Portent’s Top 10 Posts of 2013 (So Far…)

We are over halfway through 2013, so we thought we’d glance back at some of our top Portent blog posts of the year (so far).  This was no easy selection — we are very fortunate to have a plethora of great content to choose from.

The following posts were chosen based on social impact, traffic generated, breadth of topic, and overall quality. Some of this information was gleaned from Ian’s Top Secret new tool the Content Inventory and Audit (CIA)… get a free sneak preview here:

The posts below are not in any particular order.

1. How to Write an Effective Outreach Email [Instructographic]

Writing an outreach email is an important skill to have. If you think your ability to craft a well-written email is lacking, don’t worry — our Nick Bernard has you covered.

2. Why Tom Cruise Should Be Your Content Strategist [Infographic]

Is it possible to compare a content strategy to an actor’s career? According to Katie Fetting, if that actor is Tom Cruise, then it’s definitely possible.

(P.S. Thanks to Jess Walker for her graphic genius on the instructo- and infographics above.)

3. Manage Stuff, Lead People: How to Turn Workers into Leaders

As their tenures lengthen, some of your employees may want to transition into a managerial role. Portent’s president, Steve Gahler, explains why being able to set goals, recognize potential, and foster growth is key to your company’s success.

4. Weird, Useful, Significant: Internet Marketing in 2013

Avoid becoming another voice shouting into the ether by being weird, useful, and significant.  The post and accompanying slideshow are by our CEO, Ian Lurie.

5. How to Blog: Humanizing Your Brand

Writing for a corporate blog can be a challenge, especially if you’re writing as the corporation itself. Isla McKetta instructs you how to free yourself of those restraints and start blogging like a person.

6. Why Web Professionals Hate SEOs

SEOs get a bad rap from a variety of web professionals, sometimes without knowing why. George Freitag reveals what they do that causes the animosity.

7. Why You Should Market Like You (Want to) Cook

Marketing is a lot like cooking.  Don’t believe me? Well then you need to read this post by Alexander Nessel.

8. Better Quality Score = Better Results?

We all know that quality score is important, but just how important is it? With this case study of 27 small business accounts, Michael Wiegand finds out what quality score impacts.

9. How Google Ruined Marketing

Thanks to Google, marketing has become a zero-sum game.  But don’t despair: according to Ian, by diversifying your efforts, you can weather whatever Google throws at you.

10. Into The Fold: Why Web Design is More than One “Rule”

Does the fold still matter when it comes to web design?  Our friend RJ LaCount posits that it does, just not in the traditional sense.

Are there any posts you can remember that should be on this list?  Let us know in the comments!