Building Community

The Truth About Branding (And Nothing But The Truth)

May 4, 2011 Content Strategy

AMC’s hit television drama Mad Men is famous for its depiction of the hard-drinking, hard-working Madison Avenue ad man—the Don Drapers and Roger Sterlings of the world who churned out corporate slogans over pre-noon cocktails and pulls on their Lucky Strikes. The daughter of an ad man who grew up in the late sixties and […]

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The Lifespan of Social Media Content (Or, the Fish, the Stream, and the Shore)

April 29, 2011 Content Strategy

There are a lot of analogies being passed around when it comes to where to publish social media content: “Fish where the fish are.” (You should focus efforts predominately on Facebook and Twitter.) “Don’t get lost in the stream.” (You should build your own presence, so you avoid getting lost on Facebook and Twitter.) “Rent, […]

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Social Media Friends … with Benefits

April 26, 2011 Measurement and Analysis

Marketers are courting people on social media and the relationship has evolved past the early days when it was all about making friends. Much to the delight of CFOs everywhere, social media has entered the era of “friends with benefits.” Tangible ones, even. According to survey results released by Social Media Examiner, marketers have reported […]

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3 Simple Social Media Lessons from the Bronx Zoo Cobra

April 15, 2011 Content Distribution

There’s a reason the phrase “corporate stiff” exists. On our way to the social media party, we in the corporate world have to make pit stops at the legal department, the best practices office, HR, and get frisked by the brand police. After that, it’s no wonder we’re a little tense, a little stiff. And […]

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3 Tips for Better Engagement on Facebook

April 14, 2011 Content Distribution

It’s hard enough getting someone to flirt with you on Facebook. But getting engaged? Almost out of the question, especially if you step out of this corny metaphor and into the real-world challenge faced by most organizations: getting more engagement out of people on Facebook. Thankfully, the people over at BuddyMedia did some statistical analysis […]

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6 Content Marketing Lessons from Warren Buffett

April 12, 2011 Content Strategy

Warren Buffett would have made an excellent blogger. Unfortunately, he’s too busy finding places to stack his piles of money to give it a shot but he really could have been something special. He’s been through highs and lows in the stock market, and has always managed to come out on top. Along the way […]

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5 Things Brands Want from Facebook Fans Besides Money

April 7, 2011 Measurement and Analysis

ROI doesn’t always come in the form of cold, hard cash. Though your CFO might get nauseous at the notion of outcomes she can’t put in the bank, there’s a ton of value to be derived from Facebook fans that doesn’t make the cash register ca-ching. At least not directly.

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10 Rules for Real Life Social Networking

April 7, 2011 Content Distribution

You probably already have Tammy Portnoy’s business card. In fact, she was likely at the event you went to last month. She was the one in the cowboy hat with the crowd of people around her. She’s been called a networking demon, and it’s true. As a PR specialist at Buffalo Communications, a golf-lifestyle PR […]

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The Future of Marketing: Cling to Your Core and Your Customers

March 24, 2011 Content Strategy

Robin Fisher Roffer is a marketing force to be reckoned with. She’s crafted campaigns for brands people use and rely on every day. CNN using their Gulf War moment to launch into the permanent limelight? Her lightbulb. The evolution of the FX brand? Yep, hers, too. Bloomberg Television’s web expansion? Uh huh. And, oh yeah, […]

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

March 15, 2011 Content Management

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?

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

March 14, 2011 Content Distribution

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 […]

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That’s Just, Like, Your Opinion, Man

March 11, 2011 Content Management

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.

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How to Keep Your Email Subscribers From Dumping You

March 3, 2011 Content Distribution

You’re not as hot as you think you are. Well, your email marketing isn’t, anyway. There’s too much competition in the marketplace for you to stand out. Nearly a quarter of a trillion emails are sent per day. Your readers don’t want to even “just be friends.” They’re done with you. They’re kicking you to […]

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

March 2, 2011 Content Distribution

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 […]

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How Powerful Brands Make Big Deals Out of the Little Things

February 24, 2011 Content Distribution

What was one of the biggest news stories across the globe just a few days ago? A 16 year old boy getting a haircut. Why is this news? Well, because it wasn’t just any teenage boy, it was Grammy-snubbed, chart-topping, Canadian-born teen pop star Justin Bieber. You know, the one that sang for the President […]

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Content Curation: If You Can’t Be the Source, Be the Resource

February 23, 2011 Content Management

People used to come into my sandwich shop craving pizza. I could see it in their eyes. They wanted melted mozzarella on a bed of tomato sauce with black olives, pepperoni and maybe just a touch of roasted red pepper. They wouldn’t be satisfied with a sandwich – not this time anyway. Their craving knew […]

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Secrets to Building a Good Website

February 22, 2011 Content Strategy

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 […]

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Social Media Disaster Recovery: It’s All About the Response

February 18, 2011 Content Management

“With great power comes great responsibility.” The owner of the sandwich shop I managed in college said this to me prior to my first time flying solo as the shift supervisor for his store. He was only kidding, or so I told myself, so I rolled my eyes and shrugged it off. Really, it wasn’t […]

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Social Media IRL

February 4, 2011 Content Distribution

There’s often a gap between the idea of social media (what can happen in your head) and the practice of social media (what happens in real life). Maybe your “social media engagement strategy” seemed more solid in the PowerPoint presentation. The “monitoring station” seemed to work better during discussion meetings. And the enthusiasm has vanished […]

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I Love You For You: Why Ignoring Technology is the Most Innovative Move You Can Make

January 24, 2011 Innovation Plus Opinion

There’s a diner down the street that my girlfriend and I love to go to for breakfast on weekend mornings. It’s cozy, friendly, and it’s the perfect backdrop for conversation. It has built its business around serving regulars – like us – who count on it for a moment of serenity during typically hectic Washington […]

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Want a Viral Video? Just Add Humanity

January 11, 2011 Buzz

Despite the Internet’s reputation for being mean-spirited, cruel and heartless, it turns out that most people who surf the web love a fairytale happy ending. How else can you explain the “viral video” phenomenon that was formerly-homeless Ted Williams’ rise to superstardom?

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Aimless Content

January 4, 2011 Content Creation

We talk to ourselves a lot in marketing. We do this any time our content doesn’t have a direct target, or, when it’s aimless. And aimlessly addressed content, whether it’s an email, a billboard, a Tweet or a shout is the content that is most likely to be ignored and easiest to forget. When we […]

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