It may be Friday the 13th, but today is still your lucky day because no matter the date, Friday is always Friday Fix Day. Assuming you survived the onslaught of black cats and broken mirrors that undoubtedly paved your path to the office today, take a seat and reward yourself with a little content education. In this Fix, we have a vocabulary lesson that distinguishes between content marketing and content strategy. We also get a little wisdom from top dogs PepsiCo, Kraft, and Apple Watch on their triumphs and on what content marketing means to them. So, kick back and consider yourself one of the lucky ones because you’re in for the Friday Fix.
What’s the Difference? Content Strategy vs. Content Marketing
The gloves are off. With Greg Secrist’s help, we are finally going to articulate the difference between content marketing and content strategy. While some use these terms interchangeably, they are in fact, very, very different. The key difference is that strategy is all encompassing; within strategy is marketing. You may be confused, too, by the tendency to tack the word strategy onto the end of content marketing (as in, “What is a Content Marketing Strategy?” which is the title of one of Greg’s article’s subtopics). Check out this fantastic read to clearly distinguish marketing and strategy and to understand the direction you need to head in 2015.
Marketing Terms Explained: What Separates Content Marketing, Inbound Marketing, and Brand Journalism?
What’s this? More vocabulary? Are you making flash cards yet? Now that we’ve clarified the differences between marketing and strategy, let’s increase the microscope’s intensity. With a little help from our friend Steve Armenti, aspects of content marketing are broken down and terms like inbound marketing and brand journalism are explored. It’s definitely worth the read (even for the content marketer who knows it all).
What is the State of Content Marketing for 2015?
Given that we’re halfway through March, Sarah Quinn poses a relevant question that she thus explores in this article. Quinn’s article breaks down B2B goals for 2015 and stats across the board. What are people thinking? What’s most important? How do they feel thus far? What results do we have to date? I think the statistic that most boggles my mind is that 40% of marketers don’t have a strategy. Did we learn nothing from the 110% consensus that above all else, one should have a written strategy to nail this whole content marketing thing? Okay, I’m abdicating the soapbox. Seriously, this is a fantastic article for seeing where you are on the spectrum.
Walking the Walk: Content Marketing Do’s & Don’ts
Matt Byrom’s strategy in this piece is to explain the telltale mistakes that are so easy to make but that are beyond crippling to an otherwise robust content marketing approach. I’ll give you a hint when I say that according to one of our pundits, as many as 40% of the folks out there are making one of these mistakes. As much as I’d like to tell you that it’s bad storytelling that’s ruining, it’s actually the technical side of things. Read on for a much-needed refresher course on content marketing technique essentials.
5 Ways to Improve Your Content Marketing Strategy Right Now
The tone and subject matter of Krystal Overmeyer’s article (and the others being shared) should be a red flag. Despite our knowledge and the enthusiasm for content marketing, things are still failing to launch in some areas. So, if you’ve put your content marketing on autopilot or haven’t given it the attention it deserves, look alive because Krystal has advice (starting with story) that will elevate your tactics.
The Only 6 Content Marketing Tips You Need for 2015
Drew Hendricks brings a serious list of the six most vital tips needed for content marketing striving and surviving in this brave new world we find ourselves in. Each tip contains tidbits, if you will, of things that should be done in order to be the best content marketer you can be. For example, in discussing social media, Drew also mentions the importance of curating. Each of the six tips goes into tremendous details leaving no advisory stone unturned.
How to Create a Content Marketing Culture at Your Company
Previous pundits have expounded on the essence of getting your organization in a content marketing frame of mind. Industry professional Arnie Kuenn goes into detail in this piece on how to turn things around so that content marketing assume the position of relevance it deserves within your organization. From getting people’s attention to motivational techniques, Arnie covers the cultural conversion process from start to finish.
Apple Watch Will Usher in ‘Reimagining’ of Content Marketing, says Agencies
Did the Apple Watch news set your Twitter feed on fire, too, or was it just me? Well, as per Jessica Davies in this piece, the watch is set to launch on April 24 and given that it’s a totally new vehicle, it’s going to be a game changer, something that’s both scary and exciting. Get the insight from industry’s leading strategists in this very interesting article.
PepsiCo Reveals its Toughest Content Marketing Lessons
Like watching your older sibling get grounded for taking your parents’ car for an unauthorized midnight joyride, watching bigger, older companies learn lessons that you can apply to your content marketing is just as sweet. As brought to us by Seb Joseph are soda pop giant PepsiCo’s biggest lessons learned. For example, they advocate that content is king as everyone else does, but there’s a but as they note that enterprise rules. Intrigued? You should be. Read on and see what wisdom PepsiCo has to impart.
Kraft Rolls Out Recipe Hub, Content Marketing Program for ‘Strapped’ Consumers
When I read the title of Karlene Lukovitz’s article, I was like, “Holy, Kraft. That’s me!” The program targets Millennials and Hispanics (and presumably Millennial Hispanics) with clever tactics and subtactics (it’s also geared toward moms, fans of breathing, etc.). It’s an intricate approach with both overlap and audience-specific focuses. With this, Kraft is essentially winning at a game of multilevel chess. It’s quite brilliant, and if you’re looking for inspiration, this is the piece to read.
Amy Delcambre is a freelance content and travel writer from Mobile, Alabama with a Master's in Creative Writing. When she's not painting the page with nouns, verbs, and adverbs, she's slaying grammar beasts as a freelance editor and saving the world one sentence fragment at a time teaching university writing classes. In her free time, Amy enjoys cooking, traveling, and testing which plant species best survive prolonged neglect.
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