I had the pleasure of presenting to over 100 HVAC contractors today at HVAC Comfortech 2011 on how they can position themselves as THE home comfort services expert in their region. The central theme of the presentation was blogging. First off, blogging is just a tool...nothing more, nothing less.  But...

We’ve all heard of the 80/20 rule. You know, the one that states 20 percent of causes are responsible for 80 percent of results. For example, 80 percent of support calls are placed by 20 percent of users; 80 percent of speeding tickets are “explained” by the same 20 percent of excuses; or its original...

With the dizzying array of digital platforms — and the increasingly interconnected and social nature of those platforms — you have to have a strategic plan for managing your content efforts that goes beyond the “content is king” rallying cry. Publishing giants and local email newsletters, ...

In today’s hyper-competitive world, typical white papers and webinars are no longer enough to attract qualified leads. We’re all overwhelmed with data and facts. Adding more to the pile simply doesn’t work. So what makes some content offers stand out above the rest? It all comes down to perceived value...

If you did not hear the news, a few weeks ago Google purchased Zagat, one of the largest and most respected media companies devoted to restaurant reviews (see the company announcement here).  Most reviews of the buyout, like this one from the NY Times, were focused on how Zagat’s user-generated...

“The best part? It’s beatable.” – Kevin Spacey’s character, describing blackjack in the film, 21 A while back, those skilled in the art of counting cards were able to walk into a casino, mosey up to a table, and take the house for all it was worth. Eventually, as we know, the house caught on, and state-of-the-art...

The media publishing industry is undergoing tremendous transformation in its transition to digital. One of the more powerful forces in this change are economics, and the oft-repeated phrase is that media is trading “print dollars for digital dimes.” In other words, as media moves more online, publishers...

Coming off the very successful Content Marketing World, I thought about all the relationship building it took that helped make CMW the largest event in the industry.  Frankly, it was a combination of a number of things that made it happen (I’ll share the story on that in an upcoming post). BUT,...

At Right Source Marketing, we get a lot of questions about where to allocate content marketing resources.  On blog posts? Webinars? eBooks? The possibilities can be overwhelming. Yet knowing how to allocate resources is essential to successful content marketing. Even though the USDA’s food pyramid...

One of our goals for my opening keynote at Content Marketing World was to make sure the marketing professionals in the audience understood that content marketing is NOT new.  This two minute video tells the tale (this video opened the conference): Most people think that content marketing is a new thing,...

As a content marketer, you put a lot of effort into getting your target audience to visit your website and opt in for your white papers, videos and reports. However, if your landing pages don’t entice people to request your content, a lot of your hard work will be lost. That’s why I wanted to provide...

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the need to add flavor and personality to your content marketing pieces by establishing your content style. An engaging content style is key to ensuring your messages are resonating with your target audience, but style can vary greatly, depending on what voice you need...