The Never-Ending Cycle: Content Informs Data Informs Content

Act-On Adaptive Web

The most effective content is informed by strong data. The most effective data is driven by great content. But all too often these two don’t work in concert. This can be due to organizational siloes, in which the experts on data gathering and analysis – often found in the marketing operations team – aren’t talking […]

Small Business Saturday – November 29 – Shop Small and Local

Act-On Adaptive Web

Black Friday’s for big box stores. Cyber Monday’s devoted to online shopping. And for those of us who are small business owners (or who prefer to shop at small businesses), there’s Small Business Saturday. Just how important is small business? Small and new businesses create two out of every three net new jobs in the […]

6 Survival Tips for Content Marketing Island

Act-On Adaptive Web

As a nascent content marketer in financial services, an industry not typically renowned for its creative marketing practices, I sometimes felt a bit like Tom Hanks in the movie Castaway. Frazzled, unshaven, and increasingly turning to my office football for companionship. Yes, carrying the content marketing banner in an organization can be a lonely position […]

Get Started with a Content Marketing Library

Act-On Adaptive Web

Not long ago I had a great conversation with a marketer whose company had recently adopted Act-On. He said nice things about our content (always music to our ears) and asked the $64,000 question: Any tips on developing our own content marketing library? I like hearing this question, because I love answering it. Here are […]

Content Marketing Insourcing: Turning Internal Resources into Content Creation Machines

Act-On Adaptive Web

  The argument has long been settled, supported by volumes of data points, papers, posts, and countless real-world experiences by marketers of all stripes, types, and industries: Content marketing works. Especially for businesses that have the luxury of sizable marketing teams. Nothing says content-marketing success like an army of cross-specialty writers marching in lockstep to […]

Real-Time Marketing Delivers Big Payoffs. New Webinar Delivers the Dos and Don’ts.

Act-On Adaptive Web

Real-time marketing is the new sexy. That’s according to Ekaterina Walter, social media trailblazer, author, and speaker in the new on-demand webinar called Real-Time Marketing Strategies: Dos and Don’ts. Its key point is both honest and simple: Relevance has a deadline. To stand out from the crowd and continue making an impact, marketers must (again) […]

5 Tips for Writing Life-Altering Email Headlines

Act-On Adaptive Web

What does it take to write attention-getting headlines that convince your email reader to convert? Composing headlines can be one of the most rewarding parts of being a writer. It’s your opportunity to show off your skills by packing a lot of meaning and benefit into a (hopefully) short space. But it’s also very difficult […]

Getting Started with Video Marketing: Q & A

Act-On Adaptive Web

This post is a continuation of last week’s “Is 2014 the Year of Video Marketing?” This week, I’ll be recapping Richard Boehmcke of Vibrant Motion, Kristen Craft of Wistia, and Zach Cole of Lyft as they A your Qs. Q: Which companies are doing video “right”? A: I think the question should actually be “Which […]

Content is Rook. (Quality is King.)

Act-On Adaptive Web

  I recently was reacquainted with a derivation of the “Rule of 12”: At 12 feet, I’ve decided who you are. At 12 inches, I’ve made up my mind. At 12 words, I’ve written you off. As a long-time marketer, it struck a chord – a reminder (even a cautionary tale) of how important it […]

Customer Lifecycle Marketing: Reporting, Part 2

Act-On Adaptive Web

This series looks at the five sequential stages in the B2B marketing lifecycle, and discusses the key metrics for each that can be used to gain key insights. In Part 1, we covered the first two stages: Attract and Capture. These are typically the stages that garner the most attention, as lead generation remains the […]

Customer Lifecycle Marketing: Reporting, Part 1

Act-On Adaptive Web

In regards to analytics and reporting, B2B marketers tend to focus on early-funnel leads and their conversion. That’s practical; generating enough qualified leads remains the #1 concern for many marketers and their organizations. However, there is much more useful information to be gained through careful reporting and analysis of key metrics at all stages of […]

Ann Handley and Atri Chatterjee Talk: Content Marketing for Small Teams, Part 2

Act-On Adaptive Web

An Act-On Conversation Editor’s Note: Ann Handley is the Chief Content Officer of MarketingProfs. She also writes a monthly column for Entrepreneur magazine, and is co-author of the best-selling book on content marketing, Content Rules (Wiley, 2012), which has been translated into nine languages. Ann co-founded ClickZ.com, one of the first sources of interactive marketing […]

Ann Handley and Atri Chatterjee Talk: Content Marketing for Small Teams, Part 1

Act-On Adaptive Web

An Act-On Conversation Editor’s Note: Ann Handley is the Chief Content Officer of MarketingProfs. She also writes a monthly column for Entrepreneur magazine, and co-author of the best-selling book on content marketing, Content Rules (Wiley, 2012), which has been translated into nine languages. Ann co-founded ClickZ.com, one of the first sources of interactive marketing news […]

How Peggy Olson Would Design for Interactive

Act-On Adaptive Web

In the era of Mad Men marketers knew exactly how their work would be consumed. The target audience would see the ad on TV, hear it on radio, see it in a magazine or on a billboard, and perhaps it would come in the (snail) mailbox. If you planned a print ad or a mail […]

3 Steps to Blow Your Visitor’s Mind with Content Marketing

Act-On Adaptive Web

In every marketing channel – whether it’s paid search, content marketing, email, or any other channel you’re using to drive leads and sales – the key to success is standing out from the noise. And there’s a lot of noise! Americans now consume 10 hours of content per day, on average, according to Nielsen. There’s […]