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#ContentWritingChat Recap: Leadership & the Future of Marketing with Gene Petrov

#ContentWritingChat Recap: Leadership & the Future of Marketing with Gene Petrov

by | Feb 8, 2019 | ContentWritingChat

For this round of #ContentWritingChat, it’s all about leadership and marketing!
It doesn’t matter if you’re building (or working for) a large or small company… Leadership is still crucial for keeping a team together and ensuring you’re able to experience big results. And of course, you have to get smart with your marketing strategies if you want to be seen online!
So, how exactly do these two things overlap? And what does it mean for you? That’s what you’re going to learn in this recap.

#ContentWritingChat Recap: Leadership & the Future of Marketing with Gene Petrov


Our guest host for this month’s chat was Gene Petrov. Gene is an active member of the #ContentWritingChat community and this was his second time stepping in as our guest host. As a leadership coach for marketers, he had tons of valuable advice to share with us, so let’s dive into all the tips!

Q1: What role do you think leadership plays in marketing?

To kick off the chat, we wanted to get everyone to share their thoughts on leadership and its role in marketing overall. How important is it? What does it actually mean for all of us? Well, here’s what you need to know:


Gene knows leadership is critical when it comes to marketing. As he pointed out, many bigger companies will have a position specifically dedicated to this to keep things in line when it comes to marketing, sales, and operations.


But even if you’re running or working at a smaller company, leadership is still fundamental. It’s an investment that’s going to impact your organization overall and really keep things running smoothly.


You also have to think outside of leadership within your team, and think about your audience as well. As Gene said, you need to consider how your marketing efforts are working. Are they helping you to create a connection with your audience, develop relationships with them, and nurture your community?


Whether you’re managing a team or it’s just you, being able to lead is still an essential skill. Marketers need to be able to share information, communicate constantly, and effectively represent brands and people.


Sarah was spot-on with her answer. As she said, good leaders educate, help, and encourage others, while also leading by example.


With proper leadership, Tamara said it will ensure everyone on the team is being heard and that everything is going to be organized and executed correctly.

Q2: What are the basics of leadership?

If you want to be a great leader yourself, you have to know the basics! These tips are going to help you out with that:


Gene feels communication is one of the basics of leadership. He also mentioned some other skills he feels are important, such as coaching, mentoring, and team building. Not only that, but he thinks a leader should create an atmosphere in which a team feels safe.


A great leader will listen, provide guidance, and be ethical.


In order to be a great leader, you need to know your goals, guide others, communicate the purpose, and listen to and weigh in on varying opinions.


Leaders should be able to hold their team accountability and trust them to get the job done without micro-managing. This is why it’s important to give your team the confidence they need to get the job done.


Other basic elements of great leadership include being able to take action, knowing when to delegate, and putting people first.


Ken feels there are a few key things successful leaders must have. They need to be able to establish goals, make sure the team knows their role in reaching those goals, and cutting out the drama so people can get the job done.


Leaders need to be willing to take responsibility for their actions and for their team.


Gaby’s basics include vision, communication, authenticity, accessibility, and innovation among others. These are all great answers!

Q3: How have things changed in leadership?

We know that the world of marketing changes often, but the same goes for leadership. Here’s how things have changed recently so you can stay up to speed:


Gene feels leadership has evolved from authoritarian to being more open to hearing alternate views. After all, the best leaders are going to involve their team in the decision making process.


Andrea said there’s been a shift to a more empathetic approach.


Leadership isn’t all about the boss anymore! Instead, Caitlin thinks it’s about fostering the growth of others and helping them to step into their own roles as leaders as well.


Being a leader isn’t a title you’ll necessarily be assigned. It’s something you truly have to earn.


As Colton pointed out, hierarchy doesn’t imply authority. You have to focus on building a strong bond with your team in order to become a great leader.


Leadership is a mentality of ownership and making positive change.

Q4: Where do you see the overlap of leadership and marketing?

Now the question is, how are these two overlapping? In what ways does leadership impact marketing and vice versa? Here are some responses from the chat:


Gene said leaders focus on how to serve their team (internal), while marketers are geared towards their audience (external). While leaders are guiding those on their team, marketers are guiding the community. Both are important roles, and as he pointed out… Effective leaders are effective marketers and vice versa. Each skill is crucial to your success!


A leader will provide a compelling vision and path toward your goal. In turn, Colton feels this provides the marketing team with the tools to shape the brand and the content that brings that vision to life.


You need leadership to create voice, strategy, a message, a mission, a product, and a goal. From there, you use all of that information to strengthen your marketing and make it more effective.


Good leaders and good marketers make the needs of others the top priority. They’re both responsible for building trust in order to inspire others to take action.


Both leaders and marketers can influence people to change when they do well at their jobs.

Q5: Why do you see leadership as vital to the future of marketing?

To help you understand why leadership is so important (and why you need to take it seriously), check out this advice:


Gene feels leadership is vital to the future of marketing because technology is quickly evolving. While he sees how beneficial tools can be to the job, he knows that building a community and nurturing relationships will take time.


Just like Gene said… Marketing that connects to and serves people is a differentiator these days!


With changes happening all the time, Sarah feels it’s important to have a leader that’s flexible and open to new ideas. And you also want to be able to admit when you’re wrong and try again.


If you don’t have leadership, your marketing might not have the cohesion or connection it needs to deliver results.


Markters needs to evolve and innovate and a great leader can help foster that and encourage all of the creatives and big thinkers.


Tamara said leadership aids in organization efforts while also being fundamental to growth and development within individuals and a team overall.


The online space is only going to get noisier and you have to stand out in order to grab attention. You need powerful marketing in order to cut through the noise and reach your target audience.

Q6: How do we sharpen the saw when it comes to leadership?


Gene said it’s not about having a fancy title. You can strengthen your leadership skills within your daily life. For example, Gene knows that being a father has helped him become a better leader, as well las building a business and serving others.


Another option is to educate yourself through books, blogs, podcasts, webinars, conferences, etc. Consider how you do your best learning!


Lexie mentioned the importance of communication and asking questions. It’s all about improving yourself and taking constructive feedback as an opportunity to do better next time.


Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback because it’s really the best way for you to grow!


This is great advice about taking every opportunity you have and using it as a learning lesson. Embrace your wins and failures and learn how you can continue to grow and strive to do better every time.


It can also be beneficial to spend some time around the leaders you look up to. Kathryn suggests learning from them and putting their tips to use. Figure out what works for you!


And of course, you have to be willing to try new things and be adventurous.


Sarah agrees that it’s just about getting out there and giving it a go.


And make sure you’re staying updated with any changes going on in the industry. You don’t want to fall behind!


Zachary’s advice is perfect. Never stop asking questions. It’s okay to be curious and to want to learn. Just make sure you’re always evolving and getting better at what you do.

Q7: How do we elevate the marketing industry?

Ready to do your part in elevating the marketing industry in 2019? It may sound like an impossible task, but together we can make amazing things happen! Here are some tips:


Gene feels it’s time to change people’s ideas about what a marketer is. It won’t be easy, but it would be worth it.


This idea of talking with your neighbors is a great way to look at things!


Remember: marketers are ultimately supporting the customers by delivering what they need.


You have to move away from self-promotion and focus on the people in your audience and their experience with you and your brand.


Leaders need to listen to what customers are saying and then cater content and offerings to their needs and desires.


Gaby said we can elevate the marketing industry through authenticity, innovation, fluid communication, creativity, collaboration, and more. All of these are essential!

Q8: Who are some leaders you admire and why?


For Gene, he really admires his parents and the work ethic they instilled in him. He also looks up to others such as Zig Ziglar, Simon Sinek, and more.


There’s no denying that Gary Vaynerchuk is one entrepreneur that truly stands out in this space.


Jade has been lucky to have some amazing leaders in his life, which is even more reason to surround yourself with incredible people on a daily basis.


Tim looks up to Mark Schaefer and others when it comes to inspiring leaders.
Are you wanting to join us for the next #ContentWritingChat? It happens on Twitter on the first Tuesday of every month at 10 AM Central! Follow @ExpWriters and @writingchat so you don’t miss anything!

#ContentWritingChat Recap: B2B Marketing Techniques for the Content Marketer with Anh Nguyen

#ContentWritingChat Recap: B2B Marketing Techniques for the Content Marketer with Anh Nguyen

by | Oct 6, 2017 | ContentWritingChat

In this week’s #ContentWritingChat, we talked all about B2B marketing techniques. If you’re running a B2B business or working for one, you’ll certainly find value in the tips that were shared during Tuesday’s chat. In this post, we’re recapping some of the great advice for you to sink your teeth into!

#ContentWritingChat Recap: B2B Marketing Techniques for the Content Marketer with Anh Nguyen

Our guest host this week was Anh Nguyen. She’s a B2B marketer and a social media influencer. She also runs a Twitter chat of her own (#MobileChat), so it was great having her in the guest hosting seat. She had some amazing tips to share with all of us, so let’s check it out!

Q1: What’s the difference between B2B and B2C marketing?

To kick off the chat, we asked everyone to share the difference between B2B marketing and B2C marketing. If you aren’t sure what either of these mean, you’ll want to pay close attention to the answers that were shared. Here’s what you need to know:

As Anh said, B2B is business to business. In this case, a business would market and sell their products and services to other businesses. A B2C is business to consumer, which directs their offerings towards consumers/individuals.

Sarah put it simply for everyone to understand! B2B = business to business. B2C = business to consumer.

As Julia pointed out, B2B and B2C brands are talking to different markets. Their personas, copy, and CTAs will all look different.

When you are a B2B brand, your audience is other businesses.

As Jade pointed out, you’re going to need a different plan whether you’re in the B2B space or the B2C space.

Q2: What are some starting points for a B2B marketing plan?

If you’re getting started with B2B marketing, where should you begin when it comes to creating a plan? If you’re not sure, check out these tips to lead you down the right path:

To get started, Anh says you’ll need to determine the goals for your B2B marketing plan. You’ll want to set goals that are able to be tracked and measured so you can see how you’re progressing. From there, you’ll also need to determine who you want to reach and which channels you’ll be utilizing.

Anh says that there isn’t one-size-fits-all plan. Each business is different and their audience will be unique. In order to effectively reach that audience, you need to know and understand them. This will help yo provide the content that resonates.

Lexie’s advice is to determine what potential businesses need to get started with creating your plan.

Ken knows that it’s important to know your audience, whether you’re in the B2B or B2C space. You need to determine their needs and figure out what they’re looking for.

Sarah suggests knowing the ideal audience, the buying cycle, and how they’re searching for services.

Jason’s top tip is to know your audience. Determine what pain points and problems of theirs you can solve.

Erika said in-depth buyer personas are a must. She recommends figuring out who you’re selling to and what their challenges are.

Sabjan said etc start by defining your goals. Know what you want to achieve and move forward from there.

Make sure you get to know the business, their goals, and their challenges.

Q3: How is B2B content strategy different from a B2C content strategy?

Now that you know a little more about B2B marketing, how does the content strategy you’d use for a B2B business differ from one you’d use for a B2C? This is what you need to know:

Anh said that B2B marketing should be information or educational. She recommends focusing on features and benefits you can provide. The process often takes a longer time than B2C as well, which is important to keep in mind. This is because a group is typically involved in the decision making in this case.

For B2C, buying is based on the needs and benefits of a product, but the decision is made by individuals for their own use. As Anh said, emotion often plays a larger part in a B2C buying decision.

Julia said the personas, content delivery, and content creation will all differ between B2B and B2C.

As Erika pointed out, a B2B content strategy typically needs to reflect a longer buying cycle because there are fewer impulse buys.

Jason said B2B requires selling to executives or a C-level team. For B2C, you’re selling to an individual where their choice won’t be swayed by others on a team.

Ken feels you’ll need to put more attention on ROI when working in the B2B space. Know how your product will save time and money and communicate those benefits to potential buyers.

As Colin said, you need to know the needs of your customer’s customers.

Q4: What struggles does a B2B business face? How can you combat them?

There’s no denying that any B2B business will face some difficulties, but what are they up against? And how can they stand up to challenges? Check out these responses from the chat:

Anh feels content creation is often a struggle for B2B brands because their content is often viewed as boring. She suggests combating this by thinking of creative ways to share “boring” content. She even feels that humor can work in B2B when done appropriately.

Lexie said it’s a struggle to create content that other businesses want to read. You have to figure out how to grab their attention.

Julia said not to fall into the rut of average content. She feels it’s important to embrace creative content ideas and execution.

Sarah said having to sell up the chain within another business can be a struggle.

B2B requires a strong nurture program and exceptional content according to Erika because sales have an extended timeline.

Unfortunately, creativity often takes a hit when it comes to B2B content. It’s important to remember that you’re still communicating with people.

Many B2B brands are afraid to experiment, but sometimes it’s helpful to step outside the box. You can test out humor, unexpected visuals, and emotive copy according to Shelly.

Lauren said many B2B brands are afraid to take content marketing risks. She says they can combat that fear by experimenting and measuring the ROI it receives.

Not listening to their audience and employees as well as poor training can be disastrous for any business.

Make sure you find the right platforms to reach your audience. You want to be on the platforms they’re actively using to get your content in front of them.

Q5: How can you determine the success of your B2B marketing tactics?

Once you have a B2B marketing strategy in place, you need to measure the results you’re getting from your efforts. But how do you know if it’s a success? Keep these tips in mind:

It all goes back to the marketing plan goals you set in the beginning. Anh said to ask yourself if you reached or exceed those goals and if you hit the KPIs.

Lexie knows it’s important to set goals first!

When you have goals in place, you can easily measure results to see where you’re succeeding and where you could do some work.

As Jim said, your marketing strategy will include metrics that will have been determined ahead of time.

Sarah knows that measuring conversions is a must!

If your content isn’t generating leads or revenue, it’s time to go back to the drawing board according to Jason.

Lex said your content should lead to goal completions, conversions, and revenue. If it’s not, you’ll need to revisit your strategy.

Q6: What are some opportunities you think B2B businesses should be taking advantage of in terms of marketing?

What should B2B businesses be doing when it comes to marketing? Here’s some advice from the chat:

B2B business should take advantage of video as well as live streaming. They’re both great ways to connect with your audience.

Vivek also agrees that live streaming is a great option, as well as influencer marketing and podcasting.

Jim also feels that video content is a must for B2B brands.

You can focus on content marketing, create blog posts, participate in Twitter chats, and join LinkedIn groups.

Beki encourages more brands to start guest posting. It’s a great way to expand your reach.

Don’t forget that engagement is always key. Take the time to talk to your audience.

Q7: Which tools do you rely on as a content marketer in the B2B space?

There are a plethora of tools out there that can help you out with your content marketing efforts. Check out these to make your job a little easier:

One of Anh’s favorite tools is Feedly. It’s great for keeping up with content from your favorite sites and discovering new information.

Erika’s go-to tool is Track Maven.

For Sarah, she relies a lot on Google AdWords, Google Keyword Planner, Google Analytics, and WordPress.

SocialFlow is a favorite tool of Dianna.

Lauren loves Hootsuite, BuzzSumo, Google Analytics, and Content Marketing Institute.

Q8: Which B2B businesses really stand out in your mind? Tag them!

Who stands out in the B2B space? Check out these great examples:

MailChimp and HubSpot are just two of the brands that stand out to Anh.

Julia loves BuzzSumo, Content Marketing Institute, HubSpot, and CoSchedule.

For Carla, she thinks ConvertKit and Hootsuite (to name a few) do a great job.

Ready to join the #ContentWritingChat party? Join us on Twitter by following @ExpWriters and @writingchat. The chat takes place every Tuesday at 10 AM Central Time!

julias free facebook group cta

New Services in the Content Shop: Kindle Ebook Formatting for Self-Published Authors, Marketing Copy Formats, & New Expert Category

New Services in the Content Shop: Kindle Ebook Formatting for Self-Published Authors, Marketing Copy Formats, & New Expert Category

by | Apr 11, 2017 | Updates

Over the weekend, we were busy beavers – we added several new products to our Content Shop!

All of these services have been introduced because of a popular demand from our clients, and priced fairly to include expert team members for each stage of the project. An expert content marketing writer who sometimes ghostwrites for me is behind the new category just for CM, and we have a sales and marketing copywriter guru ready to deliver on the new marketing copy category and array of formats there with expertise.
I’m excited to introduce these new services to our Content Shop and answer more needs for our incoming leads. Keep reading to learn more about each one of these updated new content products!
kindle ebook formatting new services

New Services in our Content Shop: Kindle Ebook Formatting for Self-Published Authors, & 2 New Expert Category Products (Marketing & Content Marketing)

Here’s the lowdown on our new products in the Content Shop! First, we’ll start with the two new expert categories, and then discuss our Kindle ebook formatting solutions.

2 New Expert Categories: Marketing & Content Marketing

Our two new expert copywriting categories are live at the top of the expert copy category:
expert writers

New Expert Category: Content Marketing

When it comes to content marketing, we’re the perfect team to write on the subject. So it was about time to launch a dedicated expert copywriting category to the Shop, just for the subject of content marketing.
content marketing product
The beauty of this product is that it comes from what we do every day. Before we write and deliver our copy services for clients, we create content for ourselves – and that content fuels 90% of our entire marketing. (Check out our case study on our own success in that area.)
You can trust our team to deliver the best copy on the topic of content marketing. Crafted by experts in the field, we’ll deliver successful content, ready to gain and rank online. We have a content marketing expert copywriter lined up to take these orders (he sometimes ghostwrites for me, and I trained him on our Authority Content copy format launched last year).

New Expert Category: Marketing

One of our very common requests lately has been for a wide variety of marketing copy formats. So, we’ve added a Marketing expert copywriting product that encompasses the common requests we get, including PPT copy, flyer copy, and brochure copy. See it here.
marketing copy

Kindle Formatting & Cover Design for Self-Published Authors

We’ve already had ebook writing as a service in the Content Shop ever since we launched our site, but it was time to add Kindle formatting services for the aspiring self-publishing leads that have been visiting our site and services.
kindle formatting
For a few months now, we’ve received an odd number of random requests for Kindle formatting. We talked to our team, and discovered that Kindle formatting was among the skillsets of one of our our full-time writers, Ashley. So, we’ve created a workflow, priced the service at a fair cost, and added the service to our Content Shop this weekend for Kindle ebook formatting! Our designer has crafted incredibly good covers for our clients’ custom design orders already, so we added on a variation to get an ebook cover along with a fully-formatted, ready-to-go Amazon .mobi and .epub file.
We’re also getting ahead of a serious, permanent trend, by catering to the self-publishing crowd. Per a Bowker report, the amount of self-published books have increased by 375% since 2010. And that was a stat from last year. Here’s some more stats about the self-publishing industry (via PublishersWeekly):

  • 31% of all ebook sales on Amazon go to self-published authors.
  • Self-published authors are outdoing traditionally published authors, in the sci-fi, fantasy, mystery, thriller, and romance genres. What’s more, they are taking a large market share in all genres!

Self-Publishing Testament to Success

In April last year, I self-published my own book, So You Think You Can Write? using Amazon KDP and Amazon’s paperback publishing service, CreateSpace. So, I’ve been through the entire process!
so you think you can write
The reason I didn’t choose a publisher? Self-publishing on Amazon nets you a large 80% return on all your author royalties: a typical publisher will net you around 8%. That’s a tremendous difference. Of course, you have to market your book yourself when you’re self-published, and that can be difficult if you have no audience. Fortunately, I built up an audience through owning a business and starting several communities years before my book came out: and my book has sold over 500 copies across the last year just through word of mouth and publishing the link in my communities. (I’ve learned, though, that you can’t live off the income a single published book brings, not by a long shot—I net a low $150/month income from the sales. Still, it’s nice to have!)
One of the most difficult parts of publishing my book was finding a trustworthy formatter. In the process of formatting my book for CreateSpace, which was 1000x harder than formatting for the simpler KDP process, I was scammed out of quite a bit of money. Apparently, after the book was out, I learned I’d been overcharged about 50x what I should have paid.
So, this product in our Content Shop is something I’m very proud of offering. I know what it’s like to be a self-published author, both the struggles of the journey and the great reward afterwards from putting in the effort!

Conclusion: New Services in the Content Shop for April

That’s it for the roundup of the new services launched over last weekend in our Content Shop.
Questions, comments, or thoughts?
Drop us a comment below – or, if you have questions in particular about how we can help you with your needs, talk to us today! We’d love to become your go-to writing solution.
art of copy express writers

A Tale of Crazy Good Marketing Storytelling: Poo~Pourri

A Tale of Crazy Good Marketing Storytelling: Poo~Pourri

by | Jan 11, 2016 | Storytelling

We’ve got a pitch for you.

Imagine this: a tiny bottle of magical mist you can spray into the toilet to cover up unpleasant bathroom odors. People will love it, right?

If you’re like most people, you’re probably thinking, “That’s a crazy idea.”

You’re probably also thinking, “Aren’t there already 10,000 products identical to that on the market?”

You may even be thinking, “There’s no way that would ever sell.”

You’d be right on the first two and dead wrong on the last one.

Here’s why it would sell. Let your mind be BLOWN…

Be introduced to Poo~Pourri, a wacky “spray before you go” bathroom mist that’s gone viral and sold millions of products. “How,” you ask? Because of its incredibly creative use of brand storytelling.

I’m going to dissect just how this crap “made it” (so well, in fact); and five essential lessons you can learn from the way they’re winning. Let’s proceed!

poo pourri

Who (or What) is Poo Pourri?

Head to the Poo~Pourri website and you’ll find a page that immediately resembles something from Alice in Wonderland, complete with an embedded video of a pretty princess who is, presumably, squatting on her porcelain throne. The entire page, from the font to the color scheme is decidedly elegant and playful. And, at first glance, the only thing that really clues you into what the product is all about (besides the name, of course) is the slogan beneath the brand’s logo: “Spritz the bowl before you go and no one else will ever know.”

Before we hop down the rabbit hole of what makes Poo Pourri such a genius brand, it’s important to understand where the brand came from in the first place. At the top of the page, beneath a header titled “The Magic of Poo,” there’s an “About us” section (it’s called “The Story of Poo”). We must warn you, though, this “About us” is likely different than any you’ve ever seen.

It starts out innocent enough: the founder’s name is Suzy and she started the brand as the “first natural, truly effective solution to a universal problem.” In her words, “Poop happens, and it stinks!” She goes on to encourage you to “Take a shift!” and allow Poo Pourri to liberate you from “toxic thoughts and ingredients” because, hey, you’ve “got more important crap to worry about!”

Does this introduction have the six-year old inside of you giggling and blushing? Good, because we get the distinct feeling that that’s exactly what Suzy is going for. We’re willing to bet, however, that you’re also silently acknowledging that Suzy is indeed right. This is a universal problem.

And therein lies the first stroke of genius.

Since its inception, Poo-Pourri has sold more than 4 million products and that number only continues to climb. These products are neat little 2 – 4 oz spritz sprays, all natural with essential oils and no parabens or chemicals (which I personally love!), and start around $9.95 without shipping per bottle. The products even have cute little names, and the product descriptions themselves maintain the storytelling vibe.

poo pourri product

Even if you agree that nicely-packaged bathroom spray is a sensible idea, it still seems almost unbelievable that such a company should experience such runaway success.

It’s happening though, and the brand owes it all to storytelling. Something we talk a lot about (here, and here, for instance.)

How Poo Pourri Rocks Storytelling

Remember that embedded video on the main page of Poo~Pourri’s website? Well, they made a few original stories with the same lovely British redhead – 12, to be exact. Delight yourself in the crappiness of their entire channel, here.

Hilarious, right? Hilarious and slightly cringe-worthy, as well. The latter part owes largely to the fact that that video may be the single most daring and honest marketing video you’ve ever seen. Honesty is a theme that runs throughout the website.

From the unique section titled “Let’s Talk Crap” at the bottom of the home page (where you’ll also find the below “Hey Girl” gem) to the attractive product photos throughout the site, the brand’s home page manages to be hilarious, bawdy, and just sophisticated enough to pull it all off.

Hey Girl Meme

How does Poo~Pourri pull it off, though? And how do they take all of that storytelling and transform it into something that genuinely helps the brand make sales? The answer is that they use a series of tried and true marketing tactics that they infuse with their own individual flavor.

5 Marketing Lessons to Learn from the Storytelling Genius of Poo~Pourri

Here are the top 5 things we could all learn from Poo Pourri.

1. Know your audience

You’ve heard this before and you’ll hear it again but, come on, is there a brand out there that knows its audience better than Poo-Pourri? Doubtful. It’s clear from the get-go that Poo-Pourri is aimed at young, eco-conscious females everywhere that are having a hard time bucking the social norms associated with bathroom business.

If you need extra evidence of this, consider the video titled “Girls Don’t Poop.”

The video underlines the product’s quality by boasting that Poo-Pourri has more 5-star ratings on Amazon than the iPhone 5. It also offers a good-natured nudge at self-consciousness that generally surrounds bathroom visits. As Entrepreneur points out in their article on the company, “Everyone has a use for a spray that makes bathrooms smell fresh, but Poopourri did not target every Tom, Dick, and Harry.” Because of this, the brand is dominating while other bathroom spray brands are…stinking.

2. Be bold

If there’s one thing Poo-Pourri doesn’t do, it’s tread lightly. Phrases like “dirty little secret,” “tiny astronauts,” “chocolate éclair,” “intestinal cigar,” and “heaping dump” are prevalent throughout the brand’s advertisements.

And, yes, while we know that the majority of those phrases are enough to make you blush, they’re also bold. One of the best things this brand does is remove the timid language that often surrounds the topic of bathroom use. In doing so, they make the topic relatable and create an environment in which people can say, “Hey, yeah, I can totally relate. I’ll try this stuff out!” Unconventional? Yes. Brilliant? Absolutely.

3. Provide some comic relief

Let’s be honest, nobody really wants to talk about poop. But since Poo-Pourri does it in a funny, lighthearted way, it’s easier for customers to approach. Also, it’s infinitely obvious that whoever wrote the web copy for the company’s site had a great time doing it. This translates through to the reader and makes it easier for the customers to enjoy themselves on the page, translating into more sales and more brand engagement.

As a side note, let’s remember that, while Poo~Pourri is bawdy, a touch lewd, and very bold, it manages to balance those things with levels of professionalism, sophistication, and attention to detail that prevent it from ever coming close to unsaleable.

4. Be unique

What Poo Pourri is doing right now brings to mind what Dollar Shave Club has done in the last few years. While neither bathroom odor-maskers or razors are revolutionary products, both brands have managed to package and market their products in such a way that makes them seem so.

In the case of Dollar Shave Club, it’s ad copy that portrays the woes of people who don’t change their blade often enough. In the case of Poo~Pourri, it’s an all-natural product that comes packaged in a beautiful bottle that features a distinctly vintage appearance.

Reminiscent of high-class French toiletries, these little bottles instantly make customers feel like they’re holding an expensive and exclusive product. When a product looks great and performs even better, you can guarantee it’s going to be a hit with customers.

5. Own it

Throughout their website, Poo~Pourri continually says “Own your throne!” and they mean it. It’s evident, however, that the company takes that to heart. In addition to owning their thrones (as we assume they are) they’re also owning everything with the same flavorful style, from their brand message to their web copy. There’s not a piece of their website that feels boring, predictable, or pasteurized.

I think this is a huge key to their success across the board: they really, really commit to the level of storytelling they’ve exhibited. Which only means that someone over at Poo~Pourri is really, really, really, really… you get it… creative.

Everything is thoroughly, vibrantly on-brand, and it’s refreshing.

Take, for example, the social sharing buttons at the bottom of their home screen:

poo pourri

“Let me take a #shelfie,” “Ladies and gentleman, start your hot glue guns,” and “giveaways on giveaways on giveaways”? Of course I’m going to share that. Sharing that seems fun. How could I not share that?

Of course, that’s exactly the reaction those buttons are meant to produce and they do a fantastic job of it. Now, if those buttons had just featured the names of their respective social networks, it wouldn’t be nearly as much fun and I wouldn’t be nearly as compelled to share.

Poo~Pourri knows that in order to stand out in the minds of your customers, you need to craft a unique and original brand message that pervades through every aspect of your marketing. They’ve done this and, frankly, we could all stand to learn a thing or two from them.

Conclusion

If you’d never heard of Poo~Pourri before this post, I trust your life has been changed. What’s more, I virtually guarantee that you’ll think of this brand the next time you use the bathroom. While this little company is still small compared to some of the scent-eliminating giants out there, it’s obvious that their brand message is set to take them far.

This is due in large part to the fact that the brand is just so dang good at storytelling. From their commercials to their web copy and everything in between, Poo~Pourri is a brand that you can’t forget and can’t help but identify with.

Need a creative pen for hire? Check out our creative writing services.

25 Tips To Get You Started In Successful Content Marketing

25 Tips To Get You Started In Successful Content Marketing

by | Sep 25, 2015 | Content Marketing

Are you a business marketer new to content marketing?

If so, you probably already know that your best audience is found online, and now you’re trying to find out the best ways to attract them.

Content marketing is where it’s at today. Gone are the days of traditional advertising and outbound marketing. Paying for click ads is no longer a good idea either, the market is too thin and lean in PPC nowadays: you’ll likely overpay for a click and drive a great deal of traffic that ultimately doesn’t matter for your site. So what’s the solution? The answer is simple: content marketing.

In order to stand out in the field of content marketing, however, it’s important to develop an “expert voice.”

What is an expert voice, you ask?

It’s the tone and style of writing that comes from having a deep knowledge of the field and being very aware of what’s going on in your niche. It means staying on top of niche-related current events, technological shifts and important trends in your market.

Because today’s content marketing environment is so filled with great writers, being an expert voice is the only way to stand out. Not to worry, though, it’s easier than you think.

Successful Content Marketing

Let’s Define Good Content Marketing

According to Joe Pulizzi at Content Marketing Institute, content marketing is the “strategic marketing approach of creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and acquire a clearly defined audience.” Content marketing is called by many the “marketing tactic of the future” due to the fact that it’s significantly less obtrusive and more efficient than outbound marketing, which relies on tactics like cold calling, email blasting and traditional advertising to gain customers.

Content marketing, on the other hand, relies on creating useful, educational, helpful content that assists would-be customers in learning new things and solving problems. The theory behind content marketing is that customers appreciate great content and, if a company can establish itself as an authority in the field by creating helpful, useful, high-quality content, that company will be rewarded by more business and loyal customers.

What’s more, it seems to be working: 57% of businesses have acquired customers through their company blog and 42% have gained readers through Twitter. This just goes to show that, in addition to being a more evolved way to market, content marketing is also a very effective way to market.

What’s so Great About Content Marketing?

Traditional forms of marketing, like advertising and direct mail, are becoming less and less effective. It’s been obvious for a long time that people don’t like aggressive advertising and, when you take into account that 84% of 25-34 year olds have left a website because of an “irrelevant or intrusive ad”, it becomes clear just how ineffective outbound marketing is. The reason for that is simple: outbound marketing seeks to push things on customers while content marketing seeks only to provide value. That said, outbound marketing casts a broad net while content marketing simply means creating great content and attracting already-interested customers through web searches, search engine optimization (SEO) and word-of-mouth.

How Can I Start?

Although content marketing may seem involved and difficult, it’s relatively easy to break into the field and begin creating your own killer content. I’m saying this because I was able to get into it, leave a med school career, and teach myself content writing—then start a writing agency where 95% of our marketing is through content!

So, here are my top 25 tips to help you get started in content marketing:

1) Define Your Goals

If you’re new to content marketing, the first thing you need to do is clearly define your content marketing goals. Are you seeking to build brand awareness? Gain email subscribers? Increase conversions? Increase purchases across the board?

Regardless of what you’re setting out to do, you need to know where you’re going in order to ultimately get there. As you get started in content marketing, ask yourself if the content you’re creating will help support your defined goals. If it won’t, focus your energies on content that will.

2) Start a Blog—Now (And Stay On It)

If you’ve already got a website, link it to a blog that will feature a great deal of your company’s content. Blogs provide 126% more leads for small businesses than pages without one so it’s well worth your time.

3) Define Your Metrics

In content marketing, it’s important to be able to track the performance of your content. That said, you’ll need to establish some metrics to track things like the traffic your content garners, who is referring followers to your site, how long people are spending on your site and how many pages they’re visiting, what your bounce rate is and how many social shares your content is gaining. Implementing a set of metrics helps you better target your content and cater to customer wishes.

4) Calculate Resources

Resources, in this context, mean more than just money. Do you have several great writers in your company? Would it behoove you to hire a content marketing agency? Who will be responsible for each piece of the content marketing burden? Deciding these things now helps you have a clear plan going forward.

5) Write a Mission Statement

Every good company should have a mission statement. Like a road map, a mission statement defines where you are, where you’re going and why you’re going there. Each mission statement should answer one of these 4 questions:

  • What do you do?
  • How do you do it?
  • Who does it benefit?
  • Why is it valuable?

Although a mission statement may seem unrelated to content marketing, writing one can help you clarify your direction and become an expert voice on the web.

6) Develop a Target Persona

A target persona is incredibly important when it comes to knowing whom you’re marketing to. It’s tough to create great content without having a specific customer in mind and creating a target persona is a helpful way to understand exactly whom you’re talking to.

7) Develop a Content Marketing Strategy

Like a mission statement, a great content marketing strategy helps your company define what it cares about. For example, popular lifestyle clothing brand Anthropologie publishes regular, seasonal DIY cocktail recipes on the company’s blog. While it may seem at first like this is in no way related to clothing or home wares, these drink recipe mimic the feel of Anthropologie’s company as a whole: each drink is made with unique, high-class ingredients that appeal to Anthropologie’s customer base.

That said; a content marketing strategy doesn’t always follow a straight line. Rather, it’s the process of determining what your customers value and how you can provide parallel content that they will find valuable, interesting and unique and that is not a direct pitch for sales.

8) Define Your Niche

What makes your content special and how will it help people? Are you going to write how-to articles? Develop infographics? Record podcasts? There are many types of content in content marketing and it doesn’t matter which few you choose to focus on as long as you’re bringing a unique twist to your content.

9) Audit your Content

If you currently run a company, there’s a good chance you’ve already got some content on your site. Marketing materials, product descriptions, pre-existing blog posts all count. If you have content lying around, audit it to identify weak points and decide what, if anything, you can repurpose.

10) Start Social Media Accounts

Social media accounts are important in content marketing and, if nothing else, you’ll want to establish a presence on The Big 4: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

11) Compile a List of Ideas

Developing a list of content creation ideas based on knowledge, customer inquiry and market demands is a wise step that will keep you from scrambling for ideas down the road. Write about what your company is good at, for starters. An outdoor clothing company may write about the top 10 rock climbing adventures, for example. Write about what your customers are curious about based upon comments and inquiries on question sites like Quora and build upon old content. Consider starting a series or reviving old content for new use.

12) Start a Content Calendar

Developing a content calendar helps you stay onto of your content publishing activity and ensures that posts are published regularly and on-time. It also helps you keep track of what you’ve written and where there may be gaps in your topic coverage.

13) Make it Diverse

In terms of working with content, it’s important to mix your content up. Don’t rely entirely on blog posts or social media or podcasts. Instead, cultivate a mixture of everything. Your audiences will appreciate it and your content will be more interesting.

14) Decide on Distribution Channels

In order to decide how best to distribute your content, you need to determine where most of your audience comes from. Social media? Search engines? Create content for those sources first and foremost.

15) Determine Goals for Each Channel

If you’re distributing content on Facebook, for example, you might be seeking shares whereas if you distribute content on Twitter, you may be after favorites or re-tweets. Once you’ve decided how you’re going to distribute your content, it’s important to develop goals for each unique channel. This helps you gauge success and better cater to each channel’s unique distribution method.

16) Learn About SEO

This is an important step. SEO is huge in content marketing and, while you do want to create content for people, you also need to optimize your content so that search engines can find it. Optimize everything for SEO and you’ll be well on your way to drawing customers and creating more engagement.

17) Hire a Content Creation Manager

Content creation is a lot of work and, if you have the budget, it’s worth it to hire someone to oversee the process. A content manager can develop, prioritize and edit content as well as helping your company repurpose old content and schedule new pieces.

18) Do Keyword Research

Conducting keyword research is an important piece of creating great content. By knowing which keywords you’re targeting, you can create more specific content that better caters to your audience and is easier for search engines to discover and rank.

19) Create a Top 10 List of Your Own content

This can help readers discover even more of your content and is a great way to link back to old posts. Additionally, it increases reader understanding and makes your site more easily navigable.

20) Start Guest Blogging

Guest blogging is a great way to build authority and establish dominance in your niche. See this easy tutorial for more info on how to start guest blogging.

21) Build Your Community

Actions like commenting on other blogs, answering questions on Quora, guest blogging and sharing other guest posts are a great way to build a blogging community, which aids in your content marketing goals and helps you spread the word about your product, good or service via referral and mentions.

22) Listen to Your Audience

Once you’ve begun creating content, you’ll also begin to get audience feedback. This can help you determine what they like, what they don’t and what they want more of. By listening to everything your audience has to say, you can create content that they love and find valuable.

23) Produce Quality Work

Although this may seem excessively simple, it’s an important piece. When it comes to content marketing, it’s always quality over quantity. Never publish sloppy posts because you’re pressed for time. This will only diminish your authority and harm your reputation.

24) Consistently Assess Value

Remember that the #1 thing that sets content marketing apart from other types of marketing is that content marketing provides value to customers. While writing and distributing your content, ask yourself all the time if it provides value. If it doesn’t, go another way.

25) Incorporate Storytelling

By incorporating storytelling into your content marketing, you provide a better experience for readers and help draw people in to your content. The importance of storytelling is applicable to all forms of content – not just writing. Podcasts, infographics, video posts and visual content should all include great storytelling.

Conclusion: Welcome!

If you’re just getting started in content marketing, we want to welcome you. It’s an exciting world and my initial tips can help you get your feet wet and start your content marketing career on the right path.