After a few false starts, he figured out how to make SEO and content work hard to bring in traffic and leads for his websites. Now he’s sharing everything he knows, and is probably one of the best SEO experts out there for understandable, actionable advice and guidance.

Particularly, Brian has become renowned and endlessly name-dropped in the content marketing industry for his ultimate blog guides, which explain SEO concepts in his signature style: plain-spoken, to-the-point, and beyond practical.

Today, Brian Dean is in the hot seat, sharing some insights for our series of Content Hacker Spotlights. (We’re SO excited he agreed to participate! He’s a favorite around here.)

Let’s get into the interview.

Content Hacker Spotlight Interview: with Brian Dean

1. When did you get started in marketing, and why?

A: I first got into marketing after I launched my first website in the nutrition space. I quickly realized that building the website was easy. Getting people to actually visit my website was hard.

2. What’s your favorite part of what you do today?

A: Creating huge content pieces. I love collaborating with people on a huge ultimate guide or industry study. I still like writing lists posts and case studies. But I have the most fun working on the big stuff.

3. What’s one of the biggest challenges you have overcome in your work as a marketer?

A: Hiring. We have a great team at Backlinko. But it took years (and lots of bad hires) to put together. And I always feel like I’m starting from square one whenever we need to hire someone new.

4. How has the industry landscape changed since you started?

A: The content bar is MUCH higher than it was when I first started. When I launched my first website back in 2008, publishing a list post with 20 items was considered “epic.” Even when I first started Backlinko in 2013, anything longer than 2,000 words was considered a huge post. Today, a 2,000-word post with 20 tips is completely normal. It takes a lot more for your content to stand out.

5. What does the future of marketing look like to you?

A: It’s all about User Experience. Even SEO, which for years was a super technical thing, is now more about UX than anything else. In general, the sites and products with the best UX will ultimately win.

6. What key traits or skills does it take to be a marketing leader?

A: The ability to see the future… but also still stick with what’s already working. Email is a great example. Marketing leaders dabble in new ways to keep in touch with their customers, like Facebook Messenger. But they didn’t abandon the mainstays (like email).

7. What are some of your favorite tools or hacks for marketers?

A: Writing great headlines is the ultimate marketing superhack. This skill translates to pretty much any content that you publish, from a post on Medium to a YouTube video to a Facebook ad.

8. Do you have any daily habits, hobbies, or rituals you couldn’t survive without?

A: Walking. I walk 10k steps per day almost without exception.

9. Coffee or tea?

A: Coffee!

10. What are some great blogs we should be reading or people we should be following on social media?

A: There are so many great marketing blogs to read. But one that isn’t marketing-focused, but does marketing the right way, is NerdWallet.com. They came out of nowhere in an established space and absolutely crushed it.

For More, Follow Brian Dean Around the Web

Thanks, Brian, for taking part in our Spotlight series!

Brian is one to follow if you want to learn the ins and outs of SEO + inbound marketing. Here’s where you’ll find him:

• Twitter: @backlinko
• Instagram: @briandean
• YouTube: Backlinko with Brian Dean
• Blog: backlinko.com/blog

I highly suggest subscribing to his newsletter, too!

Have you seen our other Spotlights? We’ve featured 11+ experts so far like Madalyn Sklar, Ryan Robinson, Robert Rose, and so many more. Find the entire series right here.

The post Brian Dean and the Bridge to Stellar SEO + Marketing appeared first on Content Hacker.

The Content Hacker^TM Spotlight is back, and it’s focused on… *drumroll*

Robert Rose!

Robert is an industry pioneer & veteran with more than 20 years behind him in marketing. He was doing content strategy before it was cool – he helped launch the web strategies of some major companies back in the ‘90s, when digital marketing was in its infancy.

Robert is well-known as Chief Strategy Advisor for the Content Marketing Institute. He’s also the CEO and founder of The Content Advisory (TCA), an educating and consulting group that has worked with hundreds of companies, including 15 of the Fortune 500. Along with his self-described role as “Chief Troublemaker” for TCA, he’s also the best-selling author of three books (one he co-wrote with Joe Pulizzi in 2017 is a marketing standard). Robert is a globally-renowned keynote speaker, an educator, and a strategist who emphasizes the art + science balancing-act of marketing.

Without further ado, let’s get into our Q&A with Robert. He’s got more than a few golden nuggets to inspire your marketing.

Content Hacker Spotlight Interview: with Robert Rose

1. When did you get started in marketing, and why?

A: I got started in 1995. I was working in television (Showtime Networks) and was a writer and musician in Hollywood. After a particularly bad experience in developing a TV Show, I decided that I wanted to do something else. As it turned out, Showtime was hiring for Marketing Coordinators, and I joined that company.

2. What’s your favorite part of what you do today?

A: My favorite part of my job today is to help people evolve their company’s marketing into a truly strategic, and value-focused media organization. I love rolling up my sleeves and getting to work with so many different kinds of companies, and learn what it is they do.

3. What’s one of the biggest challenges you have overcome in your work as a marketer?

A: That the balance between the art and science of marketing is never fully equalized. You are always straddling the teeter-totter and working back toward one or the other. The day that I acknowledged that it will never be perfectly balanced, but that my job was truly to work toward that balance, I understood what the role of a marketer really is.

Creating narratives out of the data we have today can help us explore the future… #contentmarketing https://t.co/kcQ6aIPPdN

— Robert Rose (@Robert_Rose) June 8, 2020

4. How has the industry landscape changed since you started?

A: Well, in a word: digital. When I began in marketing, we were still doing 5-year marketing plans, where we plotted out campaigns, and how they would be fed by print, television, FAX (yes, really), and direct marketing mail (e.g. snail mail). I can remember being forward-leaning when I gave all my bosses CD-ROMS that contained all the sales and marketing pitches they might need at various conferences. They thought I was a genius. I’ve had a ringside seat from the very beginnings of digital through today – and have watched it evolve from the very beginning.

5. What does the future of marketing look like to you?

A: It looks personal, and integrated into the media and content we consume every day. Marketing itself never changes – it’s always been (and will continue to be) based on the delivery of valuable experience to a consumer. One of those experiences is the product or service we put into the marketplace. So, the future of marketing lies in our ability as businesses to continue to explore how we can best deliver value to our consumers – in the most personal (not necessarily personalized) way as possible.

6. What key traits or skills does it take to be a marketing leader?

A: Today it’s about wisdom. Knowledge and facts are a commodity that is a search or click away. Artificial Intelligence will begin to be applied against repetitive and pattern-based tasks. The one thing that can’t be replaced by AI is the wisdom to be able to synthesize facts, figures, experiences, and emotions together into something that people care about. Today’s marketing leader is wise, and can pull disparate pieces of information together and create NEW things that both foster the art, as well as the algorithmic, aspects of marketing strategy.

As leaders of content-driven experiences in our businesses, we must retain our own uniqueness… https://t.co/rW29sAw67W

— Robert Rose (@Robert_Rose) June 17, 2020

7. What are some of your favorite tools or hacks for marketers?

A: My favorite tidbits/hacks for marketing come from folks like Andy Crestodina and his company’s blog at Orbit Media. It’s just chock full of wonderful advice. Evernote is probably the one tool that I can’t live without.

8. Do you have any daily habits, hobbies, or rituals you couldn’t survive without?

A: I journal every day, and I write every day. Two very different things. I journal every morning to get the cobwebs out of my head. And I write at the end of every day to get the ideas that have come in, out and expressed.

9. Coffee or tea?

A: Coffee. Full stop.

10. What are some great blogs we should be reading or people we should be following on social media?

A: Andy Crestodina, Jay Baer, Ann Handley, Rita Gunther McGrath, Clayton Christensen, Content Marketing Institute, Contently’s Content Strategist Blog, The Harvard Business Review…

More Content Hacking with Robert Rose This Way

Thanks, Robert, for chatting with us!

Here are the places you’ll find Robert on the web and social media so you can hit all of those ‘follow’ buttons:

• On Twitter: @Robert_Rose
• On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robrose
• Podcasts: The Weekly Wrap and This Old Marketing with Joe Pulizzi
• He also blogs regularly for the Content Marketing Institute and The Content Advisory.

Check out our other Spotlights for more Q&A sessions with industry experts like Joe Pulizzi, Josh Steimle, and more.

The post Robert Rose and the Art & Science of Marketing appeared first on Content Hacker.

He’s widely referred to as the “Godfather” of content marketing. And Joe has earned it.

He was integral in defining the term, advocating for it, and pushing marketers to think of themselves as publishers. He’s the founder of the world-renowned Content Marketing Institute and its eponymous Content Marketing World conference, not to mention a key leader, innovator, and influencer in the industry.

We’re big fans of Joe. It’s common for Julia to attend Content Marketing World and try to out-orange Joe (orange is the CMWorld, and Joe’s, theme color). Julia also live-tweets almost everything he says at CMWorld, and it tends to get widely re-shared by content marketers.

“The #1 reason content fails is not because of strategy, consistency, value, patience… it’s because someone internally has no clue what you’re doing.” @JoePulizzi #CMWorld

???????? ? ? pic.twitter.com/QPmiwCgsvr

— Julia McCoy (@JuliaEMcCoy) September 4, 2019

In Julia’s video entitled What Is Content Marketing?, Joe’s story was a big reference. We even made an “internet meme” that depicts Joe as an actual Godfather.

He truly is.

You can’t talk about content marketing without mentioning Joe Pulizzi.

That’s why we’re beyond thrilled to feature him in our Content Hacker Spotlight. (Speaking of thrilled: He recently wrote a thriller, The Will to Die!)

In our Q&A, Joe shares some insights, wise words, and great resources for marketers. Lean in and listen up!

Content Hacker Spotlight Interview: with Joe Pulizzi

1. When did you get started in marketing, and why?

A: It was the year 2000. Why? Real answer? I needed a job. And it wasn’t in marketing, it was publishing. I was lucky to fall into a media position that focused on custom publishing (now called content marketing). I fell in love with it immediately. Just the idea of creating value for customers as the core of marketing instead of distraction. Who knew that the best of marketing in the future would be publishing?

2. What’s your favorite part of what you do today?

A: I left the industry in 2018 for my year-long sabbatical. In 2019, I dabbled my way back into the industry. This may sound corny, but I just like helping marketers. Getting them to think more simply about how they want to communicate with customers. I started an e-newsletter (called “The Random”) and still do some keynotes here and there. My favorite part is being able to be a part of the industry without having to care about working a job.

3. What’s one of the biggest challenges you have overcome in your work as a marketer?

A: Patience. Building an asset, like we try to do with content marketing, takes time and consistency, two things that most marketers struggle with (including myself). I almost gave up after two years of publishing content. Luckily I didn’t. In year three, the business took off. Time and consistency.

4. How has the industry landscape changed since you started?

A: The model hasn’t changed. What works best is creating something of key value in one way on one platform. The problem (how it has changed) is that marketers are publishing crap content everywhere and making absolutely no impact. More content in more platforms almost always fails.

5. What does the future of marketing look like to you?

A: Marketing models and media models merge into one. You won’t be able to tell a media company from a product and service brand. Actually, it’s already happening (Microsoft, Amazon, Arrow Electronics, etc.).

6. What key traits or skills does it take to be a marketing leader?

A: Have a vision. Communicate it clearly and often. Have beliefs and a philosophy that’s not easily shaken.

7. What are some of your favorite tools or hacks for marketers?

A: Old school. Read one non-business book per month. Most of my best content ideas come from reading fiction.

8. Do you have any daily habits, hobbies, or rituals you couldn’t survive without?

A: Wake up and read your life goals. Every day.

9. Coffee or tea?

A: Coffee. Lots of it.

10. What are some great blogs we should be reading or people we should be following on social media?

A: I love James Altucher’s podcast. BoSacks email newsletter (the oldest e-newsletter on the planet). Conan O’Brien’s podcast. Read any book by Don Schultz.

Follow Joe Pulizzi on Twitter + Check Out His Books & Podcast

Thank you, Joe Pulizzi, for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer our questions!

For more from Joe, be sure you’re following him on Twitter @JoePulizzi. He also has a newsletter, The Random, you should sign up for. Finally, check out his published books and podcast (“This Old Marketing” with Robert Rose) on his website.

Have you checked out our other Spotlights yet? We’ve interviewed names like Madalyn Sklar, Sujan Patel, Josh Steimle, and many more. Take a look!

The post Joe Pulizzi and the Heart of Content Marketing appeared first on Content Hacker.

We’re back with another Spotlight for your reading pleasure.

Ready for this one? Today, none other than Josh Steimle is answering our burning questions!

You may recognize him as a leading marketer and LinkedIn master. He’s the founder and CEO of MWI, a successful, global marketing agency that’s been around for 21 years. He also created The 7 Systems of Influence, a formula for building influence and serving others. And, on top of everything else, he’s authored two books (Chief Marketing Officers at Work and 60 Days to LinkedIn Mastery, coming in May)!

(Two surprising facts you may not know about Josh: He lives on a Boston farm with a menagerie of animals – just check his Instagram to see the beautiful scenery. He’s also Mormon.)

Needless to say, we have tons to learn from him.

Let’s get into the interview. Josh is sharing his beginnings, his thoughts on the evolution of marketing, and a major LinkedIn hack you need to read. Go!

Content Hacker Spotlight Interview: with Josh Steimle

1. When did you get started in marketing, and why?

A: I launched my marketing agency, MWI, in 1999, but you could say it goes back to my childhood. I grew up drawing pictures and writing stories and essays. An essay of mine got me expelled from a private school when I was in 5th grade.

When I was a teenager I started a small business and would design and print up ads to hand out.

Marketing was in my blood from a young age, I just didn’t know it was marketing.

2. What’s your favorite part of what you do today?

A: Teaching people how to get what they want.

I love writing, I love design, I love everything about marketing, influence, social media, and thought leadership. But what I really love is helping someone understand some aspects of LinkedIn, or writing, or speaking, and they take that small tip, use it, and come back and say “It worked!”

3. What’s one of the biggest challenges you have overcome in your work as a marketer?

A: Learning to, as Adam Grant says in Give and Take, become a matcher.

It’s easy to take. It’s easy to give. It’s hard to find the right balance of giving and taking so that you’re neither taking advantage of anyone, nor being taken advantage of, but rather working with others to 100% mutual benefit. I’m always looking for the win-win, but it’s often easier said than done.

4. How has the industry landscape changed since you started?

A: The channels. When I started blogging, the word “blog” didn’t exist. I was in marketing before Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Twitch, YouTube, or any of these things existed. We used to have a handful of channels to distribute content. Now we have hundreds. I think it’s wonderful.

5. What does the future of marketing look like to you?

A: It’s Person A delivering a message to Person B to try and get Person B to do what Person A wants Person B to do. That’s what marketing has always been, and always will be. Only the channels change.

30,000 years ago the channel was the wall of a cave, and the marketer was a caveman. Today it’s a guy posting to his Facebook wall from his man cave. But the message is still the same, it’s about food and other things we like to have.

6. What key traits or skills does it take to be a marketing leader?

A: Empathy. I interviewed 30 CMOs for my book, Chief Marketing Officers at Work, and that was the dominant theme. Not that they necessarily used that word, but it was clear that these top marketers, coming from companies like Spotify, Target, GE, PayPal, etc., had a connection with their customers that allowed them to know what the customer wanted before the customer did.

7. What are some of your favorite tools or hacks for marketers?

A: Here’s a hack – go on LinkedIn for 10 minutes M-F, look at the feed, and comment on posts that are interesting to you. Don’t think about how it benefits you, just comment where you feel like you have something to add to the conversation.

Do this for one week.

Week 2 – Do the same thing, but shift your mindset a bit and each time you look at a post ask yourself, “Why did the person who posted this post it, what does he/she want, and how can I help them get it?” Then comment accordingly.

Try that out and tell me if that doesn’t give you some ideas about how to use LinkedIn in a completely different way than you’ve ever used it before, including for your own marketing purposes.

8. Do you have any daily habits, hobbies, or rituals you couldn’t survive without?

A: I love the book The Miracle Morning and I have my own morning routine that starts at 4 am. It involves prayer, yoga, reading scriptures, reading other books, journaling, and planning my day. Perhaps I could survive without it, but I’m much happier when I stick to the routine.

Hint: The secret to a great morning routine is a great bedtime routine and for me, that starts by stopping work at 5 pm every day.

9. Coffee or tea?

A: I’ve never touched either, ha! That’s the kind of answer you get when you interview a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (A.K.A. Mormons).

Actually, I did drink coffee once, but only because someone told me it was a coffee substitute!

Oh wait, and another 15 times, because I was drinking those jamocha shakes from Arby’s like they were going out of style, and then someone told me they were coffee. I thought it was just an amazing new variation of chocolate I had never heard of. Whoops!

I better stop here before I confess any more sins

10. What are some great blogs we should be reading or people we should be following on social media?

A: On LinkedIn, some people who are keeping it real are Allen Gannett, Michaela Alexis, Yonah Weiss, Travis Chambers, and… there are so many others. LinkedIn has become such a rich environment these days. If you do anything that’s remotely B2B, and even if it’s B2C, it’s the place to be right now. Hopefully, we marketers won’t ruin it like we ruined everything else.

Follow Josh Steimle on LinkedIn, Twitter, and More

Thank you, Josh Steimle, for lending us your time for our interview!

Since you’ll definitely want to follow Josh on social media, here’s where you can find him:

• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• YouTube
• Facebook
• Website

Finally, check out our other Spotlights! Besides Josh Steimle, we’ve talked to Sujan Patel, Rand Fishkin, Joshua Hardwick, and many more.

The post Josh Steimle and How to Be an Empathetic Marketer appeared first on Content Hacker.

Needless to say, we’re super-excited to pick his brain!

You’ve probably heard of Sujan, but if not, here’s a cheat sheet:

• He runs multiple successful companies, including WebProfits and Ramp Ventures.
• He built Single Grain into a powerhouse marketing agency with AJ Kumar.
• He headed up the digital marketing strategy for high-profile companies like Intuit, SalesForce, and many other Fortune 500s.
• His mission is to help other entrepreneurs and businesses grow 10x.
• He’s Neil Patel’s cousin.

Needless to say, Sujan has a ton of great insights for us in today’s interview. Specifically, he shared one simple marketing “non-hack” that makes so much sense, it might make your brain do this:

Let’s not waste any more time. Read on! ?

Content Hacker Spotlight Interview: with Sujan Patel

Q: When did you get started in marketing, and why?

A: I got started in marketing 14 years ago.

Why? SEO, specifically. I got started when my cousin, Neil Patel, turned me onto it – he said, “You should check out this SEO thing.”

I did some “Yahoo-ing,” since Google was too early for the time – I was just barely finding out about Google.

I think I just liked the fast pace of digital marketing ever-evolving. It’s a challenge at all times.

Q: What’s your favorite part of what you do today?

A: I love just working on different projects. I work on multiple companies – I run a company called Ramp Ventures, we have eight SaaS companies. I also have a consulting business where we help people with digital marketing.

So, just working on different things, seeing different challenges, and helping people grow their business.  I just like numbers, seeing numbers grow. It’s fun! That’s kind of what keeps me going.

Q: What’s one of the biggest challenges you have overcome in your work as a marketer?

A: The biggest challenge, I would say, is having a voice or having an impact on the product, the business, the service – whatever it is – the actual thing you’re selling or marketing.

So, marketing and sales are always in front of customers, they’re very close to customers because they’re talking to them, getting data, there’s some form of relationship there. The person running the business, developing the product – not always the case, maybe at some point it was, but maybe there’s a change, some feedback.

Getting that feedback into the product, the service, changing something, is awesome, it’s pretty fun. Just kind of seeing that marketing impact on the actual product – the end result – is cool.

Q: How has the industry landscape changed since you started?

A: Now marketing is digital marketing. More people are spending money on advertising. When I started Facebook, it was for college kids. YouTube didn’t exist. It was just AdWords. Blogging. Long-form content was considered 600 words, and now long-form content is thousands of words. In-depth content is a “thing.”

It was easier to game the system. There were so many factors. Now it’s really more of an omnichannel approach, rather than just talk at the customer, or do ads and get traffic.

You have to have the right messaging. You have to remarket to them and figure out ways to stay in touch and have multiple touchpoints. It’s more competitive, because it’s easier than ever to start a business, and there are a lot more businesses starting. It’s awesome to see the new wave of businesses revolutionize in the ecommerce space – companies coming in and knocking down the brick-and-mortar companies.  

Q: What does the future of marketing look like to you?

A: I think AI [artificial intelligence] will have a bit of an impact. I think more mobile-centric things will happen, or more hand-held device-centric things, like people will be making more decisions on their phones. People will be using their phones more and more in their day-to-day for business. I think that will change with voice, too, and voice will have a bigger impact.

I think AI is still a little early, it’s a bit of a novelty, but I think that will have a bigger impact over the next 5-10 years, where you talk at something and things happen. I have an Alexa at home, and I use that thing to turn the lights off in my living room and kitchen, I use it to arm my alarm, I use it to ping my wife when she’s upstairs in the bedroom or a different room, etc. So, some marketing is going to get in there somehow.

6. What key traits or skills does it take to be a marketing leader?

A: You have to enjoy challenges. You have to enjoy things changing often – it’s really, really important that you enjoy it.

You have to be a people person, even though you’re hiding behind the web a lot of the time. A lot of great marketing happens with people.

Copywriting is a good thing, or if you have any HTML knowledge – also awesome.

7. What are some of your favorite tools or hacks for marketers?

A: I don’t really have any hacks.

I think the best “hack” is having a bad-ass product. Then lay marketing inside your product.

Old-school example: Hotmail. They included “Sent from Hotmail” in every email signature. Super simple, but very effective.

Ask how you can “inlay” marketing into your product, or maybe market research.

Another example: Mailshake – we started years later than our competition, so when we were building the product, I went and researched all of our competitors’ reviews. What people liked; what people didn’t like. People were complaining about all the software being too expensive and too hard to use. We pretty much made the exact opposite – super cost-effective, really easy to use, super-simple, people can learn it without training.

As a result, more than half of our growth comes from word-of-mouth. So, if we stopped all marketing today, we would still be growing. I think that’s not the case for a lot of companies.

In terms of “hack,” build a brand. Build a personal brand before you build a company. It opens doors. It gets you things you wouldn’t be exposed to otherwise.

8. Do you have any daily habits, hobbies, or rituals you couldn’t survive without?

A: Yes – exercise in the morning. I also love reading or listening to audiobooks. I use Pocket and Audible. Anytime I read or come across an interesting article I don’t have time to read on the spot, I’ll add it to Pocket. Pocket has a neat feature where you can listen to it – it will read it to you. Super awesome.

I’m on Slack all the time, too.

9. Coffee or tea?

A: Coffee, hands-down. Tea is for weaklings.

(Just kidding. Tea is nice.) But I love coffee.

10. What are some great blogs we should be reading or people we should be following on social media?

A: Too many to count. Pass!

Follow Sujan Patel for More

Thank you, Sujan Patel, for sitting down and taking part in our Content Hacker Spotlight!

For more from Sujan, check out his website and blog, his Twitter @sujanpatel, and find him on LinkedIn.

Have you read our other Spotlights yet? We interviewed top marketers like Rand Fishkin, Mark Schaefer, and Ryan Robinson – plus many more. Find them all right here.

The post Sujan Patel and the Mind-Blowing Marketing Hack appeared first on Content Hacker.

Our Content Hacker Spotlight has swiveled and is pointing squarely at none other than Rand Fishkin for today’s interview!

You may know Rand primarily as the co-founder and former CEO of Moz (and the host of Whiteboard Fridays), but here are a few things you may not know about this web marketing guru:

• In 2004, he created the SEOmoz blog, which, over the next decade, became the world’s most popular community and content resource for search marketers. (And later became known as Moz.) Moz is now producing $45 million dollars per year in revenue.
• He’s known for introducing and footing a whole boatload of positive change in our industry. As an in-demand keynote speaker at marketing conferences around the world, he’s spoken hundreds of times around the world. His Slideshares that go back to the beginning present some of the best material you’ll find on in-depth, white-hat, long-term SEO teachings.
• Back in 2014, he was saying things like: “It’s all about providing something that people can’t find anywhere else. The value provided by your content MUST be truly unique.”
• He wears a lot of cool shirts.
• Last year, he published Lost and Founder: A Painfully Honest Field Guide to the Startup World. Along with being a comprehensive manual to startups, the book deep-dives into facets of starting a business many wouldn’t touch (one begins with an “f” and ends with “-ailure”).
• He recently founded SparkToro, a software company dedicated to better audience research and discovery.
• He originally got into the industry when he started a consultancy with his mom (!!)

Hear more from Rand’s own mouth in today’s interview. He’s sharing some of his wisdom with us from nearly 20 years in the industry.

Content Hacker Spotlight Interview: with Rand Fishkin

Q: When did you get started in marketing, and why?

A: 2001, when I dropped out of college to start a web design & development consultancy with my mom, Gillian.

Q: What’s your favorite part of what you do today?

A: The people! I love so many of the wonderful women and men that comprise the digital marketing space, and have built fantastic friendships over the years (with, I’m sure, many more to come in the decades ahead).

Q: What’s one of the biggest challenges you have overcome in your work as a marketer?

A: In my early years, I worked fairly exclusively in SEO, a portion of the web marketing world with a very negative reputation for spam, manipulation, and sketchy operators. It took a decade of intense, concerted effort to help overcome the perceptions of SEO as a disreputable practice.

Q: How has the industry landscape changed since you started?

A: In every possible way imaginable! We went from a deeply diverse landscape of many search engines and numerous powerful networks of all kinds, to a near duopoly of Facebook and Google. We went from a desktop-centric web to a mobile-centric one. We went from a world where the few folks rich enough to afford and use expensive computers made up the majority of web users (in the mid-’90s) to a planet where more than half of the population uses the Internet regularly. We moved from a world in which tech companies were seen as idealistic forces for good, to ones where most tech giants today are viewed with suspicion if not outright derision.

And of course, the web marketing field went from a tiny niche of advertising and marketing overall to the overwhelmingly dominant proportion of where and how companies spend dollars and effort to find customers.

Q: What does the future of marketing look like to you?

A: I think marketing will continue to reward those who specialize deeply at the tactical level, and, paradoxically enough, give similar reward to those who can think and execute broadly at the most strategic levels. Make great choices about where and how to invest, then make those investments with people who have deep experience and expertise in those particular forms of marketing.

6. What key traits or skills does it take to be a marketing leader?

A: Empathy — first and foremost — because marketing is about reaching people, and thus, knowing how they’re likely to react, how they’ll perceive your messages, your medium, your delivery, your execution, matters a ton.

7. What are some of your favorite tools or hacks for marketers?

A: I’m biased, but I still use Moz Pro, specifically Keyword Explorer and Link Explorer, for a ton of my own marketing efforts (and those of folks I help). I also love surveys and interviews — no better ways to get to know your audience and what they listen to, read, watch, engage with, than to ask.

8. Do you have any daily habits, hobbies, or rituals you couldn’t survive without?

A: Does caffeine count? I’m also a big fan of my Fitbit – tracking my sleep, my exercise, my weight – making good decisions requires being healthy IMO.

9. Coffee or tea?

A: Ha! Great minds think alike. But they don’t do that with tea.

10. What are some great blogs we should be reading or people we should be following on social media?

A: Whole bunch of lovely people (85%+ marketers) right here: https://twitter.com/randfish/following

More Content Hacking Know-How This Way

Thank you, Rand Fishkin, for lending us your time for this interview!

Make sure you follow Rand on Twitter @randfish and check out his most recent musings on all-things SEO and web marketing on the SparkToro blog.

Have you seen our other Spotlights? Read’s Madalyn Sklar’s and Joshua Hardwick’s, or check out the rest of the Content Hacker Spotlight series.

The post Rand Fishkin and the Sage Marketing Wisdom appeared first on Content Hacker.

She’s a Twitter content hacker, and is the ultimate guru on how to grow and optimize your Twitter presence for amazing results.

Madalyn Sklar is her name, and Twitter marketing is her game.

Does that name sound familiar? It should. Madalyn hosts the weekly #TwitterSmarter chat, to which hundreds of people flock to discuss all things Twitter strategy.

She also hosts the eponymous #Twitter Smarter podcast, where she grills guest marketers on their best Twitter tips (previous guests include Pat Flynn, Mark Schaefer, and Kim Garst, to name a few).

Madalyn Sklar is a veteran social media marketer (since its inception, basically!), and has been a digital marketing trailblazer for over 20 years. She even started one of the first and largest online communities for female musicians in the ‘90s.

Read about all that and more in our short-but-sweet interview with Madalyn.

Twitter Content Hacker Spotlight Interview: with Madalyn Sklar

Q: When did you get started in marketing, and why?

A: I got my start in marketing all the way back in 1996 when I launched two companies, Orbit Web Design and GoGirlsMusic. I was in love with this new thing called the World Wide Web, or what we know today as the internet. I was fascinated with the ability to connect with people all over the world without having to leave my desk. I had a real knack for marketing. It came very naturally for me.

Q: What’s your favorite part of what you do today?

A: Helping people. It’s always my motivation and driving force. I love learning and then educating, taking what I know and sharing it with others.

Q: What’s one of the biggest challenges you have overcome in your work as a marketer?

A: My biggest challenge was learning that it’s okay to fail. Things don’t have to be perfect. It’s better to try and fail than not try at all. I learned this very early on and it’s served me well. I’m not afraid to take risks and try things because the worst thing that could happen is actually not a big deal. Life goes on.

Q: How has the industry landscape changed since you started?

A: The internet and marketing were so different back in 1996. Things moved slowly. There was no social media yet. But I somehow had the foresight to start an online music community in the ‘90s. I started a social media platform before we even knew what that was and what it could be.

Q: What does the future of marketing look like to you?

A: The future of marketing is always bright due to rapid advances in technology. I love that my phone is a high-quality production studio allowing me to share my world in an instant with anyone who will listen. In the ‘90s and 2000s you needed expensive, heavy-duty equipment. Now it’s a small device. I think tech will keep improving, making marketing even simpler.

6. What key traits or skills does it take to be a marketing leader?

A: A good leader is smart, kind, interesting, willing to listen, open to new ideas, not afraid to experiment to see what works, and has a “Just Do It” attitude.

7. What are some of your favorite tools or hacks for marketers?

A: I love tools that allow me to “work smarter not harder” like Trello for organizing, Buffer and SocialJukebox for scheduling content, Hootsuite for social listening, and Zest for content curation by fellow marketers.

8. Do you have any daily habits, hobbies, or rituals you couldn’t survive without?

A: I do three things every morning before I dive into my workday:

1) Check my email.

2) Check my Twitter notifications.

3) Go through my RSS feed in Buffer so I’m caught up on all that’s happening in the social media marketing world.

9. Coffee or tea?

A: Neither! I’m a water drinker.

10. What are some great blogs we should be reading or people we should be following on social media?

A: Social Media Examiner, Social Media Today, Hootsuite, Agorapulse, Smart Passive Income, Hubspot and follow Julia McCoy of course!!

Follow Madalyn Sklar for More Twitter Content Hacking at Its Finest

Thank you, Madalyn, for your kind and prompt responses to our interview!

To see more from Madalyn in your social media feeds, follow her on Twitter @MadalynSklar and check out the #TwitterSmarter chat on Thursdays at 1 p.m. ET!

Check out old and new episodes of the #TwitterSmarter podcast on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast source.

Finally, don’t forget to take a peek at our other Content Hacker Spotlights with guests like Mark Schaefer, Joshua Hardwick of Ahrefs, and many more of your favorite marketers.

The post Madalyn Sklar and How to Trailblaze on Twitter appeared first on Content Hacker.

Today, we’re featuring a content hacker who’s behind a big-time trending blog in the content marketing world. (Hint: Almost ALL of our other featured content hackers mentioned the brand he works for as one of their favorite blogs to follow.)

He’s the Head of Content at Ahrefs: Joshua Hardwick!

Needless to say, Joshua’s reputation precedes him. Along with his role crafting much of the amazing, data-heavy, researched-to-the-nines content they produce over at the Ahrefs blog, he’s also the founder of The SEO Project.

Incredibly, The SEO Project is a free, 400-page guide to link building (more on that in our interview) that served as the impetus for Tim Soulo hiring him for his current gig at Ahrefs.

It’s a great story about the power of incredible content. Keep reading to hear about it in Joshua’s own words, as well as his quality-focused content writing habits, and why giving a crap matters in our industry.

Go, go, go!

Content Hacker Spotlight Interview: with Joshua Hardwick

Q: When did you get started in marketing, and why?

A: Strangely, this was all a happy little accident. (#bobross)

When I was around 16/17, I realised that you could make money writing articles for folks over at forums like DigitalPoint and WarriorForum. They weren’t very well paid at all. People generally wanted reviews of washing machines or something boring as heck like that, and would pay maybe $10 for the result—if you were lucky.

I did this for a while and found myself wondering why people were willing to pay for such articles in the first place. What were they using them for? That’s when I came across SEO. I realised that most people wanted the content for their websites, guest posts, etc. So I started to learn everything I could about SEO.

I built a couple of my own websites and tried to get them ranked. It worked! I ranked number one for a 50k/month semi-commercial keyword in < 6 months, and I had a website making around £500/month. (Not a huge amount of money for most people, but I couldn’t believe I was making money from my bedroom!)

From there, I started to do client work, specialising in link building. Then, after a few years of that, I started The SEO Project.

Basically, I spent 5 months putting together a list of every link building strategy under the sun, plus exactly how to execute each strategy. It ended up as a 60,000-word monster, and I published it for free online. That’s when Tim Soulo (Ahrefs) contacted me about writing for the Ahrefs blog. I accepted. I’m now their Head of Content.

Q: What’s your favorite part of what you do today?

A: Writing. That’s 99% of what I do these days, which is great.

I’ve always loved creating things, so nothing is more rewarding for me than having the freedom to create top-notch content from scratch on a regular basis. Ahrefs are super-focused on quality, so each post probably takes me 10-20 hours on average. Sounds crazy, but it works for me.

Q: What’s one of the biggest challenges you have overcome in your work as a marketer?

A: Listening to feedback. I usually have a very clear idea of how I want something to be so when others chime in with contradicting opinions, I can’t help but feel a little defensive.

However, I’ve learned that as long as you’re working with the right people, taking on feedback usually results in a better end product, so it’s something I force myself to do.

Q: How has the industry landscape changed since you started?

A: I’d like to say less spam, but I’m not sure that would be true. Perhaps less spam that works is more accurate?

In other words, it used to be much easier to game Google and force mediocre content and websites to rank high. It’s still possible, but it’s getting harder and harder. Most people see that as a negative but I see it as a huge positive. I’m very white-hat…

Q: What does the future of marketing look like to you?

A: Not sure. I’d like to hope that content marketing becomes more prevalent.

Of course, it’s something a lot of companies do already, but not many do it particularly well. I think most see it as just something that they’re expected to do because others in their industry are doing it, but have no real passion for doing it properly. That’s also probably what leads them to believe that it doesn’t work—nobody cares about mediocre content.

6. What key traits or skills does it take to be a marketing leader?

A: I’m not sure I’d class myself as a marketing leader. However, I think actually giving a crap is underrated.

7. What are some of your favorite tools or hacks for marketers?

A: Google Sheets (<3), Airtable, and of course, Ahrefs.

8. Do you have any daily habits, hobbies, or rituals you couldn’t survive without?

A: My answer to this is the same as my answer to the next question: Tea! I drink gallons of the stuff… literally.

9. Coffee or tea?

A: Tea!!!!

10. What are some great blogs we should be reading or people we should be following on social media?

A: Well, I have to say the Ahrefs blog for a start! But, aside from that, if we’re talking about SEO specifically, I personally love Glen Allsopp’s stuff, and Ryan Stewart (if you like processes, SOPs, etc).

Follow Joshua Hardwick for More Content Inspiration

Thanks so much to Joshua Hardwick for taking the time to contribute to our Content Hacker Spotlights.

Definitely follow him for more SEO insights and great content writing: on the Ahrefs blog (check out all the blogs he has authored, they’re super-interesting reads) and on Twitter, @JoshuaCHardwick.

The post Joshua Hardwick and the Content Hustle appeared first on Content Hacker.

Kevin has been blogging since 2005 – first for fun, and then to make his living. Before he turned into a full-time blogger, he was first a teacher, then a web developer with a Master’s in Computer Science. It was fate that made him turn to blogging as an income source in 2014, but he’s been unstoppable ever since.

Kevin has been featured on OptinMonster, CoSchedule, NeilPatel.com, JeffBullas.com, Rainmaker.fm, and Smart Blogger. In fact, Jon Morrow has said he’s “in the top one % of bloggers.”

Impressive, right?

In our interview today, Kevin is sharing his journey to blogging, sage words of advice from his years in the industry, and how his role as a dad and husband takes precedence over, well, everything (I dare you not to “aww” when he talks about his wife and daughters).

Onto the good stuff!

Content Hacker Spotlight Interview: with Kevin Duncan

Q: When did you get started in marketing, and why?

A: I started blogging in early 2005. At the time, I was working as a teacher while I went to graduate school. In May, with the school year winding down and my Master’s degree finally in hand, I suddenly found myself with a lot of free time on my hands. In short, I got into blogging because I was bored and needed something to do!

Q: What’s your favorite part of what you do today?

A: I love all of it. For years, Smart Blogger was my favorite blog to read. For years, I wanted to quit the rat race, work from home, and spend more time with my family. Today, I get to run Smart Blogger’s blog. I’m a fan who’s been given keys to the kingdom. And I get to do it all from home, just a few feet away from my lovely wife and beautiful daughters. So, yes, all of it. My favorite part of what I do is “all of it.”

Q: What’s one of the biggest challenges you have overcome in your work as a marketer?

A: Arguably my biggest challenge was learning how to say “no.” You can’t say yes to everyone. You can’t be active on every single social media platform. You can’t jump head first into every latest, greatest marketing strategy or hack. There are only so many hours in the day, so you have to prioritize what matters. Say yes to everyone and everything, and you’ll drown.

Q: How has the industry landscape changed since you started?

A: Gosh, a lot has changed in 14 years. Social media wasn’t really a thing when I started. “Blogrolls” (a list of blogs and websites displayed prominently in people’s sidebars) were kingmakers. There’s been a lot of innovation. Lots of changes. The biggest landscape change is probably the uptick in competition. There are so many bloggers, entrepreneurs, etc. out there competing for the same space. Back in the day, it was a lot easier for someone to stand out.

Q: What does the future of marketing look like to you?

A: Like most, I think video will continue to grow in popularity. As a result, some people will foolishly abandon “blogging” and dismiss it as a relic from a bygone era. This might concern you if you’re a writer, but it shouldn’t. The written word will always have a big place in content marketing. Less competition means it will be easier for good writers to stand out.

6. What key traits or skills does it take to be a marketing leader?

A: The ability to inspire people is one of the key traits of any leader, marketing or otherwise. Being able to empathize with your audience is crucial too. And finally, and perhaps most importantly, I think the best leaders are humble. They’re confident, yes, but they know enough to know they don’t know everything. Which means they’re hungry and anxious to keep learning.

7. What are some of your favorite tools or hacks for marketers?

A: I never splurged for it when I was a solopreneur, but now that I’m with Smart Blogger I often wonder how I ever lived without Ahrefs. Quuu Promote, G Suite, Slack, and Trello are other favorites, but Ahrefs is my must-have tool.

8. Do you have any daily habits, hobbies, or rituals you couldn’t survive without?

A: My daughter is an early riser. Every morning, before my work day begins, she and I have “daddy-daughter time” so my wife and other (younger) daughter can get a little more sleep. We open the curtains, grab a quick breakfast, and watch YouTube videos together. I’ve seen more episodes of “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse” and more scenes from “Frozen” than I can count.

I know someday she’ll outgrow it. Someday, she’ll start sleeping in or decide she’s too big to watch cartoons with her Dad. But until that day comes, I’m going to cherish every morning. It’s our daily ritual together, and it’s one of the best parts of my day.

9. Coffee or tea?

A: One of my all-time favorite TV shows is “NewsRadio”. In one episode, after giving up coffee for a single day, a character on the show had this to say about the magical elixir:

“I’m not sure what exactly it is that caffeine does for you, but I’m pretty sure without it your head caves in.”

This quote perfectly describes my feelings. Coffee or tea? Coffee. Always coffee. All the coffee.

10. What are some great blogs we should be reading or people we should be following on social media?

A: You mean besides smartblogger.com and @smartbloggerhq on Twitter and Facebook?

I love the work Tim, Joshua, Si Quan, and Rebekah are doing on the Ahrefs blog. Neil Patel, Brian Dean, Henneke Duistermaat, Syed Balkhi, and Adam Connell are favorites too. And I highly recommend my friend Jaime Buckley. He’s a father of 13, an illustrator, and an author of fantasy stories for kids. A modern-day Renaissance Man.

Follow Kevin Duncan for More Content Hacking Wisdom

Thanks so much to Kevin Duncan for sitting down and answering our questions!

Follow Kevin Duncan on Twitter @kevinjduncan to stay up to date on his guest posts and blog life (in particular, we love his recent Smart Blogger post, 21 Beginner-Friendly Tips for Landing Freelance Writing Jobs.) You can also find him at the helm of Be a Better Blogger.

Don’t forget to check out our other Content Hacker Spotlights for more tips, advice, and stories from the amazing marketers we’ve got lined up for exclusive interviews!

Finally, if you’re looking for ways to grow your own content-focused business — whether you’re just starting or scaling UP — we’ve got the perfect solution for you.

Learn how to grow sustainably without breaking inside the Content Transformation System. 

Ready to get more out of your life by building a powerful digital business through content, and leading a business and marketing plan that DOESN’T suck you dry?

Apply today. See you inside (can’t wait)!

The post Kevin Duncan and the Way to Work-Life Balance in Content Marketing appeared first on Content Hacker.

He really needs no introduction, but we’ll give it a shot anyway:

Shane is a digital marketing consultant who has been an industry staple for over 25 years. The difference is, he prefers to think of himself as a partner, not just somebody you hire. He works closely with celebrities, start-ups, and established companies alike to expand their digital reach, boost their revenue, and meet their business goals.

Just a few of the names he’s worked with include Puma, IMAX, and former NFL player Adrian Ross. He has been featured on HuffPost, Forbes, Entrepreneur, and Inc., plus many more.

Today, Shane is sharing his superhero marketing mentality, the tools he depends on for enhanced measurement and tracking, and why your mindset is majorly important for marketing success.

Content Hacker Spotlight Interview: with Shane Barker

1. When did you get started in marketing, and why?

A: It’s been about 25+ years since I got into marketing for the first time. I found myself noticing marketing campaigns and brand strategies that didn’t really work, even when I wasn’t actively looking. The best part was that I always had better ideas that could improve their efforts and guarantee them success – even though I did not have any background in marketing.

So I thought, maybe this is what I should be doing because I clearly have a knack for it. That’s when I started studying marketing for real and really got into it.

2. What’s your favorite part of what you do today?

A: I’m a people person, so my favorite part of what I do is working with people. I have clients from across multiple verticals with varying business models, products, goals, and challenges. The whole experience of dealing with all of these variations and helping them accomplish their individual business goals is super exciting for me.

3. What’s one of the biggest challenges you have overcome in your work as a marketer?

A: Getting my first client was the biggest challenge I overcame as a marketer. I think this is always one of the most challenging aspects for any entrepreneur, freelancer, or professional. It’s challenging to find that one person who will give your skills and expertise a chance, because people often look for professionals that other people are already vouching for.

4. How has the industry landscape changed since you started?

A: There have been plenty of minor changes in the industry since I got into it. On their own, these changes may not seem like much. But they combine into one massive transformation if you look at how the landscape was 5 years ago and how it is now.

Technology is the biggest aspect in which the marketing landscape has seen some major improvement, especially when it comes to influencer marketing. There weren’t any tools for marketers to measure the impact of their influencer marketing campaigns back then. Now, people have come up with several effective tools — not just to find influencers but to manage their entire campaigns and even measure the results.

We’ve also seen a significant change in the SEO landscape with algorithm changes introduced by Google. Content quality takes first priority, and businesses have to be more careful with their anchor text usage and backlink quality if they want to rank higher in Google search results.

All of these seemingly small changes have caused major shifts in the digital marketing landscape.

5. What does the future of marketing look like to you?

A: Technological advancements are going to make things much easier for marketers and businesses alike, especially since there’s been a lot of improvement in AI technology. It’ll be easier to reach a highly targeted audience, deliver timely and consistent customer support, create marketing campaigns that deliver results, and measure the impact of those campaigns.

At the same time, I believe the competition will get tougher if everyone gets access to these technological advancements to support their marketing efforts.

6. What key traits or skills does it take to be a marketing leader?

A: You definitely have to be a people person, because being a marketing leader is all about the relationships you build with your clients and contractors. No matter how skilled or experienced you are, you can’t really become a marketing leader without people vouching for your expertise and credibility.

The willingness and ability to learn is another crucial trait, because you have to constantly update your skills and knowledge along with the changing landscape. Otherwise, your ideas and skills are going to be outdated in just a few years’ time.

As long as you have these two crucial traits, you’ll have no trouble gaining the other necessary skills to become a leader in marketing.

7. What are some of your favorite tools or hacks for marketers?

A: Competitor research is an essential and often overlooked hack. You need to base your strategies and solutions off of research to identify what works and what doesn’t. Looking at your competitors is the best way to conduct this research because it’s basically like conducting an experiment on your target market.

SpyFu is one of the best tools for competitor research. It helps you identify keywords for which your competitors are ranking and how many clicks they’re getting for those keywords. You can even identify which websites are linking to them, and use that information to improve your backlink strategy.

I’m also a huge fan of measuring your results. You can’t get an idea of how effective your efforts are or what kind of improvements are needed unless you track your campaign results. Most marketers already do this, but some aren’t getting comprehensive insights into their campaigns.

I highly recommend the use of UTM parameters to get down to the nitty-gritty of your referral traffic sources. These parameters will not only help you identify which channels the traffic is coming from, but also from which post and which campaigns.

A lot of marketers don’t do this yet because you need a bit of technical knowledge to create UTM links. Tools like UTM.io simplify the UTM creation process. You just need to enter the important details like your campaign name as well as the medium and source of the link, and the tool will create a tagged URL for you.

And of course, if you’re running an influencer marketing campaign, I definitely recommend using platforms like Grin. This not only helps you get insights into your overall campaign performance, but it also gives you a clear picture of how each post and influencer is performing. So you can identify which influencers are delivering the most value, and which ones aren’t delivering at all.

8. Do you have any daily habits, hobbies, or rituals you couldn’t survive without?

A: I can’t imagine a day without running. I run a little bit every day before I start my workday. In addition to being healthy for your body, it’s such a mood-lifter. It energizes me for the day and awakens my mind so that it’s fully alert for the tasks at hand.

9. Coffee or tea?

A: I love coffee and the only thing I love more than coffee is a mocha!

10. What are some great blogs we should be reading or people we should be following on social media?

A: Other than the already well-known personalities like Neil Patel, Rand Fishkin, Jeff Bullas, and Jay Baer, I would suggest following Adam Enfroy. His blog is an excellent resource for budding entrepreneurs. You can find tons of tips on how to make money online, passive income ideas, tips for motivation, and more.

In addition to this, my favorite blogs to read are Social Media Examiner, the Mention blog, and Smart Insights. I also go to Econsultancy for the latest studies and research relevant to marketing.

Want More? Follow Our Recommended Content Hacker, Shane Barker

Many, many thanks to Shane Barker for participating in our Content Hacker Spotlight series.

For more from Shane and his mega marketing chops, check out his blog and follow him on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn.

And, if you dream of becoming a content marketing-based business power player like Shane, there’s a way forward.

Inside Julia McCoy’s Content Transformation System, she guides you through the skills, systems, and strategies she personally used to build multiple brands to incredible heights. (Read: 6- and 7-figures in revenue!)

With an emphasis on sustainability, community, mentorship, and skills, you’ll learn everything you need to build or scale your business in this program.

Apply today — we hope to see you inside!

The post Shane Barker and the Map to Becoming a Marketing Machine appeared first on Content Hacker.

Mark is a marketing strategy consultant (he’s worked for top brands such as Adidas, Dell, and Johnson & Johnson), a faculty member for graduate studies at Rutgers, an in-demand speaker, the co-host of The Marketing Companion podcast, and the brain behind the uber-popular {grow} blog.

This mega marketer has been in the industry for over 25 years, and has no less than seven books under his belt, including the most recent, Marketing Rebellion, as well as best-sellers like The Content Code and The Tao of Twitter.

Get ready to learn as you dive into this interview – Mark is sharing his unique perspective on marketing leadership, why discipline is essential to content creation, and his thoughts on where marketing is going in the future.

Note: Mark kindly recorded his interview on audio for us, and a certain bird made a guest appearance multiple times with an exuberant song. Thanks to Mark for his patience, and thanks to that bird for its “help.”

Content Hacker Spotlight Interview: with Mark Schaefer

1. When did you get started in marketing, and why?

A: I was a journalism major in college, but in my junior year I took an introduction to marketing class and really fell in love with the idea. In the original textbook, Principles of Marketing by Dr. Philip Kotler, he described marketing as a combination of psychology, sociology, and anthropology, and I was hooked. I just thought that was the coolest career in the world.

I started out in corporate communications but always wanted to get into marketing. I eventually got into sales, and it led to about a 25-year career in corporate marketing where I did every kind of marketing job imaginable, all around the world. I started my own company about 11 years ago.

2. What’s your favorite part of what you do today?

A: From a marketing standpoint, it’s creating strategy. That’s really my sweet spot. It took me a while to figure out what I’m good at in this life: seeing how trends come together.

I’ve got a pretty good track record of visualizing where we need to go next. I think that’s probably what I’m known for and what I have the most fun with.

3. What’s one of the biggest challenges you have overcome in your work as a marketer?

A: I think the biggest challenge for anyone today is cutting through the noise to become the signal.

In 2014 I wrote this article called “Content Shock,” which went viral, and since then, content shock has sort of become an industry term to describe the situation we’re in, where there’s simply too much content in topical niches for people to consume.

It’s not that way everywhere, but in most popular topic niches, it is certainly that way today. And so, you’ve got a couple of choices. You can be in a content “arms race” and create better and better and better content to remain the signal above the noise – and that takes money. Or, perhaps you can promote your way to glory – and that also takes money.

So as the world becomes full of content, the cost to compete through content marketing is going to continue to increase. Frankly, it won’t be a viable strategy for some businesses.

4. How has the industry landscape changed since you started?

A: Well, the thing I love about marketing is that it does change so much, and it is changing so fast. To be successful in marketing, you really need to be a change junkie.

If you look at other business functions like accounting, finance, maybe economics, those things change rather slowly – they’re built on solid foundations and regulations that don’t change in any sort of cataclysmic way (usually). But marketing is changing every day. It’s hard to be a generalist like I am – I’m not specific to any certain platform or area, I’m kind of interested in everything about marketing – so it’s difficult to keep up.

I think the way the landscape has changed is just the rate of change. The sobering idea is that today, in this very moment, will be the slowest amount of change we’ll ever experience. It’s accelerating, and that’s a great challenge – and also a lot of fun.

5. What does the future of marketing look like to you?

A: The future of marketing is actually quite difficult to predict right now. (And I feel a little embarrassed saying that, because I just said I’m good at predicting things.)

The reason the future of marketing is so difficult to assess right now is because we have so many mega-trends all coming together at the same time.

Number one: We have the specter of regulation coming with social media.

Number two: Artificial intelligence is going to change everything we do – every task, every type of content. In general, it’s going to make it easy to produce any type of content, but it’s also going to create some challenges from a job perspective. I think voice search is very significant, and virtual reality is going to be merging with social media in significant ways in the next 2 or 3 years – that’s going to create some very exciting opportunities and some very exciting mash-ups.

I also think there is a migration going in some unpredictable ways. For example, arguably, the most successful social media platform in the world right now is Fortnite, the popular gaming platform.

We have millions of people gathering together as friends every single day, spending time together collaborating and having conversations, sharing information between each other. In my mind, that’s the definition of a social network. In some ways, for many digital natives, Fortnite and games like that have replaced Facebook and Snapchat as a place to hang out.

In short, the future of marketing is very uncertain. There are a lot of other things going on, but those are some of the big ones.

6. What key traits or skills does it take to be a marketing leader?

A: Actually, I just wrote a blog post on that, so I’m going to cheat and call up that blog post: “How to Be an Effective Marketing Leader in a World of Chaos.” A few quotes from that post:

“The most effective marketing leader wakes up every morning and asks, ‘What world am I living in today? What are the biggest trends of this moment? How have our customer needs changed? And, how do I educate my management about this world and align our strategies so we can move quickly and win?’”

Another key aspect is the power of humility:

“We’re living in a world where digital natives are re-defining what it means to be a business, an employee, and a customer. I’m absolutely awed and inspired by these young people and what they can teach the old guard. They look at what we call ‘marketing best practices’ and think ‘why would you do that to people?’ Oh my goodness, that is a marketing rebellion, indeed!

Being a great marketing leader means being humble enough to relearn your craft in the context of this new world reality.”

Now, another key piece I talk about in my book, Marketing Rebellion, is getting unshackled from technology. We’ve become obsessed with technology, we use it too often as a crutch, we don’t go out and talk to customers – that’s really where the insights and innovations are going to be. We need to get out from behind our dashboards and really connect.

As I mentioned, our world is changing so fast, I think to be successful in marketing today, you do have to be sort of a change junkie and you have to be able to embrace the chaos.

I was talking to a marketing leader last year, and she literally told me “I give up!” The rate of change in the business was beyond her capacity to be comfortable and still do her job, so she decided she was going to retire.

Finally, marketing in the future is going to take courage. Many of the traditional things we’ve leaned on in the past like advertising, social media, even content marketing, do not work like they used to because of all the dramatic changes we’ve seen.

To move into some of these new areas, to connect with our customers in ways they want to be connected with, is going to take really enlightened leadership. It’s going to take doing some things that many traditional organizations are going to be uncomfortable with.

The marketing department of the future is going to be like a laboratory, doing different types of experiments, trying to connect with customers in new and emotional ways. And so, a key marketing leadership skill of the future is going to have to be courage.

7. What are some of your favorite tools or hacks for marketers?

A: You know, it’s funny, I get asked this question a lot, and I guess I’m just old-school. I’ve found a few things that work really well for me, and I just stick with it.

You might be surprised to know the number one marketing tool I use is an Excel spreadsheet. I know that sounds really boring, but marketing starts with analysis and data before you start getting creative. I know people might expect some sort of sexy tip from me, but really, I stick with some of the basics.

The technologies I use every day might be something like BuzzSumo for content discovery; Excel spreadsheets, as I said; WordPress, of course; and some analytical tools – something like Sprout Social.

Since I’m a content creator, I don’t have a lot of time to investigate new ideas, new tools. When I find things that work, I use them for a long time.

8. Do you have any daily habits, hobbies, or rituals you couldn’t survive without?

A: Some people ask me how I can be so consistent in terms of creating such good content every week. Indeed, I’ve been blogging for 10 years, I’ve been creating at least two blog posts a week for 10 years and have never missed. I think that takes a certain amount of discipline. Another word to call it is “routine.”

Number one, you have to be aware of the stories around you every day. You’re being bombarded with ideas, you’re being bombarded with messages, and you have to look at the world through a lens of “how could I create this into a meaningful piece of content?” – a video, a blog post, a podcast, something like that.

Number two, you have to have the discipline to write it down or you’ll forget it.

Number three, you have to have the discipline to schedule time to create – a sacred time each week when it’s quiet, you’re undistracted, and you can pull out your list of ideas and create something awesome. These are the ideas you’ve collected all week. You’ve had the discipline to write them down, you have the discipline to consider them, and you pick the one that seems the most fun, and you start to write.

I think another thing I’ve found is it’s hard to be productive and creative if you’re stressed. So, part of this ritual is allowing yourself an opportunity to relax during this time you’re going to create content.

9. Coffee or tea?

A: That would be coffee, altered in such a way that it tastes similar to a milkshake.

10. What are some great blogs we should be reading or people we should be following on social media?

A: I don’t like answering that kind of question. The reason is there are so many great people out there, and I feel like if I answer that question, I’m certainly going to leave people out that are very deserving, and I really don’t want to hurt their feelings.

Want More? Follow This Content Hacker

Thanks to Mark for taking the time out of his busy schedule to sit down for this interview!

If you’re not already following him online (if so, what are you doing with your life?), catch Mark on his insightful blog, on his podcast (co-hosted with Brooke Sellas), and @markwschaefer on Twitter.

And, by the way, if you dream of becoming an all-star content marketer/business owner like Mark…

I’ve got good news for you.

The Content Transformation System, a 1:1 coaching program created by Julia McCoy, was created for entrepreneurs like you.

This one-of-a-kind program gives you everything you need to build or scale your biz sustainably…

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The post Mark Schaefer and the Manifesto for Mega-Effective Marketing Leadership appeared first on Content Hacker.

Why is Ryan a recommended Content Hacker to follow and learn from? Well, for many reasons. He’s a top content marketer, blogger, podcaster and side project aficionado who teaches 400,000 monthly readers how to start and grow a profitable side business at ryrob.com. (See one of his massive guides on blogging.)

He got his start building side businesses in college by selling a product of his own invention – the iStash (spoiler alert: it was a big fail, but don’t failures typically precede the entrepreneur’s best success stories?).

From that experience – which his dad helpfully pointed out was more valuable than a college degree in business – Ryan moved on to put his newfound entrepreneurial skills to better use. He built another (successful) side business, started a blog that now brings in over 2 million readers/year, and hosts a podcast, The Side Hustle Project.

Today, I’m thrilled to pick his brain for our Content Hacker Spotlight Interview series.

Read on to learn more about Ryan’s journey to content marketing, his thoughts on the industry’s past and future, his current game plan for content, and the major daily necessities that keep his work life sane.

Content Hacker Spotlight Interview: With Ryan Robinson

1. When did you get started in marketing, and why?

A: For me, this began during college. Actually, there is one single moment I would point to as far as sparking my actual interest in online marketing “back in the day” – this would have been in 2010 or 2011.

In my very first digital marketing class in college, there was a guest speaker my digital marketing professor brought in. They were this couple who had gone to my school at Chapman University in Orange County, and they had a successful online business. They were printing sweatshirts, t-shirts – they had an on-demand store back before that was a huge business, and it was pretty novel and interesting.

They shared a ton of info about the “behind the scenes” of their business work – they were using Infusionsoft or something similar with automated emails that upsold their customers on this product when they made this decision, they were super good at Pinterest marketing, they made Facebook ads – they were basically really successful young people. I was like, “Oh my God, this is totally what I want to do.”

It was in this class that we actually registered our domain names for our websites. Our teacher told us, “Hey, take $10, do this right now, you won’t regret it.” For me, that’s kind of when blogging began, when I got interested in content marketing.

2. What’s your favorite part of what you do today?

A: I would say, by far, I like the partnerships aspect of content marketing today. I’d say that’s changed over time a bit. Even a year or two years ago, I used to like the writing much more – throwing myself into the zone for 2-3 days a week where I wrote for 8 hours straight each day – that was totally my jam for a while.

Today, I’ve been getting a lot of positive energy out of doing partnerships, which means reaching out to other brands.

I kind of count my podcast as a partnership because I end up doing a lot of collaborations with people. So, different kinds of avenues and channels where I create either affiliate relationships or win-win content partnerships where I promote their work/they promote my work when it’s a fit to do so. I guest post around at lots of sites, too. That’s kind of where I’m getting most of my energy right now.

3. What’s one of the biggest challenges you have overcome in your work as a marketer?

A: The biggest challenge – and I don’t know if I’ve fully overcome it, that’s something I’m always working against – is not being my own bottleneck. I have a pretty high bar as far as quality content I like to publish, but that usually slows me way, way, way down.

Publishing something once every other week is a realistic, hard goal for me, but publishing once a week? My god. I tried to do that forever and I cannot get it done. I am switching over to working full-time on my blog, doing my own content marketing full-time starting in July, so – knock on wood – I might get to the point where I publish once a week, and that means a 5,000 – 10,000-word article for at least the first draft.

Once I start getting traction on my content, I’ll beef it up even more – I’ll add an infographic, record an audio version to embed in the article for people to listen to, and try to find different ways and tweaks to do so I can make the content more robust over time.

So, finding ways to multiply my own efforts, get out of my own way, find people who can help me with little different components of that puzzle.

Right now, one thing I’m doing really well is getting talented writers to do first drafts for me. So, I’ll work really super hands-on with them. I’ll get an outline ready, give it to them, and they’ll give me back the first draft. In the editing process, since I’m still me, I end up doubling the length of the article most of the time – going into more depth, adding more screenshots and insights that are unique to me and my experiences.

That’s what I’m trying right now. I’m trying to get better so I can publish more content and focus more of my time on the partnerships where I’m seeing a higher return.

4. How has the industry landscape changed since you started?

A: Oh, man. The biggest one? Content marketing is a race to the top of the mountain. Everyone is delivering more in-depth content, more transformational content. It’s longer, it’s better, there are more diverse content mediums. It’s not just a long-form post, it’s a 20-minute YouTube video, a 30-minute podcast episode, a guest posting tour you go on to promote each new content pillar article.

The bar for successful content only continues to rise. And that’s an exciting challenge – a sh!t-load of work, but to me, that’s a call to keep differentiating myself and do a better job at my content.

That’s what I think has changed the most, but I also think it’s a huge benefit to consumers, so there’s no complaint there at all. I think it’s a great thing that content marketers are essentially pushing each other to be more unique, to be better, to deliver stronger results for readers.

5. What does the future of marketing look like to you?

A: More of the same! I think it’s only going to get more competitive. I think video, obviously, is a huge area of opportunity I need to take advantage of much more moving forward.

So, for me, I’m shifting into doing a long-form YouTube video with every long-form article on my blog. I’m going to go through my back catalog of successful content, look at pieces that should have a video, and pair them up with some high-quality video. I’m really going to be investing in what that should look like for my blog, for my brand.

I think it’s a huge complement – not only having the written post that’s already doing well, but then you have this entirely new acquisition channel with YouTube being the number one video platform. [The future is] both discovering new people and complementing the written content I already have for my readers.

6. What key traits or skills does it take to be a marketing leader?

A: I think, personally, the biggest skill marketing leaders need to have is the ability to delegate – the biggest challenge for me. Taking myself out of being the center of everything I’m doing – I think that’s going to be a make-or-break move for me – and getting better at hiring people to come in and take care of certain little aspects of what I’m doing manually right now.

I think that’s the way you build a scalable content marketing platform. I don’t think you’re going to build a million-dollar business based on organic content acquisition without having a talented team. There’s only so far you can get by yourself.

I think that’s what my personal bottleneck is, and also a trait most marketing leaders need to have today.

7. What are some of your favorite tools or hacks for marketers?

A: Ahrefs, by far, is my favorite tool. It’s bookmarked right up there next to all my other important links on my Chrome browser. Ahrefs is my number one for keyword research, obviously, but also backlink monitoring and keeping track of my keyword rankings. It’s the most indispensable tool I use and the bill I’m happiest to pay each month.

Convertkit is another bill way up there as far as happiness levels when I pay it, just because it’s my lifeline to my subscribers – sending new articles, new podcast episodes. I get tons and tons of replies to every email I send out to my subscribers. It’s a way to keep in close touch with everyone on my list.

8. Do you have any daily habits, hobbies, or rituals you couldn’t survive without?

A: Definitely coffee early on in the morning. I like to try and wake up by 6 a.m. so that I’m at my computer and getting work done by 7 a.m. It’s really quiet out – I’ve got this view behind my monitor of San Francisco. We’ve got clouds always coming in over this park that’s outside my window, so it’s this beautiful, serene setting that’s nice in the mornings, which I really, really love.

As far as habits, the biggest thing that impacts the productivity of my day is physically going each Sunday evening to plan out my week ahead.

So I look at every single day of the week: what am I doing, who am I interviewing for which podcast episodes, which podcast am I going to be on, what kinds of calls do I have for partners, which blocks of time am I setting aside for writing, which blocks of time am I setting aside for scripting YouTube videos.

I try and check email at least two or three times a day – sliding big-time on that because I’ve had such a huge influx of people coming to me with ideas lately – but yeah, those are my biggest things.

9. Coffee or tea?

A: Definitely coffee – lots of it.

10. What are some great blogs we should be reading or people we should be following on social media?

A: Going with the theme I was already talking about – the Ahrefs blog is pretty much priceless. Tim Soulo, their CMO, is a prolific writer and thinker. He’s on Medium (@timsoulo) as well as the Ahrefs blog.

I also love Brian Dean of Backlinko – he’s someone I keep in close touch with. When I’m publishing something new, if there are any synergies to promote each other’s work, we find out some ways to help each other. He’s someone I’ve looked at as giant inspiration as a blogger and SEO-er for so long, and now I’m kind of starting to bat in the same league as him.

Want More Content Hacking Inspiration?

Many thanks to Ryan for taking the time to do this interview.

If you want to hear more from this savvy and inspirational marketer, check out his blog, follow him @theryanrobinson on Twitter, and give his podcast a listen.

Finally, if you’re looking to get into content hacking yourself — whether you’re taking steps to start a content business or are ready to scale — the help you need is here.

Inside The Content Transformation System, you’ll learn how to build or scale your biz using the systems, tools, skills, and strategies Julia herself used to grow her businesses to six- and seven-figures, sustainably.

The Content Transformation System is enrolling now — learn more or submit your application here.

The post Ryan Robinson and the Superhero Content Secrets appeared first on Content Hacker.