Top Content Marketing Strategy News of the Week

Inspiration and motivation can come from some rather unlikely places. From independent rap superstars who gain a following without the backing of a record-label, to a content curation website which focuses primarily on positivity, the incredible power of content shines through this week’s top stories on content marketing strategy.

Anything is possible with the right level of dedication to excellence, regardless of whether your objective is to sell singles or dominate a saturated niche. To rejuvenate your content marketing strategy and commitment in the weeks to come, we’ve curated this week’s most inspirational news items:

3 Lessons Macklemore Can Teach Us about Content Marketing

Regardless of how you feel about his music, you can’t dispute the fact that rapper Macklemore is an inbound marketing hero. With over 2.2 million copies of his #1 hit single Thrift Shop sold in 2012, he’s the only indie artist to reach the top of the Billboard charts without the help of a record label in nearly two decades. Macklemore’s success is due to more than just great content in the form of viral songs, it can be attributed to his outstanding presence on social media.

Marketo’s Raymond Coppinger dedicated some rather amazing analysis this week to Macklemore’s success as a content marketer. Among other factors, he points toward the rapper’s commitment to quality, sharing authentic stories, and retaining connections with his first fans.

Build Your Network of Brand Ambassadors with Blogger Outreach

Most content marketers know that other bloggers have the potential to be their best promoters, but implementing strategic relationships is easier in theory than practice. In a truly brilliant post at Maximizing Social Business, Kristen Matthews offers some unique and actionable insights. Her first recommendation? Leverage tools to connect and thank the bloggers who are already promoting your content, even if you don’t know they exist.

This piece includes a step-by-step guide to building relationships through social media with niche marketers, and ideas for rewarding your company’s ambassadors. Social proof and personalized recommendations are one form of content promotion that’s unlikely to ever become ineffective, which is why this is a must-read.

Is There Really Such Thing as Unique Social Media Content?

This perfectly-proportioned snack-sized asks the question that many content marketers actively avoid thinking about. Is it even possible to be unique in an era where so much information is published daily? Matthew Peneycad presents a few of the latest stats before launching into a thoughtful answer:

• 200,000,000 Tweets are Published Daily
• 422,000,000 Facebook Statuses are Updated Daily
• 50,400 Hours of Video are Uploaded to YouTube Every 24 Hours

Is that curated infographic original? Certainly not. However, as Peneycad wisely points out, there are certainly things you can leverage to increase the authenticity and likeability of your content marketing. No one can provide the same combination of experience and voice as you can, which is why brand storytelling and personal branding should be intertwined with your content marketing strategy. If you’re struggling to stand out, it may be time to make your content marketing strategy a bit more personal.

What No-Content Marketing Will Look Like

Is content marketing on the way out? According to all of the latest case studies and research reports, digital brand publishing is growing faster than ever. However, anyone who believes the practice isn’t actively changing is probably fooling themselves.

Media expert Spencer Critchley delivered a controversial and thought-provoking article to Huffington Post this week. It takes a long, hard look at the way the growth of content marketing is changing how consumers view it. It’s a law of economics that demand decreases as supply grows, and content triage has suddenly become a real thing, such as in Snapchat’s disappearing content, and in Google’s priority tabs. Critchley’s brilliant analysis doesn’t mean you should throw your content marketing strategy to the wind and go back to recording radio ads. It simply means we should all work a little harder to create information that’s good enough to make it through an increasing number of quality filters and curation resources.

Timeless Content Marketing Lessons from the World’s Fastest Growing Publication

Have you put much thought into emulating the content marketing strategy of the world’s fastest-growing website? You may be surprised to learn it’s actually Upworthy, a website dedicated towards positive discourse which could be compared to Buzzworthy’s brainiac older sister:

Image credit: Upworthy

Who wouldn’t want to sit at the feet of this brilliant brand, who is clearly doing something right? Gregory Ciotti’s analysis on the Kissmetrics blog is spot-on, and driven by Upworthy staff member’s quotations and data. Learn why the brand chooses to invest in writing 25 title concepts for each article they publish, how they choose to draw lines regarding controversial content, and why they actively invest in readers, not page views. There’s something to be learned by every content creator in this case study of a brand doing almost everything right.

Have you found unconventional inspiration for your content marketing strategy thanks to Macklemore or any number of other celebrities? Do you plan to apply any of Upworthy’s best practices? Share your plan in the comments – we can’t wait to discuss!