More than 50 sessions, more than 70 exquisite speakers, over 1,000 attendees, numerous bloggers, Ohio State Marching Band, snow leopard, cheetah, and Zemanta: a fast glance of the second annual Content Marketing World that took place last week in Columbus, Ohio. We were there as a sponsor of Content Strategy track.
Here are our Top 10 Blogging Lessons we learned during the conference:
1. You’re not alone
According to the soon-to-be published research, blogging is one of the most commonly used content marketing tactics. Indeed, it is considered among the 4 most effective tactics to boost your business. So, don’t give up! It pays off to blog!
2. You’re not a masochist
Don’t torture yourself by thinking that each and every time you have to come up with something totally new, to create a new story. According to Ardath Albee, Marketing Interactions, if the existing stories continue to address your buyers’ pain points, continue addressing those pain points with a refresh or an update on an already published article.
3. You’re who exactly?
Who are you? Who is your company? What makes you both unique? What is your story, why do you do what you do? According to C.C. Chapman, author of the book Content Rules, you should figure this out to know how to tell your story through content.
4. You should know why you’re blogging
You should figure out WHY you’re blogging, if you haven’t yet. Only then you should think about how to do it. Developing a clear strategy and establishing goals early is critical in deciding the success of your content marketing endeavors.
5. You live in a multi-platform world
“Content is an ecosystem and all platforms are interdependent,” said Arjun Basu, Spafax. He argues, if you remove one platform or create content in silos, the entire ecosystem collapses. So think whether a blog is enough for your business. However, it’s better to be the best across a few channels than to be mediocre across all channels, according to Ardath Albee, Marketing Interactions
6. You should make your content shareable
This one is a neither new nor revolutionary lesson, but it has to be stressed constantly, because many bloggers simply forget about it. Make your content so good others want to share it (remember Jason Falls’ advice on the best content marketing strategy). Moreover, make it easier for others to share it. Michael Stelzner, Social Media Examiner, added you should build a community on existing social networks. And if possible, build your own community onsite, so you can have full control of your fans.
7. Your customers have the best stories, even about you
You have no idea what to blog about next? Marcus Sheridan, The Sales Lion, said it best: “They ask, you answer”. Indeed, according to Deana Goldasich, Well Planned Web, your customers can tell your story better than you ever will and prospects will listen to other customers more than they’ll listen to you. By the way, a single customer story can fuel a lot of content.
8. You’re not a pre-configured machine
But be careful. Content for content’s sake doesn’t get you anywhere, according to Brian Clark and Sonia Simone, Copyblogger.com.
9. You always have time for blogging
The most misused excuse in our lives is: “I don’t have time for it.” (#3 on our list of content production myths) We don’t have time for exercising, we don’t have time for blogging… Bullshit, says Marcus Sheridan. How come we always have time for having fun, eating, sleeping, even payroll? Marcus’s advice is to look to blogging as you look at payroll. There’s simply no debate; it’s not an option.
10. You’re human
Jungle Jack Hanna gave the best advice in the end: “Be passionate, be genuine, tell stories, know your content, and bring animals!”
What is the greatest lesson you’ve learned as a blogger? What blogging lessons did you gather from Content Marketing World? Please do share with the rest of Zemanta community.
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