Crave content? This infographic knows what you want
We love this cracking infographic - no, hang on, list, of the most seductive types of content. The fact that it's pointlessly rendered as an infographic says more about our current obsession with infographics, but that doesn't detract from the quality of the list itself... Enjoy.
read more
Fabulous critique of ghostwriting
CEOs shouldn't write. Not because they're useless at it, but because their time is better spent elsewhere. CEOs should be leading and doing, not researching and writing. But they should still (often) be the public face of the business; which is why ghostwriting has become commonplace. That's fine (writers have made a good living from ghosting for decades). But the vast throughput of content required for a well-rounded content marketing campaign means that ill-qualified writers are often being forced into creating second-rate content which neither serves the writer, the CEO or the brand. It's a big problem, it's one which only clarity and bespoke creation will solve, and it's one beautifully articulated in this piece from TechCrunch.
read more
Is there room for comedy in B2B?
A cracking piece from VentureBeat entitled 'Is there room for comedy in B2B?' http://venturebeat.com/2014/10/05/is-there-room-for-comedy-in-b2b/ To which the answer is, of course, a resounding yes - but the author's point is that even in a B2B context, we speak to each other as people first and business owners/buyers second. The age of corporate posturing is long gone and most people - even at the top - primarily consider themselves to be a Department of One. We contribute individually to our businesses, and we want to be spoken to as individuals. Comedy is just one of the tools in the communicator's armoury - and marketers now need to be communicators first.
read more
Newsletters: the Newschool is positively oldskool…
In this piece, entitled "Why everyone is obsessed with email newsletters right now", TechCrunch reminds us that sometimes the old ways are the best. Great content, effective metrics, engagement across age and gender barriers - what's not to love?
read more
A brand for $50? Great! Except for the weak link… me.
I was really excited to have a little play with the latest automation tool for business branding - Tailor. It's not a completely new idea; Justin Champney has been running Buildabrand for quite some time. But each new execution sees improvements in the process, and nobody can deny that one of the most fun (and necessary) parts of starting and marketing a new business is engaging in a bit of branding. So I had a play with Tailor... ...and it asked me some questions. Nothing too demanding. No more than five minutes effort. And because we do words for a living, I didn't hold back. I added some brand values (Authoritative, credible, capable, trustworthy, businesslike, go the extra mile) and explained when my business was founded. Then we went through
read more
The death of long-form has been greatly exaggerated…
Lovely piece here from the gang at LikeMinds (interview with a VP at Ogilvy) on the value of long-form in advertising. The idea that we have the attention span of a goldfish is simply not true - and particularly in B2B, there is immense value in the consultative sell. Bespoking, relationship-building and value generation all take time, especially when the product or service is not a commodity. Twitter and Vine are certainly fine And quick hits are surely engaging But when you take time (as I have with this rhyme) You'll find that despite the lack of scansion and use of second rate poetic devices that the results for your brand of a richer and more explanatory process can be better buy-in, which is amazing. I thank you.
read more