The No. 1 career killer for content marketers (and inbound marketers) is …
This phenomenon is probably not news to anyone in marketing: People stay with organizations for decades and they remember the print-only days at the organization. Or people stick around for months! “Hey, new kid! How come that 20-month project isn’t showing results in month 2? Buh bye!!!” I’m currently working in my second longest stint […]
Read MoreWhy people need to stop hating on reply all emails
I was dictating the above headline to my phone in the car with my wife driving who without hesitation groaned and said “oh I hate reply all emails.” And I do agree with her to an extent. I’ve been part of many crappy and annoying reply all emails. People instead of having a conversation or […]
Read MoreHow I had to move my binge watching from Netflix to Amazon Prime 📺 📱
I was coming off a binge watching experience on Netflix and finished six seasons of the Showime show “Shameless.” That’s roughly 3,744 minutes of TV watching – though I watch some of it on my phone, sometimes on the couch and sometimes at the gym. And I like how Netflix actually coordinates my app watching […]
Read MoreDoes a blog post’s word count influence performance?
This article looks at how the number of words in a blog post influences performance.
Read MoreLaunching a website is just the starting point in digital marketing
Launching a website can be an organization’s web team’s big project for a good amount of time. Project plans are put into place. Decisions are made on what content management system to use. Rolls are defined. Milestones are laid out. People start implementing. Launching a website does feel like a project because there is a […]
Read MoreHow to overcome writer’s block
You might wonder: What would a guy (me! 😱🙄🤔) who blogs 15,000 words per month have to say about writer’s block? It’s true that I hardly ever sit in front of my computer and don’t know what to blog about. Ever really. I usually have to prioritize what I want to blog about. Too. Many. […]
Read MoreHow to check for broken links on your WordPress website
Having non-working links on your website can negatively impact user experience and even conversions! Nobody wants to end up on pages that don’t exist. In WordPress, checking for broken links is a super easy process that can be automated. But we have to set it up first. For the most part, I deprioritized it and […]
Read MoreA CMO guide: What are the advantages to hiring a digital agency?
When I was running an in-house marketing and communications team I was vastly opposed to hire outside help. If I needed more design work done why wouldn’t I just hire a designer? More video? Make it a fulltime role! That was my story and I stuck to it until agencies came calling that were actually […]
Read MoreUPDATED: How to add the CONTACT button to your Instagram account in seconds
A look at how to add the contact options on business Instagram accounts.
Read MoreWhy digital marketers must be okay with constant rejection and how to deal with it
A look at how digital marketers can deal with constant rejection and move forward for digital marketing success.
Read More[CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS] Sharing an organization’s story really shouldn’t be this difficult
My conference presentations and workshops constantly evolve. But all of them build on the concept of sharing stories for long-term success and with the customer in mind. Before heading to Chicago in April 2017 to speak at a global sales conference I designed a new exercise. It’s part of evolving the learning experience for attendees. […]
Read MoreWhy content marketing practitioners actually have to specialize to a degree
A look at why well-rounded content marketing practitioners who are experts at everything likely don't exist.
Read MoreHow to get paid for digital strategy
A look at how digital strategists can actually get paid for their work!
Read MoreThe latest blogging-related marketing technique: “Reverse content marketing”
Reverse content marketing - a new way to reach out to potential customers. This article looks at how that's done.
Read More[CONTENT MARKETING] How I learned to love ❤️ growth hacking
I’m really not a fan of buzzword bingo. So when I first heard the term growth hacking I simply thought “oh great another buzzword that I now have to use.” Or ignore. 🤔😱😩 I’ve thought of myself as a content guy for many years. Even when I worked as a journalist there is a certain […]
Read MoreWhy to write content adjacent to your sweet spot on your (corporate) blog
You hear me talk about the importance of being clear about what your content niche is. This is the content that you are an expert in and that you have a defined audience for and that you share on your (company) blog. Everything we produce and then distribute needs to fit into that category. For […]
Read More#Adobesummit blog: What not to wear in Las Vegas (with picture)
Disclaimer: Adobe invited me to the Adobe Summit North America 2017. This post was not approved by them. They didn’t even get a preview. It’s my opinion and if you agree it’s yours too. 😂🤔 Here’s a fun story that happened to me while at the Adobe Summit North America 2017. My wardrobe in general […]
Read More#Adobesummit blog: Answer this: What’s the business purpose of this innovation?
Disclaimer: Adobe invited me to the Adobe Summit North America 2017. This post was not approved by them. They didn’t even get a preview. It’s my opinion and if you agree it’s yours too. 😂🤔 The Adobe Summit 2017 in Las Vegas knew how to throw a party. The production was fantastic and entertaining when […]
Read MorePhoto booths at conferences: Participate or not? [BRANDING]
Photo booths are all the rage at conferences now. Wear these silly glasses, throw on a silly scarf thingy and throw your leg up in the air to show you are having fun. Every once in a while when speaking at a conference the person introducing me will remind people to stop by the photo […]
Read MoreHow many brands get human to human marketing wrong and how to fix it
Whether you are in B2B or B2C marketing, it's really all H2H or P2P nowadays. You are trying to reach people afterall. This article discusses how to keep the people in mind.
Read MoreWhy good marketing teams use the 24-hour rule of feedback
Feedback – even when it stings or is wrong – can be tremendously helpful. We can learn from it and make necessary adjustments. At the least, we get an idea how others perceive us. But feedback that is about something too long ago is just worthless and it usually only serves one of two intentional […]
Read MoreWhy the digital gurus are wrong and print is NOT dead!
I love digital storytelling. More so than many of the corresponding offline and print counterparts to digital channels like blogs, social media and news notifications. But, repeat after me: Print is not dead! Here’s an inventory of exhibits: My mailbox. The one outside my house. If direct mail didn’t work at all, how come so […]
Read MoreWhy data beats preference-based opinion every time in content marketing
I don’t mind having and giving my opinion at all. In fact, I do that quite frequently. But opinion without fact or something to back it up is useless most of the time. What makes one opinion right over another? It’s really the facts behind it. Now, of course, there can be different versions of […]
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Social media strategy: Purpose without ability won’t get you there either
One of the latest content marketing and social media checklist exercises includes this: What’s your why? Why are you doing or trying to do whatever it is you are trying to do? I do this too – myself and with clients – and it does actually help us figure out why we should advance an organization’s […]
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How many brands get influencer marketing wrong
Influencer marketing can be highly beneficial for all involved: The brand The influencer The influencer’s audience Related: Influencer marketing defined But it can also backfire and make us look less positive and relevant than was intended. Here’s how influencer marketing often looks unfortunately: A brand out of the blue messages an “influencer” and says: Hi, […]
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What’s with all the links on social media?
Some days I look at my Twitter stream and every single Tweet is asking me to click on a link for more information on whatever topic the Tweet mentioned. Given that stories can be told in Tweets there’s really no need to link all the time. I link on Twitter, too. But not all the time. Twitter […]
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MY TEST: Does HTTPs really help with Google Search results?
A look at whether or not my blog performs better since I made the Google-recommended switch from http to the secure https.
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Changes …
Casey Neistat used to publish a daily YouTube vlog with 5 million subscribers. 5,000,000!!! And then he quit. Pretty much cold turkey. Though I was guessing something was up when he didn’t publish anything for a few days. He, of course, did a video on that he’s stopping the vlog and moving on to other […]
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Prediction: A/B testing will disappear as experiences become truly personalized
A/B testing, of course, is a technique that marketers use to optimize their content and websites. It’s a somewhat easy way to figure out what works best: Are more people clicking on the blue box or the orange box? Do more people read this article if I post the picture here or there? A/B testing […]
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How event planners and people running meetings can use content marketing techniques for success
We’ve all been in meetings and at conferences that were just bad. A waste of our time. Why am I here? Who thought this was necessary? Might as well have left me a voicemail that I could easily ignore. Ha. Many times when meetings or conferences blow for the attendees it comes back to one […]
Read More![I’m done blogging, sharing knowledge and stories [This blog is now closed]](https://i2.wp.com/authenticstorytelling.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/img_6903.jpg?fit=750%2C422&ssl=1)
I’m done blogging, sharing knowledge and stories [This blog is now closed]
As my blogging on this site has grown in popularity (thanks all!) messages like this have become more common: “Great blog. I’m implementing many of the things you talk about.” I’ve even heard from higher education institutions in North America who are quoting concepts from my blog in classes. Those things are great to hear but […]
Read MoreJune 26 – Free upcoming webinar
Click on the image for more and to register:
My Authentic Storytelling Book
"Get Real: Telling Authentic Stories for Long-term Success" discusses why you, your organization and anyone really should consider sharing authentic stories with each other ... READ MORE
My customer service book
Confirmed talks
Berlin, Germany
June 29, 2017
Raleigh, NC
Aug. 22, 2017
Annual conference
Reno, NV
Oct. 8-9. 2017
Austin, Texas
Oct. 23-25, 2017
Speaking feedback
Top 10 Content Marketer
on Klout 2016
Quotes
Christoph
June 20, 2017
Change Leadership, Strategies