Proliferation

May 31
0

3 Tips for Gaining an Edge With Headlines

By | content marketing | No Comments

In today’s day and age, more information is being consumed than ever before. With social media, smartphone apps and improvements in the ways of personal technology making the world an increasingly smaller place, the need to grab people’s attention through marketing is of the utmost importance.

These days, with so many surrounding distractions, gaining and keeping the attention of the masses—especially in the digital realm of communication and marketing—has never been more difficult. That being said, with a well-written headline in place, an audience is much more likely to listen. The tricky part, however, comes with creating the very headline that will not only get people to slow down and click, but to actually ingest your brand’s information.

The Importance of Headlines

Believe it or not, in decades past, larger publications such as the New York Times and Wallstreet Journal had people on staff whose only job was to pump out gripping headlines. While many traditionalistic publication entities have been replaced by booming websites, blogs and content marketing agencies, the need for alluring headlines remains. Presently, eight out of every 10 people will read a headline in its entirety. Unfortunately, when it comes to reading the very piece that’s being promoted, only two out of every 10 people will finish what they’ve started.

In fact, many editorial, social media and content marketing experts have gone as far as claiming that a writer should spend half the time it takes to write a persuasive article on the piece’s headline alone. If you’re struggling to keep up with your competitors in the ways of of social shareability and click-through rates, seek to improve your headlines through a few quick and simple tips:

1) Short, Sweet and Succinct

Headlines that drag on for nearly an entire sentence do little to quickly captivate readers. If anything, the faulty practice gives off a sense of desperation. Furthermore, from an SEO perspective, lengthy headlines do more bad than good, seeing as how Google’s algorithm will only account for the first 65 characters of a headline.

As if Google’s refusal to churn long-winded headlines through its famous algorithm wasn’t enough to turn you and your marketing agency off to headline wordiness, studies have shown that, as headlines are scanned, audiences only notice the first and last three words. With less to take in, audience retention skyrockets as short, engaging headlines are read. Ideally, a headline shouldn’t go over 6 words in length.

2) The Power of Words and Numbers

Obviously, the building blocks of a good title are words. Reverting back to the days of elementary English, it’s easy to see that adjectives—authoritative adjectives, to be exact—are the stuff of compelling captions. Mighty adjectives raise intrigue with a target demographic and are essential to driving traffic to any digital destination. Additionally, use negative words as a way of tapping into an audience’s insecurities.

Even numbers have their proper place in headlines. Numbers bolster a piece’s efficiency and necessity. Statistically, the larger the number in a headline, the more social interaction a pushed piece is pegged to receive. Lastly, for ease of interpretation, always use digits rather than words.

3) A Formula for Success

Oftentimes, in order to increase a task’s simplicity, formulas are required. Producing attractive headlines is no different. Courtesy of Quick Sprout, the following formula was produced for the benefit of journalists, public relations specialists and content marketing firms everywhere:

NUMBER OF TRIGGER WORD + ADJECTIVE + KEYWORD + PROMISE = HEADLINE

Take for example this mediocre headline: “How to Content Market.” After being drug through Quick Sprout’s useful formula, a better result is formed and ready for publication: “5 Top-Tier Ways to Content Market Through Pinterest.”

Finally, serving as nothing more than a friendly reminder, know that manipulative headlines are unethical and should never be used. Regardless of industry, professional position or level of editorial experience, if you’re an active writer, your relationship with headlines should be a strong one. By simply implementing the strategies presented here on a consistent basis, you’ll be more than pleased as to what your headlines will accomplish for both you and your content’s reputation on the World Wide Web.

Fusion 360 - 3 Tips for Creating Dynamic Headlines (Fusion 360 Content Marketing)

May 28
0

10 Filtration Points to Know If You’re Actually Producing Quality Content

By | content marketing | No Comments

From here in Utah to the most booming of metropolitan locations out on the East Coast, content marketing specialists are constantly pitching clients about the production of the exact same thing: quality content.

While the benefits of the aforementioned content type are well known—search engine rapport, a more spacious market reach and a reputation as an industry-leader—many are the content marketing “experts” who are left scratching their respective heads asking, “What is quality content?”

If you or a fellow content marketer has ever asked that very question, we’ve prepared a list of the top 10 filtration points to help properly determine if what’s being produced is of great value to consumers or just another advertorial annoyance.

1) Write for an Audience, Not for Search Engines

Believe it or not, this is a huge issue for content marketers. You’d think that for professional marketing writers, making certain to direct all written content towards a specific audience would be easy. That being said, it’s not. If your target audience is a group of industry professionals, don’t speak down to them. However, if your body of readers is new to a particular field, be simple and concise without demeaning the very eyes which keep you employed.

2) Content Accuracy and Relevancy Is Key

This goes without saying, but quality content is build upon a foundation of accurate information. Even if you’ve already proofread your piece one or two times, it’s never a bad idea to go back and check just to make certain that all sources are properly cited and given due credit. Furthermore, be sure to only use data—everyone loves quantitative information—that’s still relevant in today’s day and age. Nothing is more frustrating than a piece on social media marketing with statistics from 2007.

3) Inspiration, Education or Entertainment

Any written piece should do at least one of three things: inspire, educate or entertain. If you’ve written something that does little more than bore, interrupt and annoy, you should probably consider a swift revision of what’s been created. Also, it’s impossible to spend too much time on titles and headers. Seriously, they set a reader up for what’s to come next and build the very kind of intrigue that’s needed to transform content into a liquid marketing state.

4) Be Direct In Helping a Reader Accomplish a Particular Task

There’s a reason for why eHow and WikiHow attract digital masses so easily: they provide something of value. It’s not that every article or story has to be a “how to” piece, but everything should help a reader accomplish a particular task.

5) Unique Value for Readers to Learn From

Unbeknownst to many working in the field of content marketing, there’s a great difference between “unique content” and “unique value.” The ideal here is to publish only the later. Says Nate Dame, founder of Propecta, in a piece he wrote for SearchEngineLand.com, “Any good writer can rearrange words on a page to create content that doesn’t technically appear anywhere else on the Internet. But good content offers a unique value by providing readers with insights and actionable takeaways that no one else does.”

6) Socially Shareable

Remember, if it’s not something that you’d feel confident sharing with both friends and colleagues on Twitter and Facebook, you shouldn’t expect that others to do so. While informative  content is inherently important, social shareability is often determined by the title of what’s being pushed. Write strong titles that balance creativity with concision and purpose.

7) Thematic Organization By Way of Subsections

Apart from keeping content tight and well-written, it’s critical to make sure that everything is well-organized. Truthfully, written transitions can be difficult to produce for the writer and hard to follow for the reader. When themes are organized by way of subsections and bullet points, it’s much easier for information to be digested at a rapid rate.

8) Be Leery of Keyword Stuffing

Obviously, keyword stuffing has never been a good SEO or content marketing strategy. Still, even those who are wholeheartedly committed to white hat SEO practices are prone to a accidentally overuse a primary keyword. After a piece’s rough draft is completed, it’s always a good idea to use your computer’s Command+F or Ctr+F term search options to make sure that keywords aren’t being used in abundance. If they are, take a few minutes to replace a handful of them with appropriate synonyms.

9) Include Links to Helpful Sources

This really should come as a bit of a no-brainer to any active content marketer or SEO professional, but—when writing—include links to good sources that will help build your piece’s credibility. These links should only lead readers to other reputable, high-quality site’s where further information can be obtained.

10) Proofread Like Your Life Depends On It

There’s a reason that this point comes in as a final placeholder on this list: every single time, it’s the last thing that should be done before a piece is published. Realistically, it doesn’t matter how incredible a written article, “how to” piece or blog post is, if there are blatant grammatical errors present, nobody will take you or the brand that you represent seriously.

Regardless of industry, as awesome content is produced, awesome results will most assuredly ensue. Take the necessary time to make quality content marketing a conscious focus and both you and your clients will be more than satisfied with what’s to come.

May 10
0

Creating Synergy: 3 Techniques for Social Media and Content Marketing

By | content marketing, Social Media | No Comments

Many marketers understand one common convention: social media marketing and content marketing are different things. Although this is technically true, it doesn’t mean that companies should regard these entities as completely separate. The best content marketing agencies in Utah know that to achieve success, companies must create a marketing plan that regards social media marketing and content marketing as one.

Social media marketing requires content. Furthermore, effective social media marketing requires concise, relevant and engaging content. It also requires that the content fit within a specific platform’s parameters, which increases the difficulty of crafting superior content. If a company tweets or posts irrelevant and poor quality content, they won’t drive engagement. In order to avoid this trend and create a sound social media marketing campaign, consider implementing the three tips mentioned below.

1. Research Your Options

To be successful at content marketing in Utah, you must understand that different audiences prefer different social media networks. For example, the Pew Internet Research Project reports that the average Twitter user is a non-white male that’s young, affluent and college-educated. Due to this fact, companies that are creating content on Twitter should ensure that their messages are tailored to this demographic.

Social media sites like Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram also have unique audiences. In order to be effective on these platforms, companies must take user demographics into account. In addition to user demographics, companies must also understand that social platforms have different requirements.

Sticking to the first example in this section, Twitter has a 140-character limit. In order to successfully market on Twitter, companies must craft messages that are 140-characters or less that also appeal to a young, affluent and educated readership.

2. Implement A/B Testing

Successful Utah content marketers understand what their target audiences respond to. Unfortunately, many companies that are inexperienced with marketing try to push content that hasn’t been proven successful. Luckily, A/B testing can help individuals and organizations understand what topics draw in their audiences.

A/B tests allow companies to systematically assess how different content ideas can grow their businesses. Although some companies learn the A/B testing process on their own, this isn’t always the case. Many organizations choose to outsource their A/B testing to an experienced content marketing company in Utah. This way, a company can focus on what they do best: offering their product or service to customers and a content marketing agency can focus on what they do best: using specific methods to increase a company’s overall success.

3. Understand Your Following and Interact

To be successful on social networks, you must understand your audiences. Fortunately, tools like Nexalogy can help Utah companies increase their audience awareness faster than ever before. Applications like Nexalogy allow companies to understand what kinds of content their followers and fans are discussing. Organizations can then use this insight to generate a content marketing plan with topics that interest their followers.

Every company, regardless of its industry, can grow its business through social media. If you’re unsure how to begin, that’s OK, too. Here at Fusion 360, we understand how to create optimized content that’s sure to take your company’s success to the next level.

May 08
0

A Brief Look at the History Of Content Marketing

By | content marketing | No Comments

Any and all marketing agencies here in Utah—and in other parts of the country, for that matter—are quickly discovering that the timely, routine creation of quality content is one of the best ways to get your business and/or product noticed. Though content marketing in its current, digital, SEO-centric fashion is a relatively new advertorial trend for small and large businesses alike, the tactic of providing target audiences with valuable information as a way of both gaining trust and building a pool of potential clients has been around for over a century. Whatever your feelings are towards content marketing, one truth remains constant: this method of advertising has existed for longer than most people realize.

Fusion 360 - The History of Content Marketing (Fusion 360 Content Marketing)

May 05
0

The Top 5 Digital Marketing Practices From Social Media Examiner to Be Absorbed ASAP

By | content marketing, Social Media | No Comments

Social Media Examiner is a U.S.-based media company specializing in social media research and content marketing headquartered in Poway, California. Since the business’ founding in 2009, innumerable businesses and marketing agencies, including our younger employees here in Utah, have sought guidance from the company in an effort to improve digital advertising proficiency.

As a result, each year, more specialists are able to better promote their clients through social media and content marketing and, in turn, are becoming industry experts in their own right. The following is a list of Social Media Examiner’s most fundamental techniques which, when put into practice in Utah or any other American state, are guaranteed to produce real, measurable results:

1) Respect for an Audience Is an Absolute Must

Mike Stelzner—founder of Social Media Examiner—was once quoted as saying, “We don’t ignore search engines, but it’s not our primary focus. Our primary focus is to appeal to people.” In 2011, Stelzner revealed that only 15% of his site’s then 900,000 page-views per month actually came from search.

2) Content Should Be Shared Across All Dominant Social Platforms

Social Media Examiner’s content is constantly being shared across the 5 most valuable social marketing platforms on the Internet and in Utah: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ and Pinterest. An individual piece of content produced by Social Media Examiner averages 1,932 combined shares across the World Wide Web’s most favored social networks.

3) The Importance of Infographics Can’t Be Understated

Social Media Examiner does an exemplary job of varying content type when the time for publication arrives, employing the powers of lists, “how to” posts and infographics. Truthfully, infographics are the most powerful of the lot. Providing useful information that can be consumed in a matter of minutes here in Utah or elsewhere, the image’s social shareability is nothing short of impressive.

On Twitter alone, Social Media Examiner’s infographics average about 2,500 shares. Rounding out the top three for the aforementioned content marketing group is Facebook with around 1,300 infographic shares and LinkedIn with nearly 800 of its own infographic shares.

4) Early In the Week Is Paramount for Content Publishing Prowess

According to research conducted by Social Media Examiner, posts published earlier in the week perform much better than those published later on in the week. For example, on most Mondays, Social Media Examiner sees about 80,000 shares on Twitter. However, on Saturday of any given week, the average total plummets to around 40,000. From Utah to New York, both Facebook and LinkedIn follow a similar trend.

5) Authoritative Authors Truly Crown Content as King

Most content marketing gurus are more than familiar with the claim that “content is king.” Well, while true, it can certainly be improved. Digital content, when created by those with authority in their respective fields of interest, truly gives meaningful content the desired sway it’s intended to bring about.

Social Media Examiner uses only key social influencers to pen their most powerful posts, thus building rapport with any and all digital audiences. For example, Cindy King—Social Media Examiner’s Director of Editorial—averages about 8,400 social shares for her more popular pieces.

Though all content marketing agencies seek to peg themselves as an industry leader, there’s always something to be learned. Needless to say, Social Media Examiner is an excellent source for those seeking to improve upon their current level of marketing clout.

Fusion 360 - The Top 5 digital Marketing Practices From Social Media Examiner to Be Absorbed ASAP (Fusion 360 Agency)

Apr 29
0

5 Steps for Maximizing Content Marketing Efficiency In the Digital Age of Communication

By | content marketing | No Comments

Relatively speaking, digital content marketing is a new advertorial practice. While it’s true that brands have been producing favorable brochures, magazines and tutorials for decades, what was once of a traditional nature is currently undergoing an extreme transformation.

In order for you and your clients to avoid the haze of confusion that often surrounds industry-wide adaptation, you’ll want to streamline your content marketing process. With years of experience under our proverbial belts, we’ve got a few helpful suggestions for those who find themselves confused by the complex process:

1) In-Depth Research

If anything meaningful is to be produced, in-depth research is going to be required. Initially, seeing as how nearly all digital marketing endeavors fall under the canopying service of search engine optimization (SEO), be sure to use Google Keyword Planner or any other SEO-driven program to discover relevant keywords and phrases for effective content production.

Though you’re certainly not well-versed in all fields and your clients’ respective areas of expertise may vary greatly, it’s the job of any well-seasoned content marketer to make certain that his or her content-guided research corresponds appropriately with groundbreaking happenings. Through Twitter or Google News, trending topics, newsworthy articles and reliable sources can all be discovered.

2) Creative Writing

The most important skill for any successful content marketer is creativity. With that in mind, however, it’s key that a series of rudimentary bullet points be checked off as written content makes it’s way down the production line.

First and foremost, paragraphs should break every two to three lines or every 75 to 100 words. If appropriate, use subheadings to allow for easier readability. Truthfully, much of your audience wants nothing more than to consume specific bits of information as quickly as possible. Subheadings make the skim all the more easy.

Additionally, look to scatter images in an organized manner throughout the body each piece. Lastly, each informative article, compelling story or enlightening how-to post must come with a compelling headline, about 55 characters in length.

3) Search Engine Optimization

As previously mentioned, a sound SEO strategy should always be at the forefront of any content marketing scheme. While the powers of top-notch PR publications and a wide variety of content hosting sites are wonderful for link-building, Google’s recently placed a great deal of emphasis on owned media; this means that booming blogs are now the real stuff of content marketing genius.

With respect to the specifics, blog posts should almost always be between 1,000 and 1,500 words in length. Remember that “compelling headline” of which was previously made mention? Well, an SEO keyword should be placed in a piece’s featured title. Finally, add an SEO keyword in at least one H2 header. If possible, include keywords near the front of titles.

4) Shareable Formatting

Obviously, in this—the digital age of communication—social media has taken the Internet by storm. In order to fully take advantage of what social media can do to boost content marketing’s product- or service-pushing capabilities, accompanying custom-made images, infographics or SlidShare presentations make social shareability skyrocket. Also, make social share buttons easily accessible at the bottom of a post.

5) Proper Promotion

While content marketing’s SEO value is innate, the power of embedded links is further enhanced when information is consumed, liked, shared, retweeted or anything else of the sort. After a link has been formally established, consider pushing said links on popular social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Google+.

Furthermore, call upon the help of social sharing plugins like Digg Digg or Flare. You can even go as far as funneling your clients’ links through reputable sites like StumbleUpon, Reddit, Digg or any forum/online community which your target audience might frequent.

Regardless of whether you’ve spent years working in content marketing or merely a handful of weeks, there’s always room for improvement. When followed closely, and augmented with a bit of marketing ingenuity, the aforementioned steps are guaranteed to produce real, concrete content marketing results.

Fusion 360 - 5 Steps for Maximizing Content Marketing Efficiency In the Digital Age of Communication (Fusion 360 Content Marketing)

Apr 07
0

You Are Now Entering the Twilight Zone: an Infographic on Infographics

By | content marketing | No Comments

In Rod Serling’s series “The Twilight Zone,” the weirdness of psychological thrill meets suspense and horror to keep audiences captivated for hours. Though our area of expertise lies within the content marketing realm here in Utah and elsewhere, we’re more than open to spicing up our craft through the building of Serling-esque intrigue.

Currently, at least with respect to content marketing, the importance of visual stimulation can’t be overstated. Written content can only do so much. With 90% of information coming to the brain being of the visual variety, it’s no surprise that the simple act of seeing requires about half of the brain to fully get involved.

For content marketers, this means that—while written content is certainly still important—infographics must must make themselves a mainstay of any sound digital marketing platform. Mr. Serling, in your honor, we present our own wacky, mind-twisting thriller: an infographic on infographics (insert eerie theme jingle).

Fusion 360 - An Infographic About Infographics (Fusion 360 Content Marketing)

Apr 01
0

The Subtle Ins and Outs of Successful Content Marketing

By | content marketing | No Comments

Any monkey with a computer and a first grade education can compose an article, toss in a few keywords and publish a piece with little to no issue. Smells like content marketing, right? Well, if you responded “yes” to the aforementioned question, take that banana of yours and begin repeatedly bludgeoning yourself over the head. Seriously, it’ll do you some good.

From Utah to the farthest reaches of America’s East Coast, successful content marketing requires just a bit more than a pulse. In order to better represent your company or a client in the digital realm, you’ve got to cling to the very stuff that can’t be found in a training manual or deep within the confines of your boss’ cranium.

Still lost? Take a peek at the following infographic to better pick up what we’re putting down. You’ll be glad you did.

Fusion 360 - The Ins and Outs of Successful Content Marketing (Fusion 360 Content Marketing)

Mar 26
0

Two Skills Successful Wizards of Content Marketing Stole From Traditional Journalists

By | advertising, content marketing | No Comments

Utah, it’s time to come to grips with reality: traditional journalism is a thing of the past. It’s kind of like scented markers or Sprite Remix. Remember that jazz? Whatever. With that in mind, there most definitely are certain skills that can be drawn from the dwindling pool of professional journalists and immediately thrust—not in the creepy sexual way—into the glory that is modern-day content marketing.

For starters, credibility is key to content marketing success and journalists—the kind successful enough to not have to eat Ramen Noodles and sleep in their parents’ basements—know a thing or two about producing content that gains credibility. While gaining rapport with Google is of the utmost important for well-seasoned content marketers, the very content which gets people clicking, “liking” and waisting countless hours at work, is strikingly similar to the stuff that real writers churn out.

Secondly, journalists know how to tell a story. Believe it or not, not every story needs to begin with the classic “once upon a time” line. From Utah to New York, brands differ from industry to industry and each one has its own unique story to tell. Furthermore, each individual audience has a specific set of needs and journalists, more than any other group of professionals, have a knack for developing content according to said needs.

Needless to say, if you and your team of content marketers are more “muggles” than wizards, consider harnessing the creative powers of the gargantuan amount of journalists who are currently looking for gainful employment. Also, read Harry Potter to better understand what’s being discussed here.

Mar 16
3

Big-Time Companies That Content Market the Heck Out of Their Respective Audiences

By | advertising, content marketing | No Comments

More often than not, mammoth trends don’t quite catch on until someone famous decides that something insignificant is totally worth their precious time and effort. Seriously though, remember when Miley Cyrus made typical lap dance maneuvers a household activity?

“Twerking” was born and impressionable 12-year-old girls were hooked, much to the dismay of concerned soccer moms from Utah. Well, believe it or not, content marketing has skyrocketed in a similar, less appalling fashion as a handful of big-time brands have implemented the groundbreaking tactic of digital brand building.

Colgate, for example, is one of those gargantuan companies. As far as exciting product pushing is concerned, toothpaste wouldn’t be considered tremendously desirable. That being said, Colgate has taken their advertising to a new level by way of content marketing.

Recently, Colgate created an online Oral and Dental Health Resourse center which provides visitors with videos, interactive guides and—currently—upwards of 400 articles. Well, played teeth people. Just so you know, we’re still not flossing, so don’t ask.

Ironically enough, the very product that destroys teeth has piggybacked Colgate’s new marketing platform in an effort to keep up: Coke. Check this out: said Coke in its official Content 2020 advertising strategy, “All advertisers need a lot more content so that they can keep the engagement with consumers fresh and relevant, because of the 24/7 connectivity.”

Apart from Utah, when Miley twerks, you twerk. When Colgate and Coke content market, you content market. End of story.