B2B Monday Myth: Content Needs No Gatekeeper
by MGB2B
The Myth: Content Needs No Gatekeeper
The Truth: If No One Is Monitoring Your Content, That’s a Recipe for Trouble
An interesting thing happened the other day. I was reading a blog post from one of my most trusted resources for insightful content. I recognized instantly that the advice they were giving was bad advice. And to make matters worse, it appeared to be a guest writer trying to sell a product. But it wasn’t labeled as “sponsored content.” All it took was one article, and I began to question the credibility of the organization posting it. This is a company that I have been turning to for insights for several years now.
Now I had assumed they had someone – perhaps even a team of people – monitoring their content. But this made me wonder: do they have a Gatekeeper?
To be fair, all of us have lapses in judgment here and there. So it may just be a Gatekeeper who made a mistake. The lesson out of it is this: all content needs a Gatekeeper – and a good one.
Here Is What You Should Look for in Your Content Gatekeeper:
- They Can Proofread. While typos seem to happen more and more these days, it’s still important to make sure your content is not riddled with typos and grammatical errors.
- They Can Fact-Check. Proofreading for grammar is one thing. Proofreading for accuracy is another. This is particularly important for content like blog posts, which are often contributed by multiple people from different departments within your company. Or even outside sources, whether freelance writers or experts in your industry.
- They Can Filter. A Content Gatekeeper shouldn’t only be good at editing copy. They should also be able to determine whether the content that’s been created is right for the brand. In the example above, the guest writer contributed copy that put the credibility of the brand in jeopardy. The Gatekeeper needs to be able to filter out this type of content. They should also be able to guide contributors to alter their content so that it resonates with the audience (and is truly helpful to readers).
- They Know a Little about SEO. If your B2B content is going to live online, it needs to be optimized for search so that prospects can find it. This either means your Gatekeeper knows how to do SEO, or you have an internal SEO person on staff who can look at all content before it goes live and is distributed to your customers and prospects.
Appointing a Gatekeeper is no easy task. But it may be one of the most important – and often overlooked – content marketing tips you should heed. When the credibility of your brand is at stake, it should be a no-brainer.
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B2B Monday Myth: Email Marketing Is Dead
by MGB2B
The Myth: Email Marketing Is Dead
The Truth: Email Is Very Much Alive – and You Should Be Using It
B2B marketers still rely heavily on email to reach their audiences. According to the annual B2B Content Marketing report by the Content Marketing Institute and Marketing Profs, Email Newsletters are tied with Social Media Content as the second most critical content marketing tactic in 2017. First place went to blogs.
There’s a reason for that. B2B marketers recognize that Email Newsletters are one of the most effective ways to distribute content like blog posts and white papers. They’re also a way to show your most engaged customers your latest video or share case studies with them.
Here Are a Few Tips to Make Sure Your Email Marketing Program Is Effective:
- Use Buyer Personas. Buyer personas are an important part of any content program, and your emails that deliver content should be written for specific personas. These will help define your segments as well.
- Segment Your Audiences. There are several ways to segment your audiences. The goal here is to make sure each one of your prospects is receiving a message that resonates, instead of one that falls flat.
- Test Your Emails. Test subject lines. Test lead story. Test headlines. Just not all at the same time. Testing will help you fine-tune your email program, and deliver the right messages to the right personas.
- Don’t Get Too Promotional. Your customers mostly want helpful information, not a product sell that hits them over the head. Give them the content they want, and you’ll drive up engagement.
These are just a few tips to help you take your email marketing to the next level. The key is to invest time into making email marketing run effectively. Instead of letting it die on the vine.
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