Proliferation

Feb 10
0

When Good Content Marketing Strategies Go Bad

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There are a wide variety of tools available in the content marketers’ online arsenal—from social media and Web design to other digital marketing techniques. While any top content marketing agency knows how to use marketing tools to their best effect, all too many businesses aren’t getting the full potential from their marketing efforts.

According to the recently released 2016 State of Small Business Report, small businesses from the East Coast to Utah aren’t taking advantage of their online Web presence.

Social Media

While four out of five small businesses regularly use social media, 45 percent use it to promote products or services, and 38 percent use it for promotions, sales or services. Twenty percent of small businesses do not utilize social media at all.

Social media can be a powerful tool for online marketers, but social media’s power lies in its ability to connect and build relationships with a potential client base—not for sales pitches. Use social for content-driven marketing, sharing relevant blog posts and other owned content and addressing consumer concerns.

Company Websites

Every small business needs a good website. A company website should focus on providing information and showcasing products. Yet per The State of Small Business Report, only half of small businesses provide company addresses and phone numbers, and a mere 32 percent of small business websites are optimized for online purchases.

Only half of small businesses use their websites for marketing at all, which is bad news for small businesses in Utah and elsewhere. A company website is often a consumer’s first interaction with the business in question—a website that’s not optimized for marketing is a major missed opportunity.

SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) fares even worse among small businesses, with only a quarter of business owners focusing on SEO. No mater how great your content is, it’s useless if consumers can’t find it.

Small businesses need to step up their content marketing game if they want to reap the benefits of online marketing tools. For small businesses from the Midwest to Utah, marketing tools are only as good as the people that use them.

Feb 09
0

Why Are So Many Content Marketing Writers Missing the Mark?

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The words on your website have the power to either immediately attract visitors to your website and the simultaneous, terrifying capability to repel them. Content marketing in Utah has recently imploded due to the high demand of informative, unique and professional writing sought by online retailers and consumers alike.

With so many online resources and tools currently available to aid marketers in creating the perfect angle for their readers, it’s surprising that some businesses are still missing the mark. What gives? Is it the subject matter that’s making some websites tear-jerkingly boring to read? Or does overzealousness cloud the writing with so many adjectives that you incur a headache? Whether it’s content marketing in Utah or New York City, you have to be able to write if you want to be successful.

The Setbacks of Mass-Produced, Adjective-Rich Verbiage

Be wary of any company that seems to write faster than Jack Kerouac with a typewriter. One of the most prevailing—and subsequently incorrect—methods of creating verbiage in today’s digital age involves ingesting an encyclopedia-sized mound of online facts, data and information, and then haphazardly organizing this data into a rough outline and inserting a few keywords just for kicks. Look at it this way: Would you want to read something that sounded like it was regurgitated by an android running an online word algorithm? We know we wouldn’t.

Take a Cue of Originality from David Bowie

David Bowie once said, “I’m not interested in rock and roll. I’m just being David Bowie.” It was Bowie’s unapologetic originality that made him an international success that spawned over four decades of copycats. Originality is the point here—writing original, 100 percent uniquely-crafted, homegrown verbiage is the secret to a great website. Whether it’s content marketing in Utah or on the East Coast, make sure your verbiage isn’t just fresh and informative—make sure it has an element of originality to set it apart from the competition.

Feb 05
0

Digital Showdown: Inbound Marketing Vs. Content Marketing

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There is a digital showdown in the world of advertising between inbound marketing and content marketing. While both focus on creating interesting and valuable information, they vary slightly in their techniques.

Inbound marketing seeks to draw customers in with newsletters and public appearances rather than blog posts or videos—which would be considered content marketing. In a sense, traditional content marketing can be viewed as a subset of inbound marketing.

Learn more about both marketing methods, what differentiates them and some ideas for implementing them seamlessly into your current strategy in the handy infographic below. Both inbound marketing and content marketing can help drive traffic to your Utah business.

Digital-Showdown

Jan 29
0

New Facial Coding Techniques Show How Effective Content Marketing Is

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Digital marketers from the Midwest to Utah have long known the effectiveness of content marketing strategies. Now, an innovative new study from the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) gives us some numerical data to demonstrate exactly how effective content marketing really is, and what marketers can do to up their game.

BBC StoryWorks, the content marketing division of BBC Advertising, partnered with facial coding technology company CrowdEmotion to analyze consumers’ feelings of positivity toward familiar advertising brands. The study used participants from Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Canada, Germany and parts of the U.S., such as Utah. Minuscule facial movements were recorded and analyzed as unconscious behavioral indicators of consumer emotional responses to content.

According to the data, well-labeled, high-quality content marketing campaigns are both emotional and persuasive. Overall exposure to content marketing campaigns increased explicit positive feelings toward brands by 77 percent. Exposure also increased subconscious positivity by 14 percent.

Participants seemed to appreciate when brands were upfront with their marketed original content. 64 percent of participants appreciated content marketing so long as the presenting brand was clearly labeled. In addition, respondents appreciated marketed content more when it was in line with the quality of the news provider’s editorial content. 63 percent of respondents were happy with high-quality marketed content, and over half of respondents found the content interesting and shareable.

Overall, content marketing was most effective when it followed these five tenants: being both transparent and educational, matching the editorial quality of the pieces around it, clearly establishing its purpose, integrating the brand with the narrative and being placed in a premium news carrier environment.

In other words, content marketing delivers solid, quantifiable results when it brings interesting, high-quality information to consumers in a way that doesn’t feel forced or misleading to the consumer. For digital advertisers in Utah and around the country, the message is clear—keep doing what you’re doing, and do it well.

Jan 28
0

For Advertisers, Combining Big Data with Storytelling Wins Big

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In an age where conventional advertising is becoming increasingly ineffective, more and more digital marketing companies are turning instead to content marketing strategies, churning out content through every channel possible.

There’s nothing wrong with a large quantity of content. But when marketing companies focus too much on quantity, they tend to pump out generic content pieces like nobody’s business. Instead, what online marketers should be focusing on is getting people to engage with compelling written and visual content that sells a story—not an object.

The marrying of journalism and marketing has been a long time coming. Not only does compelling storytelling increase shares on social media, it also ups engagement with the marketing world’s currently most highly sought after demographic—millennials.

Millennials are surprisingly receptive to corporate engagement, whether it involves following Wendy’s on Instagram or watching DJ Khaled’s Snapchats of his lion statue. And Twitter’s new Periscope feature makes it even easier for marketers to reach out to prospective audiences through the most unscripted of channels—live video feeds.

These are all great ways for marketing companies to up their storytelling game. But where does big data fit in? Two words: data journalism. Journalism giants like The New York Times and The Atlantic have committed significant resources to data journalism, and it shows. Original data in the form of infographics and think-pieces are oil to the fire of social media engagement; they provide new information in a clear, concise and meaningful way.

As most marketing companies know by now, infographics are the kind of content most likely to be shared on social media, which gives them high inherent value. Solid visual data presentation not only looks good and shares well, but it adds value and authority to your personal brand as well.

With the abundance of open data available to the general public, brands have near-limitless opportunities for original, engaging data analysis. Don’t listen to that old marketing professor you had in college—fresh, original data makes for a fantastic way to tell a story.

Jan 27
0

Search Queries, Content Marketing and Unladen Swallows: How Voice Search is Changing Content Marketing

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Voice recognition software has proliferated over the past few years. With Apple’s Siri, Google’s Voice Search and Microsoft’s Cortana, speaking commands directly into your phone is no longer just for self-important Utah businessmen with Bluetooth headsets. According to a 2014 Google poll, 41 percent of adults and 55 percent of teens utilize their phone’s voice-search feature more than once a day—a figure we can only assume has since risen.

With the proliferation of voice search, the way that consumers search for content is fundamentally changing. Rather than searching through broad categories or a mix of relevant keywords, consumers in Utah and elsewhere are looking for specific answers to their questions. For content marketing, this means changing the way content is structured to better fit consumer inquiries.

A general query is often the first stage of interaction between a potential consumer and a business or institution. If companies can structure their content marketing strategies to better capitalize on consumers in the query stage, marketers will be posed to better take advantage of the growing voice recognition market in Utah.

Voice recognition software also changes how search engines rank results. For example, if one were to pose the question “what is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow” using a Google Web search, the top response is a large box proclaiming the correct answer to be precisely 11 meters per second (or 24 mph, for us Americans), according to a website called Armory.

However, if one poses the same query using Google’s Voice Search, the answer changes. Rather than a definitive numerical reply, Voice Search instead gives you a rather long, pandering response from style.org. The Armory response doesn’t even make the front page.

While the results from Voice Search and traditional Web search are clearly different, it should be noted that both top results are direct attempts to answer the question posed. While one posing this particular query is almost certainly searching for Monty Python, you’ll find a link to the relevant clip from the British sketch comedy show actually ranks further down the list.

Thus, even if your content is inherently relevant to the question at hand, it will inevitably rank lower than content that directly answers the question. Content marketing strategies will need to change to better provide information to the curious consumer or risk losing out on potential conversions. If content marketing campaigns are structured along the lines of natural human speech and intent, voice search will bring together consumers and businesses in Utah like never before.

Dec 07
0

Why Visual Marketing is More Vital Than Ever

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With so much information online, it’s vital to know what will make your content marketing stand out in the constant stream of social media feeds. So what are some tips and tricks to step up your game and cut through the clutter?

When it comes down to human biology, a picture really is worth a thousand words. According to various studies, audiences on social media are far more likely to engage with visual content than text alone. And for marketing, visual content can include videos, infographics, photos and more.

Next time you’re writing a social post, don’t forget this lesson in visual biology. Learn more in the infographic below.

Why-Visual-Marketing-is-More-Vital-Than-Ever

Nov 19
0

8 Writing Hacks to Be a Better Content Marketer

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If you’ve spent any time at all in the world of content marketing, you’ve probably learned that writing is one of the most essential skills needed to become a successful content marketer.

Advertising professionals from Utah to the East Coast are well aware that quality writing can make or break a successful SEO campaign—as well as your career. No matter how creative and witty you may think you are, if you can’t write, you should probably find a different career path. With that in mind, here are a few important tips to make sure your writing is up to snuff.

Fusion 360 - 8 writing Hacks to Be a Better Content Marketer (Fusion 360 Content Marketing)

Nov 19
0

2 Keys to Determining the Value of Your Content Marketing

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In the ever-changing world of content marketing, it can sometimes be difficult to see how your non-traditional advertising efforts are providing value to your company’s overall goals. After all, it’s easy to say that a piece of content marketing is well-written or beautifully designed, but if it doesn’t contribute to your company’s growth, is it really worth the effort?

Thankfully, there are a few key measurements that can be used to determine if your efforts are delivering the value that they should. And while other factors can influence these results, the following measurements should always play a considerable role in considering the success of your content marketing campaign.

Website Traffic

The first step for measuring success in any digital campaign is whether or not new traffic is being driven to your website. While some types of content are more likely to generate Web traffic than others, it is important that all such efforts be consistently measured and analyzed to determine whether or not they are having the desired effect.

Web analytics tools can provide business owners with a wide variety of useful statistics, such as the number of site visitors, the average number of pages viewed per site visit and the average amount of time spent on the site. While such statistics may not be considered to be as important as sales, Dummies makes it clear that the higher the numbers are, the more likely it is “that you have an engaged audience that interacts with the content you create, and you probably influence their purchasing decisions.” And these engaged audience members are more likely to recommend your content to others—thus driving new traffic.

What material can have a significant impact on these statistics? The answer, of course, is quality content marketing. Whether it’s a series of engaging, informative blog posts (which would increase the amount of time a visitor spends on the site) or a third-party link from another site that brings new visitors to your website, content marketing efforts can have a very direct impact on these statistics.

An increase in website traffic typically does even more than the aforementioned examples. As users spend more time on a site, Google and other search engines view this as an indicator that the site is a source of high-quality, authoritative content. This in turn can improve a site’s SEO rankings, helping other new customers find your site—even if they didn’t come to it directly through content marketing materials.

These metrics are not perfect forms of measuring the value of your content marketing efforts, since other factors (such as your website’s design and navigability) can also impact the increase or decrease of such statistics. However, if your content marketing is really doing its job, there should certainly be improvement in these areas.

Sales and Leads

Of course, in the business world, sales and leads are generally considered the ultimate measure of any strategy’s success (or lack thereof). And content marketing is no different.

Thankfully, there are plenty of statistics that show that quality content done right can directly contribute to an increase in sales and leads—especially when it is already increasing the number of page views and the amount of time spent on the site.

It goes without saying that the more time an individual spends on a website, the more likely he or she is to make a purchase. However, in many instances, a piece of content marketing can directly contribute to a sale or lead. For example, marketing guru Neil Patel reports that his company’s blog can drive anywhere between 60 to 80 percent of total sales leads for a given month—a significant return on investment. But this isn’t something marketers can just “set and forget.” Readers typically “[become] a lead after reading at least three blog posts,” which means that more often than not, marketers need to encourage readers to come back for more.

This means promoting blog content through social media and other channels to increase readership, as well as using sidebars that provide an opportunity for potential customers to sign up for email notifications or simply click to learn more about a given product or service. Even offering a free ebook after users submit email contact information can help increase return readership and improve the likelihood that people will continue reading the blog and eventually make a purchase—and website analytics allow business owners to see if someone looked at a piece of on-site content marketing before making a purchase.

Just like other website traffic metrics, content marketing is not the only influencing factor that drives increases or decreases in the number of sales and leads. A poor website design can frustrate consumers before they complete a purchase, no matter how good one’s content marketing strategy is. But when an easy-to-navigate website design is combined with a quality content marketing strategy, businesses are more likely to see the number of online sales and leads increase to never-before-seen heights.

Nov 16
0

The Surprising Link Between Content Marketing and Comedy

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If you’ve read an article or two about content marketing and the whole idea of “engaging content,” you’re not alone. As content marketers, we’re often in need of a bit of help, and guess what? The Internet is often the best place to turn.

That said, the problem with many of the aforementioned marketing article types is that rarely do they provide an real, concrete answers as to how engaging content is to be created. Well, in order to make the process a more relatable one, let’s take a closer look at something just about everybody loves to do: laugh.

Seriously, can anyone withhold a smile when something genuinely funny takes place or is said? Of course not. Believe it or not, when such a response is brought about, what’s actually happening is real-time audience engagement.

Even better, it’s purely positive. So, if we’re to improve the very marketing-driven content we’re sharing out on the World Wide Web, we have a great deal to learn from the very people responsible for producing highly responsive content—observational comics.

Understanding Observational Comedy

Ever heard a standup routine or two by Jerry Seinfeld? If you have, you’ve witnessed observational comedy at its finest.

Basically, observational comedy looks to hone in on the everyday aspects of life and poke fun at them. The workplace, family life, the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), pop culture, the airport—it’s all fair game.

Though something might not come off as innately funny, when looked at through the eyes of  Jerry Seinfeld, Steven Wright, Billy Connelly or Eddie Izzard, it’s rip-roaringly hysterical.

Examples to Get Your Brain’s Wheels Turning

Still haven’t made a connection? No problem. We’ve got you covered. Seeing as how we first referenced the ingenious hilarity that is Jerry Seinfeld, let’s toss a bit more love his way.

Said Seinfeld himself in numerous routines, “Just what is the handicapped parking situation at the Special Olympics? Is it still just the two spaces?”

Or maybe some of Bill Connelly’s wit will do the trick for your marketing savvy: “When people say, ‘It’s always the last place you look.’ Of course it is! Why would you keep looking after you’ve found it.”

Lastly, as if you’re not already chuckling, said who many consider to be the creator of observational comedy, George Carlin, “If it’s true that our species is alone in the universe, then I’d have to say the universe aimed rather low and settled for very little.”

Content Marketing and Comedy

Alright, so we’ve finally come to understand more of what observational comedy is and the type of content its pioneering talents produce. Still, what on earth does this have to do with content marketing and the production of the ever-elusive “engaging content”?

Well, let’s get the ball rolling with Martha Spelman’s take on the matter in a piece she wrote for Business2Community: “Comedians specializing in observational humor look around and see what’s funny. And it’s funny because the audience can relate. An observational comedy bit often starts with, ‘Have you ever noticed?’ You can use a similar approach to discover content for your content marketing strategy.”

The biggest takeaway here comes from an observational comic’s focus on an audience. Similarly, when a content marketer focuses on the needs, interests and idiosyncratic propensities of a particular target demographic, the efficiency of said content skyrockets.

Why? It’s simple—both a logical and emotional connection have been made.

Becoming an Observational Content Marketer

Being an awesome standup comedian isn’t a nine-to-five gig; moreover, it’s a career path that requires wholeheartedly dedicating oneself to becoming a top-tier comedian at all times. Believe it or not, the best content marketing gurus view their craft in the same way.

Honestly, it’s more of a mindset than anything else. Instead of  just producing mind-numbing content, take a step back and look around you. Now, start writing. When done correctly, “engaging content” is always the end result.