Articles by: Regan Fletcher

2013 will probably go down as the year that content marketing really started its hockey stick trajectory.  Content marketing became part of the marketing mainstream as brands and publications alike utilized it to strengthen their overall marketing strategies. The importance placed on content marketing and the momentum the strategy gained in 2013 should continue to grow in 2014.  But in order for that to happen, it is important to make sure the lessons of the past year are heeded. Here are 5 trends from 2013 to help you build your content marketing plan and strategy in 2014: 1. Curation is […]

Today marks the second annual #GivingTuesday, a national day of giving at the start of the holiday season that encourages charitable activities in support of non-profit organizations.  We thought it was timely and appropriate to highlight a company that has embodied the spirit of what this day is all about — helping those in need. On November 8th, Typhoon Haiyan pummelled Eastern and Central Philippines with record winds of more than 300 kilometers per hour. Death tolls have topped 5,600 with more than 1,759 people still missing and experts estimate rebuilding the ravaged areas will top $5.8 billion. Shortly after […]

Let’s not sugarcoat it — content marketing isn’t easy. Marketers and businesses alike struggle to put the content marketing puzzle pieces together from coming up with a catchy title, providing relevant, yet interesting content to their target audiences, standing out amongst the other growing content noise, and on. Yet, it is important for companies to overcome the obstacles to capitalize on the multitude of benefits this strategy offers. We turned to a few people who have been around the content marketing block a time or two and asked them for their #1 content marketing tip to help us make the […]

Our goal has always been to help readers discover the most interesting, relevant content. As brands are beginning to think like publishers, they are creating tons of valuable and interesting content as well. We’ve recently started working with brands to help them find readers who will appreciate their content, which is why you may have noticed a few ‘promoted stories’ in your feed lately. Several questions have popped up related to our sponsored content program from users, so we thought an explanation would be useful. We want to make it clear that our first priority is to continue to give […]

More and more companies are investing resources into branded content.  Are you?  If so, why?  If your answer solely involves selling your company or product to consumers, chances are you’re not seeing much engagement in return. Believe it or not, the number one goal of your content marketing campaign shouldn’t be to sell. Sales will come in time (think ‘Field of Dreams’: build it and they will come), but the overall aim of your campaign should be to build an emotional connection with your consumers. The Content Marketing Institute sums it up well: “The emotion that a brand evokes in […]

When looking at the native advertising game, it’s clear that Buzzfeed has stepped up as a major player in the space. From consistently engaging campaigns to impressive visitor numbers, Buzzfeed’s success seems to be a justification for their premium-rate pricing, as explored in a recently released progress report. But can their success last? Is their enviably-high pricing a bubble that’s waiting to burst? Benjy Boxer takes a look at what Buzzfeed’s breakdown means for the future of the company, and for native advertising publishers in general. Why is Buzzfeed such a powerful example? Based on revenue alone, Buzzfeed is poised […]