On this episode of The Brand Journalism Advantage Podcast, I discuss how to effectively talk to your community and how to stop wasting your time by marketing to the wrong people. You’ll also learn how to make your message concise, valuable, and emotion-based. Plus, why you can’t assume.
How to write a white paper
White papers have become a staple tactic in B2B content marketing. They can be excellent tools for attracting potential customers and demonstrating your expertise and command over a subject. How to write a white paper that accomplishes these goals is possible if you stick to a few common principles. [Read more…]
Four ways to generate blog ideas
A lot has been written about the importance of having a blog to serve as a centerpiece for B2B marketing efforts. Advantages include improved search engine optimization and thought leadership which in turn lead to more top of the funnel prospects. Studies suggest that companies that blog generate 67% more leads than companies that do not.
Setting up a blog technically can take just moments. The more daunting part is how you develop enough content to fuel the blog regularly (3 -5 times per week ideally). [Read more…]
Are you a social media turtle?
Social media is rapidly altering how businesses engage with customers and prospects
A couple of years ago, I was on vacation staring out at a lake behind my in-law’s home in South Carolina. From time to time, an alligator would come cruising by and this was just such an occasion. He was moving quickly and deliberately towards the shore line on the opposite side of the lake. I grabbed my camera anticipating that I would get a great shot of him coming ashore. As he did, I started snapping pictures, although I couldn’t quite make out what I was capturing from the distance he was at.
Later, I ran into a neighbor who happened to be inside his home and much closer to the alligator than I was. He asked me if I saw the alligator and I acknowledged that I had. Then he said, “I wouldn’t have wanted to be that turtle!”.
I hurried back to my house, flipped open my camera and examined the photos I had taken. What I captured is the photo you see here. A relaxed turtle, baking comfortably in the afternoon sun, with his back to the lake, becoming a nice lunch.
As I think about how quickly the world is changing and how rapidly social media is altering the way businesses engage with their customers and prospects, I can’t help but wonder about how many organizations might look more like the turtle than the alligator. [Read more…]
Finding your unique market position
Establishing your unique market position can make or break a product launch.
There are a few ways to begin the discussion around your own market positioning. My recommendation is to start by exploring the positioning strategies of your competitors. Take everything you know about your competitors and develop an analysis that shows how each competitor uses their unique features/benefits to project their brand in marketplace.
You’ll find that each organization will focus on different features or benefits, usually in alignment with their own actual or perceived strengths. You’ll want to document statements that summarize the key market message (position) for each competitor and their value proposition, which is generally expressed as savings in time or money or improved efficiency. [Read more…]