Halloween is on the horizon. It’s time to dress up, decorate and offer tricks or treats. The end of the year may mean the same for your content marketing strategy: revamping your site with a new look, adding more personality to your social media outlets and intriguing consumers to download an asset that can benefit their business.

Now, you might not have any candy to hand out to readers as they visit your site, but that doesn’t mean you can’t dress up your content marketing campaign and provide a few tricks and treats to engage your audience.

In this edition of Content Marketing Weekly, we’ll check out the latest news circulating the industry and how you can use it to your advantage this time of year.

5 Tips for Working with a Ghostwriter

Ghosts are a common fear, but there’s no reason to be scared of ghostwriters.

If you’re unfamiliar with the term, ghostwriter refers to someone who creates the text behind the scenes. Instead of using a byline with the writer’s name, it’s often a brand representative taking the credit. This can be a very advantageous option in content marketing – executives who don’t have time to create content can instead bring an unbiased, professional viewpoint to the table while executing excellent written communication skills.

Working with a ghostwriter isn’t technically for everyone, however. The Altitude Blog recommended the following five tips if you’re considering the latter:

1. Stop assuming no one can write for you.

2. Don’t use analogies to explain industry jargon to your writer.

3. Encourage your writer to ask a lot of questions.

4. Nobody’s perfect, and neither is your writer.

5. Don’t look for an industry expert – look for a content marketing expert.

Read the article in its entirety here.

Are These 5 Content Marketing Myths Holding You Back?

From witches and zombies to vampires, werewolves and mummies, the list of Halloween myths goes on and on. The content marketing world has some myths of its own, but it’s about time we bust them.

Keyword stuffing may be a thing of the past, but that doesn’t mean SEO isn’t here to stay. As search engine algorithms transform, it’s important to consider how to shift focus and create engaging content that resonates with your audience.

And more content equals better content, right? Not necessarily. It’s easy to prioritize quantity over quality when you want your brand to show up in search, but that can dismiss your brand’s reputation in an instant. Finding a happy medium through a set content schedule can help you avoid mass quantities of content that have limited value.

Check out the rest of the article by Marketing Land here.

Tips and Tricks for a Successful Content Marketing Campaign

A breath of the phrase “trick or treat” is a delight for kids this time of year because it comes with a delicious ending. Adults seeking the “candy” of the content marketing world can benefit from a few tricks as well. Our main tip for success, as we gathered from Value Walk, is to stay ahead of the trends and market predictions.

For example, you may love a good GIF, but live video may be more popular today. According to a survey by Livestream and New York magazine, 82% of respondents prefer a live video streaming session as opposed to a social post.

Video will continue to resonate, especially as user engagement increases. Evergreen content is anticipated to dominate as well – brands that produce posts that can be used in the future encourage a successful return on investment.

Learn more about how to be a strong competitor in the content marketing industry here.

Content Marketing Strategies: Six Ways San Francisco Small Businesses Can Stand Out

Starting and maintaining a small business can be a rather spooky venture. With the right content marketing strategy, however, there’s an opportunity to stand out and watch the intimidation vanish in no time.

To achieve this, the members of Forbes San Francisco Business Council recommended the following:

  • Market your message to your local audience.
  • Be unique – don’t ride the wave, withstand the current.
  • Become one with your brand by developing a deep, emotional connection to your business.
  • Always consider the customer’s perspective.
  • Be authentic in social media posts.

Check out the rest of the Forbes article here.

Watch a scary movie. Venture through a haunted house. Dress as your favorite spooky character. But don’t be scared of the idea of changing your content strategy this time of year. As chilling as it sounds, the holidays will be here in the blink of an eye, and it’ll be time to start setting 2020 goals.

Thanks for checking out this edition of CM Weekly! Check back next time for more industry news and highlights.

Chelsey Church is a senior writer and editor at Brafton. When she's not turning her thoughts into copy, she's enjoying a craft beer, playing with her dogs or listening to her favorite metal tunes. A Cleveland native, she'll never let you forget that the Golden State Warriors blew a 3-1 lead.