Cashing In On Content Marketing

Setting Up a Content Measurement Plan

Too often in the world of content marketing, there is no real plan in place for measuring performance. That's why a thoughtful content measurement plan is absolutely crucial. I had a great time talking with digital marketing lead Azeem Ahmad, also known as Azeem Digital, about his step-by-step process for creating and executing a successful measurement plan that drives results. Azeem explains how to set up an infrastructure for measurement and much more. 

You Need to Know About Humantic Content

What is humantic content? Think of it this way: when it comes to content and its value, context still reigns supreme. And at the end of the day, humans understand content better than AI. Grant Simmons, VP of Performance Marketing at Homes.com, part of the CoStar Group, joins the show to talk all things humantic content. Grant breaks down how this type of content satisfies both users and search engines, how to create content that prioritizes context over keyword density, and much more. 

Why ALL Organizations Need Brand Storytelling

Whether you're a nonprofit, for-profit, civic organization, or any type of organization, storytelling is an important part of garnering brand awareness and creating an effective marketing campaign.  I had a great time chatting with Tonya McKenzie, Los Angeles County Commissioner and PR & Leadership Consultant, about all things storytelling. In this episode, Tonya breaks down the importance of telling a brand's story, how to work with organizations to do it in an impactful way, and much mor...

How to Rank Your Content Faster

Getting your content to rank faster might seem difficult, but all it really takes is a little extra effort and work beyond the usual keyword research and optimization.  Patrick Stox, product adviser, technical SEO, and brand ambassador for Ahrefs, joins me to talk all things ranking—and ranking quickly. In this episode, Patrick talks about the tools you can use for more advanced keyword research, utilizing expert insight for more authoritative content, and much more. 

Strategizing Your Marketing Mix

The truth about marketing is that not every target market is in the same place at the same time, and every customer journey is different.  It was wonderful talking to the great Carmen Ballock-Bunt, marketing operations analyst with Blue Shield of California, about why these truths emphasize the importance of strategizing your marketing mix, where to begin when building a strategy, and so much more. 

How to Create Content That Naturally Builds Links

Link building is a process that requires quality content, and having content that build links naturally takes plenty of research and trial and error.  I had a great time chatting with digital PR specialist Monique Quarles, of Wiideman Consulting Group, about all things organic link building. Monique breaks down ways to create content that's optimized for building links naturally, explains how to know what format works best for your content, and much more. 

Optimize Your Content With Search Journeys

One of the biggest misconceptions about a customer journey is that every journey is linear. In reality, there are often hundreds of interactions happening along the way. The wonderful Kevin Indig, director of SEO at Shopify, breaks down the concept of search journeys and why they're so important for optimizing content, how to use search journeys to anticipate a user's next step after consuming your content, how to improve your keyword research for search journeys, and much more. 

How to Create Accessible Content

Making your content, and content marketing, accessible to everyone is one of the most important things you can do for reaching the widest audience possible.  I had a great time chatting with social media manager and accessibility advocate Alexa Heinrich about the many ways you can make your content more accessible. In this episode, Alexa breaks down ways you can identify where to improve accessibility, the importance of color contrast for people who are visually impaired, and so much more. 

How to Successfully Brainstorm Emotional Ideas

The process of spiral thinking is a way of coming up with executable ideas by "spiraling up" into a more positive and optimistic mentality when ideating.  The wonderful Dave Goodman, CEO of the MindShare Network and former Vice President and Executive Producer of Walt Disney Entertainment, explains this invaluable approach to creative thinking, how to apply it to projects and content, designing ideas through small steps, and more. 

How to Avoid Common Content Mistakes

Content creation isn't an exact science, and sometimes things fail. That can be a tough pill to swallow, but there are ways to avoid some common mistakes to help get the results you want. It was a blast talking to the wonderful Mark Porter, of Screaming Frog, about some of the most common mistakes in content, how to prevent these mistakes from happening, how to ensure that your content is relevant, and much more. 

That Which Doesn’t Render, Cannot Rank

To understand why your content might not be ranking from a technical SEO perspective, it's important to understand the process of rendering and how it impacts content. It was wonderful chatting with Jamie Alberico, aka Jamie Indigo, about all things rendering. She explains the process of rendering, the differences between client side rendering and server side rendering, how to determine what is correctly rendering, and much more.

Phone? Desktop? It Matters For Your Content

Prioritizing a mobile experience for your content is just as important as it is to optimize content for desktop—especially depending on what type of content your produce. It was wonderful chatting with the great Garrett Sussman of IPullRank about how to optimize content for devices, what types of content should prioritize mobile vs. desktop, and so much more. 

Don't Just Focus on Conversion Content

Focusing on all parts of the content funnel, rather than just bottom-funnel content, is an incredibly important part of any strategy. Purna Virji, LinkedIn's senior content solutions evangelist, breaks down how to come up with content ideas for all parts of the funnel, how to make sure all parts are cohesive, how to increase your audience, and much more. 

The Importance of Link Building

Developing a good link building strategy is all about perfecting the outreach and having the right expectations about the results you'll get. This week, I was joined by the wonderful Syed Farhan Raza to chat about the art of link building. In this episode, Farhan breaks down ways to perfect your pitch, how to determine what a quality link is, and much more. 

The Power of Niche Content

Niche content may seem hard to research and create, but it can be incredibly effective for being authoritative and ranking with your content strategy.  SEO strategist Tessah Aihara, founder of SEO Mama, talks all things niche content. In this episode, you'll learn how to research effectively for niche content, how to improve your meta descriptions, the ways to know when niche content is successful, and much more. 

What 2021 Google Updates Mean for Content

If it seems like Google updates happen all of the time, it's because they do. How does that impact your content and how it ranks? The great Mordy Oberstein, Wix's liaison to the SEO community and host of The SEO Rant podcast, talks all things Google updates, the evolution of search, how important it is to keep up with updates so your content can rank, and much more. 

Getting The Most Bang For Your Buck With Content

Creating evergreen, linkable, and thoughtful content can help you get the most bang for your buck—making your content valuable for a longer period of time. It was a blast chatting with Kate Neuens, SEO Manager at Beyond Identity, about all things content. In this episode, Kate talks about how to create linkable content that serves more than one purpose, how to tie events and holidays to your content to make it evergreen and applicable, and much more. 

How Startups Should Utilize Content Marketing

Utilizing content marketing as a startup starts with creating valuable content and building a community and audience around it.  It was great chatting with podcast host, author, investor, and company advisor Eric Siu about all things content marketing for startups, his tips on when startups should think about a content strategy, and much more. 

Here's How to Improve Your BIPOC Messaging

Improving BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) messaging and visuals in marketing is all about understanding the "why," and having the right intention. Krystal Glass, co-founder of Black Creative Group, breaks down how to audit your existing marketing efforts to find areas where improvement is needed, how to embed diversity and representation into your content, and much more. 

Organizing Content Marketing at the Enterprise Level

Communicating and fixing problems in workflow between different teams in an organization requires identifying the intersection points and being transparent with colleagues. I chatted with the great Tommy Walker, founder of WalkerBots Content Studios, about organizing content marketing to create a better workflow and streamline the content creation process, how to document and pitch these changes, and more. 

Should You Be Live Streaming?

Live streaming can be an incredibly effective tool for a content strategy, and can help launch a podcast that sees returns out of the gate.  Christoph Trappe returns to the show to explain how companies can use live streaming as a launch pad for a podcast, how to navigate the backend of live streaming platforms, and so much more. 

Why Content Marketers Should Care About Machine Learning

Having an understanding of machine learning as a content marketer can help you analyze your content from a more technical perspective. Senior analytics consultant Jess Peck breaks down why SEOs use machine learning to better understand search engines, how to use it to gain insights for stronger content, and how machine learning can show you biases in your content seen by algorithms. 

How Cognitive Biases Can Impact Internal Communication

Understanding cognitive biases and how they impact communications can help you build a better case with organizations, and relay stronger messaging.  Spin Sucks founder Gini Dietrich breaks down the different types of cognitive biases, and how understanding them can help in all areas of communication as marketers. 

How To Master The Art of Vulnerability In Marketing

Being vulnerable in marketing can create a valuable, authentic connection with an audience. SEO strategist Tamara Sykes dives deep into the importance of being vulnerable as a brand and with content, explains how deviating from the norms of marketing will help organizations stand out, and much more.

The ROI of Long-Form Content

Long-form content can show your expertise on a topic, and help you elevate your ROI by generating more leads. Content strategist and SEO copywriter Chima Mmeje breaks down the importance of long-form content, why incorporating emotion into your content is so crucial, her keyword research strategies, and so much more. 

How to Scale Your Content Marketing Efforts

Scaling your content marketing is an important step, but it's important to know both how and when to do it effectively. Brian Dean, founder of Backlinko and co-founder of Exploding Topics, explains how to scale content the right way, imparts the importance of a content calendar, and much, much more. 

Leveraging Social Data to Improve Content

Social media can be an invaluable tool for gauging audience behaviors to improve content. Digital strategist and ViviMae Labs founder Adrienne Sheares breaks down the value of "social first" content, utilizing social media to learn about your audience, and what metrics really matter when exploring analytics.

Why Content is Crucial for B2B Customer Retention

Selling the value of content in a technical B2B space comes down to understanding the perspective of the organization. B2B marketing strategist Michael Barber explains how to get the right perspective, how to use retention metrics to understand what customers are doing and not doing, how content can help sell services around a product, and more. 

How to Optimize and Measure Conversion Content

Measuring the success of conversion content, and merchandising your CTA to improve conversion, can be much simpler than you might think. Media Volery founder Zontee Hou explores the ways to create and optimize conversion content, the importance of refining your call to action, the value of auditing and refreshing older content, and so much more.

How Empathy Can Improve Your Marketing Outcomes

What does empathy have to do with marketing? A lot more than you might realize.  B2B strategist Ardath Albee, CEO of Marketing Interactions, breaks down the importance of understanding your target market on a human level, how marketers can learn more about their audiences, and much more. 

The Underrated Benefits of Top-of-the-Funnel Content

Top-of-the-funnel (TOFU) content, or awareness content, can be an incredibly effective part of any content marketing strategy. SEO consultant Dan Shure, founder of Evolving SEO, dives into the reasons why TOFU content is so beneficial, how to determine the right mix of keywords for content, and much more.  

How Content + Email Marketing Can Elevate Your ROI

What are the benefits to email marketing, especially when it comes to increasing your ROI? Email marketing expert Samar Owais explains why email marketing is a reliable tool, and how such a direct connection to your audience can be invaluable. 

Getting Buy-In at a Traditional Marketing Organization

"People are constantly searching" Let's be honest—sometimes it's hard to convey to clients just how important and powerful content marketing is. B2B marketing expert Pam Didner explains that it doesn't have to difficult after all. Listen to find out what it takes to get there, and the unique ways she's found success in traditional marketing. 

Data Journalism is for Marketers, Too

When marketers create data-focused content, they can earn amazing backlinks and brand awareness. Listen to Semrush's Laura Morelli explain how she's been able to leverage this tactic and share tips on how you can, too.

Marketers Need to Think This Way About Attention

"Pay attention!" We heard this countless times as children, right? We learned at an early age that attention is highly sought after. Neen James explains that attention is actually one of the most important considerations for marketers. Listen to find out how to earn the attention of your audience while also prioritizing your own attention to improve your ROI.

Are Your Audience Personas Effective?

Audience personas might not have an obvious impact on ROI, but they can absolutely make a difference. Digital Marketing Strategist Henry Adaso explains how to keep your audience personas accurate and how to properly use them to improve your content program and increase the value of your work.

Direct Mail? Yes, It Can Matter for Digital

Direct mail can be a great supplement to your digital strategy. Digital Marketing Consultant Tod Cordill explains how direct mail can reach your audience in a way email can't always achieve and details how you can track this effort in Google Analytics.

Quick Note to End the Year

How to Most Effectively Utilize Video Content

Have you been thinking of investing more in video marketing? Chief Visionary Office of Wave.video Kate Skavish provides her tips on how to get the most ROI out of video content.

Amplifying Content with PPC

Paid doesn't have to be its own separate strategy. Expert Navah Hopkins walks through how PPC and content marketing can work together to improve ROI.

How to Set Up a Content Strategy Without Getting Overwhelmed

It's tough to prioritize content marketing initiatives. This week on the show, Michelle Ngome explains how to decide what to focus on and how to not get overwhelmed when planning your content calendar.

How to Come Up With Countless Content Ideas (And Get Buy In For Them)

You know you need to create content -- but what should you write about? Melanie Deziel, author of The Content Fuel Framework, explains how you can come up with great content ideas at scale.

Use an SEO Lens to Improve Your Content

There are several ways SEO should inform your content marketing strategy Listen to SEO expert Aleyda Solis advise on how an SEO lens can strengthen your content.

Making the Most of User Generated Content

You've heard of user-generated content, but are you using it to help you grow your brand? In this week's episode, Growth Mentor's founder explains how he used USC to promote his company.

Do You Need an Audit of Your Analytics Process?

Are you collecting the right data and examining the right analytics? How can you know that your content strategy is working well? Dana DiTomaso explains how you can improve your reporting process to get more accurate insights and ongoing buy-in.

Using Content to Amplify Your E-commerce Efforts

Are you utilizing content marketing at every aspect of your e-commerce funnel? If not, Luke Carthy describes how content can get you the attention, traffic, and conversion you’re seeking for your products.

Programming, AI, and the Future of Content

With the arrival of GTP-3, AI is becoming more, well, human than ever. Hamlet and Kristin continue their discussion, exploring how programming and AI could fundamentally change content and search -- forever.

How Programming and AI Can Improve Your Content Strategy

You don't have to be a master of more technical concepts to utilize the power of programming. Hamlet Batista and Kristin Tynski discuss how marketers can learn programming and utilize AI to their advantage in their content marketing.

How Content Fuels Massive Brand Growth

Entrepreneur and digital marketing strategist Sujan Patel has launched and marketed 8 different companies. On this episode, he shares how content has played a major role in his brand growth strategies and provides tips on how to amplify your own content plans.

How to Speak to Your Target Audience Through Content

Figuring out exactly who you want to reach with your content is the first step to effectively reaching your audience, building relationships, and ultimately selling your product or service. Shondell Varcianna shares tips on targeting, segmenting, and creating content that speaks to the people who matter to your brand.