One of the things I love to do this time of year is take a look back at the work we’ve done — including the content we’ve published on this blog.
What kind of content did you like most? Which posts were shared the most on social networks? Which got the most traffic or generated the most comments?
It’s always fascinating to see what content resonated with you this year. It also helps us determine how to create even better content and to serve up more of the blog posts you want next year.
To create this list, we looked back at the blog posts with the most traffic and social media shares. However, since we launched our new website this fall, our earlier blog posts no longer show the old social share data. But trust us — you loved those earlier posts!
Most Popular Digital Marketing Posts of 2014
So, which were our best digital marketing posts this year?
Cue drumroll, please.
Without further adieu, I bring you the 10 most popular blog posts from Blue Kite Marketing this year!
1. How to Promote Your Blog Posts: 45 Tips to Win More Readers
This was far and away the most popular post of year. Why?
We hear from people all the time that they are struggling to get their content noticed. This post broke that down into simple tips that people could use to better promote their content.
The other key ingredient for this post’s success? The post included a killer infographic and we gave people the ability to embed the graphic on their own site. This proves that people really love powerful visual content.
It also helped that our friends at Buffer included it in their suggested content. Thanks, guys!
2. Create a Simple Social Media Plan in 5 Steps
Even though social media is no longer in its infancy, businesses still struggle with how to get started. That’s why we created a simple framework for building a social media plan.
We served up five simple questions you should ask to help you get started. Want to know what they are? Check out this post.
3.
10 Productivity Tips to Help You Work Smarter
People are busy. Our schedules are frantic. We all want to work smarter, not harder. I think that’s why this post really resonated with people.
It also helped that our friend, Peg Fitzpatrick, shared this with her vibrant communities on Pinterest and Google Plus. Thanks, Peg!
4.
Top 20 Digital Marketing Blogs of 2014
Despite coming out just this week, this post has been super popular. Why? People love to read and share lists. Lists have eye-catching headlines with a simple promise.
This post also recognizes 20 influential bloggers who then shared this with their audiences. Don’t underestimate the power of influencers.
5.
Should You Give Up on Your Brand Page After Facebook’s News Feed Changes?
When Facebook rolled out it’s latest changes to the news feed and organic reach plummeted once again, it left many folks wringing their hands about what to do with Facebook This post answered that question — is it time to quit?
Here’s one of my favorite lines from the post:
“Remember, that Facebook owns your brand page. Not you. And, as a result, you have to learn to play by their rules if you want to use their platform.”
6.
What We Can Learn About Branding from Richard Sherman
After making the game-winning play that sent to Seattle Seahawks to the Super Bowl, Richard Sherman had an epic post-game interview where he boldly proclaimed he was the best cornerback in the league.
It was bold and brash. And, folks couldn’t stop talking about it. While many thought his interview was totally disrespectful, I think there are some things we can learn about Sherman’s approach.
Here’s one takeaway:
“Embrace your weirdness. Showcase your personality and be willing to take a stand.
Sure,
you will have some haters. But, those that love you will be strong, loyal fans that will stand behind you no matter what.”
7.
How to Handle a Social Media Crisis: 5 Key Lessons From Kentucky Kingdom
I’m so glad to see one of our team member’s posts make the list! This one is from Danielle Ali. She wrote about the uproar that occurred when Kentucky Kingdom asked a breastfeeding mother to feed her child in the bathroom.
Mothers everywhere took to Kentucky Kingdom’s social media channels to express their outrage. After all, public breastfeeding is protected by the law.
How did Kentucky Kingdom respond?
Not well.
This is a classic example of what NOT to do. Read Danielle’s excellent post so you can be prepared if you face a social media crisis.
8.
5 Steps to Creating a Simple Social Media Plan {eBook}
We talk a lot about the power of repurposing your content. This is a prime example of that.
Remember post #2 on this list? This free eBook we created for Slideshare was repurposed from that content. The Slideshare is very visual and easy to digest — things that lead to easy sharing.
9.
Native Advertising: Brave New Marketing Channel or Destroyer of Journalism?
2014 has been a big year for native advertising. Early this year, the marketing industry was abuzz about it since the New York Times decided to start running native ads on their site.
Of course, later in the year, John Oliver did an entire segment about native advertising. But, I digress.
In this post, I weighed in on what native advertising could mean for both the journalism industry and for brands.
Here is one takeaway:
“I think media publications must continue to find ways to innovate to generate revenue and brands need new ways to reach customers. Native advertising might just be the answer.”
10.
Why the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Is Brilliant Marketing
Everyone and their brother took the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge in 2014. I was no exception.
What can I say? People love to see videos of ice water getting dumped on people’s heads. In this post, I also talk about the factors that made this campaign spread like wildfire.
See my #IceBucketChallenge video and the full post here.
More Great Digital Marketing Content
After these top 10, there were a number of posts that all had similar traffic numbers. So, I couldn’t help but share just a few more of your favorites this year. Here are the runner’s up!
11.
7 Steps to Dominate Search Results for Your Brand
12.
Why You Should Use Your Personal Social Media Profiles for Business
13.
No Time to Blog? 11 Tips to Create Content Faster
14.
The Problem with Cheap Social Media Marketing
15.
Get Noticed: 6 Ways to Create Content That Stands Out
Which post was your favorite this year? Have one that didn’t make our list?
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One reply on “Top 10 Digital Marketing Blog Posts of 2014”
Essentially, brands can leverage the industry authority by partnering with influencers and borrowing some of the trust they have built within their niche.