3 Books to Improve Your Marketing Content

Knowledge is power. And where does knowledge come from? From learning and absorbing new ideas from things around you: people, images, books, etc. Everything we know we learned from someone or something else. We learned to speak by listening to others talk. We learned to ride a bike and drive a car from others teaching us. But once we learn all of the basic things, how do we learn more advanced things? By reading.

Marketing is a complex and constantly changing field of study. New trends and new media are introduced everyday. Because of this, marketers need to learn from each other. Reading books, like the following three, from experienced experts is the best way to help craft your skill. If you're in the market for a new book to read, consider of these three!

1. Hey Whipple, Squeeze This: The Classic Guide to Creating Greats Ads by Luke Sullivan

Not only does Sullivan's book cover every aspect of advertising, from TV to radio to print and beyond, it also talks about several topics related to marketing, like a brief history and explanation of why you should want to get into marketing. But what makes his work truly awesome, is Sullivan's funny and witty way of writing. If you didn't catch it, the title itself is a jab at old Mr. Whipple from the Charmin commercials. This is not just another hum-drum, textbook style piece. This is the type of book that you actually want to read.
"Hey Whipple" has been rated 4.6 stars on Amazon.com with customer testimonials calling it their "marketing/advertising bible." According to Heywhipple.com, this book will "help sharpen your writing chops, unleash your creativity and raise the level of your work whether you're new to the business or a practicing professional. "

2. The Doodle Revolution: Unlock the Power to Think Differently, by Sunni Brown

Admit it. When you were younger and daydreaming during class, you drew little doodles on the side of your notes. Whether they were hearts, animals people, etc., those doodles were an expression of your creativity. Now think yourself, when was the last time you doodled? According to Sunni Brown, it should be more often. 

In her book, Brown explains why doodling should be viewed as "one of the most powerful, practical and pleasurable tools" available to us and everyone can and should use doodling to "unlock the power to think differently." Customers on Amazon.com rated this book 4.4 stars, saying "this is the real deal."

3. Difference: The One-page Method for Reimagining Your Business and Reinventing Your Marketing, by Bernadette Jiwa

Although not specifically a marketing book, "Difference" is a book for all types of organizations and all aspects of business. Unlike the previous two books which discuss ways of doing, Jiwa's book talks about a new way of thing; difference thinking. As the author explains, “Difference thinking is more than the ability to connect the dots. It’s about seeing the truth, recognizing the opportunity in that truth and then acting on it. You need to learn how to see the dots and understand the significance of connecting them before you can begin.”
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon.com, "Difference" customers call this book "refreshing."

Sticks and Stones and Words can Hurt You

When we were kids, all of us at one time or another repeated the old adage, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me." When we were five years old and in a name-calling fight with a classmate on the playground, saying this phrase meant we were big, tough, invincible and no matter what they called us, we weren't effected by it.

Marketing is completely the opposite. The words you say in an email, TV, or radio advertisement or a Facebook or Twitter post can effect how customers view your brand and their likelihood of buying your product or service. 

Don't believe me? Here are three reasons why good content matters:

1. The proof is in the pudding...I mean the search results

Don't even try to fool Google's algorithm. It can sniff out quality sites and content like a fox hound. This algorithm can see right through any black hat's rule breaking SEO practices. By looking at time spent on pages, bounce rates, and number of times shared (among tons of other site characteristics) and not just keywords and phrases, Google is getting better and better at finding the real content. 

2. Learn about the people behind the clicks

This part takes a little bit of extra work on your part, but in the end it's worth it. Track clicks, comments, likes, anything and everything you can. Try to find patterns in the data you collect. Are there certain topics that get more viewers, what taglines get more clicks, what kind of comments are people making? If you find that certain things aren't working, try switching up your strategy. You won't know until you try!

3. Good content gets noticed. Period.

It's as simple as that. With today's consumers being bombarded almost constantly with advertisements and messages, it takes really strong content to grab their attention and hold it long enough to get your point across. Not only that, but if you can capture and keep someone's full attention, there's a higher chance they will share your message with their friends, furthering your campaign even more.  

U.N.I. Fight!

In honor of my last  homecoming as student at University of Northern Iowa this weekend, I decided to dedicate a post to the place I call home and one of the many aspects of UNI student life that makes this school so special - The Interlude Dance.

For those of you who don't know what The Interlude is, you have four minutes to click here and catch up with the rest of the world.
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Okay, I'm glad you're up to speed now. Almost five years after it's creation, this crazy dance invented by a group of UNI alumni has become a staple hype song for all Panther Athletic events. If you're a UNI student, you know The Interlude Dance. It's basically taught to every freshman on the first day of class.

So now, without further adieu, the song and dance that will describe my college experience for the rest of my life performed by true UNI fans. Enjoy!




And with that said, GO PANTHERS!!

Content Marketing 101 - Get in the Know!

The idea of content marketing is a fairly new concept in the business world. It has only really taken hold in the last several decades, and with the constant advancements in the world of online marketing, the possibilities for consumer targeted content are becoming endless. Yet many people are still not fully sure what content marketing is.

Enter Intrapromote, LLC and their Content Marketing 101 video. 
The IP Team, as they call themselves, is a group of search engine optimization, social media, and content marketing experts. They created and shared a quick video to explain content marketing, highlight how it's different than traditional marketing, and even debunk a few myths. Check it out!





Content marketing will soon be the main focus of many business. Always remember, consumers are only interested in content that is relevant to them. Find your target audience, and give them the relevant content they're looking for!

Welcome to my new blog!

Hi Everyone!

Welcome to my new blog - Mark.IT. For the next several months, I will be writing about marketing as it relates to the healthcare industry, and more specifically how healthcare providers can use content marketing to better reach their target audience with more relevant content.

So what is content marketing? In short, content marketing is any marketing that involves the creation and sharing of media and publishing relevant and valuable content in order to gain and keep customers. You're probably wondering, "how is that different than any other form of marketing?" The key words in that definition are "relevant" and "valuable." In order to capture the attention the attention of a new customer, you need to show them something that is important to them or that they need. That's where content marketing comes into play. Content marketers focus on figuring out what the audience will want to hear and what will get their attention.

Follow along with me every week to learn more about how content marketing can change the game for healthcare providers.