Content marketing without a documented strategy is doomed to fail: Survey
A documented strategy is a must if you want to be successful with content marketing. That’s the conclusion of the first-ever Milwaukee Area B2B Content Marketing survey, conducted by Cultivate. The majority of the marketing managers who responded to this new survey...
How to tame the content approval monster
Lurking in the corner of your office is an unseen threat to the success of your content marketing efforts. It’s the approval monster and his favorite activity is not to dismember, devour and destroy, but rather to plant his fat butt on top of your content, bringing...
How to make your blog posts as popular as a hit record
One of the biggest roadblocks content marketers face is developing original, relevant and engaging content – content that people actually want to read and most importantly share with associates. Just like song writers, everyone wants their content (song) to be a...
Unzip your head and leave your brain on the table (it’s time to think like a publisher)
You’re going into the publishing business. Are you struggling to get a content marketing program off the ground at your company or organization? Perhaps you need to approach it from a different perspective. Content marketing requires a much different way of...
Good vs. bad content – what’s the difference?
We’re awash in a cesspool of bad content. Much of it is content that is so self-serving, it makes you cringe. Tired topics that have been covered ad nausem by many other authors – apparently in an attempt to validate the theory that an infinite number of monkeys...
Two easy ways to launch your first blog
A high-quality blog, consistently filled with high-quality, customer-focused articles, video and other content is the cornerstone of many marketing initiatives. But what do you do if you don’t have a blog or enough internal support to launch one within your corporate...
Don’t build your house on rented land
Do you dream of building a big following on one or more of the major social media channels? Don’t bother – it’s a waste of your time and it’s important you understand why. It wasn’t always that way. During the last decade, the bigger your social networks were, the...
Larry the Luddite says “hell no!” to content marketing
Larry is a Luddite – someone who resists technological and other forms of change. His official title is director of marketing for Acme Manufacturing. He steadfastly refuses to take content marketing seriously. Does this sound like someone you know? Larry...
Customer education: The secret to successful marketing
In card games, trump cards carry much more value and importance than any of the other cards. In the world of modern marketing, customer education is the trump card – it’s critically important to winning the game. Remember, companies that play their cards...
How Rockwell Automation’s magazine became a powerful thought leadership tool
Rockwell Automation in Milwaukee has published a custom print magazine, The Journal, for 22 years. The Journal has been a trusted source of news, information, and education about factory automation. Cultivate recently caught up with Stanley A. Miller, Rockwell’s...
Content marketing: Time to take off the blinders
Developing an effective content strategy should center around ALL aspects of the way your company communicates with its target audiences.
WHY are you producing that content?
Most companies are addicted to pumping out content, even though a bevy of research shows that’s not an effective strategy. According to the 2015 B2B Benchmarks, Budgets & Trends Report from the Content Marketing Institute (CMI), 76% of marketers say they’re...
A stunningly simple method to understand B2B buyer needs
One of the biggest challenges for content marketers is addressing the B2B buyer’s journey in a continuous, consistent and relevant manner. This simple framework can help you craft an effective content strategy.
Think big!
Think big: “You have everything you need to build something far bigger than yourself.” – Seth Godin
Are you guilty of creating pseudo-content?
Do you think you’re an effective content marketer? If you answered yes, you may want to pause and reconsider your answer. Things may not be what they seem.
Cultivate’s new content strategy newsletter: AMPLIFY
Get ready for a lot of new ideas to help grow your business! Cultivate has launched a new content strategy newsletter that offers exclusive insights into this critically important facet of modern content marketing. This monthly e-newsletter, called Amplify, will...
Your content better be relevant and valuable – or else!
Tough questions about content marketing What tangible value does your content provide to your target audience? If it’s not valuable and relevant, they will ignore it. Worse yet, they may start to ignore any communication from your company. Trust us – you...
Thought leadership: Show your customers a path to the future
“Paint a picture of the future. Go there. People will follow.” – Seth Godin...