This Week In Content 9.19.13

This week, we feature how social media is changing decision making processes, identify the similarities between content marketing and face-to-face networking, and spotlight how to educate others about your content marketing strategy.

12 Lessons for Focusing Your Content Marketing Strategy on Education

Educating your target audience is a great way to generate leads.  In this article, The Energy University tells the Content Marketing Institute the ways an educational approach to marketing has helped benefit their bottom line.

Top tip? To build trust, ensure that your educational materials would apply no matter which product or service your audience prefer to use.

Read the Content Marketing Institute interview here.

5 similarities between Content Marketing and Face-to-Face Networking 

Content marketing encompasses the creation or sharing of content for the purpose of engaging current – and future – consumers. And it turns out – content marketing has a lot in common with old-fashioned “press the flesh’ networking.

Here are the top 5 ways in which these critical marketing tactics intersect:

1. Content marketing and networking both involve storytelling

2. Content marketing and networking both require listening skills

3. Content marketing and networking are all about being in the right venues

4. Content marketing and networking both require an engaging “user interface”

5. With both content marketing and networking, once is never enough

Read the full post to delve deeper.

How Social Media is Changing Decision Making

According to Forrester’s newest B2B Social Technographics® numbers, 100% of business decision-makers use social media for work purposes. Smart businesses are growing and adapting through the use of social media.

Learn more here, and be sure to scroll down for the infographic that outlines how prospects are spending their time on social media.

Why the Media – and People – Love Lists 

“Lists are like cotton candy — ephemeral but satisfying,” says Sid Holt, chief executive of the American Society of Magazine Editors. 

Read more about why lists continue to rise to the top – JCPR’s “This Week in Content” can certainly attest to that!