Top Marketing Blogs This Week: Asking Better Questions, Watered Down Experts And More

And the weekend roundup is on! This week we’ve got a couple of content-related posts that are fantastic and a few others that will really get you thinking about your marketing in ways that may make you a little uncomfortable at first but are worth a serious look if you’re serious about your business. Come along with us and get smarter, get inspired and just get in the mood to improve your marketing!

Your Bank Account Is Half-Full Because Your Marketing Is Half-Hearted

Written by Tea Silvestre

I think Tea was being nice here because I personally would have called it “half-assed” so be glad she wrote it and I didn’t! The point is the same: if you want your marketing to work then you have to work. Building a business doesn’t happen on its own. No book, course, blog post or mentor can help you get closer to success if you don’t buckle the heck down and get your s#%! done! Tea will get you doing some serious soul searching so if you’re struggling with your to-do list, your bills or just your motivation, read this.

Read the article at thewordchef.com and follow Tea on Twitter @TeaSilvestre

4 Important Content Marketing Facts You Should Wrap Your Head Around

Written by Daniel Sharkov

Wrap your head around these, indeed! Daniel doesn’t give you the usual “write great content” drivel or “know your target audience” blather. Instead he makes four bold and important statements about what content marketing is – and isn’t. In at least two cases, be prepared for a nice big dose of slap-in-the-face reality. Here’s one, just to tempt you to read the rest: quality content doesn’t guarantee more sharing. Yikes. Yet true. Find out what else Daniel has to say and his suggestions for improving your efforts.

Read the article at reviewzntips.com and follow Daniel on Twitter @DanielSharkov

Content Marketing 101 – The Era Of The Expert

Written by Robert Ryan

Here’s an interesting take on content marketing as a business model. Got a passion? Know what you’re talking about? Robert proposes that you can add a dash of content marketing and turn your passion into an online business. For many of us content marketing is a supplemental part of our businesses but imagine using content marketing to turn your hobby or whatever you love most into some side income. Here Robert gives you five points to consider so that you can take your expertise and make the most of it – whether you’re using content marketing for your business or otherwise.

Read the article at robertryan.ie and follow Robert on Twitter @RobertRyanDotie

Better Questions Lead To Better Results

Written by Matt Crawford

If you’re a service provider in the B2B space, this post is for you. Matt shares three key questions that can help you dig down to the root of what your customers need and they don’t look too different than questions you should be asking yourself! The important thing to remember is that you can’t simply show up and give your customers what they need unless you know enough about them and their businesses. Matt gives you a good place to start, so acquaint yourself with these questions and then challenge yourself to think of your own. Your customers – and your profits – will thank you.

Read the article at steamfeed.com and follow Matt on Twitter @SocialStratMatt

Is The Pressure To Create Content Watering Down The Experts?

Written by Mana Ionescu

The title of this post alone should make you curious even before you read Mana’s thought-provoking arguments. Before reading a single word I had an immediate reaction: yes!  True! With content marketing all the rage and even Google beating the content drum, there’s certainly no lack of pressure to blog and to do it often. But at what cost? Are we repeating ourselves ad nauseum just for the sake of a word count? Are we diluting our messages with buzz-speak that we think our audience “expects” to hear? Are we creating content for content’s sake, for the schedule, for the search ranking? You’ll have to read Mana’s post and decide for yourself but I will say this much: even the best of us can put out some of the worst of stuff. It pays to be vigilant when it comes to your own content.

Read the article at lightspandigital.com and follow Mana on Twitter @manamica

Have a great weekend!