We are passionate about creating content. Much of the content we create for ourselves and our clients takes shape as blog posts: reviews, opinions, lists, how-tos, industry-related news, and general information. But content is not (and shouldn’t) be limited to the written word. There are several other ways to create content that may work well within your particular subject or industry. »

Positive customer reviews, testimonials, and referrals are tremendously valuable for any business. While reviews on sites such as Yelp are being seen more and more as unreliable, product reviews on retail sites are taken by many consumers to be almost as reliable as a personal recommendation from someone they know. »

Marketing has always been about making things interesting - to pique the curiosity; to foster desire; or to cajole coveting. But sadly, at some point marketing was corrupted by hucksters selling underwhelming crap to under informed consumers. But then things changed and consumers became connected and crap was instantly outed as crap - leaving the hucksters pining for the good ol’ days. »

In one minute, more than 4 million Google searches are performed. In that same minute, approximately 600 websites are created, 205 million email messages are sent, over 70 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube, 270,000 tweets are sent, and about 2.5 million pieces of content are shared on Facebook. That’s a LOT of content. »

Time and time again I find myself silently thanking Mr. Costner and the movie Field of Dreams. The whole “build it and they will come” is the misguided idea lots of folks cling to when marketing on the internet. But online, if you build it, nobody cares. »

I’m a cord cutter. I run ad blockers in my browsers. The news I do read is usually on my iPhone or iPad - in reader mode or via reddit where ads are stripped away. As an advertising professional I should feel ashamed - but I don’t.  »

Think about how much marketing effort goes into getting a new customer (time, money, materials, etc.). Now, think about the fact that a poor customer service experience can turn that customer into an ex-customer in a heartbeat. Successful companies see customer service as a critical component of their marketing strategy – and vice versa. »

Considering that advertising – whether via magazine, billboard or any other means – is part of the way in which I pay my bills, I should probably answer this in some other way... but I believe we truly are in advertising overload. It is literally everywhere.  »

How did your business come to be? What makes you (and those who work with you) passionate about what you do? How are you changing the landscape of your particular industry? Does your company support a particular charity? How has your product or service made someone’s life better? Has your product/service actually SAVED someone’s life? »

If you’ve read anything about marketing trends for 2014, you’ve probably read that social media – which has been a valuable marketing tool for the past several years – will likely lose its status as the leading avenue for content marketing. What this means is that business-owners need to find new ways of successfully engaging their customers. Enter Branded Content.  »