Content Marketing Today

Content Marketing Pioneer, Tim Berry of Palo Alto Software Tells You How to Build Your Business Before He Charges You a Nickel

In 1994, I read the first edition of Tim Berry's wonderful book, Hurdle: The Book on Business Planning without realizing that it was a perfect example of content marketing. Of course, back then, nobody was calling what he did content marketing. Essentially, Tim's book gave away all of the information you needed to build your own successful business plan. This might seem odd since his real business then and now is selling software that automates the process of building business plans and marketing plans. Why would we want to buy his software after we've read his book? I believe there are two reasons: Read More

They provide too much of what readers can get anywhere and too little of what readers really want.

Local newspapers and business-to-business publications face similar challenges as drastic drops in ad revenue drive equally drastic drops in relevant and compelling content.  But for newspapers, ad revenue declines are exacerbated because the highly profitable classified advertising sections have almost disappeared as readers flock to the Internet.  Moreover, business-to-business magazines that are well positioned still offer uniquely valuable niche content that helps readers succeed. Their readers still count on them. That’s not so true for our local dailies.

I believe that the potential nail in the coffin for local newspapers is the ease with which readers can access national and international content thanks to the Internet.  Conversely, I believe that the potential salvation for local newspapers is to become resoundingly local.

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When You Deliver Great Content and Control a Critical Buyer Database You Drive Sales

Although they are in the advertising business, small publishing companies have never done much advertising for their magazines. The reasons were simple, but not necessarily obvious: They didn’t have to—and it wouldn’t work if they tried it.

By emulating the best practices of small publishing companies, you can minimize traditional marketing costs, too. Believe it or not, it all comes back to content marketing. 

Why publishers can market effectively without advertising

Here is how publishers increase the likelihood that influential buyers will purchase advertising from them.  It couldn’t be simpler. Simply create an outstanding magazine filled with world-class content that provides thought leadership for their publication within their carefully targeted market.  Not only will  their subscribers value what they do, but their potential advertisers will value them just as much. 

Unfortunately, current business realities are bringing even the best publishers to grief.  But, that means you are even better positioned to benefit from effective content marketing.  

Here’s what to emulate:

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Dan Roam in “The Back of the Napkin’ makes a convincing case for a simpler and better approach to communicating based on visual thinking.

There's a reason that school rooms and conference rooms have whiteboards.  We all tend to learn better when we combine what we hear with what we see.  That's why presentations can be more powerful when they integrate appropriate visual imagery. 

That was probably what the creators of PowerPoint had in mind rather than the bevy of bullet point, text-heavy monster presentations it has unleashed upon the world.

There is a better way and it’s all about visual thinking. Dan Rowe makes a powerful case for building on basic visual imagery as the best way to share information, solve problems, and sell ideas.

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It's all about asking the right kinds of questions of your ideal target buyers

Most of us don't trust our doctors because they have a lot of diplomas on the wall.  Of course, we sure hope they graduated from medical school, did an internship, and completed a residency.  All  that is necessary not sufficient.

We really trust them because they care enough to ask us just the right kinds of diagnostic questions that will help them uncover what ails us.

We also know that the best questions to really tough medical problems are most likely to come from those doctors who specialize in the specific area of medicine that relates to our current malady.

Our job as marketers is very much the same.

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Their first effort tried to play the cute, sympathy card with an actual card. Now they imply its my fault that I bailed on them and trash the company they wrongly assume got my business. 

I wrote recently that Embarq could have saved a lot of marketing moola by providing great customer service in the first place: The Huge Marketing Reality That EMBARQ Forgot. I, along with a likely heard of horses had already left the Embarq barn so it was too late to whistle us back.  But, did they give up? No, now they are starting to sound irritatingly desperate.

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Marketing experts shared invaluable insights about how to market in turbulent times through the effective use of content online, in print, and in person.

Custom publishing has gone from being an ancillary, add on component of marketing strategies to becoming a vital ingredient.  Why?  Because content marketing is so important to an increasing number of marketers and companies of all sizes.  Therefore, creating custom content is no longer a nice to-do, if you have the money.  Rather, it has become an absolute must-do as part of an integrated content marketing strategy.

The strategic importance of content marketing, and of its first cousin, social media, was front and center at this year's Custom Content Conference. 

Here are 8 great takeaways that I brought home with me from the conference:

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Great New Book from David Meerman Scott Delivers All the Tools You’ll Need

David is a content marketing pioneer who realized early on how important it was to create relevant and compelling content for your customers.  And, in his earlier book, The New Rules of Marketing and PR, he explained clearly why both marketing and public relations professionals needed to change the way they operate based on new Internet realities.

His newest book, World Wide Rave, as the subtitle explains, is all about, "creating triggers that get millions of people to spread your ideas and share your stories." Although you may have a stack of books waiting for you to pick them up, I recommend that you get this one and start reading it immediately.

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Educate, Entertain, and Inspire to Strengthen Relationships

In the San Francisco Bay Area, Comcast exists in a competitive and changeable world. They have lots of new, but complex product offerings. They also want to deepen their relationship with customers. Comcast decided to partner with DCP, a local custom publisher to create a quarterly magazine that would improve customer retention. Early results suggest their efforts have been very well-received. Read More

What you do when your buyers just don't want to be sold? That's the dilemma that Southwest Florida community developer, Bonita Bay Group faced recently. Their target demographic wants to make up their own mind about where they live and what they buy. The developer's solution was to develop print and online content so compelling that future residents would sell themselves. Read More