I gave this presentation last week at the Esource Utility Marketing Conference in Phoenix, AZ. Three Things NOW! – Content Marketing, Listening and Social Media View more presentations from Joe Pulizzi. Here are a couple key takeaways from the presentation above. We Have Come Full CircleCenturies ago, the information world as we knew it was shaped by many voices. Thousands of newspapers and pamphlets from across North America was how people become informed through media. Then came big newspapers, big television, big radio.  We went from many voices to few voices. Today, there are more voices than ever before (we have come full circle and are back to the beginning). What that means as marketers is that we need to adjust where we place our attention and budget. 70% of marketing dollars still goes toward "bigger, placed media". Knowing how media has changed, does this still make sense? Probably not.Marketing Today is PublishingFor our marketing to succeed, we, as marketers,...

Over the past month, I've had a large amount of flying time to Europe and back. That means it's been the perfect time to catch up on my reading. Below are books that I've read and taken something significant away.  I believe they can help you too (these are in no particular order). #1 – Content Rich by Jon Wuebben I recently had the chance to chat with Jon, and subsequently read his book. Here's my take: if SEO copywriting and content creation is important to your business (it should if it's not), this is a must read. Jon knows this stuff and will show you step by step how to do it. This will change the way you think about online content. Best for: Anyone trying to increase conversions from search engines. #2 – World Wide Rave by David Meerman Scott You won't find a bigger fan than me of David's previous book, The New Rules of Marketing and PR. WW Rave is as good, if not better. If you are not a believer in the content marketing revolution,...

I gave a luncheon presentation entitled Content Marketing: The Present and Future of PR? yesterday for my new friends at Cincinnati PRSA. Content Marketing: The Present and Future of PR? View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: cincinnati 42) (Note: Some of the images look a bit distorted in slideshare). Here’s the high level overview: Many traditional media properties are struggling to survive. For example, I had a conversation with Forrester research last week who stated the likelihood of 1/2 of all US newspapers to stop production in two years. If these traditional media properties that PR used to get their message out are going away, what is PR to do? In any particular industry, who is helping to tell the story (companies, bloggers, etc.)? Since PR professionals understand the value of, and how to develop a story, they are placed perfectly to be in the middle of the organizational content engine. If PR’s role is to help manage the information from an organization...

Some people hate them, but I’m a sucker for prediction articles. The switch over to the next calendar year always provides the perfect scenario to decide what the fate of marketing will be. We reached out to the Junta42 community, as well as the Junta42 Top 42 bloggers, to get their take on what the new year would hold for content marketing and social media.  As you will see, lots of opportunity amidst great uncertainty. Just the way we like it. Thanks to those who contributed. Some truly outstanding expertise (and frankly, free consulting from some of the best). If you don’t agree or would like to add yours, please do – and pass this along to any marketing folk you know.Continue reading

The homily at Church yesterday was about simple gestures. It was how an anonymous person left five full lunches (sandwich, fruit and pretzels in each) on the steps of the church. The next morning those five lunches fed five people who needed food. It created five incredibly happy people and also eased the burden on the church’s “back door” program (which feeds those in need). It was how someone years ago started putting fruit baskets together for the home-bound in the near west-side of Cleveland. Back then it created dozens of happy people who received them. Today there are over 700 elderly and home-bound individuals who eagerly look forward to those fruit baskets. Simple gestures make a difference. Simple gestures can change the world. Simple gestures can change your business. The regular tips from P&G’s Home Made Simple helps the incredibly busy working mom (or dad) keep the house together and keep the kids fed. The result: more family time. Just a simple gesture...

We’re excited to announce the fourth installment of the Junta42 Top 42 Content Marketing blogs. Congratulations this month goes to Lee Odden and the team from TopRank Online Marketing, whose Online Marketing Blog just squeaked by Brian Clark’s Copyblogger (which held the #1 position for the last two updates).Continue reading

I’ve seen Jim Stengel speak many times and always enjoyed it.  For the past five+ years, the global marketing chief from Procter & Gamble seemed a regular on the advertising and marketing speaking circuit.  Now we know why. Mr. Stengel has formed his own marketing consulting company called (appropriately) Jim Stengel LLC. Stengel states in this Wall Street Journal article that “marketing is in need of a major overhaul…trust in brands is at an all-time low.” Stengel’s “new way” of selling is called “purpose-based marketing,” which, according to the article, is “about defining what a company does – beyond making money – and how it can make its customers’ lives better.” Although this is nothing new, it’s nice to see this picked up in the Journal, and that a well-followed and successful marketing executive is carrying the banner of what we call content marketing. Yes, Stengel’s “purpose-based...

It’s funny…the more our society focuses on the Internet, the more niche print books you tend to see.  Sounds counter intuitive, but the Long Tail has created opportunities in book publishing that were never before imaginable. Since we have the ability to target the slimmest of customer segments, more companies are developing content to serve those niches and drive revenues. Yes, even books. From Amazon.com to LuLu, publishing has become easier from both a production and promotion standpoint. This was one of the reasons why Newt Barrett and I launched our book Get Content. Get Customers., which revolves around the philosophy and execution of content marketing. We believed that we could develop a content marketing book, without a major publisher, that could get traction through the use of social media and the Internet. And we were right. (Note: Last month, Newt and I sold the book rights to McGraw-Hill. The marketing of the book was the major reason we were approached with this...

Almost every company in the world has some kind of customized magazine or newsletter. According to the Custom Publishing Council, there are more than 100,000 custom publications in the United States alone. Sadly, many companies don’t leverage their custom magazine to the fullest extent, while most don’t understand the distribution options available. Especially in these tougher economic times, custom magazines, along with all marketing, is going to be even more scrutinized, so it’s important to leverage everything you can out of the content. If your magazine content is truly valuable, make sure it’s not being wasted by just delivering it in print and losing it forever (believe it or not, many companies and associations do that). For the basic custom magazine project, here are some ways to get the most “bang for your buck” out of your content, and create multiple avenues for qualified prospects and customers to reach you: Record audio and video of interviews for the...

Just read this article by Steve Tobak on bnet entitled “What You Need to Know about Branding.” Very cool article and worth checking out.  In the article, Steve contends that there are five key points that every manager needs to know about branding, and IMO he is dead on. As I was reading the final three points, I wanted to take out the word “branding” and replace it with “content marketing.” And so I did.  See below. Content marketing strategy is not a one-off; it’s a component of your overall corporate strategy. Hopefully that begins with some sort of strategic planning process that defines your company’s vision, goals, and key strategies. Content marketing strategy is integrated and aligned with those. Content marketing…is about using certain tools to achieve strategic and operating goals. For example, content marketing can be used to position similar or the same products in different market segments, typically at different pricing levels. That...

I have been hesitant to push this concept too much, but the evidence is just too vast to ignore anymore.  Those of you who are readers of this blog know that I’ve been talking about the push into content marketing from traditional media for years. It’s not like that’s any big revelation.  We’ve been seeing traditional print and now even online display revenues take a beating at media companies. Layoffs and restructuring abound (even at Gawker and MySpace). Technology and consumer behavior has changed the landscape entirely and a new business model has emerged.Continue reading

I’m a content guy.  I’m not a landscaper or outdoors man. I’ve tried a few times, but the results haven’t been pretty. That said, the cherry blossom tree in our front yard needed some major cleanup. There were many branches that were dead and the tree looked like it was getting choked to death. So, up the tree I went (btw, the picture on the right was taken by my five-year old son, Adam…not bad, huh?). About five minutes after this picture was taken, I was doing my thing about 15 feet above the ground. Just then a 60-mile-an-hour wind gust came along (really, no kidding). I wouldn’t say that my life flashed before my eyes, but it did scare the crap out of me (While I was screaming for help, my wife was on the ground laughing uncontrollably).Continue reading