I had the opportunity to attend a fantastic Confab session yesterday featuring Brandon Copple, the managing editor for Groupon. For those of you not familiar with Groupon, it’s a deal-of-the-day website launched in November of 2008 that now serves over 175 markets in North America.  Most recently,...

Sometimes the ideas and words we tap to produce quality content flow mightier than the Mississippi River. Other times, the ideas and words dry up like a long summer’s drought. Fortunately, there are ways to rinse, sort and recycle content by poring over our content libraries for new angles, hooks or...

More than 1,100 North American marketers are spending 26 percent of their budget on content marketing projects, and 51 percent say they plan to increase their spend on content marketing over the next 12 months, according to Content Marketing Institute research. Great, right? Not so fast. IDC research...

At the heart of social media is the desire that every consumer has to talk about something interesting, compelling and relevant and to share that information with his or her friends. The question marketers must ask themselves is: “What makes my brand so interesting that people will want to talk about...

Using tools to make your life easier sounds great in theory, but with the myriad of options available, and the time it takes to learn each one, which are the ones you should consider? We asked our trusty CMI contributors to weigh in  on tools for social media monitoring, collaboration, productivity and...

I was asked this same question in three consecutive days this week. So, how many blog posts make the correct frequency for corporate bloggers? When I asked the question back to those people, I received the following answers: Two times per month Once per week At least once per month The correct answer...

Great business books change the world one discipline or market segment at a time. They make a measurable difference in how entrepreneurs and executives start, grow, and manage their businesses. My individual world-changer is Presenting to Win by Jerry Weisman who taught Silicon Valley entrepreneurs how...

If you’re going mobile with your content marketing, then consider location-based services (LBS). A location-based service is a network that provides content to your mobile phone or devices based on where you are. Your physical location is the trigger for content. If you’ve ever checked in using FourSquare,...

Whether you manage a brand, a business or yourself, your online reputation matters, particularly if you’re serious about creating a meaningful content strategy for engaging with potential customers. Despite the horror stories (e.g., United Breaks Guitars or Boeing’s Social Media Lesson), the benefits...

Editor’s note: Because the content marketing industry continues to evolve, we thought it would be a good time to revisit this essential position in an updated post. In my research, there was no current template available for a Chief Content Officer job description.  Now there is! Thanks to our...

Digging in to reveal the vital nuggets of information that tell a brand or company’s story is an essential first step in the content development process. At SPROUT Content, one of the first things we send to clients is our content questionnaire. This simple yet informative Q&A doc is tailored for...

Scuba divers everywhere remember that first breath underwater. If you’ve never experienced it, the moment feels strangely magical. Your brain asks, “how is this possible?” despite the gear you’re wearing. Then, with the next breath, you’re ready to explore brand new territory. Similarly, marketing professionals...