Brand Messaging

The first step in developing a content strategy is defining the heart of what you want the content to do for your business. These are your core business objectives. The second step is to decide how you will approach those objectives.  For example, if you have to go to Atlanta next Thursday (ie: your objective…

Let’s define content strategy. Content strategy is two things: First, it’s a process. Defined this way, content strategy is an ongoing planning process that uses content as the primary vehicle for achieving business outcomes.  Second, it’s a map. Defined this way, content strategy is a roadmap for how content will be created and deployed to…

The more I dive into content strategy, the more it reminds me of the Rubbermaid storage containers I have in the middle and bottom drawers in my kitchen.  The big drawers.  The ones where lids and sippy cups go to die (but occasionally come to life again when I’m in the mood for Spring cleaning.)…

It’s a strange experience when a direct response marketer dives deep into the world of content marketing. On the direct response side, there’s an approach that says, “Go for the sale. Get the click. Always be driving attention and action.” On the content marketing side, there’s the approach that says, “When people find information that…

You may have heard the phrase, “content is king.” But it would be equally accurate (and more useful) to say “context is everything.” Why? If you create great content but put it in the wrong setting, the content won’t get results. If you make this mistake, it creates a scenario where the writer goes down…

Content marketing would be easier to understand if its core ingredient was less nebulous.  Any time I write an article about content I’m tempted to define content as: “You know, the ‘stuff’… anything you create that isn’t an ad.” But even that isn’t accurate because depending on who you talk to, an ad sometimes gets…

Content Strategy gets defined in various ways but the easiest way to think about it is to imagine how the internet got started. Imagine a world of people excited about the opportunity to connect and share their ideas with people they’ve never met in person. Back in the day, this was a revolutionary idea. But…

If you’ve defined the Core Topic of your community using the PLACE Method, you’re on the right track. The PLACE Method is a great way to start because it helps you choose a topic that either solves a problem or is something people are passionate about. The next step is to validate your audience’s level of interest,…