Archive for Content Marketing

How to Differentiate Using Thought Leadership

One of the first things we look for when analyzing companies for our partnership service is thought leadership.
In today’s cluttered information environment, it’s not enough to just produce content and provide average products and services.
To stand out and differentiate yourself requires that you be a thought leader in your field.
This means vision, innovation, credibility, a [...]

6 Rules for Ensuring High Open & Click-Through Rates With Your Email Marketing

I’ve been in the trenches of email marketing for more than four years. I’ve sent hundreds of emails to more than a dozen databases.
I’m obsessive about analytic data. I explore the tiniest details to maximize my open, click, and conversion rates.
According to this 2008 report, the average open rate in the industry is 13.2 percent, [...]

Free Samples Can Be the Best & Cheapest Advertising

While at the mall yesterday I headed to the food court.
After scanning my choices, I made a beeline for Subway. Familiar, healthy, tasty. Nothing else was even on my radar.
15 feet away from Subway a guy with a tray in hand asked me if I wanted a free sample. What the heck. I grabbed one [...]

Should You Publish a Full or Partial RSS Feed?

If you’re not familiar with RSS, watch this video.
One common question is whether businesses should publish full or partial RSS feeds.
In a full feed, RSS readers can read entire articles in their reader without having to click a “Read More” link that takes them to the full article on your blog.
In a partial feed, [...]

“The Right Way To Optimize Your Website For Hub Mentality” Webinar Recording

Last week Carl and I held and recorded a free webinar entitled “The Right Way To Optimize Your Website For Hub Mentality.”
Click here to download the recording now.
We shared the proven design principles we’ve integrated into the websites of our clients who enjoy conversion rates as high as 32.02%.
Watch the recording to learn the following:

Why [...]

5 YouTube Channels For Small Business Advice

Mashable recently published a great article listing five YouTube channels providing excellent education for small business owners.
Their list of five includes the following:

Harvard Business Publishing
Google Business
U.S. Small Business Administration
Robert Scoble
Fast Forward

Not only will you learn applicable knowledge for your business, you may discover some ideas to leverage YouTube in your own business.
Check them out!
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Stephen Palmer [...]

ChangeThis Publishes Hub Mentality

Check out this new version of Hub Mentality from ChangeThis.
ChangeThis started as Seth Godin’s idea and is now operated by 800-CEO-Read.
In an effort to spark “thoughtful, rational, constructive” discussion on important topics and with the goal of transforming media delivery and consumption, ChangeThis solicits and publishes “manifestos” from thought leaders in all fields.
As they explain [...]

Data Capture Is NOT Inherently Manipulative & Scarcity-Minded

Chris Guillebeau, the popular author of The Art of Nonconformity, recently wrote a blog articled entitled “Why People Hate Marketers.” I encourage you to read it in full to know the context of my response.
On a couple of his larger assumptions, he missed the boat.  I’m not talking the boat just left the dock and [...]

Get To the Point, Already!

Unless you want your writing to be discarded, you must lead with the point, rather than build to the point. Your thesis must be stated clearly and early.
You’ve got just seconds to grab readers before you lose them to information overload.
In fact, the chances are extremely high that most readers will only read your opening [...]