The Thomas Blog

4 Keys to Creating Content That Converts

In our last post, The Pitfalls of Engagement, we discussed some basic storytelling techniques and what kinds of topics to avoid. Building off of those ideas, we went deeper into the details of who you should be targeting and how to do so — here are the four top tips. 

The Pitfalls of Engagement – Turning Off Your Readers

When crafting a good story, we often start by coming up with a main character. We work on developing someone who is reliable and likeable overall. But as you focus all of your attention on the “who,” are you forgetting about the “why?” When telling an engineering story, this is especially important.

10 Can’t-Miss Tips to Get Your Video Marketing Started

As a video marketer, my days are typically filled with brainstorming, storyboarding, filming, uploading, editing and exporting — plus everything in between.

For the most part though, I’m sitting behind a computer with a pair of headphones on, so a few weeks ago I jumped at the chance to head to Boston for WistiaFest. It’s a conference put on by the hosting platform Wistia where myself and 300 of my fellow video-loving peers could learn, network and break out in spontaneous dance party. (Plus there was a dog hanging out during all networking events at Wistia HQ, so if we’re being honest, it’s a miracle I interacted with any humans.)

Content is King: SEO for Manufacturing Companies

“I have a page for that but I’m not No. 1 on Google. Why?” “Wait, where do I need links from?” "Social media helps, right?" "I offer that product — why am I not ranking higher?"

These are all very common questions I hear when working with companies on their SEO strategy. And while we've chatted before on this blog about staying ahead of Google's updates and the best practices for industrial SEO, I can't help but want to emphasize the most important piece of your website: content.

Heading Into 2015 With More Focus on the User and More Stories to Tell

Last year was more about making the most of the marketing tools at hand rather than any revolutionary breakthroughs, and I see more of the same in 2015.

It puts us at an advantage: instead of chasing customers to the next “hot” social network or trying to figure out the best way to use a new platform, we have a better idea of where our audience is, and how we should communicate with them. Here’s where I think the focus will lie for the next twelve months:

5 Ways to Dig For Content When You’re Stuck

Yesterday morning, I walked past a truck driver stuck in some snow.

I didn’t want to get too close, because he was really having a hard time getting out and looked a bit out of control: wheels spinning, back end fishtailing, not making any headway. Luckily, he had a coworker with a shovel helping to dig him out and get unstuck. It can be easy to get stuck with our content creation in these early months of the year, too. Business has yet to pick up, news is slow, and we’re in danger of just spinning our wheels with uninteresting, uninspired content.

How can you dig yourself out?

You Are Your Content

Your content typically takes the form of blog posts or portfolios — educational content that lives on your site. Readers find it in the course of searches for topics that they’re interested in, come to your site, and we see content marketing at work. In order to really supercharge your reach, though, it helps to expand — expand what you think of as “content,” and expand where it’s going to “live” — beyond your site.

Want to Write Better Headlines? Follow These Three Tips

It’s almost like a cruel trick: you read a great headline or Twitter post, click the link, and expect to see more of the same: useful information, instruction, advice, or humor.

Once you get to the article, though, it all falls apart — poor writing, worn-out topics, or it’s just plain boring. You can spend all the time you want on a killer headline — it might even get you some better click metrics — but without the quality content to back it up, it’ll never turn into leads or customers. 

4 Reasons Why You Don't Need Content Marketing

We’re committed to the belief that a strategic content marketing plan provides significant benefits to marketers. Yet, I’ve spoken with some marketers who tell me they have no use for content marketing — and I absolutely agree with them!