Content marketing is a dominating area of growth and innovation for companies of all sizes, as marketers discover the value of telling original stories in a way that resonates with their most important audiences. This increasing demand for quality content is why Fiverr has become such an important resource for finding talented freelance writers, designers, video producers, and other professionals.
Few people know content marketing better than the founders of Contently, an award-winning platform that helps brands create original, engaging storytelling at different scales. So we asked two of the company’s cofounders, David T. Goldberg and Joe Coleman about…
2017 Content Marketing Big Trends and Best Practices
Here’s what they told us..
Dave Goldberg, Contently Cofounder and CTO
What is the number one content marketing trend that entrepreneurs should focus on in 2017 and why?
Proving content’s return on investment (ROI). Brands are establishing custom ROI formulas that work for their needs, but that won’t be enough long term. I don’t know if we’ll ever find a one-size-fits-all formula, but the industry has come a long way and will continue to standardize what content ROI means.
What is the most common mistake that beginners make in content marketing and how can they avoid it?
An easy mistake to make is trying to run before your brand can walk. Content marketing is a marathon, not a sprint. If you invest in a $20,000 video before you have a clear content strategy, you’re setting yourself up for failure.
What are the key ways to position yourself as an expert in the increasingly competitive content marketing field?
One thing we’ve found to be impactful is encouraging our executive team to make time for thought-leadership activities like speaking at conferences, writing guest bylines, and contributing to our own publication The Content Strategist. Content marketing is a relatively new industry and there is a lot to learn. We want to encourage our executives to learn as much possible, and share those learnings with the industry.
Joe Coleman, Contently Cofounder and CEO
What is the number one content marketing trend that entrepreneurs should focus on in 2017 and why?
Global reach. We have customers publishing in a dozen different languages and twice as many cities. As entrepreneurs scale their companies, they should be thinking about how their content operation will scale along with it.
What is the most common mistake that beginners make in content marketing and how can they avoid it?
A big mistake we see is marketers not having measurable KPIs. Usually the objective is clear, e.g., “We want to close more business.” Our strategy team challenges marketers to clearly define the metrics that lead to that end result—return visitors, lead conversion rate, average lead score, opportunity creation, etc.
What are the key ways to position yourself as an expert in the increasingly competitive content marketing field?
Our approach has always been to practice what we preach. We’ve invested significantly in our own digital publication, The Content Strategist, where we’ve been able to build a brand by creating a helpful source of content marketing knowledge.
Contently’s third cofounder and chief creative officer, Shane Snow, is currently off the grid somewhere abroad, enjoying the company’s enviable perk that offers a two-month sabbatical after five years of employment. He’s taking advantage of his well-earned time off to travel and write a new book, a follow-up to his successful first book, Smartcuts: How Hackers, Innovators, and Icons Accelerate Success. Snow’s writing sabbatical is a great example of how storytellers and business leaders need to find time to refresh, recharge and re-energize their perspectives.
Join the discussion: How can these content marketing ideas help your business? What are some success stories of content marketing that you’ve created, especially with help from professionals hired on Fiverr? Tell us in the comments below!
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