5 Tweetable Lessons Learned from Content Marketing World

Posted by Jon Thomas, 12 Sep 2012

This past week I had a front-row seat at the largest content-marketing conference in the world, aptly named Content Marketing World. Hosted by our friends at the Content Marketing Institute, Content Marketing World was two full days of rubbing elbows with those in marketing (more than 1,000) who understand the value of using a coordinated array of media to engage consumers, deliver value and tell a brand’s story.

With speakers like Mark Schaefer (of Post-Advertising Summit fame), Jason Falls, Jay Baer, C.C. Chapman, Mitch Joel, Ann Handley and Jack Hanna (yes, that Jack Hanna), the conference armed me with a plethora of content-marketing tips to tweet to my followers.

Here are 5 nuggets of content-marketing knowledge and inspiration, short enough for you to tweet, that were imparted at Content Marketing World. 

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What Panda, Penguin and Social Media Really Mean for Brands

Posted by Jon Thomas, 24 Aug 2012

With additional reporting from Cyrus Karimi, Director of Audience Generation at Story Worldwide. 

An article recently published on Fast Company has caused a bit of a stir in the content marketing and search engine optimization (SEO) communities. Written by Veronica Fielding, CEO of Digital Brand Expressions, it explains how the recent Panda and Penguin Google algorithm updates mean that social engagement rather than search engine trickery yields top results.

While her heart is in the right place (encouraging active, useful social engagement by brands), neither the algorithm updates nor Fielding’s interpretation of them reveals a direct correlation between social activity and SEO relevance. Though extremely important for an effective content marketing strategy, simply interacting with your fans on Facebook, sharing relevant tweets, and uploading useful videos won’t (in and of itself) boost your brand website’s SEO ranking.

Let’s take a look at what Panda, Penguin and social media really mean for brands.

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What Brands Can Learn from Louis C.K.’s Marketing Success

Posted by Mike Cannon, 03 Jul 2012

Comedians are inherently self-promoters. In fact we often refer to ourselves as whores. I should know, because I am one. Selling yourself is a tricky business, and even with the emerging technologies that the post-advertising age has afforded comedians—Twitter, YouTube, podcasting, and more—nearly all still follow the standard protocols of producing and selling their content and themselves to get ahead…except Louis C.K.

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Brands: Can’t Buy My Love

Posted by Andrea Fjeld, 14 Dec 2011

Desperation is never attractive, even when it comes to brands. Nevertheless, it’s apparent that brands have stooped so low as to actually buy Facebook likes (25,000 guaranteed for the low, low price of $1,757!). Who knew in a marketing medium based on transparency and honesty, brands would zip up their hoodies, dawn a fake beard, put on their sunglasses and travel to the seedy underworld of black hat social media to inflate their social metrics?

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2011: The Year Consumers Took Over Brands

Posted by Andrea Fjeld, 08 Dec 2011

Out: brands barking at consumers.

In: consumers taking control.

From Coke’s recent cancelation of its white Christmas cans to Gap reverting back to its signature logo, 2011 seemed to be the year of empowered consumers. But we’ve been writing about this phenomenon for some time now. The proof is out there that we have major influence over what big corporations can and cannot do (just study the branding needs of Occupy Wall Street for inspiration). So what could 2012 have in store for us?

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When Faking It (on Twitter) Is a Good Thing

Posted by Jon Thomas, 30 Nov 2011

It’s late November, and UK Lord Chancellor Sir John Simon has just told Parliament that Britons have sent watches, jewelry and gold to help the government pay for war. According to Sir John, “One girl sent a small envelope, asking me to accept her ‘peace offering.’ Inside was her engagement ring.” Incredible. Particularly because I just learned of this from a tweet chronicling the world war that’s raging in Europe right now.

You didn’t know there was a war going on in Europe? That’s because it took place in 1939. It’s the beginning of the Second World War, and it’s being retold on this date and at this time by the Twitter account @RealTimeWWII. After tweeting for only three months, @RealTimeWWII, which according to Mashable is maintained by Oxford graduate Alwyn Collinson, has already exceeded 150,000 followers. Why can't brands be this inventive?

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How to Brand for Spotify, MOG and More

Posted by Luke Dringoli, 21 Nov 2011

This post originally appeared in our November issue of "Live Report from the Future of Marketing," our monthly Post-Advertising newsletter. Subscribe for free here.

Free music streaming services are here to stay. So when will brands really come out and play? Saviors like Spotify and MOG, plus the now-seasoned vets Pandora and Last.fm—which have dragged the music industry kicking and screaming into the 21st century—are now the best bets at monetizing and spreading music legally into the future. And now, via social platforms like Facebook and its Open Graph, they’re encouraging more sharing than ever before.

Top that off with the hundreds of ingenious apps and web sites taking shape through music’s newfound online freedom and you’ve got one hell of an opportunity—one that most brands have squandered. Turns out, there’s much brands can do, as both advertiser and Page admin, to utilize these valuable new tools.

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Is This Real Life? The Value in Live Branded Events

Posted by Jon Thomas, 17 Nov 2011

Last week, Times Square, the heart of New York City, was turned into the three-dimensional world of none other than the block-breaking, coin-jacking, princess-saving Super Mario himself. The iconic video game was brought to life allowing fans to play within Mario's 3D world, jumping on trampolines and sporting moustaches to celebrate the release of Super Mario 3D Land for the Nintendo 3Ds. It seems quite unique, but is it post-advertising?

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Everything You Need to Know About Marketing You Can Learn From Online Dating

Posted by Andrea Fjeld, 17 Aug 2011

Online dating has become part of our everyday consciousness. Sites like Match, eHarmony, and OkCupid have become industry moguls and multi-million dollar businesses. Even stomach-turning sites that allow for infidelity boast millions of users.

I joined OkCupid years ago to find out what the scene was all about. While I didn’t meet Prince Charming, I did discover something that brought my mind right back to the confines of this cubicle: Like real-life businesses, online dating is all about branding — putting your best foot forward to attract and engage (no pun intended) an audience.

So if you’re looking for love and some marketing knowledge along the way, keep these lessons in mind.

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How to Brand a City (Are You Listening, Cleveland?)

Posted by Andrea Fjeld, 03 Aug 2011

As geographically stable as most cities are, their identities shift over time. Pittsburgh was the symbol of American muscle in the '50s and '60s; today it’s a poster child for urban decay. New Orleans evolved naturally from frontier military port to bead-strewn decadence hotspot…then a disaster took it straight to Desperation City, literally overnight. How people feel about a city can mean all the difference between the heaven of tourism millions and rising property values and the hell of the butt of national jokes (see Pittsburgh, Cleveland, etc.) Identity is big business, and that means branding.

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