Content marketing

What’s Trending: Ride the Marketing Merry-Go-Round

The name “merry-go-round” is so fitting. Have you ever seen someone riding along on one of those oscillating horses without a big grin on their face?

There’s something distinctly mesmerizing about an old-fashioned carousel, with its mounted animal models rotating in unison as carnival tunes blare overhead. These popular amusement park rides are interactive and eye-catching, much like LinkedIn’s new carousel ads, which officially launched during the past week.

In recent trending columns we’ve highlighted the resounding importance of visual content and storytelling in marketing. Like the merry-go-round, which traces its origins back to mid-19th century England and is still found on fairgrounds today, these age-old staples of communication endure because they engage our minds and capture our imaginations.

We’re excited about native carousel ads helping marketers up the ante with visual storytelling on LinkedIn, through inclusion of multiple visual assets that members can swipe through in Sponsored Content. We’ve already seen some creative applications from early adopters and are eager to see what others come up with.

What else was new in marketing this week? To help keep your strategy moving merrily along, here’s a rundown of top trending content around the web.

What Marketers Were Reading and Sharing Most This Week:

1. This Strategy Helped the HubSpot Blog Break a Year-Long Traffic Plateau

Feel like the momentum of your company blog has lurched to a halt? You might find inspiration in this retrospective from Karla Cook, who describes how HubSpot kicked things back into gear after a pronounced traffic lull in 2017.

2. 2018 Social Media Use Has Changed: What You Need To Do [Research]

Breaking down data around current social media usage trends, Heidi Cohen offers recommendations to help your company gain an edge in the social space. The last one, “Support employee participation on social media,” is an especially crucial directive, which is why there’s so much buzz around employee advocacy.

3. 7 Ways to Upgrade Your B2B Marketing Strategy

Speaking of employee advocacy, it’s one of the level-up opportunities suggested by Shane Barker in his excellent list at SEMrush.

4. Forrester: B2B Companies Score Low in Marketing Best Practices

A recent benchmarking survey of B2B marketing decision makers from Forrester Research revealed some surprising trends. Howard Sewell discussed these findings with Forrester’s Lori Wizdo; the insights around ABM and sales marketing alignment are particularly noteworthy.

5. Engaging the C-Suite with Content [Infographic]

Which types of content do various C-level executives find most useful and most shareable? Find data around these questions and more in Raconteur’s slick infographic, which should prove enlightening for B2B content marketers

6. How to Explain Content Marketing ROI to Win (or Keep) Buy-In

Content marketing ROI should not be a vague concept. When you ground your explanations in relatable examples, hard data, and comparisons to other marketing tactics, it becomes easier to tangibly convey marketing’s value to higher-ups. Good stuff here from Julia McCoy.

7. How to Understand Searcher Intent and Use It to Boost SEO Rankings

Experts will tell you that searcher intent is among the foremost keys to successful SEO-based content strategy going forward. Here, Marcus Miller provides an overview on why it works and how to map your keywords accordingly.

8. Why Problem Solving Should Be The Only Value Proposition You Use

“Whether you’re new to the game or you’re trying to rebuild your marketing strategy, focus on the big picture: problem-solving.” Neil Patel explains why delivering value through content with this approach is a no-brainer, and backs up his case with some compelling examples.

9. Ready Player One: Top CMWorld Speakers Dish Go-To Classic Content Marketing Combos

If you’re a content marketer and a fan of retro gaming, you’ll love these 34 classic content marketing tips from recognizable influencers and experts who will be taking the stage at Content Marketing World in September. Click into Ashley Zeckman’s blog post for more.

10. How a Few Pages Can Make or Break Your Website

The days of high content volume equating to strong keyword rankings are over, says Jeff Baker. In a new search landscape, a concentrated approach is required. At Moz, he details his blueprint and how to project results.

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