
It is the most wonderful time of the year. There are parties for hosting, marshmallows for toasting, and caroling out in the snow.
For marketers, December can also be the busiest time of the year. There’s often a last push to meet Q4 or yearly objectives and acquire those skills you promised yourself you would in 2014. Oh, and let's not forget the other tasks that tend to “present” themselves during the holiday season.
You need a break. “But there’s no time for a break,” you say. Okay, you need a productive break. So why not sit back, relax, and spend the next 10 – 20 minutes enjoying the trending articles your marketing peers were reading and sharing this week.
Top Marketing Articles to Read This Week
1. The Top 50 Content Marketers What does it take for a brand to be exceptional at content marketing? The Kapost research team evaluated the content of over 200 brands to find the top 50 content marketers of 2014. We're proud to be listed among these top brands that not only posted frequently and engaged socially, but “wowed” with the originality and usefulness of their content. Visit this post to discover which brands crushed content marketing in 2014.
2. Announcing LinkedIn’s Best of Company Pages 2014 Recently we asked our readers to nominate their favorite LinkedIn Company Pages. Check out the SlideShare presentation below to discover the top 10 Company Pages of 2014 and learn actionable takeaways you can apply to your own brand.
3. How to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile for Social Selling “Just as you're researching potential buyers on LinkedIn to learn more about them, they're looking at your profile to judge whether they want to do business with you,” writes staff writer
Emma Snider on the HubSpot blog. Check out the infographic in Emma’s post for a section by section breakdown of how to create a LinkedIn profile that draws in buyers.
4. The 114-year-old Viral Marketing Campaign In the early 1900s, the Michelin brothers had a brilliant marketing idea. Instead of advertising tires, they created content to encourage car owners to drive more.
Daylan Pearce’s post on the LinkedIn publishing platform explains how the
Michelin Guide – one of the earliest and most effective examples of content marketing – helped Michelin become one of the largest tire manufacturers in the world.
5. Our Top 10 Social Media Marketing Posts of 2014 In this post,
Optimize author
Lee Odden reveals the TopRank blog’s top social media marketing posts from 2014. Learn when brands should use hashtags in social messaging, discover how to optimize your LinkedIn profile, and find out which social media tools boost marketing performance. The top posts also include TopRank’s coverage of the 2014 Social Media Marketing Industry Report and the Social Media Marketing World conference.
7. How AirBnb Is Using Content Marketing to Stay on Top Why do so many people love Airbnb? Corporate research firm Altimeter Group says consumers’ “desire for community” is one of the driving forces behind their runaway success. Check out this Contently post by contributor
Tessa Wegert to learn why Airbnb has thrown themselves into storytelling, and learn how the company uses content to create a sense of belonging among hosts, guests, and the Airbnb brand.
10. The Digital Customer Journey The Internet has completely transformed how consumers make decisions. You already know this, but what can you do about it? Check out this SlideShare presentation by
Bart De Waele to learn about the new consumer decision funnel and discover how to attract consumers earlier in their buying journey.
This holiday season, give yourself the gift of fresh insights, tips, and tactics for highly effective marketing. Subscribe to the LinkedIn Marketing Solutions blog today.

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