1. Your 7 content mega- giga- uber- supra- monster trends for 2017 The start of any year is a good time to consider trends. Big trends. And analyst Forrester made some bold predictions for content marketing, where others often dare not tread.
2. Virtual vs. physical: The two brand newsroommodels taking over content marketing We like this Contently deep dive because we are often the ‘virtual newsroom’ for brands. Like the piece says, not everyone can do a Nestle or Reebok and become a mini-BuzzFeed.
3. Content we crave: The untold backstory and the most powerful way to use it This piece caught our eye because this it’s about one of those really big posts that everyone seemed to read at the time. How’d that happen? Its creator explains.
4. How Generations X, Y, and Z consume video content [Infographic] OK, so this piece is specific to video content consumption. But slicing up trends by the main generations in the workplace today is increasingly common. Note how this piece doesn’t include Baby Boomers nor the over-75s, a number of whom are still in the workforce. Hmm.
5. Good content is creating meaningful content This post struck a chord, not just because this approach is in part key to content choices. It reminded us of a quotation attributed to Simon Sinek: “People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.”
6. How to create content that cuts through the noise OK, time for the voice of experience, to hear from the esteemed Gary Johnson who started out in content in 1973. Lots of wisdom here.
7. What makes content marketing return ongoing results? We’re always on the lookout for evergreen content – the gifts that keep on giving. This piece looks at approaches that help you in the long term.
8. 6 ways a ghost writer can really help your business grow We do a lot of ghostwriting. So it’s always nice to hear someone other than us talking it up. Did you know these benefits?
9. How B2B brands are leveraging Instagram We might not often think of Instagram in terms of B2B. But we can’t ignore this platform’s rapid growth. How can you make the most of that – in a way that doesn’t feel awkward, especially if you don’t have lots of visual material?
10. 5 ways you are sabotaging your content marketing We don’t always learn from hearing about successes. In that spirit, we like the occasional article like this that highlights where you might be going wrong.
11. Forget coding: writing is design’s “unicorn skill” We know, we know. A group of writers like Collective Content is going to be seduced by a headline like this. But we thought we’d leave you with the kind of piece we don’t often share. How important is good writing to your business?

Some people assign spiritual meaning to the number 11. Maybe we do too. Or maybe we just think it’s a handy number to round up some of the best stories in content marketing from the past three months. Until next time.