I am always looking for what kind of content works for others and how to emulate those best practices in content marketing.
I started publishing on Slideshare in July of 2010. And now I’m seeing almost as much traffic and engagement there than I receive on my blog. Thousands of new visitors every month! I continue to believe Slideshare is one of the greatest opportunities in content marketing.
Earlier this year, I took advantage of the opportunity to join the LinkedIn Pulse program. And while none of my posts “went viral,” I am engaging with thousands of new readers each month on that platform as well.
So In the spirit of learning from the best, here are the 15 best LinkedIn Pulse articles on Marketing.
The 15 Best LinkedIn Pulse Articles On Marketing
1. Software Is Eating The Digital Advertising Business (687,967 pageviews / 116 comments) by Tod Sacerdoti. This popular article is a deeper dive into Marc Andreessen’s now-famous Wall Street Journal essay from 2012 on “Why Software Is Eating The World.” Tod makes the point that it is software (not content) that is king. He even says that when you exclude video and app advertising, display ad spend is actually down! Why? Because Software. Worth a read.
2. Digital Darwinism: What Killed Borders and Blockbuster and Polaroid And How To Survive (386,323 pageviews / 194 comments) by Brian Solis. Brian defines “digital Darwinism” as the age we live in where technology and society are evolving faster than the ability of organizations to adapt to it. This concept isn’t new, but Brian suggests that no business is too big to fail if it is not adaptive to change. And no business is too small to succeed if it has innovative products and a strong focus on customers. While this would be true of any age, Brian presents some suggestions for dealing with the increasing rate of change. He suggests businesses should focus on defining their vision, creating a culture of empathy and having the courage to challenge the status quo.
3. 4 Marketing lessons to learn from the ALS “Ice Bucket Challenge“ (364,776 pageviews / 421 comments) by Avinash Murthy. This article looks at the success of the ALS “Ice Bucket Challenge” and points to four success factors for any good marketing campaign: 1) relate emotionally to something people care about, 2) have some fun, 3) keep it simple and 4) put your audience in control.
4. Hello, LinkedIn (319,397 pageviews / 1,152 comments) by Conan O’Brien. This post is hilarious and pokes fun at social media interns, the importance of being a LinkedIn Influencer and by association, Content Marketing itself. I’m a sucker for a great joke, even at our own expense. Thanks Conan.
5. This Is How Social Fits In Your Customer’s Purchase Journey (291,019 Pageviews / 0 comments) by Dr. Augustine Fou. Dr. Fou is a content machine. He is also very active on slideshare where he sneaks his way into the lists of best slideshare presentations. I appreciate how he supports the idea of thinking about social media networks from a customer journey or buyer stage point of view. This is one the best practices of effective content marketers and yet the message needs repeating.
6. Why Steve Jobs Never Listened To His Customers (248,673 pageviews / 674 comments) by Gregory Ciotti. This article is one of the best on the list and covers the pros and cons of Steve’s hotly debated idea that you cannot create great products by focus groups. The author calls this “one of the most famous opinions from a highly opinionated man.” And the article does a good job of laying out what Steve may have really meant. The author concludes that innovators shouldn’t ignore feedback. He says, “Observe, don’t just listen and blindly follow feedback.”
7. The One Thing Every Business Executive Must Understand About Social Media (219,898 pageviews / 1,116 comments) by Dave Karpen. This article uses a personal story and a great example of the power of being an active listener on social media. And how it can drive real results and revenue.
8. Oh Yes, Marketing To YUMmies Is Now A Thing, Unfortunately (219,104 pageviews / 53 comments) by Dr. Augustine Fou. Dr. Fou is back with his second article on the list. This one talks about how big brands are regrettably chasing a segment called “YUMmies” – a term used to describe Young Urban Males. It also pokes a bit of fun at the term, and rightly so.
9. Do You Call It Soda Or Pop? (206,386 pageviews / 751 comments) by Jonah Berger. This post talks about how we are from shapes who we are and how we see and classify the world. Social influence shapes who we are. Influence is heavily skewed by geography and even something as powerful as the interwebs, can’t overcome the power of where you live.
10. The 7 Secrets To Writing Killer Content On LinkedIn (202,944 pageviews / 520 comments) by Dan Roth. Dan is the LinkedIn Executive Editor so he probably knows a thing or two about how to create wildly popular posts on his own platform. I’m not sure there’s any real “secrets” revealed in this post. Just some straight-up common sense: write about things you know, post regularly, know your audience, and focus on headlines.
11. Why Aren’t More Business Leaders Online? (202,258 pageviews / 2,059 comments) by Richard Branson. Richard and I are both confused at how few business leaders are active on social media channels. What I love is how he not only talks the talk, he walks the walk as one of the most prolific CEOs online. Here’s all you need to read: “where possible, everyone within a company should be engaged in what is happening elsewhere within their business, and in the wider world.”
12. Viral’s Secret Formula (197,782 pageviews / 327 comments) by Jonah Berger. Jonah Berger is a Marketing professor at the Wharton School. And he is author of the New York Times bestseller Contagious: Why Things Catch On. And this article serves as the Cliff Notes version of the book. Jonah introduces the 6 steps to viral content. “STEPPS:” Social Currency, Triggers, Emotion, Public, Practical Value, and Stories.
13. What Makes Malcolm Gladwell Fascinating (188,855 pageviews / 165 comments) by Adam Grant. I’ve written a few times about what makes content interesting or people fascinating. But in this post, Adam Grant debates whether Malcolm is fascinating because he is a great storyteller or because of his ideas and the unique perspective he has on the world. Adam then draws on some research that shows that one element of being interesting is the ability to surprise your audience. . .
14. The 3 Things You Should Know About Digital Ad Fraud (202,614 pageviews / 2 comments) by Dr. Augustine Frou. 3 posts on the list and I think it’s noteworthy to check what Dr. Frou is doing. In this post, Dr. Frou talkes about digital ad fraud and what you can do about it. This is a huge topic of discussion in the digital advertising industry and something I’ve discussed in calling for the death of banner advertising.
15. How To Expand Your Social Media Presence Quickly (251,524 pageviews / 319 comments) by Vladimir Ninov. This post looked like pure SPAM to me. It recommends that new business owners go out and “be everywhere” and “hire someone professional to manage your social media.” This is all followed by a link to a site called “GetFollowers2Day.” And the author’s profile mentions paid LinkedIn promotion. Let’s just call this one “interesting” if not helpful. I think we can learn from every “popular” post. While it earned a spot on the list due to pageviews and comment numbers, I wouldn’t call it the best example of LinkedIn Pulse posts. But interesting to consider how it got here?
Let me know what you think in the comments below. Check out my own LinkedIn Pulse articles. And please follow along on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Google+ or Subscribe to the B2B Marketing Insider Blog for regular updates.
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