5 Questions to Answer BEFORE You Develop a Social Media Strategy

Social media is too important to your business to go in without a plan. Before you strategize, make sure you know your who, what, and wheres. | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

Digital Marketing News: Clowns for Whoppers, Facebook Dynamic, Automatic Messages

Persado now generates emotionally-targeted marketing messages for individuals. Copywriters, prepare to start feeling nervous: Persado uses machine learning and people’s reactions to previous campaigns to determine users’ emotional profiles and is now launching Persado One, which … | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

Should I Hire an In-House Digital Marketing Specialist or Tap an Agency for Help?

You need to add bandwidth and expertise to your team. Ask yourself these 5 questions to help you choose between hiring in-house or partnering with an agency. | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

What You Need to Know About Optimizing Content for Voice Search

Voice search in on the rise and it’s a big topic of conversation among marketers. Learn what you need to know about optimizing content for voice search. | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

4 Spooky Marketing Lessons from Classic Halloween Monsters

What do Dracula, Dr. Frankenstein, and their friends have to teach marketers? Find out the TERRIFYING truth in this Halloween-themed post | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

Be the Best Answer: 5 Steps to Grow Influence for Your Brand

"Be the Best Answer” is an expression my team and I have used many times in client strategy planning, training, presentations, webinars, blogging, and in my book Optimize about the intersection of search with owned, earned, paid and shared media. Being present in a relevant, cred … | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

Digital Marketing News: Pinterest PPC, Facebook Sets, Online Beats Offline Shopping

Need help understanding Machine Learning? We now live in an age where machines can teach themselves without human intervention. Sound scary? It should. Scary amazing that is. Applications for machine learning extend from marketing to medicine to interstellar space travel. Find ou … | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

Content Marketing Tactics for Search Marketers – International Edition #SMXLmilan

Content is both king and kingdom in a digital world full of stories. Brands and consumers alike are experiencing and publishing content on a daily basis. Between information overload, increased complexity of search engines and changes in consumer search behaviors, many marketers … | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

How 7 Brands Connect With Audiences Through Long-Form Video Content

Content comes in many forms, including social media messages, blog posts, video, and more. But video is largely ignored with only 30% of B2B marketers believing video will be critical to their content marketing success. Considering video accounts for 74% of all internet traffic y … | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks: How We All Can Do Better

B2B content marketers face significant challenges, according to new research. Here’s how to meet challenges in communication, organization, and more. | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

The State of Minnesota Marketing: Insights from 6 Minnesota Brands

Minnesota is home to numerous nationally and internationally known brands, ranging from household consumer names like Target and Best Buy to giants like Cargill and United Healthcare. Given their broad focus, their home state isn’t a singular marketing focus for these big compani … | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

Digital Marketing News: Twitter Video Ads, Livestreaming Rise, RIP Eric Ward

The Rise of Livestreaming: Why People Watch, and How Brands Can Benefit . Facebook users comment 10 times more on live videos than on regular videos. Find out what people are watching, what their preferences and behaviors are in this infographic from Koeppel Direct. MarketingProf … | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

How We’re Building a Content Marketing Dream Team

We’re committed to adding top talent to the TopRank Marketing family. Learn about the skills and special qualities that are guiding our strategy. | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

3 Mouth-Watering Content Marketing Case Studies That Bring Home the Bacon

If you’ve ever been pregnant, lived with a woman who’s pregnant or even just been around a pregnant woman, you can guess it is not smart to lie to a woman who’s pregnant about food. Well that’s how I felt today. 6 months along and in arrives a marketing email with the subject lin … | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

How to Choose Dynamic Images for Your Blog Posts

For content marketing, visual is the new headline. So ditch the schlock and the stock photos – here’s how to find blog post images that invite readers in. | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

How to Make the Switch to Content-Driven SEO #MNBlogCon

Discover a helpful framework for flipping the script from SEO-driven content to content-driven SEO straight from Josh Nite #MNBlogCon presentation. | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

Digital Marketing News: Twitter Happening Now, Snapchat Context Cards, LinkedIn Video Ads

Video Ads Are Finally Coming to LinkedIn (client) - When LinkedIn began allowing users to upload videos in August, video ads seemed like an inevitability, and they are now one step closer. LinkedIn announced today that it is running a closed beta test of video for sponsored conte … | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

Will More Tweet Space Equal More Value for Your Twitter Audience?

Twitter is getting ready to double its character count limit. But will more space help marketers deliver more value? TopRank Marketing weighs in. | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

Making B2B Marketing Gold: A Look Back at MarketingProfs B2B Marketing Forum #MPB2B

To open up the 2017 MarketingProfs B2B Marketing Forum, Chief Content Officer Ann Handley shared a challenge for attendees to keep top of mind while at the conference (in addition to tap dancing, but more about that later): #1 - Find Your Squad This has been a running theme for t … | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

Content Marketing Platform BuzzSumo Acquired by Brandwatch

It's no mystery that I'm a big fan of BuzzSumo. I've been a customer since they launched and have advocated for the platform in blog posts, interviews and marketing presentations all over the world - including keynoting at the BuzzSumo ContentSEO conference in New York. I've also … | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

Learn How to Connect Actions to Results Using Marketing Attribution

We’ve all been there. The big marketing campaign you spent months on just ended, it was a smashing success! Champagne was popped, there were pats on the back all around, life was good. But when the dust finally settles, you’re left staring a mountain of data square in there eyes, … | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

Everything You Need to Build a LinkedIn Marketing Tactical Plan

Over the last five years, we’ve seen an evolution in the way B2B marketers are talking about and using social media. We’ve evolved from asking “Should we be doing it?” to “Is what we are doing worth it?” to now “How do I make this really effective channel even more effective?”. A … | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

If You Only Had $1k to Invest in Content Marketing, How Would You Spend it?

Budget is always top of mind for content marketers, but especially this time of year. In order to get even close to the budget that you want or need, you have to justify the spend. Unfortunately, we’ve been ineffective at content for a while. But the question is, can we change th … | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

Why to ROI: Proving the Value of B2B Influencer Marketing with Lee Odden

Last week at Marketing Profs B2B Forum it was pretty clear B2B marketers are more interested in influencer marketing than ever before. Lee Odden’s session - Why to ROI: B2B Marketing Case Studies for Success- promises to deliver not only why influencer marketing is something we s … | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

Digital Marketing News: The Perfect Sales Page, YouTube Changes & Instagram Polls

This week's top digital marketing news via @toprank featuring how to write the perfect sales page, big YouTube changes and Instagram Story Polls. | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

The Netflix Experience: Create Binge-Worthy B2B Content with Ardath Albee #MPB2B

73% of Americans have binged on content. If you’re like me, you’re probably thinking of those rainy Sundays spent on a Netflix bender. Netflix, Hulu, HBOGo make it so easy to continue the binge. One more episode, you think, as the next installment automatically queues up. Finishe … | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

Must-See Sessions & Top Tips for Finding Your Squad at #MPB2B

For some people the happiest place on earth is Disneyland, for me, it’s the annual MarketingProfs B2B Marketing Forum in Boston. Last week, I ran a poll on Twitter to see what people were looking forward to most at the B2B Marketing Forum, and while many are interested in learnin … | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

50 B2B Marketing Influencers Speaking at #mpb2b

It's October and you know what that means? Its B2B Marketing influencer speaker list time again. One of my all-time favorite conferences is MarketingProfs B2B Forum in Boston and for the past few years I've had some fun listing out a top list of speakers ranked by influence aroun … | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

2018 B2B Content Marketing Report Indicates Marketers are Finding Content Marketing Success

See some of the key learnings that we have uncovered from Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs 2018 B2B content marketing report. | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

Digital Marketing News: LinkedIn Top Content, Twitter Gets Character & Apple Goes Google

This week's top digital marketing news featuring LinkedIn users' preferred content, Twitter adds characters and Apple goes with Google. | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

Beyond Google Keyword Planner: 7 Easy-to-Use SEO Research Tools for Generating Content Ideas

Get the scoop on several helpful SEO research tools that can help you uncover real questions your audience is asking so you can create best-answer content. | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

Funny Content, Serious Business: How to Use Humor in Content Marketing

Humor in content marketing changes throughout the buyer’s journey. Find the balance that entertains the customer while still supporting business objectives. | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

Break All the Social Rules: Advice from Spredfast VP of Strategy Spike Jones

In this era of social media, brands need to look at their social outreach in a different light. Which means that sometimes, you have to break the social media rules. Spike Jones, Vice President Strategy at Spredfast outlined a new type of social success at the September Minnesota … | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

Learn Influencer Marketing 5 Ways

A quick look at Google Trends comparing Influencer Marketing to other marketing disciplines shows a near hockey stick growth trend. Since my team consults and I advocate, write and speak about influencer marketing so often, people often ask me: “Is influencer marketing a real tre … | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

Digital Marketing News: Predictive Analytics, Blockchain and Email Marketing Industry Report

This week's top digital marketing news via @toprank featuring predictive analytics, blockchain and email marketing industry report. | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

LinkedIn Native Video: What Works, What Doesn’t, What Marketers Need to Know

Why video? Why native? Why LinkedIn? Here's what B2B marketers need to know about LinkedIn's new foray into video content marketing. | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

Top Insights, Takeaways & Favorite Moments from #SocialBrand17

Gain access to the top Social Brand Forum takeaways featuring insights from Robert Rose, Melissa Agnes, Jason Falls, Marcus Sheridan and Ashley Zeckman. | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

6 Questions to Ask Yourself When Setting Social Media Marketing Goals

Your goals are the foundation of your social media marketing strategy. But how do you define those goals? These questions can help guide your way. | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

The Mighty Cheeseburger: How to Construct Your Content for the Perfect Bite

Cheeseburgers and content have a lot in common. Find out how a cheeseburger could help you construct content for the perfect bite with these four tips. | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

Digital Marketing News: Better Text Ads, Lifestyle Templates & AMP for AdWords

This week's top digital marketing news via @toprank featuring tips for better text ads, Lifestyle Templates & AMP for AdWords. | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

Digital Marketing Tools & Tactics: What the Trends Tell Us

A recent in-depth aggregation of 2017 digital marketing trends provides a comprehensive view of where the industry currently stands. We cover some key takeaways. | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

Our Top 11 Content Marketing Takeaways from #CMWorld 2017

Get the scoop on some of our favorite moments, quotes and takeaways from the 2017 Content Marketing World event. | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

4 Tips to Stop Killing Your Content Team from Workfront & Nordstrom

Gain insights into 4 ways to scale your content production, without killing your team from Workfront's Heather Hurst and Nordstrom's Erica Gunn. | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

How to Find the Stories in Your Data for Compelling Reporting

Whether you’re persuading a potential customer or presenting results in-house, make your data compelling with these tips from Google’s Adam Singer. | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

12 Questions You Need to Answer if You Want to Launch a Video Content Strategy

Find out what questions you need to be asking yourself as you launch a video content strategy, courtesy of Lisa Mattson's CMWorld presentation. | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

Stop the Marketing Killjoy: 5 Ways You’re Turning off Audiences with Bad Video

Learn how to stop killing the joy in your video marketing efforts with 5 simple tips from Tim Washer. | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

How adidas Put Culture at the Core of Their Content Marketing Strategy

It’s not about what you sell; Customers want to know what you stand for. Here’s how to put culture at the center of your content marketing strategy. | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago

5 Radiant Writing Secrets Inspired by ‘Charlotte’s Web’

Learn how to be a terrific, radiant and humble writer as Ann Handley reveals secrets at Content Marketing World that are inspired by "Charlotte's Web." | Continue reading


@toprankblog.com | 7 years ago