Content Marketing Catchup: The Secret to ROI, May’s Best Branded Content, and More Must-Reads

You know what’s the only thing sexier than reading content marketing stories on the beach?

Well, pretty much anything. But while you’re on your way back from soaking up some sun in the sand this weekend, that’s the perfect time to catch up on the latest news and analysis. Think of this as your SPF 50, protecting you from getting burned in your Monday meeting.

4 Keys to Calculating ROI for Content Marketers

I’m pretty sure that every content marketing conference has an open bar because everyone’s always so stressed out from the ROI panels. In our latest Contently Labs piece, Contently’s Sam Petulla writes that there’s a better way:

Indeed, content marketing ROI is often regarded like a buried treasure being chased by an industry of Captain Jack Sparrows. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Properly calculating ROI is far from a pipe dream; in fact, every marketer has the tools at their disposal to properly tie their content performance to business results. It involves properly understanding content’s role in building relationships with consumers, and properly modeling brand lift, engagement, loyalty, and conversion events. Read it.

Patch Is Back, But It’s Destined to Fail Again. Here’s Why.

After a sale to Hale Global, 85 percent of Patch’s newsroom was cut loose. But now, the company says that they’re finally profitable and have held onto most of their traffic. Yael Grauer reports on why things aren’t as they seem. Read it.

The 5 Most Important Slides for Content Marketers From Mary Meeker’s Internet Report

I never thought that a deck could be a cultural event, but then I got hooked on Mary Meeker’s annual Internet Report. It’s a cheat sheet for how to sound smart; I should really send her a check considering how many gigs I’ve gotten from parroting her findings. Check out the five slides you need to know about. Read it.

Can the Attention Web Save Publishing?

Can a new way of measuring content on the web fix the big problems with digital advertising? Julia Lynn Rubin writes:

Selling ads based on impressions and pageviews has resulted in a seemingly never-ending stream of slideshows featuring adorable baby chicks and sexy, cleavage-baring chicks alike. But other than building a time machine and stopping CPMs from taking over the Internet in the first place, what can be done?

Last month, as part of Internet Week, Chartbeat, a company that measures real-time engagement for online content creators, hosted a panel in its sprawling New York office to discuss one promising solution: The Attention Web. Read it.

The Best Branded Content of May and Early June

Over the past month and change, brands created content to appeal to just about everyone—there was six-second ammo for moms looking to scare their kids away from cancer sticks; an exciting new magazine for fans of long-form journalism and tales of Americana; and a lesbian love story featuring Lily Allen that made the liberal arts alumnus in me burst with happiness (and also crave ice cream). I analyzed the best ones. Read it.

Image via the Jewish Exponent

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