Content Marketing Resources for 2014 [UPDATED]
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[dropcap2]A[/dropcap2]round 4 weeks ago, I set myself a goal. That goal was to create a fantastic resource for content marketers with lots of tips for 2014. As the nights closed in on the New Year, I found myself somewhat overwhelmed – hundreds of new content marketing resources surfaced online, plenty of which were excellent.
So, I changed my goal.
Instead, I decided to round up essential content marketing resources for marketers in 2014.
The result? I now have an impossibly long Read It Later list and a Google Chrome browser that’s full of bookmarks. Also, 100+ tips from lots of different experts.
So, I thought what better way to help my dear readers and prepare them for the year ahead than round up all of the exceptional articles I’ve discovered?
You can thank me later, because right now time is of the essence. Stock up on your knowledge and become better prepared for 2014 with these fantastic articles on content marketing in 2014.
Content Marketing Resources
Note – This article is going to be continuously updated throughout 2014. New entries will be published at the top of this article.
Updates Added 01/02/2014
What does content marketing success look like?
by Dominic Mills on The Guardian.
In a piece for The Guardian, Dominic Mills talks about content marketing success and what it really looks like. Whilst there is tangible and overwhelming evidence that content marketing is an activity brands big and small should invest in, measuring the ROI is sometimes tricky – often, brands make bad decisions because they lack the insight into just how effective a piece of content is. With 8 actionable points, Dominic’s article is as valuable as it is well written. If you have five minutes to spare, investing it in this article will be worth your while.
Build Trust in 5 Steps with Content Marketing
by Daniel Newman on The Huffington Post.
In a piece for The Huffington Post, Daniel Newman offers 5 actionable tips on how to build trust with content marketing. I particularly like Newman’s point about determining content frequency and location: “While the type, frequency and placement won’t in itself build trust, you have to think about whom you defined as the audience and show them that you are interested in them. If your audience primarily seeks content via email then make sure you make it available to them. Trust starts by putting the information they want in places where they can benefit from it.”
7 Content Marketing Tips to Recover from Google Penguin
by Pratik Dholakiya on Search Engine Watch.
Although Google Penguin was not a penalty update, it still caused a huge wave in the search engine world. In a piece on Search Engine Watch, Pratik Dholakiya talks about recovering from Penguin, or any algorithm change, with high quality content. He uses a case study of a customer, who approached him about promoting their website. Pratik helped his client recover from a Google penalty with high quality content which attracted natural links. There was some manual link building, but content played an essential role.
Updates Added 17/01/2014
D Custom Content Marketing Report: 10 B2B and B2C Trends
by D Custom.
In a new pdf report, D Custom have listed some clever 2014 content marketing trends for B2B and B2C brands. Our favourite entries are ‘native advertising meets content marketing’ and ‘audience-driven micropublishing’. The latter is particularly interesting because toward the end of 2013 we saw a number of brands including Coca-Cola and John Lewis stepping up their user generated content game. D Custom says “Micropublishing will help big brands and multi-brand retailers develop even more followers, and will allow consumers to get more involved than ever.”
It’s 2014 –Is Your Content Mobile Ready?
by Arnie Kuenn on Marketing Land.
Mobile traffic accounted for 20% of all internet traffic in December 2013, and mobile traffic has grown more than 50% in the last 12 months. If there has ever been a time to take mobile seriously, this is it. In a piece on Marketing Land, Arnie Kuenn offers some excellent tips on how business owners can make their content mobile friendly. He covers responsive design, easy to read text, mobile apps, and he also touches on the types of content you produce, with some pointers on the size of images and mobile-friendly video.
5 Top Tips For Content Marketing Success
by Jake Parent on Business 2 Community.
Another day, another top tips post. Honestly I must have read thousands of articles with content marketing tips now, but this piece by Jake Parent stands out. Why? Well, unlike a lot of tip articles, Parent’s has actionable advice, rather than paragraphs of generic content that are going to waste your time. I particularly like his ‘Focus, Focus, Focus’ heading, where he talks about focusing your content on a well defined niche. There might not be anything new here, but it’s refreshing to see that there are other marketers out there with their head screwed on.
Updates Added 14/01/2014
The Content Marketing Conflict: Engagement vs. Usefulness
by Adryanna Sutherland on Forbes.
In this piece on Forbes, Adryanna Sutherland writes about what engaging content really means and what the link between engagement and usefulness is. It has some excellent tips for beginners and experienced marketers alike, and the overriding point is that if your content isn’t genuinely useful to your audience, then it isn’t going to engage them into a form of positive reaction. Adryanna recommends crafting content that is designed to match your customers journey as much as possible.
Using Content as a Tool to Drive Customer Passion
For a long time, I’ve been preaching to brands the importance of using content as a means of creating relationships with customers. In an article on Distilled, Kyra Kuik goes deep into this, writing about the link between content and customer passion. She discusses reason vs. emotion, the progression of customer relationships, and has some excellent points about confidence and integrity. This piece is based on the emotional attachment funnel, which was developed over 60 years’ worth of research.
Why online video is the future of content marketing
by Chris Trimble on The Guardian.
If it were five years in the future, would you be reading this article or would you be watching it? It’s a great question, and one which Chris Trimble asks within his piece “Why online video is the future of content marketing” for The Guardian. In this article Trimble dives into the world of video marketing and its place within the content marketing strategies of small businesses. He notes that with production costs falling and video platforms being more accessible than ever, video is a format small brands can’t afford to miss out on.
Original Pieces
Content Marketing in 2014: Are You Prepared?
by Kieran Flanagan on Hubspot.
Are you prepared for content marketing in 2014? If you’re not, now is the time to stock up on your knowledge. A great place to start is an article published by Kieran Flanagan on Hubspot, which has some fantastic advice, tips, and also statistics on content. This article is particularly valuable for marketers who need to prove the value of content (ROI), and marketers who will be scaling their content efforts over the next year. Also, this article offers some great insight into content promotion.
How to Double your Content Marketing ROI in 2014
Content marketing is often referred to as one of the toughest forms of marketing to track. There are thousands of brands in the UK alone that don’t have the expertise to interpret how and why leads and sales are generated through different forms of content. If this sounds like you, then How to Double your Content Marketing ROI in 2014 by Jason DeMers on Forbes is an article you should check out. In it, DeMers offers lots of actionable advice for content marketers, with a focus on content planning.
Content Marketing Guide to 2014: 3 New Year’s Resolutions
This article is right up my street, and if you’re a marketer from an agency background, it’ll be right up yours too. Content Marketing Guide to 2014: 3 New Year’s Resolutions by Meg Sutton discusses the important of having a solid content team behind you (whether in-house or outsourced), adopting content marketing technology, and creating and distributing quality content. She recommends turning e-books into webinars, and creating infographics based on the same content.
Content Marketing Tips for 2014 and Beyond
I have only just discovered the Dragon Search Marketing blog, but I’ve already been impressed by the diversity of their content. In Content Marketing Tips for 2014 and Beyond, Dragon Search rounds up lots of 2014 content marketing tips from different experts, and there’s some invaluable advice for creating infographics, optimising e-mail, creating content based on current news, and diversifying content so that a blog doesn’t become stale.
B2B Content Marketing 2014 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends North-America
by The Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs.
I know, I know, North-America isn’t exactly the panacea of content marketing, but B2B Content Marketing 2014 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends published by The Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs is a fantastic free online pdf that has some stunning statistics and facts within. Although this isn’t exactly going to help you to better implement strategy, what it will do is give you an idea of what other B2B content marketers are up to, and give you inspiration.
Content Marketing Show 2013: The Future of Content Marketing in 2014
I’m a big fan of Slideshare, and also of Axonn Media, an agency which works with some of the biggest brands in the world. Last year, they created an excellent Slideshare called Content Marketing Show 2013: The Future of Content Marketing in 2014, which looks back through the years, and hits the viewer with a startling fact: 90% of the world’s information today has been created in the last 2 years. The Slideshare has lots of interesting facts and statistics to check out.
Tips for Better Content and Marketing in 2014
Melissa Fach dives straight into 2014 with her article Tips for Better Content and Marketing in 2014 on Copypress. In it, she talks about focusing on quality over quantity, focusing on being outstanding, unforgettable and recognisable, focusing on being better, unique and helpful, and having a plan and place for social sharing. This is an excellent resource for marketers who have trouble prioritising the way in which they go about their work. Be sure to bookmark it and return to it everytime you stray off task.
Refine Your Online Content Marketing Strategy for Success in 2014
by Ivan Widjaya on Small Business Trends.
Here’s an article perfect for small business owners looking to make a splash in 2014. This content marketing resource is excellent because it offers up four actionable points, which beginners and experts alike can take advantage of. The point about ‘avoiding confusion’ is a very good one – it’s important to get the right content mix, and as Ivan points out, when most people get into content creation, they either focus on a single approach or dive right in and do everything.
2014 Content Marketing Predictions
by Heidi Cohen.
Who doesn’t love a few good predictions? I know I do, and as an avid reader of Heidi Cohen’s Actionable Marketing Guide, I was pleased to see some very clever predictions made within 2014 Content Marketing Predictions. In this article, Heidi Cohen talks about content marketing diversifying in type in 2014, and content marketing being branded in such a way that it becomes identifiable even without a logo. She also talks about content marketing being better tracked, and brands better understanding how and why leads and sales are generated.
The Content Marketing Forecast: 10 Predictions for 2014
Following on from our resource recommendation above, Mashable recently published an excellent piece on content marketing predictions in 2014. In it, Shafqat Islam talks about LinkedIn becoming the go-to news source, Europe being bitten by the content bug, and marketers becoming more accountable for ROI. It’s an excellent piece with lots of predictions I hadn’t even considered, and whilst some are a little far-fetched, it offers some good insight into the future of content marketing.
The Future of Content Marketing: 50 Experts Share Their 2014 Predictions
by Vignesh Subramanyan on Business 2 Community.
Here we have another round up, but this time it includes 50 expert predictions on content marketing in 2014. It has some great contributors, most of whom are from an agency background. There’s lots of predictions about B2B and B2C content marketing, and it’s well worthy of your bookmarking. Make sure you return to this from time to time to shape your marketing efforts, although there’s no guarantee that any of these predictions will come true!
Leading Experts Predict The Content Marketing Trends for 2014
by Murray Newlands on Search Engine Land.
Here’s another fantastic 2014 content marketing trends post for you. Written by Murray Newlands on Search Engine Land, this article rounds up the thoughts of three different experts, and where they think content marketing in 2014 is heading. According to one expert in this article, 2014 will be the year where those who don’t have their content marketing strategies ironed out will be left in the dust. We definitely began to see this in 2013, so it’ll be interesting to see who does bite the dust in 2014.
Content predictions for 2014: the views of Coca-Cola, Facebook and others
by Matthew Chapman on Marketing Magazine.
Even if you’re the owner of a multi-national brand, it’s safe to say that it doesn’t have the same level of visibility as Coca-Cola or Facebook. It’s also safe for me to presume that having the same recognition as those brands would be a dream come true for you. So, wouldn’t it be fantastic if we could find out what predictions these huge brands have for content? In this article by Matthew Chapman on Marketing Magazine, you can. You’ll also discover predictions from The Economist and Vice UK.
14 Predictions for 2014 that Media Experts Find Unlikely
by Jeremy Goldman on The Next Web.
This article isn’t specific to content marketing. Rather, it covers the majority of digital marketing, but it’s a delightful read and one which will shed new light into what media experts think will boom and not boom in 2014. Included is a great point about content marketing NOT getting any easier for brands. Simply, you’re going to have to work harder than ever. Make sure you check out this post for more predictions which are unlikely to come true.
Experts Outline Key Content Marketing Trends for 2014
by The Guardian.
This article, published in November last year, has some excellent commentary from content marketers. In it, six experts talk about the year ahead, with discoverability, print, and video points drawing plenty of thought. Although there’s no actionable advice in this resource, it’s perfect for a little bit of insight into what the experts are thinking. I particularly like the point about investing in the promotion and distribution of content being as important as the creation and production of it.
How to Plan Effectively for Content Marketing in 2014
by Jasmine Sandler on Search Engine Watch.
I always tune into Search Engine Watch for the latest tips on SEO, but over the past 12 months they’ve been publishing some excellent content marketing resources. How to Plan Effectively for Content Marketing in 2014 is one such example. In this article, Jasmine Sandler talks about content marketing preparation, with lots of advice for business owners on how to make a strategy work first time. This is a resource best tackled by small business owners.
2014 Content Marketing for Nonprofits
by blackbaud.
In this interactive study created by blackbaud in correlation with Fusion Spark Media and The Content Marketing Institute, there are some stunning statistics on non-profit content marketing, along with lots of tips for non-profits looking to boost their activity in 2014. Also, if you follow our link to the article on The Content Marketing Institute above, there’s some great insight into the successes and challenges of non-profit strategy.
Where Is Content Marketing Headed in 2014? [INFOGRAPHIC]
by Chadrack Irobogo on Social Media Today.
In this fantastic infographic created by Uberflip you will find lots of interesting 2014 content marketing trends. Although much of this data isn’t anything new to the expert marketer, it’s definitely worth bookmarking, because as we all know, visual information is much better digested than text. One of the most interesting facts within this infographic is that 58% of B2B marketers and 60% of B2C marketers will increase their content marketing budget over the next 12 months.
Your Turn
I am bound to have missed some exceptional content marketing resources on this list, so if you’ve discovered some content worth sharing, please do! Share what you’ve found by commenting below, or tweet us @content_hero.