by Fronetics | Aug 14, 2014 | Blog, Marketing, Social Media, Strategy, Supply Chain
We want to hear from you! 
We want to know what questions you have about:
- Demand generation
- Establishing and growing an online presence
- Social media
- Content
These categories are intentionally broad because we want to you to think about any (and all) questions and pain points you might have related to these topics.
Remember the adage – there is no stupid question.
Why do we want to hear from you?
We have an upcoming series of blog posts that are focused on answering questions that companies within the supply chain industry have regarding demand generation, an online presence, social media, and content. We want to give you the opportunity to ask your questions and state your challenges so that your questions and challenges can be addressed.
How can you be heard?
Fill out the form below or content with us via Twitter or LinkedIn.
by Fronetics | Aug 14, 2014 | Blog, Marketing, Social Media, Strategy, Supply Chain
We want to hear from you!
We want to know what questions you have about:
- Demand generation
- Establishing and growing an online presence
- Social media
- Content
These categories are intentionally broad because we want to you to think about any (and all) questions and pain points you might have related to these topics.
Remember the adage – there is no stupid question.
Why do we want to hear from you?
We have an upcoming series of blog posts that are focused on answering questions that companies within the supply chain industry have regarding demand generation, an online presence, social media, and content. We want to give you the opportunity to ask your questions and state your challenges so that your questions and challenges can be addressed.
How can you be heard?
Fill out the form below or content with us via Twitter or LinkedIn.
by Fronetics | May 19, 2014 | Blog, Content Marketing, Marketing, Social Media, Strategy
The internet is a fire hose stream of content. Being able to navigate the deluge of content and identify the content that is valuable to your customers and to your business is essential; it can also be incredibly time consuming. Content curation tools can save time and increase productivity.
Here are 11 content curation tools that will help you establish your business as a thought-leader and trusted resource.
Bundle Post
With Bundle Post you connect and control Alerts and RSS feeds based on keywords. Bundle Post saves the content from your feed channels as a social media post, allowing you to view, edit or delete the content within the channel, all in one place, then merge selected curated content with scheduled posting times you create for each of your social media accounts and networks. Bundle Post offers a free 30 day trial. After that subscriptions start at $19.99 per month.
ContentGems
ContentGems monitors more than 200,000 news sites, blogs, and social media accounts. With ContentGem you can filter content a number of different ways including: custom keywords, sources, and media types. With ContentGems it is easy to share content via social media (one-click publishing and the ability to schedule posts). Freemium and premium options available.
feedly
feedly enables you to organize, read and share the content of your favorite feeds, blogs and news sites. If you liked Google Reader, feedly fills that gap. Free and premium versions available.
iFlow
iFlow allows users to discover, create, and curate ‘flows’ on any topic. Flows are topic-based streams that let users stay connected and updated with selected topics. These ‘flows’ may be followed, which results in users being continually updated with content relevant to selected topics. Flows can be set up to include detailed filters to provide for high quality of content curation. iFlow also allows users to create their own private flows. Users may invite others to contribute on their flows or can even keep their flows private. iFlow is free.
Individurls
Individurls is quite similar to feedly. One of the strengths of this content curation is how easy it is to use on your mobile phone. Individurls is free.
Netvibes
Although Netvibes is one of the original content curation tools, it remains a solid (and not outdated) solution. Netvibes offers a number of ready-made feeds and widgets. Both freemium and premium versions are available.
Newsle
Newsle is a great tool to keep you on top of what is happening with people within the industry and within your social network. It is also a great tool if there are specific writers or journalists whose content you want to keep track of. With Newsle you identify the people and Newsle sends you an email when those individuals are mentioned in the news.
paper.li
paper.li enables you to create your own online newspaper based on content you select. You add various sources and specify filters on these sources and a paper is produced. You can then add or remove “articles” from the paper. While paper.li can be used for free, the paid version allows you to brand your newspaper.
Post Planner
Post Planner is a solution for those who are avid Facebook users; PostPlanner is a Facebook app. With PostPlanner you enter in keywords and search for trending content within your niche. You can then sort this content to view the content with the most likes or shares so you can see the most popular content. While PostPlanner does offer a free version, to get the most from this tool you will need to upgrade to one of the premium packages.
Scoop.it
Scoop.it offers users a great experience and a constant stream of content. Scoop.it automatically finds and features comment from places like Twitter and Google blogs based on your target keywords and interests. It is also customizable, allowing for additional sources to be added to your stream(s). In Scoop.it you create boards of content around specific topics and then add content to these boards. Scoop.it allows for one-click publishing to your blog and social networks. Scoop.it offers a free trial, after that plans start at $12.99 per month.
Trapit
Trapit positions itself as a “smart” curation tool, increasing in intelligence and relevance the more you use it. It features more than 100,000 vetted content sources and includes “hidden gems” that have the potential to make your presence stand out. How does it do this? Trapit uses the same Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Technology from which Siri is derived.
by Fronetics | Apr 21, 2014 | Blog, Content Marketing, Logistics, Marketing, Strategy, Supply Chain
When it comes to content your company doesn’t need to go it alone. Not only is it possible to outsource content, for many companies it may be the best solution. Here is how to determine if outsourcing content is right for your company, and what your company needs to consider when looking for an outsource partner.
Is outsourcing right for you?
Outsourcing is not the panacea. It may be the right solution for your company – or maybe not. Here is what to consider when determining if outsourcing content is the right solution for your company:
- What are your company’s core competencies?
- How can your company deliver the best value to your customers?
- A successful content strategy needs to be deliberate and needs to have someone in charge. Do you have in-house talent who can put together a content strategy for your company and manage the execution of the strategy?
- Does your company have in-house talent that can consistently create good content?
- Does your company have in-house talent that has the time to consistently create good talent?
- Does your company have in-house talent that can distribute your company’s content?
- Does your company have in-house talent that can track and analyze your company’s content strategy?
Be honest. Cobbling together staff or passing content like a hot potato from one person to another is not going to be effective. If content is not an area where your company excels, or if content could be carried out more efficiently and effectively if the service was outsourced – start looking for an outsource partner.
If you do decide that outsourcing is right for your company, know that you are not alone. Forty-four percent of B2B marketers report that they outsource content creation. Diving down further, 72 percent of large B2B companies (1,000 employees or more) outsource content creation and 34 percent of small B2B companies (10 to 99 employees) outsource content creation. Looking specifically at the manufacturing industry – 55 percent of manufacturing marketers report that they outsource content creation.
As shown in Figure 1 the content functions that B2B marketers outsource vary from writing to design to distribution to creating a buyer persona. When it comes to outsourcing content functions it doesn’t need to be the kitchen sink.
Figure 1
What to look for in an outsource partner
When it comes to finding an outsource partner you want to find a partner that will bring value to your company and to your customers. Whether you outsource all content functions or just one, here is what to look for in an outsource partner:
- Experience and knowledge of your industry;
- Willing to work with your company to help you achieve your goals;
- Open to exploring and furthering your company’s creative ideas;
- Able to follow instructions and execute with minimal oversight;
- Able to create the type of content your company needs;
- Interested in entering into a long-term relationship.
More generally, Frank Cavallaro wrote that when choosing your perfect outsource mate it is important to start by looking at the mission or value statement of your potential partner. Are these aligned to your company’s? If they are, move on and explore the partnership further. If not, walk away. “Mission and value statements speak to the core culture of the company, so if you can’t find common ground here, it is unlikely you will be able to build a positive working relationship.”
This post was originally published on DC Velocity.
