An Essential Resource for Building and Managing an Online Community [NEW BOOK]

By Joe Pulizzi | Published: May 15, 2012

I have always believed that a focus on truly unique and incredibly relevant content, shared in the right channels with the right customers and prospects, was the core to most corporate content marketing strategies. I’ve never focused (as much as I have needed to) on how important building and managing an online community is to an overall content marketing strategy.

Two events have opened my eyes to the idea that online communities can take your content marketing and put it on steroids.

First, I spoke with Todd Wheatland, VP of Thought Leadership for Kelly Services. Todd showed me how critical building an online community has been for Kelly Services, and how it is a “must-have” not a “nice-to-have” part of their content marketing strategy. Read More »

Posted in Content Marketing | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

10 Ways to Optimize Your Enewsletter Landing Page

By Joe Pulizzi | Published: May 10, 2012

I had the pleasure of presenting at the Enewsletter World workshop this week with Jeanne Jennings and Ryan Dorhn (two amazing, first-class media experts). In one of our breakout sessions, Jeanne broke down 10 specific ways to optimize an enewsletter landing page.

In our new social media world, email assets are more important than ever before. As content marketers, it is critical that we develop our audiences and build our channels, with a primary emphasis on email in conjunction with social channels like Facebook and Twitter. Why? Theoretically (and legally) the customer names that sign up to our social channels do not belong to us (they belong to Facebook and Twitter). Since it’s public information, that will most likely continue to be the case. Your email database, on the other hand, is a significant business asset. Read More »

Posted in B2B | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

3 Ways to Extract Brand Stories from Inside the Company

By Joe Pulizzi | Published: April 30, 2012

You’ve done it.  You’ve developed why you need the content, created and vetted the buyer personas, and  identified the buying stages where this essential content will have impact on the business.  As you start to dig into your content marketing channel and workflow strategy, you realize that you simply don’t have enough brand stories to meet the demands of the content marketing initiative.

In many content marketing programs, the core brand stories have to deal with transforming an employee’s, customer’s or stakeholder’s passion and expertise into one or multiple brand stories or story elements.  How many times have you heard the following that have stopped you in your tracks?:

  • Our [CEO, EXECUTIVE OR ENGINEER] doesn’t write – in fact, no one in our organization writes (almost certainly not true).
  • Our [CEO, EXECUTIVE OR ENGINEER] can’t write (okay, maybe this one’s true).
  • How are we going to get all this content created? – I just don’t have the resources (almost always true to an extent). Read More »
Posted in Branded Content, Content Marketing | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

6 Amazing Retail Content Marketing Examples

By Joe Pulizzi | Published: April 26, 2012

In doing some research for a retail-oriented content marketing workshop, I learned one thing: retail content marketing case studies and examples are hard to find.  That said, I was able to find a number of print and digital content marketing examples that impressed me.  Here are six of them.

…and, if you have some you’d like to share, please add them to the comments below.

Lifetime Fitness – Experience Life

Experience Life is the lifestyle print and online magazine developed by Lifetime Fitness, the billion dollar health and fitness company with over 100 centers around the US.  Experience Life is now published 10 times per year and has a circulation of more than 600,000 subscribers (as well as newsstand distribution).  Here is a great article on the evolution of the magazine and how it serves both members and readers to grow the Lifetime Fitness brand.

Read More »

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Optimizing Social, Search and Content: A Q&A with Lee Odden

By Joe Pulizzi | Published: April 18, 2012

I’ve had the distinct pleasure of knowing Lee Odden for more than four years now.  I first started following his blog back in 2007/2008 when we launched the Junta42 Top Content Marketing blogs.  During the 11 times we released the top content marketing blogs from around the world, Lee’s blog ranked #1 three times.  Quite an accomplishment and a testament to Lee’s expertise around content marketing.

Better yet, I’ve had the opportunity to run into Lee at dozens of events around the country (Lee will also be speaking at Content Marketing World).  He is truly one of the stand-up guys in our industry.  When I found out he was writing a book, and on content marketing no less, I knew this book would be a keeper.

Optimize: How to Attract and Engage More Customers by Integrating SEO, Social Media and Content Marketing is must reading for any marketer (joining these content marketing must reads). Read More »

Posted in Content Marketing, Content Strategy, Fun Stuff, Social Media | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

5 Content Marketing Lessons from Jackie Robinson #42

By Joe Pulizzi | Published: April 15, 2012

Today is the 65th anniversary (April 15th, 1947) of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in professional baseball. In his honor, EVERY major league baseball player will be wearing (the now retired) number 42 on the baseball diamond today.

If you’ve been a regular reader of this blog, you know that my favorite color is orange and my favorite number is 42 (hence our first company, Junta42).

Although most of the credit for using 42 is because of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy from Douglas Adams, where the number 42 is the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything, there are other significant reasons as well… Read More »

Posted in Content Marketing | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Content Marketing for In-Person Events: 15 Ways to Extend Your Reach

By Joe Pulizzi | Published: April 12, 2012

B2B Content Marketing for EventsLast month we talked about public speaking and presenting tips for business and professional speakers.  The response to this post was excellent, but I received a number of comments from corporate event producers on how they could effectively extract content from an event to drive pre- and post-content marketing efforts.

According to CMI/MarketingProfs B2B Content Marketing research, 56% of companies hold some kind of education-based customer or prospect event during the year. Events are a treasure trove of content marketing opportunities, but unfortunately, many companies don’t make the most of capturing content throughout the life of the event. Here’s some strategies and tactics (in no particular order) to help extract the most content from your customer or prospect event, giving you the ability to drive your content marketing efforts throughout the year. Read More »

Posted in Content Marketing, Junta42 Events | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

How to Create the Apple Store Experience for Your Own Brand

By Joe Pulizzi | Published: April 4, 2012
Adam's Apple Store Experience

My youngest son Adam experiencing the Apple Store for the very first time.

After going on the road for a workshop or a presentation, I usually check out of the hotel and cab it to the airport, trying to make it home for some quality family time.

This Friday was a different story.  This time, the family drove down from Cleveland to Columbus so we could all spend the weekend together in CBUS.  It was a wonderful surprise.

As we strolled along together that evening at the Columbus Easton Town Center shops (which are excellent by the way), we stumbled upon the Apple Store. None of us had ever been into an Apple store before, so we simply couldn’t resist.

Honestly, we could have stayed in the Apple store the entire day.  Read More »

Posted in Content Marketing, Fun Stuff | Tagged , | 5 Comments

15 Critical Business Success Tips after Five Years in Business [with special giveaway]

By Joe Pulizzi | Published: April 2, 2012

Content Marketing Institute Anniversary

According to the myriad of small business success studies, it seems that about 50% of startups fail after five years in business.

Well, it’s nice to be on the right side of that statistic!

It’s hard not a get at least a little romantic about celebrating our 5th year in business. We officially launched Junta42, now the Content Marketing Institute and SocialTract, on April 2, 2007. After 1,825 days in business, we are stronger than ever. 2011 was by far our best year, as we grew revenues over 300% and launched the largest content marketing event in the process.

Managing Content MarketingTo celebrate our anniversary, we are giving away copies of Robert Rose’s and my book, Managing Content Marketing, for 99 cents on Amazon.com (Kindle version).  This will only be available for 42 hours starting 4/2, so get the “how-to” manual for content marketing today for practically nothing (and spread the word!). Read More »

Posted in Content Marketing | Tagged | 18 Comments

10 Things You Need to Know about Content Marketing World 2012

By Joe Pulizzi | Published: March 28, 2012

Content Marketing WorldSo, I haven’t talked about Content Marketing World 2012 at all since we announced the dates back in November. It’s been a struggle. ;)

Since we have just a few days left until our early bird rate (saving $300) is gone (expires 3/31), I felt that now was the time to shoot everyone update and try to persuade you to come to Content Marketing World (if you are not already persuaded) – September 4-6 at the Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio USA.

I’m excited that we already have some amazing marketing executives signed up from companies like  Level 3, SAS, IBM, Majestic Steel, Deloite, UBM, Caterpillar, Cisco Systems, CME Group, University of Phoenix and more. Read More »

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