There are many reasons why a CEO should care about content.  A good CEO understands the way content flows throughout her organization the same way she understands revenue flows. A good CEO knows all the best ideas start with a first draft. A good CEO knows that a content strategy means nothing if it is disconnected from a company's high-level objectives. A good CEO believes the strongest content strategies draw energy and purpose from the macro goals of her company.  A good CEO views content as a critical communication vehicle for positioning her company in the marketplace. A good C ..read more

Optimizing your blogging strategy will not only generate better content but help you get more out of the posts you’re already creating. Here are eight ways to propel your blogging strategy and strengthen the channels of communication between you and the community you serve. DOCUMENT - It's too easy to overthink your blog. Instead, get on with documenting and commenting on what's happening in your company and the world around you. By all means, throw in more complex and longer-form articles that you might wish to develop. But don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. RECRUIT - It ta ..read more

Corporate blogging remains a surefire way to promote your business. Blogging generates engagement, raises brand awareness, and drives leads over time. But blogging is not for the faint-hearted. Blogs are time-intensive and require discipline to maintain. Having a blog is one thing, but blogging well is another. And understanding the deep and complex ROI of blogging is different again. Beyond driving organic traffic and generating leads, here are seven not so obvious reasons why blogging regularly is good for your business: 1.Staying Current Blogs require research, and research involves stayin ..read more

When it comes to capturing the spirit of your organization and the executives that spearhead its mission, ghostwriting—the act of writing copy for publication under someone else’s name—can prove an almost supernaturally effective tactic. Ghostwriting is not only a great way to get your senior executives noticed on behalf of your company. Creating editorial content attributed to your senior leadership helps drive awareness of their voice and ideas. Here are seven reasons why executive ghostwriting will work for your organization: 1. be wise with TIME Your senior leadership are busy running the ..read more

Just about every business creates content of some form—product descriptions, sales decks, website copy, and that's just for starters. Whatever your industry, your business needs a documented content plan to govern your content development. How you build your plan is dependent on numerous factors—the size and structure of your company, your comfort level with content creation, and the degree to which you are invested in content as a practice. COVERING THE CORE ELEMENTS In any scenario, here are seven core elements to incorporate into your documented plan: A clear statement as to why you are ..read more

All organizations are content creators whether they acknowledge it or not. From sales decks to product descriptions, content is a necessary element of almost any business.  But many companies continue to view content as a marketing expense rather than an asset. We need to flip this thinking on its head. Whether you do a little bit of content or are already highly committed to content creation, your business will benefit from doing content well. “Many companies continue to view content as a marketing expense rather than an asset. We need to flip this thinking on its head.” There are many ..read more

Are you content planning for planning's sake? Before embarking on a fresh project, look at what you have already created and consider how to refresh or rework it. Oftentimes you have already done much of the heavy lifting. Remember the three R's—Refresh, Repurpose, Review—and you will stay in good shape. REFRESH Content refreshing is the practice of revisiting your published content assets to keep them accurate and relevant. This is a key and overlooked practice. More often than not, there is no need to reinvent the wheel. Look at what content you already have published, and give it a fresh s ..read more

The role opinion plays in corporate content is a tricky matter. Opinion can polarize, but it can also cut through the clutter. It is a double-edged sword. That doesn't mean businesses should avoid opinion. The opposite in fact. Expressed well, opinion will lend an edge and appeal to your organization's content. Where you have an opportunity, take a stance.  Oscar Wilde was never short of an opinion or two. RULES OF THUMB As with any swordplay, you will want to play smartly. Opinion is not a free-for-all.  Ensure opinion pieces are clearly highlighted in your content schedule. Your p ..read more

Although businesses are increasing their investment in content creation and distribution, a lack of clarity exists around the reasons for this uptick. Companies are scrambling to get on the content bandwagon without a clear reason why. This is problematic. If an organization is increasing its investment in the content function, someone needs to be able to make the business case for it.  In our first post on the cost of content, we explored ways of setting a framework for content expenditure that would obtain executive buy-in. In our second post, we reviewed ways of driving efficiencies fr ..read more

Content costs. How much it costs and how great a return you receive from it will largely depend on the intelligence of your investment and the rigor with which you manage it. In our previous post on this topic, we talked about the need for organizations to be increasingly accountable for the cost of content. Too many organizations are not yet awake to the dollar cost.  But, once companies understand what they are spending on content, it's time to consider ways of driving efficiency from that investment. Efficiency is sometimes a problematic word, evoking images of management consultants c ..read more