Content marketing

A Cornucopia of Tools & Stats Content Marketers Are Thankful For

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It’s an American cultural tradition to express our gratitude on the fourth Thursday of November, otherwise known as Thanksgiving. And we would be remiss if we didn’t thank our online chorus of marketers with a “horn of plenty” content curation tools that can help with your LinkedIn marketing and a cornucopia of statistics that will make any content marketer salivate in anticipation of the feast to come.

Free to Use Content Creation & Collaboration Tools

Evernote – This note-taking app is helpful for writing or brainstorming content when you're on the go. If you’ve spent any time researching concepts for content ideas, you know that it’s difficult to write on demand. Your best ideas most likely bubble up when your conscious mind is otherwise engaged, e.g. brushing your teeth, driving to work, washing the dishes, and so on.  Instead of needing to power up your computer, an app like Evernote helps you organize your content inspiration on the go and easily find those ideas later when you're ready to create.

CreativeCommons – The exploding demand for visual content can put a strain on content marketers because it takes a healthy budget to buy copyright licensed images. Thanks to the generosity of CreativeCommons, anyone can search for free photos to use commercially as long as you credit the photographer with a link.

Here’s a bonus tip: Go to Bing and click on “Images” in the top navigation. Type in your image concept, and then select “Licenses.” Choose “free to share and use commercially.” All the photos returned are automatically screened for CreativeCommons and are available at no charge.

SlideShare – As one of the top 150 sites on the Web with over 60 million visitors per month, SlideShare can’t be beat when it comes to content marketing presentations. It’s the world’s largest professional content sharing community. As such, putting time into creating a presentation deck will be rewarded with higher levels of awareness, credibility and engagement. Plus, use SlideShare to find other presentations that inspire you and that you can share with your network.

Google Drive – Collaboration is a big part of content marketing and Google Drive helps everyone involved on a project view and update information in real time. This can be an incredible time saver and helps ensure your entire team is literally on the same page.

Bountiful Stats to Brighten Every Marketer’s Table

The future looks bright for social media marketing – budgets are increasing, more business is being conducted and building authentic relationships has never been easier. Here’s some ammunition you can present at your next marketing meeting to prove social media is here to stay… unlike that Thanksgiving turkey.

  • Social media marketing budgets will double over the next five years. More ammo to get the job done – yay! (Source)
  • More than 40% of marketers found customers on LinkedIn. Subscribe to the blog to connect with even more customers in 2014. (Source)
  • Customer testimonials are the most effective form of content marketing at 89%. You’ll want to be sure to showcase those great reviews on your LinkedIn Company Profile page. (Source)
  • Inbound marketing delivers 54% more leads than traditional outbound marketing. It’s more fun than outbound, too. (Source)
  • 78% of CMOs think custom content is the future of marketing. And what better way to promote customized content than with native advertising? According to the Online Publishers Association (OPA), 73% of its members already offer some form of native advertising with 90% stating they intend to offer it in the future. (Source)

You should 100% take advantage of LinkedIn marketing because it’s where marketers can use dynamic content to deliver an experience to the right audience at the right time.

Learn about ways to increase the effectiveness of your content marketing strategy. Visit our content marketing page for more free resources.