Content Marketing 101: What’s in it for Me?

Content Marketing 101: What’s in it for Me?

by Colleen Preisner Comment Closed
It has probably happened to you. You meet a guy at a conference or party who starts talking about himself, and within 15 seconds, you’re looking for an escape. Guess what! The same thing happens when we send an email about our brilliant products or services. However, we don’t even get 15 seconds–we get approximately 4–and the escape route is ‘delete’, ‘unsubscribe’, or ‘mark as spam.’ The solution? Don’t be that guy. Why did they sign up? Digital marketing should be a conversation, but if you’re talking about yourself, it’s a lecture. Frame your conversation by asking yourself why your subscribers signed up. Did they subscribe so you can tell them you’re “a leading service provider” or so they’ll know when you form a new partnership? Not likely. Most subscribers are with you because they thought there was something in it for them. Make sure there is. Every email or blog post, and ideally every paragraph and sentence, should include a clear benefit to...
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Content Is King. Now What?

Content Is King. Now What?

by Andrew KordekNo Comments
If you’ve read anything about social media, permission-based marketing and/or Web 2.0, you’ve doubtless heard the maxim “Content is king.” And, if you work in any field other than marketing or publishing, your reaction to that adage is probably some variation of, “Great. What does that have to do with me and my business?” Content is king because, by providing customers (current or potential) with relevant and useful information, you establish a relationship that positions yourself as “someone who knows what he/she’s talking about” rather than merely “someone who’s trying to sell something.” From whom would you rather buy? Ever patronized a local hardware store because you know you can get expert advice about whatever project you’re working on rather than because they have the best prices? That, in essence, is the underpinning of content marketing. (And it’s also the key to competing on value rather than price, but that’s a topic for another post.) Content marketing not only helps distinguish you and your business...
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A Perfect Opportunity For Humanized (err…doganized) Content

A Perfect Opportunity For Humanized (err…doganized) Content

by Andrew KordekNo Comments
Doggyloot is a daily deals site for pups and their people. I first learned about them awhile ago and decided to subscribe to their email program just to see what sorts of emails I would get.  Being a dog owner, I am very attached to my pooch and want him to feel loved and cared for.  The people over at Doggyloot seem to really care about animals and want to provide the best products for the pets and their owners.  They have a fairly large Facebook presence with lots of great humanized content and stories, but their email program lacks that element that I believe can really help drive sales. Looking at the promotional emails that have been sent to me, it appears that they have fallen into the daily deals rock'em/sock'em rut with promotion after promotion.  Now..don't get me wrong, everyone likes a good deal, but to me the joy of owning a pet is also emotional.  Subscribers want to...
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