Author: Content Curator

Finding Happiness through Failure: How I Created Independence & Flourished in a Digital World

What did you want to be when you grew up? 

Inside all of us is a calling and a gift. But many of us never realize our passionate purpose or find true meaning in our lives. Why is that? 

When I was ten years old, becoming a doctor seemed like a great idea. 

After all, my next-door neighbour was a doctor, and he had a fancy house and a car. Very appealing to my ten-year-old self. Unfortunately, I would later discover that I hated the sight of blood. So I crossed that career pathway firmly off my list. 

But it was a conversation with my teacher in Grade 5 that I remember was a quiet hint and a promise that didn’t reveal itself until almost four decades later. 

She said, “Jeff, you’re a good writer. I love your stories, and you should write more.” 

To a ten-year-old, who had only discovered writing and reading a few years before, I didn’t know what to do with that statement. Would my stories allow me to one day buy a fancy house and car like the doctor next door could? As a child, I was too unaware to ask. 

So I continued with my schooling, remembering her words but failing to put them into action…

Chasing money

I navigated school rather directionlessly and graduated with exactly … Read More

How to Inform Your B2B Content Strategy with Real-Time Buyer-Level Insights

In their most recent report, CMI shared that 77% of marketers reported their organization has a content marketing strategy. 

That sounds nice and all but here’s the truth: What many marketers are calling a “content marketing strategy” is merely a collection of topics and a list of random acts of content stored on a page. That is not a content marketing strategy!

If 77% have a strategy, most of them aren’t very good and today I’m going to tell you exactly why. Most content marketing strategies aren’t up to snuff, but yours doesn’t have to be one of them.

The overwhelming majority of content is so poorly constructed that it’s simply bad and therefore accomplishes nothing—for you or your audience.

Not All Content Marketing Strategies Are Created Equal

Marcus Sheridan has long discussed his They Ask, You Answer philosophy to Marketing. 

The premise is beyond simple, as it’s spelled out right there in the title of his book. Inside its pages, you come to realize that, ultimately, what buyers want is information on seven types of questions:

Who, What, When, Where, Why, How, and How Much?

Do social media contests still work for business growth in 2022?

Ah, social media contests. They were great at one point, weren’t they?

But what started off as an amazing tool for generating new followers and increasing brand exposure, has turned into a cheap shortcut for businesses. Many businesses use contests to quickly grow a social media page without any regard to the quality of the follower base accrued.

Without a doubt, social media contests have gained a pretty questionable reputation. And the growing number of social media contest scams has left users wary.

But that doesn’t mean that you can’t use a contest to grow your business this year. You just need to understand whether or not a contest is the right choice to meet your business goals.

Keep reading to find out more about all the different types of social media contests, their advantages and disadvantages, their mechanics, and how to run a contest that brings you new followers and customers.

Why do you want to launch a contest on social media?

When a social media marketer suggests your company should launch a social media contest, stop right there and ask, why?

Because, frankly speaking, if you can’t give a clear answer to this question and provide good reasoning, the contest in question will likely end up being a waste of your marketing budget and your SMM manager’s time.

The biggest mistake marketers make when it comes to social media contests is launching one just for the sak… Read More