MarCom Writer Blog: B2B Content Marketing Archives

April Fools on the Internet can be a little scary. Companies post articles or status updates — and you’re not sure, are they true or not? One post I read said that Facebook would begin showing who was viewing your profile.

Hey! It sounded legit to me, so I retweeted it. Opps. April Fool! D’oh!

This morning I got around to reading stuff in my inbox and came across the newsletter from Community Boating in Boston. The first article talked about how the organization needed volunteers to help paint the boat hulls pink. Well, they had already installed pink flotation devices on the masts, so why not pink hulls? I groaned a bit — did I really want to sail on pink boats? — and moved on to the next article.

To deter Canadian Geese, CBI would begin showing them photos of their arch nemesis, the Dodo Bird. And that’s when I looked at the newsletter date — ok, got it, April Fool!

But here’s the thing. I was totally digging the CBI newsletter — and the wonderful copy — because it was so different. No, let me rephrase that. I was totally digging the copy because it was delightful and fun. I made me laugh out loud.

For several years now Canada geese have found our two islands to be a relaxing home away from home, a pleasing respite from the stresses and strains of urban living. Unfortunately Canada geese also like to party. Under the cloak of darkness they wander over to our docks, and engage in bacchanalian reveries, leaving their calling cards everywhere for CBI to clean-up in the morning.

Love this.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful, I thought, if B2B companies could inject this kind of light-hearted levity into their marketing content on a regular basis?

I’m not saying you need to do this every day or that all of your content should be informal or filled with slapstick humor. But, you could, on a regular basis, have some fun, or at the very minimum, be a little less formal. Some examples:

ClearView Consulting — In addition to traditional head shots, ClearView Consulting Company posted a relaxed shot of its team (taken after they had all met for dinner). I like how the men aren’t wearing ties and that they’re all touching. Most important, they look natural and relaxed. Contrast this photo with a canned stock photo (boring!).

Ragan’s PR Daily — My new favorite Facebook page, PR Daily posts the standard content you’d find on a PR-related site (re: lots of copywriting tips) coupled with some really great images that make me laugh out loud. The site could stick with being formal and “corporate-y.” Instead, they show the lighter side of working in PR and marketing. Love it.

Infusionsoft — The company recently moved into new world headquarters and posted photos of its new building on its Facebook page. One of those photos was of one of the gleaming new bathrooms. When someone commented on it, an employee wrote something about the fact that everyone at Infusionsoft had to share two bathrooms in the old building (instant thought — ewwwwww) and how excited they were at having multiple bathrooms.

TMI? Maybe. But it also made you relate to the company a little more. (I used to work at a company where 20 people all had to share one bathroom — not pleasant!)

What I’m really saying is this: People do business with people they trust. Help people get to know you a little more by showing the human side of your company. Whether you’re a “mom and pop” or a mid-sized business, don’t be afraid to show your fun side — and not just on April Fools Day. (You can see more of my personal side at my Facebook page.)

What do you think? Do you agree or disagree?

In the last year, I’ve received close to a dozen calls from people and companies who want a Wikipedia page. (People find me through this post I wrote for the Content Marketing Institute: How to Develop a Wikipedia Page that Sails Through the Approval Process.)

Since writing the CMI post, I’ve had the opportunity to write a few more Wikipedia pages — and have learned a great deal about Wikipedia in the process. One of the biggest mistakes companies (and people) make with Wikipedia is seeing it as another marketing or social media channel.

Here’s the skinny: Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia.

If you’re of a certain age, you remember those big, heavy paper-based books. Sometimes you were lucky enough to have parents or grandparents who invested in a set of encyclopedias. Usually though, you found them in the library.

Whenever you had a report due in school, the first place you headed was toward the rack of encyclopedias. If you couldn’t find your topic there, it might not exist. And, because only a few companies published these things, your teacher always knew when you were writing straight from the encyclopedia — all she had to do was go read it. Busted!

Wikipedia is just like those encyclopedias of yore — except now the information is online and easily accessible. And, it’s continually updated.

Because it’s an encyclopedia, the Wikipedia community takes a dim view of content that’s promotional or self-serving. This means that just because you think you or your company deserves a page doesn’t mean the editors or community does.

Before creating a Wikipedia page (that subsequently gets denied), take some time to determine if you or your company merit one. First read Wikipedia’s Help:Contents. Then, ask yourself a few questions:

1. Am I or my company notable?
See Wikipedia’s guidelines concerning “notability.” Wikipedia: Notability (FYI, “notability” and “notoriety” are not the same, something I had to tell one international playboy.)

2. Have I or our company created a new technology?
If yes, do a search to see if a page exists on your topic. If one doesn’t, then you may want to create one. But beware: Your page has to be unbiased and factual and has to give readers a complete perspective — the way this page on C++ does. This means it can’t be all about you.

3. Can I add information to an existing page?
Bill Robertie, for example, is a notable backgammon expert. His books are used as citable references on Wikipedia’s “backgammon” page. And, because he’s a champion player and author, he’s notable enough to merit his own page (a page one of his fans created). It was easy enough for him to add a link to his commercial Website on his biographical page.

4. Can I fix an existing page?
This is a fairly easy way to get started with Wikipedia and learn how the site works. The page for “Marketing automation,” for example, needs citations. If you view the history, you can see whoever created this page has had multiple run ins with editors due to posting vendor links, promotional content and “original thought and analysis.” (If there’s anything the Wikipedia community abhors, it’s original analysis.)

If you were to make this page better, you could, for example, include sections about the history of marketing automation, how it works, how companies use it, the advantages and disadvantages, etc. and then create links to marketing automation companies that also have pages. The goal would be to give people a factual, unbiased overview of the topic.

In the last year, I’ve come to respect Wikipedia. Creating content for the site isn’t easy and requires a full set of skills including strategy, analysis and research. People all over the globe use it and as such, rely on the community of editors to create content that can be backed up by reputable sources such as books, newspapers, journals and bloggers.

Which means, Wikipedia isn’t another marketing channel and shouldn’t be viewed as such.

What’s your experience with Wikipedia? Leave your comments below.

I’m doing a complete revamp of my branding and Website. As part of this process, I had new photos taken — photos that express the creative, fun, and dare I say it, authentic “Dianna Huff,” meaning, I ditched the “safe” corporate look I’ve held on to for so long. (For a sneak peek, you can take a look at my in-progress Facebook page.)

But as wonderful as my new photos are, I found myself questioning whether I should go with such a “different” look. I looked at photos of other marketers I know and heard myself thinking, “Hmmm, maybe I should play it safe and dial back a little.”

My copywriting assistant, Holly Yoos, set me back on the right path. “Dianna,” she said, “Seth Godin has his distinctive bald head and Malcolm Gladwell has his crazy hair. Your new look is authentic. I say go with your gut.”

As soon as she said this, I knew she was right. Why? Because it’s the same advice I give to my clients when it comes to creating messaging for their Websites

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”
– Oscar Wilde

Before starting work on a client Website, I do competitive research. I assess competitor sites in terms of design, content and SEO – but more importantly, I look at messaging.

After 30 to 60 minutes, I usually come away with glazed eyes and a headache. No matter the industry, I often have to wade through incomprehensible jargon, grey mouse type I can barely read, and what I call “me too” messaging.

“Me too” messaging is copy that says exactly what everyone else is saying. In fact, if you put Company A’s site and Company B’s site side-by-side, you could plug Company A’s message into Company B’s site (or vice versa) and no one would know the difference – ha!

The problem with “me too” messaging is that it doesn’t differentiate your company from your competitors.

It also reduces potential leads.

Search overwhelm

When prospects do research online, viewing site after site, they get tired and confused. “Hmmm,” your prospect thinks, “Company A offers x, y, z, but so does Company B (and C and D and E). Which one is better? And what exactly is ‘x’ anyway? No one explains it. Maybe I’d better go look it up so I know what I’m getting.” And away clicks your prospect. Buh-bye!

So how do you fix this problem? With lots of unique, fresh and engaging content. (You knew I was going to say that, right?)

Here’s the deal: People will buy a product or service to solve a problem. But, they decide WHOM to buy from based on intangibles – intangibles that often never make it into Website messaging.

Case in point: I was visiting a new client (an IT services business) last summer when a call came in at their help desk. A malicious worm was eating through their client’s database (and everything else they had on the server) – and they couldn’t stop it. The owner and his assistant immediately contacted their two most experienced techs – even though one was on vacation – to fix the problem, fast.

Suffice to say, I was suitably impressed. I bet the prospect was, too.

These types of stories make YOUR company stand apart and you need to tell them on your Website.

To create your own unique content, sit down with your team for a few hours and do the following:

Research the Competition – Look at your competitors’ sites to see what they’re saying and how they say it. Do they offer the same products and services as you? Are they approachable (i.e. do they invite people to call or email them or do they hide behind forms)? What “buzz words” do they use? What makes them different from or the same as you?

Research your Industry – What are some of the issues and trends pertaining to your industry? What problems are your customers facing? How are you or others solving them? To find answers to these questions, look at industrial publications, application notes, white papers, case studies, etc.

Brainstorm and Analyze – Finally, let your team answer some of these questions. What makes your company unique? What are your strengths – and weaknesses? What are some of your success stories? What’s your company culture like? Does this come through in your messaging – or is your site bland and dull so that your company “fits” in with what everyone else is doing?

What all of this boils down to is going outside your comfort zone and making your company stand out with content that’s unique to YOU.

Although this can be a little discomforting (trust me, I know), the result is worth it. Because when prospects come to your site, they’ll say, “Yes! These are people I want to do business with.” Why? Because they feel like they already know you.

What’s your opinion? Leave your comments below.

Last week Google clamped down on companies that use questionable methods to manipulate search results. According to Search Engine Land, these methods include paid links (sites that pay for links from other sites), and content farms (sites that have “shallow or low quality content“) to use Google’s words.

For months now, SEOers and content marketers have been complaining about Google’s search results. Top results for searches often include crap content from sites like Ezine Articles (a site that got penalized by Google in its crackdown — and about time, too), scraper sites and spam blogs.

The problem with all this crap content is that it’s hard for legitimate sites that practice ethical SEO and provide high quality content to rank well for competitive search phrases. The crappy stuff clogs up the search results, making it difficult for people (searchers) to find relevant and insightful information.

So what exactly is “shallow and low quality content” as it applies to B2B? Basically, it’s content you create to help your site rank better versus helping prospects make purchasing decisions. Shallow and low quality content is based on:

Keywords — Content is created based on keyword searches; these keywords are then used in the Title / meta tags and through out the article or blog post.

Quantity — The more content that’s created around a specific grouping of keywords, the better.

Lack of depth — Shallow content is usually a blog post or article that doesn’t give much in the way of insightful analysis or is filled with information you probably already know. It’s usually written by non-experts who write dozens of articles at slave wages.

High quality, in-depth B2B content, on the other hand, takes time (and yes, money) to create. Generally it’s created by companies who genuinely want to help prospects and customers do their jobs better.

If you’re a company like Eloqua (@Eloqua), you’re creating “Grande Guides” that help prospects learn about content marketing, lead generation and the like.

If you’re Ardath Albee (@Ardath421), you’re creating original blog posts filled with insightful information on how to create content that moves prospects along a complex sales cycle (or, how to create better Tweets — love this post, Ardath!)

If you’re Dow Corning (@DowCorning), you’re creating videos that communicate your company’s values to potential employees as well as educate prospects and customers about new products and services.

If you’re Exact Target (@ExactTarget), it’s offering your followers and fans reports, posts and Webinars about social media — and how you can do it better. (Be sure to sign up for their Webinar, The Social Breakup.)

The point is, developing this high-value content takes time. You have to:

• Determine why you’re creating it in the first place (to help people decide to do business with you, to generate leads, to show your thought-leadership and expertise, to get people to work at your company).
• Map out a strategy for creating it and then publicizing it.
• Create the content (the hard part).
• Get it formatted, designed, etc.
• Publicize it.
• Publicize it some more.
• Rinse. Repeat.

This stuff is not easy — and yes, it is much easier to write 15 crap blog posts and pay someone $25 for doing so.

As Google continues its crackdown, creating consistently great, high value content will only become more important — and given that its vaunted search results have taken a real hit of late, we’ll continue to see more sites get downgraded due to poor content and questionable SEO tactics.

I like to tell my small B2B clients that while having top rankings is important, it’s not the end all be all. What really counts are results: are you getting the calls and emails (inquiries / leads) that become sales? To get these results, you need content — content that’s been written for people, not search engines.

What’s your opinion of Google’s crack down?

The more small B2B companies create video, the more questions I get about how to market this content. As with anything marketing related, it pays to develop a strategy before you create your videos so that you know what to do with them once they’re complete. To help searchers find this content, consider the following e-a-s-y tips.

1. Create a YouTube Channel

Instead of uploading your videos one by one to YouTube, create a Channel for them instead. This way, your videos are grouped together in one place — and you’re able to create a branded URL (i.e.: www.youtube.com/yourcompanyname). Creating a Channel is pretty easy — just follow these instructions.

While you’re in the YouTube account interface, spend a little time to ensure your Channel matches your corporate branding and messaging (one mistake I often see is that branding doesn’t match). And, be sure to add a link back to your site or blog at the beginning of the Channel description as Google displays only the first 150 characters in the search results and the first 50 characters on the Channel itself (users have to click a drop down button to see the full description).

By putting your full URL up front (one that includes the http://), people will see it right away and can easily click through if they want.

I also highly recommend that you do a little research using Google’s keyword search tool in order to incorporate the best keywords into each video’s title and description, and preferably in the first 60 and 150 characters respectively. This way, your content has a better chance of being found in the search engine results pages.

A few good examples of YouTube Channels include:

• NASAtelevision
• MacroAir Technologies
• Grasshopper

2. Add your video to blog posts or web pages

Once you’ve uploaded your videos to YouTube, it’s then really easy to add them to your blog or Web pages — simply cut and paste the YouTuber “embed” code found with each video.

Although videos are a great way to tell stories, be sure to explain what your video is about and why you’re including it in the post or on the Web page so that people have an idea of what the video is about. And, rather than bunching videos on one page, sprinkle them throughout your site to capture people’s interest as well as demonstrate products or services.

If you’re using social media, let your followers know your videos (and/or blog posts) are ready for viewing by posting links on the various platforms. Bonus tip: Add the YouTube icon to your Website and link it to your Channel URL so that people can follow you.

3. Add them to industry publication Websites

Some industry publications, such as New Equipment Digest, let advertisers upload videos and then include them in their RSS feeds. Do a search of the publications in which you advertise to see if you have this option.

You can also send your video out with a press release, link back to your video blog posts when leaving comments on other blogs, add video URLs to e-newsletters and other marketing collateral and encourage people who follow you to add your videos to their blog posts.

Do you have additional tips for marketing video content? Leave your comments below.

One thing that drives me insane is seeing pictures of buildings on company Websites (whether large or small companies).

As I’ve said on numerous occasions, people do business with people, not buildings, so why not add pictures of your team on your About Us page? Even better, why not include video, that way savvy companies are now doing?

I’ve also been promoting the idea of going for a walkabout through your company in order to glean ideas for Web content. I’ve always thought this a great idea, but how do you do implement it if you’re a company where people sit in cubicles and peck away on keyboards all day? What exactly do you tour?

How to combine the two?

I scratched my head about this for awhile and hit on the idea of asking companies if I could tour them in order to feature their people on my blog. I needed a test subject, so I called Jonathan Kay, Ambassador of Buzz for Grasshopper Group, and asked if he would be my guinea pig. He immediately said yes.

The result is my first video — Let’s Tour Grasshopper. In it you’ll find four brief interviews of the people inside the building where Grasshopper is located.

The video gives you only a brief sense of just how much Grasshopper interacts with customers as well as how busy they’ve been developing new products. Since filming the video, Grasshopper has come out with Spreadable, the product Jonathan talks about in the video. (Spreadable lets companies increase word of mouth referrals; Grasshopper Group has also developed Chargify — a simple recurring billing system).

This was a real learning experience

Let me just say that while it sounds easy to go out and buy a cool Flip video camera, interview some people, and then upload the video to YouTube, it’s actually not. I made all kinds of filming errors, such as talking over my subjects.

I also had to figure out how to cut down about 60 minutes of “tape” into the three and half minute video you see above. That took awhile and a lot of back and forth between me and my video editor.

Despite all the mistakes and the humble product, I’m very happy and can’t wait to do the next one.

Thank you, Jonathan, and everyone at Grasshopper Group. You were welcoming and hospitable and open with your information. I wish I could have shown the interviews in their entirety. I’m really impressed at what you’ve accomplished and where you’re going as a company — and I’m honored to showcase you on my blog.

In his book, Ogilvy on Advertising, David Ogilvy stated, “There are no boring products, only boring writers.” This advice has served me well over the years as it has forced me to view myself as a reporter who needs to find the story with regard to a company’s products, services or applications.

Like a reporter, I’m always looking for the “hook” that I can turn into content that will interest potential prospects.

When I do find it, it feels like magic as everything suddenly “clicks” into place. If it’s a really good story, I get goosebumps. I love that feeling.

Finding the hook isn’t always easy, especially when information is in people’s heads. The way to extract it is by asking lots of questions — smart ones and “dumb” ones.

To help you find stories in your company or your clients’ organizations, consider the following open-ended questions that are guaranteed to get people talking.

1. What makes your company different?

Most people can answer this one pretty easily and will rattle off reasons why their company is different from their competitors. Listen carefully and be sure to ask follow up questions such as, “What kind of feedback do you get from customers about your products / services?” or “How do your customers find out about you?”

If you work for a company, ask sales people these questions as they’ll be able to give you the “outside” perspective based on what they see and hear from clients and prospects.

2. How has your industry changed in the last 3 – 5 years?

No matter the industry, technology has changed it. Your job is to find out how. The key to making this question work is to play dumb. Even if you know all about the industry (i.e. you’ve worked in it for years), ask lots of basic questions anyway because it’s amazing how much information you’ll learn about your company, new technologies, the industry, people, competitors, etc. — all from an “in the trenches perspective” that you won’t get by doing research online or reading trade journals.

3. What were your most successful projects in the last couple of years and why?

This is one of my favorite questions because I hear some really good stories that often end up in some way, shape or form on my clients’ Website. When I asked this question of the team at Veterans Development Corporation, I got a great story in return — one that made me tingle.

What this story told me about the people in the company is that they’re responsive, creative, and smart. They get the job done and they get it done right — a message that became the basis for their entire site.

4. Why is that important?

Sometimes you’ll hear information that doesn’t make sense or goes straight over your head. Instead of pretending you know what the person is talking about, don’t be afraid to ask, “What does that mean?” or “Why is that important?” By asking these questions, I often learn unexpected details that I can use while writing marketing content.

5. Why should people do business with your company?

I like this question because it forces people to think. (In fact, I often have people say, “Wow, that’s a great question.”) I usually get lots of great answers, which lead to follow-on questions, which in turn gives me lots of ideas for how to position the company as I write their Web content.

These are just five questions that will get people talking — you can probably think of more.

If you’re hesitant about asking questions or appearing “stupid,” listen to TV or radio journalists and the types of questions they ask when interviewing people. They’re experts at asking open-ended questions that get people talking.

The more questions you ask, the more engaging your content will be as 1) it will be fresh and original and 2) it won’t be filled with hype and jargon.

For additional content ideas, view the following articles:

Creating Original Content: Go for a Walkabout

Make Your Content Do Double Duty When Writing to Multiple Audiences

When people refer to jargon, they’re usually referring to words such as “next generation,” “flexible,” “robust,” “world class,” and “scalable.” In fact, these are the top five “gobbledygook” words laid out in David Meerman Scott’s popular e-book, The Gobbledygook Manifesto.

Jargon, however, is any word that’s not understood by your target audience, as seen in the following true story. My colleague, who used to sell a specialty ultrasound product to the life sciences industry, had to give a presentation to a room full of technical Ph.Ds who would be using the product.

One thing I hear constantly with regard to jargon is, “But our customers are technical. They’ll understand it!” This is usually said when I recommend that technical terms either be eliminated or explained.

My colleague made this classic mistake when giving his presentation: He assumed that because everyone in his audience was technical, they knew all about ultrasound technology — that is, until someone asked, “Excuse me, but what exactly is ultrasound?”

I’ve made this mistake, too. I once gave a presentation on social media and afterward someone came up to me and whispered in my ear, “I was too afraid to ask, but what is ‘viral marketing’?” And this was a high-powered corporate marketer!

Moral: Never assume people know what you’re talking about.

We all use industry buzzwords and insider jargon when talking to colleagues and co-workers — and this jargon carries over to our marketing content.

Just do a search using the buzz phrase “innovative solutions.” You’ll find numerous companies are either named “innovative solutions” or they offer “innovative solutions” or both! Yikes! (Talk about making it difficult to differentiate yourself.)

The problem with jargon is that what’s perfectly understandable to you can be a foreign language to your prospects and customers. And, due to overuse, jargon-y words lose their meaning and become white noise. If everyone is offering an “innovative solution,” then what exactly is an “innovative solution” and how is one company’s solution better than another company’s solution?

Eradicating jargon takes vigilance and skill. It takes vigilance because jargon is like mold: it creeps up on you on unaware. It takes skill because often times, you’re battling powers greater than yourself (i.e. management who thinks talking in this stiff, stilted way helps attract customers.)

If you’re selling complex products and services to multiple audiences, it’s imperative that everyone understand what you’re selling and how it can help solve their challenges. Why? Because the people who actually make or influence the decision to purchase your product may not be all that technical.

So what can you do to reduce jargon and make it easier for prospects and customers to understand what you’re offering?

• Don’t assume everyone understands what you’re talking about. When writing marketing content (for online or off), take it home and let your spouse read it.If he or she questions a term or phrase, consider rewriting it.
• Spell out acronyms such as CMS, CRM, EDI, and ERP for obvious reasons but also because your acronym may stand for something else in another industry. SAN can mean “Storage Area Network” or “Styrene-Acrylonitrile.”
• Don’t equate buzzwords and lingo with “meaty” copy. A mission statement that reads, “We are committed to delivering world-class benefits administration to our customers through scalable, proven systems and operational excellence” sounds official and weighty, but it’s definitely off-putting and hard to understand. (When I read it, I have to translate all the buzzwords first.)

Also try keeping a list of the buzzwords and technical jargon you encounter, then brainstorm to find new ways of explaining these terms in plain English. Not only will your marketing content be easier to read, your messages will stand apart from your competitors.

When I talk to my clients about developing content for their B2B Websites, I often hear, “But what will we write about? We’re a [insert description here] type of company. We make widgets. We have nothing to say. Waaaa!”

First off, you don’t want to write about your company and its products (or at least not all the time). Instead, you want to develop content that gives people information they find interesting and can actually use.

This is why white papers, e-books, guides, reports, and blog articles are so popular.

Think about developing content this way: a trade journal doesn’t publish information about how to publish a magazine month after month (which is its specialty when you get down to it). Instead, it gives its readers industry news that’s of interest to them.

When developing content for your Website, you need to think of yourself as a micro-publisher, not a manufacturer or developer or whatever else you are.

It also helps if you develop a “beat” in much the same way a reporter has a beat or niche industry / news focus he or she covers.

Just as Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal covers all things relating to personal technology, you’ll cover a slice of your own industry.

Developing a beat helps narrow your focus, which in turn makes it easier to come up with content ideas.

Instead of being overwhelmed by the sheer breadth of information out there, you cull sources and experts down to only those that relate to your topic area and then begin reading / following them.

By narrowing your focus, you’re then able skim content for those items within your beat — versus reading the publication (online or off) start to finish, which takes waaaay too much time. You’ll also begin to generate ideas for blog posts, white papers, reports, articles and other information (not to mention you’ll learn how your competitors position themselves).

As an example, here is my daily / weekly / monthly beat:

Print Media

I read the Wall Street Journal just about every day — focusing mostly on the Marketplace and Personal Journal sections plus any relevant business news on the front page.

I like to read articles about companies and their successes and failures and anything about Google, Facebook, Twitter, Apple, P&G, Steve Jobs, women in business, technology, and social media. I also carefully study the B2B ads — which often become fodder for blog posts.

I also read Fortune magazine, Inc., Fortune Small Business, and Fast Company and will often retweet items of interest (Hootsuite makes this easy as it has a built-in URL shortener).

I’m also constantly on the lookout for articles / news that pertain to my clients’ industries. Because I have a client who works with high network individuals, for example, I read articles about changes to tax laws, investing, and anything else that pertains to their audience. (This is how I’m able to come up with content ideas for their blog, which I ghostwrite).

Google News / Twitter

I log in to <http://news.google.com/”>Google News and/or Twitter several times a day to see what’s new. I find lots of interesting information this way, such as the fact that the hugely successful Old Spice social media campaign has lifted sales by 107%.

E-newsletters / Blogs / Google Alerts

I have a few blogs I follow religiously plus those I read as time permits. I also read a number of e-newsletters from companies and individuals.

I keep an eagle eye for any new reports, data, surveys, etc. that I can use in my presentations, blog posts, etc. For example, I recently posted about a terrific white paper that Silverpop published for B2B marketers.

I run a number of Google Alerts for specific keywords and as time permits, cull through any interesting items.

Broadcast Media

Although I’m not a heavy TV watcher, I do like to watch weekend sporting events occasionally — but only for the commercials as B2B companies will often advertise. In addition, listening to the radio is a great source of ideas, especially when it comes to how companies pitch themselves.

That in a nutshell is how you develop “a beat.” It sounds like it takes a lot of time, but for the most part, it’s pretty easy to maintain. The secret is to skim for items of interest — and cull items for future blog posts, newsletter articles, and e-books / white papers.

In the last month or so I’ve written a few blog posts for other blogs — original content that you won’t find on this blog. I’ve included links to this content below.

Content Marketing Institute
One question I’m asked frequently is how to to generate ideas for Web content. I’ve written frequently about this topic, see here and here. One tactic I haven’t talked about, but use all the time when dealing with clients, is trolling through Web analytics keyword reports.

You can learn more about the nuggets of gold you can find in your own reports by reading, “How to Find Content Ideas in Your Web Analytics Reports.”

Be sure to check out the rest of the blog — you’ll find some really great content and ideas!

NetLine’s Blog Notions Marketers Blog
Do you think small businesses can still effectively do their own marketing? I don’t — and I explain why in my article, “DIY Marketing No Longer Cuts the Mustard.”

I also wrote “Is Your Website Short on Content and Long on ‘Blah’?” where I discuss how to answer the unspoken questions posed by site visitors.

The Wealthy Freelancer Blog
For this blog I’ve written two parts of a three-part article on Web marketing for freelancers and consultants. Check out “Three Penny-Wise, Pound Foolish Marketing Mistakes” and “Three Tips for Developing a Kick-Butt Website on a Budget.”

The Wealthy Freelancer is a fabulous site full of great content on how to create a thriving freelance business AND have a life, too.

Also be sure to check out my other blog — The Profitable Consultant. During the month of June I challenged myself to work on my own marketing one hour a day. Obviously it paid off!