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Keeping up with social promotion strategies and tactics is a big challenge for any editorial team — not to mention authors and contributors. Consider that just a year ago, Google+ (170 million users) and Pinterest (over 18.7 million unique visitors in March) certainly weren’t a part of anyone’s content-marketing plan.

Need a head start? Check out some of insights that Small Business Trends offered up this week on how to connect with the Google+ audience. It mixes some practical advice (how to bold or italicize a word; explaining “+mentions” and “#hashtags”) with some higher-level thoughts about targeting those “+” users. 

Pinterest is the other mystery network. The scrap-booking site supposedly has an audience made up of 85 percent women (says the New York Times), which may be an important target for some content marketers, who can try out making daily pin themes or connecting physical in-store promotions to online Pinterest ones, per this piece from sys-con.com. Certainly it’s worth dipping a toe in.

The content-marketing world is constantly evolving, with advice and tips and best practices still being written. Here are a few other interesting takes on this ever-changing market from the past week:

Ad Men, Move Aside: It’s the Story that Counts

As marketing budgets shift toward new mediums, several big companies like Nike and Pepsi are eschewing their traditional advertising campaigns in favor of more organic, online marketing efforts — i.e. content marketing. If Don Draper knew what was good for him, he’d start blogging. — Ad Age

Looking for Blog Story Ideas? Try Your Analytics

Anyone maintaining a blog — whether it publishes daily, weekly, occasionally — eventually runs into a problem: what to write about? And as they say, sometimes the answer’s right under your nose. Or mouse. Your site’s analytics can reveal a lot about what your audience is interested in, and can help inform story ideas and themes moving forward. — Content Marketing Institute

Content Marketing as Law and Order

A great post on lessons marketers can learn from the Law and Order TV series. Embrace guest appearances; spot real-life trends and blend them into your message; branch out through cross-over materials. — Business 2 Community

White Papers Can Be Fun! OK, Useful

White papers may not be as “sexy” as infographics, online videos, or a dynamic new blog, but in the content marketing world, they’re still a workhorse. Between their ability to lend a brand some “street cred” within an industry and their big-time SEO weight, white papers certainly have a place in a smart content-marketing strategy. — Business 2 Community

Illustration by Ian A. Stewart | Original9 Media