Wondering if you could train your content team? The answer is yes. Here’s why. 5 Reasons to Train Your Content Team These are the top ways you’ll benefit when you train your team in content best practices, journalism techniques, brand style, and more: You stay up to date with best practices. You create more authoritative…
It’s almost 2021 (or maybe it already is 2021) and you need a content calendar fast. After all, a content calendar can get you more buy-in and support, save you time and money—and of course, it can help you develop better content for your brand. When I create content calendars for clients, I use this…
We recently surveyed 70 on-staff content managers to find out their biggest challenges. These were professionals at the management level or higher, at companies ranging from 2 to 270,000 employees. We did not provide a list of challenges to choose from; we left it completely open-ended to ensure we didn’t lead or constrain the respondents…
Our survey of 69 content and marketing execs shows that you are a busy bunch of bootstrappers. Too busy, in fact, to develop a content calendar for 2021. “Why use a content calendar? My boss just wants content,” you say. “They don’t care about some fancy-schmancy calendar.” Your boss may not want a content calendar…
If you’re looking to hire a content writer, you’re probably wondering how much it will cost and whether it will be worth it to hire a freelancer rather than doing the work yourself. Content writers may say they can’t tell you what they charge without knowing the details of your project, because they need to…
B2B decision makers are bored. Don’t get mad at us—that statement comes from a survey of B2B buyers, where 82% said they wish B2B content had the creativity associated with B2C. And during challenging times, this craving for a can’t-put-it-down read ramps up even higher. Hero’s Journey Content’s founder, Linda Formichelli, started out writing for…
Is your idea of repurposing content is to turn a blog post into a social post and call it a day? If so, you’re missing out on opportunities to get more value out of your content while reaching new audiences. Here’s how to take just one piece of long-form content—like a webinar, article, case study,…
Late work? Hours of rewrites? Writers who just don’t deliver? We understand your challenges. Here’s how to hire content pros who will blast you toward your content goals—instead of holding you back. Our 6 expert-approved tips are below, and we’ve also compiled them into an infographic you can download and share. There’s no form to complete—just…
You know that trashing your content plan is a bad idea—but your boss or your clients may not. If you’re looking for ways to justify your content budget and programs during the coronavirus crisis, here are eight ideas you can share. These are direct downloads; there’s no form to fill out.
I usually sign off my marketing emails with “Cheers,” but that suddenly seems mildly inappropriate given the coronavirus situation. So how do you sign off your marketing emails in a way that fits your brand—but still shows that you’re aware of what’s going on out there for your customers? Here’s a chart with 30+ options…
I’ve now received emails from every brand I’ve interacted with over the past 20 years, telling me how very much they care about me in these “unprecedented” times. If they’re smart, your prospects are going to start filtering on that word soon. So here are some creative alternatives in a downloadable scatter chart…we selected words…
You know that repurposing your content lets you squeeze more value out of your existing content assets—and that even in the best of times, recycling content is a budget-friendly way to reach more prospects. But what few marketing pros know is that there are more ways to repurpose content beyond chunking down a long piece…
You’re a plumbing, pest control or other field service company. Or maybe you’re a business that provides software and supplies to companies like these. You’ve heard that providing helpful content is one of the best ways to attract prospects, nurture customers, and build loyalty. And it’s true: Content marketing gets three times more leads per…
When we think of written content, we think about what is there: the copy itself. But what’s not there in your content—in other words, the white space that breaks it up—also has a huge impact on meaning, readability, SEO, and results. Here are a journalist’s best practices for creating just the right breaks in your…
Got a case study on your to-do list? To create a case study that converts, it’s crucial that you ask your customer the right questions—otherwise you’ll end up with 1,000 words of sales talk and unconvincing fluff. (“Company X is great! Rah rah rah!”) We recently created a compelling case study that earned our client a…