Best Practices

Just Another SEO Manifesto

If I had only one thing to say about search engine optimization, it’d be this: don’t chase the search engines, instead chase what the search engines are chasing. Search engines are in the business of getting people what they want. In an ideal world, people ask search engines an honest question and receive an honest […]

3 Unrealistic Promises Made About Social Media

It’s easy to get overly ambitious when making the case for social media. When the board room is finally ready to listen, we breathlessly explain the social media sea change and how our organization can ride the wave. And in our excitement, we sometimes make the case too well. We make it seem too easy. […]

An Unglamorous Website Maintenance Checklist

web maintenance checklist, maintenance workers pictured

Many of us were drawn to the world of digital media because of the promise of creativity. We liked the sound of coming up with catchy headlines that resulted in clicks. We liked the idea of thinking up ideas for infographics that would garner links. We were drawn in by the challenge to create content […]

The Anatomy of a Web Redesign Failure

web redesign failure, image of a construction site

All of the best practice documents in the world can’t prepare you for a thud that was supposed to be a splash when your big website redesign hits the market. Or should we say, misses the market. Designing a website is a difficult endeavor. Sure, everybody and their 11-year-old-nephew seems to be capable of launching their own […]

7 Things Good Marketers Have in Common

It takes more than a snarky attitude and knowledge of hashtags to be successful in social media. Being likable, retweetable, and ultimately generating leads and developing new partnerships is more art than it is science. But which personality traits separate the wheat from the chaff when it comes to social media marketers? The same traits […]

5 Reasons You Won’t Read This Blog Post

Whether I’m writing for print, online, or in cuneiform, my job as a content producer is to serve you, the reader. You are investing precious time with me, and I better not disappoint you. There are, after all, at least a few other sources you could visit instead. So why do I ignore this?

Free Your Content, and the Rest Will Follow

A social media presence is a good start, but a presence alone is a lot like having a storefront on a quiet street and waiting for people to come in your door. Sure, they may find out about you eventually – if you’ve invested in advertising, have great word of mouth, dominate search engine rankings, […]

Getting Tested: What to Test in Email Marketing

Every day, people from all over the world participate in risky behavior. We all know the dangers, we’re aware of what can happen, but we still don’t put an emphasis on getting tested before we engage in what is a daily activity for many. Of course, I’m talking about sending emails.

What to Do with Twitter When You Aren’t on Twitter

Let’s face it: Twitter is a bit addicting. Even as a former Twitter-hater, I’ve gotten somewhat swept up in the RTs, the #FF and that special feeling of being listed. Every article you see has the “How to Act on Twitter” and “What You’re REALLY saying in 140 characters.” But the truth is this, my […]

The Best Practice is Practice

We spend a lot of time reading how-to articles, case studies, and best practices. We want to make sure we’ve got the best advice and the surest path to success. We want to see how others have conquered problems in the hopes of replicating their success. And who can blame us? We don’t want to […]

Conquer the Writing Process (Or Let it Conquer You)

The interesting part about writing is that much of the “writing” process involves staring at a blank document on the computer screen. I rock back in my chair, I play with my hair, I stretch out my back. But all the while, the ideas are churning in my head (and that’s not just what I […]

4 Things My Mom Taught Me About Social Media

Mothers are the conduit of all wisdom. They know how to mend a scraped knee, a broken heart, and a fractured ego. And of course – and you knew this was coming – they incidentally have taught us a lot about social media. In honor of Mother’s Day here are 4 things my mom taught […]

Solve Problems for Your Customers with Content, Don’t Create New Ones

We in marketing love us some big ideas. Attention-getting, jaw-dropping, breathtaking ideas that captivate our audience and sway them into taking action. It’s how we get noticed. It’s how we win awards. It’s how we achieve ROI. Or so we think. On paper, the ideas we come up with are brilliant. The storyboard is compelling. […]

Why I’m Deleting Your Press Release

Get a group of people from Match.com together and ask them: Ever gone on a bad date? Now get a group of editors together and ask them: Ever cringed at a press release? Chances are, (un)scientifically speaking, every single person answered with a resounding “YES” followed by their painful stories. That’s because mismatches and awkward […]

What the Top 10 Blogs in Content Marketing Are Doing That You Probably Aren’t

what the best content marketing blogs do that you probably don't

If you want to have one of the most-read blogs in all of content marketing, the formula is actually pretty simple. All you have to do? Write 2.4 posts per day with an average word count of 1,278 every day for the next 6.7 years. Think you have the stamina?

How to Avoid Trolls, Landmines, and Time-Sucks in Social Media

The social media landscape can be a Labyrinth for even the most seasoned marketing professionals. Unexpected landmines, spiteful trolls, and productivity black holes are commonly spotted – that is if you’ve got the foresight to see them. And if you don’t? Well, you’re not totally out of luck as long as you have access to […]

That’s Just, Like, Your Opinion, Man

You have written the perfect blog entry on a topic that seems harmless enough: “Five fitness tips for fighting flab.” You publish, and then you wait for the healthy dialogue to begin.

Content Marketing: Forget About the Glamour, Focus on the Grindstone

A kindergartner came home excited after his first day of school. Talking a mile a minute, he began telling his mom about all the fun things he did: finger painting, arts and crafts, alphabet games. The list went on and on as he breathlessly detailed each moment, the story goes. Bright-eyed and encouraged, his mom […]

4 Secrets to Building a Good Website

Eureka moments can happen anywhere. Mark Zuckerberg first tinkered with the code that would spark the social media revolution in his Harvard dorm room. Harry Potter came to J.K. Rowling in a dream. Howard Schultz envisioned a coffee empire while standing in line at a café in Milan. In the case of Schultz, the Brooklyn-bred […]

7 Grammar Mistakes that Make Editors Hyperventilate

grammar mistakes for editor hyperventilation

It’s time to declare a war on bad grammar, misuse of words and cringeworthy punctuation and capitalization. In today’s fast-paced media environment, perfection seems to have been traded for speed, making room for these unwelcome villains on the pages of publications everywhere. But who is enemy #1? Do all editors loathe the same mistakes, or […]

Content Curation: Think Museum, Not Warehouse

Understatement of the week: There’s a lot of content on the web. Another understatement: Sifting through all of it is nearly impossible for the average human being. The deluge of online information (and misinformation, in some cases) has increased the demand for content curation, or rather, for someone else to sift through all that hay […]

5 Tips to Fight the Writing Procrastination Gremlins

writing procrastination gremlins thumbnail

For every 300-word blog entry or 2,000-word article they write, many writers spend a substantial part of that time doing everything they can to not write the story. Writing may be something you have wanted to do since you started a class magazine in the sixth grade, wrote editorials for your college paper, or had […]

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