QR codes (or Quick Response codes) condense information into two dimensional op-art squares that connect offline media to online content via a smartphone. Also known as mobile tagging, QR codes act like URL references on offline media and other flat surfaces.Continue reading

Blogs are the optimal choice for your content marketing hub because they’re content chameleons combining the strength of social media with old-fashioned print-publishing functionality. The reality is that in today’s content-driven world, while you may view yourself as a marketer, you’re really a publisher.  You must provide relevant content for your prospects, customers and the public who – according to Ipsos’ research – spend over 10 hours a day consuming media.Continue reading

Blogs no longer get the same buzz as their newer social media cousins, Facebook and Twitter. That said, blogs are at the heart of social media, especially if you’re involved in content marketing. Chris Brogan refers to blogs as your social media outpost because blogs supply the content that drives social media conversations. In 2011, eMarketer projects that roughly two out of five companies will create a public-facing blog.Continue reading

One of the biggest challenges for any blog, whether it’s corporate, group or personal, is to keep the momentum going. Let’s face it: writing, which is at the heart of blogging, is hard work and it takes motivation to continually produce new content. If bloggers don’t have an internal motivation propelling them forward to compose content, the blog tends to be challenged. To keep your blogging team on track and producing high-quality content here are three tactics to adapt to your company’s specific needs. (For help on your corporate blog here are nine tips on getting started and here are some insights on how to organize your blog team.)Continue reading

A lot of content marketers have started or are thinking about starting a blog. Why? One in three US companies use blogs for marketing purposes. This helps these firms reach the roughly 50% of Internet users who regularly read blogs according to eMarketer’s research. A corporate blog can support the sales process and help your search optimization efforts. Therefore it’s useful to integrate a blog into your website and your content marketing strategy.Continue reading

Congratulations, your company has decided to start a blog and you’ve been appointed to guide it. What do you do? Before you jump in and get someone in your web department to develop the site, take some time to think through the major strategic elements. This is a critical step to ensure your blog is in line with your brand and/or company.  Here are nine planning steps to help you develop a blog that will meet your firm’s objectives.Continue reading

Contrary to some beliefs, the press release is alive and supports marketing and communications objectives to a variety of audiences (employees, customers, investors, the public) to build favorable relationships with them. However,  simply sending a press release out via the wire isn’t enough. In today’s increasingly socially-connected media landscape, PR professionals are expanding their communications methods to include a wide range of social media platforms to engage specific market segments. Here are five ideas on how you can use social media to enhance your PR efforts.Continue reading

When it comes to metrics, many marketers will first monitor whatever is easiest to count. But, what’s most important is counting those things that help you best determine how well you succeeded in achieving your objectives. Therefore, to track your content marketing’s effectiveness, match your metrics back to your business goals. Continue reading

Contrary to current thinking, the press release is alive and supports marketing and communications objectives. As keyword-rich content supporting search optimization, the press release—especially in its social media format—is a very effective marketing tool for attracting mainstream and trade media, consumer and public attention. But, to be most effective, press releases must contain more than the plain vanilla fodder of executive changes and regulatory announcements.Continue reading