Newt Barrett

Still skeptical of the merits of content marketing? Well, Barack Obama and his team have put content marketing at the center of their media strategy. [caption id="attachment_3428" align="alignnone" width="517"] Bo Helping President with his Content Marketing[/caption] They have effectively dis-intermediated the media. Just as all great content marketers, they are thinking and acting like publishers. As the AP reported recently, The Obama White House is generating its own content like no president before, and refining its media strategies in the second term in hopes of telling a more compelling story than in the first... ...Mike McCurry, who served as press secretary to President Bill Clinton, sees an inclination by the Obama White House to "self-publish," coupled with tactics "I never would have dreamed of in terms of restricting access" for independent news organi... (more)

Top Content Strategy Takeaways from Confab 2013 London—Day One

[caption id="attachment_3393" align="alignright" width="202"] Kristina Halvorson Opening Confab 2013[/caption] Content strategists from all over the world gathered for two frosty March days in London to learn from some of the brightest minds in the content universe. I was delighted to be part of the enthusiastic crowd.  I'll dig more deeply into individual presentation content soon. But for now, here are some of my favorite takeaways from the many awesome presenters on the first day of Confab 2013. Content strategy may still be hard to do. But, the presenters made it easy to und... (more)

Why Local Newspapers Require Radical Reinvention to Escape a Very Grim Future

Local newspapers and business-to-business publications face similar challenges as drastic drops in ad revenue drive equally drastic drops in relevant and compelling content.  But for newspapers, ad revenue declines are exacerbated because the highly profitable classified advertising sections have almost disappeared as readers flock to the Internet.  Moreover, business-to-business magazines that are well positioned still offer uniquely valuable niche content that helps readers succeed. Their readers still count on them. That’s not so true for our local dailies. I believe that the... (more)

How Constant Contact Walks the Content Marketing Walk

Action-oriented Website Transforms Visitors into Buyers. We've long been impressed with Constant Contact. Almost 5 years ago, we wrote about their excellent eNewsletter as an example of effective content marketing--that even small companies with low budgets could emulate.  They have grown from 25,000 customers in 2004 to 250,000 customers in 2008 and more than 500,000 customers in the third quarter 2012. A combination of great content and great products has empowered that growth. Now more than ever, they not only provide terrific content, but they make it easy for buyers to take... (more)

Great New Social Media Marketing Tool: PitchEngine

Jump Start Your Online Public Relations for Free They call it public relations for a reason.  Although PR methodology has focused primarily on getting the traditional media to write about your company or your client’s company, the goal has always been to influence ‘the public’, that is those members of the population that you want to impact positively. Thanks to the infinite reach of the Internet, you have the capability to extend that influence dramatically.  But, you need to change your approach and your toolkit as part of a 21st century PR strategy. If your primary public rela... (more)