The finalists for the content marketing agency portion of the awards program will be judged by an exclusive team of senior brand marketers from brands such as Coca-Cola, Sears, SAP, Dell, Kelly Services, IBM, McDonald’s and Intel. Only marketing agencies that derive at least 50% of their revenues from content marketing projects are eligible.

The content marketing – brand marketer awards segment will be judged by an elite team of content marketing authors, thought leaders and consultants, including CMI’s own content marketing consulting team.  Only client-side brand marketers who are engaged in content marketing within their organization are eligible.

“Our Magnum Opus Awards do a fantastic job in recognizing the best content marketing projects from around the world,” states CMI founder Joe Pulizzi. “We developed the Orange Awards because there were no formal content marketing awards programs that recognize the individuals and agencies who are leading this growing industry.”

Award winners will be honored at a gala dinner at Content Marketing World 2012 in September and will also be featured in the November issue of Chief Content Officer Magazine.

Deadline for entry is June 15th, 2012. For more information or to start the nomination process please visit the CMI Orange Awards.

About Content Marketing Institute:

Content Marketing Institute teaches non-media brands how to attract and retain customers through compelling, multi-channel storytelling. CMI does this through multiple offerings including: Content Marketing World event (Sept. 4-6, 2012), Chief Content Officer magazine, and strategic consulting and content marketing research for some of the best-known small and large brands in the world.

Content Marketing Institute (CMI) benefactors provide expertise, insight and resources, including partial funding, for the ever-increasing suite of CMI initiatives that teach the how-to of content marketing.

“Although content marketing has existed for hundreds of years, most organizations are just starting to organize their marketing departments around the concept”, says CMI Founder Joe Pulizzi. “Our benefactors give us the resources to continue to share the message of content marketing with large and small brands around the world. We appreciate the opportunity for CMI to join forces with these remarkable organizations to help communicators achieve their goals through content marketing”.

The CMI 2012 Benefactors are:

Brandpoint.  Recognized as a pioneer in content-based marketing solutions and real-time reporting of measurable, effective results

Contently.  High-end marketplace for quality content marketers and forward-thinking publishers to connect with the world’s best freelance journalists

KnowledgeVision.  Serves the needs of content marketers with the world’s most flexible online presentation platform

OpenView Venture Partners.  Expansion stage venture capital fund focused on high-growth software, internet, and technology-enabled companies

PR Newswire.  Provides opportunities to engage target audiences, everywhere opportunity exists, to distribute content and drive results

Radian6.  Enables organizations to gain social media understanding and insight through metrics, measurement, sentiment and analytics reporting

Ricoh.  Delivers Precision Marketing solutions that help apply data-driven relevant messaging to build targeted, effective communications across marketing channels

Story Worldwide.  Tells stories for many of the world’s best brands, believing that: consumers choose brand messages they want to see and hear, every brand has a story, the best storytellers win

Wright’s Media.  Full service, multi-media agency provides publishers with innovative solutions from marketing traditional reprints to conceptualizing new franchises to monetize content

Zemanta.  Enables content creators to make more compelling content by recommending contextually relevant content such as related images, links to related articles and terms

About Content Marketing Institute:

Content Marketing Institute teaches non-media brands how to attract and retain customers through compelling, multi-channel storytelling. CMI does this through multiple offerings including: Content Marketing World event (Sept. 4-6, 2012), Chief Content Officer magazine, and strategic consulting and content marketing research for some of the best-known small and large brands in the world.

The most popular content marketing tactics include articles (79%), social media (excluding blogs) (74%), blogs (65%), and eNewsletters (63%).

“One of the most interesting findings was what we term the ‘confidence gap,’ in which marketers use tactics but are unsure of how effective they are,” says Joe Pulizzi, Founder of the Content Marketing Institute and co-author of Managing Content Marketing. “While uncertainty still exists, marketers are becoming increasingly more confident in the content marketing tactics they are using. This increase is especially notable with blogs, case studies, videos and webinars/webcasts.”

Other notable findings include:

• On average, B2B marketers employ eight different content marketing tactics to achieve their marketing goals.
• Every major social media channel is seeing increased adoption, often by 15-20%.
• 60% report that they plan to increase spending on content marketing over the next 12 months, compared to 51% in the previous study.
• Marketers, on average, spend over a quarter of their marketing budget on content marketing.
• Last year, only 55% of marketers used outsourcing in some capacity. This year, 62% of B2B marketers use a mix of insourced and outsourced content.

B2B Content Marketing: 2012 Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends is the second annual survey from the Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs about content marketing in the business-to-business (B2B) space to date. Over 1000 B2B marketers from diverse industries and a wide range of company sizes were surveyed in August 2011. The full content marketing research report can be found at the Content Marketing Institute.

About the Content Marketing Institute

The Content Marketing Institute (CMI) teaches marketers how to own their media channels instead of having to rent them through advertising. We do this through events like Content Marketing World, media properties like Chief Content Officer magazine, and strategic consulting and research for some of the best known brands in the world.

About MarketingProfs

MarketingProfs helps the smartest marketers worldwide turn even the toughest marketing challenges into success stories. More than 400,000 members rely on its free daily publications, in-depth how-to reports, online courses, and in-person events (and more!) for actionable know-how designed to make marketers both smarter and more effective.

Source: Content Marketing Institute

“Whenever people asked me about a content marketing awards program, I would always refer them to the Magnum Opus Awards.  McMurry was ahead of the curve in launching this program nine years ago,” said Joe Pulizzi, Founder of the Content Marketing Institute.  “We aim to provide practical content marketing advice to B2B and B2C marketers, and we’re thrilled to play a role in honoring these very same people.”

“We couldn’t have asked for a better partner than the Content Marketing Institute,” said Kyle Crafton, a VP at McMurry and general manager of the Magnum Opus Awards. “They’ve done a great job of calling attention to this thriving sector of the marketing world, and will help enormously in our mission to recognize the best in content marketing”.

For more information about the awards program including eligibility and past winners, and to sign up for 2012 call for entries, visit www.magnumopusawards.com.

About Content Marketing Institute

Content Marketing Institute is the leading content marketing resource on the planet. The CMI group includes the Junta42 content agency matching tool, Chief Content Officer magazine and Content Marketing World, the premier international content marketing event. CMI also offers blogging services for small businesses, publishes a line of marketing books through CMI Books, and provides content marketing strategic consulting to large enterprise brands.

About McMurry

McMurry, with three offices in Arizona and New York, offers a complete line of marketing communications services to a variety of clientele, including The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co., CBS, Aon, Deloitte, HP, Verizon, UPS, Thomson Reuters and Amtrak, as well as resources to thousands of corporate professionals. The company has specialized practices in healthcare, finance and insurance, and best-in-class content marketing, interactive and video production services.  In addition, McMurry covers the content marketing industry through its publication ContentWise, published six times per year.

The resolution states:

“WHEREAS, Content Marketing has taken hold in the Northeast Ohio area over the past decade and Cleveland is now an incubator for content marketing brands, including Junta42, Content Marketing Institute, Optiem, PR 20/20 and Med City Media, to name a few.”

“One of the goals of creating Content Marketing World was to make Cleveland the content marketing hub of the world,” said Joe Pulizzi, founder of CMI and Content Marketing World. “Thanks to the support of the City of Cleveland and our many sponsors and partners, we’re on our way to doing just that.”

The resolution was presented by Cleveland City Councilman Martin Keane and Jim Kopniske, communications director for Cleveland City Council. Steve Lorenz from Kamm’s Corners Development Corporation helped to lead the efforts behind gaining recognition for CMI and Content Marketing World. The Kamm’s Corners neighborhood is home to CMI headquarters in Cleveland.

“When the ‘Godfather of Content Marketing,’ Joe Pulizzi, throws a party in Cleveland, the world beats a path to our door,” said Steve Lorenz. “Thanks for bringing the brightest marketing minds to our great city for Content Marketing World!”

The inaugural Content Marketing World Conference will kick off Sept. 6-8 at the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Cleveland. The conference is expected to bring more than 600 marketers to Cleveland for three days of keynote presentations, workshops and first-class networking events.

Attendees can register at www.ContentMarketingWorld.com. Travel information and event schedule are available on the conference website.

About Content Marketing World

Content Marketing World is the premiere international content marketing event, bringing hundreds of the world’s leading content experts and marketing leaders to Cleveland, Ohio, each fall. Featuring the industry’s most influential speakers, hands-on workshops and breakout sessions, Content Marketing World appeals to B2B and B2C marketers alike. Learn more: www.ContentMarketingWorld.com. Content Marketing World is produced by the Content Marketing Institute, a division of Z Squared Media, LLC.

The Content Marketing Institute Consulting (CMIC) practice focuses on combining independent and pragmatic thinking across a wide array of content marketing expertise.  CMI Consultants are independent but, working together, represent a collective that can draw upon a unique depth and breadth of experience that provides unique value to clients.

“Our goals are simple,” said Joe Pulizzi, Executive Director of CMI.  ”We want to help marketers establish great content marketing strategies.  After launching CMI last May, inquiries came pouring in asking how an organization could actually create that strategy.  And when we recognized some of the enormously talented people that we had helping to contribute knowledge – it just made complete sense to combine them into a cohesive, unified consulting practice.”

Helping to organize and lead the practice will be Robert Rose – CMI’s first “Strategist in Residence.”  In addition to being one of the consultants available for services, Robert’s role is to understand the client’s challenges – develop an appropriately sized solution and match the client with the right combination of CMI consultants.

CMI has seven of the industry’s best and brightest thinkers in content marketing strategies.

• Jason Falls – author of the noted industry blog SocialMediaExplorer.com, and a leading marketing strategist.

• Jay Baer – Experienced marketer and co-author of the book The NOW Revolution: 7 Shifts to Make Your Business Faster, Smarter, and More Social.

• Robert Rose - 15 years of content and marketing consulting experience and co-author of the book Enterprise 2.0: How Technology, E-Commerce and Web 2.0 Are Transforming Business Virtually.

• Mack Collier – an experienced social media consultant, trainer and speaker specializing in helping companies use social media to better connect with their customers.

• Dianna Huff – president of DH Communications, a B2B Web marketing expert and a frequent speaker on marketing and SEO.

• Lisa Petrilli – CEO of C-Level Strategies, Inc., Experienced Fortune 500 B2B Business Executive, Marketing Strategist, Social Media Concierge, and Leadership Consultant.

• Ardath Albee - CEO of Marketing Interactions, Inc. and the author of the book eMarketing Strategies for the Complex Sale.

CMIC provides three discreet services.

1. Content Marketing Strategy – assisting an organization to discover the power of their content and how it can help to achieve marketing goals.
2. CMIC’s Advisory Services; designed for clients that want to engage CMIC consultants for very specific, short-term engagements across the spectrum of content marketing.
3. Editorial and Content Production services.  For those clients that need to source editorial or writing services, CMI works with its sister company Junta42 to help source the best content marketing agencies for enterprise clients.

In its beta period, CMI has already worked on successful engagements for more than half a dozen global brands, helping to leverage content marketing to create successful product launches, inbound marketing programs and social media strategies.

For more information about the Content Marketing Institute and CMIC please visit http://www.contentmarketinginstitute.com/consulting.

About Content Marketing Institute

Content Marketing Institute is the leading content marketing resource on the planet. The CMI group includes the Junta42content agency matching tool, Chief Content Officer magazine and Content Marketing World, the premier international content marketing event.

CLEVELAND, OH (April 11, 2011) – Border’s Books filing Chapter 11 this year and the closing hundreds of stores make it apparent that the book industry has changed profoundly. Both traditional book publishers and booksellers struggle while Amazon.com thrives as buyers flock to the internet to buy both print and e-Books.

CMI Books, a new division of the Content Marketing Institute, meets these book publishing challenges head on with its online publishing model. CMI Books provides the essential services that authors expect from a traditional publisher with their new model breaking traditional publishing rules in three ways:

1. Fast turn around from manuscript to print
2. Delivers top author royalties.
3. Integration with e-Book distribution such as the Kindle and iPad.

CMI Books operates like a traditional publisher in the ways that still matter: CMI Books is selective. They publish books that provide tangible benefit to business owners, executives and marketers. They seek authors who have strong writing skills, a powerful platform, and an ability to help market their own books.

CMI Books does all the work of taking an author’s manuscript and transforming it into both print and e-book editions. CMI Books sells each author’s print and e-book editions via the major online retailers such as Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com in the United States, Canada, UK, and Europe. Powered by its new publishing model, CMI books:

• Pays dramatically higher royalties than traditional publishers that can range from $3-$10 or more per book sold, depending on the retail price and the volume.
• Pays quickly with royalties beginning 120 days after the initial publication of the book–and monthly thereafter. Authors no longer need to wait 12 months for the first royalty check.
• Gets books to market quickly, typically within 3 to 6 months. • Provides authors with as many inexpensive copies of the book as they need for promotional or resale purposes.
• Sells books on a nonreturnable basis, which means that every sale is a final sale.

For more information about CMI Books, contact President Newt Barrett at newt@junta42.com.

About CMI Books

CMI Books is part of the Content Marketing Institute (CMI), the leading educational resource for content marketing. Business and publishing veteran, Newt Barrett, leads the CMI Books team as President and Publisher. Newt brings more than 30 years of successful magazine, newspaper and Internet publishing experience to his role. In addition, he and Joe Pulizzi, who is CMI’s Executive Director, are co-authors of the content marketing handbook, Get Content Get Customers (McGraw-Hill).

Blogging and social media service SocialTract growing service industry verticals, looking to expand into new industries

CLEVELAND, OH–(April 8, 2011) – SocialTract, the leading blogging and social media service for professional service companies, today reports that their latest partner list has grown to over 150 companies. SocialTract works with the leading small businesses in the HVAC, plumbing and accounting industries, developing valuable and relevant informational content as the core of their social media strategy. SocialTract works with companies to develop ongoing content through blog posts, and distributes those blogs through social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook.

Erin Youngers of Jackson and Sons had this to say about their relationship with SocialTract: “SocialTract has made our transition from having zero social media exposure to a full campaign simple and straightforward. In a small office such as ours, we don’t have the resources to have a dedicated person to maintain all of the social networking avenues. SocialTract has eased that burden, especially by providing pertinent and regular blog content. Our Facebook wall may not be the hottest thing on the block – yet! – but our website traffic and internet quote requests have markedly increased since bringing social media to our company.”

SocialTract continues to branch out into more industries, adding pest control and lawn/landscape to their portfolio over the next few months. Click here for a sampling for SocialTract’s customers.

For more information, see SocialTract’s online demo or attend our upcoming educational webinar on social media best practices for contractors. For information about specific SocialTract services, go to http://socialtract.com or call a representative at 216-744-3487.

About SocialTract
SocialTract is the leading blogging and social media service for heating, air conditioning, refrigeration and plumbing contractors. The SocialTract service is centered on the idea that relevant and needed expert content, spread through the right online channels, attracts and retains customers. SocialTract is a division of Z Squared Media, LLC, and sister company to the Content Marketing Institute, headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio.

SYDNEY — A new magazine focused on content marketing by the Content Marketing Institute is now available in Australia. Chief Content Officer is the world’s first magazine devoted to the fast-growing, evolving field of content marketing. It is written by, for, and about the most innovative, influential global content marketers.

Content marketing is an emerging discipline of creating and distributing relevant content to the right audience at the right time—with the objective of driving profitable customer action. It focuses on creating educational and engaging content that is geared towards consumer needs, and it requires marketing professionals to start thinking like publishers.

“This new magazine is evidence of the move from traditional outbound marketing techniques to content-based strategies. I’m very encouraged the Content Marketing Institute has identified Australia as one of the leading centres for creative ideas around content,” says Sarah Mitchell, editor of the Australian edition of Chief Content Officer. The magazine showcases content marketers who are stand-outs in the field, focusing on the marketing strategies, process, technologies and tools professionals use to become sophisticated publishers.

“The content revolution is taking off and marketers are beginning to think like publishers,” said Joe Pulizzi, Founder of the Content Marketing Institute and co-author of Get Content Get Customers. “While sophisticated marketers are beginning to embrace this idea, there is a lot of confusion on how to best execute these strategies.”

Subscription Information Chief Content Officer is free to qualified marketing professionals for a limited time. Marketers can read the inaugural issue of CCO and subscribe here.

Sponsors of the premiere issue include: Ascend Integrated Media, Awareness Networks, Dlvr.it, Enveritas Group, Foster Printing Service, King Content, Nxtbook Media, Optiem, Outbrain, PR Newswire, and Wiley (Content Rules). Sponsorship inquiries? Email cco [at] junta42.com.

The Australia edition of Chief Content Officer from the Content Marketing Institute was produced in association with King Content and Global Copywriting.

About Content Marketing Institute

Content Marketing Institute is the leading content marketing resource on the planet. The CMI group includes the Junta42 content agency matching tool, Chief Content Officer Magazine and Content Marketing World, the premier international content marketing event.

Content Marketing World 2011 in Cleveland, Ohio

CLEVELAND – Jan. 17, 2011 – David Pogue and David Meerman Scott will headline the inaugural Content Marketing World event, Sept. 6-8, 2011. Themed “The Power of Story,” the content marketing conference will take place at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel in downtown Cleveland, Ohio.

Content Marketing World, produced by the Content Marketing Institute and Junta42, will feature dozens of guest speakers, sponsors and more than 24 workshop sessions.

Day one tracks will inspire marketers through content marketing case studies from leading BtoB and BtoC companies. Day two sessions include how-to workshops that arm marketers with the skills and tools for success.

“Content Marketing World brings the best and brightest content marketers together to share, learn and have fun,” says Joe Pulizzi, creator of Content Marketing World. “Our goal is to help attendees transform their marketing departments into storytelling machines, and engage their audiences through the right channels with the right messages.”

Pulizzi added, “From our first-class venues, to our informative sessions and A-List keynote speakers, attendees will experience a premier event, amidst the fun and excitement offered by the emerging content marketing hub of the world, Cleveland, Ohio.”

The Super Early Bird rate of $795, which expires Jan. 31, includes all sessions and networking events. One-day registration also is available for $595.

The conference kicks off Sept. 6 with an Opening Night Reception at the historic Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Keynote Speakers

• David Pogue | Personal Technology Columnist for the New York Times; Emmy Award-Winning Correspondent for CBS News
• David Meerman Scott | Author of the best-selling New Rules of Marketing & PR and Real-Time Marketing & PR
• Regina Brett | Plain Dealer Columnist; Best Selling Author of God Never Blinks: 50 Lessons for Life’s Little Detours
• Joe Pulizzi | Founder of the Content Marketing Institute; Author of Get Content Get Customers

Featured Speakers

• Brian Clark | Founder, Copyblogger.com
• Kristina Halvorson | Author of Content Strategy for the Web
• Gary Spangler | Internet Marketing Manager, DuPont
• Todd Wheatland | Global Marketing Director, Kelly Services
• Heidi Bailey | Senior Brand Strategist, LEGO
• Ann Handley | Chief Content Officer, MarketingProfs; Co-Author, Content Rules
• Jeff Rohrs | VP Marketing, Exact Target
• Lee Odden | CEO, TopRank Online Marketing
• Ardath Albee | Author of eMarketing Strategies for the Complex Sale; CEO, Marketing Interactions
• Paul Roetzer | President, PR 20/20

Event Information
Visit www.ContentMarketingWorld.com to register. Travel information, event schedule, conference updates and sponsorship opportunities also are available on the conference website.

Sponsors include: Platinum sponsor Optiem, Gold sponsors PR Newswire, Outbrain and StudioOne Networks, and Bronze sponsors Nxtbook Media, Dlvr.it, BPA Worldwide and Alinean.

About Content Marketing World

Content Marketing World is the premiere international content marketing event, bringing hundreds of the world’s leading content experts and marketing leaders to Cleveland, Ohio, each fall. Featuring the industry’s most influential speakers, hands-on workshops and breakout sessions, Content Marketing World appeals to B2B and B2C marketers alike. Learn more: www.ContentMarketingWorld.com. Content Marketing World is produced by the Content Marketing Institute and Junta42, divisions of Z Squared Media, LLC.