Consider the Source

In order to activate the power of content marketing, you need other people to carry your ideas. That means that there are two things about your content that are really critical:

In this episode, let's look at why people share – and the way that people share – so that it can inform the way that your create and propagate your content.

Have you been reposting your blog content on Medium?  It's a great way to extend your reach, and with Medium's "Import a Story" feature, it's incredibly easy – and 100% safe for SEO. Here's a quick overview of how to incorporate this into your content strategy. 

So you can see it in action, here's an example of my own content syndication:

Duplicate content is bad for SEO – or is it? Content syndication, done properly, is not only safe – but encouraged. There are 4 methods for syndicating content, two of which I endorse for a clean and effective content strategy. 

Here are links to the articles I mentioned in the episode:

Here's an example of my own content syndication. I published a blog post and podcast episode on the same topic:

While they are based on the same content, you'll notice that they are each presented a little differently to respond the differences in context.

Here's an example of using a 301 redirect. Sometimes when I publish something here on my business blog, I want to include it on my personal blog too. So I just use a redirect:

If you want to learn more, the folks at Yoast have a great how-to called rel=canonical: the ultimate guide.

Do you like to be sold to? I don't. "Push marketing" can only generate awareness. While awareness is important, it's only Step 1. Trust comes when you try to teach your customers instead – bring some value to them instead of just pushing product on them. 

Spending more on awareness campaigns won't scale. Input = output (that is... if you're lucky). Teaching your customers is a better path, and all you have to do is align your content strategy with this principle. Continuing my thread from last week, there are four key factors that will help you activate this dynamic: Experience, Generosity, Collaboration, and Strategy.

When you educate your customers, you can lead them to a better, more informed purchasing decision. One that they feel good about – and one that sticks. That means that you are an educator. In running your content strategy, can you think like a teacher? 

There are four key factors to producing good educational content: Structure, Sequence, Pacing, and Resources. So let's dig in and start to educate your customers!

I love the fall. Feels like a "reset" every year. Maybe it's because we're all used to back-to-school, or maybe it's just the transition from warm weather to cool, crisp autumn days (at least here in New England). In the spirit of transitions, let's start Season 5 by introducing a 3 new series that are in the pipeline – all of which will help you make better use of the content you are producing for your audience. 

Ethical business practices don't have to be the exception to the rule. But since they often are, it's worth highlighting the good people who run good businesses. This week's episode breaks from the regular format of the show and presents a story from an experience I had last weekend. 

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This story features Nantel Musique in Montréal. If you visit, ask for Jonathan, he's amazing! To hear my music, here's the latest full-length record I released with my band, The Rockmores: Interrupting Everything, along with the list of gear I used.

If you are new to the show, here's a little bit about me. I am a practitioner who shares what I learn "in the field" in my podcast and blog. I do this for free to "pay it forward." If you are able, fuel my efforts with a cup of coffee!

You can also support this podcast via Patreon.

The Starbucks Star Rewards Program provides a great lesson to small businesses about the power of data-driven marketing. 

Here are links to the articles I mentioned in the episode, and a couple others of interest. 

First, the blog version of this episode (with graphics):

On the backlash when the program was first introduced:

And some info about Starbucks' profit structure:

Get your social media strategy in order! Here’s a rapid-fire, integrated strategy that can apply to any small business – a capstone to my series on content strategy for social media.

I cover each of these platforms, categorized:

While LinkedIn is a low-commitment way to get started with blogging for business, you really need a strategy to get the most out of it. Here are two distinct game plans for you to consider: Which one is worth the time investment?