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Oct 31, 2024 | 
contently.com | Joni Sweet
You know that feeling when you open a game on your phone to kill five minutes and suddenly realize an hour has passed? Games have the power of pulling us in so deeply that time seems to disappear. But it’s not merely a mindless escape — games tap into a fundamental need for play that all humans have, no matter their age. Tie that same concept into content marketing, and you’ve got gamified content.
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Oct 29, 2024 | 
contently.com | Holly Trantham
Recently, I have become obsessed with “Pack my Stanley” videos, but not because I own a Stanley tumbler or have any desire to “pack” it with custom ice cubes and snack accouterments before plunking it down in my also-nonexistent car. (Do I also find their popularity ethically dubious in the face of our ever-growing consumer waste? Sure!) No, I’m obsessed with them because they are a prime example of user-generated content finding its organic audience.
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Oct 24, 2024 | 
contently.com | Joni Sweet
Creating content marketing is a little like playing party host. Instead of just talking at your guests, the best content marketing engages in two-sided conversations, helps guests connect with each other, and maybe even invites them to play a game or two to keep things lively. Interactive content can help you do just that.
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Oct 17, 2024 | 
contently.com | Joni Sweet
In less than a year, Google’s “25 Years in Search” video racked up a whopping 353 million views on YouTube. And that’s not by accident. Humans are hardwired to share content that reflects their identity, evokes emotion, makes them feel nostalgic, or connects them to others. Google’s video taps directly into these impulses, resulting in irresistibly shareable content.
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Oct 1, 2024 | 
contently.com | Poornima Apte
Storytelling
Tags: diversity, Visual content
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Sep 19, 2024 | 
contently.com | Joni Sweet
If you think being conversational and customer-centric is enough for your brand voice, you’re only going to join a chorus of clones. Developing a distinctive voice defines your brand’s unique identity and builds a sense of authenticity with customers—an increasingly important factor in sales. Research from Asendia found that 65 percent of consumers are more likely to shop with brands they feel are authentic. Getting there isn’t easy, though.
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Sep 10, 2024 | 
contently.com | Holly Trantham
Remember when every brand seemed to be having a “brat summer?”I’m being a little facetious — I enjoyed the chartreuse memes and apple dances as much as anyone. But in recent years, the concept of timeliness in a content marketing calendar has become less about utility and more about jumping on trends for the sake of relevancy. Don’t get me wrong: there’s a time and place for incorporating memes and internet discourse into your content strategy. Staying “with it” is important.
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Sep 4, 2024 | 
contently.com | Kat Lisciani
I’ve always been a data nerd at heart. Words like “audit” and “A/B testing” don’t scare me. Still, when I set about refreshing more than 10 years’ worth of branded content to bring The Content Strategist up to date with our current web optimization and brand standards, I knew I had my work cut out for me. We started writing blog content in 2011—back when Facebook fan pages and Klout scores were the marketing trends of the moment. Needless to say, a lot has changed since then.
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Aug 27, 2024 | 
contently.com | Jordan Teicher
Encouraging any group of employees to march in step is difficult. The process gets even harder when the team includes part-time members. Many companies in marketing, media, or communications rely on freelance contributors, yet brands don’t always know how to effectively integrate these new teammates. Whether you’re looking to find new freelancers or already have external contributors helping out, you’ll benefit from a freelance onboarding process.
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Aug 14, 2024 | 
contently.com | Stephanie Walden
As a content marketer, your job is to create engaging pieces that organically connect with readers (or listeners, or viewers… you get the gist). This means you need to be intentional and attract the right traffic to your website—and to do that, you have to create content that actually shows up on search engine results pages (SERPs). But this is becoming more challenging today, with the rise of AI-powered search and zero-click results.