News – Page 5 – Editorial PR

06/Feb/2017

Content marketing strategists are always on the lookout for ways to improve the efficiency of their advertising, whatever the goal, and with digital marketing taking off, developing a campaign with the potential to return great success has become more complex than ever. One platform often used for content marketers, particularly for the distribution of material, is Twitter. This micro blogging social network offers another way to engage with fans and followers via Twitter Moments.

Twitter Moments was first launched to the public in 2016. Instead of sharing a string of unrelated Tweets, users can actually create a story from tweets and multimedia. These are then uploaded to the networking platform as a ‘story’ for followers to engage with. Twitter’s move in this direction shows that the channel is clearly prioritising digestible, concise content that might be able to compete on an even footing with both Instagram and Snapchat.

For content marketers around the world, the Twitter Moments feature offers a great way to improve engagement with fans and dramatically drive return on investment (ROI) levels higher. One digital marketing and media analyst, Rebecca Lieb, was quoted recently as saying “Twitter Moments just leverages what Twitter is already about, which is real-time marketing.”

With this in mind, there are a few ways for advertisers to utilise Moments to their advantage. Firstly, companies can showcase not only their brand values, but the value of their brand in itself. For example, one healthcare provider developed a moment that focussed on their physician assistants. The company included data on the growth of the profession during the past five years, not only sharing valuable data and insights, but telling a story at the same time.

Another route content strategists could take is to use Twitter Moments to actively engage with their followers and brand advocates. It is best practice on social media platforms to actively share quality content from followers. However, this can be included in a Moment too, adding even deeper levels of trust and reputation among fans. It shows that social media teams really are paying attention to what their fans are saying and aren’t simply clicking the ‘Retweet’ button without properly engaging.

Finally, Twitter Moments can be used to help companies make their brand’s message more concise, while shaping their reputation. It is all too easy for messages on social media, particularly Twitter, to become lost or misrepresented, especially if a follower is out to cause trouble. Companies can also use Moments to deliver a statement, highlight specific messages or tweets, or to frame their perspective on a topic. The latter is particularly useful when responding to current affairs. Using Moments in this way enables brands to give a concise and focussed message that can keep reputations intact.

Overall, Twitter Moments can be a great method for content marketers to focus their follower attention on specific content, helping campaigns to find more success. It can also deliver concise messages, safeguarding a company’s reputation from negative press.

Annie

23/Jan/2017

Effective content marketing is increasingly being regarded as vital, with many brands seeing it as a crucial way to help develop presence and increase success. Done right, a campaign not only generates revenue and growth but can boost brand awareness. However, there are ways in which content marketing should not be approached, so it’s wise to consider all the facts before launching a new campaign.

Firstly, content marketing is not the easy and cheap solution that many believe it to be. For companies believing that to be the case, attempts to start campaigns can be fraught with difficulties and, in some cases, might even damage a brand’s reputation. Therefore, it’s important to think about why undertaking such a challenge might not be such a good move. Those without the proper in-house skills might be wise to outsource the work if it is to stand any chance of success. Alternatively, other forms of advertising can be used.

One mistake that brands make is starting a content marketing plan as a way to stay ‘on-trend’. Unfortunately, if content doesn’t actually offer a target audience any value, it’s unlikely to succeed. Before beginning any content strategy, consider whether the resulting advertising is likely to find appeal. It also shouldn’t be thought of as a quick fix because it can take months, even years, to carefully construct a strategy that will work. Most things take time to evolve before they give anything in return and the content marketing niche is no exception. For example, many blogs are quickly abandoned; however, when blogs are maintained in the long-term, and generate around 15 blog posts each month, around 1,200 new leads can be generated.

Another misconception is that content marketing will instantly improve search rankings. Though it may well help in the long run, it certainly will not yield overnight results. One expert in the content niche, Ian Lurie, says: “Content isn’t ‘stuff we write to rank higher’ or ‘infographics’ or ‘long-form articles.’ Content is anything that communicates a message to the audience. Anything.”

Finally, it’s important to recognise that content marketing strategies are neither a cheap form of advertising, nor a way to gain direct sales. With regard to the former, there are many reports showing massive return on investment. In fact, three times as many leads can be generated as traditional advertising, with a 62 per cent markdown in cost. However, investment is required. Meanwhile, not every piece of content will generate direct sales and, in fact, many pieces shouldn’t be aimed at doing so. Some will build brand awareness, while others will lead customers into the mouth of the sales funnel. In fact, almost half of B2B marketers agree that between three and five buying stages are required to make a sale.

Content marketing can be hugely successful when it’s done correctly, pushing companies to the next level and spreading positive brand awareness. It is not cheap and it is not quick to yield results, however, those going into it with their eyes open could reap huge benefits over the medium to long term.

Annie

16/Jan/2017

A new poll has shown that almost half of content marketers are not solely focused on generating leads – they’re aiming to boost brand awareness instead. Clutch’s ‘Content Marketing Survey 2016’ showed that though content marketing is developed with a variety of objectives in mind, 49 per cent of professionals focus on simply bringing more awareness to their company and brand as a whole. In addition, a variety of mediums, particularly original research and infographics, are expected to be successful in the coming year.

The new year has brought fresh opportunities for companies to jump on the latest trends in order to maximise their content marketing strategies in 2017. It is, therefore, extremely important to reflect on the industry trends noted in 2016. In the survey by Clutch, it was discovered that brand awareness was the leading objective for content strategists. Other goals that were placed as a priority included reaching a higher search engine visibility, with 30 per cent of respondents mentioning this. Meanwhile, lead generation was also important, finding favour with 21 per cent of those questioned.

Delving further into the type of content that saw the most success, it was shown that infographics, original research and data, and product reviews continue to do well. They were mentioned as the best performers by 17 per cent, 18 per cent and 16 per cent of respondents respectively. Other content formats included blog posts, which 14 per cent of people said excelled, and videos, mentioned by 13 per cent. At the other end of the scale, eBooks and podcasts failed to find success.

Clutch also investigated the ways that companies measure their success. For 32 per cent of respondents, content marketing success is directly tied to sales metrics, with campaigns perceived to be more successful, according to how many new customers are gained. Meanwhile, 29 per cent of firms focus on lead generation, whilst the same percentage take consumption metrics into account. Researchers said “metrics should tell a story about whether you achieved your goal… before creating content, you need to define what return-on-investment (ROI) means for that specific piece.”

For content marketing strategists, promotion remains a key way to boost the success of a campaign. It means that companies are using more methods to promote their work, with 71 per cent using paid advertisement options, 70 per cent making use of organic social media, and 69 per cent relying on traditional marketing channels in order to amplify their marketing efforts. The report writers noted “it’s important to prioritise paid forms of content distribution over organic efforts. In fact, we found that the majority of enterprise content marketers surveyed believe paid advertisements are more effective than organic approaches to content distribution.”

Elsewhere, a new report entitled “B2B Content Marketing 2017: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends – North America’ found that 62 per cent of marketers in the B2B sector believe their current content strategies are already more successful than a year ago. This is largely attributed to increasing content priorities, producing better quality content, and developing strategies. Additionally, 52 per cent said that blogs would be vital for marketing in 2017, whilst email newsletter and social media content will also remain important.

Eain

09/Jan/2017

There’s a big question heard in the industry a lot – can content marketing really work for small businesses? Whilst content strategies are proven to have worked for firms like IBM and American Express, these global firms have huge amounts of capital and resources to throw at advertising. In comparison, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are often working with extremely tight, or even non-existent budgets. This shouldn’t put executives off because content marketing for SMEs can sometimes help level the playing field between them and their larger competitors.

For content marketing strategies to work, smaller firms must commit wholeheartedly to the concept of content advertising. In a North American study, it was found that only 21 per cent of content marketers actually classed themselves as “extremely” committed. In addition, it’s important to recognise that more time will be needed to promote content than to create it in the first place. The myth that great content will simply attract huge attention on its own is false. Regardless of content quality, if no promotion takes place, no one will see or share it – and there will definitely be no business conversions.

When it’s done correctly, content marketing can be of great benefit to SMEs. It can help them find more fans, followers and, eventually, customers. Also, there’s a host of ways this can be achieved. For instance, a survey by Neil Patel discovered that leading content strategies could get an average of 7.8 times more views than non-leaders; that’s an increase of 800 per cent. In addition, quality content, good promotion and increased views can all lead to higher rankings amongst search engines. Without content, it will be extremely difficult to find a spot on Bing or Google. Through content marketing, a stream of new, high quality material can help boost overall visibility.

There are other advantages too. For example, becoming a content leader (regardless of a firm’s size) can help establish authority in a specific niche. This means that SMEs can experience not only increased visibility from fans, but also increase notoriety with competitors. All of this can lead to more leads and sales as a result. For example, findings from HubSpot found that companies with a blog feature on their website, on average, generate 126 per cent more leads. Finally, the Content Marketing Institute discovered that “while content marketing costs 62 per cent less than outbound marketing, it generates more than three times as many leads.” This goes to show that even small budgets can be used to conduct content marketing and then reap the rewards.

Content marketing is not a quick, get-rich-fast strategy. It needs ample time and resources to develop the right branding, voice and momentum. For smaller firms, it will take careful consideration to ensure that campaigns are started with the best chance of success to avoid eating into what little capital may be available, however, even the smallest of firms can undertake this type of marketing and enjoy the huge advantages it brings.

Aimee

03/Jan/2017

It’s true to say that 2016 was a huge year for content marketing, and this form of advertising really took off in a big way throughout the year. For 2017, this trend is set to continue. Whilst no one can ever be sure what the future holds, expert Lon Otremba reveals that there are already some obvious trends which will likely find their way into next year’s content marketing and native advertising ecosystem.

Marketers have already realised that connecting with fans and followers through interesting content has become far more efficient than traditional advertising. The best content strategists now know that engaging consumers with content results in a boost in brand engagement too. This has the knock-on effect of providing better Return on Investment (ROI) than traditional forms of advertising.

The result of this is that more marketers are placing their priorities on content marketing, with strategists turning to native advertising as one of their key strategies. This is set to increase over the coming year; especially since many of the consumer connections made with content do not have the associate short-term shelf life of traditional display ads. For example, if the content is compelling enough, fans and followers will spend lengthy periods with brand material.

The optimisation of landing pages is also likely to gain in priority during 2017, with more companies focussing on what consumers do after they click. Instead of attracting people in great numbers to a page they simply bounce off of, strategists will aim to develop post-click content that keeps consumers engaged and on a brand site. This can be far more efficient than optimising ad placements.

Meanwhile, large brands are expected to begin developing more of their content marketing strategies in-house instead of outsourcing work to agencies. This is due to many businesses realising the importance of content marketing, and now combining content development and programmatic marketing to maximise efficiency. For agencies, it will mean increased pressure to develop the best creative content for clients in innovative and new ways, as well as accessing the latest technological tools so brands can still gain value from outsourcing.

Finally, there’s also a word of caution that regardless of the great tech brands may use, it won’t surpass the value of good content. It seems there are new pieces of software, innovative gadgets and fantastic next-gen ways of connecting with consumers appearing almost on a weekly basis. However, it’s important to remember that using these won’t provide success if the content remains of poor quality.

In 2017, it’s expected that tech firms, publishers and marketers will continue to work hard with one another to ensure that great advertising and compelling content is used alongside advanced technology.

Content marketing will continue to evolve over the coming 12 months, and no one can say for certain just how it will develop. However, a few key principles remain; consumers must be provided with great content that is optimised to keep fans engaged for longer. Meanwhile, no wealth of great technology will make up for poor material, whilst marketing agencies will need to find new ways to offer great value to their clients.

Eain

19/Dec/2016

Those wanting to boost their content marketing strategies to the next level should ensure they’re using magnetic advertising techniques to gain more leads. This is one of the most important aspects of marketing for those wanting to see online success. Why? Because it attracts readers and feeds them into a firm’s sales funnel.

The quality of content can make or break a business’ marketing success. If material is poor and doesn’t answer an audience’s question, people will click away quickly. On the other hand, if the content focuses on their exact needs, they’re not only likely to stay around, but they may also share the content with friends and acquaintances too.

Magnetic marketing utilises high-quality content

When developing magnetic marketing campaigns, it is essential to use only the best quality content. In many cases, people write content simply as a means of boosting their publishing schedule. This means it’s not necessarily high quality and is, therefore, unlikely to attract readers time and time again.

Angie Schottmuller, an expert in growth marketing, suggests that to make an audience take notice, the ‘Triangle of Relevance’ needs to be used. At each point of this triangle is a key element that needs to be included within content. These include business interest, user interest and time significance. User interest, for example, needs to cater to an audience’s likes and interests. Business interest has to include points on brand message for base products and services, whilst time significance takes into account community-relevant topics such as special events, holidays or the latest trends.

Create magnetic content with three steps

There are three key steps to developing content that might prove magnetic to a target audience and boost a campaign’s success, along with creating many new leads. The first is to research the appropriate topics. To do this, strategists should look up leading influences and experts within their niche and identify the topics of conversation being discussed. In particular, questions that are regularly asked could make ideal content topics, with brands being able to add their own personal experience and spin.

The second point is to establish just how to answer these questions. Of course, one simple way is to look online. However, by using this information, companies do little than regurgitate the same material. Instead, it’s worthwhile to take a personal stance on a topic and try to tell a story of how an employee or entire firm overcome a problem. This makes content more relatable and can build trust with readers.

Finally, the third point relates to how questions are answered. It is easiest to do this simply and systematically to avoid information dumps, disjointed tips and random information. Staying on-point and answering in a step-by-step format works wonders.

Creating magnetic content isn’t hard if the correct research is done and the Triangle of Relevance is utilised. And, by both attracting and then gripping audiences, brands are more likely to gain leads and see their content shared organically for increased reach.

Aimee

12/Dec/2016

It’s the time of year when many marketers are looking to the future and trying to establish what trends will appear or will continue to find popularity in 2017. For content marketers, 2016 has been a big year, but the sector continues to evolve rapidly, so it’s important for strategists to stay abreast of the latest goings on. Understanding how the industry might change in coming months will certainly affect many brands’ strategies, so it’s wise to focus on how the trends could affect future content creation and marketing efforts.

Video set to dominate

During 2016, video began to find increasing appeal with audiences, and this is set to continue next year. Digital video platforms like YouTube have become extremely popular with millenials; that is, those aged between 18 and 34 years old. For many, instead of watching primetime television, or even streaming entertainment on Netflix, YouTube is now the go-to website. In fact, a recent study by YouTube found that 35 per cent of millenials prefer watching videos on the platform, compared to the 18 per cent that still enjoy traditional TV viewing. In addition, 74 per cent to those liking YouTube state they watch brand, institute and company uploaded videos; a fact that should offer some great marketing opportunities for content strategists.

Mobile-friendly formats become necessary

The rise of smartphone use has been somewhat meteoric, and depending on which report is being read, it’s expected that between 65 and 75 per cent of total Internet use will stem from mobile devices in 2017 – that’s around three hours a day per person. This means that advertising campaigns have to be optimised for mobile use to stand any chance of success.

Content marketers will need to focus on mobile-friendly content formats that do not require consumers to refer back to a desktop browser at a later date. Meanwhile, a lot of thought will need to go into accelerating loading pages for websites and content.

More investment in content

One thing is clear for 2017 – the amount of money being invested into content will rise. A recent study conducted by the Content Marketing Institute in partnership with MarketingProfs showed that around 63 per cent of B2BC marketers believe their marketing efforts this year have been as good as, if not better than, twelve months ago.

With many firms more confident about their content marketing efforts, it’s likely that investment into this activity will increase. Some estimates suggest that 8 per cent of content marketing budgets will be pushed into content creation, with the remainder used to both advertise and promote the material.

The use of AI

Finally, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) is likely to continue growing in 2017. A few content marketers began experimenting with AI this year, utilising machine-generated content for the first time. For example, product specification lists could be used by AI to generate product descriptions.

This is likely to continue being an area of interest over the next twelve months, particularly in offering customers personalised experiences and helping to translate material into other languages for greater audience reach.

Annie

05/Dec/2016

Content marketing is a complex topic for even the most expert of strategists. Conducted incorrectly, this form of marketing can easily fall far from the mark when it comes to satisfying audience needs, instead just adding noise to an already cluttered space. It is, therefore, essential to get marketing strategies right from the outset. Although brands and strategists will continue to learn throughout the process and evolve their plans constantly, staying away from these common pitfalls can help position organisations for success.

Internal reorganisation can be a challenge

One thing that can be problematic, especially for larger firms, is implementing internal changes to facilitate the real-time content creative process. For example, Rachel Hawkes, the group social head for travel and holiday brand, TUI, said that working with international teams can result in duplicate work. As a result, the firm is focussing on trying to gain a more centralised approach to creating content. At TUI in the UK, there are 70 employees creating social, web and print content. Meanwhile, 30 creators are doing the same in Germany, whilst other locations have fewer.

By centralising all content creation, Ms Hawkes says that local content can be created more quickly and duplication can be avoided. “If we have 3,000 beds in New York, we can send internal teams out to create social content that can be disseminated through the group,” she explained.

Culling platforms shouldn’t be dismissed

Another aspect of modern content marketing that many strategists struggle with is trying to cover the multitude of social media platforms available. Creating content for all of these can be challenging, especially when each piece needs to be tailored to where it will be broadcast. In some cases, brands might simply become overwhelmed by the amount of work required. However, it’s important to recognise that platforms can, and should, be culled if needed.

As a case in point, oil firm BP previously identified seven key audience areas and began developing content for them. They quickly realised that simply picking the fastest growing platform, the largest one, or the place where competitors were found didn’t necessarily guarantee success.

Ben Jefferies, BP’s global head of digital publishing, concluded: “I’m not afraid of killing a platform.” In fact, despite their Facebook platform having around 250,000 followers, they’ve noticed some stagnation since its heyday in 2010. As a result, BP now produces more content for LinkedIn instead. “Map your content to the right audience, and build a framework around it,” Mr Jefferies said. “Take the relevance of your content and what the audience wants to figure out, and put the platform at the centre of that.”

Watching market trends is essential

Finally, experts suggest that watching market trends is essential. This is particularly true for identifying emerging innovations for content marketing. Ogilivy & Mather’s head of innovation, James Whatley, suggests that bots are fast becoming the next brand experience. Instead of spending money on developing brand applications that fans then have to download, using bots in Facebook Messenger can offer high returns. The company, which helped develop campaigns like Stoptober, has noticed success here.

By taking an informed approach to content marketing, the most common mistakes can be avoided. And this can help brands achieve success far faster, whilst providing their audiences with the right material.

Annie

28/Nov/2016

Blogging remains one of the most important ways to gain readership, and whilst video is increasingly becoming an important aspect of any content marketing strategy, building a strong blog is essential. For modern bloggers, it’s vital to develop a smart strategy, not only to build branding, but also to use a blog as a launch point for other material.

One of the most important things for any blogger to understand is their target audience. The days when writers could simply upload to high-quality blogs and watch the readers roll in are long gone. Now, a marketing strategy is essential if people want to gain any longevity from their blog, and it all starts with the target audience.

Narrowing down a potential readership is extremely effective. Even the best articles cannot appeal to everyone, so it is best to focus on one niche and serve those in that group with the answers and information they’re looking for. It’s important to nurture a community of engaged participants, rather than readers who stop by for a couple of articles and then move on to the next thing that catches their eye. Therefore, identifying and homing in on a target audience can be a key factor in determining success.

Once audiences have been identified, it’s then essential to serve content that they want. And to make them notice content, it’s also important to find out where they hang out. Luckily, in the digital era, this is not very hard – particularly for content marketers who’ve targeted a specific interest. When it comes to serving adverts, Facebook can be a great tool, enabling marketers to use their audience insights to define readership and target the right people directly. As another avenue, it is wise to also identify different key websites audience members might like. These can then be harnessed to attract extra attention, either through guest posting or commenting on people’s posts.

As with all strategies, varying content is a must. Writing articles for a blog can be a good foundation to get people interested. However, to keep readers focussed, it’s important to change format now and then. This can be done by including infographics, producing podcasts and capitalising on the latest interest in video with film content that can be showcased on websites. Though it might seem like a lot of work, creating many different forms of content means that the same ideas can often be recycled. An expert interview is also an extremely good way to create interest, not only because current readers can find value in such content, but also because bloggers can gain the attention of the expert’s fans too.

The days of using great content to gain attention are gone, and though a small readership might be created, it’s unusual for content creators to gain huge followings from this alone. Most of the time, a smart content marketing strategy is required. But, by finding and serving target audience members with a variety of content, even the smallest blogs have a chance of success.

Aimee

21/Nov/2016

Content marketing strategies can be complicated at the best of times. There are multiple considerations when it comes to the actual content and the various places it can be shared. Another point that marketers must think about is gaining consumer trust. Without it, engagement is likely to be reduced and strategies, therefore, will be doomed to fail.

For anyone who has ever had to sit down and write a university thesis or college paper, a critical element is citing sources. These validate any data used and, as a result, gain the trust of readers. When it comes to the Internet, gaining people’s trust is even more important as there are countless exaggerations and lies that can be passed off as fact. Becoming a trusted and respected influencer should be the goal of businesses, especially those wanting to be successful with content marketing campaigns.

There are a variety of ways for brands to increase their reliability and trustworthiness in the eyes of the consumer. While there are many things that will always be out of a strategist’s control, plenty of tactics remain.

Create a schedule

One of the most important things for content marketing is consistency. Therefore, it is extremely important to develop a posting schedule, curate content well in advance, and then stick to the plan. By doing this, current readers and potential fans can enjoy a steady stream of posts that not only provide information, but project a firm’s branding. And, every time a schedule is adhered to, consumer expectations are met and a company’s reputation enjoys a little boost.

Utilise sources for data

As mentioned, it is very important to ensure that your information, especially statistics, is correct. The world, especially in the modern era, demands proof – so brands need to back up any figures with links to statistics. This helps to create a good culture of only utilising credible sources. And, if data has come from an ambiguous place, it’s best to try and find a trustworthy site to cross check.

High-quality content is key

There used to be a time when quantity over quality worked, but not anymore. Brands must be sure they’re crafting high-quality material that has no grammatical or spelling errors. In addition, readers must be able to gain something from content, whether it’s an answer to their problem or valuable information that enriches their lives. If content doesn’t make the grade or has the potential to damage a firm’s reputation, never publish it.

Branding voice remains important

Finally, it is extremely important for brands to develop a voice and then stick to it. Of course, over time a company’s voice is likely to evolve and change as they become more aligned and comfortable with the content they’re offering. However, having a guideline for content is important, both in the language that’s used and the actual structure of content itself.

Gaining someone’s trust can be an extremely powerful asset when it comes to business. It not only builds a relationship with a consumer, but it may also make them more likely to share positive word-of-mouth feedback about a brand too. It is, therefore, a crucial element that must not be missed.

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