Brafton’s Weekly Content Marketing Roundup features the latest news and trends in the world of content marketing. This week we’re diving into stories about email ROI, turning fails into wins, getting your graphics game on point and much more.

Is your content marketing keeping pace with Google's changes?Google on the go

Our great search engine overlord can’t seem to sit still. Search Engine Land recently reported Google launched more than 1,600 search changes last year. Between the thousands of live traffic experiments and search quality tests, one thing is clear: Google’s functionality continues to evolve at a breakneck pace. Click to read.

Crafting a compelling CTA

A compelling call to action can make all the difference in your content marketing. A well-written blog is great, but it’s not worth much if it doesn’t effectively guide readers to take the next step. Search Engine Journal recently took a deep dive into the psychology behind successful CTAs, from creating urgency to minimizing risk. Are your CTAs up to snuff? Read on to find out.

Gold from a gaffe

Sometimes mistakes can be blessings in disguise. No, this isn’t a cheesy pitch for self-help books, it’s the story of how our email blunder actually led to our most effective newsletter ever. Intrigued? We’ll give you a hint: It turns out showing people you’re human can do wonders for your open rate. Click here to get the full story.

Testing to reach the top

Want to increase your website conversions? Well, your high school teachers had it right – testing is key! Of course, knowing what to test is a separate matter entirely. Let Search Engine Land’s Amy Bishop provide you with some inspiration. From imagery to lead forms to various navigation options, her recent article spotlighted a wealth of testing opportunities. Learn more.

Long live email marketing best practices!Easy ROI with email

Email marketing is here to stay, and unlike other undying hordes, it doesn’t suck. Find out why utilizing email can provide such great return on investment, and determine if your current email marketing efforts are hitting the mark. After all, with more than 205 billion emails sent every day, it pays to make sure yours aren’t getting lost in the crowd (or the spam filter). See more here.

Listening to learn

There’s no shortage of social media listening tools available on the market. The question is: Why should you use them? Citing data from Clutch, MarketingProfs shed a little light, highlighting how brands use social media listening platforms to improve customer service, engage new audiences and beat out their competitors. Ready to hear more? Find out what you’re missing.

Bad graphic design drives people away from your website.Scoring in the graphics game

All marketers have their eyes on the ROI prize, and it’s the images those eyes see that can make the difference. Discover just how important graphic design is to attracting and retaining website visitors, as well as what you can do to ensure your visual marketing techniques aren’t driving potential customers away. A picture is worth a thousand words, but a bad one could cost you a lot more. See what’s up here.

Don’t nap on Netflix

Churn rates can kill modern businesses, particularly those built on subscription models. Why not learn from the experts in keeping people coming back for more? Kissmetrics recently highlighted the success Netflix has had with low churn rates. Spoiler alert: Collecting and leveraging user data is the way to go. Learn from the streaming giant’s success and apply it to your content marketing efforts. Get the full story.

That’s all she wrote for this week, folks. Tune in next Friday for more content marketing news you can use from around the web.

Eric Wendt is a writer and editor at Brafton. He discovered his love of words after realizing he was terrible at math. If he's not updating his Tumblr with poetry he's too embarrassed to share, there's a good chance he's out in search of the perfect pale ale.