Content Marketing Vs. PPC: What Delivers Better ROI?
There are so many directions in which you can take your marketing strategy these days, it can make you dizzy. SEO, PPC, email, social… the list goes on! Of course, most brands will choose a combination of several of these methods. But what if you only have a limited to spend like most startups? I’m going to show you how I know that content marketing is better than PPC at…
Your 20-Step Checklist to Write the Perfect Blog Post
The perfect blog post does exist. One that draws in new audiences, keeps readers engaged, builds your brand reputation, improves your SEO rankings, and converts customers. There are more than 70 million blogs published every single month and most get very little traffic and no social engagement. But your blog posts can accomplish exactly what they’re intended to do — whether that’s build readership, grow your subscriber base, improve your…
Which Marketing Communications Should You Personalize?
With the emergence of content "spam" generated by AI tools like ChatGPT and others, personalizing your marketing communications has become more important than ever. Why? Google has updated their algorithms to look for more helpful content. Readers as also looking for more human-generated content that is more, well, human. Instead of "E-A-T" content that shows expertise, authority and trustworthiness, we are also looking for writing that conveys "experience" that no…
How to Review the Capabilities of Your Marketing Agency
There’s no question that your marketing agency’s capabilities will have a major impact on the success of your marketing strategy. Investing time and money into a new partnership is a big step, so it's important to evaluate your partners carefully to ensure they’re the right fit for your business. Properly reviewing your marketing agency’s capabilities is no easy task. That’s why we’ve come up with a list of important qualities…
Essential Tips and Tools for Researching Your Next Content Campaign
Coming up with a steady stream of ideas is par for the course for content and demand gen marketers. Not every idea is necessarily perfectly aligned, or can be followed up on. However, what makes a strong piece of content stand out from the others is almost always the research behind it. Smart marketers always do research and there are many different methods and starting points to conduct the research. To…
Top Content Marketing Agencies 2023
49% of marketers don’t know for sure whether their content is making money for them. John Wanamaker said that about advertising. Over 100 years ago. You shouldn’t have to deal with this dilemma with a measurable digital channel. Especially since content is a vital business asset in today’s "phygital" (physical + digital) marketing mix. Measuring the ROI of content marketing is definitely possible, if not simple. While there’s no doubt that…
Get Your Content Engine Running Before Hiring A Fractional CMO
Have you considered hiring a fractional CMO because your small business can’t afford a full-time marketing executive? Fractional CMOs have become increasingly popular in recent years, and can provide many of the same benefits as a full-time CMO without a long-term commitment. But before you pull the trigger, consider starting up your content engine. Hiring a content marketing agency will not only reserve some of your marketing budget, but also…
Thought Leadership in Action: Top Ten BI and Data Trends for 2023
As we enter a calendar new year, it’s always great to review key things we should be considering and getting ready for in the new year ahead. In my last company, the webinar we did on “top ten considerations for 2023” with a fantastic internal SME and Craig Focardi, Banking Analyst and Principal at Celent, was a total home run over the fence (a spectacular penalty kick to win the…
The 8 Most Important B2B Marketing Metrics for CEOs
What do CEOs want most from their B2B marketing team? Clarity. They want to see results that clearly show their company’s marketing efforts are working and increasing ROI. CEOs expect to hold their marketing leaders accountable for reaching or surpassing their numbers, just like their sales leaders. CEOs can get frustrated when the only metrics they receive from lead marketers include ambiguous brand data, activity reports, and engagement reports. They…
6 Principles of High-Converting Landing Pages
High-converting landing pages are one of the most important components of your brand’s web presence. They’re often the equivalent of your first impression with potential customers, and they’re your best opportunity to capture leads. Without them, most of the web traffic you earn ends up lost because visitors leave without taking any further action. Get this: brands that heavily utilize landing pages as part of their conversion strategy (have 30-40…