9 Examples of Newsletters Subscribers Can’t Wait to Open

By Joel Widmer | Email Marketing & Automation

You know what’s one of the hardest parts of digital marketing?Reading reports like this:After painstakingly creating content, building lead magnets, optimizing forms, and ultimately capturing subscribers… Sometimes we lose them.We pour a lot of work and money into something that can vanish at any moment.Occasionally unsubscribers give a reason, but usually they leave our tribe […]

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How to Keep Your Marketing Consistent, Especially When You’re Busy

By Joel Widmer | Content Marketing , Email Marketing & Automation , Lead Generation

Have you heard the story of the ant and grasshopper?The grasshopper spent the summer romping through the field and playing music while the ant prepared for winter. When winter came, the ant sat cozy in his home, surrounded by food. The grasshopper went cold and hungry.Your version of the fable may be different, but the […]

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How We Made Our Team 25% Faster

By Joel Widmer | Content Marketing , Tools & Resources

I bet you have a hundred marketing tasks on your to-do list right now.If you’re like me, you’ll plan to cross out 10 of those today, but only have time to finish half…. And then 15 more will fill their space.It’s an especially big problem for me because I’m marketing dozens of companies. I’m always looking […]

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9 Ways Organic Content Can Improve Your Paid Ads

By Joel Widmer | Content Marketing , Paid Advertising , SEO

More than anything, I wish there was one marketing tactic that worked better than all the others.I wish I could say “This is the only tactic worth our time.”But that isn’t how the web works (or the world, for that matter).To deliberately grow a business, we must become competent with multiple tactics. Our strategies must […]

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21 Proven Techniques to Convert Blog Readers Into Email Subscribers

By Joel Widmer | Content Marketing , Email Marketing & Automation , Lead Generation

Growing an email list is a lot like raising a child.I can say that with certainty because I’m currently doing both.There are highs and lows, celebrations and disappointments, and periods of growth and plateaus.Some days are smooth because you have a semblance of control.Other days make you want to pull your hair out.And just like […]

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What I Learned About Image Copyright Law from an $800 Violation

By Joel Widmer | Content Marketing

Have you ever needed an image for a web page or blog post, so you jumped on Google images and grab the first one that seemed relevant? That’s how I learned an $800 lesson back in 2013.Like many people, I didn’t think copyright owners really cared if their images were used without permission. Even if they […]

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Publishing Content Doesn’t Make You a Thought Leader (Here’s What Does)

By Joel Widmer | Authority & Thought Leadership , Content Marketing

Hundreds of hopeful entrepreneurs arrive at a warehouse around 5 AM, armed with elevator pitches and props to impress casting directors.Their goal?   To secure one of the few slots on Shark Tank for a chance to sell a piece of their business to Mark Cuban and the other sharks.If they make it on the show, […]

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Why Your Internal Blog Just Isn’t Working (and How to Get on Track)

By Joel Widmer | Content Marketing , Increasing Traffic

In 2015, Australian government insurer icare was in disarray. Employee retention at the 284,000-person organization was plummeting, morale was in shambles, and the culture was a mess. Even worse: The government was investigating claims of workplace harassment and bullying. When Vivek Bhatia took over as CEO, he vowed to change all that. Part of his efforts to improve morale […]

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7 Words to Cut From Your Content Immediately (Less Really Is More!)

By Joel Widmer | Content Marketing

Have you ever started to read an article only to find yourself distracted, or even confused, before you finished the first paragraph? From a reader’s perspective, few things are worse than a piece of content filled with unnecessary words. Clunky, repetitive writing on your blog can quickly take away the credibility you’ve worked so hard […]

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Keyword Intent: The Answer to Attracting High Converting Traffic

By Joel Widmer | Content Marketing , Lead Generation , SEO

If you’ve ever spent any time people watching at the mall, you know that shoppers can be categorized into three basic groups: Those who know exactly what they want and they came to buy it. Those who need something (like a coat) and want to shop at a few different places. Those who came to the […]

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