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I've always thought dragons were pretty awesome. Can you imagine having a dragon as a pet? For property owners, it'd be the ultimate watch dog and protector. And what about its magical powers? So cool.
Apparently, dragons also make a pretty darn good analogy for content marketing. Our top inbound marketing article this week explains how to properly care for and manage your very own fire-breathing, magical content marketing dragon...
Author: Galen DeYoung of Search Engine Land
Galen's article speaks to the point that content marketing is a very powerful tool -- so powerful, in fact, that it can be compared to having the magical properties that a dragon does. His article describes how to tame your content marketing dragon to protect your brand and nurture and utilize its magical poperties, also known as lead generation, lead nurturing and SEO. Galen offers 5 useful care-taking tips:
- Appoint a dragon keeper
- Create a team of caretakers
- Focus on the customer, not you
- Share
- Groom your dragon's [long] tail
Marketing Takeaway: A careful, dedicated commitment to content marketing has the power to protect your brand and benefit your online marketing efforts.
Author: Brian Solis of BrianSolis.com
Brian's article explores the theory that there is no such thing as viral marketing. He supports his theory with the following important statement: "Content, no matter how brilliant, creative, abstract, or controversial, is not inherently viral." We think he hit the nail on the head with this one. People, not content, are what makes something viral. His article dives into some of the reasons why certain ideas get shared.
Marketing Takeaway: Stop trying to create "viral" content and instead focus on creating remarkable content.
Author: Orli Yakuel of TechCrunch
It's not easy to create a Facebook page. Wait -- CORRECTION -- it's not easy to create an engaging and successful Facebook page. Setting one up is simple, but that's only a tiny piece of the puzzle.
Orli's article offers some helpful tips and tricks on how to create an outstanding Facebook Fan Page that will help propel your business's Facebook presence. Her advice covers formatting profile pictures, diversifying tabs, spotlighting people on your team and participating in your stream.
Marketing Takeaway: It's not enough just to set up your page on Facebook. Because Facebook page success comes only to those who create an engaging presence, it's important to take the time to create yours.
Author: Sean D'Souza of Copyblogger
Sean's article talks about the problem of testimonials, likening them to resumes, which only show a job candidate's best qualities and accomplishments. So what's the problem, you ask? Usually, testimonials are so positive that they're not believable.
Therefore, Sean introduces the idea of the "reverse testimonial" -- a testimonial with a complete picture that starts off by addressing the doubt in the purchaser at their time of purchase. It makes sense: when a testimonial includes a bit of skepticism at its beginning, it makes the following bit of praise more believable. In order to obtain these types of testimonials, Sean suggests asking a set of 6 core questions (which he plans to reveal in part 2 of his article)...
Marketing Takeaway: Generate believable testimonials by encouraging customers to reveal the complete picture.
Author: Karlie Justus of Social Media B2B
Aaah, the art of pitching. Screw it up, and you may end up on the infamous Bad Pitch Blog (something no one wants). Karlie doesn't want you to end up there either, which is why she offers 4 pieces of advice that will come in handy should you decide to pitch B2B bloggers.
While the usual pitching tips like doing your homework, establishing a relationship, and personalizing your message always apply, Karlie encourages you to consider the following when thinking specifically about approaching B2B bloggers: pitch your experience/ideas, not product; logistics and sales cycles; B2B bloggers aren't as plentiful as B2C bloggers; they're usually marketers, too.
Marketing Takeaway: As we said, pitching is an art. Do your homework and carefully craft your message before clicking 'send.'
Photo by Randee
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