4 Marketing Fails Every Agency Can Learn From

As marketers, advertisers, and general creative types, you know that campaigns are carefully scrutinized. By the time you see an ad online, in print, or on television, you know that numerous people at an agency or marketing firm have studied and deconstructed it. With the amount of eyes that go into a campaign, it can be baffling when major brands or companies willingly distribute offensive, unsuccessful, or downright cringeworthy ads.

Rather than simply laugh at the expense of others' shortcomings, we'll instead take a positive spin. Below are four marketing fails every agency can learn from.

1. Amazon's Fascist Overtones

Nazi references in 2016? Really? To promote its series The Man in the High Castle—an alternate reality series that envisions a world in which the Axis powers had won World War II—Amazon decked out New York City subway cars with suggestive imagery. While the adverts didn't explicitly feature historically accurate symbols, it was enough for people to get the point.

While Amazon wasn't the only company to blatantly reference, well, pretty much the worst historical chapter in history, it's still disheartening to see a major organization employ shock value as a tactic. We're all for pushing the boundary, but c'mon…

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Triple-check your work, people. And be sure to run it by enough people to see if they can tolerate it.

2. Starbucks Attempts to Discuss Race

We'll admit that 2016 was a bit of a doozy when it came to racial and classist issues. In an attempt to break down the barriers, Starbucks had its baristas write "Race Together" on coffee cups, in an attempt to get a conversation centered on race started.

While this campaign may have sounded like a good idea in the boardroom, it was ultimately an uncomfortable experience for everyone involved. After all, who wants to engage in an awkward, forced conversation when they're on the go?

Sure, it's progressive to get consumers to think about cultural issues. But to force them to talk about them can be just awkward.

3. Rhode Island Wants to Be Iceland

Iceland's tourism campaigns are gold. They've bolstered an entire industry and have helped resurrect a faltering national economy. While flattery is the best kind of compliment, it's a bit different when you blatantly rip off a successful campaign.

Rhode Island was called out this year for using direct footage of a skateboarder in Iceland, in an attempt to promote the "uniqueness" of Rhode Island. While the mistake could certainly happen to anyone—stock footage, people!—this one seems a bit more intentional.

It's one thing to pay homage to a successful campaign. It's another to copy it.

4. Microsoft's Artificial Intelligence (AI) Gets the Best of the Company

In an experiment of "conversational understanding," Microsoft created an AI chatbot to engage people in Twitter conversation. Unsurprisingly, it took less than a day for this seemingly innocent social experiment to be corrupted by Internet trolls.

Despite Microsoft's good intentions, Twitter users quickly taught the bot, named Tay, to tweet offensive, sexist, and racist statements. The lesson here? Know your audience. And at the least, know the influence your audience holds over your brand.

While these four marketing mishaps probably could have been avoided, they all provided valuable lessons we can still learn from today.

Source: 4 Marketing Fails Every Agency Can Learn From

Pilieci: Bell Canada ads hijacked my web browser

This takes aggressive marketing to a whole new level.

In a move that has some privacy experts raising their eyebrows, Bell Canada is forcing advertisements directly into the web browsers of customers who are in the process of leaving the Internet provider. Even more worrisome, say those same experts, is that Bell isn't the only Internet provider doing this.

I've experienced the situation firsthand. While recently switching my home Internet service to a competitor, I called Bell, asking what they would do to keep my business. Unsatisfied with the response, I called again a while later, cancelled and switched providers.

Soon after, I received an email from Bell, asking me to call again because there may be a new promotional offer available. I did, but the offer wasn't enough. A day later, I received another phone call from a Bell customer service agent at home who tried to highlight the earlier promotional offer. Again, I declined.

All of that was annoying, but acceptable.

What sparked my concern was after the phone call.

Several days after cancelling, I reached for my tablet, opened a web browser and — without tapping anything — watched as the browser was automatically redirected from its intended destination to an online advertisement for Bell.

"We have received a request to cancel one of your Bell services," it blared across the top of the screen. 

After a total of four phone calls with the company, Bell felt it was necessary to tamper with my Internet stream directly, hijack my web browser and force an advertisement for its services onto my tablet's screen.

Is this even legal?

"We are aware of this tactic," said David Fewer, a lawyer who specializes in technology and Internet issues and is director of the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic at the University of Ottawa. "(Others) seem to do it as well. It has been on our radar for a while. It is likely a violation of the Internet Traffic Management Practices rules."

The rules governing how Internet service providers, such as Bell, can alter a person's connection are spelled out under the Telecommunications Act. Those rules specifically require an Internet provider to approach the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to receive approval before they can alter or block content flowing over a person's connection, according to Fewer.

"You received this message only because your Bell IP address had been flagged for disconnection," said Jacqueline Michelis, a spokeswoman for Bell, who added the advertisement didn't "control" or "alter" my communications. "It's intended simply to ensure a smooth transition by confirming your service cancellation details, and to make (sure) you are aware of any special offers or promotions that might encourage you to stay with Bell, something most customers appreciate.

"Bell is absolutely committed to maintaining the privacy of our customers' personal information, and the message complies fully with all privacy regulations and our own privacy policy."

The ad presented to me did not confirm any of my service cancellation details. It simply asked me to call them, again, to discuss a promotional offer.

Apparently the four previous phone calls were deemed to be insufficient to get the company's message across to me.

Bell's interpretation of the issue is not shared by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, who said the office is actively investigating these types of actions.

"What you've described appears to raise privacy questions. I can tell you that we are looking into cases dealing with similar issues," said Tobi Cohen, a spokeswoman for the privacy commissioner. Cohen suggested a formal complaint may be in order, but couldn't provide further information due to the office's ongoing investigation.

The CRTC would not comment on the issue specifically or reveal whether it has its own investigation looking into the practice. The CRTC said filing a formal complaint would be the avenue needed for it to take the next steps. 

In the increasingly competitive world of telecommunications services, it's understandable providers will do whatever they can to keep customers. That may even include multiple phone calls, emails and actual snail-mail letters.

But to employ the tactics resembling in some ways those used by hackers, by injecting data into a person's personal Internet connection, as far as I'm concerned, takes things too far.

Source: Pilieci: Bell Canada ads hijacked my web browser

Marketing Online

The promotion and use of Spam in a blatant and abusive way in Panama and Latin America compels me to warn, under my humble experience in electronic commerce, this practice is not to do Internet marketing and nor is any online advertising strategy, quite the contrary, is garbage online. The worst case is that those who intend to sell garbage online as a marketing strategy, used spam to spread his lies and deception. Let's first define categorical and literally that it is spam: unsolicited, unwanted e-mail, therefore email is spam. There is no other definition, there is no other concept. Check with Wells Fargo Bank to learn more. Nor you can disguise, or decorate any way, i.e., apologize for invading privacy, allow unsubscribe if you don't want to receive more spam, etc. The end, nobody is obliged to receive any message that has not requested, nobody is nature that is.

Every day I receive in my email boxes one or more spam promoting make spam as an online marketing strategy. T hat ignorance and would have to be very stupid to fall into such fraud. For example, da me risa one that says we have the best database of Panama with more than 300 thousand of updated emails of people who supposedly want to receive advertising and promoting the sale of that database in 200 or 300 dollars to send a commercial message offering a product or service. What they don't say is that this database is fraudulent and have made it using a software, which already is available free on the Internet, to capture emails from chains of emails and spam, and using other advanced software, obtain the IP address to define the country of origin. Internet technology, using advanced software, also allows to capture illegal or involuntarily (depending on the case) the email address of a person who visits a Web site. So are they made and sold these databases to send spam with commercial messages.

Source: Marketing Online

Is Your Business Ready for the Future of Mobile Commerce? (Infographic)

A lot of local businesses in Atlanta are now catering to customers from across the country – and even internationally – thanks to the internet. Through careful local SEO campaigns and other internet marketing instruments, it is now relatively easy to reach a very targeted set of customers online. Even better, customers can shop for products and services right away through the e-commerce sites of local businesses.

2017 will be the year more customers shift towards mobile commerce. We're relying on our mobile devices more and more and studies by Rutgers Online and the university's AACSB online MBA program suggest that mobile payments and commerce will reach new heights this year. In 2015, more than $200 billion worth of payments were made through mobile channels, using credit cards and other payment m ethods.

Is your business ready for the future? The Credit Cards and Mobile Payments: What Your Business Needs to Know for Now and the Near Future infographic by Rutgers Online has the answers for you.

The views and opinions expressed herein are the author's own, and do not necessarily reflect those of EconMatters.

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tech 1/28/2017 08:00:00 AM
Source: Is Your Business Ready for the Future of Mobile Commerce? (Infographic)

Insurance industry should consider opening up to loyalty marketing: Aite Group

Multiple forces are clearing the way for insurers around the world to make cretive use of loyalty marketing techniques like rewards programs that have historically been the domain of credit cards, travel, lodging and retail, suggests a new Aite Group impact note.

"The insurance industry is increasingly leveraging loyalty marketing techniques, such as rewards programs, to nudge customers toward preferred behaviours," the Boston-based global research and advisory firm noted Friday in releasing Loyalty Marketing in Insura nce: The Nudge Game.

Containing 17 figures and two tables, the 34-page report explores 10 forces that are propping up the case for loyalty marketing and rewards in property and casualty, life and health insurance.

Findings are based on 2016 interviews and discussions with more than a dozen insurers and technology vendors on the topic of loyalty marketing and rewards, reflect 2016 interviews with carriers and vendors on the topic of telematics and the Internet of Things (IoT), and leverage multiple Aite Group online micro-surveys of adults in both the United States and the United Kingdom.

While most insurance firms worldwide currently do not have reward programs, Aite acknowledges, it suggests the industry is starting to take rewards programs seriously.

In the U.S., for example, rewards have recently gained significant momentum "as state regulators surprised the industry with a favourable nod to Allstate's Drivewise and John Hancock's Vitality rewards programs," a company statement notes.

Consumers also seem to be showing some openness.

In the past, the U.S. has not been a hot spot for loyalty marketing for insurance, "as regulators have frowned upon rewards, viewing them as rebates," Aite points out.

That said, "telematics and IoT are now opening up considerable opportunities for p&c, life, and health insurers to become loyalty marketing powerhouses in ways that meet regulators' concerns," contends Aite research director Gwenn Bézard.

Immediate success, however, should not be expected.

"As insurers test the waters of loyalty marketing," they must appreciate the many years it has taken now successful programs to reach that point.

"Successful loyalty marketing won't be as simple as copying a competing model, which will force insures to hone their processes and techniques," Aite adds.

Source: Insurance industry should consider opening up to loyalty marketing: Aite Group

Marketing Opportunities in Hazmat Management Magazine

Hazmat Management Magazine's weekly e-newsletter is distributed to over 18,000 environmental, cleantech, and hazmat professionals in North America.  Have your company's product or service included in our company profile section of HazMat Management's weekly e-newsletter or web site.

Starting at only $695.00 per month (4 times) for the e-newsletter, advertising in Hazmat Magazine provides your organization with a cost-effective means of reaching your target audience.

For more information on marketing in Hazmat Management magazine, contact Brad O'Brien at 416-510-6798 or bobrien@hazmatmag.com.

Source: Marketing Opportunities in Hazmat Management Magazine

PushCrew Releases World's First Web Push Notifications Report, Says E-commerce and SMBs Leading Adoption

NEW YORK, January 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

On Wednesday, PushCrew, the web push notifications product from New York and New Delhi-based Wingify, released the world's first ever report on the 'State of Web Push Notifications in 2016'. This is the first time a report has been put together on this technology, being used across domains like e-commerce, blogging, and SaaS. Gaining ground over the last couple of years, web push notifications are clickable messages, similar to app push notifications; that websites can send to their users on desktop and mobile browsers.

���� (Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/461166/PRNE_WingifyReport_Infographic.jpg )

A comprehensive study of how industries and users are adopting and using web push notifications, PushCrew's report used three distinct sources. First, PushCrew surveyed 500 of their own customers; second, they undertook a consumer survey among SMBs as well as general website audiences in the USA; lastly, they tracked their product's usage across 1000+ websites. The results throw new light on what is a very recent space in marketing communications. For example, the report finds that notifications sent in the evening had more engagement than others, and that CTRs steadily decreased for every extra notification sent in a single day.

The report also finds that most of the early adopters of web push notifications are from the e-commerce industry (21%), followed closely by news and media (17.6%). Also, the bulk of push notification users come from small-sized organisations across all industries, inferring that larger organisations are taking time to adopt this new technology.

Paras Chopra, Founder and CEO of Wingify, said, "The report was born out of an internal project through which we wanted to better understand our customers. Then we realised it could be of use to the industry in general, so we decided to release it. Web push notifications are very new to the marketing landscape, and this report can serve as a vantage point from which to look at the channel."

"The report is not written as a dreary data sheet. It is designed to be a brief, reader-friendly document that will help decision makers figure out how push notifications are being used, who is already using them, and what its potential might be in the future," added Sairam Krishnan, Head of Marketing at PushCrew, who authored the report. The report itself is free for download here, from the PushCrew website.

About PushCrew�

The second product from the makers of VWO, PushCrew is the most stable, easy-to-use, and popular web push notifications platform. With features like segmentation, scheduled notifications, multi-website support, custom images and so on, PushCrew has everything a marketer needs. With more than 4500 customers, PushCrew's customers include Hubspot, LeadPages, Hindustan Times, Intuit's QuickBooks, Skyscanner, Lenovo, HCL, and UNICEF. PushCrew is the second SaaS product from the Wingify stable. Wingify's first product is VWO, the world's easiest A/B testing and conversion optimisation platform.

Media Contact:Sairam KrishnanHead of Marketing for PushCrewWingify+91-8870150603sairam.krishnan@wingify.com

SOURCE Wingify

Copyright 2014 PR Newswire. All Rights Reserved

Source: PushCrew Releases World's First Web Push Notifications Report, Says E-commerce and SMBs Leading Adoption

Salem Web Network and Revcontent Sign Exclusive Partnership, Bringing Personalized Web Experiences to Faith-Based Communities

Salem Web Network, owner of some of the most well-known brands in the faith marketplace, entered an exclusive partnership with Revcontent. In a competitive marketplace, Revcontent was chosen for their proprietary, premium technology that creates a seamless user experience, delivering personal web experiences to users around the world.

With shared company values, Salem Web Network and Revcontent both desire to build personal relationships with users. In the last few months, Revcontent has also inked partnerships with brands such as Forbes, The Atlantic, Fast Company, Inc. Media - International and was also named one of Ad Age's Best Places to Work. Revcontent's partnership with Salem Web Network follows the release of Revcontent Personal Web, the first tool of its kind to give full control back to the user, and Interest Targeting, built at the request of media publishrs and brands for increased hyper granularity.

Steve Werkmeister, Director of Marketing at Salem Web Network, said, "When we began researching the market, we wanted a partner that respected our brand, built a powerful relationship with our users, and offered transparency. With Revcontent, we found that and more. John and his team have worked hand-in-hand with us to create a revenue stream that has yielded a positive return in a manner that is engaging to our audience and appreciative of the values that they represent. We continue to be impressed and appreciative of all their efforts."

John Lemp, CEO and Founder, at Revcontent, said, "We've always been impressed with what the team at Salem Web Network is doing - building a powerful community and creating a hub for faith-based content. We're humbled to be chosen as their exclusive partner and look forward to scaling their brand to new heights."

Salem Web Network properties include Godvine.com, Crosswalk.com, and BibleStudyTools.com, and more. Revcontent is the world's fastest growing content recommendation network, powering over 250 billion content recommendations a month. Revcontent partners with the biggest branded media outlets such as Forbes, Newsweek, The Atlantic, InTouch Weekly, Life&Style, and International Business Times.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170124006018/en/

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Source: Salem Web Network and Revcontent Sign Exclusive Partnership, Bringing Personalized Web Experiences to Faith-Based Communities

Global Launch Of Social Media Marketing Agency Makes Excitement, As Exclusive Agency Released by Tai Lopez

Recently Launched Social Media Marketing Agency Tool Creates Buzz In Web Marketing Review Circles, As Premium Bonus Package Released by Tai Lopez. Pinterest Now Upgrading Its Marketing Partners Program.

The current release of Social Media Marketing Agency is making waves among Monarch review professionals due to its claim of providing marketers with on-demand user data to help figure out what consumer's really want. The commencement of Social Media Marketing Agency happens as Pinterest upgrades its Marketing Partners Program.

Henry F, an expert internet marketer, has provided a full guide and comprehensive bonus package for the Social Media Marketing Agency tool, available on this now popular video: [+] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jGFdOYgk8g

Due to Henry's vast experience with conversion and optimization strategies, he is considered a credible Social Media Marketing Agency review critic. Mr. Ford suggests that Social Media Marketing Agency users take advantage of Pinterets latest marketing updates.

Pinterest is making some changes to the analytics available to advertisers. There are now new measurements available and new data companies are joining the Marketing Partners program that Pinterest has been developed. This program was first introduced in April 2015 to make automated tools available to advertisers. The purpose of this program is to help some chosen advertisers post content and purchase ads. The Marketing Partners program has been around for more than a year and represents half of Pinterest's ad sales. A recent blog post from Pinterest explained that the program is helping advertisers purchase ads and represents half of the revenues generated by ads on this platform. Pinterest now wants to help advertisers earn even more with this program and have more control over how their advertising budget is being spent.

Adjust, Apsalar, Tune, Kochava and AppsFlyer are some of the new partners who are joining Pinterest's program. Advertisers can now access data gathered by these different companies to get a better idea of where their ads were displayed, who saw them and what kind of returns were generated. These new partners will deliver more detailed analytics, for instance by helping advertisers understand the impact a specific ad had on how people see the brand.

There are a few other partners who are joining this program to help advertisers use this data efficiently. Experian, LiveRamp, Neustar, Epsilon, Krux and Particle will offer different features to help advertisers get better results and target users more efficiently. These new partners will make Pinterest a better option for advertisers since the new features and data offered should help advertisers get better results from their ad campaigns and give them more control over how their ads are displayed. The Marketing Partners program is becoming a more attractive option with the addition of these new partners and could become even more interesting as new partners join the program.

Henry Ford's complete Social Media Marketing Agency bonus, in addition to his exclusive review, can be viewed on the now trending YouTube video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_y6j5HRMJI

Media ContactCompany Name: Monarch MarketingContact Person: Henry FordEmail: Send EmailCountry: United StatesWebsite: http://monarchmarketinggroup.com/

Source: Global Launch Of Social Media Marketing Agency Makes Excitement, As Exclusive Agency Released by Tai Lopez

28 Pinterest Marketing Tips

There are a lot of people getting lots of referral traffic from Pinterest, which got me to thinking;

How do they do it?

And what do they know about Pinterest marketing that I don't?

So I spent a lot of time combing the Internet to come up with a good list of solid Pinterest marketing tips to share with you today. There's a lot of advice out there that experts have generously shared through blog posts and videos.

I narrowed my long list down to these 28 tips for marketing on Pinterest from which anyone can benefit, regardless of experience or budget. Pinterest marketing tools do make the process easier, but you still need to dedicate sufficient time to getting things done.

Schedule Your Pins

Buffer's Kevan Lee is a big proponent of scheduling pins, which should come as no surprise. Scheduling increases productivity since you can batch the process of finding and sharing great content with your Pinterest friends.

Spacing out your pins offers a better experience for your followers. Instead of receiving a burst of content, followed by periods of silence, your pins arrive in a consistently steady stream at a time that's convenient for them. Pinterest marketing software like ViralWoot , with an integrated Pin scheduler make this real easy to execute.

Make Your Pins Tall

Many good Pinterest marketing ideas can be found right on their blog, like this official video in which they emphasize the importance of tall images. Unlike wide images, tall ones look better in the column format that Pinterest uses. Size is of particular relevance when viewing pins on a smartphone, where Pinterest users are most active.

Use Pinterest to Conduct Market Research

According to Nidhi Shah, some merchants on Etsy marketplace use Pinterest to get valuable customer feedback. They make changes to their products based on the response they receive. Pay close attention to metrics including likes, repins and user pins to determine the popularity of your offer.

Offer Pinterest Referral Traffic a Surprise Discount

In her post on Unbounce, Sharon Hurley Hall relates the story of a garden supply company that received lots of traffic from Pinterest, but below average conversions. Their solution was to create a campaign targeting Pinterest visitors that came to their homepage.

They just added a popup to collect emails and an offer of free shipping on orders of $75 or more. As a result, they were able to triple the purchases they received from Pinterest referral traffic.

Move Your Top Performing Board to the Top of Your Profile

Social media expert Rebekah Radice advises people to move their top 3 performing boards to the upper part of their profile for easy viewing and repinning. It works much the same way as the popular posts widgets on the sidebar of many blogs. Making it easier for your audience to access the content they enjoy improves your chance of receiving some engagement.

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Design Content to Support Goals

"Once you choose your goals, you can determine what to pin by reviewing your Pinterest analytics," suggests Mitt Ray in his post on Social Media Examiner. Perhaps you want to drive engagement or maybe build an audience or drive traffic to your site. Businesses will typically choose a primary goal such as getting traffic, plus a second complementary goal like building and audience. Review your analytics based on those objectives.

Go Beyond Your Niche

Pinterest is unique as your professional and personal interests can exist side by side on the same profile page. Marc Guberti believes that "one of the best ways for relationships to build is by creating some boards that are based on your hobbies." Going beyond your niche adds an extra dimension to your profile and allows your audience to gain better insight into a more personal side of your online persona. It also provides the opportunity to engage with others in your niche with whom you may not otherwise interact.

Don't Forget to Lead People Back to Your Website

This tip may seem obvious to some, but Teuila Mau has a valid point. A link to your page is automatically generated when you pin a web page because it has a URL. But that's not the case if you upload an image from your computer. Make sure in this instance that you add your URL manually.

Serve Complementary Content

Julia McCoy believes "If you provide your audience with helpful information, people are more likely to follow your Pinterest boards and engage with your content." Providing customer with useful and relevant information helps builds trust and loyalty among your followers. In her example of Bank of America, you will see they share tips across a diverse range of categories like wedding plans, travel, home buying and financial education for children.

Make Your Brand Pinnable

Here's what Deborah Mitchell advises in her article on Entrepreneur. Include Pinterest on your sharing buttons to make it easier for your visitors to share content. Use long pin descriptions for maximum impact. Create a keyword-rich description so your pin is easily found in a search. Include a link to your product's purchase page and use a dollar sign in the pin's description so it can become part of gift guides.

Plan Pinterest Content in Advance

Be conscious of seasonal trends and topical times of the year. According to ThriveHive, consistency improves your Pinterest marketing results. Don't expect the content you share to be a hit without any promotion on your behalf. Budget your time and money in advance so you're not caught off-guard with peak season activities. Social media is like a garden that needs constant nurturing.

Don't Hard Sell – Inspire!

The visual nature of Pinterest makes it very easy and tempting to focus solely on the exciting projects in which you've participated. Kayley Bright believes that companies rise above the competition when they stop focusing only on them themselves. So balance the company-focused content you share with other information about your industry.

Optimize Your Pinterest Presence for People and Search

Optimization increases the chance that you will be found among the 100 million Pinterest users. Heidi Cohen suggests you associate your Pinterest username with a relevant keyword. Otherwise, you limit your chance at being discovered. Use a relevant call-to-action in your "About" section that links to your website, combined with a keyword-rich description of your business. Name your Pinboard using words for which your audience searches and include keyword rich descriptions.

Cash in on Popular Pinterest Topics

Zack Fagan has some advice for brands on Pinterest that aren't in the popular DIY, fashion and travel markets. "Piggy back on the popularity of other topics for your own good." It will take some creativity on your part to figure a way to connect a favorite topic with your brand. But once accomplished, you'll have access to a far greater number of prospects.

Repurpose Your Content

Leverage your significant investment in content creation by repurposing your content for different situations. In his podcast on Social Media Examiner, Michael Stelzner reveals how Jeff Sieh, creator of Manly Pinterest Tips, makes different images and shares them across different networks every time he publishes a new post. He also pins new posts to multiple boards for maximum exposure.

Use Text in your Images

Most boards are so crammed with pictures that it's practically impossible to know the subject matter of what a pin, without clicking on it. That's why Tina Cheong urges her clients to overlay an image with text. Words help your audience grasp the topic of your pin and keeps it from getting lost in all the visual noise. It's been said that a picture is worth a thousand words, but in this case, a little text helps a lot.

Choose Your Target Wisely

In her post on Adweek, Kimberlee Morrison advises marketers to consult their Pinterest analytics before spending money on Promoted Pins. Use that insight to figure out what currently works and choose the keywords in which your audience is most interested.

Use a Board Widget on Your Blog

Choose a board that's related to your topic and include it at the end of your blog, advises Anna C Bennett. When a visitor clicks on the board, it takes them directly to Pinterest and provides additional exposure for your other boards. This tactic is also an excellent way to gain more followers. It's a simple Pinterest marketing tip that takes little effort to accomplish.

Capitalize on Semantic Search

The Pinterest search engine dramatically affects how marketers should promote their brand on Pinterest. According to Alyson Ben-Yehuda, it's not enough to post content about your product. You need to pin and repin about other topics in which your target audience is interested. Pinterest semantic search brings highly qualified and engaged leads. So your Pinterest marketing must work to inspire your audience and capture their imagination.

Utilize Zoomed Images

In her post on TrackMaven, Nicole Campisi reveals that zoomed images perform better on Pinterest. Apparently images with less than 40% background receive two to four times more repins. Surprisingly, pins that show a person's entire face received 23% fewer pins. L'Oreal and Nordstrom are two prime examples of brands benefiting from the use of zoom images

Say Yes to Logos, but No to Banner Ads

Be tasteful and make sure your pins don't look like ads are what Lisa Lacy advocates in her post on Momentology. Data shows that pins that resemble ads receive up to 30% less engagement than corresponding pins. However, logos encourage participation and add credibility to the content you share. It serves as a visual marker helping consumers decide whether or not the content is right for them.

Focus on Themes

Heather Pimental advises those engaged in Pinterest marketing to create boards that are focused on a particular theme. The reason is simple. When the visitor finds a pin that solves their problem, they're prone to look at other pins in that collection. Before creating your Pinterest marketing strategy, check for seasonal trends and try to identify the interests of your customers. Compiling the best product options in one place increases the likelihood of getting more followers

Nurture Your Blog

Your blog is the heart of your content marketing, argues Sarah Fichtinger in this Gradiblog post. Create a board dedicated solely to your blog so your followers can find all your posts in one place. Make finding your board easier by including your most relevant keywords in its' name. Every time you publish an article, pin it on your board accompanied by an enticing description with a strong call to action and high-quality image.

Use Rich Pins

Lucas Santo at Shopify urges anyone marketing through Pinterest, especially retailers, to use rich pins. They contain additional information right within the pin like real-time pricing and stock availability. Also, rich pins improve visibility and click through rates through eligibility for Pinterest's own curated feeds.

Analyze and Improve

"Pinterest Analytics will give you a lot to ponder," according to Nora Flint. In her post on Pagemodo, she suggests reviewing your analytics to figure out what content gets the most traction. You will gain insight into your top pins and the most popular boards as well as your most popular pins of all time, which ones rank highest in search results, and those that received the most re-pins. The Interests section on your analytics report tells you which categories and boards your audience enjoys.

Pin Your YouTube Videos on Pinterest

Vlog Nation have a number of Pinterest marketing ideas. One in particular encourages marketers to pin a thumbnail image of their video and link it back to their video page. Create a vibrant and beautiful board through pinning of additional material like behind-the-scene images and video screenshots.

Comment on Pins to Build Relationships

"Take 3 minutes a day to post one value-added comment," is the recommendation by Ishita Ganguly. Make the comment relevant and not self-promotional, and link to other content as a means of providing additional resources.

Thanks for taking the time to read my post. Using Pinterest for marketing doesn't have to be complicated if you make a concerted and focused effort. If you're still in need of some more ideas, check out these 24 Pinterest Marketing Blogs.

Source: 28 Pinterest Marketing Tips

Advertising and Marketing Products and Services on Web Radio

The world of technology is changing so fast. Radio technology has not been left behind to what it was several decades ago when all communication was transmitted via airwaves. Today, people can easily listen to their favorite radio station by streaming over the internet. The popularity of web radio is one which has been rapidly rising because it offers listeners more control and selection of the content that they what.

However, I have a small e-commerce store which usually sells general merchandise. My peak sales season is usually during summers. With that said, I usually ensure that by summer I have enough order in store to cater for the needs of the clients. Over the years, the growth of my business has been stagnating which has always raised concerned about the future of the business.

Nonetheless, I've always ensured that I embrace the best marketing strategies. For years I've been advertising online, on TV and also through the radio. The costs of advertising have been quiet and they usually eat much of the gross income. But there is no better way to attract potential customers like through advertising.

There is Massive Opportunity to Advertise on Internet Radio

Last summer was different. First, I decided to try advertising on online radio. Nonetheless, I wanted to try a new experience and see how it goes. I researched online for the best web radio stations to advertise on. I decided to try Pandora. It was a huge surprise for me.

Foremost, one thing that I realized while advertising on radio was the fact that the adverts are well targeted according to the various tastes and preferences of online listeners. It is a big plus because I able to find the right audience to market my products to. Finding the right target was easier. Once I did that, I was able to market to the audience economically, because they were the right buyers. This made marketing more affordable.

On the other hand, in contrast with advertising on traditional radio, web radio was quiet cheaper. I had my advertising costs reduced by almost have which meant better health and profitability. I could attribute this to the fact that web radios don't necessarily have to employ many people. Also no costly equipment are used hence making the costs quiet low.

That summer and also the following seasons, I ensured that I continued marketing on web radio. This has seen my business grow exponentially since then. I've been having massive sales throughout the years since then.

Education to Create Your Music and Marketing Strategy

However, there are some things that you need to know before you start marketing on web radio. First you need to know about the taste of your audience before you zero them in with your products. Their taste of music and the age is important. For instance, you can't just market an anti-aging cream to millennials. Your audience is the most important element of marketing on online radios.  A proper understanding of them enables you to tailor-make your ad and also to choose the best products or service to market to them.

You will also need to plan ahead appropriately. You need to know when it is the best time for your ads to be live. Most youth may for instance listen to music in the afternoons and in the evening. This is the best time to market products which target them.

Know When to Pre-sell

Also advertising when a new playlist or featured releases are live can mean a difference in your marketing strategy. This is the best time because there will be many listeners and your ad will reach a large population. The large the audience which gets your message, the more probable that you will make better sales.

It is also good that you always tweak your ads. This makes them different from each other and thus less likelihood that they will be boring. The most important thing however is to sell you brand. By letting the listeners get much acquainted with your brand makes it easier for them to identify themselves with it. This is an advantage because they might decide to purchase something from you even though you never advertised it.

It is always good to tweak you ads from time to time to make them less boring. Try to make them attractive according to the age demographic of your target audience.

Source: Advertising and Marketing Products and Services on Web Radio

The seven C’s you need to organize your marketing strategy

The seven Cs of marketing take a closer look at the overall marketing strategy by considering the following:

Customer

Consistency

Creativity

Culture

Communication

Change

Channel

1. Customer

A company's marketing strategy must be focused on its customers. The marketer must understand the customer as a person, not just a target market.

Once companies understand the target customer, they can adapt their product or service and even their brand to appeal to the target customer. Adapting to suit the target customer must be a continuous process if companies hope to succeed.

2. Consistency

At one time or another we have all seen mixed advertising messages coming from the same company.

We are left confused as to exactly what we are being told. A confused customer is not a confident customer. A customer who is not confident in a product or service will look elsewhere. Marketing communication messages must be consistent so the target customer gets the value proposition that the company is offering.

3. Creativity

People are constantly exposed to advertising. Marketers have to find creative ways to get their target customer's attention. Marketers have to dream up new and innovative ways to inform, educate and persuade target customers.

4. Culture

In order to reach a global audience, marketing messages must have a broad cultural appeal. Alternatively, specific marketing messages can be delivered to specific cultures. Companies cannot assume that everyone behaves and responds as their culture does. Such an assumption can harm companies.

5. Communication

No one likes "in your face" marketing messages. Nor do people appreciate being "marketed to." Most people prefer to be "communicated with."

The right communication message informs, educates and persuades the target customer in a way that they understand—it gains the target customer's trust.

6. Change

Marketers need to continually adjust their marketing strategy to accommodate the changing target customer, societal changes and especially technological changes. Trying something different is likely what it will take to get the attention of the target customers. Even the company itself may change. Marketing communication messages must reflect all of these potential areas of change if they are to be effective.

7. Channel

The transformational impact of the Internet on many modes of human interaction cannot be denied. The ability of companies to access global markets through a well-crafted online presence is particularly well recognized. Relatedly, the ability of competitors to target a company's domestic market from remote corners of the globe presents a unique challenge for managers, including marketing specialists.

Web presence has evolved far beyond the option of maintaining a static website to engaging much more directly with customers, business partners, prospects and others via social media.

Facebook has taken on a decidedly more commercial flavour over the last few years, and Twitter has proven very effective as a mode of engagement as well.

The number, variety and positioning of various social networks is huge and increasing by the day so that a comprehensive listing of such platforms is difficult to gather and would be obsolete within very short order. International marketers must consider appropriate leverage of various social networks, and they must plan for the effective use of other new emerging mechanisms.

This content is an excerpt from the FITTskills International Marketing course textbook. Want to learn more about this topic, and many other exciting areas of international marketing? This course could be the perfect next step for you.

Apply now

Author: Ewan Roy

I'm a Content Marketing Specialist for the Forum for International Trade Training (FITT). My background is in writing and research, and I am passionate about communicating new ideas and telling stories that matter to you. View all posts by Ewan Roy

Source: The seven C's you need to organize your marketing strategy

What sales response time is best when following up web leads?

If you're involved in a business where you collect leads from your website you will know the importance of timing - 'timing is everything'. For example, for a financial services or travel company who offer brochures for download, phone follow-up is still often an effective technique if the profile of the lead fits. Of course, within B2B marketing, this approach is even more common when offering whitepapers to help prospects learn about a product or solution.

Today's chart-of-the-day isn't as recent as most we feature, instead it's a classic study designed to identify what day of week, time of day and time from creation to call back a web-generated lead for optimal contact and qualification rates.

The full report summary gives details on contact times (similar to best mail contact days Wednesday and Thursday are far more effective than other days and surprisingly, 4 to 5PM is best for calling) which we don't look at here. Instead, this pair of charts cover the probability of contacting someone depending on the length of time from when the lead is generated online. The charts show the importance of calling leads as soon as possible, both to gain contact AND to help qualify leads.

The takeaway is to test this within your own sector if you haven't done this analysis recently, since it's likely behaviours have changed since this time and many companies are now encouraging call-back as an alternative. Do let us know if you're aware of any more recent study.

Source: Lead response management study (2009)

Methodology:  3 years of data across six companies that generate and respond to web leads, from over fifteen thousand leads and over one hundred thousand call attempts. Unfortunately, company types weren't defined, but the report implies financial services for consumers for mortgages and health insurance.

Source: What sales response time is best when following up web leads?

EIIM Digital Marketing Institute in Jaipur

EIIM is an Abbreviation of Edusolutions institute of Internet Marketing. It is one of the leading digital marketing institutes in Jaipur, well-known for offering services with the main intention of developing industry ready professional in digital

JAIPUR, India - Jan. 18, 2017 - PRLog -- EIIM is an Abbreviation of Edusolutions institute of Internet Marketing. It is one of the leading digital marketing institutes in Jaipur, well-known for offering services with the main intention of developing industry ready professional in digital marketing.

EIIM offers Digital Marketing Programme which includes website development and website management training, digital marketing training, your own free website for practical, several certifications, and free software worth thousands of rupees along with the job assistanceEIIM, The leading Digital Marketing Institute in Jaipur is well-known for offering services with the main intention of developing industry ready professional in digital marketing. It offers Digital Marketing Programme which includes website development and website management training,  digital marketing training, your own free website for practical, several certifications, and free software worth thousands of rupees along with the job assistance. All The Digital Marketing Programmes teach Digital Marketing techniques as SEO, SEM, SMM etc which is beneficial for being an SEO executive or Digital marketing professional. But EIIM Programme is not only about Digital Marketing, it's about making Internet Marketing Professionals who can develop website on their own, manage them and able to make digital marketing strategy and implement the digital marketing techniques as  SEO, SEM, SMM E-mail marketing, analytics etcetera for a business. So Digital Marketing is one of the important parts of this programme but along with it you develop your own website, manage it, and start earning from it. If you are able to develop a website and manage it along with the Digital Marketing then you will be considered a truly Internet Marketing Professional and here EIIM digital marketing training institute in Jaipur plays a vital role. EIIM is the best digital marketing institute in Jaipur as it provides practical knowledg e of various Internet professional roles like Web development, Website management/Webmaster, SEO executive, Digital marketing professional etc. In this you will develop your own website (without any extra charge as the cost is included in the course fee) and using the digital marketing techniques on your own website to see results. In a nutshell this course will guide you on how to use and apply theoretical knowledge in the Real Corporate Environment and Situations. A Course that will help you now, tomorrow, years to come and also when you are the head of department in a company or starting your own business. For details of the course call at 0141 272 1652   For Course Contents Click Here (http://www.eiim.in/ course/cimp- certified-internet- marketi...) Visit EIIM, for career counselling at 602, 6th Floor, Balaji Tower, Near Radisson Blu, Durgapura, Tonk Road, Jaipur-302018 Website: www.eiim.in

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Source: EIIM Digital Marketing Institute in Jaipur

Content Marketing in 2017: What You Need To Know

In today's world, sales reps are expected to engage with content marketing more and more; creating their own content, developing their own voice in addition to increasingly using social media as a way to publish their content and own perspectives.

Change is constant in our society. So, it is to be expected that content marketing will experience that change too; it's evolving and it will continue to evolve in the future. So, as we have just started a new year, these are the key themes that we think will characterise content marketing in 2017:

Email comeback

With the rise of the use of social media in B2B marketing over the past few years, the use of email has seemed to be in decline (or so we thought). Some organisations had started to think that the only way to engage with their audience was through social media. Some even made the mistake of relegating email to the backstage. However, a recent study (2) showed that for the organisations that had continued to use email alongside other methods as a way to distribute content to their audience, email was rated as the most successful metric for measuring content marketing.

In 2017, we expect organisations will start paying more attention to their email content, and therefore, to their e-newsletters. Organisations will likely be making more of an effort to create outstanding content in their email marketing; tailored to their customers and providing their audience with really insightful and relevant content.

Sales reps should bear this in mind and although they already use email constantly to communicate with customers and prospects, they should pay more attention to the information they provide and the format of the content itself. Personalising it to be able to satisfy each customer, will not only get the attention of whoever you are emailing, but will have a higher probability of transforming that attention into real interest, and as a consequence, a new client. This sounds obvious, however we now have a culture of copy and paste and writing generic content that we need to move away from.

Print is back on

Content publication has become increasingly digital; however, many people are actually crying out for more printed content. For example, we all like to browse the IKEA website and see what products we can add to our home to make it cosier. But, printed catalogues are still often mailed to different homes and we all like the feeling of being able to flick through the pages, making notes on something we liked and feeling the weight of the catalogue in our hands.

Sales reps can use this as a point of differentiation by going the extra mile when contacting their clients; mailing to them (where possible) printed collateral, maybe in the form of ebooks or visual whitepapers. Being able to have a call with a prospect while they can flick through the pages of your printed content enhances the experience and gives them something physical to consume offline.

Recommended for You

Webcast, January 18th: Top Influencer Marketing Strategies for 2017

We think that traditional print will become more popular in 2017, as organisations find new and interesting ways to engage with clients.

Adapting to mobile

Most of us own a mobile and take it with us everywhere we go. We use our mobiles for everything: to read the news, access our email and watch films.

Many websites are still not optimised for mobile – but we need to think about how our content will look on different devices.

Organisations should be looking at how they can develop mobile-ready content marketing campaigns with content developed specifically to be consumed on a small screen.

Videos in bulk

By 2020, video will represent 82% of all consumer internet traffic. This is something to consider, even if you think your buyers aren't consuming much video data. As we mentioned in a recent article (3), "you have to be where your buyers are. And you have to be there now, even if the buyers are only going to get there in a year or two".

Telling stories via video is a dynamic and often clearer way of getting your content out there. In fact, using mini videos can be very useful when clarifying an idea or concept, explaining a particular topic or even summarising the purpose of an organisation even in just a few seconds. Customers want to buy into a story, and enhanced mobile phone video capabilities make it easy for every sales rep to get on board the vlogging revolution. For more information on B2B Vlogging read the article in full here.

Sales reps can take advantage of this new trend and use it to build a quick profile of themselves so that potential customers can get to know them easily, as well as building a story around the journey from how they became sales reps to why they decided to sell a particular product.

The true power of LinkedIn

If you ask people what they use LinkedIn for, a high number will probably say they use it for networking such as connecting with new clients, colleagues and possible contacts that can help you with your business career.

Well, the truth is that LinkedIn's power is often underestimated by sales reps. LinkedIn can be so much more than just a networking tool. In fact, some B2B reps have already realised this and are starting to use it to its full potential by publishing blogs and regular updates. Individuals are further developing their own profile, explaining their ideas and thoughts and talking about how they perceive particular trends, or what their thoughts are about a particular issue, business or situation.

By publishing their own content, sales reps position themselves as thought leaders and continuously build their profile. This allows them to be perceived as more strategic, instead of just being yet another sales rep. Their audience can empathise with them and be compelled to want to know more, ultimately leading to mutually beneficial relationships that can end in a business deal or a sale.

All this leads us to one word: personalisation. No matter the form of your content marketing (email, print, etc.), everything you write needs to be more personalised. But, personalisation needs to happen both ways: not only personalised to your customer but to the individual, so the person writing the content is giving their own voice within a business too; empowering them so that they can build their own profile; sharing their own perspectives, whilst tailoring their storytelling to their audiences.

For more information download the Ultimate Content Marketing guide.

References:

http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2016/12/content-marketing-trends-watch/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/briansutter/2016/12/02/8-trends-that-will-shape-content-marketing-in-2017/#6b333df72970

http://www.business2community.com/video-marketing/business-trying-b2b-vlogging-01704706#d81bKHFryGkqlfPV.97

Source: Content Marketing in 2017: What You Need To Know

A brief introduction to network science math in marketing

The following article is a guest post by Tyler Foxworthy, chief scientist at DemandJump. I loved how this article connects several fields of math to marketing challenges that are being addressed with artificial intelligence. I've added several links to Wikipedia pages, if you want to geek out on this like I have.

The field of network science, which is rooted in statistical physics and graph theory, has emerged in recent years to help us understand how complex networks such as the internet form and evolve over time.

Social networks, the financial system, airlines, communication systems, the Internet — these complex networks are the substrate and substance of modern life.

Networks such as the Internet form following a process referred to as preferential attachment, whereby the competitive dynamics of the free market influence the topology of the internet like a glacier cuts a valley through a mountain range.

Preferential attachment is often referred to as "the rich get richer" phenomena — i.e., the more popular a node in a network (e.g., domains, websites, social influencers), the more likely it is that a newcomer to the network will want to link to it.

Over time, preferential attachment results in clustering among related web pages in a way that makes modern search engines possible. Data-driven marketers recognize these clusters as competitive ecosystems. Arguably, the reason Google succeeded, where earlier search engines failed, was due to their innovative understanding of the topology of scale-free networks.

The proliferation of marketing data and rapid advances in hardware allow marketers to map and measure the dynamics of their market ecosystems. The methods of network science allow them to comprehend it.

A holistic, network-level understanding of a marketing ecosystem provides countless benefits for marketers, and, in fact, will alter the course of marketing indefinitely. This represents a critical opportunity for marketers to shift away from last-click attribution and other simplistic models. Today, marketers can identify which nodes (domains, websites, social influencers) are affecting traffic and revenue — multiple steps before customers reach the domains of them or their competitors.

Graph theoretic methods enable savvy marketers to not only construct highly accurate maps of their market, but to track competitors, identify exactly where wins and losses occur, and predict where the greatest revenue opportunities can be captured.

It's the difference between the first cartographers trying to map the geography of the Earth, and the 2000+ satellites that orbit our planet today. Having a holistic, network-level view, allows us to understand our surroundings with exponential precision.

When coupled with artificial intelligence techniques such as reinforcement learning, these methods lead to strategies that optimize budget allocation and, ultimately, drive revenue.

Harnessing the Power of a Network: Propagation Value

Intuitively, marketers know that connections in a competitive ecosystem are not static. Instead, they fluctuate in response to seasonality, trends, and the marketing effects of one's competitors, among other factors.

Although significant insights can be obtained from a static connectionist view of the network, these insights become significantly more predictive if we are able to understand how connectivity patterns within competitive ecosystems persist into the future.

Using advanced mathematical techniques (including Markov Chain theory and algebraic topology), it is possible to determine both the direct traffic contributions of a particular web domain and its indirect traffic driving potential within the network the marketer or brand is trying to dominate.

We refer to this indirect (or "pass-through") traffic as the propagation value of a source. Differences in connectivity and temporal traffic patterns between domains can lead to drastically varying propagation values. This means simply that while two sources might drive the same direct volume of traffic to a website, one of the sources often drives traffic to additional sites in the ecosystem that are of more value to a specific marketer or brand.

The best marketers will seek to understand the direct traffic contribution of each source — as well as the indirect propagation value of the same sources — to uncover the greatest sources of traffic and revenue generation.

The marketer that has visibility to the most powerful direct and indirect sources can anticipate competitive shifts, seize share, and win at the traffic and revenue game.

By prioritizing opportunities in the ecosystem with higher propagation value to them and their competition, marketers will see greater gains in traffic across multiple sites in their ecosystem than selections motivated solely by direct or last-click traffic.

Optimizing Budget Allocation with Artificial Intelligence

The proliferation of marketing channels has resulted in an abundance of media and marketing investment opportunities, along with a glut of data. When coupled with the continuous shift in consumer preferences, trends, seasons, and other variables within an ecosystem, it has become impossible for marketers without sophisticated AI tools to detect, predict, or respond in real time to opportunities or competitive threats.

In marketing, impactful AI implementation comes down to one goal — real-time, actionable results.

While AI is cast in the media as a singular, ominously powerful technology, the reality is that there are many varieties of machine learning algorithms, and each is suited for specific tasks.

In fact, the art of AI is rarely in building the algorithms themselves. Rather, it is in the ability to define problems in such a way that the algorithm can identify patterns and "learn" the best solution, given the data and computational resources available.

In much the same way that self-driving cars have internal models for identifying lanes and other vehicles, temporal network models are able to form a context from which to define the majority of marketing problems and optimize predicted outcomes across a wide array of possible marketing actions.

While marketers can certainly benefit from other well-known varieties of artificial intelligence — such as those devoted to natural language processing or image classification — the future of AI in marketing will be centered around dynamic optimization methods such as reinforcement learning that learn equally well from historical data as well as real time performance.

Reinforcement learning (RL) is a modern artificial intelligence technique that can address problems which are indiscernible by traditional optimization methods. RL is able to continuously adapt itself based on new information, making it ideal for optimization problems embedded within dynamic networks such as budget allocation and display targeting.

Moving Forward

Marketers have much to look forward to from AI in the years to come. Graph theory and algebraic topology are not artificial intelligence. They are the foundation upon which intelligent systems for online markets should be constructed. The environment is a moving target, and multiple competitors, trends, multiple scales, along with incomplete data sets, make these problems especially difficult.

For the next several years, we will likely see more co-pilot type systems, rather than autopilot ("set it and forget it") systems. Gradually, as scientist learn to build better models for capturing market dynamics, these systems will take on more of the mechanical load of marketers, leaving them time to focus on the more strategic and creative aspects of their jobs.

Thanks, Tyler!

Source: A brief introduction to network science math in marketing

Small Business Essentials: Marketing Must Haves for Every Website

Small Business Essentials: Marketing Must Haves for Every WebsiteBy Derek Brown

Having a great company website is no longer a luxury to have if your business can afford it. A great website is as essential as a solid business plan and the right people to help your business grow. If you don't have a well designed, informative website for your company, then you're doing yourself and your customers a serious disservice.

But having a great website isn't just about having stylish pages with top of the line design. It's about much, much more. Your website is your customer's window into your world, and you need to make it as user friendly and informative as you can. This means that you need to constantly re-evaluate your website, but there are also a few things that you should have from the beginning to make sure people visit your site again and again. Marketing on your website is necessary, but it can be difficult. If you need any help, contact Internet Marketing Services and see what they can do for you.

Content, Content, Content

If nothing else, if you skimp on design, the one thing you can't skimp on is quality content. Informative, original content is what drives people to your site and keeps them coming back. And the more people who visit and return, the more customers you'll have, which in turn means more revenue and a chance to grow.

But what makes great content?

First, it should be informative. You don't want to make your posts directly about your goods and services. Your customers probably already know what it is you do. Instead, write posts that deal with issues related to your business and industry. If you sell cars, write a post about interesting moments in automobile history. If you're a construction contractor, write about ways homeowners can keep their homes safe from fire damage or the signs of water damage. You content should also be up to date. Try to write several posts a month so that your customers have a reason to visit your website over and over again.

Have A Call To Action (CTA)

After you've gotten into the habit of posting content on a regular basis, you need to start focusing on what is known as "calls to action."

A call to action is a simple request that you make to your readers to perform some sort of action on your website. It can be as simple as "Click here to find out more," which you can then link to other posts that are relevant. Other popular calls to actions are: "Sign up for our monthly newsletter" and "Like us on Facebook." These all ask your readers to engage with your website.

One of the best calls to action is simply asking readers, "What do you think?" after a post and providing a comment section. This will provide your customers with a chance to respond to your posts and will give you greater insight into how they feel and what they may want.

Use An Easy Layout

One of the worst things you can do is to have a website that frustrates your visitors because it's cluttered with page breaks and sections that make it difficult to navigate. You want your customers to find what they want as quickly as possible when they visit your site.

Have all of the options clearly marked in one main area that visitors can refer to so they can find the page or topic they're looking for easily. At every opportunity, provide tags and page headings so your customers know where they are at all times. Also, never use odd colors for your background or texts. Stick with unobtrusive colors like white for background and black or dark gray for text. This will make everything easier to read and follow.

Use Elements To Grow Your Customer Base

Sure, you want people to visit your site for your products, services and great content, but there's another reason to want people to visit your site: To grow your customer base.

Whenever someone visits your webpage, you want to have the opportunity to get as much information from them as possible, ethically of course. Strategies such as email marketing integration where visitors can give you their email address can help you grow your mailing list and reach many more people with every marketing campaign. This is also great for generating leads and gives you an opportunity to follow up on their visit with questionnaires so you can keep tabs on what your customers want.

Derek Brown is the Managing Director of Pronto Marketing, a provider of outsourced website design and Internet marketing services to small businesses around the world. Previously, Derek was the Director of Marketing Communications for the Mobile Devices Division at Microsoft Corp. and oversaw all marketing disciplines including advertising, branding, Internet marketing and public relations on global efforts.  

Source: Small Business Essentials: Marketing Must Haves for Every Website

7 Most Effective Marketing Tips to Promote Your Brand

7 Most Effective Marketing Tips to Promote Your Brand

The goal of every company is to reach out to as many potential customers as possible. This is for the simple fact that the more people learn about you, the more likely they are to do business with you. However, considering how competitive the market can be, not many businesses manage to achieve their goal of reaching as many customers. This is a problem that can easily be resolved by making good use of the Internet when promoting your brand.

The purpose of this post is to educate you on the different ways you can promote your brand more effectively.

1. Be consistent

The most important thing to branding is consistency. The mistake that you can make is that of saying one thing this week and contradicting yourself next week. This simply means that you cannot be trusted. The question you need to ask before you embark on marketing is this; what is your business really about? The answer to this question will guide you through the process.

Being consistent in branding creates brand recognition. This is what enables you to reinforce your brand. Regardless of the number of channels you are using to promote your brand, you must always make sure that you are consistent in your branding strategy.

2. Optimize your site

One thing you need to understand in online marketing is that your website is the face of your brand. This will be the customer's first stop before they come knocking on your doors. If they don't like what they see on your website, chances are they will never do business with you. It is this reason that makes optimizing your website important.

More often than not, when it comes to optimizing their website, most people only focus on search engine optimization. Although this is important since you want your website to be found by more people, you still need to optimize your content. You need to make your content more appealing to prospective clients. It is also important that you spend a little more time making sure that your web design is user-friendly and that your website loads up at lightning speed.

3. Make use of the social media

In the realm of online marketing, social media is the most reliable tool when it comes to brand promotion. This is because it helps you connect with your customers at a more intimate level. It is also important to note that most of your prospective clients are on social media. The use of social media will further help you generate quality links and content for your website.

All in all, just being on social media is not enough. You have to keep your social media profiles alive. Post relevant content regularly and allow your followers to participate. The proper use of social media will promote your business, enhance brand visibility, boost brand loyalty, and also grow your sales among other things. The social media platform enables small businesses and corporations to compete on a level ground. You can also stream your social media feeds on your digital signage screens in your business so that your customers know what is happening on your social profiles.

4. Only use quality content

The quality of the content you produce and distribute has to be of great quality. This is the best way to gain visibility. You need to remember that Internet users are looking for quality content. If you only provide them with information that they can find anywhere, they will definitely lose confidence in you. This will definitely hurt your reputation.

One of the best strategies you can use to create better content is to start by understanding the plight of your consumers. What do they really want? What problems are your target consumers facing and how can your products and services help solve these issues? By providing them with high quality content that solves their problems, you will be able to effectively win their hearts. If you are not a great writer, do not hesitate to work with freelancers or content development companies. They will save you time. However, before giving them the green light, make sure that they completely understand your objectives.

5. Leverage on video marketing

Studies show that people are more inclined to view videos than to read text. This is the main reason why you need to incorporate video marketing in your strategies. Businesses of all sizes can leverage video marketing. Create a unique video that appeals to your target audience and post it on such channels as Vimeo, YouTube and Metcafe. Posting branded videos that are relevant to your niche is considered to be a very effective way of promoting your brand, driving traffic to your site and also making your brand stand out. You can also add the video on your social media profiles and post it on your blog and website.

6. Make use of press releases

The distribution of press release is yet another effective method that you can use to enhance your brand visibility as well as recognition. The best thing about this option is that it is inexpensive. If the press release is picked up by the Google News, your brand will get more coverage.

7. Start a blog

When it comes to online marketing, you have to capitalize on blogging. Setting up a blog is easy and you can post virtually anything so long as it is relevant to your target audience. A blog will help enhance your brand visibility as well as boost your chances of success. Blogging will further improve your search engine ranking, establish brand validity as well as increase your reach. Blogging will further enable you to build stronger relationships with your customers. Whenever you add a new post on your blog, make sure that you add a post on social media that informs your followers of the new post.

When it comes to branding, the key to success is being consistent and authentic. If you are open and honest with yourself, the value of your brand will increase and it will be more authentic.

Image: Photospin

Author Bio

Kay Green is the CEO of RKG Marketing Solutions, a company focused on online branding. She advises new businesses to make use of DoPublicity in order to learn more on marketing.

by Guest Post in Branding on January 10, 2017 No comments Tags: Branding, marketing tips Posted by Guest Post View all posts by Guest Post
Source: 7 Most Effective Marketing Tips to Promote Your Brand

Perfecting the Recipe for Success in B2B Content Marketing

In a world where audiences are deeply immersed in content, marketers need to adapt to this changing landscape. This has led to the rise of content marketing as a storytelling vehicle, with brands shifting from simply crafting messages to creating experiences.

B2C marketers seem to have generally embraced this shift earlier in the days, prioritizing content marketing. Blogs and content hubs are now regarded as the ultimate megaphones for companies; websites have to be more interactive and social media channels hold the reins of CRM. According to Content Marketing Institute, 37% of B2C content marketers are developing a more documented content strategy than before and dedicating approximately 32% of their budgets to it.

But while B2C brands have grown increasingly mature in their understanding of content, many B2B businesses are still early on in their transition to delivering the essentials customers want to consume. There's no question that white papers, case studies and webinars are important elements in the content marketing toolbox of businesses. After all, audiences and buyers want best practices and key industry insights that will help them get ahead. The stark reality, however, is that businesses are so focused on increasing their content output that they lose sight on keeping their content effective.

In order to succeed in the unique B2B space, marketers need to go back to the drawing board; looking into the fundamental goals of content marketing: engaging, retaining and converting.

So here are three best practices that will help B2B marketers succeed in their content strategies:

1. Know your audience first and then build awareness

Knowing what your customers want will help you in outlining the content required on your website or blog. After all, your corporate website is the face of your brand in the digital world, and is often the initial touch-point between brand and customer.

In just about every aspect of their web experience, customers should be able to walk away with an understanding of your business, the fact that they possess a need, and certain value propositions of your product, or service.

Apart from tagging each piece of your content with potent meta-data, think about the emotional connection that your content can create, so that customers remember you. Consider publishing white papers and blog posts on relevant social media channels or content publishing websites. Thought leadership pieces are also a great content-type to consider.

2. Take customers through the consideration stage

Moving the customer from awareness to consideration typically involves feeding them with information that generates positive brand sentiment, and illustrates why your brand is a better alternative over your competitors. As customers continue their research, they are likely to be hungry for personalised product demonstrations, and in-depth information such as pricing, recommendations and case study examples.

When creating content for this stage, look at refining the flow of your content. This means offering your customers everything they need so they won't have to search for information elsewhere. Your web design should follow a simple, logical navigation path to the products and services your business has to offer -- which will in turn, help deepen your customers' online experience.

Take a look at Tetra Pak, a leading food processing and packaging solutions company with a growing presence in India, as a good example of engaging content creation. In a campaign around a new design called the DreamCap, Tetra Pak sent fun, dimensional mailers to brands and retailers, educating them about the new innovation. Developed with the aim of allowing prospects to experience the revised packaging themselves, the branded mock-up also included a clear call-to-action to the Tetra Pak webpage which featured a hypervideo. This allowed recipients to further delve deeper into product features they were interested in exploring.

Although intricacies behind the product design can be technical, Tetra Pak was able to demonstrate the advantages of its packaging by allowing potential buyers to interact with the product both offline and online, ensuring they are fed with the necessary information at the consideration stage -- just like how B2C brands would market to end consumers. All of these play a part in moving the buyer straight from awareness through to consideration in the purchase funnel, in a matter of seconds.

3. Facilitate conversion

Measuring conversions in B2B marketing is not always easy.

Take the Enterprise Software industry, for example -- according to a recent study by tech media company TechTarget, when choosing a new software for an organisation, buying teams often involve more than stakeholders, which means you need to reach and engage with various decision makers during their individual process of researching and selecting your product or solution.

Clearly in this scenario content becomes a must-have for B2B brands, and marketers are looking at more innovative ways to create high-quality content that not only establishes authority but builds meaningful relationships with their target consumers.

Cisco India, a pioneer in the cybersecurity industry, is a great example. Facing the challenge of reaching decision-makers in a niche market beyond the traditional formats of marketing, Cisco launched a series of thematic content across key topics of threats, services and solutions on its corporate website. Their choice of using video-rich content on their home page also elicited remarkable response in terms of driving meaningful engagement with their target audience.

With a quick skim, interested buyers are also able to locate a reseller and download design guides across categories such as mobility, security and data cloud in order to hit the ground running. These powerful calls to action are what makes for a robust B2B online marketing strategy.

What B2B marketers should focus on is long-term relationship building, collaborating or providing business solutions. Only those that hit these core points when dealing with B2B content marketing hold the keys to competitive differentiation.

According to the Content Marketing Institute, 76% of overseas B2B companies are looking to position themselves as thought leaders or experts through content creation this year. It's time that B2B companies in India too, focus on perfecting their online marketing strategies to yield greater business results in the long run.

© 2017 Guardian Web under contract with NewsEdge. All rights reserved.

Source: Perfecting the Recipe for Success in B2B Content Marketing

9 Tips To Stay Super Productive While Doing Niche Marketing In Your Spare Time

Is there anything better than living life on your own terms and staying in control of your own destiny?

That's what internet entrepreneurship promises, right?

Location freedom, time freedom, and financial freedom.

Thousands of home based niche marketers, freelancers and solopreneurs are already living this dream.

A recent survey of the NicheHacks audience revealed that many of you are working 50+ hours a week while trying to build a niche marketing business on the side.

You're not alone.

Some studies suggest that millions of others are chasing this internet lifestyle as well while working full-time 9-5 jobs.

More than 40% of the total U.S workforce will move to some form of home-based online employment by 2020.

But there's a rarely discussed dark side of this picture which you need to be aware of.

Procrastination, lack of focus, unproductive days and wasted time are some of the most common challenges bedroom entrepreneurs like yourself face.

When you're not immediately answerable to someone you can easily lose focus and get distracted

There are productivity killers that can seriously hamper your progress as a niche marketer and limit your chance of success.

I'll be the first one to admit that I've faced similar problems at different stages of my career as a work-from-home marketer.

But here's the good news:

There's a workaround for each one of them that will also improve your chance of success.

In this post, I'll share exactly how you can work for yourself, on your own terms, and still get things done while being focused.

What You'll Learn in this Post

How to achieve 10x more every day by making a small change to your routine.

How to stay more focused and productive and get better use of your limited time.

One habit that's killing your productivity every day.

How automation can help you become more productive.

How to build a business in your spare time around your day job.

(P.S. If you'd like to download a free list of 1,781 profitable niches click here or the image below)

1. Create Systems to Measure and Improve Your Productivity

When you're already working 50+ hours a week at your day job, it's hard to find time to work on your business.

You need to optimize your productivity for whatever time you get before or after work to run your own niche business.

But you can't improve something that you don't measure.

Which is why you need to use tools and systems that measure your current productivity levels and tell you exactly where you're spending your time.

One of the easiest ways to do that is by creating to-do lists for the next day.

Before you finally shut down your laptop, list down the activities that you want to perform the next day.

Doing so not only gives you a clear direction but also allows you to see how much you got done at the end of the day.

This could be done on a simple piece of paper or an app like Evernote or Google Keep.

However, a more accurate way to measure your productivity is to use a tracking tool like Rescue Time which has been a real life-changer for me.

It not only tracks everything you do on your laptop, smartphone, tablet or any other device you choose but also gives you a clear breakdown of where you spend most of your time.

Here's a sample snapshot:

33% productivity which is 3.1% higher than the last month! If stats like these don't open your eyes I don't know what will.

You just need to add your core business activities and potential distractions once while setting up your account, and the app will start doing the rest for you.

2. Eat That Frog and Stop Procrastinating To Achieve More and Stay Happier

You don't think there's anything worse than eating a frog, right?

"Eat That Frog" is a bestselling book by Brian Tracy, a hugely successful businessman and a productivity expert.

In his book, he shares this theory by Mark Twain...

That if the first thing you do each morning is to eat a live frog, you can go through the day with the satisfaction of knowing that it's probably the worse thing that is going to happen to you all day long.

Your frog is the biggest and the most important task of the day which you're likely to procrastinate on.

Instead of pushing it down your to-do list, you need to eat that frog every morning (or evening, if you have a day job as well) to get things done faster.

Why?

Because research indicates that the longer you procrastinate on a task, the harder it becomes.

Another study by Procrastination and Science shows that serial procrastinators are 70% more likely to be unhappy and dissatisfied with their lives as compared to the people who get things done.

Habitual procrastination may also lead to more complex health problems like heart diseases, depression, and anxiety.

Eating that frog might feel difficult at the start but once it becomes a habit, nothing tastes better.

So try cranking out a difficult or time-consuming task BEFORE you go to work.

And trust me I know:

You get little sleep as it is and it's going to be hard to get up even earlier in the morning.

But even just 30 minutes earlier that you dedicate to your business before you have any distractions from family amounts to roughly an extra 15hrs per month towards your businesses.

And if you think you're tired first thing in the morning how are you going to feel AFTER a full day's work?

Seriously, give it a try...

3. Identify Your Most Productive Time and Make Full Use of It

You're trying to build your niche marketing business while doing a full-time job.

So you need to find time either before or after work to get things done.

But that really depends on whether you're an early riser or a night owl.

My own productivity levels rise with the sun and go down as it sets, and in my own experience it's much easier to put in a couple of hours before work than after your day job.

But it's different for everyone so there's no fixed rule here.

If you think you can find a couple of distraction-free hours before work, then early morning might be the right time for you.

But if you think you can concentrate better after everyone's gone to bed at night then be a night owl.

Being a morning person, though, I do recommend that you try an early morning routine for at least a month and see how it goes.

Source: Fuzzy Science

Several studies show a direct relationship between productivity and getting up early, which is why some of the most successful entrepreneurs are early risers.

For example, Richard Branson, the billionaire founder of the Virgin Group, gets up at 4AM and conquers the day even before most people wake up.

Glen Alsop (ViperChill) was a night owl who forced himself to become an early riser.

The results were staggering.

But whether you're an early riser or not, identifying your most productive time, and making full use of it, is the key to success. It's like applying the 80/20 rule to your daily schedule.

4. Follow a Set Routine To Get Your Mind Working

All of us have the same 24 hours in a day.

When you're already working at a 9 to 5 job, there's little time to work on your own business since most of us have family commitments as well.

But some people still manage to achieve much more in that time than others.

No, it's not magic.

It's called time management and following well-defined routines.

A study by The University of Maine shows that following fixed daily routines improves your brain's ability to focus on the task at hand and perform at the optimal level.

According to Harvard Business Review, having fixed daily routines is a common trait of successful people.

So what exactly do I mean by routines?

Nothing fancy.

The objective of a routine is to structure your day for maximum productivity and work-life balance.

It allows you to live a normal life and not drown completely in the bottomless sea of IM (which can easily happen and ruin your family/social life).

Being an internet marketer means you can work whenever you want.

But for the sake of consistency, it's better to fix your working hours or time slots for work.

More specifically, I believe it's important to set an end time for your workday which acts as a deadline and gives you a sense of urgency to complete your daily tasks.

Your routine should also include designating a separate room or place in your house for work.

It's even better if you could work from a local library, a co-working space or even a coffee shop.

5. Plan Ahead, Set Goals and Focus on One Task at a Time

As a part-time niche marketer, you have limited time to work on your business.

Which is why you should never start working without clear goals.

Otherwise, you'll always find yourself behind time, moving in different directions without achieving anything at the end of the day.

Or you might fall victim to the shiny object syndrome (something most beginner niche marketers suffer from) and waste money buying new courses or MMO programs instead of working on what you already know.

These are common problems for wannabe niche marketers who don't have clear goals.

Having SMART goals, on the other hand, gives you the luxury of planning ahead and identifying the most important tasks that you need to perform every day.

Source: New Found Balance

A study by Massey University (Switzerland) established a direct relationship between goals, focus, and self-motivation.

The clearer your goals the better you're able to focus on the task at hand (something most people working from home struggle at).

For example, as niche marketers, most of us need to create content on a regular basis.

Smart marketers have months of content planned ahead for them (like we do here at NicheHacks)

They identify the keywords they want to rank for, or the audience they want to target, and list down at least 2-3 months of blog titles in their editorial calendar.

The same goes for other marketing objectives like guest blogging, social media posts, link building, or anything else related to your business.

It all needs to be planned in advance so that you have clarity about your immediate and long-term goals, even if it means spending the first 1-2 days of every quarter doing this activity.

Without a plan and SMART goals, you'll remain distracted and keep on chasing shiny objects resulting in loss of focus.

Which is the last thing you need when you only have a few hours a week to work on your niche business.

6. Automate or Outsource Repetitive Tasks to Save Time

I'm a huge believer in the 80/20 rule which is why I keep mentioning it in my posts.

For a part-time niche marketer, it's a real life-saver

There's so much to do it's sometimes hard to prioritize and focus on the most important tasks.

Which is exactly why you need to filter your tasks through the 80/20, also known as the Pareto Principle.

Focus on the 20% of the most important activities that bring 80% of your results.

Automate or outsource the rest.

As marketers, you can completely or partially automate 3 main areas of your business.

Email Marketing and Autoresponders

Social Media and Content Curation

Landing Pages and Sales Funnels

Personally, I use different IFTTT recipes and Buffer to automate many of my social media marketing tasks.

Tasks such as content creation, editing, formatting in WordPress etc. can be outsourced to professional bloggers and writers.

Source: Switching from Job to Business

Chelsea wrote a detailed guide on hiring a virtual assistant to manage other tasks that are important but do not require your direct involvement.

For example, finding or creating images for your blog posts, scheduling content, organizing and prioritizing your emails, managing your social media groups or pages and responding to comments on social media.

All of this costs money, of course.

You might not have the resources to outsource everything right now, but do it whenever possible so that you can work on your business instead of working in it.

When you have full-time job, family commitments, and everything else that life throws at you to deal with, on TOP of running your niche business, the 80/20 rule is a lifesaver.

7. Time-Cap Email and Social Media To Minimize Distractions

Emails, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest etc. are all key platforms for niche marketers.

You can't make a living online without them.

But they can easily distract you from your core tasks and eat up your

Email, in particular, is not only one of the biggest time-killers for online marketers but also a major source of distraction if not managed properly.

Studies suggest it takes almost 90 seconds to regain focus after reading 1 email.

And of course, most of us read more than one email every time we check our inbox.

One way, to counter email and social media distractions is by time-capping both these activities.

You can't work without them, but you can limit their usage to only certain hours of the day.

I personally recommend checking emails only after you've achieved your top priority goal for the day.

This allows you to stay focused on your own agenda and follow your own plans.

Author and management consultant Julie Morgenstern has written a complete book on the topic "Never Check Email in the Morning."

"Once you check emails in the morning, you won't be able to recover for the rest of the day.

Those requests and those interruptions and those unexpected surprises and those reminders and problems are endless... there is very little that cannot wait a minimum of 59 minutes."

Another management expert, Craig Jarrow, recommends checking email only twice a day.

Once early in the morning AFTER you've set your own agenda for the day, and once in the evening to catch up on anything important.

I apply the same rule to social media as well.

In fact, I recently deleted Facebook from my smartphone and only use it on my laptop when required, which has significantly reduced the time I wasted on the platform before.

I know Stuart does the same...

He doesn't take his phone with him when working on his business, he mutes chat apps and messenger programs, and blocks distracting websites.

For example he only has 10 minutes per day to spend on Facebook by using the StayFocused app for Chrome to limit his use.

When you're working a full-time job this is 100% essential as every minute counts and must be put towards your niche business.

8. Make Physical Exercise a Priority to Stay Energetic

If you're like me, and most other home-based or part-time niche marketers, you spend a lot of sitting on your couch, office desk, chair or bed (depending on where you work).

Research shows that's not a really good idea.

Sitting for 8 to 12 hours a day increases your chance of developing Type 2 diabetes by 90% EVEN when you exercise regularly.

World Health Organization has identified physical inactivity as the fourth leading risk factor for death of people all around the globe.

Source: Business Insider

On the other hand, regular exercise and physical activity increases your energy levels, stamina, motivation, and improves your brain's performance.

Nader, our fitness expert at NicheHacks, can tell you all about muscle building and heavy exercise.

But even if you don't want to be a bodybuilder, do make a conscious effort to remain physically active throughout the day by walking around the house in every 30-40 minutes.

Having hand weights on your desk next to your laptop or somewhere that you spend a lot of time can help get some simple exercise in.

It doesn't only help with fitness but also with keeping you focused and productive.

9. Go Outside, Meet People and Network With Fellow Marketers

I've been working from home and making a full-time living from my laptop for more than 4 years now.

Needless to say that I love the freedom, the comfort, and the money.

But I'm an extrovert and the only reason I sometimes miss my corporate job is the chitchat with office colleagues, going out regularly for lunch with friends and just having a more active lifestyle.

It can be lonely working from home.

And no matter how many Facebook groups or Twitter chats you join, there's no replacement for physically going out and meeting with people.

Doing so regularly not only freshens up your mind, but also helps you identify new opportunities that you can use as a niche marketer.

Search for other local internet marketers, freelancer and other related professionals working from home in your town, and meet them from time to time.

I've been doing that for the last 2 years in my city, and it has helped me and my business in a number of ways.

(P.S. If you'd like to download a free list of 1,781 profitable niches click here or the image below)

Ready to be More Productive When Working From Home?

The tips I've shared in this post have worked for me over the last 3-4 years and made me more productive.

But now I want to hear it from you.

What productivity challenges do you face while working from home around your day job and other commitments?

How do you manage your limited time successfully?

Tell me more in the comments and let other NicheHacks readers help you.

CLICK HERE TO GET ACCESS TO 150+ NICHE REPORTS

Source: 9 Tips To Stay Super Productive While Doing Niche Marketing In Your Spare Time