Contributed by Daniel Ross Content marketing is not as easy as it seems. For some, it’s merely a matter of coming up with the most interesting ideas that can instantly grab any reader’s attention. For others, it’s simply about investing in skilled copywriters and proofreaders to make sure their content is flawless. However, there are […]
You can have all the content in the world, but it won’t help your business if no one ever sees it. If you want to get eyes on what you’re creating, you need to invest in content marketing. According to one study by Kapost and Eloqua, content marketing provides three times the ROI of traditional […]
Knowing how to write a successful blog post is core to running a business — without one, you’re missing out on the chance to look like a thought leader in your industry (not to mention the extra clients that’ll find you through your writing). Most entrepreneurs understand that, and so they dump a ton of […]
A keyword is a word or (more often) a short phrase describing the topic of a webpage. In practice, a keyword is the search query that you type into the search engine before hitting enter and seeing what it pulls up. When someone searches Google for, say, “men’s basketball shoes” Google tries to discern what the user is […]
No one wants to work harder than they have to – and why should they? Why pour five hours into Plan A when Plan B takes half the time and can be twice as effective? While that might seem like common sense, many companies waste a lot of time churning out new website content, when […]
Over the last few years, Google has made a series of major changes to its algorithm. Though they’ve been dramatic and wide-sweeping, the goal of these changes has been a simple one: make Google better for users. For years, black hat SEO experts were able to artificially inflate their search engine rankings using sneaky techniques […]
Before you can write killer content for someone, you’ve got to get to know them. At TCF, we interview new clients about their business, voice and goals; research their industry, market and competitors; talk to them about obstacles and opportunities; and hash out a strategy together — all before we pitch our first blog. The […]
![The Best Keyword Research Tool for SEO is a Simple Google Spreadsheet [With Template!]](https://www.contentfac.com/wp-content/uploads/bigstock-Find-Keywords-84227813.jpg "The Best Keyword Research Tool for SEO is a Simple Google Spreadsheet [With Template!]")
Not even a few days after we published our keyword research guide, the questions started to flow in. How do you keep track of all of those keywords? How can you possibly manage to sort through a thousand keywords to find the best one? How can you turn all of this raw data into an […]
For years, Facebook and Twitter have been the standard go-to’s for social media marketing. However, over the last few years there has been a palpable change in the digital landscape. The demographics of social media sites are starting to shift as new platforms begin to emerge. And as Facebook and Twitter invest more heavily in […]
Hi! My name is Kelly and I’m relatively new here at The Content Factory. After a few weeks of getting my feet wet (literally) with research and writing assignments, our owner, Kari DePhillips, plunged me into the deep end with the following challenge: write the end-all, be-all guide to Google+ marketing for business. Now, I’m […]
![The Only Guide to Content Marketing You'll Ever Need [Complete Resource Page w/ Links]](https://www.contentfac.com/wp-content/uploads/bigstock-Notepad-with-words-content-mar-90737345.jpg "The Only Guide to Content Marketing You'll Ever Need [Complete Resource Page w/ Links]")
By now, you probably already know how to pick the right SEO keywords and how to write a blog post that generates organic traffic and converts – but what about your content marketing skills and strategy? Are they as strong – and targeted – as they should be? We’ve been studying and honing the craft […]
![How to Write a Blog Post That Converts — AND Brings in SEO Traffic [Checklist + Complete Guide]](https://www.contentfac.com/wp-content/uploads/headernew-1024x475.jpg "How to Write a Blog Post That Converts — AND Brings in SEO Traffic [Checklist + Complete Guide]")
Brace yourselves, because we’re beginning this post with a cliche you’re all sick of by now: content is king. (Or, in our case, queen!) But repeating this phrase ad nauseum won’t make your content more regal — only following through on actionable writing advice will. Great content writing is what converts website visitors into paying […]
![THE 10-Step Guide to Hosting a Twitter Chat [+ Tool List]](https://www.contentfac.com/wp-content/uploads/Twitter-Chat-e1436793585788.jpg "THE 10-Step Guide to Hosting a Twitter Chat [+ Tool List]")
If you’re using Twitter for business and you spend a decent chunk of your time marketing on Twitter (as we suggest you do), you’ve likely come across an organized Twitter chat. When done well, Twitter chats can generate a ton of social engagement, increase your following and maybe even propel you into the role of being a […]
![How to Get Quoted in the Media 6 Times in 1 Month Using HARO [Bonus: It's FREE]](https://www.contentfac.com/wp-content/uploads/Thank-You-Note-to-HARO-1024x683.jpg "How to Get Quoted in the Media 6 Times in 1 Month Using HARO [Bonus: It's FREE]")
We’ve been singing the praises of HARO (Help a Reporter Out) since we first started The Content Factory back in 2010, and there are several reasons why we’re such enthusiastic evangelists for the brand. First and most obvious, the service is free. Second, HARO opens the doors to media coverage that you may not think is possible. […]
The average entrepreneur’s “to do” list is about 15 miles long, and the first mile and a half includes all of the tasks that needed to be done yesterday. Although we’ve all been told to eat the frog first, it’s usually much more enjoyable to find new and exciting ways to procrastinate instead. It’s natural […]
Q: What’s lamer than a crappy photo of Nebraska? A: Having to pay $8,000 in copyright infringement penalties for it. This is a lesson we recently learned the hard way, and if you have (or contribute to) a blog you might want to read about our story so that you never, ever make the same mistake […]
The Don Drapers of the world are facing extinction. The sun is setting in the world of traditional advertising, and a new era is dawning. It’s the age of content marketing, and it’s changing the way businesses communicate – not just with customers, but with each other as well. Faced with this sea change, companies […]
“In the digital age, every business is in the publishing industry.” That’s a quote from a recent Huffington Post article, and it says so much about content marketing that for us it’s something of a mantra when we discuss strategy with new clients. We’ve written, tweeted, posted and pinned for businesses that sell everything from […]
Don’t think Cosmo has anything to teach you about content writing? Think again. Cosmopolitan Magazine is distributed in more than 100 countries. It has 64 international editions and it’s printed in 35 languages. While it might seem easy to laugh off its absurdly-named Kama Sutra positions and dubious dating advice (trust us, your man does […]
You worked hard to earn that creative writing degree. You held back tears as professors ripped into your best stories, and you somehow found something positive to say every time that guy in your workshop class turned in another three-page poem about smoking cigarettes. You even read The Waste Land – twice. If you made […]