It is day one of TMC’s (News - Alert) ITEXPO West 2014, taking place at the Rio in Las Vegas until August 14, and the afternoon kicked off with some Content Boost-led content marketing workshops.

The morning kicked off with a workshop session titled “Content Marketing 101: Back to the Basics,” presented by Content Boost's Director of Content Marketing Carrie Majewski. Those who attended received a quick crash course on the core pillars of content marketing. Attendees also learned how to optimize their content marketing strategies. After all, 93 percent of B2B and 90 percent of B2C marketers are leveraging content marketing in 2014, and 70 percent of marketers plan to increase their content marketing spending this year, according to research from the Content Marketing Institute (CMI).

Whether you were able to join today or not, here’s a look at the key takeaways from this morning’s session.

“The evolving nature of today’s consumer has resulted in the surge of content marketing,” Majewski said. “Traditional marketing is out. People aren’t noticing ads in print anymore; they are fast forwarding through commercials; they are changing the channel when a radio commercial comes on. They want to absorb your marketing messages when it’s convenient for them.”

During the session Majewski also divulged need-to-know information about today’s top content marketing vehicles. These can include:

• Blogging: Blogging is a hugely popular content marketing vehicle and, with proven ties to increased revenue and lead generation, it’s no wonder why.
• Email marketing: Email is a tried and true marketing platform that still boasts plenty of power for customer acquisition and revenue generation.
• White papers/case studies: Research shows that whitepapers and/or case studies have a high effectiveness rate, as they present customer testimonials and proven customer successes. 
• Social media: Social media is quickly becoming a rising player in the content marketing landscape. With industry pundits predicting that social marketing budgets will double over the next five years, social media should be a must for any content marketing strategy.
• Infographics: Infographics provide information to customers in a way that is visually stimulating and easily digestible.

“There are so many platforms you can consider but before you choose one, I would suggest taking a good look at your target market and their specific needs,” Majewski advised. For example, she suggests asking yourself if your audience tends to spend a lot of time on a social platform like Twitter (News - Alert). Or, ask yourself if your audience has read every marketing material you have sent to date—if not, dig deeper to explore why you feel they are not fully engaging.

Majewski also divulged some common content marketing mistakes she sees companies make, including:

• Not thinking your strategy through before beginning
• Taking a siloed approach to marketing
• Not producing quality content
• Taking the “me, me, me ” mentality
• Being socially deaf

Majewski also lead two additional content marketing sessions: “Getting the Boss to Say ‘Yes’ to Content Marketing,” in which she discussed the return on investment of content marketing, and “I got the Content Marketing ‘Yes’: So, How do I Get Started?” where she discussed strategy development.