The Problem with “Vanity Metrics”
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Measuring What Matters: Content Metrics That Actually Tell You Something
Category: Small Business Strategy
Media Ready in the Digital Age: How to Get — and Nail — Media Coverage
Media readiness has three components: positioning clarity, relationship infrastructure, and interview preparation.
Why Earned Media Still Matters in the Age of Owned Content
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Content Repurposing: How to Get More Mileage from Every Piece You Create
Here’s a bright idea: Focus more on repurposing the content you already have than continually struggling to create new content.
Why Content Repurposing Matters Now More Than Ever
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Blogging in the Age of AI: Why Your Voice Still Matters Most
Blogging is nothing new, but it’s arguably gained new relevance in this AI-driven content environment.
Why blogging still works (and may even work better now).
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Content Strategy for a New Business: Where to Start
Content strategy for a new business is a plan that defines what you will say, who you will say it to, where you will say it, and how often.
Publishing with intention vs. hoping for the best.
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Content Marketing for Consultants and Solo Practitioners: Playing to Your Strengths
Stop trying to compete with large organizations. Start leveraging the advantages only you have.
How to Write a Case Study That Actually Converts
Most case studies read like press releases. Here’s how to write ones that actually persuade.
By Linda Pophal, MA, SPHR · Strategic Communications, LLC
A case study is a detailed, evidence-based account of how a specific client or customer achieved a measurable outcome using a product, service, or approach. Case studies are told in narrative form to help prospective buyers understand what results are possible and how they might be achieved in their own context. A well-written case study is one of the most persuasive content formats available to B2B marketers because it combines social proof (‘someone like me has done this’) with specificity (‘here’s exactly what happened and what it produced’).
I’ve written a lot of case studies over the years for clients across industries, in formats ranging from one-page snapshots to 3,000-word deep dives. Over that time I’ve read even more: the ones clients show me as examples of what they want, the ones competitors publish, the ones that show up as thought leadership assets in B2B sales cycles.
The pattern I see most often: case studies written for the company that produced them, not for the prospect who is supposed to be persuaded by them.
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A Study in Contrasts: Companies That Go the Distance, and Those That Don’t…
Whatever happened to…
Over the past decade, we’ve seen a number of iconic brands simply disappear without a great deal of fanfare. On the other hand, we’ve seen the meteoric rise of new players that quickly captured the hearts, minds—and wallets—of consumers. But will they be able to sustain their gains? Only time will tell.
Here we take a look at some of the “losers,” and some of the “winners” and try to determine what it is that keeps a brand strong. Continue reading “A Study in Contrasts: Companies That Go the Distance, and Those That Don’t…”
Getting Local With Your Social With a Customer-First Approach
Social media can be a great way for businesses of all types and sizes to connect with their audiences and stay connected with them! In fact, for small businesses in particular, a social media strategy focused specifically on customers (rather than prospects, or the masses) offers the greatest potential to not only keep but to grow business.
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When Considering Your Marketing Goals and Objectives, Get Real!
Many of you have probably been at goal-setting seminars or workshops where the leader will pose a question like: “Would you like to make more money?,” and, of course, everybody nods or raises their hand. Then the leader will approach a workshop participant and Continue reading “When Considering Your Marketing Goals and Objectives, Get Real!”