SEO content marketing roundup, week ending April 17th

It’s about the future in this week’s latest and greatest online marketing news.

Content marketers discuss (where to start and) what the future of content may be for their profession. SEO and search pros discuss the future of link-building, Convergence Analytics as a new paradigm, and the next version of Google (Universal) Analytics. Meanwhile social media marketers see big numbers in projected ad revenues and Facebook’s Home being eerily Big-Brother-esque.

And while most evident with social media going dark for several hours afterward, all online marketers acknowledged the terrible tragedy at the Boston Marathon in some way.

So before delving into the news as usual, we’d like to acknowledge a remarkable piece addressing social media marketers (but appropriate for all online marketers) by Courtney Seiter, who advised that the industry “Be helpful, be kind or be quiet,” at Raven Tools. Well said.

Content Marketing

Lee Odden entertains the question “What is The Future of Content for Marketers?” at TopRank.

Danny Brown posts “Global Survey Shows Influence Marketing Seen as Lead Generation Tool, Not a Branding Exercise” at his blog.

Heather Lloyd-Martin’s top posts addressing the challenge of continuously producing fresh content are captured with “SEO content creation: 50 time & sanity-saving tips” at SEO Copywriting.

Arnie Kuenn post a video, “How to Get Started with Content Marketing” at Vertical Measures.

Stephanie Chang posts “How to Build a Content Marketing Strategy” at SEOmoz.

Heidi Cohen posts “Content Marketing: The Multi-screen Consumer” at her blog.

MarketingSherpa’s weekly Marketing Research Chart takes a look at the types of channels marketers track for their organizations.

Tracy Stokes posts “Trust Me, Take Small Steps To Build Brand Trust” at Forrester.

Weary of fluffy press releases? Miranda Miller posts “Online PR for Brands: How to Make Company News, Real News” at TopRank.

Alexander Nessel discusses “Why You Should Market Like You (Want to) Cook” at Portent.

Rachel Sprung posts “How to Modernize an Old-School Event Marketing Strategy” at HubSpot.

Beth Hayden posts “The State of Pinterest: What Content Marketers Need to Know Now” at Copyblogger.

Brian Solis re-envisions the consumer journey with “The Dim Light at the End of the Funnel” at his blog.

Events:

• The Neilsen Norman Group’s Usability Week 2013 conferences will be held in San Francisco from April 28^th thru May 3^rd, London from May 12^th thru the 17^th, and Toronto from June 3^rd thru the 7^th.
• Confab Minneapolis 2013 is on for June 3^rd thru the 5^th.
• Lee Odden shares his April/early May presentation schedule with “Content Marketing & Optimization 6 Ways – Upcoming Speaking Events” at TopRank.
• Content Marketing World 2013 returns to Cleveland, OH, September 9^th thru the 12^th.

SEO & Search

Dana Lookadoo posts “Send the right search signals with social content optimization” at SEO Copywriting.

Rand Fishkin presents “Remove Unnecessary Steps & Win More Links, Shares, and Conversions – Whiteboard Friday” at SEOmoz.

Glenn Gabe posts “Racing Penguin: How to Attack Unnatural Links Before Penguin Hits (Case Study)” at Search Engine Watch.

David Harry has fun with the title but is serious in his discussion of bad link building (vs. attracting) with “Relevance and Trust is the NEW SEO” Search News Central.

Marie Haynes posts “The Difference Between Penguin and an Unnatural Links Penalty (and some info on Panda too)” at YouMoz.

Julie Joyce posts “Link Networks: Don’t Build Your SEO Strategy on a House of Cards” at Search Engine Watch.

Lars Lofgren and Zach Bulygo co-author a step-by-step guide with “Universal Analytics: Switching to the Next Version of Google Analytics” at KISSmetrics.

Tom Pick posts “How Google Gets Search Traffic Wrong” at Webbiquity.

Amy Gesenhues reports “Google Analytics Dashboard Gets 4 Real-Time Widgets” at Marketing Land.

Alessandro Martin posts “Tracking Google Analytics Events with Google Tag Manager” at SEOmoz.

Citing comScore data, Danny Goodwin reports “Bing & Yahoo Steal Tiny Bit of Search Market Share From Google” at Search Engine Watch.

Pelin Thorogood posts “Convergence Analytics Delivers New Paradigm for Holistic Insights Into Customer Behavior” at ClickZ.

Grant Simmons shares “10 Killer SEO Landing Page Tips” at Search Engine Watch.

Nick Stamoulis interviews SEO expert Eric Enge of Stone Temple Consulting at Brick Marketing.

Eric Enge posts “Going Viral not Required to Succeed – with YouTube’s Lane Shackleton” at Stone Temple Consulting.

Tad Chef posts “Common Web Design Mistakes that Break Your SEO” at Mass Media Design Blog.

Jeff Sauer posts a case study on the impact of G+ authority on search rankings with “8 Reasons Why You Need to Establish Authority on Google+” at Jeffalytics.

Brian Clark posts “What if Author Rank Never Happens?” at Copyblogger.

Events:

• Pubcon New Orleans 2013 returns to The Big Easy next week, from April 22^nd thru the 25^th.
• SMX London is on for May 15^th & 16th.
• Distilled’s SearchLove SEO Conference returns to Boston May 20^th and 21^st.
• SMX Paris is scheduled for June 6^th & 7^th.
• SMX (Search Marketing Expo) Advanced is returning to Seattle June 11^th & 12^th.
• SES Toronto 2013 is on for June 12^th thru the 14^th.  Save up to $300 with early bird rates thru May 9^th!
• MozCon 2013 (SEOmoz) will be in Seattle (of course) from July 8^th thru the 10^th.
• Search Exchange 2013 will be held July 29^th thru the 31^st in Charlotte, NC. Register by April 30^th for early bird rates!

Social Media Marketing

James Dohnert posts “Social Ad Revenue Forecast to Hit $11 Billion by 2017 [Report]” at Search Engine Watch.

Speaking of big social ad spending, Cotton Delo posts “Facebook Seeks 7-Figure Price Tag for Summer Debut of Video Ads” at Ad Age | digital.

Andrew Shotland posts “14 Ways Facebook Homes In On Local Search” at Search Engine Land.

Angie Nikoleychuk relates her privacy concerns with Facebook’s Home mobile app with “The Facebook Home Invasion – A Warning to Facebook App Users” at Angie’s Copywriting.

Kristi Hines posts “The 2013 Twitter Marketing Guide” at KISSmetrics.

Greg Jarboe posts “Unruly Launches Real-Time Analytics Dashboard for Social Video” at Search Engine Watch.

Gabriella Sannino shares social media policy tips with “Social Media as a Customer Relations Platform” at Level 343.

Brian Solis posts “Be on your best behavior! Behavioral expert Kare Anderson on how to design idyllic experiences” at his blog.

Heidi Cohen posts “10 Tactics to Get Your Social Media Strategy on Track” at her blog.

Events:

• BlueGlassX 2013 will be happening May 21^st & 22^nd in Los Angeles. As of today (April 17th), there are only 12 spots left!

(For an all-in-one listing and description of social media, content & inbound marketing events, check out Neal Schaffer’s “The 12 Best Social Media Conferences to Attend in 2013” at Social Media Today.)

image thanks to Cea.