Our Favorite Online Marketing Blog Posts and Articles of 2014
Last week I shared a few thoughts on what made 2014 a success at KoMarketing as well as our most popular posts and columns from the past year. But our broader online marketing community helps drive our determination for success and provide inspiration to work harder.
We’re fortunate to be in an industry where ideas and insight are so freely shared, explored, and discussed by talented professionals and writers. Here is a look back at some of the articles and blog posts that influenced our team members this past year.
From Casie Gillette
BuzzSumo looked at the social share counts of 100 million articles to figure out what makes a piece more share-worthy. Based on what they saw, they put together 10 “ingredients” for content marketers to utilize. While following a specific set of rules won’t ensure your content is a hit, knowing what makes people share and incorporating that into your content strategy, can have a positive effect.
Buffer put out some pretty fantastic content this year but this was a piece I really enjoyed. It looks at the ideal length for everything from a tweet to a headline to an email subject line to a presentation and provides data as to why that particular length performs better. Definitely worth bookmarking.
You can see more of the posts, articles, and information Casie likes on Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn and read her blog posts here.
From Brendan Cottam
Content Promotion is a crucial part of the online marketing process. If you can do it correctly, you have an opportunity to get lasting engagement with your target audience. This post was helpful as it breaks down how to go about promoting an eBook using different types of medias.
Setting up IFTTT Recipe can save hours of manual work. There are too many on this list to digest in one sitting, so I have revisited it countless times to set up new recipes.
This article breaks down how to do on-page SEO really well in today’s environment. It is less about one keyword per page and more about topic targeting to each page with a priority keyword phrase in addition to including related and secondary keywords.
Many websites are getting traffic from Pinterest and do not even realize it. If you aren’t aware of the traffic, you are likely not maximizing the revenue you could be generating from Pinterest visitors. This article breaks down behavior on this platform and how to leverage its potential.
You can see more of the posts, articles, and information Brendan likes on Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn and read her blog posts here.
From Kristen Vaughn
This article from Kevan Lee explains the optimal length for social media updates and other online marketing assets. I think this is an especially helpful reference to see what types of posts typically work best across social media platforms. This is not to say that online marketers are limited to these recommendations, as it is still necessary to note different reactions from your target audience and make adjustments accordingly. However, it is definitely helpful to have a starting point and be able to tweak updates as one becomes more familiar with the space.
You can see more of the posts, articles, and information Kristen likes on Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn and read her blog posts here.
From Ryan Young
Much like the periodic table is the most important reference for a chemist, this infographic could be a content marketer’s “go to” reference as well. Chris Lake did a fantastic job in providing a useful resource for content marketers by categorizing important elements (format, content type, platform, metrics, goals, sharing triggers, checklist) of the content marketing process in an exciting and unique manner.
As a content marketer, I’m always looking for words (especially in headlines and titles) that will hook the reader in. Since it was published, this blog has been bookmarked and I’ve referred to it several times. It’s a good reminder to content marketers that providing a USEFUL post can keep readers coming back for more.
Staying informed with what’s happening in the industry is always important. Lee Odden’s post takes 100 statistics from the Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs “2015 B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends” report and organizes them in a digestible manner with well-defined sub-headings. I recommend this post to anyone that wants a quick snapshot of content marketing in 2014.
You can see more of the posts, articles, and information Ryan likes on Twitter, LinkedIn, and read his blog posts here.
From Stacy Thompson
It can be tough to build an online audience when you’re first starting out in content marketing. But it doesn’t have to be! In this Copyblogger article, Eric Enge outlines several ways to establish your own online credibility by getting your content in front of Other People’s Audiences (OPA). By leveraging OPA, you can generate the personal momentum and strategy you need for building your own audience.
If I’ve learned anything in my professional career, it’s that the workplace is made up of many different types of personalities and that each individual has a unique perspective to bring to the table. This article, which discusses the merits and potential of introverts (often looked over by their more extroverted peers), includes highlights from a TED talk by Susan Cain. Key takeaway? “The best organizations consist of a mix of both extroverts and introverts. More importantly, they create a culture and workspace designed to offer something to both.”
As Heidi Cohen notes, there’s a common misconception among content marketers that curated content isn’t as effective as original content; many also assume that curated content is of lower quality. In this blog post, Heidi makes the case (backed by statistics and research) that there’s a time and a place for curated content, as well as instances where original content might be more appropriate, depending on content marketing objectives.
In today’s competitive search marketing landscape, it’s only natural that there is (due) emphasis placed on link building. In this blog post, however, Demian Farnworth points out that, in a pre-Internet world, links didn’t matter: Authority, attention, and relationships did. Even in the digital marketing world, that much hasn’t changed.
You can see more of the posts, articles, and information Stacy likes on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+ and read her blog posts here.
From Derek Edmond
Justin Briggs lays out a very concise piece on how the impact of mobile device adoption and search technology will impact SEO. More importantly, the article explores how SEO professionals need to adapt their skills to stay relevant in a rapidly changing technological environment.
I’m a big fan of a well organized, information-driven content marketing strategy. Shane Snow’s interview with Neil Chase, former New York Times editor and SVP at Federated Media, breaks down answers to many popular questions strategic leaders should consider when building an information-based content marketing initiative.
Tony Haile, CEO of Chartbeat, breaks down popular myths about the online reader / information consumer and why we as marketers and advertisers, need to think a bit differently about what the success metrics are for our online marketing campaigns.
Seth Godin’s short post about our shift in attention and focus hits home even more when you consider Haile’s piece above.
An inspirational piece from Patrick McKenzie, founder of Kalzumeus Software, on how to view work, assuming you want your career to be a part of the path to personal success. In a nutshell: Prefer to work on things you can show. Prefer to work where people can see you. Prefer to work on things you can own.
You can see more of the posts, articles, and information Derek likes on Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and read his blog posts here.
Finally, if you’ve been reading our industry news coverage in particular, you know that mobile adoption and device connectivity continue to be a priority for B2B marketers. As vendors and buyers shift to new user experiences, design and usability take center stage. Here is a little humor on why good design and usability have an impact on your ability to convert visitors into prospects and customers.
Dear ugly websites with compelling value propositions, This is you: pic.twitter.com/kTHAWSVkAN
— Rand Fishkin (@randfish) June 18, 2014
Thanks to all of our colleagues and friends in the online marketing space. Best wishes in 2015 and beyond and look forward to crossing paths again; either online or in the real world!