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Press Start and Get in the Game with the Ultimate Guide to Content Marketing

Posted on May 29th, 2018
Written by TopRank Marketing
In this article

    Ready to elevate your B2B brand?

    TopRank Marketing drives results with content, influencer, SEO & social media marketing.

    PRESS START.

    These two words, which routinely appear on the title screens of video games, present both a prompt and a promise. You won’t advance until completing this simple command, but once you do, a world of adventure awaits.

    You can “press start” on a brand new CMWorld experience by scrolling down and clicking into our Ultimate Guide to Conquering Content Marketing. Prepare to explore new stages and levels with a host of top players in the content marketing game as we unlock the secrets to success in 2018 and beyond.

    Get in the Game

    When the going gets tough, gamers can navigate to the options menu and turn down the difficulty level. How convenient!

    Marketers, of course, don’t have that luxury, which is unfortunate because right now we face steeper challenges than ever in a crowded and rapidly changing environment.

    Consider these statistics, from the 2018 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends report (the B2B version includes largely similar numbers):

    • Nearly one out of four B2C content marketers (22%) rated their organization’s overall content marketing approach as minimally successful or not at all successful
    • More than half of respondents (51%) said that over the last year, it has become increasingly difficult to capture their audience’s attention
    • Only 36% of B2C content marketers rated the project management flow during their content creation processes as excellent or very good
    • Only 43% of respondents said they are measuring content marketing ROI, with “we need an easier way to do this” cited as by far the most common barrier

    Needless to say, there is no shortage of pitfalls along the way to reaching our goals. That’s why we enlisted some of the field’s foremost leaders and experts to help provide guidance. You’ll find plenty in our new guide, which features exclusive tips and tricks from a diverse range of perspectives.  

    With the help of this guide, you’ll learn how to craft a content strategy that fits together like Tetris blocks falling perfectly into place. You’ll rattle through your objectives like Pac-Man gobbling dots. And your reach will grow like Mario with a mushroom power-up.

    Thank you to all of our experts for sharing their top tips for helping marketers win the content marketing game. Inside, you’ll gain insights from marketers including:

    Robert Rose, Nichole Kelly, Tim Washer, Ellie Mirman, Peter Krmpotic, Tamsen Webster, Amanda Todorovich, Courtney Cox, Eli Schwartz, Jay Acunzo, Carla Johnson, Heather Pemberton Levy, Zari Venhaus, Andy Crestodina, Ann Handley, Melanie Deziel, J.P. Medved, Mitch Joel, Michelle Park Lazette, Pam Didner, Dave Charest, Ian Cleary, Lee Odden, Vishal Khanna, Juntae DeLane, Doug Kessler, Joe Pulizzi, Justin Levy, Heidi Cohen, Christopher Penn, Mathew Sweezey, Michael Brenner, Michael Pratt, Ron Tite and Matt Heinz.

    Let’s have some fun. Press start and enjoy:

    Expert Content Marketing Tips for Sharing

    Have a favorite content marketing game tip from one of our talented speakers? Below are a sample of what you’ll find inside the guide. Feel free to share any of these insights to get individuals within your network in the game!

    Flip your strategy from being the on-demand creator of content to the proactive editorial strategist. @Robert_Rose Click To Tweet Understand where the white space exists in your industry to create content that stands out in an otherwise crowded content marketing landscape. @ellieeille Click To Tweet Think about ways to expose data in the content marketing process, so that the data can be acted on. @peterkrmpotic Click To Tweet Sophisticated content planning requires historical analysis, an understanding of what’s changed and currently happening around your audience. @amandatodo Click To Tweet Marketing needs to slow down and think about substance and context. @annhandley Click To Tweet Give yourself permission to really focus on building great, helpful, informative, authoritative content first. It's much easier to monetize it later. @rizzlejpizzle Click To Tweet The content creation / promotion imbalance is a big problem for marketers trying to win the content marketing game. @leeodden Click To Tweet Content distribution for distribution’s sake is a waste of time. @joepulizzi Click To Tweet Look past engagement metrics, to really dig into if the content is moving people towards the next stage in the buying cycle. @msweezey Click To Tweet

    The Next Level

    If you’re ready to find out what awaits at the 2018 Content Marketing World conference, click here to check out the agenda.

    You can also keep up on the all the latest developments by tracking the #CMWorld hashtag and following CMI on Twitter.