Truth: Logic rarely spurs action. And yet, more and more, we (marketers) are focused on metrics. We rack our brains trying to figure out how to move prospective customers logically through the sales funnel. We create content based on algorithms and probabilities. And while doing this, we wish and pray that we can have a monstrous breakthrough success, the kind of overnight sensation that Malcolm Gladwell or Jonah Berger might write about some day. Well, it ain't gonna happen if your nose is down in a spreadsheet. Because emotion, not numbers, is the gasoline that fuels marketing awesomeness.

As mobile adoption continues to surge.the advertising industry struggles to catch up. One thing we do know is that users tend to have a higher expectation for advertising on their mobile devices, and rightfully so. For many of us, our phone or tablet is the first and last thing we engage with every day, making the connection to these gadgets increasingly personal. Because of this, unexpected experiences are not only unwelcome, but they can also seem exponentially more obtrusive and disruptive than they might otherwise. So how do marketers solve for the challenges we're continually bumping up against in the …

Many small business marketers dismiss content marketing as something they simply can't afford to do. It is viewed as a buzzword -- a marketing trend that only huge global brands like Red Bull, United Airlines and General Electric have the budgets to use. That perception is far from the truth. The beauty of content marketing is its scalability in our current digitally savvy, low-cost content-distribution era.

According to a recent Mintel report on marketing to Millennials, this group of digitally savvy and highly engaged consumers will have more than $1.4 trillion in spending power in the U.S. by 2020. Millennials, as the first generation of digital natives, navigate their busy digital lives with brains wired to consume content differently than older generations. Considering that they spend an average of 18 hours a day consuming media, coupled with their natural inclination to share content, makes content marketing an especially effective way to reach this coveted demographic. But that doesn't mean it's easy. Here are five basic principles …

You've certainly heard that content marketing is the coolest thing ever and that you have to jump on this bandwagon. But, wait. Stop. Why should you expend all this time and effort to create content? Is it because everyone else is doing it? Is it because you like to write? Is it because your tween daughter loves to watch videos on Youtube, so you think that you can appeal to the kids by creating a series of videos? If those are the reasons you're considering launching a content marketing effort, stop. Because the only reason to embrace content marketing is …

Content marketing gives small and medium-sized companies a momentous opportunity to fight the status quo, leveling the playing field between big corporations and start-ups, Ma and Pa suppliers and blue-chip investments. Gone are the days where businesses were only providers of tangible products and services. Today, successful businesses compete through the lens of their content as well, and the strength of their wit, humor and insight all play major roles in how their brands are received.

While the concept of content marketing has been around for decades, developments in the native advertising (or sponsored content) space have focused on standardization and formats. For brands investing in native, there are several watch-outs to ensure your content is effective. These may seem obvious, but I've seen a number of examples in the market that overlook these principles.

Welcome to the new age of influence, where 20-something content creators on Vine can make as much as $20,000 for a 6-second video and Millennial fashionistas can earn six figures for their stylish outfits on Instagram.

According to the Content Marketing Institute, 93% of B2B marketers are engaged in content marketing, while 90% of B2C marketers say they have embraced content marketing. I'm not seeing it. Just because the marketing department is producing content -- I mean, memos could be considered content, right? -- does not mean that they're engaged in content marketing.

Many brands are left scratching their heads after releasing a flood of content. Could the videos, articles and social engagement have been delayed and parsed out as a campaign gradually? Should the content just be dispersed with the belief that the digital world is so vast that someone will engage with the content and the marketer's brand? The content would have a better chance of sticking, they predict, if only there were a way to extend its shelf life.