Feast your eyes on the top content marketing blogs from last week! 
Image credit: Moz Blog
New Data: Mix Content Types for Successful Content Marketing
By Peyman Nilforoush
Used strategically, different content types can help move a consumer through their decision-making process, all the way to the finish line.
But if you’re confused about what type of content your brand should focus on creating, that knowledge alone doesn’t do much for you. Which is why Peyman’s blog is such a great resource. Not only does he give content type examples and explain their uses, he also details the finer points of building trust, which is paramount when deciding on the type of content you want to associate with your brand. If you’re like me, you believe research data over anything else, so you’ll appreciate Peyman’s perspective.
How Successful Writers Curate Ideas
By Jerod Morris, @JerodMorris
Much to every marketers dismay, there’s no proven, across-the-board method for curating ideas. So, how does a content marketer battle writer’s block? Everyone has their own method or regimen that works best for them, so if you’ve found something that works, don’t change a thing. For the rest of you who find yourselves staring wide eyed at a blank MS Word doc for far too long, you should read Jerod Morris’ new blog. He pinpoints two traits he’s found in successful writers and the most important one is having a system for recording ideas. My best ideas come to me when I'm either in the shower or almost asleep, which makes recording ideas a bit of a challenge. Nevertheless, I’m dedicated to developing a system that works for me. You should be too.
Why Educating Readers Is No Longer Enough (And How to Really Build an Audience in 2014)
By Jon Morrow
Content is what makes the marketing world go round. However, all content isn’t created equally. With this in mind, we continue on with creating and publishing content day in and day out. Jon Morrow confronts this cycle with a few brutally honest statements about the reality of educational content. Jon dispels the belief that educational content alone will build an audience. Top of the Funnel content is very necessary, but that alone cannot convert an anonymous web visitor to a lead. No, you’ll need to have the full range of Top, Middle, and Bottom Funnel content if you want to be effective. Jon’s blog doesn’t really touch on those points, but he details four other ways to build an audience with content marketing: Drama, Data, Depth, and Design. He also links to helpful resources to emphasize his advice.
Tips and Tactics for Amplifying Your Content - Whiteboard Friday
By Ben Lloyd, @blizzle
There are many ways you can amplify content to reach its intended audience. That was precisely the topic of last week’s Whiteboard Friday lesson. Ben Lloyd and Brian Rauschenbach share some useful insight on using Hootsuite, Twitter Cards, Bitly’s Link-Life Study, and Peter Bray’s Twitter Tweet-Life Study to give your content the boost it needs to reach new heights. If you don’t feel like reading the transcript, which is lengthy, sit back, watch the video and take notes. Everything they mention may not work for you, but chances are, you’ll find use for one or more tactics.
How to Write a Tweet: 8 Formulas to Get You Started
By Diana Urban, @DianaUrban
Coming up with things to tweet isn’t as easy as one may think. Just ask any social media marketer who manages an account. Generating ideas about what to tweet and keeping your feed fresh is a daily struggle. It requires constant creativity and a good measure of consistency. It also requires that your Twitter content is an extension of your overall content strategy. Far too often, I see businesses failing to align their Twitter content with their other efforts. To this end, Diana has come up with 8 ready-made tweet formulas to get you well on your way.
If Your Content Marketing Is For Everybody, It’s For Nobody
By Joe Pulizzi, @JoePulizzi
Content that’s intended for all of audiences is a recipe for ineffective marketing. While doing so saves time and money, it’s not a very strategic approach. Targeting multiple audiences with the same content is not only confusing them, it’s also confuses your strategy and muddies the results. Joe Pulizzi addresses why your content is for nobody if it’s intended for everybody. He examines companies who are getting it right. He also provides four key questions to ask yourself when creating content focused on your core audience.
That does it for this week's edition of Content Crack!
