittsburgh, PA. The Pittsburgh Social Exchange, with the help of VIP corporate sponsor, Empire Investigations, LLC helped to support and give the spotlight to The Highmark Caring Place. The Highmark Caring Place is a non-for-profit Pittsburgh organization that helps grieving children by creating awareness of their needs, providing programs for them and their families, and empowering the community to effectively support them. Thousands of community members are helped by The Caring Place each year at no cost through their peer support group, education, consultation, and referral services. The Social Exchange’s CEO, Ethan Nicholas, is proud of the work they do for local businesses and loves giving back to the city, its business owners and the kids that are the future of Pittsburgh commerce saying, “Our Pittsburgh networking events are diverse and are hosted at ever-changing locations in unique areas of our beautiful city.” The Pittsburgh Social Exchange has been recognized as the premier networking group of the city for a reason. This includes this latest event at the brand new Monaco Hotel. Recognized for his work around the globe, the media consistently calls on Empire Investigations, LLC CEO, Robert Kresson, as a reliable source for investigative and protective services industry commentary. Kresson and his team at Empire have garnered international acclaim, being featured in media from USA Today and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette to the Jenny Jones talk show to the Saudi Gazette. Kresson says, “Most of our clients are dealing with confidential information, be it their business or personal lives. When people trust you with their lives you take every precaution available to protect them while the investigation is taking place. Clients can’t risk putting their most valued assets, such as their children into jeopardy.” Throughout his three decades of service, Kresson and his teams have helped protect countless kids from abuse and abduction,

wrongful custody cases and even pedophilia. Don’t miss out on this dynamic duo’s next Pittsburgh Social Exchange event by checking out the event schedule online at http://www.pittsburghsocialexchange.com/ and get pre-registered for the 3rd annual PSE Golf Outing at Diamond Run Golf Course on August 3rd. Don’t miss out on a great event and even the chance to win $1 MILLION courtesy of VIP Sponsor Empire Investigations. Click here to read more… Source:: http://smallbusinesstrendsetters.com/empire-investigation-helps-give-spotlight-to-the-highmarkcaring-foundation/

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This entry was posted in Business Articles on March 17, 2015 by Jack.

Conversion Fanatics Helps Treatsie.com Double Customer Base in 2 Months Austin TX: Online conversion optimization company, Conversion Fanatics, has helped monthly sweet delivery company double their customer base over the last two months with strategic marketing initiatives. To accomplish this, Conversion Fanatics helped fine tune the marketing elements such as getting in touch with a broader audience and streamlining the visitor experience on their site, resulting in the massive growth. “As someone with quite a sweet tooth myself, it was very exciting to be able to apply our expertise to share such an amazing service with others that enjoy sweet treats.” said Justin Christianson, President of Conversion Fanatics. With the growing trend of monthly delivery services and Treatsie.com being one of the only ones with the focus on bringing notice to relatively unknown confectioner treats at an affordable price, it is no surprise they have experienced such growth. Conversion Fanatics has been helping businesses ranging from startups to well established companies get more out of their online marketing efforts, through what they call strategic optimization, for years.

“Conversion Fanatics brings a unique approach to marketing and stop at nothing to get results. They do the majority of the heavy lifting so we can focus on running our company and not have to worry about how well our marketing is performing.” says Keith Hoelzeman, Co-Founder of Treatsie.com. Matt Dale, CEO of Snap Brands says, “Working with Conversion Fanatics has proved to be one of the best decisions I have made for my company. We are growing like never before. On top of the growth we are able to acquire customers for a fraction of what we were before which allows us to not only grow, but provide a better customer experience and product.” Find out more about Conversion Fanatics and schedule a complimentary conversion acceleration at conversionfanatics.com. For more information about Treatsie, visit treatsie.com. Click here to read more… Source:: http://authoritypresswire.com/conversion-fanatics-helps-treatsie-com-double-customer-base-in-2months/

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This entry was posted in Business News on March 17, 2015 by Jack.

Voting is open! For BOLD! 2015 Small Business Book of the Year Award When the book BOLD! Helping YOU Unleash The Hero Within by Melissa Krivachek, Les Brown, and 11 other successful entrepreneurs was released on September 3, 2014, it definitely lived up to its name as it became an overnight sensation and international best-seller in four different categories including Professional Development; Personal Success; Education and Training; and Business and Finance. As a result of having such a powerful and profound impact in the marketplace, it has been nominated for the “2015 Small Business Book of The Year Award” in the category of Motivation. Avid reader and small business owner Laura Wright says, “Each author is the very definition of BOLD! If you have a chance to work with them, jump on it. This book is chock full of insights and is a must-have tool in your success library.” Because the 13 BOLD! Entrepreneurs from across the globe share their passions, their stories and their

expertise so candidly in this book with the intention of inspiring entrepreneurs worldwide to pursue their passions as well, readers get to discover how they have each actually created their businesses in such a way that allows them to live the lifestyle they truly desire. It was not the titles, the accolades, the power or the money they have accumulated, but rather their ability to have faith from the get-go without knowing whether or not the adventure they were about to embark on would work out. Melissa Krivachek says, “This isn’t just another book to add to your collection, it is a tool to help accelerate your business and life. BOLD! is a compilation of chapters by authors from different backgrounds, ages and various industries coming together from across the globe to share insight into what has helped them turn struggle into success—and do so in a major way.” “You’d be insane not to spend a dollar on a book that can make you into a multi-millionaire!” says Amazon.com reader Brandon Havener. Thousands of other readers worldwide have expressed their gratitude for the book that gives them the tools, knowledge and insight that they can utilize to accelerate their life, business and bottom line. BOLD! is more than just a book because it is the framework for helping entrepreneurs understand what changes they need to make—and more importantly, how to make them to get the results they desire in life, whether the desire is to change in the areas of Health, Finances, Career, Relationships, or Personal Image and Self-Esteem. Each author shares in depth insight into how they have overcome the obstacles in life that stood between them and their own definition of success. Co-Author and Publisher T. Allen Hanes went on to say “BOLD has been a launch pad for all entrepreneurs including people just making the transition to being an entrepreneur and seasoned entrepreneurs as well. Feedback has been powerful from people who have read the book.” Comments like: “The message is dead on! You inspire me to grow my business BIG! I took my dream and made it BIGGER!” -Kimberly Click here to read more… Source:: http://authoritypresswire.com/voting-is-open-for-bold-2015-small-business-book-of-the-year-award/

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The Indie Collaboration Publishes Eighth Book In International Anthology Market By godmademillionaire@comcast.net The Indie Collaboration released the eighth entry into their unique anthology series in February 2015. This anthology, Kiss and Tales 2: A Romantic Collection, is a collection of free original romantic tales brought to you by a group of independent authors who call themselves collectively, The Indie Collaboration. In the last year and a half, The Indie Collaboration has entered into the international market for anthology style print and ebooks with a unique spin on supporting and marketing works for independent authors. Last Valentine’s day, the group offered a sister book, Kiss and Tales: A Romantic Collection which reached #1 on Amazon best-seller free book lists and showed well in downloads throughout the Valentine’s season on Smashwords. The founding member of The Indie Collaboration, UK-based author Peter John says, “The Indie Collaboration grew out of a group of like-minded independent authors. Together, we decided to show the world how great works of fiction can be created without the involvement of any large publishing companies.” The first seven entries in the collaboration’s collection are: Tales from Dark Places: The Halloween Collection, Yuletide Tales: A Festive Collective, Kiss and Tales: A Romantic Collection, Snips, Snails and Puppy Dog Tales: A Children’s Collection, Summer Shorts, Spectacular Tales: A Science Fiction Collection and Tales from Darker Places: A Chilling Horror Anthology. The list of contributors for each collection changes depending on each individual contributor’s interests and area of writing specialty. Contributing author, Alan Hardy says, “The idea of a group of authors who have come together to offer up books to the reading public is an exciting way ahead for indie writers. I think this is important, writers coming together and taking control of their literary destinies.” Contributing author Kristina Jacobs says, “Reading anthologies is a great way to tap into a wealth of mostly undiscovered, yet very talented writers. We are truly a diverse group of writers and we have members from all over the world. It shows in the unique stories and collections that we are able to create.” The next installment from The Indie Collaboration will be published in Spring 2015. A follow up to their first children’s anthology, the second children’s anthology is called Sugar, Spice and Everything Nice! You can learn more about The Indie Collaboration, the group of contributing authors and their mission online at: http://theindiecollaboration.webs.com/. Click here to read more… Source:: http://smallbusinesstrendsetters.com/the-indie-collaboration-publishes-eighth-book-in-internationalanthology-market/

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This entry was posted in Business Articles on March 14, 2015 by Jack.

4 Steps to Creating Authentic Stories Your Customers Will Want to Read Leave a reply Authentic stories help powerful brands make deep connections with customers. But that high-level principle creates real-world challenges for content marketers. What is a powerful story and how do you tell it? I’d like to share four tips on how to tell stories that make connections and get results.

1. Find a moment A moment happens at a specific place and time. No two moments are exactly alike. Think of your own personal stories, from a first kiss to a moment of triumph. What happened? Who was there? What did they say? What would we have seen? Now think about this in terms of your brand. Every brand lives for customers as a series of touch points. A parent may have made a special meal using your product. An IT administrator may have cut request time in half and been promoted. Or in our case at Story2, a student may have just received an admissions offer from the college of her dreams. If you can put your customers at that moment where they feel what it’s like to encounter the best value of your brand, you’re one moment closer to connecting them to your brand. In written and multimedia stories, the Adidas #mygirls campaign exemplifies the value of a moment with content about young women using Adidas products in contexts from mountaineering to field hockey to running. But the stories are not about selling the product. Each woman’s story starts with a compelling moment, illustrating the brand experience. “There was a massive pop, so loud it sounded like a gunshot reverberating through the training gym,” begins one story about an injured South African field hockey player. The moment links courage and determination with the Adidas brand but never hits the viewer over the head with that connection.

2. Use your authentic voice The language of marketing is notorious for feeling artificial. Generic product attributes and abstract businessspeak is forced. Believe us when we say no one really cares about “quality manufacturing” or “industryleading service levels” unless they know exactly how that feels and believe what you say about your brand. When using stories as a vehicle for content marketing, take this advice from the Story2 Moments Method®: Stand in front of a mirror, look yourself in the eye, and tell your brand story out loud. Do you believe it? Now tell a friend or family member face-to-face. Does it connect with the listener? If the answers are “yes,” take that authentic story in your voice and write it down. In authentic storytelling there’s no need to “business-fy” it. GE Reports a Tumblr blog excels at this, sharing rich stories about inventors and users of high-tech industrial products. One recent example: a story about their scientific microscopes. One scientist on the team brought a bee’s leg from his daughter’s science project to test the capabilities of GE’s latest imaging device. The topic would have been a great occasion for jargon and product-speak, but instead it authentically sheds light on the passion behind the product.

3. Map it A map is simply the arc from the beginning to the middle and then the end. When you want to captivate your reader, think like a Hollywood blockbuster. In these two examples, you can see how it works:

• Draw them in, like a magnet: Story 1: Half the potatoes on the floor and the rest behind the stove … what was I supposed to do about Thanksgiving dinner now? Story 2: Our CFO had just called for the fourth time asking for last quarter’s numbers, but our systems were still down. • Raise suspense, with a pivot: Story 1: “That looks great, but we don’t serve frozen food at holidays,” I told my husband as he stood there with the foil tray of FoodCo’s carrot soufflé. Story 2: SoftwareCo’s representative sat next to me at my desk for an hour while he fixed the broken database queries. I couldn’t help grinning when I saw the numbers pop up finally. • End on a memorable glow: Story 1: We’ve had carrot soufflé instead of potatoes on our family’s menu ever since, but we still laugh about the look on my face when someone mentions anything scalloped. Story 2: I was home that evening in time to tuck the twins in bed and read them a story. Once you map the story, you can think of all sorts of ways to describe your current audience’s journeys and how its stories can help your brand connect with new people. Coca-Cola, as part of its truly impressive “Journeys” approach to brand journalism, does this in numerous ways. I was struck by a story told by a CocaCola employee who took up skydiving. The story uses a “magnet, pivot, and glow structure. And while ostensibly it’s about her personal experiences, it does a fantastic job selling Coke’s corporate culture and inspires the desire to work with employees like her.

4. Focus outward You’ll notice that none of these points in the story map use wording like “I thought,” “I felt,” “I realized,” or “I learned.” That interpretation and analysis puts up a wall between you and your reader. Experiment with different ways to present your thoughts and feelings using dialogue, sensory details, and physical descriptions. In our hypothetical examples, we used these details to show the reader how the high quality of a frozen food adds something to the customer’s life, and how reliable, diligent service helps software users get their job done with less stress. Hallmark’s “Ideas” website section does a great job of this with stories about card-giving occasions mixed in with lifestyle tips, nicely aligned to using a card or gift to express the emotion in the moment.

In summary, these four steps, all built on the neuroscience of storytelling, provide content marketing techniques that literally synchronize your reader’s brain with your brand marketing content. As our

examples show, throw a few stories in the mix and see just how compelling brand messages can become. Want more expert tips to improve your connection between content and customers? Make plans today to attend Content Marketing World 2015. Cover image by Viktor Hanacek, picjumbo, via pixabay.com The post 4 Steps to Creating Authentic Stories Your Customers Will Want to Read appeared first on Content Marketing Institute. …via 4 Steps to Creating Authentic Stories Your Customers Will Want to Read

…via 4 Steps to Creating Authentic Stories Your Content marketing has become a buzz phrase, not unlike “inbound,” “SEO,” and other words thrown around by digital marketers. All real and worthwhile concepts, these words – perhaps because of their relative newness – tend to be used as blanket terms that describe a laundry list of things. For example, “content marketing” is often used interchangeably with “social media.” In passing conversation, this might not be a big deal, but if you make generalization mistakes when creating a content marketing strategy, it can negatively impact your success. It’s clear why everyone’s interested in content marketing. Consider these recent stats: • The ROI of content marketing outweighs the ROI of paid search by more than three times. (Kapost and Eloqua) • Yearly growth in unique website traffic is over seven times higher with content marketing leaders versus followers. (Kapost) • Content marketing costs 62% less than traditional marketing and generates about three times as many leads. (Demand Metric) Brands know that they need content marketing, but too often misconstrue what it is or how to implement it. Meanwhile, companies that have had content marketing success may be missing out on even more gains because of an oversight or lack of understanding. Here are nine common misconceptions to avoid in your content marketing.

1. Content marketing is easy and cheap The internet is gloriously free. Anyone can start a website or host a social media account. Perhaps, for this reason, some brands assume that content marketing is easy. After all, you don’t need a degree or any special training to create content, right? This view underestimates the skill involved in making content work well for the brand. Creating the right content requires deep knowledge of your brand, the digital landscape, and your audience, which is no easy task. Does your audience respond more to Facebook posts or videos? Email or blogs? Is your content actually converting?

Keep this in mind when you start a content strategy. If you fail to invest the proper amount of time and resources, you might not get very far in crafting a successful content marketing strategy.

2. Outsourcing is always a good idea For companies that want to drive content online but don’t have the resources to do it in-house, outsourcing can be a viable option. Some marketing agencies specialize in this kind of work. However, outsource wisely. Reputable companies will have proven, verifiable track records. Companies that offer ultra-bargain deals or operate in a country other than ones in which you operate may not have the right experience or might use dubious business practices. For example, a relatively unknown company may seem like a bargain for its promise to generate tons of content and get it posted on different websites. Even if it fulfills the promise, it’s most likely using black-hat SEO tactics, which can backfire. Google penalizes websites if it discovers the brand’s content and links on a less-than-reputable websites – no matter who posted it. If outsourcing, invest the time to research and work only with reputable companies.

3. Content marketing is only for SEO The role of SEO is one of the biggest misconceptions about content marketing. Many people assume that all content needs to be targeted toward search engines. True, content is a great way to improve your organic position in search engines. Valuable content that people visit and share will move your site closer to page one of search results. The mistake many make is to try and game Google. Some brands think that if they stuff their content with keywords relevant to their business, they’ll beat the system. Keyword stuffing might result in a temporary spike in traffic, but Google is watching what its users do. The algorithm is smart, and if it detects your content isn’t valuable to searchers, it will boot your site down the search engine results chain. When creating content, make it search-engine friendly, but focus first on providing content that your targeted audience would find valuable.

4. The content is only for your audience As stated, value should guide your content. However, while you shouldn’t manipulate search engines, you do want to give them some direction. There are a number of natural, approved methods of communicating basic information about your content so that search engines can match people’s queries with appropriate responses. These days, Google is relying more on semantic search, meaning your keywords should be surrounded by relevant words and phrases on the page. Additionally, you can take a handful of simple steps to make sure your pages are search-friendly, such as including meta titles, descriptions, and headers.

5. Content marketing is only for B2Cs People often assume that only fun, consumer-focused brands can reap the rewards of content marketing. But

case studies abound showing how B2Bs have used the core principles of content to improve their power online. Take SunGard, an IT operations company that supports many Fortune 100 companies. By creating a video series that brought humor to industry trends and pain points, and analyzing its audience’s consumption patterns, the company generated 3,000 leads in three days and scored a cumulative 87.4% click-through rate.

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6. Content marketing is the same as brand-awareness marketing True, brand awareness is perhaps the easiest goal – albeit the hardest to measure – of content marketing. And, to be honest, if its effectiveness ended at brand awareness, I probably wouldn’t be writing this right now. What a lot of brands don’t realize, however, is that content marketing isn’t just for the first stage of the sales funnel or customer journey. Content should be created and optimized to address customers’ needs as they go through the process of engaging with your products and services. For example, if a customer visits your website, clicks on a page, and leaves, you could use retargeting tools to track the individual and advertise that departed page’s content to them as they visit other sites. Or perhaps, you secure the visitor’s email address in the first visit and send a follow-up email. Tailor your content to nudge customers further along through the journey.

7. Content marketing’s value is not measurable According to CMI’s 2015 B2B research, only 35% of marketers have a documented content marketing strategy. It’s no wonder then that some brands often become frustrated with the lack of perceptible results. A variety of tools can track the impact of your content. Google Analytics is probably the most common method of measuring data gleaned from your website, social media channels, blogs, and more. You can even dig down and get granular results so you know how your audience interacts with specific pages and posts. The web is basically teeming with tools for measuring, managing and creating content. Figure out which ones work for you and start tracking your efforts today.

8. Content marketing delivers instant results I’ve seen some brands become frustrated that their content marketing doesn’t pay off as quickly as they would like. This is understandable. If you invest time and money into something, you want to see results as soon as possible. But content marketing is about building relationships. Just like in life, it takes time. It’s unlikely that someone will view your content and immediately make a purchase. Be prepared to play the long game. You need to establish trust with people before they take further action. Take that person who views your content and get him to provide an email address. Now, you have the start of a relationship. Remember, with content marketing, the prospect is in the driver’s seat. Brands have to provide value to their targeted audiences to prove their true worth, and that can take months. Make sure you set manageable benchmarks and set a reasonable time to expect an ROI on your content efforts.

9. Content marketing is the same thing as content creation Of course, the content itself is essential, but it’s only one part of the overall strategy. Content marketing includes everything from distribution to interaction and communication. You can’t just create and post a blog post and expect it to do all the work for you. In fact, before you create any content, you should create a documented content marketing strategy. To whom is your content targeted? What do you want your audience to do? How will you promote your content? Which websites can you target in order to get backlinks? Does your plan account for responding to people in real time over social media? How often will you post? These are just some of the many questions you need to address before implementing your strategy. The takeaway here is that each individual piece of content needs to interact with a larger plan. What other misconceptions about content marketing have you seen? How did you fix them? Want to plan ahead for your own content marketing education? Check out the CMWorld 2014 sessions available through our Video on Demand portal and make plans today to attend Content Marketing World 2015. Cover image by Viktor Hanacek, picjumbo, via pixabay.com The post How To Fix 9 Harmful Misconceptions about Content Marketing appeared first on Content Marketing Institute. …via How To Fix 9 Harmful Misconceptions about Content Marketing

Source of original article is http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2015/03/creating-authentic-storiescustomers/

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This entry was posted in Marketing on March 13, 2015 by Jack.

How to Win Your Battle for Content Marketing Buy-in [50+ Stats] By Jodi Harris Over the past several years, marketers have made tremendous strides with content marketing and, as a result, are communicating more effectively with their audiences. Consider these data points: • 86% of B2B marketers report that their organizations are using content marketing, and 70% of them are creating more content than they did one year ago. • More than two-thirds of the marketing leaders interviewed as part of our executive research see their entire marketing department restructuring to address content marketing needs. But despite high adoption rates and a commitment to the discipline, not all marketers’ think their content efforts are as effective as they could be. One of the most significant barriers certain to impede progress: lack of executive support. If management does not believe in content marketing, it will be incredibly difficult to do all the things needed to make the program a success such as: • Involving the right groups • Securing approval on tactics • Receiving permission to experiment, learning from mistakes, and making essential adjustments. Click to enlarge. To help you get the support you need, we’ve compiled a starter kit of essential talking points and support statistics you can use as the basis of your buy-in conversation.

In this post, we share the key talking point followed by supporting reasons and data for these topics: • • • • • •

Content marketing definition Why businesses need content marketing How content marketing helps meet consumer goals How content marketing impacts organizational goals Budget and resource allocation Consumer and industry content marketing expectations

At the end, we share a buy-in process checklist you can view and print. Of course, like all statistics, the data we share here simply reflect the information at this time. Mix and match the points that are most relevant to your company’s situation, and create a library of stats that point to similar trends to help build a convincing case. Or, you can view and share the SlideShare below with the highlights. Mastering the Buy-In Conversation on Content Marketing: The Essential Starter Kit from Content Marketing Institute

Define content marketing Key talking point: Let’s start by understanding what content marketing is — as well as what it isn’t. Supporting data: • The Content Marketing Institute uses the following definition, which reflects how the discipline has evolved – from the mere creation and distribution of content to a formal business discipline. Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience – and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.

Explain why businesses need content marketing Key talking point: With content’s high adoption rates, great potential to provide measurable business benefits, and enterprise-wide appeal, a strategic content marketing program is essential to staying competitive in today’s marketplace. Supporting reasons and data: • Sharing content has become an integral part of virtually every digital experience. • 27 million pieces of content are shared every day. (AOL/Nielsen, 2013) • Any brand not prepared to deliver quality content in a strategic way is likely operating at a significant disadvantage: • 86% of B2B marketers and 77% of B2C marketers use content marketing. (Content Marketing Institute, 2015)

• Content marketing emerged in 2013 as the top digital priority for B2B and B2C marketers, edging out the former frontrunner – social media engagement. (Econsultancy/Adobe, January 2013) • 39% of marketers say they planned to invest heavily in content marketing. (Econsultancy/Adobe, January 2013) • Content creation and use continue to gain popularity and show no sign of slowing: • 70% of B2B marketers are creating more content than they did one year ago. (Content Marketing Institute, 2015) • CMOs at the largest technology companies report that building content marketing as an organizational competency is a critical initiative – second only to measuring ROI. (IDC, 2014) • 56% of leading business bloggers plan to hire additional resources in the next 12 months. (Curata, 2014) • 77% of marketers report that they plan to increase content production in the next year. (LinkedIn Technology Marketing Community, 2014) • Significant numbers of marketers think strategically about their use of content: • 48% of B2B marketers have a content marketing strategy, and 35% percent have gone so far as to document their strategy. (Content Marketing Institute, 2015) • Content can be used to unite and support the efforts of sales, marketing, and other departments: • 48% of marketers use dedicated content to support three to five buying stages. (LinkedIn Technology Marketing Community, 2014) • 52% of marketers support two to four roles and buyer personas with dedicated content. (LinkedIn Technology Marketing Community, 2014) • Four of every five marketing leaders have integrated content into their advertising programs, typically as part of their brand messaging. (Content Marketing Institute, 2014)

Address how content marketing helps meet consumer goals Key talking point: Consumers expect content that is useful, is customized to their interests, and adds value to their experiences. If we don’t provide that kind of content, they will seek out competitors that do. Supporting reasons and data: • Content is essential to supporting loyal, trusting relationships between brands and consumers: • 82% of consumers feel more positive about a company after reading custom content. (Demand Metric, 2014) • 90% of consumers find custom content useful. (Demand Metric, 2014) • 61% of consumers say they feel better about, and are more likely to buy from, a company that delivers custom content. (Custom Content Council, 2011) • Content dominates consumers’ online experiences: • 50% of consumer time online is spent engaging with custom content. (HubSpot, 2013)

• Content marketing helps create the engaging experiences that customers seek and helps develop deeper connections between brands and consumers. • 64% of people say the customer experience is more important than price in their choice of a brand. (Gartner, 2014) • By 2020, that customer experience will overtake price and product as the key brand differentiator. (Gartner, 2014) • 70% of consumers say content marketing makes them feel closer to the sponsoring company. (Roper Public Affairs, 2012) • Content is a leading driver of brand engagement on social media and motivates consumers to take action: • Interesting content is one of the main reasons people follow brands on social media. (Demand Metric, 2014) • 60% of people are inspired to seek a product after reading content about it. (Demand Metric, 2014) • Content also is becoming increasingly essential for targeting younger demographics: • Millennials expect brands to develop content for them, with 80% wanting to be directly entertained through content marketing. (Edelman, 2012) • B2B audiences have also embraced content marketing and incorporated it into their purchasing process: • 80% of business decision-makers prefer to get company information in a series of articles versus an advertisement. (Roper Public Affairs, 2012) • 75% of B2B buyers rely more on content to research and make B2B purchasing decisions than they did a year ago. (Demand Gen Report, 2014) • The average B2B buyer has completed 57% of the purchase process before engaging a vendor’s sales team. (CEB/Google, 2012)

Tell how content marketing impacts organizational goals Key talking point: Companies that document a strategic content marketing program can have more effective lead generation, SEO efforts, internal teams, and processes. And, as the discipline evolves, we have an opportunity to experiment, distinguish ourselves, and help set the best practices that other businesses will follow for years to come. Supporting reasons and data: • Content marketing is leading the pack in lead generation and turning those leads into customers: • Per dollar spent, content marketing generates more than three times the number of leads than paid search does. (Kapost/Eloqua, 2012) • Content marketing costs between 31 and 41% less than paid search, depending on the organization’s size. (Kapost/Eloqua, 2012) • Website conversion rate is nearly six times higher for content marketing adopters than nonadopters (2.9% vs. 0.5%). (Aberdeen Group, 2014)

• As search engine algorithms evolve, content marketing is increasingly becoming essential to SEO efforts: • Content creation ranks as the single most effective SEO technique. (Marketing Sherpa, 2013) • Organizations demonstrating an ongoing commitment to content marketing create team efficiencies by building staffing infrastructure, establishing quality standards, and creating processes for producing content more efficiently and effectively: • 47% of B2B marketers have a dedicated content marketing group. (Content Marketing Institute, 2015) • 71% of business bloggers have some type of center of excellence team. (i.e., a team that provides a blogging code of conduct, audience engagement guidelines, best practices, and guidance to help internal teams execute their own blogging activities). (Curata, 2014) • 57% of all companies have two or more people dedicated to content marketing. (Contently, 2014) • 43% of companies have an executive in their organization who is directly responsible for an overall content marketing strategy. (Curata, 2014) • Marketers’ top investment areas across the content marketing space: curation and aggregation (38%); creation (34%); workflow (29%). (Altimeter, 2014) • The flexibility afforded by content marketing techniques such as content curation enables businesses to realize measurable results: • Over 50% of marketers that curate content indicate that it has increased their brand visibility, thought leadership, SEO, web traffic, and buyer engagement. (Curata, 2014) • 41% indicate that curated content has increased the number and/or quality of their sales-ready leads. (Curata, 2014) • Positive results are contributing to the growing trend of brands functioning as full-fledged publishers: • Red Bull reportedly employs approximately 135 people just for its media house. (Contently, 2014) • Nestlé’s digital editorial team consists of almost 20 community managers and designers producing content every day. (Contently, 2014) • Some big brands are even starting to prioritize content marketing over paid advertising initiatives: • Coca-Cola spends more money creating its own content than it does on television advertising, according to the Columbia Journalism Review. (Contently, 2014) • Kraft estimates that it generates the equivalent of 1.1 billion ad impressions a year, generating through its content marketing a return on investment four times better than through its targeted advertising. (AdAge, 2014)

Reveal how much should you budget for content marketing Key talking point: Content marketing can be implemented at nearly any budget point. However, allocating sufficient resources is paramount to achieving our optimal success. Our budget should identify all resources – staff, materials, and media – to create, manage, and promote content effectively.

Supporting reasons and data: • Every hard dollar spent likely has more to do with a company’s size and the industry it operates in than its faith in content marketing. Nevertheless: • CMI’s annual B2B and B2C research studies found that the average B2B organization spends 28% of its marketing budget on content, and the average B2C organization spends 25%. (Content Marketing Institute, 2015) • Dollar-figure estimates vary widely, from $50,000 to $50 million annually, but the median spend on content marketing was $1.75 million, with about one in six enterprise organizations spending over $10 million annually. (Content Marketing Institute Executive Research, 2014) • A correlation seems to exist between content marketing effectiveness and the amount of budget allocated to the discipline: • B2B marketers who rate themselves to be most effective allocate an average of 37% of their budget to content, while those who feel they are least effective allocate 16%. (Content Marketing Institute, 2015) • Strategy also likely plays a role in budget allocations: • 64% of companies with a documented content strategy have a dedicated content marketing budget. (LinkedIn Technology Marketing Community, 2014) • Overall, industry projections indicate strong growth in content marketing budgets: • 55% of B2B organizations and 59% of B2C organizations plan to increase their content marketing budget in the next 12 months. (Content Marketing Institute, 2015) • Content marketers are getting bigger budgets to produce more and better results. (eMarketer, 2014).

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Share expectations Key talking point: Content marketing can help our organization be more proactive in how we address both consumer and business needs, and be more responsive to behavioral shifts and emerging trends. With encouraging signs of growth across the industry and bullish attitudes from marketing leaders, there’s never been a better time to enable our owned media channels to start working harder for our business with a strategic content marketing program. Supporting reasons and data: • The future of content marketing looks bright: • 78% of CMOs see content as the future of marketing. (Demand Metric, 2014)

• The industry is growing in terms of adoption, usage, and availability of resources: • 77% of marketers plan to increase content production as they move into 2015. (LinkedIn Technology Marketing Community, 2014) • 56% of leading business bloggers plan to hire additional resources within the next year. (Curata, 2014) • 93% of companies plan to maintain or increase their investment in content creation in the upcoming year. (The Economist Group, 2014) • Marketers are adjusting their priorities to accommodate consumers’ increasing thirst for useful custom content: • 57% of marketers report custom content is their top marketing priority for 2014. (Altimeter, 2014) • 88% of B2B marketers and 89% of B2C marketers are either focused on creating more engaging and higher-quality content or plan to do so in the coming year. (Content Marketing Institute, 2015) • 84% of B2B marketers and of 85% B2C marketers are actively looking to gain a better understanding of their audience or plan to do so in the coming year. (Content Marketing Institute, 2015) • 86% of B2B marketers and 89% of B2C marketers are assessing the effectiveness of their content, or are planning to do so within the next 12 months. (Content Marketing Institute, 2015)

Checklist: The buy-in conversation Along with these supporting reasons and data presented here, the following checklist can help you determine how prepared you are to make a compelling case and convince stakeholders that you have positioned your content marketing strategy for optimal success. You may not be able to get every element in place before you ask executives for their support; but the more boxes you can check, the more effective your content marketing program buy-in pitch is likely to be:

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Take the next step Once your key stakeholders are on board, the next step is to develop and document your content marketing strategy. Download our guide, The Essentials of a Documented Content Marketing Strategy: 36 Questions to Answer, for an in-depth view of this process. Get first-hand access to more tools, techniques, and tracks to help increase your content marketing success. Sign up here to subscribe to Content Marketing Institute daily or weekly e-mails with exclusive content. Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute

The post How to Win Your Battle for Content Marketing Buy-in [50+ Stats] appeared first on Content Marketing Institute. Read more here:: http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2015/03/buy-in-conversation-content-marketing/

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