Trying to navigate your way across the content marketing landscape?
It's crowded and intensely competitive - without some guidance, it can be a wildly frustrating ride.
The articles, infographics, and various types of tutorials I've organized for you here provide a content marketing roadmap to help steer your course.
Planning and Strategy
Brand new to content marketing? Watch this free webinar:
- Magnetic Content: Strategies to Transform Your Website Into a Customer Attraction Force Field[Video]
Successful content marketers begin with a documented content marketing plan. Get your plan together.
Here's a free and easy tool to build your content marketing plan fast and effectively.
Want to create magnetic content? Learn how to proactively answers your prospects' questions.
Commitment
Content marketing is not advertising. You're bound to accomplish nothing with short bursts and blitzes. So most content marketers strike out due to a lack of commitment to consistently publishing quality content. If you know for sure, you're in it for the long haul, skip this section. But if any doubts linger, the posts below may be eye-opening (and spare you from burning a ton of time and money).
Content Types
Want to know what types of content you should create? Here's advice, how-to's, and ideas for blogs, guest blogging, eBooks, video marketing, infographics, email and more.
- Types of Branded Content-A Guide to 11 Popular Formats
[Features an infographic cheat sheet] - 21 Benefits of Blogging and 22 Blogging Tips
- The Benefits of Guest Blogging
[A how-to guide] - The eBook is the Stud in Your Content Marketing Stable
- 21 Video Marketing Ideas for Small Business Budgets
[Features an infographic] - The Great Big List of Infographic Ideas
[Features an infographic] - Email Marketing: Why You Need It and How to Nail It
[Features a free eBook]
Writing
Your writing skills (or lack of) can make or break your content marketing. Following are three of the posts I've written in an effort to share lessons from my 25+ years of copywriting.
- 9 Unforgettable Tips for Writing Headlines that Work
[Features a video and infographic] - Want to Know How to Make Your Written Content Great?
- 125 Quick Tips to Sharpen Your Copywriting Skills
Visual Marketing
Every marketer needs to master visual marketing. Here's how it's done.
Skills
Content marketing is education. Pick up teaching tips from the best.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
If you create content without optimizing it for search, success will come much slower. If you optimize for search, without creating content, success won't come at all. SEO - or the process of optimizing your content for search - is a skill you must learn. I've done a lot of research and writing to simplify it for you.
- SEO Simplified for Short Attention Spans
[Plus: A link to my Kindle book of the same name] - How to Find Keywords People Use (But Your Competitors Don't)
- How to Get Your Blog Post on the First Page of Google
[Features a video interview with SEO expert Andy Crestodina of Orbit Meda] - SEO Blog Post Checklist: 21 Ways to Crank How You Rank
[Features an infographic]
Reach (Distribution and Promotion)
Want to reach more people with your content? Here's an in-depth guide to content promotion via owned, earned and paid channels.
- Content Reach: 25 Tactics for Effective Content Promotion
[Includes a free eBook, "Amplify Content, Turn Up Demand"]
The most popular post I've ever written features a long list of ideas to increase your reach by expanding your digital footprint with your content.
Growth
Want to learn how to scale your content marketing programs strategically and effectively?
- Content Marketing Roles: A Guide to Building Your Team
[Includes a free eBook, "Tool Your Content Marketing with the Right Talent"]
Content marketing doesn't depend on media buying to the degree traditional advertising programs do, but it's far from free. It's not easy to answer questions regarding the costs of content marketing, but the following post clarifies where to allocate your budget and offers tips for doing so wisely.
Growth-minded content marketers often think beyond the blog and create content hubs.
Continuous Improvement
Most agree analytics is confusing. I created a detailed post that simplified and clarifies the topic.
Where are you on your path to becoming an effective content marketer?
- Your Content Marketing Report Card
[Features a self-assessment exercise]