This Month in #ContentMarketing: July 2016

This is a monthly column about changes in the content marketing field. 

Another month has passed us by! It is really hard to believe the summer is almost over. Pretty soon kids will head back to school, vacations will wrap up, and everyone will be ready to focus on work again. Which means, you have the whole month of August to buckle down and make huge shifts in your content – while everyone else is on auto-pilot.

Here are my top articles of the month designed to help you do just that.

How to Create Quality Interactions and Gain Loyal Customers by Natalie Monetta

Are you so over being told “Just create quality content, and you won’t have to do much else?” (Which is the digital marketing version of Field of Dreams.)

This article on Convince and Convert digs deep into how you create true value, which is the only way to build loyal customers who want to buy from you and who will tell their friends to buy from you as well.

By paying attention to the login process, personalizing your retargeting, and paying attention to who you audiences is and what they want, you can tailor your content marketing strategy to build quality engagement, not just high page views.

Explore the Content Editor Cosmos to Produce Out-of-This-World Writing by Stefanie Flaxman

This infographic, published on Copyblogger, gives writers and editors a check list for creating really good content. Some of the steps are pretty basic – like creating a solid headline. But others – such as formatting – are pretty common missteps.

If you are looking to up your content game, you should consider adding these items to your checklist for each piece.

What I Did on My Vacation – 99 Free Summer Blog Titles by Heidi Cohen

This article, published on Heidi’s blog, is the perfect writer’s block buster. She provides, as the title states, 99 blog titles on a variety of topics. Not all will be the perfect fit for every industry (a number are more family and parenting related), but there is enough variety that you will likely find a few that get those creative juices flowing.

These ideas are the perfect way to get started writing and fill out your content calendar for the next few weeks.

5 Easy Steps For Creating A Traffic-Driving Expert Roundup by Ann Smarty

Creating really good content that people will share and engage with is no easy task. Doing it on the regular is even more difficult. This article on Jeff Bullas’ site shares tips for creating a killer expert roundup – which is a really easy way to help fill out your content calendar with really good content. When done right, roundups are valuable, not fluffy.

4 Scrappy Content Hacks for Your Marketing Toolbox by Nick Westergaard

Creating really good content is only half of the battle. You also have to make sure people actually see it. This article on the Marketo blog shares four smart, and also budget friendly, ways to make sure you are getting the most mileage out of the content you produce.

Some of them you’ve likely heard – such as repurposing your content – but Nick breaks it down and gives actionable tips so you can actually put his ideas to work.

Read any other awesome content marketing related studies or articles this month? Share your favorites in the comments section. 

 

Image Sources: 

Featured Image: Created by Paulo Bobita

In Post Image: Deposit Photos | andresr