Fast & Easy Friday: A Recap of the Week’s Top Articles & Insights

Happy Friday, everyone! We’re celebrating the official arrival of the weekend with some articles focused on new buyer behaviors and new tools and methods that will help you create more relevant and immersive content experiences. 

Are there any other trends or technologies you think are worth noting? Or did you stumble across a great article you just can’t resist but share? Give us the details in the comments section below! Or, if you just want to relish in all of the great articles from this week, simply read on: 

  • Marketing in the age of the customer: It’s no surprise that buyers have more power than ever before. But how can brands refine their content strategy and amplification methods in order to keep pace? This article provides a summary of HubSpot Co-Founder and CEO Brian Halligan’s presentation at the brand’s annual Inbound event. One of the most significant trends outlined in this piece is that previously, buyers focused on one piece of content at a time. Today, they want access to your content, as well as all of your competitor’s content, as quickly and easily as possible. Moving into 2017, brands need to create immersive, curated content experiences that don’t overload buyers with salesy information. Instead, they need to offer valuable insights and best practices that buyers should be able to find anywhere on the web. 
  • Hubs are the future of content marketing: Talk about a great transition! We’ve been hearing a lot about content hubs lately. (We love ours!) Some marketers are still wondering why these experiences are so valuable. This article outlines a great argument, indicating that hubs allow marketers to curate and tailor content experiences for specific personas or topics of interest. Although all assets are centralized in the hub, you can pick and choose which pieces you want to spotlight. This is a great method for promoting new assets or getting more eyes on older, but extremely evergreen, pieces. 
  • Embrace the power of personas: During your marketing career, you’ve likely heard a lot about personas. (They’re also called buyer profiles.) Some folks argue that personas aren’t important but I promise they are! They serve as the foundation for messaging and, in turn, all your content and campaign decisions. They help you ensure your content messaging is on par and that you promote your resources through the right channels and touch points. If you need more proof, check out this article featuring Xerox CMO John Kennedy. He discusses how the brand uses personas to guide its publishing and content topics.
  • Get in the vlogging spirit: We’ve heard that video is a powerful medium for brands to tell stories in a concise yet compelling way. We’ve also seen blogging become a powerful way for brands to show their unique thought leadership, boost inbound traffic and drive content downloads. But what if the two came together? This is a great starting point if you’re trying to figure out how your brand can embrace vlogging.

Have a great weekend, everyone! We’ll have some more fresh takes on the latest content trends next week!

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