Author Archive | chatfielda

There are a lot of really cool things online – tools, services, and techniques that other entrepreneurs and businesses are using to create incredible experiences for their prospects and customers.

When I see someone doing something new and exciting I take note – literally. I have a Notebook in Evernote filled with all the awesome stuff I see and notes on how I might be able to implement the same tactic, and sometimes make it better.

But I rarely make it back to that list.

It exists and if I ever need a shot in the arm for a project, there’s a big list somewhere with enough ideas to launch a half dozen startups in stealthy, creative ways.… Read More

When I first work with a client, their content strategy is in one of two places – it’s either non-existent with the core of marketing efforts focused on offline tactics and old school sales methods, or it’s focused on quantity over quality.

For those that fall into the latter camp, the issue is often one of planning. Content marketing is all about writing quality content that attracts attention from key prospects, right? But when someone doesn’t know what type of content will successfully make that connection, they compensate by writing more.

I am equally guilty of this. Read my blog from 5-6 years ago or the blog posts on my former agency’s website and you’ll see a whole lot of content and not a lot of focus on solving problems of our readers.… Read More

For a number of industries summer represents a relatively slow period. If you sell to other businesses, it’s likely you’ll experience quieter than normal months through July and August, but that doesn’t mean you have to put your own marketing efforts on hold.

In fact, too many companies see the slow down as an excuse to stop writing and publishing new content and to wait for everyone to get back to work.

There’s just one problem – everyone else is doing the exact same thing. Instead of shutting down your marketing efforts for two months, let’s look at some of the tangential benefits of content marketing and how powering through the slower months of summer can actually help you get ahead.… Read More

Content creation takes a lot of time. A single blog post can take several hours when you account for research, drafting, editing, layout, and promotion.

So it’s understandable that you want to get as much out of every post as you can. Yet our goals as marketers are often contradicted by the volume edict. How do we get enough content into the wild to drive traffic and keep the site at the top of the listings for our targets?

It’s a fine line and how to walk it will depend on a number of factors – your industry, your budget, and how competitive existing content might be.… Read More

A couple months ago, I wrote a post about how to create highly “sharable” content. I get a lot of questions about this from employees, clients, and readers alike and the truth is that not all content will get a lot of shares. Some of the things you write will just sit there and no matter how much you push, they won’t catch on.

Now throw in the wrench of your subject matter not being particularly exciting and the challenge doubles. How do you create content about a technical or “boring” topic that people will want to share?

In truth, the core concepts are all the same.… Read More

As a writer, I long approached the act of writing as a creative process. A messy, chaotic affair that could only end in tragedy and a headache, no matter how good the finished product.

At a certain point, however, I realized that the content I write for a client’s website or a short book I’m producing is different from the short stories and essays I wrote in college or for journals in which I was trying to be published shortly after graduation.

That’s not to say content for a website or a marketing campaign is easier; it’s just that we know a lot more about works and what doesn’t.… Read More

Good content is not easy to write. It takes time to research, outline, write, rewrite, and publish that content. So when it fails to generate the kind of shares and conversation we expect, it can be frustrating.

Fortunately, there are small tricks you can use to boost the engagement of your content – both on and off site – and they don’t take a lot of time to complete. Here are five of my favorites, each of them something you can complete in just a few minutes.

Ditch the stock images and find a way to create your own, unique images for your next post.… Read More