Take 2019 By Storm: Get Inspired By These 11 Content Marketing Quotes

Another year. Another strategy. Another budget. Another long to-do list. Ushering in the new year is both an exciting and grueling time for content marketers everywhere. We’re celebrating accomplishments from the previous year. We’re taking stock of misses and opportunities. We’re working to weave in emerging content trends into next year’s plan. And we’re setting goals. But just like New Year’s resolutions, it can be hard to stick to the plan and tick off all of the things you want to accomplish. After all, the year is long and plans change often in today’s evolving digital landscape. To help you take on 2019 and muster up the motivation and inspiration to achieve your goals, we gathered several inspiring (and perhaps reassuring) quotes from respected and seasoned marketing leaders. From content strategy to execution, they’ll help you find success in the New Year.

#1 - “Your brand is not for everyone.”

Tamsen Webster Founder & Chief Message Strategist Find the Red Thread Oftentimes, marketers attempt to cast a wide net for their audience, hoping that more reach and more eyeballs can help them gain more traction. But in today’s content marketing landscape, personalization is essential if you want to reach (and hopefully fill your funnel) with the right people. And this bit of wisdom from Tamsen Webster serves as a great reminder that your brand doesn’t need to be everything to everyone.“Your brand is not for everyone. It isn’t. It’s for the people who want something you can help them get, who value the same things you do, and who see the world the same way you do. And that’s not everyone. Full stop.” [bctt tweet="Your brand is not for everyone. It’s for the people who want something you can help them get, who value the same things you do, and who see the world the same way you do. @tamadear" username="toprank"] Read our full conversation with Tamsen on how to drive change in marketing. Follow Tamsen on LinkedIn or Twitter.

#2 - “Audience members will MAKE time for content if they find something that interests them.”

Andrew Davis Keynote Speaker & Best-selling Author Monumental Shift Think your audience doesn’t have enough time for you? Andrew Davis urges you to reconsider. In the world of Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube, audiences are bingeing more content than ever before, he told attendees of Content Marketing World 2018. The challenge marketers face isn’t whether or not audiences have time to engage with you, but whether or not your content is worth engaging in.“Audiences will make time to consume content that contains their interest.” [bctt tweet="Audiences will make time to consume content that contains their interest. @drewdavishere" username="toprank"] Get more advice from Andrew with our recap of his #CMWorld 2018 session. Follow Andrew on LinkedIn or Twitter.

#3 - “Stories have the power to engage prospects with an emotional hook that endears them to a brand.”

Heather Pemberton Levy Vice President of Content Marketing Gartner At this stage in the game, storytelling and marketing have become married at the hip. But too often, stories come in second place to our larger marketing goals and objectives. Heather Pemberton Levy challenges marketers to change that. If you truly want your message to resonate with your audience, the story needs to come first. “Many marketers still talk about their products and services in terms of what they can do for their audience rather than what the audience cares about, why that’s important, and how their solution can help solve the problem. Stories have the power to engage prospects with an emotional hook that endears them to a brand more successfully than standard marketing copy. [bctt tweet="Stories have the power to engage prospects with an emotional hook that endears them to a brand more successfully than standard #marketing copy. @heathrpemberton" username="toprank"] Read our full interview with Heather to learn more about her story-first marketing approach. Follow Heather on LinkedIn or Twitter.

#4 - “Content marketing should be an active and discrete business model within the organization.”

Robert Rose Chief Troublemaker The Content Advisory More and more brands are pulling their content marketing in-house. But Robert Rose has a word of advice for brands internalizing their content marketing in 2019: don’t treat it as an internal agency. Content marketing needs to be a part of the larger business strategy, not a department that services other internal teams.“Content marketing (and content strategy) should be an active and discrete business model within the organization. Thus, the content team is more akin to your R&D team, your legal team, or your accounting team. “You would never look at the legal team as an internal agency (or firm) that services internal clientele. No. It’s part of the fabric and strategy of how the business operates. It is a strategic leader within the organization, and the legal team serves as experts to lead the business through legal issues. The content team should be viewed the same way.” [bctt tweet="#ContentMarketing (and content strategy) should be an active and discrete business model within the organization. @Robert_Rose" username="toprank"] Discover the rest of Robert’s top content trends for 2019. Follow Robert on LinkedIn or Twitter.

#5 - “It’s important to slow down our marketing to get the basics right.”

Ann Handley Chief Content Officer MarketingProfs Content marketing is no longer a shiny object—it’s a core strategy and tactic for most B2B and B2C marketers alike. Content marketing is just “marketing” in the modern digital era. However, the majority of marketers feel like their efforts aren’t as effective as they could be. In order to grow sophistication and be more effective, you need to master the basics. For Ann Handley, this means we all need to slow down. “It’s important to slow down our marketing to get the basics right. Like developing a documented content strategy. Like doing the required research. Like developing robust, non-one-dimensional Flat Stanley buyer personas. Like articulating your bigger story. Like investing in quality: excellent writing (and editing) and storytelling.” [bctt tweet="It’s important to slow down our #marketing to get the basics right. @annhandley" username="toprank"] Find out what Ann says are her secrets to success. Follow Ann on LinkedIn or Twitter.

#6 - “Thought leadership is about solving, not selling.”

Mina Seetharaman Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy and Creative Officer The Economist When it comes to writing compelling content, marketers need to break the product-plug habit. Mina Seetharaman reminds marketers that your audience doesn’t care about your product, they only care about their problem. “Thought leadership is about solving, not selling. People wake up thinking about their problems, not your product. In our research, Thought Leadership Disrupted, only 28% of marketers cited helping their audience become more knowledgeable as a primary objective. True thought leaders don’t push product, they understand their audience and share ideas to help them tackle issues.” [bctt tweet="True thought leaders don’t push product, they understand their audience and share ideas to help them tackle issues. @minaseeth" username="toprank"] Follow Mina on LinkedIn or Twitter.

#7 - “There’s so little content out there that truly connects with people…”

Tim Washer Keynote Speaker Ridiculous Media Resonating with your target audience takes more than a carefully crafted message. It takes evoking emotion. Whether it’s a story or a joke, as long as it inspires an emotional reaction and avoids self-promotion, you’ll be forming more meaningful connections with your audience. According to Tim Washer, when done right, infusing a bit of comedy into your content can do just that. “These days, there’s so little content out there that truly connects with people. … So much of marketing is telling people how great we are. But with comedy—we can show them that we’re not always going to tell you how great we are. And if you can make someone laugh, that is the most intimate connection you can make.” [bctt tweet="If you can make someone laugh, that is the most intimate connection you can make. @timwasher" username="toprank"] Make more connections with your audience by reading the rest of Tim’s tips. Follow Tim on LinkedIn or Twitter.

#8 - “Data helps marketers work more productively.”

Stacy Martinet Vice President of Marketing Strategy and Communications Adobe At every point in the customer journey, and even outside of it, your audience is leaving valuable data breadcrumbs in their wake. Looking ahead, Stacy Martinet hopes to inspire marketers to collect and analyze these breadcrumbs in order to better understand customers and boost productivity. “Data helps marketers work more productively, create the right content faster, and deliver that content to the right customer, across the right channels, at the right time. Companies that integrate data and creativity in their day-to-day practices actually drive two times the growth of companies that have those capabilities but manage them separately.” [bctt tweet="Data helps marketers work more productively, create the right content faster, and deliver that content to the right customer, across the right channels, at the right time. @stacymartinet" username="toprank"] Follow Stacy on LinkedIn or Twitter.

#9 - “Building trust with customers is one of the biggest opportunities for marketers in 2019…”

Lee Odden CEO TopRank Marketing In a world with increasing privacy and security concerns, our CEO Lee Odden, encourages brands to double down on trust, transparency, and credibility. The more you can align your brand values with that of your customers, the more trust and loyalty you will receive in return. “Building trust with customers is one of the biggest opportunities for marketers in 2019. Brands that lead with values and purpose can create opportunities to communicate transparently and with authenticity – leading to greater trust with buyers. Belief-driven buyers now make up the majority of consumers in every market. In 2019, we’ll see many more businesses articulating their brand purpose to more effectively connect with and engage customers.” [bctt tweet="Brands that lead with values and purpose can create opportunities to communicate transparently and with authenticity – leading to greater trust with buyers. @leeodden" username="toprank"] What else does 2019 have in store? Learn the rest of Lee’s digital marketing trends for 2019. Follow Lee on LinkedIn or Twitter.

#10 - “Always be listening.”

Dan Gingiss Vice President of Marketing Persado From social media to comment cards to online reviews, your customers are not afraid to let you know what they think. If you want to optimize your business around the needs of your customers, Dan Gingiss challenges you to actively seek out, collect, and act upon that feedback. “Always be listening. People will generally tell you everything you need to know about your business—what’s working, what needs fixing, and what could be your next big hit. Marketers need to embrace the feedback, including compliments, questions, and complaints.” [bctt tweet="Marketers need to embrace the feedback, including compliments, questions, and complaints. @dgingiss" username="toprank"] To learn more of Dan’s marketing tips, read our full interview with him. Follow Dan on LinkedIn or Twitter.

#11 - “You must have a call to action.”

Ursula Ringham Head of Global Influencer Marketing SAP No matter what you’re creating, Ursula Ringham has an important reminder: Don’t lose sight of the goal. Give your audience the next step. Nurture them through the customer journey. Otherwise, the marketing stories and best-answer content that you’re creating will do little in terms of helping you produce meaningful, measurable results. “You must have a call to action. What’s the point? What’s your end goal? How are you defining success? Where are you sending them?“Whether your goal is brand awareness or lead gen, if you’re telling a story that has people on the edge of their seat, you need to give them a natural next step to continue their journey.” [bctt tweet="Whether your goal is brand awareness or lead gen, if you’re telling a story that has people on the edge of their seat, you need to give them a natural next step to continue their journey. @ursularingham" username="toprank"] Get more of Ursula’s advice by reading our full conversation about her journey, influencer marketing, social media, and more. Follow Ursula on LinkedIn or Twitter.

Take 2019 by Storm

It’s a new year. And it’s time to bring a breath of fresh air into your content marketing efforts. Hopefully, these insightful quotes can help inspire you to do just that. After all, they’re important reminders that no matter how marketing evolves year-to-year, you need to put your audience’s needs first, guide them on the journey, use data to light the path, and more. Need more insight into how to drive marketing results in 2019? Read up on our 2019 trends and predictions:

• 2019 B2B Content Marketing Trends
• 2019 SEO Predictions & Trends
• 2019 B2B Social Media Marketing Predictions & Trends
• 2019 B2B Influencer Marketing Predictions & Trends

The post Take 2019 By Storm: Get Inspired By These 11 Content Marketing Quotes appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

The Content Marketer’s Toolbox: 3 ‘Real-Life’ Tools for Gaining Insight, Inspiration, & Amplification

In the modern content marketing age, leveraging a diverse set of tools is par for a successful marketing course. Tools help unlock insight. Tools help capture attention and reach. Tools help drive efficiency. Tools help you measure, analyze, and optimize for better success. The simple truth is: Every content marketer needs a robust toolkit that’s tailored to their unique business and marketing needs—but that toolkit doesn’t begin or end with your martech stack. Uh-oh-oh. via GIPHY There’s no denying the importance that marketing technology plays in today’s ever-changing and sometimes tumultuous digital landscape. But your toolbox needs more than software. It also needs more tangible, real-life tools to help you uncover the context and insights that can help you be more effective (and help you use martech tools more effectively).   From my perspective there are three key, non-tech tools that should be content marketing toolbox staples. And with the help of a few fantastic insights and tidbits of wisdom from marketing industry leaders, I dive into them below. via GIPHY

The “Real-Life” Staples to Gain First-Hand Insight, Inspiration, & Amplification

#1 – Your in-house team members from across departments.

For eons it seems, sales and marketing team alignment has been a top struggle yet a key best practice for gaining marketing (and business) traction. Today, that still holds true—but now it’s increasingly crucial for marketers to widen their collaboration scope to include other key departments. Why? Creating an incredible customer experience is the new challenge and opportunity for marketers. In addition, better alignment across major business functions ensures your efforts are truly contributing to the growth of the company—whether that be sales, talent retention and recruiting, product development, or customer service. “Marketers need to work collaboratively across the various areas of marketing as well as partnering with other parts if their company such as sales,” Justin Levy, public speaker and the new Director of Paid Social Media Operations at ServiceNow, told us not long ago. “Marketers need to be integrated and focused, working off of the same strategy instead of working in silos on their own projects.” [bctt tweet="#Marketers need to be integrated and focused, working off of the same strategy instead of working in silos on their own projects. @justinlevy #ContentMarketing" username="toprank"] Beyond creating synergy, your internal team members are insight tools. Sales and customer service reps are talking with customers every day. Your product development team is creating products or services that aim to alleviate customer and prospect pain points and solve problems. Your human resources department is actively recruiting and looking for ways to engage current employees. Your organization’s employees are insight engines who can help you craft more helpful, interesting, and inspiring content—and they’re also engagement and amplification powerhouses, ripe for a little employee advocacy and/or thought leadership. “Leveling up content marketing means going beyond creating consistent customer-focused content. It means engaging your internal experts to share their expertise,” Michael Brenner, Founder of Marketing Insider Group, shared earlier this year. “And it means activating the entire organization to share your passions, your stories, and your expertise.” [bctt tweet="Leveling up #contentmarketing means going beyond creating consistent customer-focused content. It means engaging your internal experts to share their expertise. - @BrennerMichael" username="toprank"] Think of your collaboration with other key departments like the bond a hammer and nails share. Without one another, the work doesn’t get done. via GIPHY

#2 – Your “captive” audience.

Customers. Prospects. Social followers. Newsletter or blog subscribers. You have a “captive” audience that has sent signals that they’re interested in what you provide and what you have to say. But when’s the last time you leveraged your known audience to gather intel or simply connect at any stage of your content marketing process? “If you haven’t spoken to anyone in your audience in the last month directly—about their work and their lives, not about your company or products—then you aren’t ready to plan anything,” Jay Acunzo, Founder of Unthinkable Media, said in relation to content strategy and planning. He goes on: “It’s so breathtakingly simple: If you have a 40-hour per week job, then take literally .2% of your month (20 minutes) and have an informal conversation with a customer or prospect. You will be shocked at how much easier content marketing gets.” [bctt tweet="It’s so breathtakingly simple: If you have a 40-hour per week job, 20 minutes a month and have an informal conversation with a customer or prospect. - @jayacunzo #ContentMarketing" username="toprank"] Not only can you leverage your audience as a tool to make content marketing “easier,” but you can also create content that is more impactful and targeted. “When it comes to content creation, far too often content is created in a meeting room with a bunch of marketers without any thought for the day-to-day reality of the person consuming it. BIG mistake,” Dave Charest, now the Director of Content Marketing for Endurance International Group, says. “Level up your approach by creating content in partnership with members of your target audience.” [bctt tweet="Level up your approach by creating content in partnership with members of your target audience. - @DaveCharest #ContentMarketing" username="toprank"] Think of audience insights as your Swiss Army knife. They’re a trusty tool that can lend insight and tactical help in nearly any marketing situation. via GIPHY

#3 – Your team of external partners.

Your internal marketing team as well as your key contacts across departments are flush with insight and expertise. But there are undoubtedly gaps that need to be filled—resource gaps, budget gaps, and knowledge gaps. This means that in order to get the kind of marketing traction you need and want, you need to build out your team—with people who serve specific purposes. After all, a tool by definition is a device that is used to carry out a particular function. Hilarious and seasoned marketer, Tim Washer, PowerPoint Comedian/Emcee at Ridiculous Media, suggests thinking outside the box when it comes to building out your team. “Build a virtual team. Recruit talented freelance writers and videographers, including college students, to help contribute engaging content production,” he says. [bctt tweet="Recruit talented freelance writers and videographers, including college students, to help contribute engaging content production. - @timwasher" username="toprank"] Whether you’re looking for execution help or need a larger force to handle strategy, creation, and optimization, an agency partner can be an incredible tool in your toolbox. (Not that we’re biased or anything.) “One of the primary responsibilities of any marketing agency is to lighten your workload and alleviate some of the stress that comes with it—and do it in a way that helps drive results,” Alexis Hall, TopRank Marketing’s Vice President of Client Accounts, shares. “From conversion rate optimization (CRO) to reducing cost-per-lead on PPC campaigns to expanding your search footprint, a full-service digital marketing agency can have its subject matter experts dig into the data and make actionable recommendations for optimizing your content or strengthening your tactical mix.” [bctt tweet="One of the primary responsibilities of any #marketingagency is to lighten your workload and alleviate some of the stress that comes with it—and do it in a way that helps drive results. - @Alexis5484" username="toprank"] Think of your external partners like duct tape. They can be molded and implemented for a variety of different functions to help you achieve your ultimate goal. via GIPHY

Bolster Your Content Marketing Toolbox with Real-Life Tools

Your martech stack is just one piece of the content marketing toolbox pie. You also need to look internally to leverage the real-life tools that are right in front of you and ripe with opportunity. Start by looking inside your organization to identify opportunities to collaborate and gain alignment with internal stakeholders and partners. In addition, commit to connecting with your captive audience on a regular basis to gain insight. And finally, add to your tool stack with external partners to fill gaps and add third-party insight and expertise. Oh. And fear not. We'll cover some martech tools you should consider for your content marketing toolbox next time. What does the future of content marketing look like? Get the scoop on the latest content marketing trends that you need to pay attention to in the new year.

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BIGLIST of 50 Top Marketing Blogs for 2019 – Martech Edition

The post BIGLIST of 50 Top Marketing Blogs for 2019 – Martech Edition appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

Digital Marketing News: Google’s Take on URL Structure, B2B Tech Marketing Trends Survey, NPR’s RAD Podcasting, & Decentralised AI

The post Digital Marketing News: Google’s Take on URL Structure, B2B Tech Marketing Trends Survey, NPR’s RAD Podcasting, & Decentralised AI appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

Explore, Experience, Engage: 6 Top Digital Marketing Trends for 2019

The post Explore, Experience, Engage: 6 Top Digital Marketing Trends for 2019 appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

Our Top 10 Social Media Marketing Posts of 2018

Throughout 2018 social media marketing has continued to be a source of both opportunity and contention in the marketing world. We've done our best to keep on top of changes as they happen, while offering helpful insight and research-based strategy. We’re very fortunate to a great group of social media marketing professionals contributing to the TopRank Marketing blog, including our CEO Lee Odden, Joshua Nite, Caitlin Burgess, Anne Leuman, and Nick Nelson, among others. To help our blog community grow its social media marketing knowledge, we’re delighted to offer this list of our 10 most popular social media posts of 2018.

Our Most Popular Social Media Marketing Posts in 2018:

1. Social Media Marketing Benchmarks: What Works & Where to Focus — Joshua Nite

The most popular social media marketing post of 2018 is by Senior Content Marketing Manager, Joshua Nite. Through the lens of the RivalIQ 2018 social media benchmarking report, Josh delivers big with actionable insights including why influencers have the highest engagement rates on Facebook, and tells marketers how to stay on task. Check out all of Josh's posts here.

2. 7 Examples of Brands Mastering Twitter for Social Customer Care — Caitlin Burgess

Our Senior Manager of Content Marketing, Caitlin Burgess, wrote the second most popular social media marketing post of the year, as she took a close look at how top brands have used Twitter to strengthen customer care programs. With helpful examples and relevant insights, Caitlin dives into some of the best customer care programs in social, and shows how they represent a customer service opportunity that deserves every marketer’s attention and action. Check out all of Caitlin's posts here.

3. Best Practices for Choosing Effective and Captivating Social Media Visuals — Anne Leuman

Content Strategist, Anne Leuman, wrote the third most popular social media marketing post of 2018 on our blog. In this piece, Anne dives into how to select the right type of visual content to share on the right platform. Anne offers up the latest social image dimensions, and looks at carousels and driving conversions with social stories. Check out all of Anne's posts here.

4. The Future of Connection on Facebook: How Stories May Change the Marketing Game — Nick Nelson

Our Senior Content Strategist, Nick Nelson, earned the No. 4 spot on our list of the most popular social media marketing posts of the year. Here, Nick takes an in-depth look at using Facebook for powerful brand visual storytelling. He includes helpful tips to overcome what can sometimes be elusive reach on the world’s largest social media channel. Check out all of Nick's posts here.

5. The Power of Social Media Polls: The Drill-Down on 3 Platforms + 5 General Best Practices — Nick Nelson

Nick also wrote our fifth most popular social post of 2018, tackling the benefits and pitfalls of social media polls, with his piece higlighting three platforms and five proven tactics. Nick also shares what kind of value polls can provide and how to get the most out of them.

6. From Messenger Bots to the Growth of ‘Gram, Social Media Examiner’s Annual Report Reveals Trends to Watch — Nick Nelson

Nick's social media marketing wisdom earns him another entry on our top 10 list for 2018, with an in-depth look at Social Media Examiner's annual report. Nick shares the most relevant and helpful insight from the report, including how Facebook is in flux, the growing power of Instagram, and how to best use measurement moving forward.

7. The Question on Many Marketers’ Minds: Should My Brand Start a Facebook Group? — Nick Nelson

With his fourth consecutive spot on our top social media marketing posts of the year list, Nick examines how brands can best utilize Facebook Groups. Nick shows why Facebook groups present a good opportunity to regain diminished reach by embracing the platform’s heightened focus on user-generated content.

8. The Latest Evolution of Facebook: The Marketing Low-Down on 5 Recent Changes — Anne Leuman

Anne earned a second entry on our most popular social media marketing list with her helpful piece exploring the latest round of major Facebook changes. Anne gives the low-down on five Facebook changes, tells what they mean for social media marketers, and offers up the next steps to take.

9. How to Survive the Social Media Midlife Crisis — Joshua Nite

In addition to writing our most popular social media marketing piece of 2018, Josh earned another entry on the list with this fine look at how to take our social media accounts off of autopilot and apply a mindful approach. Josh also looks at how working with influencers helps put a personal, social touch back into social media marketing.

10. Social Media Marketing Spotlight: U.S. Bank Rallies Local Allies for a Friendly, Engaging #MNNice #NiceOff — Caitlin Burgess

Caitlin has written another of our year's most popular social media marketing posts, with an excellent spotlight look at Minneapolis-based U.S. Bank and its social efforts. Caitlin explores examples of how campaigns can achieve success through the use of thoughtful and engaging social strategy that is subtly brand-centric and influencer-activated. We can't thank Josh, Caitlin, Anne, and Nick enough for writing and sharing these top ten social media marketing posts of 2018 — congratulations to you all on making the list!

Thanks TopRank Marketing Writers & Readers

Thanks to each of you who read our blog, and to all of you who comment on and share our posts on the TopRank Marketing social media channels. We hope you find continuing benefit from these excellent social media marketing posts from 2018. We published dozens of posts this year specifically about social media marketing, and plan to bring you even more in 2019, so keep posted for a new year of the latest helpful research and insight. Please let us know which social media marketing topics and ideas you'd like to see us focus on for 2019 — we'd love to hear your suggestions. Feel free to share your suggestions in the comments section below.

The post Our Top 10 Social Media Marketing Posts of 2018 appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

B2B Content Marketers, Here Are Your New Year’s Resolutions for 2019

If you break down the word “resolution” phonically, you get “resolute” and “shun.” Kind of ironic, since we all seem more likely to shun (persistently avoid, ignore, or reject through antipathy or caution) these self-assigned goals than be resolute (admirably purposeful, determined, and unwavering) in achieving them. Too often with New Year’s resolutions, we set ourselves up to fail. We lay out ambitious mandates and drastic behavioral changes that sound great in theory, but almost invariably fall by the wayside amidst our busy lives. B2B content marketers are plenty familiar with ambitious goal-setting. We're optimistic. We're driven. But perhaps we're not always realistic. The whole point of setting goals is to achieve them. If you're always setting stretch goals, you'll never know what success looks like. In this spirit, I thought I would outline five professional resolutions for B2B content marketers in 2019 that are not only achievable, but (I’ll argue) imperative. Enough shunning. Let’s get resolute and conquer these five objectives.

#1 - Document Your Content Strategy (For Real Though)

Every year, when they conduct their annual benchmarking research, Content Marketing Institute (CMI) and MarketingProfs ask respondents whether they have a documented content marketing strategy. And every year, we’re all stunned by how few say “yes.” (The 2018 study showed that just 36% of B2B marketers reported having a documented strategy. In the 2019 study, which was just released this past October, that number was 39%.) Then, we do it all over again. It seems absolutely insane that almost two out of three marketers lack documentation for their content strategy. And most of us recognize this, but still we just continue to let it slip. Enough. Make 2019 the year where you actually get your strategies written down, in the form of a tangible doc that is visible and accessible to everyone in the organization. [bctt tweet="Enough. Make 2019 the year where you actually get your #contentmarketing strategies written down. - @NickNelsonMN #NewYearsResolutions" username="toprank"]

#2 - Stop Focusing Your SEO Strategy on Keywords

Many of us were trained around this core principle of SEO writing: make that target keyword front-and-center in your copy. Place it in your title, in the first paragraph, and in multiple headers. Sprinkle it throughout your writing as liberally as salt on a bad steak. While “old-school” SEO has been on the outs, with content that provides the perfect balance for bots and humans on an increasing rise, some marketers still regard keywords as the end-all-be-all. Forcefully stuffing keywords into your content often diminishes readability, and in some cases it can totally derail the core points you’re trying to make. To what end? Google is continually getting smarter and more complex in its page rankings. As our Associate Director of Search & Analytics Tiffani Allen wrote here recently, elements like mobile-friendliness and voice search alignment will increasingly hold sway in 2019. Just take a look how far down anything keyword-related falls on this updated hierarchy of ranking factors from SEMrush: Quality, engagement, and relevance will rule the day. Fulfilling search intent is the prime directive in 2019 and beyond, as Annie Leuman recently broke down for us. [bctt tweet="When marketers understand #searchintent, we can create #content more tailored to our audience’s specific needs, problems, and questions—helping gain visibility, attract more qualified traffic, & build trust. @annieleuman" username="toprank"] If you are delivering on those fronts, you needn’t worry so much about SEO writing in a way that reads like this SEO writing sentence and makes you never want to type or hear the words SEO writing again.

#3 - Stop Talking to Walls

I’ve suggested that one of the biggest problems in B2B content marketing today is brands writing to members of their audience “as if they were an intangible corporate entity rather than a human being.” I continue to see this all the time: robotic blog posts aimed at no one in particular, covering dry material in the dryest manner possible. Oftentimes, these uninspired content pieces are aligned with the aforementioned SEO strategy of attacking keywords with little consideration for quality or audience engagement. Among the top content marketing predictions and trends for 2019 listed by our Caitlin Burgess is the elevated importance of building trust and infusing personalization. That means creating authentic, relatable content that speaks directly to a distinct human audience. [bctt tweet="#B2B marketers have to stop thinking about how audiences 'consume' content, and start thinking about how audiences want to experience content. @CaitlinMBurgess" username="toprank"] The time has come for editors and content managers to prioritize this directive. I might even recommend an approach as stark as this to ingrain the practice for your writers: If you read the first couple paragraphs of a draft, and it’s not immediately obvious that the voice is directed toward an actual person, send it back for revisions.   

#4 - Move Outside of Your Content Comfort Zone

Of course, marketing content isn’t limited to the written word. It’s certainly the form most content marketers are comfortable with, because we so often have backgrounds in writing. However, strategies that don’t incorporate varied mediums are quickly falling behind. Audiences want more than words. The lowest-hanging fruit is video. It’s now easier than ever to create, requiring little more than a smartphone, and there’s no questioning its impact. It’s also kinda scary, because it sometimes means putting your face on camera, and grappling with unfamiliar concepts like video scripting, and sound design, and lighting (oh my!). If it helps, start small. Try creating a talking-head video from your desk and then self-scrutinizing, or linking up with a few coworkers for a panel-style interview that’s only distributed internally. Once you start to get it down, you can level-up your ambition and start actively integrating video marketing into your outward strategy. Our Josh Nite has written that “next-gen content” (i.e. interactivity, visual appeal, multimedia elements) will be key to earning the attention of audiences and generating leads. The more competency you can gain with these content types, the better you’ll be positioned. [bctt tweet="Be hyper-relevant and hyper-valuable with your #content, and you’re far more likely to bring more leads into your nurturing track. @NiteWrites #B2BLeadGen" username="toprank"] These video tips for first-time video marketers and design tips for non-artsy writers might help get you rolling.

#5 - Get that Google Analytics Certification

I’m guilty. I admit it. Google offers free courses and assessments through Google Analytics Academy that enable anyone to become certified with a GA Individual Qualification upon successful completion. Our entire account management team, as well as our SEO, PPC, and analytics teams are GA certified and adept in leveraging the tool. But the certification may not be high-priority item for writers, or content marketing generalists who have a team of analytics professionals behind them. But it’s a nice thing to have on your professional résumé, not to mention helping highlighting your analytical chops for some of your key stakeholders or clients. And beyond the ceremonial aspects, it’s just good to have all that knowledge around content measurement and attribution in your brain. Completing these courses and getting certified has been an ongoing goal for me all year in 2018, and — although I’ve gone through a few of the courses — I still haven’t finished it. Womp womp. If you Googled “disappointment” right now you’d probably see ... I know from conversations with colleagues and peers, however, that I’m not alone on this one. The GA certification seems to be that item on many to-do lists that keeps on perpetually sliding. So, if you’re in the same boat, let’s make 2019 the year we finally get ‘er done. That means developing a firm plan and sticking to it. Schedule time in your calendar and don’t shun it. [bctt tweet="#GoogleAnalytics certification seems to be an item that keeps perpetually sliding. Let's make 2019 the year we finally get ‘er done. @NickNelsonMN #ContentMarketing" username="toprank"]

Here’s to Resolute Marketers in 2019

Ready to get more resolute with your New Year’s resolutions this year? These five eminently achievable goals offer a good place to start. Almost every content marketer could stand to be more organized with documentation, sophisticated with SEO strategy, authentically human with their writing, versatile with their creation, and expert with their measurement. With concrete, realistic objectives in place, you can turn these from vague aspirations to viable accomplishments. Want more help as you prepare yourself for a bold new year ahead? Check out Caitlin’s top content marketing predictions for 2019.

The post B2B Content Marketers, Here Are Your New Year’s Resolutions for 2019 appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.