The Best Content Marketing Posts I’ve Read This Year

5 minute read

Upland Admin

Today’s post comes from Salman Aslam, co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Omnicore.

Content marketing has gained a lot of traction since 2012. While this shift toward quality content is, in part, due to the changes in Google’s algorithm and SEO, I see a bigger picture.

A study by Morgan Stanley analysts tells us that mobile users will surpass desktop users by 2015. This is good news for mobile companies, but it also suggests that consumer behavior and buying patterns are changing. internetRETAILER report states that 80% of global consumers research products online before buying in stores. These products include electronics, books, music, clothes, shoes, toys, and even health products.

Also, Google released their new Algorithm, Hummingbird, which aims to answer long-form questions more accurately and to understand user intent. Based on this understanding that consumer behavior has changed, Google made changes to their algorithm to take into account this explicit and implicit search intent.

Google is now looking for quality content, and so are your buyers. Content marketing is the art and science of creating and delivering that content to the right audience.

A lot has been written about content marketing, and to honor this year of growth in the space, I have curated some of the best content marketing posts written in 2013. Each of these resources comes from a brand that is walking the walk. Check out my thoughts below.

Search Engine Watch – Content Marketing Myths That Need To Die

Enough with the buzzwords. Companies don’t run on fancy words, especially when trying to create more (and more valuable) content. In fact, “lack of time” is cited as the top challenge facing B2B marketers, according to the 2014 B2B Content Marketing Trends report. The article busts these and other myths about content marketing and raises a few questions as to how we should educate our clients.

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Onalytica – Top 25 Content Marketing Influencers

If you’re all about content marketing then you should know who the ballers are. This SlideShare presentation features the influencers you should follow to learn more about content marketing, social media, and digital marketing.

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Krista Kotrla – Why Video Content Marketing Is The Next Big Thing 

Blogging and infographics are still major players in content marketing. But with video’s personal touch, I think it will be even bigger in 2014. With Vine and Instagram videos making headlines and big brands using both short- and long-form videos to connect with their audiences, it’s not hard to get on board.

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Also, check out  8 Video Types to Add to Your Content Marketing

Content Marketing Institute – Why Podcasting is a Huge Content Marketing Opportunity

Venture capitalist, Mary Meeker, says there are 52 minutes of unclaimed time in the car every day, and people are looking for things like podcasts to fill it. In this article, Clare interviews Chris Brogan as they discuss the tools, topics, and examples of great podcasts run by both individuals and companies.

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Omnicore – 9 Ways to Give Your Content Additional Mileage: Repurpose!

Content creation is a big challenge for small business owners, especially when so much research and time go into creating a well-crafted piece of content. But there are ways to get more out of those assets by converting them into different formats for distribution. Don’t assume that everything has to be new to add value. Instead, focus on leveraging your existing resources to engage your target audience.

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Velocity Partners – Crap. The Content Marketing Deluge.

“The single biggest threat to content marketing is content marketing,” reads the subtitle. As more content is generated, but quality decreases, what are marketers to do? This SlideShare presentation highlights how companies can survive this deluge by building great content brands.

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Social Media Today – Content Is King, but Distribution Is Queen and She Wears the Pants

Content promotion is one of the keys to success. “Too many marketers are forgetting about promotion; instead, they believe the answers to their content marketing woes are to produce more and better content,” writes Chad Pollitt. I’m seeing this first-hand on my company’s digital marketing blog, where social sharing has become increasingly effective, and we encourage our clients to build effective distribution and promotion channels.

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Kapost – My Crash Course in Content Marketing: 12 Lessons from a Brand Publisher

If there is one you do to prep for 2014, take a look at how the big brands are handling content marketing. In my favorite post from this year, Luke Kintigh shares 12 lessons he’s learned as the Managing Editor for iQ by Intel.

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Jeff Bullas – Case Study: Advanced Content Marketing

Jeff Bullas starts his article with, “Content is a two-syllable word that has become an online marketing strategy.” As it continues, he explains how the brand Lorna Jane has embraced content marketing by creating conversations across social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+, and YouTube. Not one to miss, regardless of how far along your organization is with content marketing.

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Econsultancy – 2014: The Year Content Marketing Finally Grows Up?

Andrew Davies has written a remarkable post on how (and why) content marketing should become less about buzz and more about smart strategy. In it, he lays out 5 ways our perspectives should shift from overused “epiphanies” to better tactics that reach the prospective customer—and not in a creepy way.

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What are your favorite posts this year? Let us know in the comments below.

SalmanSalman Aslam is co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Omnicore™, a full service Digital Marketing Agency focused on achieving performance and revenue goals for Startups and Small to Medium Enterprises. He is Google Adwords Certified, Hubspot Inbound Marketing Certified and contribute regularly at Omnicore Digital Marketing Blog.

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