Most businesses (be they blog owners, start-ups, or established brands) now know that if they want a competitive advantage, they have to keep information-hungry customers in a ready supply of fresh, relevant, and interesting content. Linda Forshaw is a Business Information Systems graduate from Lancaster University in the UK. “ Content is king. Bill Gates said it, so it must be true. Gates uttered this one-liner way back in 1996, but the flurry of updates to Google search algorithms during 2012 has ensured that his words still resonate. No pressure, of course. Alternative angles. MORE >>

Create buyer personas to capture key information about your readers. Deliver your marketing messages in different media as people like to receive information in different ways. Provide useful information, consistently over time. The Content Marketing Institute hit a home-run with their question to content experts, “ How do you make content more engaging? &# This is an important post to read for anyone blogging and posting content to connect with readers. Ten experts responded, including moi , and their answers are illuminating. Show the human side of your business. MORE >>

Companies and brands are gathering the wrong information, because consumer surveys and focus groups can only report back what they consciously experience …and it’s falsified by  biases and flaws. Content marketing experts and the people who write marketing messages ought to understand how consumers’ brains work if  they want to engage and create trust and loyalty. The problem lies in assuming people are in charge of their own choices… Everybody thinks they are in control of their behaviors and decisions. We think we are rational, logical, and smart human beings. MORE >>

Because clicks are the currency of Pinterest, it’s crucial you write teaser-type phrases that draw users in but also that you don’t write descriptions that give all the information away. Don’t Be a Pinterest Pinhead. etiquette tips for pinning on the world’s favorite social pinboard. It’s true that Pinterest is fun—designed to be a simple, beautiful way to pin all your favorite ideas, products and places on the Web —but it’s also true that it’s powerful. With a registered user base that includes over 10 million and grows every day, Pinterest represents great potential for influence. MORE >>

Since information is free on the Web, there is a misperception that writers should be free or cheap. I’m glad to see that there are more agencies focusing on content marketing for small businesses. stumbled upon The Content Factor and found their approach to blog writing and white papers refreshing: The Content Factor provides good advice for content marketing strategies: But to be successful with blogging , you have to recognize some key differences: The best blogs are personified. Blogs should not be looked at in the traditional sense as corporate communications. We should know. MORE >>