Archive for the ‘Publishing’ Category

Get Results With These 10 Tested Copywriting Tips

Monday, July 16th, 2018

Whether you’re writing a brochure, copy for a newspaper ad, a script for a radio announcement or a page or blog for your website, there are some tried and true techniques that can help you make sure that your copy gets the results you’re looking for.

Think about writing copy as making a sales pitch to a customer. Your goal is to persuade that customer to do something – most likely to purchase your product or service. Here’s how: (more…)

5 Steps to a Better Blog

Monday, March 19th, 2018

We’ve been writing this blog for a long time – since 2009 actually! It actually draws more traffic than our website and we’ve also been recognized over the years, most recently by Feedspot as a “Top 30 Communication Blog.”  Recently we were asked by a reporter to share our top tips for effective blogging; we thought we’d share here as well. Here are our “Top 5 Tips for Building a Better Blog”: (more…)

How to Build a Blog That Generates Results

Tuesday, May 30th, 2017

So you’ve finally put in the effort to develop a respectable blog. You’re posting regularly and consistently, and you’re posting about topical material relevant to your target audience. But nobody’s reading it. A common challenge we see with businesses trying to beef up their online presence is that they haven’t done enough to drive traffic to their blog. Here are some basic tips to help boost your blog traffic. (more…)

Be Careful Out There! From Fake News to Fake Newsmakers—How to Best Protect Your Brand

Thursday, May 11th, 2017

content marketing, content management, newsjacking, social media, digital marketing, SEO, online marketingIn 2006, Sacha Baron Cohen’s Borat character burst onto the big screen and became a huge success in the United States. Borat – a scruffy, socially awkward “journalist,” ostensibly from the Central Asian nation of Kazakhstan – took a cross-country trip through the United States, mostly in the South, and interacted with and interviewed numerous unwitting participants who became fodder for Baron Cohen’s movie.

While Borat had been a staple of Baron Cohen’s Da Ali G show for years, the 2006 film marked the first time many Americans had been exposed to the character. From college students and driving instructors to rodeos and local news stations, many Americans were fooled into believing they were being interviewed for a cultural program for consumption in Kazakhstan, something that would not be seen in the United States.

Hilarity, embarrassment and lawsuits followed. (more…)

Our Go-To Publications For Great Marketing Insights

Tuesday, September 13th, 2016

content marketing, content management, newsjacking, social media, digital marketing, SEO, online marketingStaying informed is key for any business or profession, and marketing is no different. As marketing consultants, we use a variety of sources of information to stay on top of current trends. Magazines (online and in print) offer both a reader-friendly format and insights on trending topics within the industry. Below are some sources we’ve found particularly worthwhile. (more…)

Content Marketers: What You Need to Know About Newsjacking

Tuesday, August 23rd, 2016

content marketing, content management, newsjacking, social media, digital marketing, SEO, online marketingDavid Meerman Scott, a well-known marketing strategist, coined the term “newsjacking,” which he describes as “the process by which you inject your ideas or angles into breaking news, in real-time, in order to generate media coverage for yourself or your business.” He’s even written an ebook on the topic: Newsjacking: How to Inject Your Ideas Into a Breaking News Story and Generate Tons of Media Coverage.

The concept makes sense, and we all know that a great way to gain relevance online is by leveraging hot topics and news items that are beginning to trend-but it’s a competitive, and fast-moving, field. How do content marketers stay on top of the relevant trends and news in their industries to ensure they’re curating and communicating fresh, engaging content? (more…)

Building a Better Blog

Thursday, July 28th, 2016

Keyboard - smallIt’s hard to overstate the value of a good blog and the impact it can have on your business. Here when we’re talking about value, we’re talking about bang for your buck. A blog is essentially free, other than the time you put into creating content and the cost of the website on which you host it. And yet a quality blog can do so much to drive traffic to your website and to help establish yourself, and your organization, as thought leaders in your industry.

We’ve been blogging since February, 2009, and we’ve been doing it consistently (one of our highly recommended strategies for success). Here are our “top tips” on building a blog that will generate real results: (more…)

Driving Valuable Backlinks Through Exceptional Contributed Content

Tuesday, June 21st, 2016

Keyboard - smallAs a strategic marketing company, we have promoted the importance of marketing for any business loudly and often. At the same time, we understand that small businesses are often operating on razor-thin margins (if they’re even in the black at all) and may not have substantial cash reserves on hand to fund an aggressive marketing campaign. Fortunately, a large war chest is by no means a necessity in successful marketing. (more…)

How to Build Thought Leadership Through Blogging

Tuesday, April 19th, 2016

Keyboard - smallBlogs are so ubiquitous in the online world that it may seem like it’s not worth the effort to maintain your own. After all, blogs can take a lot of effort to maintain. You need to be current, consistent and relevant. Is it worth all that time and energy with so many blogs out there? (more…)

In Search of Viral Content: Is It Worth the Effort?

Tuesday, April 5th, 2016

Online marketing is a crowded arena. Just check out Internet Live Stats to get an idea of the massive amounts of blog posts, websites, tweets, etc. It’s hard to stand out in the crowd, but every once in a while, some gem emerges that catches the attention of the masses and forms part of the collective consciousness. In other words, something goes viral. But how does that happen? (more…)