I’ll let you in on a secret… even though I write all day every day, there are times when I sit down to write, hands over the keyboard, clean blank page in front of me – and nothing comes. Read more
Before content comes research. There’s little chance you’ll be able to convince a reader that what you’re saying is true (or even worth reading!) without something to back it up. Here are four of the top methods I use to find up-to-date stats and killer bites of insight, to give my writing that necessary credibility. Read more
From 21 April, Google’s ‘guidelines’ favour websites that work well across desktop, tablet and mobile. And lots of people have already been caught out by these new ‘mobile-friendliness’ rules (us included). Web designers and developers will be busy for a while, then. But what about your content… the words that really get your messages across? Read more
From push to pull So content marketing is essentially the social side of marketing. It’s the next big shift away from the hard sell, towards attracting customers with stories about them and the myriad problems they want to solve. Read more
Storytelling People like stories, not sales pitches. Not just the facts. In an information overload world, we’re all looking for the part that means something to us, and will benefit us personally in some way. We’re continuously asking ‘so what?’ Read more
The long game Content is indirect. Unlike traditional marketing, which is prone to using the wrong adjectives and applying hype to describe value and hint at that brand experience, content actually creates that value by building the relationship and nurturing loyalty to the brand’s approach. Read more
Understanding what customers want We must also remember that customers aren’t loyal to products, and haven’t been since markets offered comparable choice. Products are, on the whole, functional. They serve a purpose or meet a need. Read more
Where does content come from? The common misconception is that brands, businesses and organisations have to somehow find this ‘content’, or create it from scratch – when there is content everywhere in every organisation. Read more
We can all create content. Will it be any good, though? Content represents a great opportunity, for brands, businesses and individuals – and for good writers. This is because the brands that stand out, or the brands that break through, recognise how important it is for their content to be ‘not rubbish’, or even better,... Read more
