Getting Your First 100 Customers: Strategies That Work

Ok I realize I usually and generally deal with and write about brands that are way beyond their first 100 customers. But, I figured with so many startups popping up plus the fact even the biggest of brands had to start somewhere — now was as good a time as any to share insights and words of wisdom from those who have lived and breathed the experience firsthand.

Anyone with experience with startup companies and sales and marketing knows how hard it can be to engage those first 100 customers. It can take a great deal of groundwork and preparation, not to mention money and sweat, to locate and capture them. If those first 100 customers are not assimilated quickly, business failure is a distinct possibility – although nowhere near the “9 out of 10” businesses fail in the first year” urban myth that has been circulating for years.

The Washington Post put that one to rest in a recent article: “Basically, after four years, 50 percent of the businesses are open. As time goes on, the success rate decreases, but it never gets to a failure rate of ‘nine out of 10.’”

So whether it takes a month or a year to achieve the holy grail of 100 customers, there are many other road signs to success in a new startup. But since Americans love to think big, we’ll concentrate here on the holy grail of getting those first 100 clients.

Margarita’s Story

Margarita Hakobyan is the CEO of MoversCorp.com, an online sourcing company that helps clients locate professional movers in the United States.

Here’s how she tells her story:

“It was in the summer of 2009 when I was shopping for a hotel and a flight to California on one of the online booking sites. And I loved the idea of comparing and booking in one place. I wondered if there was a similar website where I could list my moving services with a truck for online booking, but there wasn’t one. That’s how the idea of creating an online marketplace for movers came about.

One thing I struggled with is finding new customers. I didn’t have a big budget to advertise in yellow pages (they were popular back then) or on the Internet.

The first actual customer was in California, I believe in Orange County. The lady found us on Google and after comparing a few companies she made the reservation online. She was very excited when we called and congratulated her for being the first customer and winning a $50 gift card at the time.”

Use Strategy

As Ms. Hakobyan mentions in her story, that first customer was treated like gold. She got a personal call, and a gift certificate. That’s one strategy to ensure a customer base that eventually grows to 100 and beyond; give each customer, and potential customer the personal touch – and don’t be afraid to reward loyalty. It’s not a bribe; it’s just good customer service, and good customer retention.

But Wait, There’s More!

Here are some other surefire tips to help reel in those first 100 customers:

•Ray Silverstein, a successful business author, insists that getting referrals from current customers is one of the best ways to gain new customers. He says that when a customer gives you a referral they are offering you the highest compliment they can; that they trust you. People like doing business with people they know, and that they know of. Never let a current client out the door without asking who else they know that would like your product or services.

•Business coach Brad Sugars suggests forming strategic alliances with other companies to not only increase business but cut advertising costs; an example would be a web designer allied with an ad agency. By producing streams of referrals for each other, they are in a win-win situation when it comes to gaining new customers.

•Social media has never been easier, or cheaper, to use for advertising. Setting up a blog and feeding it daily content requires, at most, an hour each day. You can have your social media marketing done in-house by a part-timer, or you can outsource it.

The bottom line is of course always the bottom line. Obviously for any business or brand to succeed it has to have customers and those customers have to have ways to find said business or brand.

Ok, no breaking news there, Steve.

However, not every business or brand however has the bottomless pockets others do. Fortunately for these particular businesses and brands we live in a world where opportunities abound online and off for a startup to make its proverbial name and yes, get to its first 100 customers.

Photo credit: Flickr user barkbud

The post Getting Your First 100 Customers: Strategies That Work appeared first on B2B Marketing Insider.

Likeable Social Media – Book Interview

The NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY bestseller—updated with today’s hottest sites!

A friend’s recommendation is more powerful than any advertisement. In the world of Facebook, Twitter, Vine, Instagram, and beyond, that recommendation can travel farther and faster than ever before. Packed with brand-new case studies from today’s emerging social sites, this updated edition of Likeable Social Media helps you harness the power of word-of-mouth marketing to transform your business. Listen to your customers and prospects. Deliver value, excitement, and surprise. And most important, learn how to truly engage your customers and help them spread the word.

The post Likeable Social Media – Book Interview appeared first on Heidi Cohen.

Starbucks Spotify deal empowers baristas to influence customer experience

Last week, Starbucks and Spotify announced a partnership that will see the popular music streaming service integrated into Starbucks' 7,000 stores and its 10 million member strong loyalty program, My Starbucks Rewards.

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The Accidental Storyteller

For some reason people don’t think that they’re good storytellers…even when faced with evidence to the contrary.

A few years ago, I met a guy who described himself as a 20-year veteran of the apparel industry. When I probed further, he rattled off manufacturing facts for all kinds of apparel, from Argyle to Zibeline. Impressed with the depths of his knowledge, I asked if he had a blog.

He shook his head. “I should, but I just don’t know what to write about.”

The biggest barrier to storytelling is the irrational concept, “I have nothing interesting to say.”

Soon after, a young woman wearing stone-washed bluejeans approached.

“Look at that denim!” he said, a slight bit too enthusiastically, before taking us on a journey through the multi-step process of how the denim she wore was processed, woven, and sewn. A small crowd gathered as he elaborated on softening techniques, thread counts, and weave patterns. He even estimated the (very high) retail price of her blue jeans successfully.

“So,” I said smugly. “I thought that you didn’t have anything to write about?”

He stared at me as if I’d just claimed that polyester was more comfortable than cotton. Then I pointed to the crowd that had gathered to hear his passionate denim soliloquy.

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our day-to-day activities that we forget how interesting our jobs are to people outside of our industry…umm…like our clients! Take a look at your company from a different perspective. Perhaps you’ll find that your story is more interesting than you think. I mean, if denim guy can command attention about fabric manufacturing, I bet that you can to do the same thing in your “boring” industry.

Photo Credit: Library of Congress

The post The Accidental Storyteller appeared first on B2B Marketing Insider.

More than just a name: why is the name of your email programme so important?

It sounds obvious but so many of us forget to focus on the objective whatever we are working on, an email campaign, a newsletter series or a solus email.

If you state your intent from the off, your path and destination (usually to conversion) are set. 

It often helps me to think of my objective as being two sides of the same coin. My aim is to sell to interested customers and those same customers are also looking to make a purchase of the product I am selling. 

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Social Media: Professional VS Personal

Social Media: Professional VS Personal. What are the differences? How should you handle your different social media persona. 5 Factors examined.

The post Social Media: Professional VS Personal appeared first on Heidi Cohen.

Are charities failing on online donations?

According to a survey by Barclays Digital Giving, offline payments still account for 80% of charitable donations, which suggests that many aren't making the most of the web. 

In this post I'll look at some of the major charities, and how easy (or not) they make it for visitors to donate online. 

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Five reasons your customer experience initiative is going to fail

With apologies for the inflammatory headline, marketing is fooling itself about customer experience.

In research over the last two years, we’ve seen a consistent over-estimation of how good things are and the results to come. 

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comScore: the desktop is far from dead

Thanks to the proliferation of smart phones, mobile has seemingly taken over the web, forcing companies to build mobile-friendly experiences, or else.

But that doesn't mean that the desktop is dead. 

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This Is the Real Secret to Unleash Your Content Marketing Creativity

If you have ever wanted to tap into the power of content marketing, but have felt held back because of a lack of creativity, then you are going to want to read this post today.

In it, I will reveal the way that even the most uncreative person can come up with some great content marketing ideas.

And the answer will be both a surprise and a relief.

The secret to creativity is found in the mystery you’re about to read.

The Unbelievable Way that Malaria Was Finally Defeated

For decades, there was a mystery surrounding the origin of Artemisinin, the best drug against Malaria. The mystery was that no one knew who came up with the drug that could finally stop Malaria.

This is strange since the discovery of Artemisinin, and its treatment of malaria, is considered the major breakthrough of tropical medicine in the 20th Century.

In case you’re unaware, Malaria has devastated humanity for 1000 years and it continues to cause havoc to many civilizations around the world. So you’d think that finding a cure for this horrible disease would bring such a person into the spotlight.

But when the mysterious origin of this amazing drug was finally uncovered, people finally realized exactly why the person’s name was never known before.

The Secret Military Project

What was uncovered? The Lasker Foundation describes it in this way…

“At the beginning of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, the Chinese government launched a secret military project that aimed to devise a remedy for the deadly scourge… 

“The covert operation, named Project 523 for the day it was announced—May 23, 1967—set out to battle chloroquine-resistant malaria. The clandestine nature of the enterprise and the political climate created a situation in which few scientific papers concerning the project were published for many years, the earliest ones were not accessible to the international community, and many details about the endeavor are still shrouded in mystery.“

The woman who headed the project was a woman named Tu Youyou. She was a medical scientist and pharmaceutical chemist.

But it wasn’t her background as a scientist or chemist that enabled her to come up with this anti-Malaria super-drug.

The Answer That Came from a 1,600 Year Old Document

Scientists all around the world had tried 240,000 different compounds while searching for a way to effectively fight Malaria, but they still came up empty-handed.

That’s when Tu decided to try something different.

You see, she was also a member of the Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Beijing, so she began to research what Chinese herbs that might work. 

She meticulously screened over 2,000 traditional Chinese recipes and made 380 herbal extracts that were each tested on mice.

Out all of those recipes and extracts only ONE looked promising: Qinghao (Artemisia annua L., or sweet wormwood). It had been used for “intermittent fevers,” which is a key symptom of malaria.

But her team didn’t know how to use the sweet wormwood effectively. That is until she discovered the preparation described in a 1,600-year old text. It was in a recipe titled, “Emergency Prescriptions Kept Up One’s Sleeve.”

They had a problem though. At first, it didn’t work.

That’s when Tu discovered a passage in the Handbook of Prescriptions for Emergencies (from 340 CE) by Ge Hong. In that passage it referenced Qinghao’s malaria-healing capacity.

It said, “Take a handful of Qinghao, soak in two liters of water, strain the liquid, and drink.”

It was in that moment Tu realized the reason it hadn’t been working.

The standard procedure of boiling and high-temperature extraction must have been destroying the active ingredient.  That’s when she decided to try a different technique. She decided to use a lower-temperature ether extraction instead.

And to her delight, it was found to be effective on mice and monkeys!

They then had to test it on humans. But who?

The Guinea Pig Scientist

Tu then did something shocking.

She volunteered to be the first human subject. “As head of this research group, I had the responsibility,” she said. It was safe, so she conducted successful clinical trials with human patients. Her work was published anonymously in 1977.”

Because this all took place within a secret military project, Tu Youyou’s name remained unknown for years and years.

It wasn’t until 2005, when Louis Miller, a malaria researcher at the US National Institutes of Health in Rockville, Maryland and his NIH colleage Xinzhuan Su began digging into the drug’s history that they uncovered this amazing story about Tu Youyou.

The Real Secret of Creativity

“That man is most original who can adapt from the most sources.” – Thomas Carlyle

I told you that story, because I wanted you to realize this important truth: Creativity does not come from thin air.

To come up with a completely unique idea is very rare.

How did Tu Youyou come up with a cure for Malaria? Did she invent the cure? Nope.

She re-discovered it. She looked at what people in the past had done and used that as her guide.

Decades ago, copywriters learned the same secret to creativity. They created what became known as a “swipe file“. It was a file of copywriting that had already proven to be effective.

They would look over the samples that they gathered in this swipe file and use them to unlock ideas and inspiration for any and all new copywriting ideas.

Jay Abraham is one of the highest paid consultants in the world. Why is he paid so much? Because he comes up with ideas that are worth millions of dollars.

And what’s his “secret”? He borrows ideas for one industry (where it is common) and implements it into a new industry (where it is unknown).

And the results? Insanely high levels of success for every company he works with.

You see the secret of creativity is that it doesn’t come out of the ether.

It comes from the inspiration and combination of things that already exist.

4 Ways to Gain New Ideas and Insights for Your Content Marketing

Do you understand what that means?

If you want to come up with new ideas for your content marketing, or even find new ways to implement content marketing, you don’t have to try to come up with them out of the blue.

Instead you just have to look for inspiration and revelation from the examples you already have all around you and throughout history.

Let me show you four ways that you can do this.

1. Look into the past to see how people have used content marketing.

Content marketing has existed for a LONG time. It just was never called that. I have found examples from as far back as 1732 and possibly even 1681. That means that all you have to do is do a little research to find old examples and then choose ones that give you the best ideas and inspiration.

2. Look at the ways that people are using content marketing in other industries.

There are many great ways that content marketing is being used in all sorts of industries, arenas, and forms of media these days. That means that again all you have to do is do a little research and see how content marketing is being used outside of your context and choose the ones you like best.

3.  Look to all of your favorite content marketing sites and content marketers for inspiration.

Instead of just going to these sites and content marketers for information, go to them inspiration. Consume their content with an eye out for the topics, trends, perspectives, and forms of content marketing that spark ideas and inspire you to action. Don’t just listen to the things they talk about. Look at the things they do. Again, choose the ones you like best.

4. Put this all into your own “Content Marketing Swipe File.”

Now take all of the ideas, examples, and inspiration that you’ve found from these three areas and put them all together in your own “swipe file.” This can be an actual, physical file folder or a digital file folder on your laptop, tablet, or smart phone.

Now the next time you need inspiration, insight, or ideas all you have to do is go to your “Content Marketing Swipe File” and begin reading the examples that you’ve gathered.

And don’t just read it. Take some time to think about what you’ve read. And then, after you’ve given it sufficient thought, begin to write down any ideas you come up with. Now implement these ideas in your own content marketing.

3 Final Suggestions to Get You Started

Here are some final suggestions to spark your creativity:

1. Try combining two different ideas into a new one.
2. Try combining a new form of content marketing with an old application (or vice versa).
3.  Try taking an idea that has succeeded in a completely different industry or arena and brainstorm ways you can apply it in your industry or arena.

NOTE: I have all sorts of content marketing ideas from history, television, popular products, & more in my book “51 Content Marketing Hacks.” These could be great to use for your swipe file.

Sources: Wikipedia and LaskerFoundation.org

Photo:  ~Brenda-Starr~

The post This Is the Real Secret to Unleash Your Content Marketing Creativity appeared first on B2B Marketing Insider.

To capitalize on social media, companies rethink their products and services

If you don't want your company to be slammed online, just don't suck. But what if you want to generate positive attention online?

For some companies, the answer is simple: rethink how products and services are delivered.

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5 Steps To A Real-Time Content Desk

I don’t think I’ll get too many opinions to the contrary when I suggest that effective marketing is getting harder every day. Consumers seem to have developed an allergic reaction to anything that smacks of selling.    Banner ads are essentially wallpaper with a dismal .1% conversion rate. Television ads have been all but eradicated by the DVR. Text ads are brand destroyers unless they’re pushed at point of sale while the discounted coffee is still piping hot.   I could go on.

So what can you do to insert your brand into a welcome conversation? I would suggest that successful marketing today is all about building relevance and utility for your Brand.  A social network is often the beginning of the conversation and should extend into the entire brand experience.

At IBM, we realized this and here’s what we did about it.

We built a real-time content desk. It’s a system that changes the way we build and disseminate branded content. There are essentially five stages—here’s how you can build one for yourself.

Monday – The Beat Box: Ask what’s happening in the world that’s relevant to your customers and find the hot conversations. Social listening tools can help to identify the latest topics. An agency like Sparks & Honey can help you tap into significant cultural trends. They run a daily report on relevant world events, consumer trends and general cultural shifts. Build themes that align to the identified areas of interest in the marketplace.

Tuesday – Editorial Sync: Figure out what content you want your audience to consume and how. This is best done by a seasoned PR expert working with your marketing team to provide guidance and direction. Examples might include the fact that election season is coming up and you want to show how your software can help to identify the right candidate, or it’s Valentine’s Day and you’re selling overpriced gifts for lovers.

Wednesday – The Angle: Brainstorm on what content will be produced. Our agency, Ogilvy & Mather, supports the desk with a creative team and content strategist to develop a mix of short, consumable content as well as longer-form content. A fact-filled SlideShare, a report that ties in to an upcoming holiday, a short video series—all great content candidates.

Thursday – The Deadline: Determine how you will deploy the content across branded properties. Lay out a strategy for how content will be amplified through paid, owned, and earned media. Adding technologies like retargeting can help to bring consumers down the funnel.

Friday – The Analytics: Perform a weekly assessment of winners and losers. What types of content are consumers engaging with and sharing? Understanding which content types and themes are successful is critical to increasing brand engagement.

The real-time content desk is helping us to become experts at creating content that resonates. The nirvana for this type of desk is “news jacking” in conversations, like pushing a SlideShare into a competitors’ conference stream or being the top tweet that goes viral during a popular world event.

As a consumer, I know that I hate being sold. As a marketer, I know I need to sell.   In order to be heard by consumers today, Brands need to align with how people experience the world and find a meaningful, relevant way to make the right connection.   A content engine is a great way of driving that engagement.

The post 5 Steps To A Real-Time Content Desk appeared first on B2B Marketing Insider.

How 18 retailers in Central London are integrating digital in-store

Ah, Oxford Street, you are known by so many names…

To some, you are the shopping capital of the UK, to others, a realisation of hell on Earth. 

This is particularly true for those of us whose morning commute takes them directly through the centre of Europe’s busiest shopping street. Here all the biggest high street brands rub shoulders next to endlessly ‘closing down’ souvenir shops and all-you-can-eat Chinese buffets 

For us here at Econsultancy, it is technically a second home, and therefore we can’t help but treat it as an ever-changing example of a digitally transforming retail industry.

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#072: Make it Easy

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Emma, Official Sponsor of the UnPodcast

On this episode of the UnPodcast, we talked about the importance of making things easy if you want people to leave you feedback or sign up. We also shared the story of how a box of donuts led to a big real estate commission, and how one Ejuice company blew Scott’s mind. 

Other topics include:

• [00:02:42.06] Our Nashville trip
• [00:03:13.21] What Scott likes naked
• [00:04:03.17] A great excuse to eat mac ‘n cheese as often as you want
• [00:05:34.22] What made the Emma Marketing United conference great
• [00:06:30.05] Why I agreed to speak at the Authority Rainmaker conference
• [00:07:12.20] How to really make a difference in the lives of your fans
• [00:07:49.04] The greatest line I’ve ever heard in my life
• [00:08:28.28] One of the best put together talks I’ve ever heard
• [00:09:39.22] A rare, nice email we received
• [00:11:31.21] Nothing makes Scott angrier than this
• [00:12:50.14] The one thing I said that really resonated with people
• [00:13:45.22] What keeps customers from giving feedback
• [00:14:13.01] Alison’s reaction to an unexpected package
• [00:15:43.23] Giving feedback doesn’t get any easier than this
• [00:17:03.22] What kept Scott up at night
• [00:18:37.21] Email marketing funnels, and why they matter
• [00:19:13.20] A company that got me in their funnel and then dropped the ball
• [00:19:51.06] Something Scott tells everyone about Alison (Is it true?!)
• [00:21:22.11] Don’t make it hard for people to do this
• [00:21:48.05] How to piss off a Canadian
• [00:22:34.14] How to drastically reduce email signups
• [00:23:13.24] How a funnel is like dating
• [00:24:14.25] What Alison does instead of subscribing to email lists
• [00:25:01.12] An update about our new home and what made us choose our realtor
• [00:27:11.22] It takes more than donuts to sell a house
• [00:29:15.28] The basis of Unmarketing, from day one
• [00:30:27.24] Why you have to do things for yourself
• [00:30:54.28] The biggest learning experience Scott had when buying a home

• And so much more. . .

 Never make it difficult for people to give you money, information or feedback. [Tweet This] 

Items mentioned in this episode

Peg Leg Porker
Marketing United (Emma conference)
Henry Rollins
Authority Rainmaker conference
Steeped Monkey Brains
Yotpo
Digiday
UnPodcast #43
The Vegas 30 podcast
Sotheby’s International Real Estate

Video provided by: AtomicSpark
Audio recorded by: Wayne Cochrane Sound

New YouTube ads multiply revenue for retailers

A new YouTube ad offering, TrueView for Shopping, promises retailers the ability to better promote products to YouTube users and is delivering significantly better results for some YouTube advertisers.

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Q&A: Chris O’Hara on the current state of ‘programmatic branding’

Econsultancy has this week published a new report in partnership with Quantcast which shows that companies are increasingly setting aside marketing budget for branding campaigns using programmatic advertising. 

Here, the report author Chris O’Hara gives his thoughts on this topic and a flavor of what is covered in the study.

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10 predictions from the Future of Digital Marketing that came true

Our annual Future of Digital Marketing (FODM) event is celebrating its 10-year anniversary on 11 June 2015.

You can take part in the proceedings by joining us and 300 other senior digital professionals for the one day conference, where you can be inspired by a variety of digital pioneers and learn about the trends shaking up our industry, and how we can harness them to change the way we do business.    

Tickets do sell out, so act fast.

In the meantime, let’s take a look back at 10 years of digital marketing prognostication and highlight 10 of the trends that either came true or are well on their way to being realised.

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Content Marketing And The Rise Of The Citizen Storyteller

For companies to make the transition from telling stories to creating brand experiences, they have to focus on the power of amplifying the essence of their brand story. Confining storytelling strictly to the brand or PR teams limits the value and impact that can be had.

Creating citizen storytellers isn’t only about tapping the ranks for ideas to develop into content. That’s still very important, but back up one step further. If you want to make all of your content operations and storytelling activities more efficient, start with infusing your brand story into every aspect of how your company walks, talks, thinks and acts. Starting with the marketing ecosystem.

Citizen Storytellers
Let’s back up a few decades and talk about a minute about citizen journalism. It rose from the public’s growing disdain for being at the receiving end of a one-way conversation. These people felt isolated and, as an audience, turned the tables on reporting in a way that made news more “real” and participatory through people (citizens) who cared and shared their passionate voices.

When you look at that idea in the marketing ecosystem and the ability to create valuable experiences for audiences, those outside of the core “story” team need to be more participatory in how the story is told, rather than being on the receiving end of information they’re fed.

Creating the Corp Storytellers
For brands to complete their transition into true media companies they need to recognize the need for citizen storytellers and nurture their ideas, creativity and ability to activate a message.

The brand story starts with the marketing or content marketing team. But this group can’t be the sole orators and the keepers of the keys. Few companies are putting the resources behind a content team to enable them to be everywhere they need to be to create personalized, consistency and continuity with the message.

Who else in your marketing ecosystem need to be storytellers? Demand gen. Field marketing. Corporate communications. PR. Social. On and on.

Telling the brand story to marketing’s audience is different from telling the story through demand gen as much as it’s different for field marketing. It’s not the same audience and content shouldn’t be treated the same.

HOWEVER, all of these stories must tie together. No one team tells the brand story across the entire journey that audiences have when they make buying decisions. That’s why every group within a company has their own special role in telling the story. They need to be able to understand the context of the bigger picture and then add their passionate voice to it in ways that matter to their unique audiences.

Building Story Continuity
The beauty of reading a great story is that there’s more than one character that makes the plot come alive. With every great story comes subplots and different characters. Make sure that you’re taking full advantage of the core group of the most influential storytellers and the unique ways in which your story needs to be told through each of them.

What’s your brand doing to weave a consistent brand story through your marketing organization? What are your biggest struggles? I’d love to hear what’s going on in your world.

This post originally appeared on the Type A Communications Blog.

The post Content Marketing And The Rise Of The Citizen Storyteller appeared first on B2B Marketing Insider.

The three biggest discussions driving content strategy transformation

The focus and opportunity around content is causing organisations to reassess their businesses at a variety of levels. 

Content marketing has been identified as one of the most exciting opportunities for marketers today, based on the Digital Trends for 2015 report.

The growth of corporate blogs, podcasts and increased focus of video are some of the more obvious manifestations of this.

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Social Media Platforms 2015 [Research]

Social Media Platforms 2015- Which ones should you use? Here's a breakout based on research including actionable social media marketing tips.

The post Social Media Platforms 2015 [Research] appeared first on Heidi Cohen.

Our Modern Marketing Manifesto revisited

It is now just over two years since we published the final draft of our Modern Marketing Manifesto.

At the time we were trying to articulate a kind of marketing where ‘digital’ was not separate.

We identified twelve constituents of this ‘modern’ marketing each with associated tenets. 

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Mobilegeddon one month on: five rules of thumb

Google's new search algorithm, which has been dubbed 'Mobilegeddon', was feared to bring ruin to businesses without a mobile-optimised site.

One month on, what's actually changed?

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Should retailers and travel firms bid on brand terms? Bing says 'yes'

Bidding strategy is crucial to success with paid search, and one of the most vexing questions companies often grapple with is whether they should bid on brand terms.

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With so much data, why do brands still talk about broad segments like Millennials and Baby Boomers?

Thanks to technology and the internet, marketers have access to more data than ever about consumers and their customers and it's widely accepted that data holds the key to customer-centric marketing.

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62% of marketers use programmatic for brand campaigns: report

Almost two-thirds of marketers (62%) are using programmatic advertising for brand campaigns as opposed to direct response, according to the findings from our new Programmatic Branding Report.

The results also show that, on average, 40% of programmatic spending goes towards branding campaigns, with marketers expecting a 37% increase in their programmatic ad spend by 2017.

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How To Make Content Real Good [Slides]

That was the original title of the presentation I gave recently to a group of communications and marketing professionals.

But I just couldn’t do it. My english degree just wouldn’t let me

And so I presented How To Make Content People Actually Want.

The worry I had was that I had met so many people in my career who had no interest in creating content people actually want!

They create content because their boss asked them to. They do what they’ve always done. They create “stuff” because they resigned themselves to just creating “stuff.”

Create Content That Matters

My Dad passed away 5 years ago. We found out he had lung cancer two days after Father’s Day. I starkly remember kissing his bald head and wishing him a great Father’s day, not knowing it would be his last. He was gone less than 8 weeks later.

My father spent his life making stuff. He never complained. He provided for all of us – my Mom, and I, and my 3 siblings. We knew he hated going to work and loved coming home to us. I recall how happy he was when  I helped him plot the economics of his retirement to occur as soon as heavenly possible.

My parents never went to college. They never really pushed us to go either. They could hardly afford to help my oldest brother (now ranked one of the best college professors in America!) with his first few years in school. And yet, away we all went, with ambition to succeed, to get a degree, and to chase our dreams.

While the encouragement was never spoken, I think much of the ambition I’ve felt in my career has been based on the quiet sadness of seeing my father toil away doing work that he didn’t particularly care for. Those were different times. And I know he felt lucky to be able to provide for his family.

When I graduated from college he told me to get a good job. I knew he wanted me to find something that mattered to me. To contribute something meaningful.

Why am I offering this rare and maybe a little strange glimpse into my childhood? Because I believe that life is too short to just do what you’re told. To do what your boss asked you to do. To do what your company has always done. Life is too short to stay in a job you don’t love, doing things you don’t care about.

I really enjoyed presenting “How To Create Content That People Actually Want” because so much of the content we create is wanted by no one. Promotion. Propaganda. Tech Sheets. Brochures. Talking head videos.

I like challenging marketing and communications people to dream bigger, to create content people might even love to consumer and content they love to create. I enjoy showing them examples of how to do it.

But Everyone Creates Content

One of my favorite defense mechanisms by traditional marketers and curmudgeonly executives is “Content marketing is just the latest buzzword. Everyone is creating content. But to rise above all that noise, we need to present our what unique point of view.”

But here’s the problem. I am interested in your unique point of view said no one in the buying process, ever! Your customers are looking for help to their problems. They are looking to be informed and entertained. They are looking to laugh and to feel something human.

“Content today must compete with pictures of babies and kittens!” [Tweet This!]

That’s the bar. And yet I told the audience last week that it’s not that hard. Just answer your customers’ questions. Remember that behind each one of those likes and tweets and pageview stats is a person like you and me. A person with a job, maybe a mortgage or some kids. Probably a boss they don’t love. Or a job they wish they didn’t hate. Just help them!

All it takes is a little bit of empathy. But . . .

How do you explain empathy to an executive who has none?

This was the question that came up in a conversation I had with an accomplished storyteller. The answer: Fear!

• Hey boss, check out how our competition shows up first on Google.
• Hey boss, check out all these high-volume search terms in our space that don’t drive our content plans.
• Hey boss, check out all these influencers and publishers and competitors who are better at attracting our audience with great content. Because they made it their mission to do so.
• Hey boss, check out how much money we spend on paid search for brand search terms because we don’t rank organically.
• Hey boss, check out how much money we spend on unbranded search terms in our category because we don’t create content to answer those queries.

If you can’t attract an audience with content people actually want, then show them how your competition is doing just that.

3 Tips For Creating Content People Actually Want

I left the audience last week with just 3, relatively simple, yet surprisingly challenging tips for creating content people want:

1. Create content for real people based on questions they ask
2. Create the types of content people want and search engines love. Provide great answers to important questions.
3. Have some fun. Be human. And maybe even a little funny. Try it. Who knows, your audience might love it.

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The post How To Make Content Real Good [Slides] appeared first on B2B Marketing Insider.

How vital was digital marketing to the Conservatives' 2015 election victory?

Thanks to the use of social media by Obama's team in 2008 and 2012, the role of digital marketing in politics has been a hot topic. 

Online was a key battleground in the recent general election, and this trend will only increase in the years to come. 

I've been talking to Craig Elder, Digital Director at the Conservative Party, about the role digital played in a Conservative victory. 

Read more...

Computers can rap better than Kanye. What does this mean for marketers?

Here’s the news: computer scientists in Finland have created an algorithm that can programmatically create better rap lyrics than rappers.

The potential of this technology has HUGE implications for marketers. And here’s why.

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Pre-consideration marketing: the future, now?

Paid ads have historically targeted in-market consumers, but today's growing ad platforms are moving closer to passive consumers: the larger audience that are yet to make a purchase decision. 

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This Brand Is Tickled Pink, Literally

The use of colors in a given brand’s logo is a topic that is often discussed and debated with the impact those colors can have from a marketing and advertising perspective at the top of the priority list.

A lot of thought goes into, or at least it should, the color or colors of a given brand’s logo for each color can serve to represent differing traits or characteristics. For example, according to the Logo Design Guru, black can represent authority, power and mystery.

Red on the other hand can convey passion, love and anger whereas yellow can connote a sense of happiness and warmth and blue professionalism, trust and authority.

As for the color pink, that represents feminism, innocence, youth and beauty — at least according to the self-proclaimed Logo Design Guru.

Let the Music Play

However, based on the logo of one music publishing company, who according to their CEO Josh Gruss, is comprised of “very experienced and savvy music-business-minded individuals” — you can also add words such as harmonic and melodic and of course, musical.

The company is Round Hill Music and their logo color choice clearly connotes the aforementioned words while also helping garner it some attention for sure based if nothing else, on the fact that it’s hot pink.

But the logo, which was created by design agency Established, also has another visual aspect to it, one that is anything but a coincidence. A piece of tape. Yes, tape.

Gruss explains why “We thought, ‘what is the common thing that is always present?’ Aside from people and instruments, it’s tape. Tape is used by every musician to hold their picks to their instruments or microphone stands, to fix a set list during a gig to the floor, to hold down cables, to be placed on their snare or other drums, label something on a gig bag or rack case, and so on. This is who we are– we are the company that holds it all together from a music rights perspective. We are secure and can be helpful in various situations. Musicians always need to make sure they have the proper support– that is what tape is. That is who and what Round Hill Music is.”

Apparently they’re taking this whole tape thing very seriously with Gruss adding “as tape can be different shapes and sizes, we brand each of our staff with their own unique piece of tape which can be seen on each individual’s business card and email signature.”

Source: Logo Design Guru, Forbes

Photo credit: Wikipedia

The post This Brand Is Tickled Pink, Literally appeared first on B2B Marketing Insider.

Seven video marketing lessons learnt from #ThisGirlCan

Kate Dale is the head of brand and digital strategy at Sport England and was responsible for leading its phenomenally successful #ThisGirlCan campaign.

Today at our brand new Video Masterclass event, a conference brought to you by Econsultancy and Marketing Week, Kate Dale spoke about the campaign and how it achieved genuine engagement.

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Work Simply – Book Interview

Make work simple by using the tools and tactics that are right for you

If you sometimes feel you spend more time managing your productivity than doing actual work, it’s time for a change. In Work Simply, renowned productivity expert Carson Tate offers a step-by-step guide to making work simple again by using the style that works best for you.

After reading Work Simply, you’ll come away with a productivity system that truly and fundamentally fits you—and you’ll never feel overwhelmed again.

The post Work Simply – Book Interview appeared first on Heidi Cohen.

Working Simply – Book Interview

Make work simple by using the tools and tactics that are right for you

If you sometimes feel you spend more time managing your productivity than doing actual work, it’s time for a change. In Work Simply, renowned productivity expert Carson Tate offers a step-by-step guide to making work simple again by using the style that works best for you.

After reading Work Simply, you’ll come away with a productivity system that truly and fundamentally fits you—and you’ll never feel overwhelmed again.

The post Working Simply – Book Interview appeared first on Heidi Cohen.

Test until your price is the best

Small price changes can yield short term gains. Price testing can make them long term.

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Cinematic Pins bring animation, video to Pinterest advertising

The most popular next-generation social platforms are finally seeking to monetize, but they're not doing it in traditional ways.

In an effort to more tightly integrate their ad offerings into their user experiences, these companies are increasingly creating their own unique formats.

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Unlike Marketing Messages, Stories Are Messy

Perfection is one of the largest traps that business communicators fall into when turning messages into stories. The key is to identify the trap before stepping into it…

“What do you mean, you fixed it?” I asked.

His reply floored me. “I centered the flag.”

I looked at the photograph again, feeling as if I were playing an odd version of Where’s Waldo. Then I saw it. And my blood pressure rose.

Saving an old Warship

A few years ago, I volunteered for a group with a goal to save the USS IOWA Battleship (BB-61) from the scrapyard. At the time, “The Big Stick” was a member of the Mothball Fleet in Suisun Bay. Our hope was to bring the vessel to the Port of Los Angeles and open it as a museum. During my time there, I had the honor of meeting three generations of crew members who served on her during WWII (’43-’49), the Korean War (’51-’58), and The Cold War (’84-’90).

One of my tasks was to create a fundraising brochure. I was handed a stack of technical documents packed with drawings, specifications and amazing facts as a starting point. For example, the ship’s 16-inch guns could lob nine, 2,700 pound shells up to 24 miles accurately–every 30 seconds! Therefore, the team that mostly consisted of battleship buffs wanted the ship’s engineering to be the hero of the story. However, I had a different idea. Since the brochure’s objective was to elicit donations, it needed to connect with donors on an emotional level. So, I suggested that we tell the story from the sailors’ perspectives.

With the heroes selected for our story, I now studied their throughlines. Each generation had different motivations:

• The WWII vets felt the pressure of time. At almost 90 years old, one vet said, “I sure hope I walk on her before my tour of duty on this earth is over.”

• Most Korean War vets, now in their 70s, wanted to reacquaint themselves with the lady who had such an impact on their lives. One vet told me, “I went aboard as a boy and left as a man.”

• But the Cold War vets had the most heartbreaking story of all. This group wanted to save the ship as a memorial to their 47 brothers who were killed in a turret explosion on April 19, 1989.

While working on the Cold War part of the story, I selected the following photo from a service that commemorated the 20th anniversary of the tragedy.

I loved the photo. My boss, however, thought that it needed to be fixed. So, hephotoshopped it.

Here’s the image that he sent.

Can you see the differences?  Want some help? Click on Figure 2 above to see an animated GIF of the “improvements.”

As you can see from the animation, he not only centered the flag, but he removed the “unsightly” navigational post in the background.

I felt sick. The original photo documents a group of heroes mourning the loss of 47 brothers. It’s real. It’s imperfect. And as a result, the story is perfect. But evidently, when seen through the lens of absolute perfection, those flaws are just too glaring, and must be eliminated.

Stories represent life. And life is messy. We relate with people who are imperfect because they’re just like us. It’s our imperfections that make us human.

So, the next time you find a flag in your perfect story, resist the urge to fix it. Embrace it instead.

The post Unlike Marketing Messages, Stories Are Messy appeared first on B2B Marketing Insider.

10 thrilling online marketing stats we've seen this week

This week's internet marketing stats include video marketing, wearable tech, Eurovision, and booze...

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How To Get Your Content In Shape For The Summer

Just like people, you have to get your content ready for summer. Here are 5 summer content marketing tips to streamline your efforts and minimize costs.

The post How To Get Your Content In Shape For The Summer appeared first on Heidi Cohen.

Google and Twitter partner to bring tweets deep into the SERPs

Search and social are frequently seen as two distinct marketing channels, but that could be changing.  

The world's largest search engine, Google, and one of the world's most prominent social platforms, Twitter, have announced a new partnership that will integrate social content more deeply within the search experience.

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How leaders manage global engagement differently to the rest of industry

Digital marketing and customer experience management are hard enough when targeting a single region and language. 

The challenges grow exponentially as marketers contend with the nuances of multiple geographies, peoples and cultures.

Read more...

Social Media Lessons From 8 Tech Support Companies

Social media offers an opportunity to connect with your customers in an unprecedented way, allowing you to observe and direct the conversation around your brand. However, considering social media for your small business is a big decision. For the savvy business owner, the first step is research—which is why I dove into the tech support vertical to find 9 diverse examples we can learn from.

24/7 Techies – Facebook and Twitter

Total # of followers: 4,473

Using social media to connect with your customers is exciting, but it’s also a long-term investment. You must be willing to continuously update your pages with fresh content and answer customers’ questions or concerns. The Facebook and Twitter pages for Sri Lanka-based company 24/7 Techies started off promising, followed with frequent updates for months, but the most recent post is dated October 2013.

ACS Services – Facebook and Twitter

Total # of followers: 1,696

Another rule of social media is to share often, so you can maintain and grow your share of mind with followers. ACS Services publishes interesting links and original content, but only about once every few months. This isn’t nearly enough content to make a difference—which is almost as bad as having no social pages at all. Make a posting calendar to keep you on track!

CMIT Solutions for SMBs – Facebook and Twitter

Total # of followers: 2,469

CMIT Solutions is posting content frequently, and there’s a good balance between informational links and entertaining images. They’ve got the recipe right, but it’s time to start engaging customers by asking questions and opening dialogues—on both Facebook and Twitter. The fact that they have Facebook pages for each location (some of which feature different content than the main page) might be confusing customers and diluting their influence.

Geek Squad – Facebook and Twitter

Total # of followers: 39,080

Considering the brand recognition Geek Squad has through its partnership with Best Buy, I’m surprised they don’t have more followers. (Not to say nearly 40,000 isn’t a lot—I just expected the number to be higher.) The content of their posts is interesting and helpful, and they respond to commenters’ questions. Perhaps they should be promoting their social channels more, through advertising or in-store. It wouldn’t hurt to up the frequency of posts, either.

Happy Fox – Facebook and Twitter

Total # of followers: 1,582

The bulk of Happy Fox’s interaction is happening on Twitter, which makes sense when you look at how interactive the staff is with Twitter followers. Customers love to connect with the companies and services they use—it makes them feel valued to know someone is listening and responding to them. If Happy Fox can bring this dynamic to their Facebook page, they might be able to replicate their Twitter success.

iTOK.net – Facebook and Twitter

Total # of followers: 81,871

This US-based tech support company has more total followers than well-known competitors Geek Squad and AT&T’s Small Business Basics. While the numbers are impressive, it’s important to consider how well a company is engaging its followers. There’s a good balance between informative blog posts and fluffy entertainment, but the next step is encouraging comments and discussion.

iYogi – Facebook and Twitter

Total # of followers: 62,849

Coming in second in terms of total followers, this India-based tech support firm seems to be doing a good job of attracting users to its Facebook page. One suggestion to consider—diversify the order of posts. There’s a very clear pattern here, with an overt advertisement every other post. Being repetitive gets boring fast, so make sure not to fall in a rut!

Support.com – Facebook and Twitter

Total # of followers: 3,917

If both of these social pages belong to SupportSoft (known better as Support.com), there is a branding issue between them. The Facebook page uses the green color scheme found on their website, while the abandoned Twitter profile uses an old red logo. Looks like they gave up on using Twitter, which is a shame considering how well they use the @ and # functions on Facebook.

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Social media can open doors for your company and allow you to provide a higher level of customer service and engagement. If you decide to start Facebook, Twitter, or other social media profiles for your business, keep these tips in mind as you create your strategy. Happy sharing!

Image Source: VFS Digital Design

The post Social Media Lessons From 8 Tech Support Companies appeared first on B2B Marketing Insider.

Six ways mobile can ease traveler stress and increase bookings

We’ve all been there. It’s the day of travel and you’re scrambling to get to the airport. Tempers are high, boarding passes are scattered, your arms are already sore from lugging that heavy suitcase down the stairs.

But traveler anxiety starts well before the big day, stretching back to the initial stages of the planning process.

During each unique stage of the mobile journey, travelers experience changes in their mindset and behaviors, requiring brands to take a closer look at how to close the gap between what users want and what they are offering on mobile.

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Direct Line: improving the customer side of digital transformation

Direct Line redesigned its website last year, putting a larger focus on the rapidly growing number of mobile users wishing to access traditionally difficult to obtain information.

Just a few years ago the idea of obtaining a home or car insurance quote on the mobile web seemed at best a pipe-dream, at worst a massive hassle not worth attempting.

Read more...

Do companies choose their customer service channels anymore?

Following a horrific train derailment, American rail operator Amtrak has come under fire for its handling of the communications related to the tragedy.

Among them, the organization was too slow to provide information and respond to inquiries.

Read more...

30+ SEO tools to make your life easier

With the help of some SEO experts, I've compiled a list of useful tools to help with on-site optimisation, link analysis and more. 

While some of these tools are paid, the majority are free to use, or at least offer a limited service for free users. 

Read more...

Is SEO Dead? Long Live Social Search!

Let’s start with the basics of SEO.   A search engine ranks for content relevance with traits like comprehensiveness, freshness and ease of use. It then serves up content based on a digital algorithm that is tested and refined by user interaction. Often, however, basic search is only a crude indicator of intent.  It’s designed by the masses, and therefore it’s often wrong.

Enter the new wave of intent modeling. The next generation of search will be informed by social—sometimes referred to as social search. In other words, search engines will increasingly be driven by personal interaction such as voting, ranking, and commenting in order to better understand the intent of the reader. This social layer will add a new, personalized dimension to search results.

Social search is amplified by the fact that social content is on the rise.  People are creating content as fast as they are consuming it.  I first noticed this phenomenon a few years back while shopping for a Halloween costume. The leading organic search result was a Pinterest page. “Wow,” I thought, “How have brands missed this opportunity?  Why didn’t Target or the Halloween Store do a better job finding the algorithm to pop into my reader?”

The fact is, it’s getting harder and harder for brands to compete with the power of the personal network. According to Search Marketing Land, a significant ratio of the top 100 results for more queries is consumer-generated media such as blogs and social networks. This is why social media is so important to brands.  If you’re still focusing on outbound communications and search engine optimization without building a groundswell of social content, you’re likely losing in the war for online eyeballs.

So add social search to your kit of SEO and paid search. Building influencers, online communities, and social at scale is the new search.   Forward thinking marketers are beginning to use social search to understand the social behavior of their clients and acting on it.

If social search is discovery, traditional search is the validation of that discovery. Brands are using social data to understand consumer intent and pushing out relevant data to consumers—before they even know they’re interested—by using sophisticated purchase intent models.

So tell me Google, what might I be interested in? No hints this time around. Or perhaps this is one for Watson?

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#71: Public Video and the Reasonable Expectation of Privacy

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Emma, Official Sponsor of the UnPodcast

On this episode of the UnPodcast we revealed information about Scott’s underwear that we inadvertently left out of last week’s show. We also discussed why liquid nitrogen should never be invited to a pool party, when it is and is not okay to shoot video in public places and how the video can be used, as well as both good and bad ways to respond to negative (and in some cases false) reviews.

Other topics include:

• [00:00:55.25] Angry letters we received after last week’s episode
• [00:02:08.08] Let’s talk about Scott’s underwear
• [00:03:16.01] Don’t do this without permission
• [00:06:02.15] If you do this, it could be confusing
• [00:07:48.12] Why some people do things without asking permission
• [00:08:52.11] Now THAT would be a good April Fool’s joke
• [00:09:30.29] Don’t try this at home
• [00:12:48.03] Scary texts from unknown strangers
• [00:13:21.16] Just think of the press you’ll get if they call in the FBI!
• [00:14:16.02] Meerkat live-streaming video (and what’s wrong with it)
• [00:16:13.07] What we really need, when it comes to video
• [00:16:47.21] Perioscope by Twitter
• [00:18:35.06] What makes good video
• [00:19:14.22] The best way to create content
• [00:25:27.11] A restaurant that used surveillance to disprove a 1-star Yelp review
• [00:27:26.21] IKEA breastfeeding discrimination claim
• [00:28:58.20] The impact of reviews on businesses
• [00:30:48.01] Instagram shaming after a bad Yelp review
• And so much more. . .

Items mentioned in this episode

Duluth Trading Company

Clothing Company Apologizes To Don Henley For Invoking His Name To Sell Shirts

Meerkat, Periscope, Privacy and the Law: Is Live-Streaming Video Legal?

Take That, Meerkat! Twitter Unveils Periscope Live-Streaming Video App

Periscope

Restaurant Uses Surveillance Footage To Disprove 1-Star Yelp Review

What Not to Bring to Your Summer Pool Party: Liquid Nitrogen
Video provided by: AtomicSpark
Audio recorded by: Wayne Cochrane Sound

Three key takeaways from our Digital Transformation Trends Briefing: Digital Cream 2015

Digital transformation is the journey from where a company is, to where it aspires to be digitally.

A digital organisation is generally considered to be one that focuses on customer experience irrespective of channel and has a ‘digital culture’. But how do you get the right mix of skills, culture and technology in order to benefit the customer and the long-term health of your organisation?

Read more...

Content Marketing Questions — How To Do Marketing With No Budget?

I have done a whole bunch of interviews in the last few weeks on content marketing questions.

And since I believe one of the best content marketing hacks is to turn your most frequently asked questions into helpful pieces of information for your audience, I am going to try and demonstrate that approach in this next series of posts.

Here are my best answers to 16 content marketing questions I received from a partner. I hope this helps answer one of yours, or your bosses.

How and when did you get started with content marketing?

I think I was doing content marketing before we were using the term. After a 10-year stint with The Nielsen Company in sales and marketing roles, I became head of marketing for two consecutive startups. I had very little budget and no team.  So how do you create a marketing strategy with no budget? Content marketing. [Click to Tweet]

I researched keywords, I interviewed customers, analysts and influencers in our space and basically created a corporate website that looked more like a blog. We led with customer questions and our best answers. I didn’t know at the time this was what we now call “content marketing” but I know it worked!

What’s the simplest way you can explain content marketing?

Content marketing is the gap between what brands produce and their audience actually wants. Content marketing is the commitment to become the leading destination of helpful insights for your audience by answering their top questions.

Is content marketing for everyone?

I think if I were a direct response marketer, I maybe don’t need content marketing as much as products where customers do a lot of research. That’s why financial service firms were early in content marketing: there’s a huge need for information in the customer journey. But even for direct response businesses, I would think you would want to educate your consumers early in the buying journey.

What’s the difference between B to B and B to C Content Marketing?

There is no difference really. We’re all people. Buildings don’t buy stuff. People do. The obvious difference is in the amount of complexity and information required and people involved in B2B. But the process to deliver that information in the form of content marketing is generally the same.

How would you recommend B to C brands commence their content marketing journey?

Start with asking why your business exists. For example, food companies exist to feed people. Start with that basic purpose and then build your content marketing efforts from there.

Is content marketing a big name brand game exclusively? Can the small business with minimal budget play?

Content marketing might be even more important for small businesses. As I mentioned in my own career, when you have a small budget and a marketing department of one, you aren’t going to buy TV ads. You do content marketing. You become a source of information in your category and you can gain your fair share of the market.

Do you believe there are certain product categories that benefit more from content marketing?

Yes, some product categories require more information. Technology, healthcare, financial services. Maybe even travel, automotive and others. We only buy these things after doing a lot of research. Content marketing can really help the brands in these categories.

What does a basic content marketing strategy include?

A basic content marketing strategy includes a gap analysis (where you are vs where you want to be), a mission statement or objective, an editorial strategy, budget allocation against technology, content and distribution, a team accountable to getting it done, and a measurement framework.

How can publishers help marketers plan and execute their content marketing strategy?

Publishers know how to create great content. Brands should be partnering with their top media partners to sponsor and syndicate high quality publisher content and then using the publisher to help distribute high-quality, brand-produced content.

I’m not talking about ads. I’m talking about the brand and the publisher co-creating journalistic quality content that meets the needs of the reader. [Tweet This!] And then properly disclosing who paid to create it.

Who’s the best consumer content marketer out there and why? What can we learn from them?

It’s tough to say. There are some great examples from Disney, LEGO, and RedBull. What we can learn from them is that they have dedicated content marketing teams. And huge investments in content marketing.

They do this because it is more effective than direct advertising. RedBulletin is a publication worthy or even better than any publisher magazine. They are selling ads to others. They have setup an entire studio to create content with money that would normally be invested in ads nobody wants to see. And the brand benefits.

If you had to choose one, which do you consider is the best content marketing metric?

Subscriptions. If people love your content so much that they chose to subscribe to it, then you are doing a great job.

What is the value of a long-term content strategy compared to a “traditional” campaign by campaign approach?

Based on my definition, content marketing is content the audience wants and campaigns include promotion that no one wants and that we try to avoid.

So in the long term, content marketing is building more and more reach, engagement and trust that allows more people to interact with your brand, and ultimately to buy from you. Content marketing is an asset that delivers increasing return over time. Campaigns go out, produce some short term bump and then you have to start all over again.

Why is content marketing effective?

Content marketing is effective because it delivers what your customers want. That, in turn, drives trust in your brand. And that, in turn, delivers business value.

With more and more companies buying into content marketing, will there be a point where saturation will start negatively affecting Content Marketing’s purpose and ability to reach people?

There will always be an opportunity for brands to join the conversation around a topic that they are connected to.

If you are a technology company, you likely have dozens, hundreds, or thousands of employees and customers who can join the conversation in a way that provides value to the brand.

So no, we are not at the saturation point and I don’t see us ever reaching it.

Let me put it another way. There is so much bad content that is never used or seen by customers and there is so much wasted spend inside companies that it will be a long time before we can optimize it to driving customer and business value. 

Factoring time as a resource, is Content Marketing truly as efficient as advertised?

I have seen on average across many customers who were able to achieve 3-5 X the brand engagement / lift / conversions / sales (whatever you want to measure) from content marketing than they received from advertising.

It’s not really an apples to apples comparison because advertising is a media buy (paid media). There are people and agencies and internal procurement procedures for advertising as well. I have seen many brands (GE famously claims they have 2-4 people doing all of their content) execute effective content marketing with 1 / 10th of the people and cost they have associated with advertising and still gain that 3, 4 or even 5x higher return.

To me the bigger question is why is anyone still spending the money we are seeing pouring into advertising. To me the answer is simple: executives like to see their logo plastered and painted in as many places as possible, whether it is effective or not.

What tendencies or trends will be affecting Content Marketing in the near future?

The biggest trend in content marketing right now is visual content. We have pretty much figured out how to turn brands into online publishers with high quality blogs that scale. Now we are seeing more brands get into visual content production because, as a society, we are consuming more.

We like videos and slideshares and vines and emojis. But this content is hard to get right and more expensive. And not everyone can be RedBull, Disney or GE.

Next, we are seeing content marketing moving away from vanity metrics like pageviews, social shares and bounce rates to targeted communication. It’s not just about what you are producing, it is really all about whether you are reaching and engaging the right people.

Please follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook and Subscribe here for regular updates.

Does Starbucks show that organisations need a Chief Digital Officer?

Criticism of the Chief Digital Officer (CDO) role centres on its necessity in executive team and that it creates another organisational silo.

However, does Adam Brotman's success as CDO at Starbucks highlight that there is in fact a strong case for organisations to appoint consider appointing one? 

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