5 journalism best practices for your content marketing
Journalism and content marketing are not identical twins, but they’re in the same family photo. Both are intended to tell an illuminating story using relevant facts and expert analysis. When they do so, journalism and content marketing serve to enlighten their readers, which frequently leads them to more informed opinions and better decisions. Given those similarities, content marketers can take a page from the journalist’s notebook to improve the focus and effectiveness of their work. The following are five foundational best practices of journalism that will take your content development from inception through the finished article. Create an outline A well-constructed outline leads to a good article. The outline does not need
Tools of the transition
Editor’s note: This is the latest in a series of articles that reflect upon the 25th anniversary of Boomm B2B Marketing and the significant changes in our industry over that time. Gary Mattes is the CEO of Boomm and the proud son of an advertising creative director. There is a compelling fact that Gary likes to share about his father’s professional world because it gives everyone a unique perspective on today’s technology-driven industry. “My father used the same tools of the trade from the day he started in advertising until the day he retired,” Gary confides. “We have changed our tools countless times in the last year alone.” [caption id="attachment_7490" align="alignnone" width="206"] Mr.
Stepping outside the comfort zone
Editor’s note: This is the latest in a series of articles that reflect upon the 25th anniversary of Boomm B2B Marketing. Each article examines a significant milestone in the agency’s history, why it transpired, and its lasting relevancy to today’s marketing landscape. Marketers love to ruminate on original thinking. They romanticize big ideas, out-of-the-box approaches, breakthrough concepts and game-changing strategies. Professionals who drive original thinking on a regular basis are given lofty titles such as thought leaders, strategic savants and creative geniuses. There are countless award shows that recognize brilliance in all its forms from every area of marketing and many industries. In short, original thinking is single most important force in
How to review creative (without being a jerk)
By Randy Mitchell The marketing manager was a notorious jerk. Every Friday morning, he would stalk into the center of the creative department and scan the room slowly. In his clenched fists was a crumpled stack of storyboards, web layouts, ad proofs and radio scripts—all submitted earlier in the week for his review. Then he would erupt; loudly spewing his molten creative criticism around the room. No one was spared and nothing was positive. Until he had an epiphany. On this particular Friday, the marketing manager was already beet red as he stared down the copywriter. Everyone averted their eyes as he launched in on his toxic rant. “YOU
The B2B website personality test
By Randy Mitchell Who is your B2B website? That’s not poor grammar. It’s one of the smartest questions you can ask your team or your client. It’s also one of the questions any good agency will answer when they develop a B2B website for you. Determining the personality of a website is a common-sense starting point for developing a strong digital presence. It should happen before you do the deep dive into sitemapping, content strategy, SEO and design options. Thankfully, you can mold the personality of your B2B website to ensure it makes the right impression when important visitors unexpectedly pop in. All you need to do is take the following test. B2B Website Personality
The stats story
By Randy Mitchell “Here’s a crazy idea
MOS is the new rule for B2B videos
By Randy Mitchell In the early days of filmmaking, an acronym was born that has come to represent the new standard for making B2B videos. Hollywood legend claims that a prominent German director wanted to shoot certain scenes without any audio. He kept barking out, “Mit out sound!” to his puzzled crew. The frustrated camera assistant struggled to translate the command, until he finally gave in and wrote the abbreviation “MOS” on the slate. The cameras rolled without sound, and the term has become part of the production vocabulary ever since. MOS has also come to define the most common video viewing experience. Today, up to 92% of social media videos are played
The Social Sandbox: Converting the haters
By Randy Mitchell “I hate social because my customers hate social. They’re engineers. They deal in facts, not fluff.” - Industrial Product Director “Social media is a popularity contest. We don’t need likes. We need leads.” - Entertainment Services Company Owner “Our products are SaaS. That’s a big investment. We sell to the C-Suite and they are not on Twitter.” - Technology Marketing Manager “Social is for branding. Social is for buzz. Social is not for B2B.” - Food Ingredients Regional Sales Director Sound familiar? If you believe social media is a waste for your B2B marketing mix, you’re not alone. Many B2B decision makers are devout social haters because they think it’s not substantial, serious and it doesn’t drive
The Social Sandbox: Blurring the lines
By Randy Mitchell Editor’s note: This is the first article in an occasional series covering the turbulent world of social media for businesses. We’re calling this series The Social Sandbox. This time we dig in to the shifting perceptions of LinkedIn. The vitriol is pulsating from the comments. A highly vocal section of the social community is up in arms and they are storming the castle from all sides. “What happened to my LinkedIn?” “I thought this was the PROFESSIONAL network.” “When did LinkedIn become Facebook?” “I hope Elon Musk buys this network and shuts it down.” “If anyone wants me, I’ll be on GlassDoor.” “#LinkedOUT” Why is LinkedIn under fire from the people who used to cherish it as
Better than a Super Bowl commercial
By Randy Mitchell Every spring, my pushy Aunt Captious corners me with the same question: “Do you have any Super Bowl commercials in the works, hotshot?” Every spring, I sheepishly give the same answer: “Well, no. You see, I work at a B2B agency, and our clients don’t waste millions of dollars on a single commercial. But we do create a lot of great videos for them.” “Videos?” she laughs. “Who cares about videos?” That usually ends the conversation, and I slip quickly away. But just once, I want to boldly proclaim: “Listen Auntie dear, the last multimillion dollar spot I worked on took eleven months to produce. And when it was finished, it