OXIESEC PANEL
- Current Dir:
/
/
var
/
www
/
reader
/
_backup
/
rssfeeds
/
library
/
SimplePie
/
Cache
Server IP: 139.59.38.164
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Size
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..
-
03/17/2019 06:24:57 AM
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03036edfece701eaa1537fea4014dd44.spc
52.22 KB
02/11/2020 10:50:52 AM
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123.26 KB
03/12/2020 06:21:28 AM
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19.97 KB
02/11/2020 10:50:53 AM
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169 bytes
02/11/2020 10:50:53 AM
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212.6 KB
03/07/2020 03:53:26 AM
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34.69 KB
02/11/2020 10:50:53 AM
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31.22 KB
03/11/2020 01:28:56 PM
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192.61 KB
02/11/2020 10:50:54 AM
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02/11/2020 10:50:54 AM
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02/11/2020 10:50:54 AM
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02/11/2020 10:50:55 AM
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03/06/2020 06:31:05 AM
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02/11/2020 10:50:55 AM
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02/11/2020 10:50:57 AM
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03/12/2020 06:21:24 AM
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03/11/2020 01:28:57 PM
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02/11/2020 10:50:58 AM
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03/12/2020 06:21:29 AM
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08/11/2020 06:13:30 AM
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07/21/2020 08:32:16 AM
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02/20/2020 06:35:59 AM
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02/20/2020 06:35:54 AM
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02/11/2020 10:51:03 AM
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02/11/2020 10:51:04 AM
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02/11/2020 10:51:04 AM
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02/11/2020 10:51:04 AM
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02/11/2020 10:51:05 AM
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02/11/2020 10:51:05 AM
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02/11/2020 10:51:05 AM
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02/11/2020 10:51:05 AM
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03/29/2020 11:25:33 AM
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78.73 KB
02/11/2020 10:51:08 AM
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286.35 KB
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02/27/2020 05:27:34 PM
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02/11/2020 10:51:10 AM
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02/11/2020 10:51:10 AM
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02/27/2020 05:27:37 PM
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08/20/2020 06:22:11 AM
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03/12/2020 06:21:29 AM
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03/12/2020 06:21:27 AM
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02/11/2020 10:51:12 AM
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04/10/2020 11:49:32 AM
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02/20/2020 07:08:27 AM
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03/12/2020 06:21:28 AM
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02/11/2020 10:51:12 AM
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02/14/2020 05:05:41 AM
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02/11/2020 10:51:14 AM
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02/11/2020 10:51:42 AM
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02/11/2020 10:52:02 AM
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style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/28/368590512/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fblike20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/30/368590512/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/googleplus20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/16/368590512/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/linkedin20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/29/368590512/ConvinceandConvert,http%3a%2f%2fwww.convinceandconvert.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2017%2f06%2f5-Steps-to-More-Creative-and-Effective-Social-Media-Campaigns.jpg"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/pinterest20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/12/368590512/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/stumble20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/24/368590512/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/twitter20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> </div> ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:9:"Lucy Hitz";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:40:"http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:16731:"<p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-40332" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/5-Steps-to-More-Creative-and-Effective-Social-Media-Campaigns.jpg" alt="5 Steps to More Creative and Effective Social Media Campaigns" width="1600" height="800" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/5-Steps-to-More-Creative-and-Effective-Social-Media-Campaigns.jpg 1600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/5-Steps-to-More-Creative-and-Effective-Social-Media-Campaigns-600x300.jpg 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/5-Steps-to-More-Creative-and-Effective-Social-Media-Campaigns-768x384.jpg 768w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/5-Steps-to-More-Creative-and-Effective-Social-Media-Campaigns-1024x512.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></p> <p>Are you experiencing a creative drought? Or are you bursting with creative ideas for your social media campaigns, but stumped about ways to validate these ideas? Here are five ways you can come up with more creative campaigns to achieve your business goals today, no matter where you are in the campaign planning process.</p> <h3>1. Spend Time Listening</h3> <p>Listening to your friends comes naturally. You want to hear what they have to say, and it’s easy: They’re sitting across the table from you at brunch, or you’re texting up a storm, back and forth. Because you are involved in this seamless exchange of information, and listening intently, you know as much about many of your friends as you do about yourself. The same is not true of your relationship with your social audience.</p> <p>With our social audiences, we tend to push out information (owned content) and measure the effect of that content. Sometimes <strong>we forget to begin by listening to our audiences and building content around what they actually care about</strong>. We end up pushing out content that just isn’t quite right. It’s like your friend telling you about a Golden Retriever puppy she wants to adopt and asking for your advice, and you responding by listing out your favorite qualities of Labradoodles—tangentially related, but not quite right. We marketers fall into this trap an awful lot. Here’s how you can begin to shift your thinking.</p> <h4>Build Your Empathy</h4> <p>Building empathy happens when you pay attention and listen deeply. This tends to come naturally in friendships: If your friend is hurting, you’re hurting. You wouldn’t scroll through your Instagram feed while your friend shared the painful news of his divorce, would you? The same concept can be applied to your relationship with your customers and/or social audience. Don’t busy yourself so much with your owned content (what your brand has to say) that you miss out on what your audience is saying and feeling on social, forums, and blogs.</p> <div id="attachment_40324" style="width: 912px; border: 1px solid #dddddd; background-color: #f3f3f3; padding-top: 4px; margin: 10px; text-align:center; display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="wp-image-40324 size-full" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Volume-and-sentiment-from-Simply-Measured-Listening.png" alt="Volume and sentiment from Simply Measured Listening" width="902" height="491" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Volume-and-sentiment-from-Simply-Measured-Listening.png 902w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Volume-and-sentiment-from-Simply-Measured-Listening-600x327.png 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Volume-and-sentiment-from-Simply-Measured-Listening-768x418.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 902px) 100vw, 902px" /><p style=' padding: 0 4px 5px; margin: 0;' class="wp-caption-text">Volume and sentiment from Simply Measured Listening</p></div> <p>By building a solid foundation of empathy for your audience’s wants and needs—and how those wants and needs evolve throughout the customer journey—you’re also building better content, responses, and, ultimately, sentiment around your brand.</p> <h4><img style=' float: right; padding: 4px; margin: 0 0 2px 7px;' class="size-full wp-image-40325 alignright" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Volume-spikes-and-alerts-from-Simply-Measured-Listening.png" alt="Volume spikes and alerts from Simply Measured Listening" width="169" height="571" />Know the History</h4> <p>One reason you’re able to understand your closest friends so easily is that you have a shared history. You’ve heard the story about Johnny chipping his tooth on a parmesan rind back in college a million times. You were there when Linda got to party with Snoop Dogg on her bachelorette trip. The same level of <strong>historical knowledge is important when it comes to your customers</strong>.</p> <p>When has your brand experienced the greatest spikes in reach, engagement, and volume? Which tactics and channels have historically worked for you (or your competition), and which have been misses? This is another common mistake for marketers: We commit to a campaign, regard it as a success or failure, and then move on too quickly to learn and document valuable lessons that can help us do better in the future. Don’t fall into this trap! Continue adding to your (separate) lists of customer knowledge and self-knowledge regularly as time passes and the data keeps rolling in.</p> <h4>Share a Common Language</h4> <p>You and your best friend have an endless assortment of inside jokes and maybe even made-up words and phrases that only you two understand. It’s kind of annoying, TBH. But <strong>shared experience means shared language</strong>. The same is true for listening to your customers on social.</p> <div id="attachment_40326" style="width: 899px; border: 1px solid #dddddd; background-color: #f3f3f3; padding-top: 4px; margin: 10px; text-align:center; display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="size-full wp-image-40326" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Word-cloud-from-SImply-Measured-Listening.png" alt="Word cloud from Simply Measured Listening" width="889" height="647" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Word-cloud-from-SImply-Measured-Listening.png 889w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Word-cloud-from-SImply-Measured-Listening-600x437.png 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Word-cloud-from-SImply-Measured-Listening-768x559.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 889px) 100vw, 889px" /><p style=' padding: 0 4px 5px; margin: 0;' class="wp-caption-text">Word cloud from Simply Measured Listening</p></div> <p>If you understand the slang and solutions that your audience throws at one another without you hovering in the room, you’ll eventually be able to learn their language and use it to better reach them.</p> <div id="attachment_40327" style="width: 911px; border: 1px solid #dddddd; background-color: #f3f3f3; padding-top: 4px; margin: 10px; text-align:center; display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="size-full wp-image-40327" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Top-emojis-used-in-relation-to-a-brand-from-Simply-Measured-Listening.png" alt="Top emojis used in relation to a brand from Simply Measured Listening" width="901" height="633" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Top-emojis-used-in-relation-to-a-brand-from-Simply-Measured-Listening.png 901w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Top-emojis-used-in-relation-to-a-brand-from-Simply-Measured-Listening-600x422.png 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Top-emojis-used-in-relation-to-a-brand-from-Simply-Measured-Listening-768x540.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 901px) 100vw, 901px" /><p style=' padding: 0 4px 5px; margin: 0;' class="wp-caption-text">Top emojis used in relation to a brand from Simply Measured Listening</p></div> <hr /><p><em>Shared experience means shared language, in life and with customers.</em> <br><a href='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=http://wp.me/p3EoXv-au2&text=Shared%20experience%20means%20shared%20language%2C%20in%20life%20and%20with%20customers.&via=convince&related=convince' target='_blank' >Click To Tweet</a> <br><hr /> <h4>Prioritization</h4> <p>As you grow up, you stop making time for friends who don’t give you the same level of attention as you give them. This can also be applied to your social media program. <strong>Understand how your audience prioritizes you</strong>, and you’ll be able to adjust your brand’s behavior accordingly.</p> <div id="attachment_40329" style="width: 889px; border: 1px solid #dddddd; background-color: #f3f3f3; padding-top: 4px; margin: 10px; text-align:center; display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="size-full wp-image-40329" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Simply-Measured-listening-solution-chart.png" alt="Simply Measured listening solution chart" width="879" height="404" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Simply-Measured-listening-solution-chart.png 879w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Simply-Measured-listening-solution-chart-600x276.png 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Simply-Measured-listening-solution-chart-768x353.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 879px) 100vw, 879px" /><p style=' padding: 0 4px 5px; margin: 0;' class="wp-caption-text">Simply Measured listening solution chart</p></div> <p>This doesn’t mean that you’re going to stop targeting customers or potential customers who like another brand over your brand. But it does mean that you might go more aggressively after one customer segment and veer away from another, or that you might spend more time doing <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.convinceandconvert.com/digital-marketing/audience-first-competitive-analysis/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">competitive campaigning</a> against one particular brand on social. The only way you’ll be able to prioritize correctly is by understanding where you sit in relationship to competitors in your (target) audience’s eyes.</p> <h4>Go Deep</h4> <p>The best conversations with your friends happen after a glass of wine or two, when you go deep into your fears and hopes and vulnerabilities. Don’t miss out on the most important, in-depth information about your customers by staying on the surface. Take the time to <strong>look at the most buzz-generating comments around your brand and/or industry on social at least once a day</strong>. This will give you the level of depth you need to move forward and make better choices.</p> <h3>2. Consult an Expert</h3> <p>Take a marketer you know and admire out to lunch, or approach them on social and ask for a quick chat. Come prepared with a set of questions, as specific as possible. We recommend choosing a particular campaign you were floored by, and digging deep to find out what you can learn for your own brand.</p> <h3>3. Talk to a Customer</h3> <p>This may take the form of jumping on a call or running a survey, depending on your business. However you consume <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.convinceandconvert.com/customer-experience/measure-customer-experience/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">this feedback</a>, know that it is one of the most important things you can do to understand how people who give you money actually think and feel about not only your product, but your industry at large.</p> <div class='ctx-autosidebar-container'></div> <h3>4. Learn from Innovative CMOs and Marketers</h3> <p>Doing your research on how marketing executives (including your own!) think and operate is essential. Read interviews with CMOs from best-in-class brands, and pay attention to the initiatives being emphasized on a broader level at your company. The strategies and messaging set at a high level always impact marching orders departmentally—if not now, then next quarter. Understand bold, innovative visions, and you’ll be able to come up with and execute creative campaigns that accomplish business goals in your organization.</p> <h3>5. Face the Larger Climate Head-On</h3> <p>Both <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/cadillac-takes-divided-nation-oscars-ad/308079/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Cadillac</a> and Airbnb<a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qUTYHnLz2g"> </a>have done an excellent job of addressing 2017’s divisive political climate in ways that both face the climate head-on and reinforce their brand message. This is a tricky balance to strike, since by addressing political themes, brands often experience pushback. It’s not a good strategy for every brand. Before putting together a campaign around this, do four things:</p> <ol> <li>Run an audience analysis to understand whether your audience will be positive, neutral, or negative in response to content of this nature.</li> <li>Remember to stay focused on general emotional connection and stay away from specific political topics or personalities.</li> <li>Weigh the risk of negative feedback versus a major awareness boost.</li> <li>Consider your resources. It’s not worth doing this unless you can do it well (and, preferably, with video).</li> </ol> <p>Want to learn more about how you can use social analytics—listening included—to achieve your business goals? Head to<a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~simplymeasured.com/blog" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> the Simply Measured blog</a> or <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://get.simplymeasured.com/Demo-Simply-Measured-v1.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">give our product a spin today</a>.</p> <p><em>This post is part of a paid <span class="il">sponsorship</span> between Simply Measured and Convince & Convert.</em></p> <p><em>Get a weekly dose of the trends and insights you need to keep you ON top, from the strategy team at Convince & Convert. Sign up for the <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~convinceandconvert.com/newsletter" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Convince & Convert ON</a> email newsletter.</em></p> <span class="ctx-article-root"><!-- --></span><Img align="left" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt="" style="border:0;float:left;margin:0;padding:0;width:1px!important;height:1px!important;" hspace="0" src="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/i/368590512/0/convinceandconvert"> <div style="clear:both;padding-top:0.2em;"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/2/368590512/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fbshare20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/28/368590512/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fblike20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/30/368590512/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" 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href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/24/367852532/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/twitter20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> </div> ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:8:"Jay Baer";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:40:"http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:9696:"<p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="aligncenter wp-image-40353 size-full" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Convince___Convert__Jay_s_Webinar_of_the_Week___FACEBOOK_TEMPLATE__40-1-1.jpg" alt="How AI, Millennials, and Generation Z Are Shaking Up the Workforce" width="1200" height="628" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Convince___Convert__Jay_s_Webinar_of_the_Week___FACEBOOK_TEMPLATE__40-1-1.jpg 1200w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Convince___Convert__Jay_s_Webinar_of_the_Week___FACEBOOK_TEMPLATE__40-1-1-600x314.jpg 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Convince___Convert__Jay_s_Webinar_of_the_Week___FACEBOOK_TEMPLATE__40-1-1-768x402.jpg 768w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Convince___Convert__Jay_s_Webinar_of_the_Week___FACEBOOK_TEMPLATE__40-1-1-1024x536.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p> <p>I’ve been working in digital pretty much since digital became a thing in the early 90s. At that point, the internet and associated new technologies were only being used by the cutting-edge trendsetters and super nerdy IT folks. Now, every company is using some form of technology in their business and the internet is pervasive.</p> <p>And whether you like it or not, your workforce is evolving. Figuring out how to work with millennials is a major pain point right now for executives and managers who want to bring in new blood, but it’s not just millennials that are coming to wreak havoc on your company. There is not one, but two new generations in town for you to worry about:</p> <ul> <li>Generation Z (born 2001 – now)</li> <li>Artificial intelligence</li> </ul> <p>What is it going to be like to manage these in addition to the three other generations you’ve already got?</p> <p><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.linkedin.com/in/alanlepo/?ppe=1">Alan Lepofsky</a> is the VP and Principal Analyst at Constellation Research, which focuses on collaboration and helping companies improve the way work gets done.</p> <p><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeannemeister/">Jeanne Meister</a> is a Partner at Future Workplace, a firm dedicated to rethinking, reimagining, and reinventing the workplace.</p> <p><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenzobell/">Steven ZoBell</a> is the Chief Product & Technology Officer at Workfront, a pioneer in work management software (and a partner of Convince & Convert).</p> <p>Together on Tuesday, June 27th at 12pm ET/9am PT, they will present a compelling webinar that, frankly, anyone who works anywhere can benefit from, but especially managers the employ a wide range of people.</p> <p id="title_text" class="banner-title banner-image-h1 mktoText"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~lp.workfront.com/engaging-5-generations-in-the-future-workplace/?o=70160000000RM88AAG&utm_campaign=na-webinar&utm_source=convince&utm_medium=email&utm_content=5-generations-webinar"><strong>Engaging 5 Generations in the Future Workplace</strong></a></p> <p class="banner-title banner-image-h1 mktoText">From baby boomers to robots and everyone in between, this webinar will clear up the facts related to each generation that’s involved in our growing workforce today and answer a few really important questions that are on everyone’s mind as technology booms.</p> <p class="banner-title banner-image-h1 mktoText"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~lp.workfront.com/engaging-5-generations-in-the-future-workplace/?o=70160000000RM88AAG&utm_campaign=na-webinar&utm_source=convince&utm_medium=email&utm_content=5-generations-webinar"><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="aligncenter wp-image-37796" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screenshot-2017-01-23-10.09.29.png" alt="" width="220" height="86" /></a></p> <h3 class="banner-title banner-image-h1 mktoText">1. Is Artificial Intelligence Coming For My Job?</h3> <p class="banner-title banner-image-h1 mktoText">You’ve seen the sci-fi movies where the humans create the robots to help them out and then the robots become too intelligent, rebel against their creators, and then someone like Arnold has to save the day.</p> <p class="banner-title banner-image-h1 mktoText">The creation of artificial intelligence and its prevalence today has got many workers worried that they’ll be replaced. But we always need to remember that automation has been happening for decades, even centuries. People are always trying to find ways to make work more efficient. And sometimes that means automating or using artificial intelligence to take tasks and make them happen more quickly.</p> <p class="banner-title banner-image-h1 mktoText">Now, we all hope that the growing automation and adoption of AI will only help us do our jobs better, not take them away, but some of us will need to worry about whether we’ll get outpaced and outnumbered by AI and automation activities. If that’s the case, the next point may be your saving grace.</p> <h3 class="banner-title banner-image-h1 mktoText">2. What Skills Do I Need to Thrive?</h3> <p class="banner-title banner-image-h1 mktoText">New generations have a very different level of comfort when it comes to adopting and utilizing new technologies to help them get things done. A Millennial or Gen Z-er might have an easy time picking up an iPhone whereas a Baby Boomer may still have trouble figuring out a keyboard shortcut.</p> <p class="banner-title banner-image-h1 mktoText">Still, however, evolution is happening and every time a new piece of technology enters the marketplace, employees need to figure out how to adopt it. The new skill set required to thrive in an ever-growing, ever-changing economy isn’t something that only new workers need to adopt. Even the older professionals will need to adapt or be pushed out.</p> <h3 class="banner-title banner-image-h1 mktoText">3. What Will the Future of Work Look Like?</h3> <p>A famous trait of millennials these days is their need for independence at work. They want to work from home, they want to work flexible hours, and they want to learn new skills to help propel their careers. Many businesses have evolved as a result, and smartly, in my opinion, because you can’t stop change. You must embrace it. And as a manager, it’s your job to understand the needs of your team, figure out which ones benefit the company, and advocate for them to the powers that be.</p> <p>Now, this is an ongoing process. People are special snowflakes and will always have different needs. Of course, you don’t need to play into all of them, but you need to be prepared with an understanding how to maximize these needs while still making sure your team is productive, focused, and ready to take on new challenges.</p> <p>I hope you’ll join Workfront on June 27th for a rousing discussion on this incredibly relevant and interesting topic. I look forward to seeing you there!</p> <p><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~lp.workfront.com/engaging-5-generations-in-the-future-workplace/?o=70160000000RM88AAG&utm_campaign=na-webinar&utm_source=convince&utm_medium=email&utm_content=5-generations-webinar"><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="aligncenter wp-image-37796" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screenshot-2017-01-23-10.09.29.png" alt="" width="207" height="81" /></a></p> <span class="ctx-article-root"><!-- --></span><Img align="left" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt="" style="border:0;float:left;margin:0;padding:0;width:1px!important;height:1px!important;" hspace="0" src="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/i/367852532/0/convinceandconvert"> <div style="clear:both;padding-top:0.2em;"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/2/367852532/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fbshare20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/28/367852532/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fblike20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/30/367852532/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/googleplus20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/16/367852532/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/linkedin20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/29/367852532/ConvinceandConvert,http%3a%2f%2fwww.convinceandconvert.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2017%2f06%2fConvince___Convert__Jay_s_Webinar_of_the_Week___FACEBOOK_TEMPLATE__40-1-1.jpg"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/pinterest20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/12/367852532/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/stumble20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/24/367852532/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/twitter20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> </div> ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:2;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:44:" ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:4:{s:42:"http://rssnamespace.org/feedburner/ext/1.0";a:1:{s:8:"origLink";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:89:"http://www.convinceandconvert.com/content-marketing/no-one-cares-about-content-marketing/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:0:"";a:6:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:73:"5 Reasons No One Cares About Content Marketing (and What to Do About It!)";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:60:"http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/362799170/0/convinceandconvert/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Thu, 15 Jun 2017 13:02:05 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:8:"category";a:6:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:17:"Content Marketing";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:1;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:18:"content engagement";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:2;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:17:"content marketing";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:3;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:21:"content marketing ROI";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:4;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:16:"content strategy";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:5;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:17:"marketing metrics";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:42:"http://www.convinceandconvert.com/?p=40202";s:7:"attribs";a:1:{s:0:"";a:1:{s:11:"isPermaLink";s:5:"false";}}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:1627:"Too often, decision makers inside your organization misunderstand content marketing's value. These solutions can help them see the worth of your work.<div style="clear:both;padding-top:0.2em;"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/2/362799170/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fbshare20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/28/362799170/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fblike20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/30/362799170/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/googleplus20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/16/362799170/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/linkedin20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/29/362799170/ConvinceandConvert,http%3a%2f%2fwww.convinceandconvert.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2017%2f06%2f5-Reasons-No-One-Cares-About-Content-Marketing.jpg"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/pinterest20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/12/362799170/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/stumble20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/24/362799170/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/twitter20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> </div> ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:13:"Marcus Varner";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:40:"http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:18202:"<p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-40255 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/5-Reasons-No-One-Cares-About-Content-Marketing.jpg" alt="5 Reasons No One Cares About Content Marketing" width="1600" height="800" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/5-Reasons-No-One-Cares-About-Content-Marketing.jpg 1600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/5-Reasons-No-One-Cares-About-Content-Marketing-600x300.jpg 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/5-Reasons-No-One-Cares-About-Content-Marketing-768x384.jpg 768w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/5-Reasons-No-One-Cares-About-Content-Marketing-1024x512.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></p> <p>If you’re like many content marketers, when you tell your mom your job title, she reacts with a perplexed smile and something like, “Oh, so what do you do?” An explanation fit for a layperson only yields a brief, labored expression before giving way to an epiphany: “So you’re a writer?”</p> <p>“Yeah,” you say, realizing that your mom is probably picturing you hunched over a vintage typewriter in a New England cabin, decked out in beatnik attire, while tapping out your great American novel and trying to figure out how you’re going to pay off those pesky student loans.</p> <p>Not that you can blame Mom. After all, the term “content marketing” didn’t even exist 10 to 15 years ago. Unfortunately, many of us get this same reaction from folks in our own department.</p> <p>When our colleagues do (sort of) know what we do, they treat us like we’re just off creating “cute” videos and blog posts that just keep people entertained until they can come in and do the real work, or they fail to see our contributions because they’re nested inside much larger campaigns. It can be difficult to pinpoint exactly how our ebook or whitepaper contributed to the stew.</p> <p>If content is at the heart of all great marketing (and I believe it is), then <strong>why do so few people inside and outside of marketing understand what content marketing is and how it creates value?</strong> You and I know that our work permeates everything the department does, influencing and converting prospects in subtle but powerful ways. So why is it so hard for others to see that?</p> <p>Here are five reasons content marketers are underappreciated, plus solutions for getting those who matter to see the value in what we do.</p> <h3>1. Everyone Thinks They Can Write, Design, and Shoot Video</h3> <p>Except for the most self-aware, everyone thinks they can write. They can crank out an email (albeit a terrible one) in three minutes flat, and they get lots of great responses from their friends on their personal social media accounts. So naturally, when they see your well-crafted article that just happened to be awesome enough to be published in <em>Fast Company</em>, some think, “Yeah, big deal. I could do that.”</p> <p>The same goes for design and video. People assume that just because they can throw together a bunch of clipart in PowerPoint or get 150 likes on a video they shot on their iPhone of their daughter making her first soccer goal, our design or video work must be just as easy—more play than work, in fact.</p> <p><strong>The Solution:</strong> Accept that some of your colleagues will naturally appreciate the difference between writing for a personal blog and crafting truly useful content that fits the brand voice. Others won’t. You can blame it on the internet and social media being the great equalizers, giving every individual a platform, a voice, and a bit of overconfidence. Unless the skeptics happen to be in a position of authority over you, just embrace your inner Disney princess and “Let It Go.” <strong>Your focus should be on making sure you have the support you need from above.</strong> You can do this by building a relationship of trust with your superiors, perhaps pointing to statistics that show just how big <em>Fast Company’s </em>reach is<em>, </em>and making your work processes more transparent.</p> <p>“My personal solutions,” says <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincentorleck/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Vincent Orleck</a>, CMO at <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~brandishsocial.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">BRANDish</a> in Phoenix, Arizona, “are to either A) align myself with others who see the content value similarly to how I do, or B) guide those who don’t see it the same way in a direction that allows them to essentially ‘create’ the same content themselves so they are bought into it on their own level rather than me convincing them to do so.”</p> <h3>2. People Don’t Understand What Our Work Requires</h3> <p>We make it look easy. The hours of focused attention that we have to carve out of a distracting workplace aren’t always apparent to others—especially when we have to lock ourselves in a conference room or work from home in order to escape the constant interruptions and concentrate well enough to write. (The biggest office pet peeve cited by marketers in a <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://resources.workfront.com/ebooks-whitepapers/2016-17-u-s-state-of-marketing-work-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">recent survey</a>? Co-workers who talk too loud. This may be why 53 percent of those polled expect most workers to be remote within just a few years—which will only make our perception problem worse.)</p> <p>Even while we’re at the office, clacking away at the keyboard, composing the best blog post customers have seen in years, it outwardly looks no different than someone responding to an email or updating social media. Like synchronized swimmers, the effortless grace that is seen by spectators above the water masks the frantic effort that’s taking place beneath the surface.</p> <p><strong>The Solution: </strong>You could do a better acting job. Grunt more. Sweat more. Make sure you look disheveled and stressed out by the end of the day. Or you could <strong>map out your workflows in detail and publish them for all to see</strong>, perhaps using work management software. Once your colleagues recognize just how many text and design drafts it takes to get to one finalized and approved whitepaper, not to mention the resources involved, they’ll be less likely to take you for granted.</p> <h3>3. We’re Battling Conflicting Definitions About What Makes Our Content Valuable</h3> <p>“People in the marketing industry are at varying levels of experience,” says Orleck, “so their understanding of what truly valuable content is will vary greatly. Often what I see is newer marketers focusing more on the approach or the platforms instead of what the content actually consists of, and whether it should even be put out there.”</p> <p><strong>Just because you can publish everywhere doesn’t mean you should</strong>. And different individuals within the team can have vastly different opinions about what types of content will work with the audience—not to mention how much of that content should be produced on a monthly or quarterly basis.</p> <p><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborahs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Deborah Strickland</a>, senior digital marketing strategist at <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.juniper.net/us/en/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Juniper Networks</a> in Sunnyvale, California, says, “I’ve seen a lot of ‘throw it over the wall’ processes, which can result in poorly produced content, content that doesn’t fit the audience, or redundant content—how many whitepapers on X do we need?”</p> <p>Many marketers are being asked to manage a “content factory, spewing out tons of often disconnected material,” without regard to strategic goals, Strickland says. “In some teams, just creating content is the end goal—if it gets used, or visitors can find it, isn’t their problem.”</p> <p><strong>The Solution: </strong>To avoid arguing about subjective opinions on what is and isn’t valuable or relevant, tie all content back to the company’s strategic drivers. Understand the metrics that are being used to evaluate your output—is it about how many assets you release, how many pageviews or downloads each asset attracts, how many different platforms you’re publishing on, how many new prospects are drawn in, or some combination of the above?</p> <p>In the end, if your boss admits that he’s most interested in releasing more content this quarter than last quarter, then that’s the metric you should be paying closest attention to. If he values “more, more, more,” then by all means adopt the content factory approach to get the appreciation you’re looking for.</p> <p>If you can, however, <strong>take a stand against time-consuming content that has little strategic value</strong>. Pull out your documented work processes to show how many resources are involved in creating this asset, especially if it isn’t being appropriately leveraged down the line. Get those who create the content and those who release and distribute the content on the same page about how much room there really is in the pipeline. If you scale back the number of pieces you produce, you can focus on amping up their <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.convinceandconvert.com/content-marketing/content-marketing-playbook/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">individual impact</a>.</p> <h3>4. We Suck at Showing ROI</h3> <p>I recently read a comment on LinkedIn that implied that, because webinars bring in more leads per dollar spent than ebooks, that marketers should ditch ebooks and just invest in webinars. I fired back that people probably wouldn’t give the webinar the time of day if they hadn’t first had experiences with the brand via social, blog posts, and ebooks. We all recognize this kind of overly reductive thinking for what it is, but it does expose how marketing’s metrics obsession is making it very hard for us to gauge and advertise the value of our content.</p> <p>Some of this isn’t our fault. By its very purpose and nature, a thought leadership piece placed in an industry publication isn’t going to result in measurable sales. <strong>When the content marketing team’s work is devoted to pure brand awareness, it’s difficult to evaluate in terms of return on marketing investment.</strong> “Some executives understand that marketers need a portion of the marketing budget to be exempt from strict ROMI analysis,” writes <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.workfront.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Workfront</a> CMO <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.martechadvisor.com/articles/video-marketing-ads-2/how-to-use-metrics-to-defend-your-video-marketing-spend/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Joe Staples</a>, “because awareness campaigns that are not tied to direct revenue are essential for the growth of the brand. But for other executives, it’s a message you’ll have to impart again and again.”</p> <p>Some of this is our fault. We can do a better job of translating our results into language our bosses care about.</p> <div class='ctx-autosidebar-container'></div> <p><strong>The Solution: </strong>Words and pictures (whether still or moving) are the native language of most content marketers, while other marketers and business professionals are all about metrics. Spend some time getting fluent in the language of business.</p> <p>Comprehensive work management solutions can facilitate your efforts by tying budgets directly to tasks, improving resource management and allocation, and making forecasting and reporting easier than ever. Imagine being able to prove with data that you completed 10 percent more projects this quarter than last quarter, 95 percent of which were on time and under budget, and that you improved resource allocation, too. That will earn you some appreciation from the number crunchers, but you’ll have to step out of your comfort zone in another way, too. <strong>Content marketers have got to get better at touting their work and being their own cheerleaders.</strong></p> <p>“To succeed, content creators must be able to do more than research, write, and communicate,” says <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.linkedin.com/in/shellylucas/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Shelly Lucas</a>, content marketing director at <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.dnb.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dun & Bradsheet</a>. “We must be literate in data, analytics, SEO, user experience, design, advertising, demand gen, community, engagement, storytelling, and multiple lines of business. The past few years, many of us have busied ourselves learning all these things. How far has the rest of marketing progressed in its knowledge (and appreciation) of content? For too many organizations, the reciprocal pendulum is stuck.”</p> <hr /><p><em>Content marketers have got to get better at touting their work and being their own cheerleaders.</em> <br><a href='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=http://wp.me/p3EoXv-asq&text=Content%20marketers%20have%20got%20to%20get%20better%20at%20touting%20their%20work%20and%20being%20their%20own%20cheerleaders.&via=convince&related=convince' target='_blank' >Click To Tweet</a> <br><hr /> <h3>5. The C-Suite Hasn’t Bought In</h3> <p>“Most of the companies I’ve seen in the past 10 years still believe the purpose of marketing is to promote the company and write about the product,” says <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackjenkins638/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jack Jenkins</a>, director of product marketing at <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.irthsolutions.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">irth Solutions</a>. “At its core, content marketing is about understanding the customer problems you solve and then sharing your expertise in creative ways to attract prospects. This doesn’t happen overnight, and the C-level always wants immediate results.”</p> <p>Jenkins points out that marketing is often expected to produce isolated email campaigns to drive leads for short-term goals. But content marketing is the long game. “Unless the leadership team understands and commits to this strategy,” he says, “content marketers will continue to struggle. It’s a mindset change that is slowly being realized in many sectors of B2B.”</p> <p><strong>The Solution:</strong> You are a master at speaking to different audiences; don’t forget that your C-suite is an audience, too. “Rockstar content teams are contextual masters,” says Lucas. “They’re good at building bridges, both internally and externally. They develop resonant concepts and narrative structures to convey memorable marketing messages to prospects and customers. They create vehicles to create market momentum. They show buyers—and brands—<a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.convinceandconvert.com/content-marketing/science-behind-successful-content/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the way forward</a>.” They (we) can show executives the way forward, too.</p> <p><em>This post is part of a paid <span class="il">sponsorship</span> between Workfront and Convince & Convert.</em></p> <p><em>Get a weekly dose of the trends and insights you need to keep you ON top, from the strategy team at Convince & Convert. Sign up for the <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~convinceandconvert.com/newsletter" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Convince & Convert ON</a> email newsletter.</em></p> <span class="ctx-article-root"><!-- --></span><Img align="left" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt="" style="border:0;float:left;margin:0;padding:0;width:1px!important;height:1px!important;" hspace="0" src="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/i/362799170/0/convinceandconvert"> <div style="clear:both;padding-top:0.2em;"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/2/362799170/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fbshare20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/28/362799170/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fblike20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/30/362799170/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/googleplus20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/16/362799170/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/linkedin20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/29/362799170/ConvinceandConvert,http%3a%2f%2fwww.convinceandconvert.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2017%2f06%2f5-Reasons-No-One-Cares-About-Content-Marketing.jpg"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/pinterest20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/12/362799170/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/stumble20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/24/362799170/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/twitter20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> </div> ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:3;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:44:" ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:4:{s:42:"http://rssnamespace.org/feedburner/ext/1.0";a:1:{s:8:"origLink";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:92:"http://www.convinceandconvert.com/social-media-strategy/yelp-success-vs-ratings-and-reviews/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:0:"";a:6:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:36:"Yelp Success vs. Ratings and Reviews";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:60:"http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/361935628/0/convinceandconvert/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Wed, 14 Jun 2017 20:00:00 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:8:"category";a:6:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:21:"Social Media Strategy";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:1;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:21:"Convince & Convert ON";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:2;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:17:"customer feedback";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:3;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:19:"ratings and reviews";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:4;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:15:"review strategy";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:5;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:4:"Yelp";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:42:"http://www.convinceandconvert.com/?p=40229";s:7:"attribs";a:1:{s:0:"";a:1:{s:11:"isPermaLink";s:5:"false";}}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:1469:"Consumers trust companies less than ever before. In that maelstrom, ratings and reviews are a life raft of information.<div style="clear:both;padding-top:0.2em;"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/2/361935628/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fbshare20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/28/361935628/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fblike20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/30/361935628/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/googleplus20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/16/361935628/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/linkedin20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/29/361935628/ConvinceandConvert,"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/pinterest20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/12/361935628/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/stumble20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/24/361935628/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/twitter20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> </div> ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:8:"Jay Baer";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:40:"http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:6766:"<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Xkq3HYYhSPg" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>Consumers trust companies less than ever before. In that maelstrom, ratings and reviews are a life raft of information.</p> <p><strong>Takeaways</strong></p> <ul> <li>Ratings and reviews, particularly those left on your own website, are more important than ever.</li> <li>New research reveals that compensating customers for reviews might not be an effective strategy.</li> <li>Go ahead and ask your customers for reviews via email—they’re a completely different group than the people reviewing you on Yelp.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Jay:</strong> Hey everybody, it’s Jay Baer. Are ratings and reviews more important than ever? I think the answer is yes.</p> <p>Look, we’re living in crazy times, and people trust companies, organizations, institutions, and leaders less than they ever have before, and perhaps for good reason. In that maelstrom, you find ratings and reviews as a raft, a life raft, of information. <strong>People trust ratings and reviews more than ever before.</strong> In fact, 85 percent of consumers say that they use ratings and reviews to help them make purchases. And, amongst consumers who are 45 years of age or younger, 30 percent of them use ratings and reviews every time they purchase, for everything.</p> <p>Now, you may have heard recently that Yelp is <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~marketrealist.com/2017/06/disappointing-guidance-drives-yelp-stock-lower-in-may-2017/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">having some trouble</a>—a big ratings and reviews site, of course. Their traffic’s down, their ad revenue is down, they lost one billion dollars worth of market capitalization in the last few months, but Yelp’s troubles do not mean the ratings and reviews industry is in trouble—in fact, quite the opposite.</p> <p>Ratings and reviews are <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/09/technology/online-reviews-researchers-give-them-a-low-rating.html?_r=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">stronger than ever</a>, partially because we now have two types of reviews we need to pay attention to. We have third party reviews, which are Yelp, TripAdvisor, any other website that’s not your website that contains reviews about your business. That’s a third party reviews platform. Now, first party reviews, the reviews that are on your own website, are also important—perhaps equally important, and in some cases, more important. <strong>Google is starting to emphasize first party reviews in their search rankings</strong>, which means the more reviews you have about you on your own website, the better your site will be ranked. That is important.</p> <p>So, more and more businesses are wisely asking their customers to leave them reviews, typically via an email nudge. Now, where this gets sideways, however, is that lots of businesses are thinking, “Okay, if we need more reviews, what we’re gonna do is we’re gonna tell customers that we’re gonna give them something if they us a review. We’re gonna give them money, or a free burrito,” or whatever the circumstances may be.</p> <p>But that actually has the opposite effect. New research in the <em>Journal of Marketing Science</em> finds that <strong>when you actually pay customers to leave a review, they leave fewer reviews</strong>. Not more reviews—fewer reviews. Why? Because it makes people feel gross. Right? It makes them feel like you are prostituting them for their reviews. So you don’t need to pay customers to leave reviews—you just need to <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.convinceandconvert.com/customer-experience/the-right-way-to-ask-for-customer-reviews/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">make it easy</a> to leave a review.</p> <p>Another note on the first party versus third party: Some really interesting research from Northwestern University found that the people who leave first party reviews, the people who leave reviews on your own website, are not the same people who use Yelp, TripAdvisor, any other third party platform. There’s actually a totally separate group of customers. So <strong>if you ask people to leave a review via email, you’re not cannibalizing your Yelp, Google, TripAdvisor-type reviews</strong>. It’s actually a different set, which is great news for business, because now you get two sets of customer insights that can help you build your business better. So, lots of <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.brightlocal.com/learn/local-consumer-review-survey/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">amazing new research</a> on the topic of ratings and reviews.</p> <p>We’ll link it all up here in this issue of Convince & Convert ON. Remember, ratings and reviews? Nothing to ignore. In fact, more important than ever.</p> <span class="ctx-article-root"><!-- --></span><Img align="left" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt="" style="border:0;float:left;margin:0;padding:0;width:1px!important;height:1px!important;" hspace="0" src="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/i/361935628/0/convinceandconvert"> <div style="clear:both;padding-top:0.2em;"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/2/361935628/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fbshare20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/28/361935628/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fblike20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/30/361935628/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/googleplus20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/16/361935628/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/linkedin20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/29/361935628/ConvinceandConvert,"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/pinterest20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/12/361935628/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/stumble20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/24/361935628/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/twitter20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> </div> ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:4;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:47:" ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:4:{s:42:"http://rssnamespace.org/feedburner/ext/1.0";a:1:{s:8:"origLink";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:88:"http://www.convinceandconvert.com/content-marketing/content-writing-tips-for-better-seo/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:0:"";a:6:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:47:"7 Important Content Writing Tips for Better SEO";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:60:"http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/361607870/0/convinceandconvert/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Wed, 14 Jun 2017 14:33:11 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:8:"category";a:7:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:17:"Content Marketing";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:1;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:16:"content creation";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:2;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:17:"content marketing";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:3;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:16:"content strategy";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:4;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:26:"search engine optimization";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:5;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:14:"search ranking";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:6;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:12:"SEO strategy";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:42:"http://www.convinceandconvert.com/?p=40020";s:7:"attribs";a:1:{s:0:"";a:1:{s:11:"isPermaLink";s:5:"false";}}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:1636:"Keyword stuffing may be a thing of the past, but SEO-friendly content is not. Make sure your best work gets seen with these seven writing tips for better SEO.<div style="clear:both;padding-top:0.2em;"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/2/361607870/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fbshare20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/28/361607870/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fblike20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/30/361607870/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/googleplus20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/16/361607870/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/linkedin20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/29/361607870/ConvinceandConvert,http%3a%2f%2fwww.convinceandconvert.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2017%2f06%2f7-Important-Content-Writing-Tips-for-Better-SEO.jpg"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/pinterest20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/12/361607870/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/stumble20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/24/361607870/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/twitter20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> </div> ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:12:"Jason Acidre";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:40:"http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:19937:"<p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-40278 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/7-Important-Content-Writing-Tips-for-Better-SEO.jpg" alt="7 Important Content Writing Tips for Better SEO" width="1600" height="800" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/7-Important-Content-Writing-Tips-for-Better-SEO.jpg 1600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/7-Important-Content-Writing-Tips-for-Better-SEO-600x300.jpg 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/7-Important-Content-Writing-Tips-for-Better-SEO-768x384.jpg 768w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/7-Important-Content-Writing-Tips-for-Better-SEO-1024x512.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></p> <p>SEO copywriting was certainly a legitimate service in the days when keyword stuffing and density were factors to consider in making webpages more visible in organic search. Nevertheless, great content remained the core of successful digital marketing campaigns over the years.</p> <p>You might think that the old approach to creating SEO articles is a thing of the past. But in reality, content that gets highly ranked on search engines is what many marketers are still aiming to achieve. The name of the game might have changed. The methodologies and approach may have tremendously evolved as well. But the goal still remains the same.</p> <p>I’ve been <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~kaiserthesage.com/seo-strategies-resources/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">writing about SEO and content marketing</a> for the past six years. Here are the eight most important lessons I’ve learned.</p> <h3>1. Target Multiple Keywords</h3> <p>Choose and focus on writing topics that can target multiple keywords. This will ensure that your content can consistently drive traffic through search.</p> <p>It’s conventional wisdom for content to target a primary keyword. However, <strong>many marketers forget to maximize their content’s potential by including and targeting secondary search terms</strong> (long tails). That’s often enough to amplify its ability to attract more organic traffic in an extreme way.</p> <p><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~kaiserthesage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/multiple-keywords.png"><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-5949" src="http://kaiserthesage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/multiple-keywords.png" alt="" width="1346" height="186" /></a></p> <p>Just imagine how much traffic you can get if you have dozens of pieces of content that each rank for hundreds (if not thousands) of search queries.</p> <p>Use <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://adwords.google.com/ko/KeywordPlanner/Home" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Google’s Keyword Planner</a> to identify keyword variations (with substantial monthly search volume) you can target for your content.</p> <p><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~kaiserthesage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/search-terms.png"><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-5950" src="http://kaiserthesage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/search-terms.png" alt="" width="1050" height="358" /></a></p> <p>Strategically place your chosen key phrases on the key areas of your content:</p> <ul> <li>Title tag</li> <li>Meta description</li> <li>Header tags (H1, H2, etc.)</li> </ul> <p><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~kaiserthesage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/seo-philippines.png"><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-5951" src="http://kaiserthesage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/seo-philippines.png" alt="" width="615" height="102" /></a></p> <p>From the sample above, I’ve built a piece of content (a few weeks ago for testing purposes) that mainly aims to rank for the search term “<a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~kaiserthesage.com/seo-philippines/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">SEO Philippines</a>.” The topic itself is very broad (and could certainly be dull). So in order to produce something that can genuinely provide useful information to its intended audience, I incorporated specific modifiers such as:</p> <ul> <li>Consultants</li> <li>Experts</li> <li>Agencies/Companies</li> <li>Blogs</li> <li>Conferences</li> </ul> <p>This made the content more robust in terms of utility and depth of information, thus making it more sound for search engines to rank the page for the primary keyword it is targeting (and more likely with its other variations).</p> <p>Through <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~searchengineland.com/faq-all-about-the-new-google-rankbrain-algorithm-234440" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">RankBrain</a>, Google is now more adept at recognizing and <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://moz.com/blog/tactical-keyword-research-in-a-rankbrain-world" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">understanding pages that target multiple related keywords</a>.</p> <p><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~kaiserthesage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/58f6a3188f3987.80638275.png"><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-5952" src="http://kaiserthesage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/58f6a3188f3987.80638275.png" alt="" width="560" height="437" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://moz.com/blog/case-study-ranking-high-volume-keyword" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dmitry Dragilev did a more detailed case study</a> of this approach and how it helped them get in the first position for a highly competitive keyword (in under three months).</p> <h3>2. Improve Readability</h3> <p>Readability has a direct impact on user engagement metrics, which is one of the most important areas that Google looks into in ranking webpages nowadays. In the last <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://moz.com/search-ranking-factors/survey" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Search Ranking Factors Survey by Moz</a>, reading level was recognized by several experts as a mid-tier ranking signal for page-level keyword-agnostic features. But many things have changed in Google’s core algorithm over the past couple of years, and user experience is playing a much bigger role now.</p> <h4>Tips for improving your page’s readability:</h4> <ul> <li>Format your content for skim readers.</li> <li>Use shorter sentences.</li> <li>Break long paragraphs.</li> <li>Highlight the most interesting parts of your content (through effective use of subheadings, bold texts, and whitespaces).</li> <li>Use active voice.</li> <li>Use transition words to give better direction to readers.</li> </ul> <p>Install <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://yoast.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Yoast SEO</a>, if your site is on WordPress. The plugin can guide you on how to improve your content’s readability.</p> <p><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~kaiserthesage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/yoast.png"><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-5953" src="http://kaiserthesage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/yoast.png" alt="" width="783" height="463" /></a></p> <p>Make certain to clean out spelling and grammatical errors. You can also use tools such as Microsoft Word’s spelling/grammar checker or <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://app.grammarly.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Grammarly</a> (a free Chrome extension) to make your content foolproof. This visual guide by <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://bid4papers.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bid4Papers</a> should also come in handy if you’re just starting to write for the web.</p> <p><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~kaiserthesage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/The-Most-Common-Spelling-Grammar-Punctuation-Mistakes.jpg"><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-5954" src="http://kaiserthesage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/The-Most-Common-Spelling-Grammar-Punctuation-Mistakes.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="8595" /></a></p> <h3>3. LSI and TF-IDF</h3> <p>As I mentioned earlier, Google has become smarter in processing and matching queries with relevant webpages from their indices. Latent Semantic Indexing, a process search engines use to understand words and term relationships, has also evolved over the past decade.</p> <p>What does that mean for marketers? <strong>It’s vital to include more semantically related terms in your writing.</strong></p> <ul> <li>Use more related nouns and entities (for example, mentioning popular brands or personalities in your particular space).</li> <li>Consider use of synonyms or other close variants (use natural language), rather than using your primary keyword multiple times within the content (for example, “cat pictures,” “cat pics,” “photographs of cats,” etc.).</li> <li>TF-IDF: Include terms frequently used by other competing pages ranking for your target search query.</li> </ul> <p><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~kaiserthesage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/tf-idf-1.png"><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-5956" src="http://kaiserthesage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/tf-idf-1.png" alt="" width="1324" height="476" /></a></p> <p>You can use <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://en.onpage.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">OnPage.org</a> to identify related terms your competitors use. You might also take a look at<a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://moz.com/blog/7-advanced-seo-concepts" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> 7 Concepts of Advanced On-Page SEO</a>.</p> <h3>4. Format Content for Featured Snippets (Google Answer Box)</h3> <p>Include sections in your content that can directly answer question-based queries (“how to,” “what is” and “list of” queries).</p> <p><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~kaiserthesage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/featured-snippet.png"><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-5958" src="http://kaiserthesage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/featured-snippet.png" alt="" width="791" height="452" /></a></p> <p>Google has different factors in play for this specific search listing (apart from the usual organic search ranking factors), but what’s more important is to ensure that your content is well-formatted and prepared to adapt to these sets of queries. Based on many experts’ observations, below are some of the key signals Google uses to determine which pages rank first:</p> <ul> <li><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~kaiserthesage.com/content-optimization-tips/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Provide the most logical and accurate answers</a> to these types of queries.</li> <li>Number and quality of <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/how-to-featured-snippet-box" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">links pointing to the page</a>.</li> <li><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://moz.com/blog/game-of-featured-snippets-how-to-rank-in-position-0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Engagement metrics matter</a> (SERP CTR and time to long-click).</li> </ul> <h4>How to format and optimize your content for Google Answer Box:</h4> <ol> <li>Include a section that states the question in a header (h2, h3, or h4).</li> <li>Provide a concise and direct answer or list of answers to the targeted query.</li> <li>Make sure that users and search crawlers will easily find this section.</li> </ol> <p><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~kaiserthesage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/featured-snippet3.png"><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-5959" src="http://kaiserthesage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/featured-snippet3.png" alt="" width="711" height="586" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~kaiserthesage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/featured-snippet2.png"><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-5960" src="http://kaiserthesage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/featured-snippet2.png" alt="" width="792" height="367" /></a></p> <h3>5. Unexpected Hooks</h3> <p>According to last year’s internet statistics report, there are <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://hostingfacts.com/internet-facts-stats-2016/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">2.7 million blog posts being published every day</a>. With content saturation in almost every vertical, it has become more of a challenge for actual readers to find something uniquely valuable over the web these days. That’s why offering ideas or information that people will rarely find elsewhere is so important in this age of content.</p> <p>The goal should always be to give your readers <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.convinceandconvert.com/digital-marketing/why-the-future-of-marketing-is-curiosity-not-creation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the thing they’d least expect to find</a> in your content. This could be an element within your content that’s surprisingly practical, actionable, useful, or just plainly original.</p> <p>I have been practicing this approach to writing ever since I started blogging back in 2010. I focus on incorporating the following aspects to make sure my own content will provide unique value (or perspective):</p> <ul> <li>Personal experiences</li> <li>Your own case studies</li> <li>Surveys</li> <li>Combining and connecting other publishers’ ideas (and stats) to create your own</li> </ul> <div class='ctx-autosidebar-container'></div> <h3>6. Aim to Convert</h3> <p>Every bit of content you create must have its own goal and serve a purpose. Most of the time, we build content to get our sites ranked for our campaign’s target keywords. We often forget what to do with the traffic we get from these efforts, such as:</p> <ul> <li>Attracting business leads, through exemplifying the brand’s expertise.</li> <li>Building relationships with other publishers and influencers, through citing their works.</li> <li>Strengthening readership and building your social following base, through consistent efforts to educate your target market.</li> </ul> <p>It goes beyond that, too, because <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://moz.com/blog/simplify-your-inbound-marketing-process-focus-on-content-assets" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">content ties together everything in the digital marketing realm</a>.</p> <h4>Guiding principles to improve your content’s ability to convert visitors:</h4> <ul> <li>Help readers actually solve their problems.</li> <li>Inspire and encourage readers to take action (include worksheets on your guides, printable checklists, provide relevant CTAs, etc.).</li> <li>Aim to educate—it’s the best way to influence people, and it’s certainly the best way to sell.</li> </ul> <hr /><p><em>2.7 million blog posts are published every day.</em> <br><a href='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=http://wp.me/p3EoXv-apu&text=2.7%20million%20blog%20posts%20are%20published%20every%20day.&via=convince&related=convince' target='_blank' >Click To Tweet</a> <br><hr /> <h3>7. Include Stats and Quotes from Credible Sources</h3> <p>Linking out, especially to highly authoritative sources or websites, is another signal that both users and Google use to assess if the information provided by a piece of content is accurate. It’s also essential for search algorithms, as this allows them to better understand relationships and associations among topics and web entities. The topical relevance of the linked sources can also improve your content’s relevance score to their target keywords.</p> <p>Lastly, <strong>citing other people’s works opens up opportunities for networking</strong> (and collaboration), especially when you write great content. Most of all, it’s one of the best reasons you can have to <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.convinceandconvert.com/content-marketing/why-relationship-marketing-is-key/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">engage and build rapport</a> with influencers and thought leaders in your industry (which can boost your content amplification efforts).</p> <p><em>Get a weekly dose of the trends and insights you need to keep you ON top, from the strategy team at Convince & Convert. Sign up for the <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~convinceandconvert.com/newsletter" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Convince & Convert ON</a> email newsletter.</em></p> <span class="ctx-article-root"><!-- --></span><Img align="left" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt="" style="border:0;float:left;margin:0;padding:0;width:1px!important;height:1px!important;" hspace="0" src="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/i/361607870/0/convinceandconvert"> <div style="clear:both;padding-top:0.2em;"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/2/361607870/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fbshare20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/28/361607870/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fblike20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/30/361607870/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/googleplus20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/16/361607870/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/linkedin20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/29/361607870/ConvinceandConvert,http%3a%2f%2fwww.convinceandconvert.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2017%2f06%2f7-Important-Content-Writing-Tips-for-Better-SEO.jpg"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/pinterest20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/12/361607870/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/stumble20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/24/361607870/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/twitter20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> </div> ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:5;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:48:" ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:4:{s:42:"http://rssnamespace.org/feedburner/ext/1.0";a:2:{s:8:"origLink";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:104:"http://www.convinceandconvert.com/social-media-strategy/heres-how-often-you-should-post-on-social-media/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:17:"origEnclosureLink";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:98:"http://traffic.libsyn.com/convinceandconvert/The_Truth_About_How_Often_to_Post_in_Social_Media.mp3";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:0:"";a:7:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:50:"Here’s How Often You Should Post on Social Media";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:60:"http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/361607878/0/convinceandconvert/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Wed, 14 Jun 2017 14:30:54 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:8:"category";a:6:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:21:"Social Media Strategy";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:1;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:16:"content calendar";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:2;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:17:"social engagement";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:3;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:22:"Social Media Marketing";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:4;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:20:"social media posting";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:5;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:21:"social media strategy";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:42:"http://www.convinceandconvert.com/?p=40205";s:7:"attribs";a:1:{s:0:"";a:1:{s:11:"isPermaLink";s:5:"false";}}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:1832:"Research on social posting frequency is less conclusive than you might think. Before you post on social media, ask, "Is this worth knowing?"<div style="clear:left"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/-/278374514/0/convinceandconvert" title="Play audio"><img border="0" width="40" height="40" src="https://assets.feedblitz.com/i/podplay.png"/></a></div> <div style="clear:both;padding-top:0.2em;"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/2/361607878/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fbshare20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/28/361607878/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fblike20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/30/361607878/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/googleplus20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/16/361607878/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/linkedin20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/29/361607878/ConvinceandConvert,http%3a%2f%2fwww.convinceandconvert.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2017%2f06%2fHeres-How-Often-You-Should-Post-on-Social-Media.jpg"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/pinterest20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/12/361607878/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/stumble20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/24/361607878/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/twitter20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> </div> ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:9:"enclosure";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:0:"";s:7:"attribs";a:1:{s:0:"";a:3:{s:3:"url";s:63:"http://feeds.feedblitz.com/-/278374514/0/convinceandconvert.mp3";s:6:"length";s:1:"0";s:4:"type";s:10:"audio/mpeg";}}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:8:"Jay Baer";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:40:"http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:13387:"<p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-40250 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Heres-How-Often-You-Should-Post-on-Social-Media.jpg" alt="Here's How Often You Should Post on Social Media" width="1600" height="800" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Heres-How-Often-You-Should-Post-on-Social-Media.jpg 1600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Heres-How-Often-You-Should-Post-on-Social-Media-600x300.jpg 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Heres-How-Often-You-Should-Post-on-Social-Media-768x384.jpg 768w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Heres-How-Often-You-Should-Post-on-Social-Media-1024x512.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></p> <div class="smart-track-player-container stp-color-f68c1e-EEEEEE" data-url="http://traffic.libsyn.com/convinceandconvert/The_Truth_About_How_Often_to_Post_in_Social_Media.mp3" data-background_color="#EEEEEE" data-download="true" data-color="f68c1e" data-title="The Truth About How Often to Post in Social Media" data-artist="Convince & Convert Media" data-paid="true" data-social="true" data-social_twitter="true" data-social_facebook="true" data-social_gplus="true" data-speedcontrol="true" data-uid="39yLDr2s" data-download_id="09c71bf3394f606fe1f165779a538a35" ></div> <p>Will Roe v. Wade be overturned?</p> <p>Will the United States bail on every international treaty to which it has previously signed?</p> <p>Will Nicolas Cage have a late-career resurgence?</p> <p>How often should I post to social media?</p> <p>These (among others) are the central questions of our time.</p> <p>You could fill Tom Brady’s trophy case with the amount of research that has been conducted on social media posting frequency. Our friends at CoSchedule, in fact, collated much of it to create this nifty <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~coschedule.com/blog/how-often-to-post-on-social-media/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">consensus guide on when to post</a>.</p> <p>It’s good stuff.</p> <p>But, it’s not true. None of it is true. Because <strong>all of those studies look at the success of each post in a vacuum</strong>. How many clicks, likes, shares, comments, etc. did a piece of social content get, and what happens to those baseline results when the frequency of publication goes up, or down?</p> <p>Every single one of these reports ignores an unassailable certainty about success in social media marketing:</p> <hr /><p><em>Social media posts that succeed are those that are worth posting.</em> <br><a href='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=http://wp.me/p3EoXv-ast&text=Social%20media%20posts%20that%20succeed%20are%20those%20that%20are%20worth%20posting.&via=jaybaer&related=jaybaer' target='_blank' >Click To Tweet</a> <br><hr /> <p>Put another way, increased frequency doesn’t imperil your success in social media marketing. Instead, your success is mitigated every time you post something mediocre, or worse.</p> <h3>Social Posting and the Brand Pulse</h3> <div id="attachment_38232" style="width: 610px; border: 1px solid #dddddd; background-color: #f3f3f3; padding-top: 4px; margin: 10px; text-align:center; display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="size-medium wp-image-38232" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Brand-Pulse-by-Scott-Stratten-600x206.jpeg" alt="" width="600" height="206" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Brand-Pulse-by-Scott-Stratten-600x206.jpeg 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Brand-Pulse-by-Scott-Stratten-768x264.jpeg 768w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Brand-Pulse-by-Scott-Stratten-1024x352.jpeg 1024w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Brand-Pulse-by-Scott-Stratten.jpeg 1276w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /><p style=' padding: 0 4px 5px; margin: 0;' class="wp-caption-text">Scott Stratten’s Brand Pulse concept</p></div> <p>My friend <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.convinceandconvert.com/podcasts/episodes/break-the-rules-create-great-content/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Scott Stratten</a> talks about the principle of Brand Pulse. He says that every interaction between a brand and a consumer either increases that person’s affinity for the brand, or reduces it. There is no “neutral” gear in our feelings about companies, only “forward” and “reverse.”</p> <p>If you post something irrelevant, pointless, or worse in social media, the pulse slows. If you post something interesting and useful (a Youtility, if you’ll excuse the reference), the pulse quickens.</p> <p>From the perspectives of emotions, loyalty, and advocacy, the Brand Pulse idea has always been true. But now, it’s even more important because the social media overlords have designed algorithms to mimic the Brand Pulse.</p> <h3>Good Content Wins, Bad Content Fails</h3> <p>The algorithms employed by Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (and to a lesser degree, Google’s SERPs and SEM ad placement) are essentially governed by the principle of the Brand Pulse.</p> <p>To whit, a piece of content shared in social media that gets disproportionate numbers of clicks, comments, shares, and likes will not only succeed because of the additional reach of the shares, but because the platforms actually show the content to more people.</p> <p>Brands like to complain about this uneven distribution of content, but in reality:</p> <hr /><p><em>Social media content is the ultimate meritocracy. Good content wins. Bad content fails. </em> <br><a href='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=http://wp.me/p3EoXv-ast&text=Social%20media%20content%20is%20the%20ultimate%20meritocracy.%20Good%20content%20wins.%20Bad%20content%20fails.%20&via=jaybaer&related=jaybaer' target='_blank' >Click To Tweet</a> <br><hr /> <p>Imagine if this meritocracy was applied to other elements of our lives. The great restaurant in your town is open 24/7. The crappy diner that never changes the oil in the fryer is only open 3:30 to 5:45 Tuesdays and Sundays. That’s the restaurant equivalent of the social media Brand Pulse algorithm.</p> <div class='ctx-autosidebar-container'></div> <h3>The Truth About Social Post Frequency</h3> <p>A few years ago, I published a slideshare presentation and blog post based on a presentation I gave at a SocialFresh conference called “<a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.convinceandconvert.com/social-media-strategy/why-it-might-be-time-to-completely-change-your-social-media-strategy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Shotguns Trump Rifles</a>.” My thesis at the time was that you should post more content in more places because it was the best way to defeat the algorithm changes that were just then starting to impact how social media posts were distributed and seen.</p> <p>At the time, it made a lot of sense (at least to me), and our clients had a lot of success with that approach.</p> <p>But today, the algorithms have grown even more finicky and pervasive. Now, posting mediocre content in social doesn’t actually impact your customers’ impressions of your brand all that much, because your customers never see the post. Things that are invisible are rarely disappointing.</p> <hr /><p><em>In social media, the algorithm is the most important customer.</em> <br><a href='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=http://wp.me/p3EoXv-ast&text=In%20social%20media%2C%20the%20algorithm%20is%20the%20most%20important%20customer.&via=jaybaer&related=jaybaer' target='_blank' >Click To Tweet</a> <br><hr /> <p>Unless the algorithm loves your content, your actual, human customers will never know you exist. For evidence of this, look only at the many business Facebook pages that have zero engagement—not limited engagement, not little engagement, but zero. Yet, <strong>they continue to post the same kinds of content on a daily basis because some study said daily posting is the right cadence</strong>.</p> <p>(I am guilty of this, too, on my Jay Baer business Facebook page. I need to get much better there.)</p> <p>You should post to social media every time (and only when) you have something to post that your audience will love.</p> <p>If you don’t have <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.convinceandconvert.com/digital-marketing/why-the-future-of-marketing-is-curiosity-not-creation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">something worthwhile</a> to say, do not say it. When you decide to push “Publish” anyway, you are digging yourself and deeper and deeper hole with the social media algorithms.</p> <hr /><p><em>The best social media publishing frequency is: when it's worthwhile.</em> <br><a href='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=http://wp.me/p3EoXv-ast&text=The%20best%20social%20media%20publishing%20frequency%20is%3A%20when%20it%27s%20worthwhile.&via=jaybaer&related=jaybaer' target='_blank' >Click To Tweet</a> <br><hr /> <h3>Paid Promotions Won’t Save You</h3> <p>As a practical matter, many businesses try to outfox the algorithms not by publishing exceedingly interesting content, but by using social media advertising to gain the reach they cannot achieve on the merit of their missives.</p> <p>And, of course, this can help paper over your informational deficiencies.</p> <p>But I have never seen a circumstance—either for Convince & Convert or for our many corporate clients— where a piece of content that failed organically succeeded wildly once paid promotion was applied.</p> <p>Content that informs, entertains, or delights will work organically, and that is the content you should pay to promote. Putting significant paid amplification against mediocre content is the epitome of trying to make a silk purse out of sow’s ear. You can fool a few people at a distance, but upon close inspection, the whole charade comes tumbling down.</p> <p><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.convinceandconvert.com/social-media-case-studies/11-things-donald-trump-stole-from-the-gary-vaynerchuk-playbook/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Gary Vaynerchuk</a> put this more plainly recently when he said in a video (paraphrasing), “Paid advertising cannot make shitty content less shitty.”</p> <p>If you want your social media program to succeed, stop worrying about what the research says about when and how often to post on each channel, and <strong>use just this one guideline: “Is this worth knowing?”</strong></p> <p><em>Get a weekly dose of the trends and insights you need to keep you ON top, from the strategy team at Convince & Convert. Sign up for the <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~convinceandconvert.com/newsletter" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Convince & Convert ON</a> email newsletter.</em></p> <span class="ctx-article-root"><!-- --></span><Img align="left" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt="" style="border:0;float:left;margin:0;padding:0;width:1px!important;height:1px!important;" hspace="0" src="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/i/361607878/0/convinceandconvert"> <div style="clear:left"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/-/278374514/0/convinceandconvert" title="Play audio"><img border="0" width="40" height="40" src="https://assets.feedblitz.com/i/podplay.png"/></a></div> <div style="clear:both;padding-top:0.2em;"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/2/361607878/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fbshare20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/28/361607878/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fblike20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/30/361607878/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/googleplus20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/16/361607878/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/linkedin20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/29/361607878/ConvinceandConvert,http%3a%2f%2fwww.convinceandconvert.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2017%2f06%2fHeres-How-Often-You-Should-Post-on-Social-Media.jpg"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/pinterest20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/12/361607878/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/stumble20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/24/361607878/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/twitter20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> </div> ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:6;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:44:" ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:4:{s:42:"http://rssnamespace.org/feedburner/ext/1.0";a:1:{s:8:"origLink";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:64:"http://www.convinceandconvert.com/email/best-time-to-send-email/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:0:"";a:6:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:51:"A Marketer’s Guide to the Best Time to Send Email";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:60:"http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/360116328/0/convinceandconvert/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Tue, 13 Jun 2017 14:00:00 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:8:"category";a:6:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:5:"Email";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:1;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:20:"email best practices";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:2;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:15:"email marketing";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:3;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:13:"email metrics";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:4;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:9:"email roi";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:5;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:14:"email strategy";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:42:"http://www.convinceandconvert.com/?p=40220";s:7:"attribs";a:1:{s:0:"";a:1:{s:11:"isPermaLink";s:5:"false";}}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:1627:"Why do so many studies on the best time to send email reach different conclusions? Learn how to parse the right strategy for your specific business.<div style="clear:both;padding-top:0.2em;"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/2/360116328/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fbshare20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/28/360116328/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fblike20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/30/360116328/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/googleplus20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/16/360116328/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/linkedin20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/29/360116328/ConvinceandConvert,http%3a%2f%2fwww.convinceandconvert.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2017%2f06%2fA-Marketers-Guide-to-the-Best-Time-to-Send-Email.jpg"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/pinterest20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/12/360116328/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/stumble20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/24/360116328/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/twitter20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> </div> ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:11:"Emily Bauer";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:40:"http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:6696:"<p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-40236 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/A-Marketers-Guide-to-the-Best-Time-to-Send-Email.jpg" alt="A Marketer's Guide to the Best Time to Send Email" width="1600" height="800" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/A-Marketers-Guide-to-the-Best-Time-to-Send-Email.jpg 1600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/A-Marketers-Guide-to-the-Best-Time-to-Send-Email-600x300.jpg 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/A-Marketers-Guide-to-the-Best-Time-to-Send-Email-768x384.jpg 768w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/A-Marketers-Guide-to-the-Best-Time-to-Send-Email-1024x512.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></p> <p>Anyone who’s ever Googled “best time to send an email” knows that there’s a ton of information available on this topic. The problem, for those of you who’ve managed to avoid this particular rabbit hole, is that the <strong>many studies on optimal email send times all seem to reach different conclusions</strong>. Some recommend sending emails during weekend downtime, while others suggest weekday afternoons when your target is at work. Rather than providing a practical solution, this simple Google search often results in more confusion than ever.</p> <p>Why is it so hard to get a straight answer? Probably because the studies are not consistent in their methods.</p> <h3>The Problem with Email Marketing Research</h3> <p>This type of research is always a bit tricky because there are so many variables at play. While most of the studies focus on B2B emails, some are based on B2C emails being delivered to a list of subscribers or previous customers.</p> <p>Even among the studies featuring B2B emails, there are discrepancies based on who the target is, their job title, and what their work schedule looks like. For example, a different set of rules applies when you’re contacting entrepreneurs who check their messages 24/7 compared to your typical nine-to-five office worker who only reads their email during business hours.</p> <p>This should come as no surprise, but there is no single best time to send an email for every use case. The ideal time to send a follow-up email to a qualified lead is different than the best time to generate clicks with an e-commerce sales message.</p> <p>More importantly, there’s no universal definition of what makes an email successful. Someone who considers each opened email a win will reach a very different conclusion than someone more interested in click-through rates or responses.</p> <h3>The Truth About the Best Time to Send Email</h3> <p>Since there is no simple solution that applies to every scenario, <strong>the best time and day to send your email depends on your goal, audience, and industry</strong>. Regardless of when you decide to hit “send,” your individual mileage may vary based on who you’re emailing and what action you want them to take. Almost none of the studies on when to send emails parse all of these factors, which makes it tough to figure out how the findings apply to your specific audience, industry, and objective.</p> <p>We decided to approach this topic from a different angle. Instead of regurgitating data from a wide range of studies or focusing on one specific use case, we dug a bit deeper to find out what factors contributed to the differences. We’ve taken all of the conflicting data and sorted it into an easily digestible visual guide: The 2017 Email Marketing Field Guide by Propeller CRM.</p> <p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-40222 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/2017-Email-Marketing-Field-Guide-from-Propeller.png" alt="2017 Email Marketing Field Guide from Propeller" width="1000" height="14754" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/2017-Email-Marketing-Field-Guide-from-Propeller.png 1000w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/2017-Email-Marketing-Field-Guide-from-Propeller-768x11331.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></p> <p><em><strong>Editor’s Note</strong>: This infographic originally appeared on the <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.propellercrm.com/blog/2017-email-marketing-field-guide">Propeller blog</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Get a weekly dose of the trends and insights you need to keep you ON top, from the strategy team at Convince & Convert. Sign up for the <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~convinceandconvert.com/newsletter" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Convince & Convert ON</a> email newsletter.</em></p> <span class="ctx-article-root"><!-- --></span><Img align="left" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt="" style="border:0;float:left;margin:0;padding:0;width:1px!important;height:1px!important;" hspace="0" src="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/i/360116328/0/convinceandconvert"> <div style="clear:both;padding-top:0.2em;"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/2/360116328/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fbshare20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/28/360116328/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fblike20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/30/360116328/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/googleplus20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/16/360116328/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/linkedin20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/29/360116328/ConvinceandConvert,http%3a%2f%2fwww.convinceandconvert.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2017%2f06%2fA-Marketers-Guide-to-the-Best-Time-to-Send-Email.jpg"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/pinterest20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/12/360116328/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/stumble20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/24/360116328/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/twitter20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> </div> ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:7;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:44:" ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:4:{s:42:"http://rssnamespace.org/feedburner/ext/1.0";a:1:{s:8:"origLink";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:78:"http://www.convinceandconvert.com/content-marketing/guide-to-google-analytics/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:0:"";a:6:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:57:"An A-to-Z Guide to Google Analytics for Content Marketers";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:60:"http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/358757630/0/convinceandconvert/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Mon, 12 Jun 2017 13:00:00 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:8:"category";a:6:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:17:"Content Marketing";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:1;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:16:"content strategy";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:2;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:13:"data analysis";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:3;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:16:"google analytics";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:4;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:11:"infographic";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:5;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:19:"marketing analytics";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:42:"http://www.convinceandconvert.com/?p=40196";s:7:"attribs";a:1:{s:0:"";a:1:{s:11:"isPermaLink";s:5:"false";}}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:1640:"Google Analytics is an invaluable tool for content marketers bombarded with data. Use this guide to go beneath the numbers for more actionable insights.<div style="clear:both;padding-top:0.2em;"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/2/358757630/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fbshare20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/28/358757630/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fblike20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/30/358757630/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/googleplus20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/16/358757630/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/linkedin20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/29/358757630/ConvinceandConvert,http%3a%2f%2fwww.convinceandconvert.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2017%2f06%2fAn-A-to-Z-Guide-to-Google-Analytics-for-Content-Marketers.jpg"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/pinterest20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/12/358757630/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/stumble20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/24/358757630/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/twitter20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> </div> ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:11:"Payman Taei";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:40:"http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:10261:"<p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-40216 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/An-A-to-Z-Guide-to-Google-Analytics-for-Content-Marketers.jpg" alt="An A-to-Z Guide to Google Analytics for Content Marketers" width="1600" height="800" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/An-A-to-Z-Guide-to-Google-Analytics-for-Content-Marketers.jpg 1600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/An-A-to-Z-Guide-to-Google-Analytics-for-Content-Marketers-600x300.jpg 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/An-A-to-Z-Guide-to-Google-Analytics-for-Content-Marketers-768x384.jpg 768w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/An-A-to-Z-Guide-to-Google-Analytics-for-Content-Marketers-1024x512.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></p> <p>In many ways, analytics are what makes the world go ’round—particularly in the data-driven environment that we’re now living in. <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2015/09/30/big-data-20-mind-boggling-facts-everyone-must-read/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">According to <em>Forbes</em></a>, more data was created during the last two years than in all of the time in human history leading up to it combined.</p> <p>That’s a terrific position to be in if you’re a business trying to learn more about your customers, but it’s also an overwhelming time for people who were never prepared to make “number crunching” a full-time job. As a result of this massive influx of data, analytics services (and particularly Google Analytics) have become an invaluable tool for people, content marketers in particular, over the last decade.</p> <p>What makes analytics so powerful is that you’re not just looking at a way to house or sort your data. You’re no longer just looking at a series of numbers that it is up to you to interpret. <strong>Analytics let you go beneath the numbers, cutting to the true heart of the story</strong> that is hiding in plain sight. If your data answers the question “what?”, analytics uncover the secrets of “<a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.convinceandconvert.com/digital-marketing/data-driven-audience-insights/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">where, why, and how</a>?”</p> <h3>The Importance of Google Analytics</h3> <p>This is particularly important for content marketers, as the “where, why, and how?” of it all are often used as the basis of important decisions moving forward. Reading the numbers captured in Google Analytics and paying close attention to the story they’re trying to tell you are the best ways to not just make data-informed decisions, but to continually improve their marketing performance across the board.</p> <p>Break things down a bit further to get a better idea of just how essential services like Google Analytics have become in the modern era. Say you’ve got an idea for a particular piece of content, like an infographic about charitable contributions and other community service your business has conducted, using tips from free resources such as the <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.visme.co/how-to-make-an-infographic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Beginners Guide</a> to creating shareable infographics. You read on the internet that this type of visual content is very powerful these days, and you’re particularly interested in the social media benefits that you can expect to enjoy.</p> <p>Without analytics, you would create that content, put it out there into the world, and essentially hope for the best. The data would come back, you would either accomplish your goal or not, and you would repeat the process, making adjustments along the way.</p> <p>The problem with this is that <strong>“whether or not you accomplished your goal” is only part of a much larger story</strong>. It’s the part at the end, entirely missing all of the meat that led up to it.</p> <div class='ctx-autosidebar-container'></div> <h3>Using Google Analytics for Actionable Insight</h3> <p>With <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.google.com/analytics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Google Analytics</a>, you can formulate a hypothesis about your content performance: “My audience loves infographics, and I think they’re going to love this one, and my proof will be in an increased level of social media shares.” It’s an oversimplified example, but you get the point.</p> <p>You can then determine a question to support that hypothesis—namely, “Why is this infographic going to be popular among my target audience?” or, “Why is this the right decision to make at this particular moment?” Then, once that content is published, you can create a report to answer your question(s) with real, actionable data. You can see exactly what channels your infographic performed well on and which it didn’t, taking the time to learn as much about what actually happened as possible.</p> <p>Then, using that valuable insight, you can take action based on your analysis. “My infographic didn’t perform as well as I wanted it to, and people typically only read about half of it, so based on that, I can extrapolate that it was too long. My next infographic should be shorter.”</p> <p>The point is that <strong>the insight provided by a tool like Google Analytics is the kind you’re not going to get anywhere else: actionable</strong>. It’s the scientific method in its purest form: You have a hypothesis, you test that hypothesis, and you find out irrefutably whether it was right or wrong.</p> <p>The following infographic, “Google Analytics: The A-to-Z Guide for Content Marketers” by Orbit Media Studios, was made created using <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.visme.co/make-infographics" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Visme</a> and designed to help you understand more about just <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.convinceandconvert.com/digital-marketing/boosting-your-personalization-strategy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">what Google Analytics can do for you</a> in terms of how it measures things like acquisition, behavior, conversions, and so much more. It’s intended to give you a deeper, more meaningful explanation of one of the most powerful weapons that content marketers have ever known, so that you can finally start wielding it to your full advantage as quickly as possible.</p> <hr /><p><em>Google Analytics gives you the kind of insight you won't get anywhere else: actionable.</em> <br><a href='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=http://wp.me/p3EoXv-ask&text=Google%20Analytics%20gives%20you%20the%20kind%20of%20insight%20you%20won%27t%20get%20anywhere%20else%3A%20actionable.&via=convince&related=convince' target='_blank' >Click To Tweet</a> <br><hr /> <p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-40199 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/The-Content-Marketer’s-A-to-Z-Guide-to-Google-Analytics.jpg" alt="The Content Marketer’s A-to-Z Guide to Google Analytics" width="800" height="8110" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/The-Content-Marketer’s-A-to-Z-Guide-to-Google-Analytics.jpg 800w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/The-Content-Marketer’s-A-to-Z-Guide-to-Google-Analytics-768x7786.jpg 768w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/The-Content-Marketer’s-A-to-Z-Guide-to-Google-Analytics-101x1024.jpg 101w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></p> <p><em>Get a weekly dose of the trends and insights you need to keep you ON top, from the strategy team at Convince & Convert. Sign up for the <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~convinceandconvert.com/newsletter" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Convince & Convert ON</a> email newsletter.</em></p> <span class="ctx-article-root"><!-- --></span><Img align="left" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt="" style="border:0;float:left;margin:0;padding:0;width:1px!important;height:1px!important;" hspace="0" src="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/i/358757630/0/convinceandconvert"> <div style="clear:both;padding-top:0.2em;"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/2/358757630/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fbshare20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/28/358757630/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fblike20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/30/358757630/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/googleplus20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/16/358757630/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/linkedin20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/29/358757630/ConvinceandConvert,http%3a%2f%2fwww.convinceandconvert.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2017%2f06%2fAn-A-to-Z-Guide-to-Google-Analytics-for-Content-Marketers.jpg"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/pinterest20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/12/358757630/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/stumble20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/24/358757630/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/twitter20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> </div> ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:8;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:44:" ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:4:{s:42:"http://rssnamespace.org/feedburner/ext/1.0";a:1:{s:8:"origLink";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:72:"http://www.convinceandconvert.com/digital-marketing/try-to-cheat-google/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:0:"";a:6:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:41:"What Happens When You Try to Cheat Google";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:60:"http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/353408112/0/convinceandconvert/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Thu, 08 Jun 2017 13:48:46 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:8:"category";a:6:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:17:"Digital Marketing";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:1;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:9:"black hat";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:2;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:14:"google penalty";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:3;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:21:"search engine ranking";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:4;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:15:"search strategy";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:5;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:3:"SEO";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:42:"http://www.convinceandconvert.com/?p=40152";s:7:"attribs";a:1:{s:0:"";a:1:{s:11:"isPermaLink";s:5:"false";}}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:1634:"Try to find loopholes in Google’s ranking algorithm, and you'll suffer the consequences. Learn what happened when these notable companies tried to cheat Google.<div style="clear:both;padding-top:0.2em;"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/2/353408112/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fbshare20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/28/353408112/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fblike20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/30/353408112/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/googleplus20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/16/353408112/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/linkedin20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/29/353408112/ConvinceandConvert,http%3a%2f%2fwww.convinceandconvert.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2017%2f06%2fWhat-Happens-When-You-Try-to-Cheat-Google.jpg"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/pinterest20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/12/353408112/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/stumble20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/24/353408112/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/twitter20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> </div> ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:16:"Matt Zajechowski";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:40:"http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:14393:"<p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-40154 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/What-Happens-When-You-Try-to-Cheat-Google.jpg" alt="What Happens When You Try to Cheat Google" width="1600" height="800" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/What-Happens-When-You-Try-to-Cheat-Google.jpg 1600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/What-Happens-When-You-Try-to-Cheat-Google-600x300.jpg 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/What-Happens-When-You-Try-to-Cheat-Google-768x384.jpg 768w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/What-Happens-When-You-Try-to-Cheat-Google-1024x512.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></p> <p>People and companies go to <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.convinceandconvert.com/digital-marketing/evolution-of-search/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">great lengths</a> to be valued by Google. Can you blame them, though? Studies show that <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://searchenginewatch.com/sew/study/2276184/no-1-position-in-google-gets-33-of-search-traffic-study" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ranking first</a> in Google will net you 33 percent of the traffic for a given keyword. After that, it drops to 18 percent for the second ranking.</p> <p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-40159 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Chitika-research-on-traffic-by-Google-results-position.png" alt="Chitika research on traffic by Google results position" width="600" height="568" /></p> <p>But if you’re thinking about finding ways to work around Google’s ever-complex algorithm, think again. Google spends a lot of time and money to make sure their rankings are fair and to ensure an optimal experience for their <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.internetlivestats.com/google-search-statistics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">billions</a> of customers.</p> <p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-40160 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Google-searches-per-year.jpg" alt="Google searches per year" width="637" height="437" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Google-searches-per-year.jpg 637w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Google-searches-per-year-600x412.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 637px) 100vw, 637px" /></p> <p>When companies try to find loopholes in Google’s algorithm, they suffer the consequences. <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.digitalthirdcoast.net/blog/companies-tried-cheat-google-and-lost" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Digital Third Coast</a> has analyzed some notable companies that have tried to cheat Google’s system, and the repercussions that followed.</p> <hr /><p><em>When companies try to find loopholes in Google’s algorithm, they suffer the consequences.</em> <br><a href='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=http://wp.me/p3EoXv-arC&text=When%20companies%20try%20to%20find%20loopholes%20in%20Google%E2%80%99s%20algorithm%2C%20they%20suffer%20the%20consequences.&via=convince&related=convince' target='_blank' >Click To Tweet</a> <br><hr /> <h3>Big Brands’ SEO Missteps</h3> <p>Back in 2007, The Washington Post was caught committing a major faux pas in the SEO world: selling links. Google punished the organization by making their <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://seositecheckup.com/articles/what-is-google-pagerank-and-its-relevance-to-seo" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">PageRank</a> (PR) value drop from PR7 to PR5. It’s hard to say exactly how long the penalty lasted, but the PR may have been restored after a few months. If this same penalty were to be levied today, it could result in a loss of more than 75 million visitors over two months.</p> <p>WordPress committed a significant violation, too. In 2005, they created <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://searchenginewatch.com/sew/news/2048653/what-are-doorway-pages" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Doorway Pages</a>. Google penalized WordPress by not letting their home domain rank for brand-name searches, and their PR was lowered to zero for two days. If this were to happen to WordPress today, they would lose over 10 million visitors over those two days.</p> <h3>Cheat Google, and You’ll Pay the Price</h3> <p>Unnatural (or artificial) links are also not taken lightly. Google defines link schemes or unnatural links as:</p> <p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-40161 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Google-definition-of-link-scheme.jpg" alt="Google definition of link scheme" width="737" height="682" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Google-definition-of-link-scheme.jpg 737w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Google-definition-of-link-scheme-600x555.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 737px) 100vw, 737px" /></p> <p>Media giant <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~searchengineland.com/google-sends-bbc-news-a-manual-link-penalty-notification-151718" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">BBC made this mistake in 2013</a>, having unnatural links on one of their pages. It’s not known how long their penalty lasted, but Google degraded that single page’s ranking. Even if the penalty lasted for just one day, they could have lost more than three million visitors.</p> <p>BMW once tried to <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4685750.stm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">manipulate search results</a> to become the top result for the “used cars” keyword, redirecting users to a regular BMW company page. This violation, known as “cloaking,” was committed by BMW in 2006, and their site was removed from search results for three days. If this same three-day penalty were in effect today, it could result in a loss of more than 70,000 visitors.</p> <p>Mozilla <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.seroundtable.com/google-mozilla-penalty-spam-16690.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">committed a crime</a> that any average Joe in the SEO world knows to avoid when they allowed spam on their site. In 2011, one Mozilla page had more than 10MB of spam spread across 21,000 different user comments. Google degraded that page’s ranking, and while the duration of the penalty is unknown, if it had been for just one day, it could have resulted in a loss of 1.25 million visitors.</p> <p>In 2013, Genius (formerly known as “Rap Genius”) was <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://techcrunch.com/2013/12/25/google-rap-genius/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">found pursuing</a> and accepting <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://moz.com/ugc/what-is-an-unnatural-link-an-in-depth-look-at-the-google-quality-guidelines" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">unnatural links</a>, asking bloggers to link to lyrics in return for Genius tweeting out posts from those bloggers. Google reduced their PR score and restricted them from ranking for their own name for 10 days. In today’s world, no traffic for 10 days would equate to losses of up to four million visitors.</p> <p>eBay has also been penalized in early 2014, but the exact reason remains unknown. All we know is that they suffered an unspecified drop in ranking after committing a manual penalty.</p> <p>Overstock.com tried to <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704520504576162753779521700" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">manipulate Google’s algorithm</a> by offering schools discounts in return for links back to their website. This violation of paid links, which occurred in 2011, resulted in their PR score being reduced. They also didn’t rank for their own name for a whopping two months after the infraction. This would result in up to 12 million users lost in traffic if the penalty were to happen today.</p> <p>JC Penney made a <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.nytimes.com/2011/02/13/business/13search.html?_r=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">similar mistake</a> in 2011. They were caught in a paid-links predicament as well, but claimed to be unaware of <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.digitalthirdcoast.net/blog/white-hat-black-hat-seo-difference" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">black-hat SEO</a> tactics, and subsequently fired their SEO firm. Similar to Overstock.com, JC Penney had many pages degraded from their first-page rank for two months, resulting in a loss of traffic equal to 12 million visitors.</p> <p>In early 2012, The Home Depot made the mistake of <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~searchengineland.com/home-depot-to-correct-misleading-link-request-119043" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">asking providers to share a link</a> to one of their pages, including anchor text that they said didn’t need to be visible. By asking for these hidden links, many of their pages were removed from their first page rankings for two months. If this same penalty were to happen to The Home Depot today, it would result in a loss of well over 35 million visitors.</p> <div class='ctx-autosidebar-container'></div> <h3>Even Google Isn’t Immune</h3> <p>And then there’s Chrome. Yes, <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~searchengineland.com/google-penalized-breaking-seo-rules-184098" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Google penalized Google</a> for breaking the rules! No favorites are played in the game of Google’s algorithm. Back in 2012, Chrome bought links as part of a video campaign to promote their browser. Chrome claimed it was an accident, but they were penalized nonetheless. The rankings for the Google Chrome home page were lowered for two months.</p> <p>Google AdWords <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~searchengineland.com/google-adwords-help-cloaks-to-google-gets-banned-45541" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">was penalized</a> as well. Some of their support pages were “inadvertently showing different content to the Google crawler than to users,” a Google spokesperson said—another case of cloaking, this time by Google itself. When this happened in 2010, their PR was degraded for an unknown period of time.</p> <p>Trying to cheat Google’s algorithm only leads down a slippery slope. Companies are willing to spend <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~searchengineland.com/forecast-says-seo-related-spending-will-worth-80-billion-2020-247712" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">millions</a> of dollars to keep up with the best of them in Google’s rankings, but the safest way to do this is to play by the rules.</p> <p>Google’s number one priority is to give users the best experience possible. SEO professionals are hired to work within <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://support.google.com/webmasters/topic/6001971?hl=en&ref_topic=6001981" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">guidelines</a> Google has provided to improve and maintain their clients’ rankings. Following these guidelines, and <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.convinceandconvert.com/digital-marketing/shady-search-marketing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">not cutting corners</a>, is imperative for success.</p> <p><em>Get a weekly dose of the trends and insights you need to keep you ON top, from the strategy team at Convince & Convert. Sign up for the <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~convinceandconvert.com/newsletter" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Convince & Convert ON</a> email newsletter.</em></p> <span class="ctx-article-root"><!-- --></span><Img align="left" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt="" style="border:0;float:left;margin:0;padding:0;width:1px!important;height:1px!important;" hspace="0" src="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/i/353408112/0/convinceandconvert"> <div style="clear:both;padding-top:0.2em;"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/2/353408112/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fbshare20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/28/353408112/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fblike20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/30/353408112/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/googleplus20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/16/353408112/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/linkedin20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/29/353408112/ConvinceandConvert,http%3a%2f%2fwww.convinceandconvert.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2017%2f06%2fWhat-Happens-When-You-Try-to-Cheat-Google.jpg"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/pinterest20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/12/353408112/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/stumble20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/24/353408112/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/twitter20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> </div> ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:9;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:47:" ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:4:{s:42:"http://rssnamespace.org/feedburner/ext/1.0";a:1:{s:8:"origLink";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:99:"http://www.convinceandconvert.com/social-media-strategy/5-ways-to-increase-engagement-on-instagram/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:0:"";a:6:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:42:"5 Ways to Increase Engagement on Instagram";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:60:"http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/352422072/0/convinceandconvert/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Wed, 07 Jun 2017 20:00:00 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:8:"category";a:7:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:21:"Social Media Strategy";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:1;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:13:"amplification";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:2;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:8:"carousel";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:3;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:21:"Convince & Convert ON";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:4;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:9:"instagram";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:5;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:22:"Social Media Marketing";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:6;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:14:"visual content";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:42:"http://www.convinceandconvert.com/?p=40093";s:7:"attribs";a:1:{s:0:"";a:1:{s:11:"isPermaLink";s:5:"false";}}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:1454:"Instagram's latest feature, the image carousel, opens up a world of possibilities for digital marketers.<div style="clear:both;padding-top:0.2em;"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/2/352422072/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fbshare20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/28/352422072/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fblike20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/30/352422072/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/googleplus20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/16/352422072/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/linkedin20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/29/352422072/ConvinceandConvert,"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/pinterest20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/12/352422072/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/stumble20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/24/352422072/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/twitter20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> </div> ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:10:"Zontee Hou";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:40:"http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:5924:"<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/C5n7W2bFs2Y" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>Instagram’s latest feature, the image carousel, opens up a world of possibilities for digital marketers.</p> <p><strong>Takeaways</strong></p> <ul> <li>Instagram has rolled out its carousel feature to all users, allowing anyone to post multiple images to a single, swipeable album.</li> <li>Brands like <em>Lonny</em> magazine are pushing the envelope by using the carousel to build “insta articles.”</li> <li>Birchbox and Black Milk are bringing storytelling to their carousel posts, creating engaging how-tos and showcasing user-generated content.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Zontee:</strong> Whether you call it a carousel, gallery, or an album, Instagram’s new multi-image post format opens up a world of possibilities for marketers to get creative.</p> <p>Hi, I’m Zontee Hou, senior strategist at Convince & Convert, and today I want to talk about five ways to increase engagement when posting multiple images to Instagram. In a recent article in The Verge, a Facebook employee is quoted as saying that the company regards the camera as the new keyboard. With that in mind, it’s no wonder that the company, which owns Instagram, has expanded the ways in which consumers can use the visual platform.</p> <p>In late February of this year, Instagram added the ability to create native carousels or albums, allowing users to upload multiple images in one single post. Previously, this feature had only been available to advertisers. Since then, consumers and brands have been <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~observer.com/2017/03/leverage-instagram-albums-business/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">pushing the envelope</a> when it comes to using these posts. Beyond the basics, though, I want to talk about a couple of examples of companies that have been doing some creative content that’s designed to increase engagement and make the most out of this feature.</p> <p>If you’re familiar with <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.instagram.com/p/BT-LsB7hCSt/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Lonny</em> magazine</a>, which is a shelter magazine and lifestyle publication, they’re using the carousel feature to create what they’re calling Insta Articles. And this features both photos and pulled quotes from featured interior designers and artists and other people that they’re interviewing, so it’s a very interactive way to get a lot of information quickly. Another use is to turn panoramic or super wide photos into swipe-ready carousels. A great app for this purpose is the Swipeable app which not only cuts your images to size, but also adds a little animation to the first image subtly signaling to the viewer that they should swipe.</p> <p>Multiple images is also useful for storytelling or how-tos. For instance, the makeup company <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://digiday.com/marketing/birchbox-carnival-cruise-use-instagram-album/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Birchbox</a> is able to give more detail on their products and their uses with Instagram carousels. Australian clothing company Black Milk was already known for their cult following and user-generated content, and they’re able to showcase the creativity of their fans through those collections of photos, using this multi-image feature.</p> <p>And finally, multiple images allow your company to show more detail, so whether that’s going behind the scenes of your office, or literally showing the craftsmanship that goes into a Cartier ring, Instagram carousels allow your followers to go in more depth and, again, creates that <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.socialmediaexaminer.com/how-to-tell-stories-with-facebook-and-instagram-carousel-ads/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">touchpoint for engagement</a>.</p> <p>As always, we want to hear from you. How are you using the carousel feature on Instagram to increase engagement with your brand? Leave us a comment, and let us know.</p> <span class="ctx-article-root"><!-- --></span><Img align="left" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt="" style="border:0;float:left;margin:0;padding:0;width:1px!important;height:1px!important;" hspace="0" src="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/i/352422072/0/convinceandconvert"> <div style="clear:both;padding-top:0.2em;"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/2/352422072/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fbshare20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/28/352422072/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fblike20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/30/352422072/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/googleplus20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/16/352422072/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/linkedin20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/29/352422072/ConvinceandConvert,"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/pinterest20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/12/352422072/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/stumble20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/24/352422072/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/twitter20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> </div> ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:10;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:44:" ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:4:{s:42:"http://rssnamespace.org/feedburner/ext/1.0";a:1:{s:8:"origLink";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:90:"http://www.convinceandconvert.com/social-media-strategy/account-based-marketing-campaigns/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:0:"";a:6:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:62:"3 Crazy Account-Based Marketing Campaigns That Actually Worked";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:60:"http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/352029868/0/convinceandconvert/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Wed, 07 Jun 2017 13:00:00 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:8:"category";a:6:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:21:"Social Media Strategy";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:1;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:3:"ABM";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:2;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:23:"account-based marketing";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:3;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:19:"conversion strategy";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:4;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:10:"creativity";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:5;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:19:"marketing campaigns";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:42:"http://www.convinceandconvert.com/?p=40146";s:7:"attribs";a:1:{s:0:"";a:1:{s:11:"isPermaLink";s:5:"false";}}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:1655:"Forget B2B's usual “spray-and-pray” method. These three account-based marketing campaigns used a creative, personalized approach to convert big-name brands.<div style="clear:both;padding-top:0.2em;"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/2/352029868/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fbshare20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/28/352029868/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fblike20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/30/352029868/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/googleplus20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/16/352029868/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/linkedin20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/29/352029868/ConvinceandConvert,http%3a%2f%2fwww.convinceandconvert.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2017%2f06%2f3-Crazy-Account-Based-Marketing-Campaigns-That-Actually-Worked_2.jpg"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/pinterest20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/12/352029868/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/stumble20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/24/352029868/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/twitter20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> </div> ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:11:"Ben Plomion";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:40:"http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:11410:"<p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-40156 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/3-Crazy-Account-Based-Marketing-Campaigns-That-Actually-Worked_2.jpg" alt="3 Crazy Account-Based Marketing Campaigns That Actually Worked" width="1600" height="800" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/3-Crazy-Account-Based-Marketing-Campaigns-That-Actually-Worked_2.jpg 1600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/3-Crazy-Account-Based-Marketing-Campaigns-That-Actually-Worked_2-600x300.jpg 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/3-Crazy-Account-Based-Marketing-Campaigns-That-Actually-Worked_2-768x384.jpg 768w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/3-Crazy-Account-Based-Marketing-Campaigns-That-Actually-Worked_2-1024x512.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></p> <p>B2B companies have an attention problem. As marketing technology has improved over the last few years, marketers have fallen back on uninspired tactics like formulaic outbound emails and lackluster drip campaigns. They’re going through the motions, and their results are suffering as a result. Last year, Econsultancy reported that only 22 percent of companies were satisfied with their conversion rates. Meanwhile, <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.hubspot.com/marketing-statistics" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Hubspot research</a> found that 65 percent of companies said generating traffic and leads was their top marketing challenge.</p> <p>Fortunately, there’s a strategy out there that can help everyone address this challenge: <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.convinceandconvert.com/digital-marketing/why-account-based-marketing-is-right-for-b2b/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">account-based marketing</a> (ABM). Instead of the traditional “spray-and-pray” mindset so common in the B2B world, <strong>account-based marketing is when marketers use a more personalized approach to target one company, one department, or even one individual</strong>. ABM opens up room for innovation and risk-taking, giving brands the ability to stand out to a specific audience. <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.salesforce.com/blog/2016/05/10-account-based-marketing-stats-knock-your-socks-off.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">According to the Alterra Group</a>, 97 percent of marketers claimed it led to a better ROI than other marketing tactics.</p> <p>At GumGum, we’ve put a lot of creative resources into producing content that promotes our computer vision technology in a truly unique way. Here are three successful ABM campaigns that show how reaching a small audience can have a big impact.</p> <hr /><p><em>Account-based marketing opens up room for innovation and risk-taking.</em> <br><a href='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=http://wp.me/p3EoXv-arw&text=Account-based%20marketing%20opens%20up%20room%20for%20innovation%20and%20risk-taking.&via=convince&related=convince' target='_blank' >Click To Tweet</a> <br><hr /> <h3>1. T-Mobile, the Reception We Were Looking For</h3> <p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-40165 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/T-Mobile.png" alt="T-Mobile ABM campaign" width="652" height="651" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/T-Mobile.png 652w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/T-Mobile-300x300.png 300w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/T-Mobile-600x600.png 600w" sizes="(max-width: 652px) 100vw, 652px" /></p> <p>T-Mobile CEO John Legere is incredibly <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://twitter.com/JohnLegere/status/855019230521049092?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Ftech%2F2017%2F04%2F20%2Ft-mobiles-ceo-is-trolling-verizon-on-twitter-after-its-earnings-miss.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">active on social media</a>. Those who scroll through his Twitter feed will quickly realize a few things: He supports his company as often as he can, he likes to wear the color magenta, and he loves Batman.</p> <p>As T-Mobile was unrolling its unlimited data plan, we wanted them to see how valuable our computer vision technology could be and highlight how the two of us could collaborate. But instead of going through the usual channels or sending a typical outbound email, we thought it would be smarter to go down a more personalized path. So <strong>we built a creative team of editors, writers, illustrators, and letterers who spent months making a comic book</strong> called <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.gumgum.com/learn/guides/computer-vision-comic-book/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>T-Man and Gums</em></a>.</p> <p>When the comic book was complete, we shipped 100 copies to T-Mobile and its agencies of record. Within hours, Legere reached out on <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://twitter.com/johnlegere/status/803687204190986240?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Twitter to praise the work</a>. And within a few days, a meeting was set. The ABM tactic was definitely a risk, but it sparked a meaningful conversation that eventually led to T-Mobile becoming a client.</p> <h3>2. McDonald’s, Turning Fast Food into Fast Results</h3> <p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-40166 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Mcdonalds.gif" alt="McDonalds ABM campaign" width="640" height="427" /></p> <p>The bigger the brand, the harder it is for B2B vendors to stand out. At a company like McDonald’s, which is one of the largest Fortune 500 employers in the world, getting through to the people responsible for buying decisions can be tremendously difficult.</p> <p>Earlier this year, as part of an initiative to connect with McDonald’s, <strong>we decided to design burger kits that showcased our brands</strong>. We shipped 100 kits addressed to executives at McDonald’s and the brand’s media agencies, with the name of each person on a fast food receipt wrapped inside the box.</p> <p>We used the Big Mac’s famous ingredients: two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions—on a sesame seed bun, to represent different aspects of GumGum’s technology. The patties mentioned first- and third-party data. The onions touched on targeting. The special sauce promoted our computer vision software. There was even an augmented reality tattoo that could be accessed by a smartphone.</p> <p>We promoted the ABM campaign on our <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.instagram.com/p/BS1ony-lsia/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">social channels with short videos</a>, making sure to tag the key decision-makers. And like with the T-Mobile example, the personalized targeting ultimately helped us secure a meeting with the relevant decision makers at McDonald’s.</p> <div class='ctx-autosidebar-container'></div> <h3>3. Clorox, Cleaning Up at the Conference</h3> <p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-40167 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Clorox.gif" alt="Clorox ABM campaign" width="480" height="480" /></p> <p>For the past five years, Clorox has invited hundreds of its marketers to the annual iConnect conference to learn about the latest digital trends. In 2017, the conference had its biggest guest list with over 400 attendees. To generate attention from a select group of Clorox brands including Brita, Burt’s Bees, and Hidden Valley, we created <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.instagram.com/p/BQBrjYZAkJ_/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">3D tattoo kits</a> for the companies that people could use and share during the event.</p> <p><strong>By combining both augmented reality and experiential marketing, we fueled more than 200 app downloads</strong> and significant interest from our booth. Since image recognition software and computer vision technology is still an emerging space, the project gave attendees the chance to learn more about the ways they can use the technology in their own marketing efforts.</p> <p>Like <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.convinceandconvert.com/books-and-ebooks/the-cmo-blueprint-for-account-based-marketing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">all good ABM campaigns</a>, the tattoos worked because they focused on the specifics and only targeted a few brands. Some marketers may be more comfortable trying to reach a wide audience. But going after the right person with content tailored to their needs can lead to incredible results.</p> <p><em>Get a weekly dose of the trends and insights you need to keep you ON top, from the strategy team at Convince & Convert. Sign up for the <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~convinceandconvert.com/newsletter" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Convince & Convert ON</a> email newsletter.</em></p> <span class="ctx-article-root"><!-- --></span><Img align="left" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt="" style="border:0;float:left;margin:0;padding:0;width:1px!important;height:1px!important;" hspace="0" src="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/i/352029868/0/convinceandconvert"> <div style="clear:both;padding-top:0.2em;"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/2/352029868/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fbshare20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/28/352029868/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fblike20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/30/352029868/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" 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src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/pinterest20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/12/351649090/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/stumble20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/24/351649090/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/twitter20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> </div> ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:8:"Jay Baer";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:40:"http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:7014:"<p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-40136" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/This-Is-Why-I-Still-Write-Books.jpg" alt="This Is Why I Still Write Books" width="1600" height="800" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/This-Is-Why-I-Still-Write-Books.jpg 1600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/This-Is-Why-I-Still-Write-Books-600x300.jpg 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/This-Is-Why-I-Still-Write-Books-768x384.jpg 768w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/This-Is-Why-I-Still-Write-Books-1024x512.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></p> <p>“Do people even read books any more? Why spend your time on it, when you could do more videos?”</p> <p>Right now, these are questions that are being asked of me, and by me, as I begin the long and involved process of creating my sixth book.</p> <p>And they aren’t ridiculous questions. Indeed, the business of books (and long-form content of all types) seems more than a little counter-cyclical at this point, with brevity and images preferred for great swaths of learning and entertainment.</p> <p>Maybe, I wonder, I should convey the ideas of the book in a more “modern” format? Podcast. Video series. Daily Instagram story. Blog. A conference? All of these are viable at some level, and I might very well execute some of them. But, I’ll do them in addition to a book, not instead of a book.</p> <p>Because as soon as I start to embrace the concept of “maybe I should just stop writing books and communicate in some other way,” I am reminded that there is no replacement for books.</p> <p>Nothing is as comprehensive as a book.</p> <p>Thus, nothing is as powerful as a book.</p> <p>Thus, nothing changes behavior like a book.</p> <p>Thus, nothing creates results like a book.</p> <p>And that’s the goal: to create results for the reader.</p> <p>Sure, writing books accrues benefits to the author, but if you’re not writing books to help other people, you’re just engaging in a very involved process of self-gratification that requires killing trees to complete. I don’t write books for me; I write them for the reader. I write them because I see a trend that must be explained and illustrated, and in doing so, I know I can help people improve their businesses (which hopefully also improves their lives in some small way).</p> <p>Writing books is hard. It forces you to divert attention from your business and your family. And writing books is a layup compared to marketing and selling books. But I still do it. And I’ll keep doing it.</p> <p>Because every once in a while, I get an email from a reader that makes every hour of time put into a book absolutely worth it. It’s pure fuel for my fire. I know that by no means does every reader experience the same outcome, but it doesn’t take many emails to compel me to get back up on that book horse and ride.</p> <p><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~dariannabridal.com"><img style=' float: left; padding: 4px; margin: 0 7px 2px 0;' class="alignleft size-full wp-image-40080" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/logo-e1496413542742.png" alt="" width="300" height="76" /></a></p> <p>Franco Salerno and his wife own <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.dariannabridal.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Darianna Bridal</a> outside of Philadelphia. It’s a family business named after their two daughters, dedicated to providing the best wedding and formal wear for brides, grooms, and other celebrants.</p> <p>Franco sent me this email last week:</p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>Mr. Baer:</em></p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>I just finished your book Hug Your Haters.</em></p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>I wanted to thank you for writing such a thoughtful and useful book.</em></p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>It took me several weeks to read it (my wife and I work 7 days a week so it can be challenging to stay awake at night reading!). Over the weeks of reading your wonderful book, I felt myself becoming calmer and less stressed in handling customer issues and running our business. Your book and the techniques it taught me allowed me to reduce my stress in handling customer complaints and our business overall. I put many of the techniques to use immediately and they were magic. We turned around so many complainers who became our biggest fans.</em></p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>Thank you again.</em></p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>Kind regards,</em></p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>Franco Salerno</em></p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>Darianna Bridal & Tuxedo</em></p> <p>So, here I go again. Many thanks in advance to everyone who still reads books and takes the time to make changes based on what they learn. I’m dedicating this next one to Franco and his wife Wendy, as I dive in to try to help people in some small way.</p> <span class="ctx-article-root"><!-- --></span><Img align="left" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt="" style="border:0;float:left;margin:0;padding:0;width:1px!important;height:1px!important;" hspace="0" src="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/i/351649090/0/convinceandconvert"> <div style="clear:both;padding-top:0.2em;"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/2/351649090/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fbshare20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/28/351649090/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fblike20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/30/351649090/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/googleplus20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/16/351649090/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/linkedin20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/29/351649090/ConvinceandConvert,http%3a%2f%2fwww.convinceandconvert.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2017%2f06%2fThis-Is-Why-I-Still-Write-Books.jpg"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/pinterest20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/12/351649090/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/stumble20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/24/351649090/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/twitter20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> </div> ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:12;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:44:" ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:4:{s:42:"http://rssnamespace.org/feedburner/ext/1.0";a:1:{s:8:"origLink";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:96:"http://www.convinceandconvert.com/digital-marketing/killing-it-with-digital-marketing-campaigns/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:0:"";a:6:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:71:"11 Companies That Are Killing It with Their Digital Marketing Campaigns";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:60:"http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/350622448/0/convinceandconvert/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Tue, 06 Jun 2017 13:00:00 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:8:"category";a:6:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:17:"Digital Marketing";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:1;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:19:"audience engagement";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:2;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:15:"brand awareness";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:3;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:26:"content marketing campaign";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:4;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:19:"marketing campaigns";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:5;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:21:"social media campaign";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:42:"http://www.convinceandconvert.com/?p=40098";s:7:"attribs";a:1:{s:0:"";a:1:{s:11:"isPermaLink";s:5:"false";}}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:1647:"These 11 companies are knocking it out of the park with their digital marketing, creating experiences and content that captivate their audiences.<div style="clear:both;padding-top:0.2em;"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/2/350622448/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fbshare20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/28/350622448/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fblike20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/30/350622448/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/googleplus20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/16/350622448/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/linkedin20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/29/350622448/ConvinceandConvert,http%3a%2f%2fwww.convinceandconvert.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2017%2f06%2f11-Companies-That-Are-Killing-It-with-Their-Digital-Marketing-Campaigns.jpg"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/pinterest20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/12/350622448/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/stumble20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/24/350622448/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/twitter20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> </div> ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:8:"Eric Siu";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:40:"http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:36486:"<p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-40101 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/11-Companies-That-Are-Killing-It-with-Their-Digital-Marketing-Campaigns.jpg" alt="11 Companies That Are Killing It with Their Digital Marketing Campaigns" width="1600" height="800" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/11-Companies-That-Are-Killing-It-with-Their-Digital-Marketing-Campaigns.jpg 1600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/11-Companies-That-Are-Killing-It-with-Their-Digital-Marketing-Campaigns-600x300.jpg 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/11-Companies-That-Are-Killing-It-with-Their-Digital-Marketing-Campaigns-768x384.jpg 768w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/11-Companies-That-Are-Killing-It-with-Their-Digital-Marketing-Campaigns-1024x512.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></p> <p>In the ever-changing landscape of digital marketing, it can be hard to truly examine what works—and more importantly, what doesn’t. A great place to start is by looking at the brands at the forefront of the digital marketing world and analyze what worked for them. There is no need to reinvent the wheel.</p> <p>However, there is a lot of misinformation and poorly executed digital marketing strategies out there. It can be hard, but not impossible, to execute a <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.singlegrain.com/digital-marketing/2017-digital-marketing-trends-you-cant-afford-to-ignore/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">digital marketing strategy</a> that connects with your customer, increases your brand awareness, and adds money to your bottom line.</p> <p>So, to help you get started, we’ve put together a list of the top 11 companies we believe have implemented a dynamic digital marketing strategy that increased company ROI and added value to customers. The companies below are not just doing digital marketing—<strong>they are creating experiences and content that captivate their audiences and bring outstanding brand awareness</strong>. They are the best.</p> <p>We have also added a bonus section at the bottom of this post of four companies that are absolutely killing the social media world. Social media campaigns are part of digital marketing, of course, but these brands are doing such an impressive job that we had to spotlight them.</p> <p>Seeing is believing, so without further ado, here are our favorite eleven companies that are doing digital marketing right, and four social superstar companions.</p> <h3>1. Zappos</h3> <p>Zappos, a leader in online shoe commerce, sets the gold standard for online customer care. In fact, their CEO wrote the <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.amazon.com/Delivering-Happiness-Profits-Passion-Purpose/dp/0446576220" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">book</a> on it. It’s no shock that they have a stellar digital strategy.</p> <p>Not only does Zappos provide a 365-day money back guarantee, but they also have free shipping both ways as well, should consumers decide to return or exchange products purchased on the site. As a result, Zappos doesn’t have to work hard to market its online presence—its policies are so appealing to consumers that shoppers are eager to sing the company’s praises to one another in a completely organic (and viral) fashion.</p> <p>Of course, Zappos does still invest heavily in online marketing, and its social media campaigns shouldn’t be missed! Notice how <strong>they focus on what the customer wants and needs, not on what they want the customer to want or need</strong>. This is a key part to any effective digital strategy. Listen to your audience and plan accordingly.</p> <p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-40103 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Zappos.png" alt="Zappos" width="975" height="623" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Zappos.png 975w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Zappos-600x383.png 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Zappos-768x491.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 975px) 100vw, 975px" /></p> <p><strong>The Lesson: </strong><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.convinceandconvert.com/content-marketing/how-to-become-a-content-marketing-hero/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Content marketing</a> is the way of the future, but it must be managed appropriately to be effective. Online content marketing campaigns should strive to produce measurable results in proportion to the resources committed to them.</p> <h3>2. American Express (AMEX)</h3> <p>Plenty of companies talk a big game about “the communities” they’re creating online and the inherent value of the “online conversation.” However, very few actually create any community of value. Far from being all talk and no game, American Express puts its money where its mouth is by leveraging the value provided by industry experts on its <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/explore/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Open Forum</a> website.</p> <p>Open Forum is a collaborative website, on which American Express invites guest authors from a variety of sectors to share their business knowledge and wisdom. The result is a content-rich mega-site that’s popular with the search engines, all created without American Express needing to shell out cash to content contributors.</p> <p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-40104 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Open-Forum.png" alt="Open Forum" width="1161" height="747" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Open-Forum.png 1161w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Open-Forum-600x386.png 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Open-Forum-768x494.png 768w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Open-Forum-1024x659.png 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1161px) 100vw, 1161px" /></p> <p><strong>The Lesson:</strong> The creator of your content does not need to be you. Find industry leaders that produce great content, and ask them to write a couple articles on your blog. It will build their audience and your traffic, <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.convinceandconvert.com/content-marketing/what-types-of-content-drive-traffic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">as long as the content provides value</a>. Good content marketing strategies draw on a range of user-generated sources to both grow online communities and minimize financial investment.</p> <h3>3. Mint</h3> <p>Entering the crowded personal finance niche (or any popular niche) is a daunting task for any new startup, but the approach that financial tracking tool Mint took proves that <strong>it’s possible to stand out in a crowd through well-executed online marketing strategies</strong>.</p> <p>Although the company was a relative unknown amongst its more popular predecessors, Mint committed to a digital strategy publishing hundreds of high-quality content pieces, from informative blog posts to viral, attention-grabbing infographics (like <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://blog.mint.com/consumer-iq/a-dudes-guide-to-not-going-broke-during-wedding-season-infographic-052215/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">A Dude’s Guide to Not Going Broke during Wedding Season</a>) to grow their business. As a result of Mint’s digital marketing efforts, the tool gained a massive online following before being sold to Intuit for a whopping $170 million.</p> <p>In a podcast on <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://growtheverywhere.com/growth-everywhere-interview/neil-patel-free-content/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Growth Everywhere</a>, Neil Patel discussed why he spends up to $30,000 dollars on content and gives it away for free, and how it is all worth it in the end.</p> <p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-40105 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Mint.png" alt="Mint" width="975" height="967" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Mint.png 975w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Mint-600x595.png 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Mint-768x762.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 975px) 100vw, 975px" /></p> <p><strong>The Lesson:</strong> Investing in content marketing often requires significant amounts of time and money, but committing to <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.singlegrain.com/blog-posts/content-marketing/how-to-drive-effective-content-creation-with-efficient-production-workflows/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">content production</a> and high-quality standards can build substantial market attention in a short period of time.</p> <h3>4. Dollar Shave Club</h3> <p>Shaving is the epitome of a boring routine, right? If you answered “of course,” then you obviously haven’t seen Dollar Shave Club’s now legendary <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUG9qYTJMsI" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">launch video</a>. DSC shook the notion of its drab, buttoned-up industry and kicked it out the window.</p> <p>Today, this company has over a million subscribers, its promotional video has been viewed over 24 million times, and it was recently acquired for $1 billion by Unilever. During their hyper growth, Dollar Shave Club continued to share cheeky content such as “Is It Bad to Pluck Nose Hairs with My Fingers?” and “Do I Really Need to Wash My Hands After I Pee?” These guys know how to let loose and get attention.</p> <p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-40106 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Dollar-Shave-Club.png" alt="Dollar Shave Club" width="975" height="550" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Dollar-Shave-Club.png 975w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Dollar-Shave-Club-600x338.png 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Dollar-Shave-Club-768x433.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 975px) 100vw, 975px" /></p> <p><strong>The Lesson:</strong> Don’t be afraid to have some fun! DSC doesn’t take itself too seriously (or at all seriously, for that matter). Everything from its marketing to its onboarding, from its packaging to its social engagement is lighthearted, silly, and tongue-in-cheek. And its customers love them for it. They’ve made something as tedious as buying razors and shaving hilarious and entertaining, and that’s what stands out in people’s minds.</p> <h3>5. The Wirecutter</h3> <p>Affiliate marketing can be a bit sleazy, but it can generate big results when done properly and genuinely. <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~thewirecutter.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Wirecutter</a> has set the standard since its launch just five years ago. Labeling itself a simple “list of the best gadgets—like cameras and TVs—for people who don’t want to take a lot of time figuring out what to get,” the site generated $150 million in e-commerce transactions in 2015 and was recently acquired by the New York Times for <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.recode.net/2016/10/24/13381002/new-york-times-wirecutter-purchase-30-million-briam-lam-consumer-guide" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">$30 million</a>.</p> <p>They write reviews for products they love, embed a link to buy it from someone like Amazon, and take a cut of each sale. Their reviews take anywhere from 20 to 200 hours to complete, involving experts and other interested parties depending on the product. It works because they’re real.</p> <p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-40107 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/The-Wirecutter.png" alt="The Wirecutter" width="941" height="550" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/The-Wirecutter.png 941w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/The-Wirecutter-600x351.png 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/The-Wirecutter-768x449.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 941px) 100vw, 941px" /></p> <p><strong>The Lesson: </strong>Trust more in the power of real people. <strong>Modern consumers are wary of ads, banners, and paid search results</strong>. They want real recommendations from real people. And that’s what The Wirecutter delivers with such sparkling success. They’ve made the review (a.k.a. the “ad”) the product. People share them, like them, and rely on them to decide what to buy. The only marketing they have to do is sharing their top-notch reviews. Their fans take care of the rest.</p> <h3>6. Slack</h3> <p>Slack is a collaboration tool that allows teams to communicate more efficiently and share files, all on one easy platform. They’ve had a pretty spectacular rise, with 15,000 users at launch in 2014, just north of 171,000 six months later, over 500,000 in less than a year, and currently sitting at roughly 5,000,000 (nearly one and a half million of which are paid accounts).</p> <p>Their “secret sauce” is delivering a high-quality customer experience. The company responds to 8,000 help desk tickets and <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~firstround.com/review/From-0-to-1B-Slacks-Founder-Shares-Their-Epic-Launch-Strategy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">up to 10,000 tweets each month</a>. Even their Twitter feed contains a bunch of 140-character <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://twitter.com/hashtag/SlackTip?src=hash" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">#SlackTips</a>.</p> <p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-40108 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Slack.png" alt="Slack" width="941" height="417" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Slack.png 941w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Slack-600x266.png 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Slack-768x340.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 941px) 100vw, 941px" /></p> <p><strong>The Lesson:</strong> From day one, Slack has been about selling a solution, not a product. They’ve focused on customer experience, believing that one positive experience does more than a big marketing budget could ever hope to accomplish. As their tagline says, they’re “on a mission to make your working life simpler, more pleasant, and more productive.” Make it all about solving your customer’s’ pain points.</p> <h3>7. Airbnb</h3> <p>Airbnb has changed the way we travel and look for accommodations. Launched when its founders couldn’t afford their rent, the site now boasts 100 million users, 2.3 million listings, and a total valuation of $31 billion in 2017.</p> <p>Their marketing strategy is aimed at getting both travelers and hosts for the platform. Its digital marketing relies primarily on user-generated images and videos on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (highlighting the cities and properties in its stable), how-to videos and posts geared towards owners, and popular city guides. Their Instagram campaign matches humor with compelling images of different travel locations around the world, making it more than just a service—it’s a travel forum as well.</p> <p>When it comes to social media superstars, Airbnb shines the brightest. During a 2015 Instagram campaign, the company received <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~shortyawards.com/8th/airbnb-social-submission-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">13.3 million interactions</a> and increased followers by 341 percent.</p> <p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-40109 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Airbnb.png" alt="Airbnb" width="941" height="392" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Airbnb.png 941w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Airbnb-600x250.png 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Airbnb-768x320.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 941px) 100vw, 941px" /></p> <p><strong>The Lesson:</strong> Create demand around your product or service by finding a topic related to your business that’s interesting. For example, Airbnb is ultimately a crowdsourced hotel business, so interesting content for them is related to travel sites around the world. Generate interest with content, and the dollars will follow.</p> <h3>8. JetBlue</h3> <p>One of the biggest mistakes we see companies making when it comes to online marketing strategies is the tendency to post self-promotional materials only. <strong>Nobody wants to follow a company that can’t stop talking about itself</strong> long enough to post something of real value!</p> <p>JetBlue, the popular discount airline, is one company that gets it. Instead of using Twitter to post fare discounts and special offers, the company uses its handles to provide fast and easy customer service. In fact, the effect is so profound that nearly all the messages in the company’s feed include @ replies, which is highly unusual in the world of social media marketing for businesses.</p> <p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-40110 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/JetBlue.png" alt="JetBlue" width="886" height="688" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/JetBlue.png 886w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/JetBlue-600x466.png 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/JetBlue-768x596.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 886px) 100vw, 886px" /></p> <p><strong>The Lesson:</strong> Make it a priority to <strong>balance self-promotional materials with information that followers can actually use</strong>, and respond to users whenever they interact with your web profiles in order to boost rapport and consumer confidence.</p> <hr /><p><em>Nobody wants to follow a company that can’t stop talking about itself.</em> <br><a href='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=http://wp.me/p3EoXv-aqK&text=Nobody%20wants%20to%20follow%20a%20company%20that%20can%E2%80%99t%20stop%20talking%20about%20itself.&via=convince&related=convince' target='_blank' >Click To Tweet</a> <br><hr /> <h3>9. Yelp</h3> <p>It may seem obvious now, but the idea to combine social networking and online reviews was a “Eureka!” moment for Yelp’s founders in 2004. It wasn’t that review sites were unheard of at the time, but this company approached it a little differently with the social angle. Today, <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.yelp.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Yelp</a> has 160 million unique monthly visitors, 2.8 million claimed businesses, and 121 million cumulative reviews.</p> <p>The social element cashed in on the “people trusting people” component that made The Wirecutter and other similar brands a success years later. Reviewers are real people, with real names and photos, and are encouraged to develop a reputation and a following. Users can even review the reviews of other reviewers!</p> <p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-40112 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Yelp.png" alt="Yelp" width="941" height="511" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Yelp.png 941w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Yelp-600x326.png 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Yelp-768x417.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 941px) 100vw, 941px" /></p> <p><strong>The Lesson:</strong> Keep the focus on building a trustworthy brand and a trustworthy community. Yelp wanted to provide the best recommendations for every kind of business. To do that, they need fantastic reviewers, they need the businesses themselves to buy into the program, and they need users to believe what they read. Trust is essential, and that’s what they focused on in their early marketing efforts. Today, a one-star increase on a Yelp rating can lead to a five to nine percent increase in business revenue <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=41233" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">according to Michael Luca of the Harvard Business Review</a>.</p> <div class='ctx-autosidebar-container'></div> <h3>10. Mastercard</h3> <p>Mastercard is the king of “Priceless” surprises. The financial services giant has a knack for creating engaging experiences that excite and retain their customers.</p> <p>As a major sponsor of the MLB, the company wanted to execute their “priceless” strategy and take advantage of the Chicago Cubs making the World Series for the first time in 71 years. Why? So they could be a part of history if (and when) the Cubs won.</p> <p>Their main objectives were to (1) connect with suffering Cubs fans and (2) insert themselves into the World Series conversation.</p> <p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-40113 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Mastercard.png" alt="Mastercard" width="1432" height="646" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Mastercard.png 1432w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Mastercard-600x271.png 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Mastercard-768x346.png 768w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Mastercard-1024x462.png 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1432px) 100vw, 1432px" /></p> <p>Mastercard went out looking for the perfect way to implement their campaign and came across a great piece of content: A player on a rival team had accused Cubs fans of lacking passion for their team. This was a perfect sound bite to build an entire campaign on, so Mastercard ran with it, titling their campaign the “<a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~newsroom.mastercard.com/news-briefs/the-sound-of-priceless-at-the-world-series/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sound of Priceless</a>.” They built a sound meter and placed it around Wrigley Field to measure just how loud the fans were. After measuring the sound and learning how loud the fans truly were, they created a piece of video content around the story.</p> <p>In order to create the ultimate impact, Mastercard released the film online and on social media just as the Cubs won the final game of the World Series. The results were priceless.</p> <p><strong>The Lesson:</strong> When you are trying to create viral digital marketing campaigns, look for content that is already out there, and put a spin on it that will benefit someone else as well as your brand. Also, notice how Mastercard was patient enough to wait until the very last game to release their content in order to maximize the reach. This is key to any great digital campaign. Timing does matter.</p> <h3>11. Uniqlo</h3> <p>UNIQLO is an innovative Japanese apparel company that urges the world to dress casual. Their mission is to provide simple apparel that makes your life better.</p> <p>If you have ever lived in a major city, you have probably seen a Uniqlo advertisement or shopping bag, but the company wanted to help customers see Uniqlo as a technology focused company, not just a fashion brand. They wanted to build on a statement made by UNIQLO’s President and CEO Tadashi Yanai that said, “We [Uniqlo] are not a fashion company. We are a technology company.”</p> <p>The best way to do this? An effective digital marketing campaign. Uniqlo created a world-first “fast-moving” image campaign and activated it in 100 locations and online. The campaign utilizes fast moving images to deliver a unique product code which is indecipherable to the naked eye.</p> <p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-40114 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Uniqlo.jpg" alt="Uniqlo" width="720" height="480" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Uniqlo.jpg 720w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Uniqlo-600x400.jpg 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Uniqlo-300x200.jpg 300w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Uniqlo-180x120.jpg 180w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></p> <p>Shoppers were then asked to upload the five digit code to the campaign website to redeem a sample from the HEATTECH clothing range. Once on the site, the viewers were directed through a series of informational screens that described in detail the technology behind Uniqlo products before displaying a winning page.</p> <p>This experience was shareable on social and encouraged friends to uncover their own unique code through similar YouTube and Facebook videos. The results were terrific. Online videos were viewed 1.3 million times, and over 25,000 people signed up to receive the UNIQLO newsletters. In total, the campaign reached over four million people, resulting in 35,000 new customers.</p> <p><strong>The Lesson:</strong> Digital marketing can be a great way to creatively engage with your customers and teach them about who you are and what your product does. By taking control of the conversation with your customer, you can create your own brand story that you want to resonate with the target customer. You don’t need to go to the lengths that Uniqlo did to interact with your customers, but you do need to take control of the conversation.</p> <h3>Other Social Media Superstars</h3> <h4>1. Doctor Who</h4> <p>This long-running BBC show attracts millions weekly to follow the adventures of the Doctor and his companions. When it comes to social media, the Time Lord eclipses all other television brands through the integration of a <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~doctorwho.tumblr.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Tumblr blog</a>, <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://twitter.com/DoctorWho_BBCA" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Twitter feed</a>, <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.instagram.com/doctorwho_BBCA/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Instagram</a>, and a strong online presence. It’s a match made in heaven—or perhaps near Gallifrey—and a winner in our book when it comes to promoting a brand via integrated social media.</p> <h4>2. The Shelter Pet Project</h4> <p><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~theshelterpetproject.org/who-we-are/our-campaign" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Shelter Pet Project</a> uses <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.facebook.com/ShelterPetProject" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Facebook</a> to help place millions of homeless animals in danger of being destroyed simply for lack of a home. The project is a collaboration between the Humane Society of the United States and the Ad Council. Their goal? Bring the number of pets euthanized in animal shelters to zero. Nothing less than zero will do.</p> <p>And they’re succeeding, one furry little face at a time, through a campaign called “Local Legends” that highlights animals at local shelters waiting for adoption. They partnered with Facebook’s Creative Shop to build a memorable campaign that generated strong awareness of the plight of shelter pets. The campaign incorporated two videos and sponsored Facebook ads based on Facebook suggestions for maximum impact.</p> <h4>3. Porsche: The 911 Campaign</h4> <p>The Porsche 911 has been the dream car of almost every American boy for over 50 years and has had a strong hold on the hearts of many car enthusiasts for multiple generations, which is why Porsche’s mobile strategy was so genius. In an age where most people utilize “wallpaper” on their homescreen more than their walls, the company aimed to reintroduce the 911 to a new, mobile-focused generation.</p> <p>Porsche created six Facebook Canvas ads, a new ad unit optimized for mobile, that acted as an immersive deep-dive into the specifics of six different models. The strategy was an immediate hit, ultimately racking up 15MM impressions and 2MM video views and landing the company as a finalist in the 2017 Shorty Awards.</p> <p><strong>We love seeing mature companies dive into the digital marketing world with a fresh, new approach</strong>. Porsche did not disappoint.</p> <div class='ctx-autosidebar-container'></div> <h4>4. Truth #Catmageddon</h4> <p>When was the last time you thought about smoking or its consequences? It’s probably been a while. That is the challenge Truth, the non-profit focused on raising awareness of the negative consequences of smoking, is constantly dealing with.</p> <p>In an effort to attract attention to the issue, the company launched a campaign titled <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLtschJxRy8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">#Catmegeddon</a>. According to a spokesperson at the company, the purpose was to connect smoking to something their audience cares about as much as themselves: their pets.</p> <p>65 percent of U.S. households own a pet, which equates to 79.7 million homes. Their objective was to make a cultural impact and change teens’ attitudes about smoking by broadcasting the fact that cats whose owners smoke are twice as likely to get cancer.</p> <p>Their strategy included paid television ads but mainly focused on “cat-sourcing” original, digital content of famous cats and cat profiles to share awareness of the #catmageddon campaign. Throughout the course of the campaign, there were 18 digital integrations on channels ranging from Vevo and Bustle to IGN and Pandora.</p> <p><strong>The campaign was the most successful campaign in Truth’s history</strong> in terms of cultural impact and changing teens attitudes towards smoking, according to a <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~shortyawards.com/9th/catmageddon" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">company write-up</a> for the Shorty Awards. It’s safe to say that a well-executed digital strategy that includes cat videos is bound to turn heads.</p> <h4>5. Sharknado 3</h4> <p>Okay, so we admit it: We’re fans of the SyFy channel’s cheesy, laugh-at-the-bad-special-effects <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.syfy.com/sharknado4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sharknado series</a>. We’re also fans of <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://twitter.com/sharknadosyfy" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">great Twitter use</a>, and Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! deserves the best-in-show award for Twitter interaction with their audience.</p> <p>The campaign’s goal was to make sure people were talking about the third installment in the series, and they achieved that goal big time. They create custom content that “sharkified” the event, sharing it throughout the Twitter properties linked by the network. Influencers on Twitter and Vine were also part of the campaign to spread the excitement.</p> <p>A “Twitter War Room” deployed during the premier of the movie also hyped the excitement. Hashtags #Aprillives and #Aprildies let fans weigh in on the fate of the main character. The campaign generated more <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~shortyawards.com/8th/syfy-sharknado-3-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Twitter activity</a> than when Hillary Clinton first announced her bid for the presidency.</p> <h4>6. Taco Bell</h4> <p><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~shortyawards.com/8th/taco-bell-mobile-ordering-application" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Taco Bell’s</a> iconic brand already dominates social media. But their mobile ordering program boosts brand recognition and helps hungry taco junkies nationwide get their fix, fast. The new app enables fast ordering right from a mobile device, and the company’s launch resulted in 300,000 app downloads the very first day—a sure sign of taco fever and a winning mobile campaign!</p> <p><em>Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on </em><em><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~singlegrain.com/digital-marketing/10-companies-doing-online-marketing-right/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">SingleGrain</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Get a weekly dose of the trends and insights you need to keep you ON top, from the strategy team at Convince & Convert. Sign up for the <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~convinceandconvert.com/newsletter" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Convince & Convert ON</a> email newsletter.</em></p> <span class="ctx-article-root"><!-- --></span><Img align="left" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt="" style="border:0;float:left;margin:0;padding:0;width:1px!important;height:1px!important;" hspace="0" src="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/i/350622448/0/convinceandconvert"> <div style="clear:both;padding-top:0.2em;"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/2/350622448/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fbshare20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/28/350622448/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fblike20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/30/350622448/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/googleplus20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/16/350622448/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/linkedin20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/29/350622448/ConvinceandConvert,http%3a%2f%2fwww.convinceandconvert.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2017%2f06%2f11-Companies-That-Are-Killing-It-with-Their-Digital-Marketing-Campaigns.jpg"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/pinterest20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/12/350622448/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/stumble20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/24/350622448/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/twitter20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> </div> ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:13;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:47:" ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:4:{s:42:"http://rssnamespace.org/feedburner/ext/1.0";a:1:{s:8:"origLink";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:114:"http://www.convinceandconvert.com/content-marketing/4-telling-trends-that-predict-the-future-of-content-marketing/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:0:"";a:6:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:61:"4 Telling Trends That Predict the Future of Content Marketing";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:60:"http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/348510544/0/convinceandconvert/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Mon, 05 Jun 2017 13:00:00 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:8:"category";a:7:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:17:"Content Marketing";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:1;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:16:"content creation";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:2;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:17:"content marketing";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:3;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:16:"content strategy";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:4;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:15:"mobile strategy";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:5;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:11:"predictions";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:6;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:13:"video content";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:42:"http://www.convinceandconvert.com/?p=40084";s:7:"attribs";a:1:{s:0:"";a:1:{s:11:"isPermaLink";s:5:"false";}}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:1637:"You don’t need to be a fortune teller to predict the future of marketing—just follow these four current trends to their logical destinations.<div style="clear:both;padding-top:0.2em;"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/2/348510544/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fbshare20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/28/348510544/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fblike20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/30/348510544/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/googleplus20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/16/348510544/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/linkedin20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/29/348510544/ConvinceandConvert,http%3a%2f%2fwww.convinceandconvert.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2017%2f06%2f4-Telling-Trends-That-Predict-the-Future-of-Content-Marketing.jpg"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/pinterest20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/12/348510544/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/stumble20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/24/348510544/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/twitter20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> </div> ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:11:"Mark Yeager";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:40:"http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:11503:"<p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-40116 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/4-Telling-Trends-That-Predict-the-Future-of-Content-Marketing.jpg" alt="4 Telling Trends That Predict the Future of Content Marketing" width="1600" height="800" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/4-Telling-Trends-That-Predict-the-Future-of-Content-Marketing.jpg 1600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/4-Telling-Trends-That-Predict-the-Future-of-Content-Marketing-600x300.jpg 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/4-Telling-Trends-That-Predict-the-Future-of-Content-Marketing-768x384.jpg 768w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/4-Telling-Trends-That-Predict-the-Future-of-Content-Marketing-1024x512.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></p> <p>If the last twenty years is any indication, the future poses significant challenges for marketers, especially in terms of content creation. From the mid-90s, when the internet was a novelty, to now, with our constant connection to technology, disruption has been the name of the game. Marketers have had to continually shift to keep up with emerging digital trends.</p> <p>While it’s true that technology innovation has a seismic effect on marketing trends, you don’t need to be a fortune teller to predict the future of marketing—you just need to follow the current trends to their logical destinations.</p> <p>Here are four current trends, and some predictions on how these trends will influence the content marketing strategies of tomorrow.</p> <h3>1. Information Overload Is Real, but It’s Not So Bad</h3> <p>Marketing content is everywhere you look, from the copy on your tube of toothpaste, to the ads in your morning paper, to the constant stream of targeted photos, videos, blogs, and pitches on your internet sidebar. We’re continually bombarded with information, and it’s expected. That said, <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.pewinternet.org/2016/12/07/information-overload/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">77 percent of Americans report</a> that <strong>they like having information at their fingertips</strong>, and 81 percent feel confident in their ability to use the internet and their connected devices to keep up with the constant flow of information.</p> <p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-40086 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Pew-research-on-information-overload.jpg" alt="Pew research on information overload" width="292" height="207" /></p> <h4>Prediction: Even higher quality content will be required to maintain brand trust.</h4> <p>As consumer comfort-level with information overload increases, so does their demand for high-quality content. Modern consumers are self-educating, and they’re adept with finding the information they need via the internet. In order to build a strong platform for your brand, your content will need to <strong>enable the self-starting consumer to conduct in-depth research all on their own</strong>. By providing easily searchable blogs, videos, and interactive training sites, you will present your brand with confidence that will be appreciated by the internet-savvy consumer. In turn, <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.convinceandconvert.com/digital-marketing/gain-trust-of-tech-savvy-consumers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">trust for your brand</a> will grow, because you’ll be known as a company that cuts through the bombardment of information to deliver real value for your customers, even before their first purchase.</p> <hr /><p><em>In the future, even higher quality content will be required to maintain brand trust.</em> <br><a href='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=http://wp.me/p3EoXv-aqw&text=In%20the%20future%2C%20even%20higher%20quality%20content%20will%20be%20required%20to%20maintain%20brand%20trust.&via=convince&related=convince' target='_blank' >Click To Tweet</a> <br><hr /> <h3>2. People Are Watching More and Reading Less</h3> <p>According to the <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/SocialMediaMarketingIndustryReport2016.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">2016 Social Media Marketing Industry Report</a>, 74 percent of social media marketers use visual assets in their social media marketing, and 60 percent use video. The push for increased visual content is directly related to shifting consumer habits. Four times as many consumers would rather watch a video about a product than read about it.</p> <h4>Prediction: Video content will continue to dominate.</h4> <p>According to <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheet/social-media/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Cisco’s Visual Networking Index</a>, by 2019, 80 percent of all global internet traffic will come from video. According to the following HubSpot graph, video captures—and keeps—consumer attention. Marketers will be able to <strong>leverage video to captivate audiences with powerful, thought-provoking messages that are difficult to relay in other mediums</strong>. And the effort will be worthwhile, because you will know that, in a majority of cases, your complete message will be consumed.</p> <p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-40087 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Cisco-content-consumption-research.jpg" alt="Cisco content consumption research" width="468" height="246" /></p> <h3>3. Internet Platforms Come and Go</h3> <p>A decade ago, social media was the new, big thing. Internet users gradually abandoned their personal blogs in favor of Facebook, Twitter, and the host of other sites that followed. <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.pewinternet.org/2016/12/07/information-overload/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Between 2005 and 2016, social media adoption grew by over 60 percent</a>. Today, 69 percent of adult internet users are on at least one social media platform. Meanwhile, once-hot platforms such as Geocities, MySpace, and others have faded into internet history.</p> <h4>Prediction: Consumers will tell you what they want, and where they want to see it.</h4> <p>According to the HubSpot behavior survey, internet users want to see more social posts, news articles, and video. While the top three content types aren’t surprising, the ever-changing habits of users are apparent. Not long ago, podcasts and blogs dominated the content world. Now, <strong>consumers say they would prefer online courses, research content, and interactive tools</strong>—media types that were generally unheard of, or were difficult to produce and deliver just a few short years ago.</p> <p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-40088 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Hubspot-content-research.jpg" alt="Hubspot content research" width="468" height="224" /></p> <div class='ctx-autosidebar-container'></div> <h3>4. Mobile First, or You’ll Be Last</h3> <p>Between 2011 and 2016, smartphone adoption grew by 42 percent. According to <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheet/mobile/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a Pew Research study</a>, 77 percent of adults in America own a smartphone. In the 18 to 29 age group, that figure climbs to a whopping 95 percent!</p> <p>As technology becomes more mobile, people rely less on their home or work computer system for content consumption. They check their email on their phone while riding the train to work, glance at social media on their tablet over lunch, and schedule meetings directly from their smart watches.</p> <p><strong>Prediction: The smaller the screen, the larger the audience.</strong></p> <p>As screens get smaller, above-the-fold content placement takes on an entirely new meaning. <strong>Marketers will have to prioritize a strong mobile strategy to stay relevant.</strong> Consumers are going to access websites through handheld devices more often than not, so it’s critically important that every user journey is accessible on mobile devices. Email campaigns and landing pages should be designed with a mobile-first strategy, and content will need to be short and to the point.</p> <p>For marketers, new technologies and resulting behaviors will create even more channels for products or services to be <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.convinceandconvert.com/content-marketing/how-to-make-sure-your-content-gets-seen/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">discovered by consumers</a>. Marketers who anticipate and adapt to the trends will ultimately build a stronger brand that’s more likely to stay relevant through the future waves of disruption that are sure to come.</p> <p><em>Get a weekly dose of the trends and insights you need to keep you ON top, from the strategy team at Convince & Convert. Sign up for the <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~convinceandconvert.com/newsletter" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Convince & Convert ON</a> email newsletter.</em></p> <span class="ctx-article-root"><!-- --></span><Img align="left" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt="" style="border:0;float:left;margin:0;padding:0;width:1px!important;height:1px!important;" hspace="0" src="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/i/348510544/0/convinceandconvert"> <div style="clear:both;padding-top:0.2em;"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/2/348510544/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fbshare20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/28/348510544/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fblike20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/30/348510544/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/googleplus20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/16/348510544/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/linkedin20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/29/348510544/ConvinceandConvert,http%3a%2f%2fwww.convinceandconvert.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2017%2f06%2f4-Telling-Trends-That-Predict-the-Future-of-Content-Marketing.jpg"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/pinterest20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/12/348510544/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/stumble20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/24/348510544/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/twitter20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> </div> ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:14;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:44:" ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:4:{s:42:"http://rssnamespace.org/feedburner/ext/1.0";a:1:{s:8:"origLink";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:79:"http://www.convinceandconvert.com/content-marketing/content-marketing-playbook/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:0:"";a:6:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:50:"How to Create a Winning Content Marketing Playbook";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:60:"http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/342262408/0/convinceandconvert/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Thu, 01 Jun 2017 13:00:00 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strategy";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:42:"http://www.convinceandconvert.com/?p=39791";s:7:"attribs";a:1:{s:0:"";a:1:{s:11:"isPermaLink";s:5:"false";}}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:1623:"A great content marketing playbook focuses less on the "what" of producing content and more on the "how" of distributing, iterating, and more.<div style="clear:both;padding-top:0.2em;"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/2/342262408/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fbshare20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/28/342262408/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fblike20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/30/342262408/ConvinceandConvert"><img 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";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:11:"Justin Gray";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:40:"http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:10872:"<p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-40041 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/How-to-Create-a-Winning-Content-Marketing-Playbook.jpg" alt="How to Create a Winning Content Marketing Playbook" width="1600" height="800" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/How-to-Create-a-Winning-Content-Marketing-Playbook.jpg 1600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/How-to-Create-a-Winning-Content-Marketing-Playbook-600x300.jpg 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/How-to-Create-a-Winning-Content-Marketing-Playbook-768x384.jpg 768w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/How-to-Create-a-Winning-Content-Marketing-Playbook-1024x512.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></p> <p>The job of a content marketer is not to create content. If that sounds crazy, remember that everything can be content, so strictly producing it is almost a given at this point. With the insane amount of posts, articles, and videos that are being launched into the collective airspace of consumers on a second-by-second basis,<strong> a marketer’s real task becomes getting eyeballs on content that will convert to revenue</strong>.</p> <p>Content marketing <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.leadmd.com/blog/whats-a-playbook/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">playbooks</a> that focus less on the “what” of producing content and more on the “how” surrounding ideation, operationalization, distribution, and iteration won’t just give managers greater insight into their content’s performance—they’ll help them explore their passion and creativity for what they make as well.</p> <p>Here’s how to start drawing up a successful content marketing playbook.</p> <h3>Improve Your Ideation Through Education</h3> <p>Education is the most important component to creating and producing quality posts. Without proper research, content ideas can only sprout from one mind and feature limited perspectives. This is not to say that content managers and writers don’t have great ideas most of the time—it’s just that the most meaningful ideas are influenced by where outside conversations are going.</p> <p>Content marketers have to <strong>act as reporters to get all the information about a subject before they move to create their own content</strong>. How many people are already writing about a subject? Who’s searching for it? If it’s been tackled several times, do you have a unique angle? Most marketers skip the vital step of putting their ears to the ground before entering the conversation. It’s a bad look to only participate when you have something to share without ever engaging and giving feedback when others create.</p> <p>For example, at LeadMD, we noticed a flurry of discussion around account-based marketing several years ago and decided to make writing about it “our thing.” It helps that we have a passion for ABM that drives us to want to know everything about it, and how others are either succeeding or struggling with its concepts. As a result, we’ve made ourselves experts in the space to the point that another company suddenly jumping on that bandwagon to write their own ABM guide would feel inappropriate.</p> <h3>Operationalization, a Long Word for a Very Important Process</h3> <p>One of the biggest challenges in B2B is the invisibility of the <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.leadmd.com/blog/six-rules-content-marketing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">content creation process</a>. Think about how you manage your articles and posts at the back-end—probably in spreadsheets and shared docs, right? If it’s not part of a visible platform, you have to create a workflow and facilitate each stage to see what the content pipeline looks like. It can get messy quickly.</p> <p>We’re guilty of the same mistakes, even if our intentions are good. At the start of every month, we have a good idea of what our content will focus on. But, invariably, other stuff comes up, and then we scramble in ad hoc mode. Marketers find themselves in this position all the time where they’re thinking on multiple throughlines—<strong>how and when can you run this new content so it complements the complete narrative</strong> you were trying to establish before? Improved operationalization is the key to keeping everything on track.</p> <p>Content creation is all about two key factors: structure and speed. With a better ops process, you’ll be able to capitalize on social conversation in the moment (because nothing is worse than piggybacking on a meme too late). Operations establishes the lifecycle of your content, so that when one person is done doing their job (say, writing the copy), five more know it’s time to do theirs. It prevents those all-too-common scenarios whereby you’ve taken two weeks to produce a piece, only to realize it needs graphic design, a media kit, and a way to track its performance.</p> <p>When you’re not scrambling with your process, you can add higher production value flourishes to each of your pieces. Most companies are churning out low production/high-value content—which is fine, since the focus should be on value first. But if you can bring a high-value look without a high-value investment, like by improving your graphic design or adding some video, then you can expect an uptick in engagement.</p> <hr /><p><em>Marketers who think like consumers will be a step ahead in giving audiences what they want.</em> <br><a href='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=http://wp.me/p3EoXv-alN&text=Marketers%20who%20think%20like%20consumers%20will%20be%20a%20step%20ahead%20in%20giving%20audiences%20what%20they%20want.&via=convince&related=convince' target='_blank' >Click To Tweet</a> <br><hr /> <h3>Orchestrate Your Message Through Distribution Channels</h3> <p>The notion of threading your messaging is powerful, and it means leveraging multiple messengers to get maximum engagement. Remember, your job is to win business, so how can you amplify your message as a subject matter expert? We often get customers asking for our recommendations around services or best practices, so we’ll think about including specific partners in our content to grow our voice. That way, we can tap into another established brand’s reach.</p> <p>Great content creation is only the first piece in succeeding. How to distribute your message should be a major consideration as well. <strong>Partnering as much as possible is a smart and simple way to give your content major legs</strong>, and the <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.convinceandconvert.com/content-marketing/how-to-make-sure-your-content-gets-seen/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">channels you go through</a> to connect with the right people and brands should be part of your operational process.</p> <div class='ctx-autosidebar-container'></div> <h3>Know What’s Clicking So You Can Iterate More Efficiently</h3> <p>If you can’t immediately see your views, clicks, opens, conversions, and other relevant content metrics, you can’t iterate intelligently. Lack of measurement continues to plague brands, and <strong>they end up iterating where they spend the most time and effort in creation</strong>—essentially, doubling down on a dead end.</p> <p>Quality operations will help you see traffic and response in real-time across social, web, and even offline behavior. Immediate feedback allows you to determine what’s good, where you can stop exploring, and how to tweak your message to answer unforeseen questions. That’s why we include several different ways for readers to provide us feedback on a piece, including social sharing, commenting, and rating. Make it as easy as possible for your audience to interact with your content on their terms while still contributing to the metrics you’ll use to make it even better.</p> <p>A good content marketing playbook will have all the aspects necessary to delivering pieces that <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.convinceandconvert.com/content-marketing/visual-storytelling-tools/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">look good</a> and provide outstanding value. Above all, though, is the number one component needed to create and distribute content successfully: curiosity. Marketers who think like consumers and learn from other brands they admire will always be a step ahead in giving audiences what they want.</p> <p><em>Get a weekly dose of the trends and insights you need to keep you ON top, from the strategy team at Convince & Convert. Sign up for the <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~convinceandconvert.com/newsletter" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Convince & Convert ON</a> email newsletter.</em></p> <span class="ctx-article-root"><!-- --></span><Img align="left" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt="" style="border:0;float:left;margin:0;padding:0;width:1px!important;height:1px!important;" hspace="0" src="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/i/342262408/0/convinceandconvert"> <div style="clear:both;padding-top:0.2em;"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/2/342262408/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fbshare20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/28/342262408/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fblike20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/30/342262408/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" 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";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:15;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:41:" ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:4:{s:42:"http://rssnamespace.org/feedburner/ext/1.0";a:1:{s:8:"origLink";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:117:"http://www.convinceandconvert.com/convince-convert-on/how-to-use-paid-targeting-to-align-with-your-customer-profiles/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:0:"";a:6:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:62:"How to Use Paid Targeting to Align with Your Customer Profiles";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:60:"http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/341227598/0/convinceandconvert/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Wed, 31 May 2017 20:00:00 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:8:"category";a:5:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:21:"Convince & Convert ON";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:1;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:17:"audience insights";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:2;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:17:"customer profiles";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:3;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:12:"facebook ads";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:4;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:8:"personas";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:42:"http://www.convinceandconvert.com/?p=40031";s:7:"attribs";a:1:{s:0:"";a:1:{s:11:"isPermaLink";s:5:"false";}}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:1470:"Customer profiling is your best best for figuring out who the heck your consumer is and how you’re going to find them.<div style="clear:both;padding-top:0.2em;"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/2/341227598/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fbshare20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/28/341227598/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fblike20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/30/341227598/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/googleplus20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/16/341227598/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/linkedin20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/29/341227598/ConvinceandConvert,"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/pinterest20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/12/341227598/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/stumble20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/24/341227598/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/twitter20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> </div> ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:9:"Mary Nice";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:40:"http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:5742:"<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gv5ip8CFWj4" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>No, “customer profiling” doesn’t involve mugshots or lineups. It’s your best best for figuring out who the heck your consumer is and how you’re going to find them.</p> <p><strong>Takeaways</strong></p> <ul> <li>Successful customer profiling goes beyond demographic data to include specific audience motivators and barriers.</li> <li>A how-to guide from our friends at Help Scout offers a road map for building better customer profiles.</li> <li>Facebook is a marketer’s playground when it comes to persona development.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Mary:</strong> Customer profiling. No, it’s not a mugshot lineup—it’s a strategy to figure out who the heck your consumer is, and helps you figure out how you’re gonna find them.</p> <p>What’s up, guys? I’m Mary Nice, a senior strategist at Convince & Convert. Today I wanna explore the topic of mapping your customer profiles to your social advertising efforts so that you can start thinking outside of things like demographics and really start reaching in and aligning with your consumers and addressing their motivators and their barriers.</p> <p>Our friends over at Help Scout wrote <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.convinceandconvert.com/social-media-strategy/how-to-create-customer-profiles-to-reach-your-target-audience/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a fine article</a> for the C&C blog about creating customer profiles. The link is in the email, so make sure that you check that out. The article walks you through three concrete steps for effectively creating personas, which is akin to a comprehensive how-to guide for reaching your ideal customers. It’s taking your audience that, today, you may define as something like the customer support manager for a large company, and actually explores her as Help Desk Heidi, a customer support manager for a large company who is quite knowledgeable about Help Desk, and she’s tried them all. She needs very little coaching, and her main concerns will center on the time and the cost of switching from her company’s current solution to a new one. She’s interested in reporting tools, she’s deeply analytical, and she loves data.</p> <p>In typical campaigns, you may target this person by finding people who show an interest in customer service or have a job as a customer service managers, but using Greg’s key questions to start learning more, you’ll look into what websites does this customer visit, what blogs do they read, what are they likely using in search, what search terms are they using, what sort of content appeals most to them. So, as an example, instead of targeting people with a job customer service manager, we may now target people who follow Jay Baer, one of the leading experts in customer service, or Zendesk, one of their competitors.</p> <p>One of the best places to explore this is Facebook audience insights. It’s like a playground for persona development. When you’re done creating your personas, <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://blog.kissmetrics.com/high-converting-facebook-ad/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">actively test</a> and figure out how those translate effectively into <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~neilpatel.com/blog/4-reasons-your-facebook-ads-dont-convert-and-how-to-fix-them/">your targeting</a>. Think about ways you can answer those key questions and turn those into targeting mechanisms and, finally, how your content and your ads will align to those things that Heidi really cares about. Talk to her individually. Address her main motivators and barriers.</p> <p>So, what about you? Do you have personas set up? Are you effectively translating those personas into social media targeting? What qualification has worked the best for you? 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";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:16:"Kristen Matthews";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:40:"http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:11866:"<p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-40023 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/How-Influencers-Can-Improve-Every-Step-of-Your-Sales-Cycle.jpg" alt="How Influencers Can Improve Every Step of Your Sales Cycle" width="1600" height="800" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/How-Influencers-Can-Improve-Every-Step-of-Your-Sales-Cycle.jpg 1600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/How-Influencers-Can-Improve-Every-Step-of-Your-Sales-Cycle-600x300.jpg 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/How-Influencers-Can-Improve-Every-Step-of-Your-Sales-Cycle-768x384.jpg 768w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/How-Influencers-Can-Improve-Every-Step-of-Your-Sales-Cycle-1024x512.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></p> <p>It’s old news that influencer marketing can drive brand awareness and spike sales. But what makes this post stick out above any another marketing post about influencer marketing is that I’m about to dive in and explain how your brand can use influencer marketing tactics through the whole sales cycle and to improve customer experience. After all, when looking at a brand’s overall worth, both sales and customer experience (CX) are considered.</p> <p>While many companies are throwing time, resources, and money at improving the buyer and consumer journey, your brand should consider inviting a different kind of guest: influencer marketing.</p> <h3>Review the Facts on Influencer Marketing</h3> <p>First off, check out this massively important <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.traackr.com/blog/new-research-welcome-to-influence-20-the-future-of-influencer-marketing">study</a> put out by Traackr and Top Rank Marketing, as there’s a ton of data and progressive ideas in there. The main idea is one we’ve talked about a lot: <strong>Marketing and CX are fluid and ongoing journeys</strong>, rather than finite and linear processes with a beginning and an end. One phase flows into the next, always with an eye on the past and the future of the cycle.</p> <p>A campaign is never completely over, and the ways we measure CX and ROI need to incorporate more than revenue and clicks. Let’s work through the sales/CX cycle in both B2B and B2C situations, and see where and how <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.huffingtonpost.com/global-yodel/what-is-influcner-marketing_b_10778128.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">influencers</a> can connect with your customers.</p> <h3>Consumer Research Phase</h3> <p>This is the step where <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.convinceandconvert.com/influencer-marketing/building-a-network-of-influencers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">influencer marketing</a> has proven to be very valuable, as it’s part of brand awareness. Businesses and customers are searching, researching, reading, and watching every video and blog and retail site review they can find. They might find their way to your website eventually, but first, <strong>consumers want trusted peers and experts to voice their opinions, concerns, and recommendations</strong>. Having your brand and products strategically in place with the help of influencer partners spreading word of mouth recommendations during this search/research phase is crucial.</p> <hr /><p><em>Word of mouth recommendations from influencers during your consumer's research phase is crucial.</em> <br><a href='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=http://wp.me/p3EoXv-alK&text=Word%20of%20mouth%20recommendations%20from%20influencers%20during%20your%20consumer%27s%20research%20phase%20is%20crucial.&via=convince&related=convince' target='_blank' >Click To Tweet</a> <br><hr /> <h3>Establishing Brand Credibility</h3> <p>By now, the customer has gotten curious enough to visit your site and social channels. Now that they’ve self-directed themselves to your channels, the potential consumer is far enough along in the journey that they actually want to hear from your brand now.</p> <p>Still, a brand doesn’t need to be too boastful. While your site and social channels should be filled with your brand’s words, those words should be informational messaging about your product. On these channels, there should also be a <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.socialmediatoday.com/social-business/7-ways-repurpose-influencer-content-your-marketing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">second perspective woven throughout</a>—the consumer and third party opinion. <strong>Influencer messaging is great content to weave into a brand’s owned channels.</strong></p> <p>Repurposing quotes, photos, post links, and more adds more depth and credibility to your brand’s channels while the voice of your brand explains sticks to the facts for interested potential consumers.</p> <h3>Purchase and Selection</h3> <p>Once a consumer looks at peer reviews, listens to what your brand has to say, and likes what they read and hear, it’s a logical next step that said consumer will be ready to buy.</p> <p>What’s going through their head at this point? What do they need? Well, a little reassurance goes a long way. <strong>Employing influencers to relay their experiences at this stage can help the customer avoid that dreaded buyer’s remorse</strong> and gives your brand the chance to showcase a little social proof.</p> <p>Once a consumer has purchased and their status is marked in the <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~technologyadvice.com/marketing-automation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">marketing automation platform</a> of your choice, an onboarding process usually takes place. Whether it’s to train a consumer on a product, give them ideas of how to wear your brand’s new piece of fashion, or provide them with recipes that use their new cooking gadget, new consumers should be dripped and offered help and tips. Think of the popular unboxing videos or #lifehack posts where influencers share their direct experience with a given brand.</p> <p>Partnering with influencers who will showcase your product and offer their own tips on how to interact with it, in conjunction with your brand’s words of advice, can reassure the buyer of their purchase and ensure they’re getting the most out of it, so that they, in turn, become influencers or advocates for your brand. See the snowball effect happening here?</p> <h3>Brand Immersion in CX</h3> <p>Keep in mind that while you are certainly trying to make the CX better from this phase forward, you are also trying to better understand how that experience feels—or, at least, should feel. Having a comprehensive knowledge of the new or repeat customer’s impression is extremely valuable and something many companies struggle to achieve.</p> <p><strong>Influencers with honest opinions can provide loads of pertinent data.</strong> They’ve already walked a day in the new customer’s shoes and can provide detailed and candid reports on how it felt. It’s their job to do so, as influencers are, by trade, excellent communicators and usually have the brand’s best interest at heart. All departments should pay close attention to this and constantly tweak and improve.</p> <div class='ctx-autosidebar-container'></div> <h3>Usage and Maintenance</h3> <p>At this point, the customer is well into product usage. Every marker knows it is a lot cheaper to retain a customer than get a new one. This fact motivates strong customer service teams at plenty of companies, but many don’t use influencer power during this phase. Maybe they should.</p> <p>An ongoing weekly video showing how much money your payroll software is saving, how effective your vacuum cleaner is after two months, or how many different meals you can create with your gluten-free pizza crust is authentic and <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.copyblogger.com/evergreen-content/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">evergreen content</a>. Influencer-generated content can give customers new ideas about using your product, keep them engaged with your brand, and add a variety of resources for your customers.</p> <p>Think of it like this: Influencers are building content for your brand that can potentially make your brand “sticky” to the consumer and will increase the chances of the consumer renewing a service, upgrading an item, or buying more of your brand’s products. Not only can influencer-generated content reassure the customer, but it can also <strong>reach backwards in the cycle to prospective buyers who might wonder how the product holds up over time</strong>. This builds and nurtures your relationship with both your influencers and consumers while increasing brand loyalty.</p> <h3>Looking to the Long Term</h3> <p>Keep your influencer relationships strong, and have them use your product for the long haul. Recommendations after a year of use have an authenticity and level of experience that is extremely valuable.</p> <p>We’ve now come full circle into the first phase of sales and consumer journey with influencers along for the whole ride. Which areas of your brands customer journey can you strengthen with <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.convinceandconvert.com/influencer-marketing/influencers-are-going-mainstream/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">influencer partnerships</a>?</p> <p><em>Get a weekly dose of the trends and insights you need to keep you ON top, from the strategy team at Convince & Convert. Sign up for the <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~convinceandconvert.com/newsletter" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Convince & Convert ON</a> email newsletter.</em></p> <span class="ctx-article-root"><!-- --></span><Img align="left" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt="" style="border:0;float:left;margin:0;padding:0;width:1px!important;height:1px!important;" hspace="0" src="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/i/340869502/0/convinceandconvert"> <div style="clear:both;padding-top:0.2em;"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/2/340869502/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fbshare20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/28/340869502/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fblike20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/30/340869502/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" 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style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> </div> ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:8:"Jay Baer";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:40:"http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:11305:"<p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-40029 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/How-to-Use-One-to-One-Video-to-Make-People-Swoon.jpg" alt="How to Use One-to-One Video to Make People Swoon" width="1600" height="800" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/How-to-Use-One-to-One-Video-to-Make-People-Swoon.jpg 1600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/How-to-Use-One-to-One-Video-to-Make-People-Swoon-600x300.jpg 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/How-to-Use-One-to-One-Video-to-Make-People-Swoon-768x384.jpg 768w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/How-to-Use-One-to-One-Video-to-Make-People-Swoon-1024x512.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></p> <p>According to research from Nielsen, we trust people nearly twice as much as we trust companies and organizations.</p> <p>This is why you see so much advice and counsel out there to “humanize” your content and your social media. When doing so, you gain a built-in advantage in trust and persuasion, provided you are not a nefarious character.</p> <p>In fact, my friend <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~davidhorsager.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">David Horsager</a> (one of the world’s foremost experts on trust) says that you must build trust, or your organization will die in the new economy.</p> <p>Personal interactions are, of course, the best way to gain trust at the individual level. Nothing beats a face-to-face smile, handshake, laugh, or beer. This is one of the reasons why conferences continue to flourish, even though the knowledge imparted at the event can easily be gleaned via blogs, books, podcasts, and webinars.</p> <p>Face-to-face can be tough to come by in this far-flung global community that’s tied together with likes, comments, shares, and email. So what’s the solution? Increasingly, it’s recorded, asynchronous one-to-one video.</p> <p>Synchronous video is also terrific, and it is the primary use case for Skype, Zoom, Google Hangouts, and FaceTime. But in a business setting, it’s often more convenient and efficient (for both parties) to record a personal video, rather than jumping on a synchronous video “call.”</p> <p>Here are three ways to use one-to-one, personal video, and examples of it being done particularly well.</p> <h3>Personal, One-to-One Explanatory Video</h3> <p><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.viewedit.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ViewedIt </a>(a product of one of my sponsors, Vidyard) is probably my favorite new online tool. It’s perfect for quick explainer videos that feature your talking head on top of a web page, presentation, spreadsheet, or anything else that might be on your computer screen.</p> <p>I use ViewedIt to comment on work from my <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.convinceandconvert.com/content-marketing-consulting/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">consulting </a>team, provide recommendations to clients, and even to deliver personalized video thank you notes to event organizers after I speak at a conference.</p> <p>It’s free, and requires zero technology. You just download the browser extension, hook up your camera and mic (you can use your default laptop equipment if you like), press record, and then email the video to your recipient(s).</p> <p>And, you get notified via email when your recipients play your video, as well as statistics about how long they watched. Amaze-balls!</p> <p>Here’s <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://share.viewedit.com/tFrQoheQyVHqtfPi8REPnh" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a video I did last week</a>, thanking my friends at PCMA after an all-day strategy session in their offices in Chicago. You’ll see my head lower left—that’s where the video plays. One note: Videos in ViewedIt cannot be downloaded. They are, however, automatically saved in your own library.</p> <p><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Screenshot_5_27_17_11_24_AM-e1495898732334.png"><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-40016" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Screenshot_5_27_17_11_24_AM-600x414.png" alt="" width="600" height="414" /></a></p> <h3>Personal, One-to-One Welcome Video</h3> <p><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.twitter.com/mike_stelzner" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mike Stelzner</a> and his team at <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.socialmediaexaminer.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Social Media Examiner</a> are also using this technique. In particular, they are shooting <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~bbemaildelivery.com/bbext/?p=video_land&id=a58a011a-f869-5fdb-a23c-4fe7a4946943&beid=gm%3A15b8350070f35bb5&beaddr=mike%40socialmediaexaminer.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">one-to-one videos to welcome each new member</a> of their <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~society.socialmediaexaminer.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Social Media Marketing Society</a>.</p> <p>They have hundreds of members, so it’s a real effort to do a personal video for each member, but the trusted, high-touch nature of this welcome makes a real impression on new participants.</p> <p>In this example, SME is using BombBomb to create and send the videos. The leader in video email, <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.bombbomb.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">BombBomb</a> is a very easy-to-use system with great stats, and can even integrate into most marketing automation and CRM systems. It’s very good for sales teams, in particular.</p> <p><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~bbemaildelivery.com/bbext/?p=video_land&id=a58a011a-f869-5fdb-a23c-4fe7a4946943&beid=gm%3A15b8350070f35bb5&beaddr=mike%40socialmediaexaminer.com"><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-40017" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/unnamed.gif" alt="" width="480" height="270" /></a></p> <h3>Personal, One-to-One Customer Service Video</h3> <p>Still one of my favorite examples, this is a case study in my book <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.convinceandconvert.com/books-and-ebooks/youtility/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Youtility</a>.</p> <p>The geniuses at eyeglass manufacturer and retailer <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.convinceandconvert.com/content-marketing/interactive-content/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Warby Parker</a> use one to one video in a customer service context. We’re starting to see this more and more now, even in Instagram and Snapchat, as dashing off a quick video to answer a customer question is far more human than an in-app text response or an email.</p> <p>When Warby Parker started doing this, Insta and SnapChat were nothing, so they deployed these personal videos via YouTube, with a link to them in reply tweets sent to customers who had questions. They still maintain the <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChAPoXp6dREvou4xZPS6ulg" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">WarbyParkerHelp</a> channel on Youtube, and it’s a great inspiration for how to do one-to-one customer service video right.</p> <p>Just before Christmas in 2014, Whitney Fowler tweeted Warby Parker asking for feedback on possible new glasses (she was using the home try-on feature, whereby Warby sends you up to 5 pairs of glasses to model at home before deciding on a style):</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://twitter.com/WarbyParkerHelp">@WarbyParkerHelp</a> what do yall think? Any recommendations? <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~t.co/wzZgDZl0h1">pic.twitter.com/wzZgDZl0h1</a></p> <p>— Whitney Fowler (@whitlash) <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://twitter.com/whitlash/status/545657613741199360">December 18, 2014</a></p></blockquote> <p></p> <p>Certainly, the company could have sent back a quick “looks great!” tweet. But, recognizing that we trust people far more than companies, they recruited a guitar playing team member and sent back this video:</p> <p><iframe class='youtube-player' type='text/html' width='640' height='390' src='http://www.youtube.com/embed/1KbKK5BoYIk?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent' allowfullscreen='true' style='border:0;'></iframe></p> <p>What are the chances she bought those frames? I’m going to say 100 percent.</p> <p>And that’s the power of one to one video.</p> <span class="ctx-article-root"><!-- --></span><Img align="left" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt="" style="border:0;float:left;margin:0;padding:0;width:1px!important;height:1px!important;" hspace="0" src="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/i/340443456/0/convinceandconvert"> <div style="clear:both;padding-top:0.2em;"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/2/340443456/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fbshare20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/28/340443456/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fblike20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/30/340443456/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/googleplus20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/16/340443456/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/linkedin20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/29/340443456/ConvinceandConvert,http%3a%2f%2fwww.convinceandconvert.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2017%2f05%2fHow-to-Use-One-to-One-Video-to-Make-People-Swoon.jpg"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/pinterest20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/12/340443456/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/stumble20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/24/340443456/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/twitter20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> </div> ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:18;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:44:" ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:4:{s:42:"http://rssnamespace.org/feedburner/ext/1.0";a:1:{s:8:"origLink";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:98:"http://www.convinceandconvert.com/digital-marketing/keyword-intent-can-boost-your-conversion-rate/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:0:"";a:6:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:49:"How Keyword Intent Can Boost Your Conversion Rate";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:60:"http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/339423792/0/convinceandconvert/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Tue, 30 May 2017 13:00:35 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:8:"category";a:6:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:17:"Digital Marketing";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:1;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:19:"conversion strategy";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:2;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:14:"keyword intent";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:3;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:20:"keyword optimization";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:4;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:16:"keyword strategy";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:5;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:15:"search strategy";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:42:"http://www.convinceandconvert.com/?p=39810";s:7:"attribs";a:1:{s:0:"";a:1:{s:11:"isPermaLink";s:5:"false";}}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:1639:"Analyzing keywords by intent should be your first step when diagnosing conversion issues. Match your content to their search intentions using these strategies.<div style="clear:both;padding-top:0.2em;"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/2/339423792/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fbshare20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/28/339423792/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fblike20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/30/339423792/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/googleplus20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/16/339423792/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/linkedin20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/29/339423792/ConvinceandConvert,http%3a%2f%2fwww.convinceandconvert.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2017%2f05%2fHow-Keyword-Intent-Can-Boost-Your-Conversion-Rate.jpg"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/pinterest20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/12/339423792/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/stumble20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/24/339423792/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/twitter20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> </div> ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:10:"Ann Smarty";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:40:"http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:16799:"<p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-40004 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/How-Keyword-Intent-Can-Boost-Your-Conversion-Rate.jpg" alt="How Keyword Intent Can Boost Your Conversion Rate" width="1600" height="800" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/How-Keyword-Intent-Can-Boost-Your-Conversion-Rate.jpg 1600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/How-Keyword-Intent-Can-Boost-Your-Conversion-Rate-600x300.jpg 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/How-Keyword-Intent-Can-Boost-Your-Conversion-Rate-768x384.jpg 768w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/How-Keyword-Intent-Can-Boost-Your-Conversion-Rate-1024x512.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></p> <p>Keyword intent represents the user’s purpose for the search. It’s what the user is likely to do when searching for a particular phrase. Or, to be more precise, it’s what we think the user is likely to do, since we cannot always be sure.</p> <p>Intent is undoubtedly the most important concept when it comes to keyword research. It helps you meet the users’ needs better and match your content and landing pages to their intentions. <strong>Analyzing keywords by intent is thus your first step when diagnosing conversion issues</strong> when it comes to search referrals.</p> <hr /><p><em>Analyzing keywords by intent should be your first step when diagnosing conversion issues.</em> <br><a href='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=http://wp.me/p3EoXv-am6&text=Analyzing%20keywords%20by%20intent%20should%20be%20your%20first%20step%20when%20diagnosing%20conversion%20issues.&via=convince&related=convince' target='_blank' >Click To Tweet</a> <br><hr /> <h3>Types of Keyword Intent</h3> <p>There are four types of keyword intent:</p> <ul> <li> Commercial “high intent” intent</li> <li> Informational intent</li> <li> Transactional intent</li> <li> Navigational intent</li> </ul> <p>Let’s quickly see what each of these means.</p> <h4>Commercial, or High, Intent</h4> <p>This type can also be referred to as “buy now” intent. It signifies a strong intention on the part of the searcher to act (to buy, join, subscribe, etc.). Usually, these will be keyword phrases containing the following modifiers:</p> <ul> <li> Buy (online)</li> <li> Coupon (code)</li> <li> Deals</li> <li> Free shipping, etc.</li> </ul> <p>People are most likely to commit to a purchase as a result of these types of searches.</p> <h4>Informational Intent</h4> <p>Informational intent, on the other hand, means that the searcher is willing to find out more about the concept. It’s probably not a good idea to try sell anything to them outright, but these could be good for developing <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.convinceandconvert.com/podcasts/episodes/how-to-determine-when-and-where-to-gate-your-content/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">“gated” content</a> and collecting emails. Queries with purely informational intent could contain the following modifiers:</p> <ul> <li>How to . . .</li> <li>Why . . .</li> <li>Best way to . . .</li> <li>History of . . .</li> <li>Anatomy of . . .</li> <li>What . . . means</li> </ul> <h4>Transactional Intent</h4> <p>Transactional intent lies somewhere in the middle of commercial and informational intent. Simply put, these queries can represent both the purpose to buy and to read more about the concept. With the right content and setup, these searchers may buy things or be convinced to buy somewhere further into the conversion funnel. These queries can contain words like:</p> <ul> <li>. . . Reviews</li> <li>. . . vs . . .</li> <li>Best . . .</li> <li>Top 10 . . .</li> </ul> <h4>Navigational Intent</h4> <p>Keywords that contain brand names signal navigational intent, meaning a searcher knows exactly where they’re headed. Brand name searches are your assets. If a person types in your brand name when searching, they already know exactly what they want; you just need to give that to them.</p> <p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="aligncenter wp-image-40007 size-medium" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Navigational-intent-600x330.png" alt="Navigational intent" width="600" height="330" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Navigational-intent-600x330.png 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Navigational-intent-768x422.png 768w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Navigational-intent.png 800w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p> <p>What you need to do here is to make sure:</p> <ul> <li>Those searchers will land on your site, so your assets rank in top three for those queries.</li> <li>Your website will satisfy their need in the best possible way: The landing page will offer them all the answers and/or let them perform the intended action</li> </ul> <p>Pay close attention to search queries that contain your brand name, and monitor your site rankings for all of them.</p> <h3>How to Identify Keyword Intent</h3> <p>In most cases, you’ll be able to use your common sense when determining the search query intent. In many cases, it’s pretty obvious whether a user intends to buy, research, or navigate to a particular website.</p> <p>Google has been working on identifying user search intent in the best possible way for at least a decade now, so you’ll be able to pick up some cues by simply searching Google. Namely, Google’s so called “Universal” search is the search giant’s attempt to <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.convinceandconvert.com/digital-marketing/evolution-of-search/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">meet the searcher’s needs</a> and give them what they need right within the search results. In most cases, <strong>these types of search results will signal the user’s intent (as Google perceives it)</strong>:</p> <ol> <li>“Quick-answer” search boxes (those giving you a short answer on top of search results) signal information intent.</li> <li>“People Also Ask” boxes also signal informational intent.</li> <li>Google’s shopping results signal “high-intent” search queries.</li> <li>Google’s local results and knowledge graph tend to signal navigational queries.</li> <li>So does the “Search in Search” feature.</li> </ol> <p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-40008 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Google-search-intent.png" alt="Google search intent" width="2761" height="2449" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Google-search-intent.png 2761w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Google-search-intent-600x532.png 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Google-search-intent-768x681.png 768w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Google-search-intent-1024x908.png 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 2761px) 100vw, 2761px" /></p> <p>You can use <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://serpstat.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Serpstat</a> to see which types of “universal” search results any given query triggers:</p> <p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="aligncenter wp-image-40009 size-medium" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Serpstat-1-600x440.png" alt="Serpstat" width="600" height="440" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Serpstat-1-600x440.png 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Serpstat-1-768x563.png 768w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Serpstat-1.png 806w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p> <p>You can also use Serpstat filters to restrict your search to queries triggering a particular search type (and hence a particular intent):</p> <p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-40010 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Serpstat-2.png" alt="Serpstat" width="825" height="361" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Serpstat-2.png 825w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Serpstat-2-600x263.png 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Serpstat-2-768x336.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 825px) 100vw, 825px" /></p> <p>This is a very useful trick when you are working on a specific marketing strategy. For example, when creating an editorial calendar, you can use Serpstat to research keywords triggering “People also ask” results, revealing obvious informational intent.</p> <h3>How to Organize Keywords for Better Conversions</h3> <p>Being an integral part of keyword research, intent helps you create a more organized content strategy aiming at happier customers and better conversions. The first step is to <strong>organize keyword phrases by intent</strong>:</p> <ul> <li>Keywords with informational intent are straightforward content ideas to send to your content development team.</li> <li>Keywords with transactional intent, which could include content ideas (product lists, product comparison, product FAQ, product manuals, etc.) that smoothly walk the reader down the conversion channel.</li> <li>Keywords with commercial intent: If you have a product to match, refer to your SEO team to figure out how to better optimize product pages for them to rank for these queries. Alternatively, these can be product bundles (product lists) or other types of “buy now” landing pages that could match the exact high intent query.</li> <li>Keywords with navigational intent may be further organized by intent: Some of these queries will have “buy now” intent, while others may signal transactional intent (e.g. potential customers researching your product reviews). Some of these should be sent to your reputation management team, while some of these will help your sales or customer teams to better meet your clients’ expectations. Most of these queries will be useful for more than one team.</li> </ul> <p>Next, <strong>organize your keyword lists further by a required action</strong>:</p> <ul> <li>Some keywords may be good ideas for new content or new landing pages.</li> <li>Some keywords may be used to optimize or update old pages.</li> </ul> <p>Finally, <strong>organize those keywords by landing page type</strong>. Informational and transactional queries may call for different types of content and landing page to better satisfy the users’ needs. For example, you can decide to create:</p> <ul> <li>Blog posts (lists of products for an upcoming holiday, gift ideas, etc.)</li> <li>FAQ pages (especially if these are navigational queries)</li> <li>On-site glossaries (if you are in an industry full of complicated terms)</li> <li>Various <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://makeawebsitehub.com/cornerstone-content/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">types of cornerstone content</a> (also referred to as “content upgrades”)</li> </ul> <p>You can use Excel or Google Spreadsheets to organize your keywords using multiple labels. You can go through your keyword lists and organize them by intent, required action, and the type of the landing page you plan to create.</p> <p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="aligncenter wp-image-40011 size-medium" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Using-spreadsheets-for-keyword-organization-600x282.png" alt="Using spreadsheets for keyword organization" width="600" height="282" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Using-spreadsheets-for-keyword-organization-600x282.png 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Using-spreadsheets-for-keyword-organization.png 746w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p> <p>View and copy this template <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_6-O_l666VQXRSZBVSltKzysak17f8ISk09zC_YuTC0/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here</a>.</p> <p>You can then integrate those spreadsheets into a marketing dashboard or project management platform like <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.cyfe.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Cyfe</a> or <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~trello.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Trello</a> (or any of these <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://colorlib.com/wp/free-productivity-tools/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">other options</a>) for easier sharing.</p> <p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="aligncenter wp-image-40012 size-medium" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Integrating-keyword-research-with-project-management-platform-600x354.png" alt="Integrating keyword research with project management platform" width="600" height="354" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Integrating-keyword-research-with-project-management-platform-600x354.png 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Integrating-keyword-research-with-project-management-platform-768x454.png 768w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Integrating-keyword-research-with-project-management-platform-1024x605.png 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p> <p>Working with keywords takes time, but it defines your future marketing strategy on many levels, so don’t rush things up! Targeting user intent when planning and optimizing your content makes your whole digital strategy much better organized and more conversion-oriented. With the above analysis, suddenly each of your web pages has a purpose.</p> <p><em>Get a weekly dose of the trends and insights you need to keep you ON top, from the strategy team at Convince & Convert. Sign up for the <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~convinceandconvert.com/newsletter" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Convince & Convert ON</a> email newsletter.</em></p> <span class="ctx-article-root"><!-- --></span><Img align="left" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt="" style="border:0;float:left;margin:0;padding:0;width:1px!important;height:1px!important;" hspace="0" src="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/i/339423792/0/convinceandconvert"> <div style="clear:both;padding-top:0.2em;"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/2/339423792/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fbshare20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/28/339423792/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fblike20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/30/339423792/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/googleplus20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/16/339423792/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/linkedin20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/29/339423792/ConvinceandConvert,http%3a%2f%2fwww.convinceandconvert.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2017%2f05%2fHow-Keyword-Intent-Can-Boost-Your-Conversion-Rate.jpg"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/pinterest20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/12/339423792/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/stumble20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/24/339423792/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/twitter20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> </div> ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:19;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:44:" ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:4:{s:42:"http://rssnamespace.org/feedburner/ext/1.0";a:1:{s:8:"origLink";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:81:"http://www.convinceandconvert.com/digital-marketing/optimize-your-website-design/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:0:"";a:6:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:57:"How to Optimize Your Website Design with the User in Mind";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:60:"http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/338328328/0/convinceandconvert/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Mon, 29 May 2017 13:00:58 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:8:"category";a:6:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:17:"Digital Marketing";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:1;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:19:"conversion strategy";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:2;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:15:"user experience";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:3;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:14:"website design";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:4;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:18:"website navigation";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:5;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:20:"website optimization";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:42:"http://www.convinceandconvert.com/?p=39800";s:7:"attribs";a:1:{s:0:"";a:1:{s:11:"isPermaLink";s:5:"false";}}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:1640:"A pretty site is useless if users can’t find what they’re looking for. To optimize your website design, you'll first need to understand user intent.<div style="clear:both;padding-top:0.2em;"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/2/338328328/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fbshare20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/28/338328328/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fblike20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/30/338328328/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/googleplus20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/16/338328328/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/linkedin20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/29/338328328/ConvinceandConvert,http%3a%2f%2fwww.convinceandconvert.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2017%2f05%2fHow-to-Optimize-Your-Website-Design-with-the-User-in-Mind.jpg"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/pinterest20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/12/338328328/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/stumble20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/24/338328328/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/twitter20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> </div> ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:14:"Nicole Stelmar";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:40:"http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:19466:"<p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-39979 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/How-to-Optimize-Your-Website-Design-with-the-User-in-Mind.jpg" alt="How to Optimize Your Website Design with the User in Mind" width="1600" height="800" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/How-to-Optimize-Your-Website-Design-with-the-User-in-Mind.jpg 1600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/How-to-Optimize-Your-Website-Design-with-the-User-in-Mind-600x300.jpg 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/How-to-Optimize-Your-Website-Design-with-the-User-in-Mind-768x384.jpg 768w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/How-to-Optimize-Your-Website-Design-with-the-User-in-Mind-1024x512.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></p> <p>Too often, the aesthetics of a website are given more thought than how a user will navigate it. However pretty a site may be, it is useless if users can’t find what they’re looking for. Understanding how your users are finding, interacting with, and purchasing on your site will allow you to design a more user-friendly experience, eliminate unnecessary or confusing calls to action, and ultimately <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.convinceandconvert.com/convince-convert/how-can-i-help-you-get-more-customers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">increase conversions</a>.</p> <p>The first element of designing a successful site is understanding user intent.</p> <h3>What Is User Intent?</h3> <p>User intent is the information the user is after when conducting a search query. It’s usually thought of in the context of <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.convinceandconvert.com/digital-marketing/tips-for-long-tail-search-queries/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">keywords and search queries</a>, but for a successful user experience, it is important to expand this definition.</p> <p>Let’s go beyond just thinking in terms of <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.convinceandconvert.com/digital-marketing/get-seo-right/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">SEO</a> and start thinking of user intent as the users’ goals on your site. When you take this into account, you can go past just getting customers to your site. You are now thinking about the user’s entire experience on your website and ultimately how to convert them into customers.</p> <p>When studying user intent, <strong>there are three categories that can help you organize the traffic patterns you are seeing</strong>. Once you have identified each of these groups, you can address their individual needs to make sure their experience on your site goes as you intended and, more importantly, as they expected.</p> <p>First are the informational users. These are the users that are looking for more information about your product, your company, or how to contact you.</p> <p>Next, we have the educational users. Educational users are looking to learn about industry-specific topics. They are trying to find answers on how to solve a particular problem or fulfill a need, but probably don’t have a specific solution in mind yet.</p> <p>Finally, our favorite group, the transactional users. Transactional users are ready to download something, sign up for something, or make a purchase. These users come to our site with a clear plan of action, and so it is of the utmost importance we make it easy for them to execute that intent.</p> <hr /><p><em>The first element of designing a successful site is understanding user intent.</em> <br><a href='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=http://wp.me/p3EoXv-alW&text=The%20first%20element%20of%20designing%20a%20successful%20site%20is%20understanding%20user%20intent.&via=convince&related=convince' target='_blank' >Click To Tweet</a> <br><hr /> <h3>How Do You Determine User Intent?</h3> <p>Now that you have categorized different types of users, you can start identifying and analyzing each group’s traffic pattern. A great way of determining your users’ intent is by analyzing the <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/2519986" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Users Flow report</a> from Google Analytics. With this report, you can track where the users started (the source), what they did while on your site (the traffic), and where they left your site (hopefully, the “Thank you for your purchase” page).</p> <p>Learning how to set up and configure the users flow report is well worth your time and effort. Once you have the report up and going, you can begin to <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/1713056" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">analyze the flow</a> of your users and get a better understanding of how you can improve your site’s design.</p> <p>Once you have an understanding of how these three types of users are experiencing your site, you can begin to identify and resolve any trouble spots. The best place to focus your efforts is your navigation bar.</p> <h3>Organizing Your Nav Bar</h3> <p>By focusing your efforts on your nav bar, you will be able to address any navigation issues you identified in your Users Flow report. First, identify categories and subcategories for your company, products, and services that are clearly defined and easily understood by your users. This is <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.searchenginejournal.com/website-navigation-best-practices/192261/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">creating your content hierarchy</a>. <strong>Think of this like organizing the aisles of a grocery store or creating an index for the content of a book.</strong></p> <p>This isn’t the place where you want to reinvent the wheel. Users expect some consistency with established convention. Stray too far from these conventions, and users can get frustrated and quickly leave your site.</p> <p>When deciding how to best organize your navigation bar and which categories to include at this top level, there are a couple of different approaches to consider:</p> <h4>User Intent Buckets</h4> <p>One tactic you can use is organizing by the different user categories. For our informational users, we need to create an “About Us” page. This is where we can answer questions about our company, our products and services, and the area or clients we serve.</p> <p>For our educational users, we need a blog or some other form of instructional content. This is where we can provide content that highlights trends in the industry, discusses issues, and clarifies common industry questions.</p> <p>Finally, for our transactional users, we need to provide easy access to product-specific pages that make the purchasing process clear and simple.</p> <p>For example, if you take a look the nav bar at the top of the Convince & Convert site, you will see:</p> <ol> <li>Informational users can get everything they need about the company from the categories in the top right.</li> <li>Educational users will navigate to the far right to get to the blog or podcasts.</li> <li>Transactional users will use the categories on the left to start the purchase process.</li> </ol> <p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-39996 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Convince-and-Convert-nav-bar.jpg" alt="Convince and Convert nav bar" width="881" height="166" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Convince-and-Convert-nav-bar.jpg 881w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Convince-and-Convert-nav-bar-600x113.jpg 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Convince-and-Convert-nav-bar-768x145.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 881px) 100vw, 881px" /></p> <h4>Types of Customer</h4> <p>If your target audience can be grouped into different categories with varying needs, then this type of organization will work best for you. Organizing your nav bar based on the type of customer allows you to group specific products and services or content together that would be most beneficial for that customer type. This saves your customer time by putting all the information they would need in one place.</p> <p>It’s important to note that if your customer base cannot be clearly separated into types of customers, this type of navigation can create confusion and frustration. <strong>You want to be sure your customer categories are very distinct.</strong></p> <p>Let’s look at the nav bar for TransUnion’s <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.mysmartmove.com/">SmartMove</a> division, for example. The customer base can be clearly split into (1) landlords and (2) renters, so they have set up their nav bar to clearly reflect this. The subcategories included in each category are specific to that type of customer, making it easier for customers to find what they’re looking for.</p> <p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-39997 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/TransUnion-nav-bar.jpg" alt="TransUnion nav bar" width="892" height="154" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/TransUnion-nav-bar.jpg 892w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/TransUnion-nav-bar-600x104.jpg 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/TransUnion-nav-bar-768x133.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 892px) 100vw, 892px" /></p> <p> </p> <h4>Product-Centric</h4> <p>A product-centric approach takes a look at what clearly definable products or services are provided and builds the navigational categories from there. If you are able to easily categorize your products or services, this can help your user gain more information about a category of products before navigating to individual products within the same category.</p> <p>A good example of this approach is from the health and beauty company Colorescience. By organizing their products into clearly defined categories, a user can easily find the product they are looking for within the category that it would fall under. For example, if a customer is looking to learn more about products offering (1) UV protection, they know exactly where to go.</p> <p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-39998 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Colorescience-nav-bar.jpg" alt="Colorescience nav bar" width="889" height="135" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Colorescience-nav-bar.jpg 889w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Colorescience-nav-bar-600x91.jpg 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Colorescience-nav-bar-768x117.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 889px) 100vw, 889px" /></p> <p> </p> <p>Now that you have an idea of what organizational approach you want to take with your navigation bar, it is important to avoid some common mistakes.</p> <h3>Nav Bar Dos and Don’ts</h3> <h4>Limit the Number of Categories</h4> <p>The main goal of the nav bar is to provide clear choices that enable users to make quick decisions on how to accomplish their intended goals. <strong>Providing too many categories makes it harder for the user to know which path to take.</strong></p> <p>Limit your navigation bar to around five to seven categories. Not only does this make it easier for your user to know exactly where to go, but it also makes your site more visually appealing across multiple devices and screen sizes.</p> <p>To see a good example of what not to do, we’ll need to go back a couple years to Microsoft’s site from 1999. Back then, they had three separate nav bars that each contained too many categories. Users presumably had a very difficult time finding their way around the site, since they were given so many options.</p> <div id="attachment_39999" style="width: 695px; border: 1px solid #dddddd; background-color: #f3f3f3; padding-top: 4px; margin: 10px; text-align:center; display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="wp-image-39999 size-full" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Microsoft-site-navigation-1999.jpg" alt="Microsoft site navigation 1999" width="685" height="276" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Microsoft-site-navigation-1999.jpg 685w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Microsoft-site-navigation-1999-600x242.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 685px) 100vw, 685px" /><p style=' padding: 0 4px 5px; margin: 0;' class="wp-caption-text">Image via <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://web.archive.org/web/19990117103111/http:/www2.microsoft.com/">Internet Archive Wayback Machine</a></p></div> <h4>Keep Wording Clear</h4> <p>Choose specific words and phrases, and try to limit them to 12 characters or less. Again, you want to stick to convention here. For example, “About Us” is commonly used for company and product information. It is easily recognizable, and your users will quickly identify the purpose of this link. Changing it up to “Who We Are” can slow this process down and frustrate or confuse some users.</p> <p><strong>You also want keep wording short and sweet.</strong> Instead of using “Pricing Information,” just use “Pricing.” Instead of “Our Weekly Blog,” just stick with “Blog.” The simpler, the better!</p> <p>Let’s take a look at healthcare company Inovalon and their website. While it isn’t necessarily wrong to word their categories as they do, it may make it difficult for users to determine which category to click on, especially considering they do not implement sub-menus. For example, if a user is looking for more specifics about what the company does, they may be able to find this information in each of the four categories.</p> <p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-40000 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Inovalon-nav-bar.jpg" alt="Inovalon nav bar" width="365" height="136" /></p> <div class='ctx-autosidebar-container'></div> <h4>Actions on the Right</h4> <p>Use second nature to your advantage. Because we read from left to right, <strong>users naturally expect informational categories to be listed on the left</strong>, as they want to learn more before taking a next step. Using that same logic, users expect to categories that allow them to take action, like “Contact Us,” to be on the right side, or the end of the nav bar. This allows a user to gather information and then take action in the order that they expect.</p> <p>One exception is your home link. You want to keep the home link furthest to the left because users choose that link to return to the beginning, or make a backward action. Think of the rewind and fast forward buttons on a remote. When we want to move forward, we push the arrows pointing to the right, and when we want to go back to something, we push the arrows pointing to the left. It’s simply second nature.</p> <p>While a horizontal navigation bar is most common, there’s nothing wrong with a vertical nav bar. The right-to-left rule obviously doesn’t apply for vertical nav bars, but a similar top-to-bottom rule takes its place. Just like in the right-to-left rule, users read top-to-bottom, so it’s only natural to organize your nav bar in that way.</p> <p>Our final example comes from Zervice, a service that syncs up with Salesforce. They make use of a vertical nav bar, but automatically start the user at the bottom of the page. While they do make it clear where users should start (1), it doesn’t allow for a logical navigation through the website.</p> <p><img class="aligncenter wp-image-39799 " style="width: 198px;; display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/asg_jecgjHhUGjhvdp4i2Fart_KhBuoxQqjTKsKi9E2F1493416759037-actions-on-right-example.jpg" alt="" width="159" height="548" /></p> <p>Understanding the different types of users that visit your page and their intent once on the page can help significantly improve the flow of your website. You now know how to use user intent and traffic patterns to better understand how your users are navigating your site. You can use this information to improve the organization of your site and allow for a better user experience. <strong>By optimizing your site’s design with the user in mind, you will ultimately make it easier for customers to make a purchase.</strong></p> <p>Go ahead! Start optimizing!</p> <p><em>Get a weekly dose of the trends and insights you need to keep you ON top, from the strategy team at Convince & Convert. Sign up for the <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~convinceandconvert.com/newsletter" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Convince & Convert ON</a> email newsletter.</em></p> <span class="ctx-article-root"><!-- --></span><Img align="left" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt="" style="border:0;float:left;margin:0;padding:0;width:1px!important;height:1px!important;" hspace="0" src="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/i/338328328/0/convinceandconvert"> <div style="clear:both;padding-top:0.2em;"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/2/338328328/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fbshare20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/28/338328328/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fblike20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/30/338328328/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/googleplus20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/16/338328328/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/linkedin20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/29/338328328/ConvinceandConvert,http%3a%2f%2fwww.convinceandconvert.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2017%2f05%2fHow-to-Optimize-Your-Website-Design-with-the-User-in-Mind.jpg"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/pinterest20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/12/338328328/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/stumble20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/24/338328328/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/twitter20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> </div> ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:20;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:47:" ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:4:{s:42:"http://rssnamespace.org/feedburner/ext/1.0";a:1:{s:8:"origLink";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:88:"http://www.convinceandconvert.com/digital-marketing/write-an-exceptional-creative-brief/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:0:"";a:6:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:42:"How to Write an Exceptional Creative Brief";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:60:"http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/333516620/0/convinceandconvert/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Thu, 25 May 2017 13:49:14 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:8:"category";a:7:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:17:"Digital Marketing";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:1;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:20:"agency relationships";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:2;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:14:"buyer personas";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:3;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:20:"client relationships";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:4;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:14:"creative brief";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:5;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:16:"creative content";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:6;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:18:"marketing campaign";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:42:"http://www.convinceandconvert.com/?p=39887";s:7:"attribs";a:1:{s:0:"";a:1:{s:11:"isPermaLink";s:5:"false";}}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:1625:"An exceptional creative brief is more than an outline for you and your client's next marketing campaign. Done well, it can transform your creative work.<div style="clear:both;padding-top:0.2em;"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/2/333516620/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fbshare20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/28/333516620/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fblike20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/30/333516620/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/googleplus20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/16/333516620/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/linkedin20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/29/333516620/ConvinceandConvert,http%3a%2f%2fwww.convinceandconvert.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2017%2f05%2fHow-to-Write-an-Exceptional-Creative-Brief.jpg"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/pinterest20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/12/333516620/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/stumble20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/24/333516620/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/twitter20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> </div> ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:11:"Joe Griffin";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:40:"http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:11219:"<p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-39971 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/How-to-Write-an-Exceptional-Creative-Brief.jpg" alt="How to Write an Exceptional Creative Brief" width="1600" height="800" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/How-to-Write-an-Exceptional-Creative-Brief.jpg 1600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/How-to-Write-an-Exceptional-Creative-Brief-600x300.jpg 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/How-to-Write-an-Exceptional-Creative-Brief-768x384.jpg 768w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/How-to-Write-an-Exceptional-Creative-Brief-1024x512.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></p> <p>You’re brilliant and creative with the best writers on your team. Do you really need to develop a creative brief?</p> <p>The short answer is “yes.” A creative brief is more than an outline for you and your client. It shapes and directs your creative work while enticing your clients and managing their expectations.</p> <p><strong>A creative brief is the foundation of a client-agency project.</strong> Unfortunately, most of us underestimate the importance of creative brief. How can you guarantee your next creative brief will keep your team on task and appeal to your client?</p> <h3>Do Your Homework</h3> <p>A creative brief that isn’t backed by thorough research benefits no one. A well-researched brief leads to better directed responses, not to mention an impressed client. Before writing anything:</p> <ul> <li>Interview the client. How do they pitch their product and define its unique selling proposition? Know their take before developing yours.</li> <li>Test it. If it’s a product, ask for a sample. If it’s a service, get access and start using it.</li> <li>Document everything. Write down impressions: the good, the bad, and the surprises.</li> <li>Research competitors. What’s already available, and how is it sold? You don’t want to copy someone else’s strategy or create something weaker.</li> </ul> <p>With your research completed, you’re ready to develop the strategy. The sections in creative briefs vary, but there are certain standard elements.</p> <hr /><p><em>A creative brief is the foundation of a client-agency project.</em> <br><a href='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=http://wp.me/p3EoXv-anl&text=A%20creative%20brief%20is%20the%20foundation%20of%20a%20client-agency%20project.&via=convince&related=convince' target='_blank' >Click To Tweet</a> <br><hr /> <h3>What Is the Assignment?</h3> <p>Develop an overview of the creative task by describing the:</p> <ul> <li>Client</li> <li>Product/service you’ll be promoting</li> <li>Goal of this campaign</li> <li>Client’s requests, preferences, etc.</li> </ul> <h3>Who Is the Target Persona?</h3> <p>The client likely gave you a list of target demographics, but your job is to dig deeper. Ask:</p> <ul> <li>Who is the persona?</li> <li>What motivates them?</li> <li>Why are they the target audience?</li> <li>What are their primary interests?</li> <li>What do they need? What alternative products do they use?</li> <li>Where do they get information, product reviews, news, and entertainment?</li> <li>What else is relevant? Political views, sense of humor, favorite types of movies? These things may influence your final product.</li> </ul> <h3>What’s the Product’s Unique Solution?</h3> <p>What unique advantages does this product or service offer compared to the alternatives? If there’s nothing else like it, <strong>why should it be on the market</strong>? Take everything you learned about the target persona and ask yourself:</p> <ul> <li>What problem does this product solve?</li> <li>How does it solve it for them, as opposed to solving it for anyone else?</li> <li>What are they using now, and what are the problems with those solutions that your product overcomes?</li> </ul> <p>Consider the Dollar Shave Club. This service solves an obvious problem: It gives men a clean shave. But who cares? So do a thousand other razors! The Dollar Shave Club addresses these problems:</p> <ul> <li>The expense of most razors.</li> <li>Rough shaves and more cuts due to irregular blade changes.</li> <li>The inconvenience of going to the store for new blades.</li> </ul> <p>Dollar Shave Club provides the solution: quality, inexpensive razors delivered each month to your door.</p> <h3>How Will You Convey That Message?</h3> <p>Here’s where you separate yourself from other creative teams. You’ve established the problem and provided a solution. You know your target audience and the product’s appeal. Use this section to:</p> <ul> <li>Set the tone for the campaign.</li> <li>Provide a summary of your creative approach.</li> <li>Present the key messaging you will use to convey your solution.</li> </ul> <h3>What Communication Channels Will You Use?</h3> <p>Your client expects the standard channels: social media, web ads, company blog, short-form commercial, and maybe even a radio spot. Provide more than a list. Explain which channels are important and why. Consider the following:</p> <ul> <li>Which channels does your target persona use?</li> <li>Do they use these channels to find solutions to similar problems?</li> <li>What advantage does each channel offer?</li> <li>What type of websites, TV shows, radio programs, etc., are popular with your audience?</li> <li>Where does your audience live? What stores, coffee shops, etc., do they frequent?</li> </ul> <p><strong>The answers to these questions have a little to do with the product but everything to do with the target audience.</strong> Think beyond the traditional solutions. Consider<a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~creativity-online.com/work/spotify-thanks-2016/50063" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Spotify’s “Thanks 2016, It’s Been Weird” campaign</a>. They posted strange, localized data points on outdoor displays to emphasize their ability to match music to any taste. Panasonic did the same with one <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~photos.hamariweb.com/photo-gallery/creative-billboard-designs_pid8_img158" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">unusual use of a billboard.</a></p> <div class='ctx-autosidebar-container'></div> <h3>What Should the Customer Do?</h3> <p>You’ve piqued the audience’s interest. How should the client’s customer respond? Ideally, it would be to buy this product now, but that’s not always the best method to attract long-lasting customers. If you’re selling a Little Caesar’s $5 pizza, the call to action is simple: Go pick up a Hot-n-Ready now. What if you’re selling an investment service?</p> <p><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.convinceandconvert.com/content-marketing/why-b2b-marketers-need-to-educate/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Most customers need education</a> and incentive before committing. You need to define your buyer’s journey. For example, if you’re marketing an investment service:</p> <ul> <li>Place <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~adsoftheworld.com/media/print/fidelity_investments_envision_a_big_future_while_you_can" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">an eye-catching ad</a> in a magazine your target persona reads.</li> <li>Have your ad direct prospects to your website to learn more.</li> <li>Collect their contact information, list a call-in number, and provide opportunities to speak with a company representative on your site.</li> </ul> <h3>What Are Your Deliverables?</h3> <p>Consider your contract’s scope. What can your team deliver? What won’t they create? Set client expectations and establish internal expectations and requirements for deliverables. Be specific. <strong>It’s tempting to oversell yourself, but that only leads to under-delivering.</strong></p> <h3>Why You?</h3> <p>Your client has likely considered other agencies besides yours. Don’t forget to leave your mark. <strong>You’re not just selling your experience; you’re selling your unique approach to their product.</strong></p> <ul> <li>What do you see in this product that no one else will see?</li> <li>What makes your team uniquely qualified to present this product to the world?</li> <li>Why are you the right voice to speak to their target persona?</li> </ul> <p>A creative brief is a business document; you should treat it as such. Make it professional and concise. However, it’s also a promotional tool. Let it reflect some of your signature style. <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.convinceandconvert.com/content-marketing/kiss-boring-goodbye-in-2017/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Don’t bore your clients to tears</a>. Add some creative spice, and sell the heck out of what you do!</p> <p><em>Get a weekly dose of the trends and insights you need to keep you ON top, from the strategy team at Convince & Convert. Sign up for the <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~convinceandconvert.com/newsletter" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Convince & Convert ON</a> email newsletter.</em></p> <span class="ctx-article-root"><!-- --></span><Img align="left" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt="" style="border:0;float:left;margin:0;padding:0;width:1px!important;height:1px!important;" hspace="0" src="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/i/333516620/0/convinceandconvert"> <div style="clear:both;padding-top:0.2em;"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/2/333516620/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fbshare20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/28/333516620/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fblike20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/30/333516620/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/googleplus20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/16/333516620/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/linkedin20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/29/333516620/ConvinceandConvert,http%3a%2f%2fwww.convinceandconvert.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2017%2f05%2fHow-to-Write-an-Exceptional-Creative-Brief.jpg"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/pinterest20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/12/333516620/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/stumble20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/24/333516620/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/twitter20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> </div> ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:21;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:44:" ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:4:{s:42:"http://rssnamespace.org/feedburner/ext/1.0";a:1:{s:8:"origLink";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:110:"http://www.convinceandconvert.com/customer-experience/exceptional-customer-care-and-how-it-changes-everything/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:0:"";a:6:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:56:"Exceptional Customer Care, and How It Changes Everything";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:60:"http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/332494052/0/convinceandconvert/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Wed, 24 May 2017 20:00:00 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:8:"category";a:6:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:19:"Customer Experience";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:1;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:21:"Convince & Convert ON";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:2;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:13:"customer care";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:3;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:19:"customer experience";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:4;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:16:"customer service";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:5;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:16:"customer support";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:42:"http://www.convinceandconvert.com/?p=39927";s:7:"attribs";a:1:{s:0:"";a:1:{s:11:"isPermaLink";s:5:"false";}}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:1488:"Exceptional customer service is redefining what we, as customers, expect—and that affects all customers and all brands, including yours.<div style="clear:both;padding-top:0.2em;"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/2/332494052/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fbshare20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/28/332494052/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fblike20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/30/332494052/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/googleplus20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/16/332494052/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/linkedin20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/29/332494052/ConvinceandConvert,"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/pinterest20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/12/332494052/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/stumble20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/24/332494052/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/twitter20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> </div> ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:19:"Anthony Helmstetter";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:40:"http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:5499:"<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ANChIi_6GOc" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>Exceptional customer service is redefining what we, as customers, expect—and that affects all customers and all brands, including yours.</p> <p><strong>Takeaways</strong></p> <ul> <li>The bar is higher than ever before regarding your brand’s customer experience.</li> <li>Tesla’s customer support goes above and beyond in routine service appointments.</li> <li>Exceptional customer service leaves a lasting impression and makes customers feel valued.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Anthony:</strong> Exceptional customer service is redefining what we as consumers expect, and that affects <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.convinceandconvert.com/customer-experience/earn-revenue-with-customer-support/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">all industries and all brands</a>, including yours.</p> <p>Hello. I’m Anthony Helmstetter, strategist with Convince & Convert. Exceptional customer service is changing the way we as consumers look at everything. I had a recent experience I want to share with you in the next 90 seconds about having my car repaired in my own garage.</p> <p>I drive a Tesla Model S, and they can only be serviced at an authorized Tesla service center. I’m fortunate I have one about 30 minutes away, so one weekday morning at 7:30, I fired off an email to the service center explaining this problem with a door handle that intermittently wouldn’t work from the outside. Kind of a hassle. I wanted to know if I needed to make an appointment and how soon I could get in. I took my son to school and ran a few errands, and back home about an hour later, I had an email reply already.</p> <p>They apologized for my problems. They said they’d be happy to make an appointment, or if I prefer, they would send one of their mobile service technicians—a Tesla service ranger, they call them—to my house and do the repair here. I also had a voicemail—again, this is one hour later—from Jack, the service technician, the ranger, who said he would be available within an hour to come to my house to make the repairs. I called Jack back and set an appointment for 10 o’clock that same day.</p> <p>Jack arrived on time, Tesla truck, necessary parts with him, and he proceeded to dismantle my car door in my garage. I mean everything. He took the glass out, inside panel off, wiring harnesses to get the handle out, replaced it with the right version, put it all back together. He cleaned the glass. Then he did the annual service maintenance check. He made sure the firmware was the current version, and he made sure the log files had no errors. They didn’t, and then he topped off the windshield washer fluid. My warranty expired at 80,000 miles, and on the day that Jack visited, I had 86,000 miles on the car. Total cost to me: zero.</p> <p>That is exceptional customer service. Tesla didn’t have to do that. They chose to, and by doing so, they <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.convinceandconvert.com/social-media-strategy/15-important-tips-to-help-you-keep-your-customers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">raised the bar</a> of expectation against all their competitors. And we as consumers, when we’re treated like that, by all companies and all brands, there’s a lesson to be learned here, my friends. Look at your customer service, and strive for <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.contentmarketingworld.com/speaker-video-jay-baer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">being exceptional</a> because your customers, if they don’t already, soon will expect it. Until next time, take care.</p> <span class="ctx-article-root"><!-- --></span><Img align="left" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt="" style="border:0;float:left;margin:0;padding:0;width:1px!important;height:1px!important;" hspace="0" src="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/i/332494052/0/convinceandconvert"> <div style="clear:both;padding-top:0.2em;"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/2/332494052/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fbshare20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/28/332494052/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fblike20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/30/332494052/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/googleplus20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/16/332494052/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/linkedin20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/29/332494052/ConvinceandConvert,"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/pinterest20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/12/332494052/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/stumble20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/24/332494052/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/twitter20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> </div> ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:22;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:44:" ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:4:{s:42:"http://rssnamespace.org/feedburner/ext/1.0";a:1:{s:8:"origLink";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:74:"http://www.convinceandconvert.com/digital-marketing/wordpress-on-page-seo/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:0:"";a:6:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:53:"Which HTML5 Elements Are Important for WordPress SEO?";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:60:"http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/332228442/0/convinceandconvert/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Wed, 24 May 2017 14:59:06 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:8:"category";a:6:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:17:"Digital Marketing";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:1;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:5:"HTML5";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:2;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:11:"on-page SEO";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:3;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:26:"search engine optimization";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:4;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:12:"SEO strategy";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:5;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:9:"wordpress";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:42:"http://www.convinceandconvert.com/?p=39886";s:7:"attribs";a:1:{s:0:"";a:1:{s:11:"isPermaLink";s:5:"false";}}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:1642:"Most WordPress themes are not an out-of-the-box solution for your SEO. Learn the most important HTML5 elements and how to use them to improve your on-page SEO.<div style="clear:both;padding-top:0.2em;"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/2/332228442/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fbshare20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/28/332228442/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fblike20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/30/332228442/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/googleplus20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/16/332228442/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/linkedin20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/29/332228442/ConvinceandConvert,http%3a%2f%2fwww.convinceandconvert.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2017%2f05%2fWhich-HTML5-Elements-Are-Important-for-WordPress-SEO.jpg"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/pinterest20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/12/332228442/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/stumble20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/24/332228442/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/twitter20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> </div> ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:11:"Andy Beohar";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:40:"http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:11330:"<p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-39942 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Which-HTML5-Elements-Are-Important-for-WordPress-SEO.jpg" alt="Which HTML5 Elements Are Important for WordPress SEO" width="1600" height="800" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Which-HTML5-Elements-Are-Important-for-WordPress-SEO.jpg 1600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Which-HTML5-Elements-Are-Important-for-WordPress-SEO-600x300.jpg 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Which-HTML5-Elements-Are-Important-for-WordPress-SEO-768x384.jpg 768w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Which-HTML5-Elements-Are-Important-for-WordPress-SEO-1024x512.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></p> <p>HTML5, the most recent HTML version, has been around for a few years now (though it was the first major HTML update in 14 years). However, there are still some mysteries about how it differs from previous HTML versions as well as some misconceptions about how HTML5 elements impact SEO.</p> <p>If you use a CMS tool like <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.sevenatoms.com/blog/secure-your-wordpress-site" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">WordPress</a>, it’s important to understand that <strong>their standard themes are not an out-of-the-box solution for SEO and HTML5</strong>. For best SEO results, you will either need to develop your own HTML5 theme or edit an HTML5 theme that someone else has created. In the content below, we will go over HTML5 elements and why using them in your WordPress theme is important for SEO.</p> <hr /><p><em>Most standard WordPress themes are not an out-of-the-box solution for your SEO and HTML5.</em> <br><a href='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=http://wp.me/p3EoXv-ank&text=Most%20standard%20WordPress%20themes%20are%20not%20an%20out-of-the-box%20solution%20for%20your%20SEO%20and%20HTML5.&via=convince&related=convince' target='_blank' >Click To Tweet</a> <br><hr /> <h3>What Are HTML5 Elements?</h3> <p>HTML5 was developed in order to create a more consistent communication between browsers and web content as well as to make it easier for search engines to identify certain elements of your web page. Previous HTML5 versions used non-semantic elements for coding, such as <div id=”nav”> to indicate navigation:</p> <ul> <li><h1></li> <li><h2></li> <li><title></li> <li><p></li> <li><ul></li> <li><ol></li> </ul> <p>These sorts of tags gave no real indication of what the content is, which could make things confusing both for developers and search engines. <strong>HTML5, on the other hand, uses semantic elements—easy to identify tags that clearly describe different parts of a web page.</strong></p> <p>For example:</p> <ul> <li><strong><header></strong> Used to identify the header of an article or page.</li> <li><strong><footer></strong> Used to specify footer information for a document or page. This can be used to identify a blog author, copyright information, etc.</li> <li><strong><article> </strong>Used to identify independent content, such as a blog post or news article.</li> <li><strong><figure> </strong>Used to give written context to images on the page.</li> <li><strong><figcaption> </strong>Used to give a caption or explanation of an image.</li> <li><strong><nav> </strong>Used to indicate major links to search engines. This should not be used for every link on your site.</li> <li><strong><time> </strong>Used to specify the time that something was posted, such as a blog post.</li> <li><strong><main> </strong>Used to identify the main body of content on a page.</li> <li><strong><mark> </strong>Used to indicate a highlighted or specially marked passages.</li> <li><strong><section></strong> Used to identify a new section of a document, typically used for section headings, such as “introduction” or “conclusion.”</li> <li><strong><summary></strong> Used to provide a visible summary of the content for the user. It is used in conjunction with the <strong><details></strong>. When the summary is clicked, additional hidden information or content place inside the <details> element becomes visible.</li> </ul> <p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="aligncenter wp-image-39943 size-medium" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Important-HTML5-tags-for-SEO-600x300.png" alt="Important HTML5 tags for SEO" width="600" height="300" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Important-HTML5-tags-for-SEO-600x300.png 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Important-HTML5-tags-for-SEO-768x384.png 768w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Important-HTML5-tags-for-SEO.png 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p> <p>With previous HTML versions, developers could use their own definitions for page sections, and the inconsistency could make it more difficult for search engines. However, HTML5 uses standard semantic elements, which makes it easier for search engines to identify different sections of your webpage. This is one reason why using HTML5 elements in your WordPress theme is very important for <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.convinceandconvert.com/digital-marketing/evolution-of-search/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">on-page SEO</a>. Additionally, using HTML5 rich content means that there’s no need for external plugins like Flash to play audio or video.</p> <p>Here are a few more reasons to use HTML5 in your WordPress theme:</p> <h3>1. Your images and videos will be more searchable.</h3> <p>It’s cool enough that HTML5 makes the sections of your page more clearly organized, but did you know that it also has the power to make your images and videos more visible as well? Using <figure> and <figcaption> or <caption> and <subtitle> tags allows you to explain these elements to search engines. <strong>This helps search engines better identify and index your images and videos</strong> so that they appear in relevant searches.</p> <h3>2. You can determine page rank priority.</h3> <p>In the past, there wasn’t really a way to let Google and other search engines know which navigation links should take priority in search engine results. With HTML5, you can <strong>use the <nav> tag to let web crawlers know that that internal link should have priority</strong> over others. This way, your main navigation pages will have better ranking.</p> <div class='ctx-autosidebar-container'></div> <h3>3. You have more control.</h3> <p>Using HTML5 means that you can change any detail of your site just by adjusting part of the code. Even if you’re using someone else’s HTML5 template instead of creating your own, an HTML5 template is much easier to adjust than a regular WordPress theme. Plus, with an HTML5 template, you can <strong>pick and choose which features to include</strong> instead of having a bunch of extras that you don’t use. Eliminating unnecessary and extraneous pages can also have a <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.convinceandconvert.com/digital-marketing/get-seo-right/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">positive impact on SEO</a>.</p> <h3>4. It’s relatively simple to use and understand.</h3> <p>Even if you’re not a coding nerd, HTML5 is built to be more legible, both for you and for search engines.</p> <p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="aligncenter wp-image-39944 size-medium" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/HTML5-and-the-future-of-SEO-600x600.png" alt="HTML5 and the future of SEO" width="600" height="600" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/HTML5-and-the-future-of-SEO-600x600.png 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/HTML5-and-the-future-of-SEO-300x300.png 300w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/HTML5-and-the-future-of-SEO-768x768.png 768w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/HTML5-and-the-future-of-SEO.png 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p> <p>Now that you have a better understanding of why HTML5 is <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.sevenatoms.com/blog/advanced-seo-tips" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">important for SEO</a>, you can select or start developing an HTML5 WordPress theme. While Google still hasn’t made any clear announcements that HTML5 is given any sort of priority when it comes to SEO, they also haven’t given any evidence to the contrary. And, given their history over the last 18 years, it stands to reason they will continue to evolve with current trends.</p> <p><em>Get a weekly dose of the trends and insights you need to keep you ON top, from the strategy team at Convince & Convert. Sign up for the <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~convinceandconvert.com/newsletter" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Convince & Convert ON</a> email newsletter.</em></p> <span class="ctx-article-root"><!-- --></span><Img align="left" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt="" style="border:0;float:left;margin:0;padding:0;width:1px!important;height:1px!important;" hspace="0" src="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/i/332228442/0/convinceandconvert"> <div style="clear:both;padding-top:0.2em;"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/2/332228442/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fbshare20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/28/332228442/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fblike20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/30/332228442/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" 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";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:23;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:44:" ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:4:{s:42:"http://rssnamespace.org/feedburner/ext/1.0";a:1:{s:8:"origLink";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:92:"http://www.convinceandconvert.com/content-marketing/how-to-make-sure-your-content-gets-seen/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:0:"";a:6:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:39:"How to Make Sure Your Content Gets Seen";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:60:"http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/332128020/0/convinceandconvert/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Wed, 24 May 2017 13:00:00 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:8:"category";a:6:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:17:"Content Marketing";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:1;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:21:"content amplification";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:2;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:17:"content marketing";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:3;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:17:"content promotion";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:4;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:9:"gulf wild";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:5;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:17:"retention content";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:42:"http://www.convinceandconvert.com/?p=39874";s:7:"attribs";a:1:{s:0:"";a:1:{s:11:"isPermaLink";s:5:"false";}}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:1555:"This may be the best content marketing integration I’ve experienced, says Jay Baer.<div style="clear:both;padding-top:0.2em;"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/2/332128020/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fbshare20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/28/332128020/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fblike20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/30/332128020/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/googleplus20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/16/332128020/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/linkedin20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/29/332128020/ConvinceandConvert,http%3a%2f%2fwww.convinceandconvert.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2017%2f05%2fHow-to-Make-Sure-Your-Content-Gets-Seen.jpg"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/pinterest20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/12/332128020/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/stumble20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/24/332128020/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/twitter20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> </div> ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:8:"Jay Baer";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:40:"http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:8978:"<p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-39939 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/How-to-Make-Sure-Your-Content-Gets-Seen.jpg" alt="How to Make Sure Your Content Gets Seen" width="1600" height="800" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/How-to-Make-Sure-Your-Content-Gets-Seen.jpg 1600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/How-to-Make-Sure-Your-Content-Gets-Seen-600x300.jpg 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/How-to-Make-Sure-Your-Content-Gets-Seen-768x384.jpg 768w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/How-to-Make-Sure-Your-Content-Gets-Seen-1024x512.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></p> <p>This may be the best content marketing integration I’ve experienced.</p> <p>And that’s an increasingly important topic, as content marketers fret about how to get eyeballs and ear holes to their creations. Should they use social? Search? Ads? Influencers? All have their merit.</p> <p>But the very BEST way to make sure your content gets seen is to integrate it into your operations, and that is precisely the genius of Gulf Wild.</p> <p>I was recently in Galveston, Texas for the first time and dined at the BLVD Seafood restaurant, right on the shore of the Gulf of Mexico.</p> <div id="attachment_39878" style="width: 310px; border: 1px solid #dddddd; background-color: #f3f3f3; padding-top: 4px; margin: 10px; text-align:center; float: left;" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~gulfwild.com"><img class="size-full wp-image-39878" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/IMG_0071-e1495119511834.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a><p style=' padding: 0 4px 5px; margin: 0;' class="wp-caption-text">insert into grouper</p></div> <p>I ordered grouper, as it’s one of my very favorite entrees. To my surprise, when Mr. Grouper arrived at my spot at the bar, he had a little notice sticking out of him, like the world’s smallest Realtor sign.</p> <p>I pulled out the sign, and upon closer inspection realized it contained a unique tracking code and a URL to learn more about the life and times of this Grouper.</p> <p>Intrigued, I grabbed my phone and headed to <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.mygulfwild.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">MyGulfWild.com</a>, where I entered my code, and Presto! All sorts of fascinating details were served up.</p> <p>(Yes, I do realize this sounds like the plot of <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErRHJlE4PGI" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a famous episode of Portlandia!</a>)</p> <p>For example, I learned precisely where the fish was caught, by what method, and using what bait.</p> <p>I also learned the history of the Chelsea Ann, the fishing vessel that captured Mr. Grouper. The Chelsea Ann is 51 feet long, was built in 1978, houses four fishermen and the captain, and goes out on five to seven day trips to harvest 8,000 to 12,000 pounds of fish per journey.</p> <div id="attachment_39880" style="width: 610px; border: 1px solid #dddddd; background-color: #f3f3f3; padding-top: 4px; margin: 10px; text-align:center; display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Screenshot_5_17_17_12_07_PM-3-e1495119653304.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-39880" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Screenshot_5_17_17_12_07_PM-3-e1495119653304.png" alt="" width="600" height="435" /></a><p style=' padding: 0 4px 5px; margin: 0;' class="wp-caption-text">tales of captain billy</p></div> <p>Speaking of the Captain, his name is Billy Wright. He is a third generation fisherman, who was running his own charter boat by the age of 15. I presume he knows a LOT about fishing, and probably has some amazing stories. He should have a podcast!</p> <p>I also learned why my grouper tasted a little different than grouper I’ve had before, mostly in Florida. Turns out, my dinner was a “scamp” also know as a brown grouper, a slightly different type. And, in the category of “the more you know,” young scamp undergo a gender transformation from female to male as they age, which is a fact that cries out for additional explanation.</p> <div id="attachment_39881" style="width: 610px; border: 1px solid #dddddd; background-color: #f3f3f3; padding-top: 4px; margin: 10px; text-align:center; display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Screenshot_5_17_17_12_08_PM.png"><img class="size-medium wp-image-39881" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Screenshot_5_17_17_12_08_PM-600x430.png" alt="" width="600" height="430" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Screenshot_5_17_17_12_08_PM-600x430.png 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Screenshot_5_17_17_12_08_PM-768x551.png 768w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Screenshot_5_17_17_12_08_PM.png 936w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></a><p style=' padding: 0 4px 5px; margin: 0;' class="wp-caption-text">the other grouper</p></div> <p>And of course, I learned that Gulf Wild is a content marketing and differentiation initiative of a non-profit organization of accountable, progressive and conservation-minded fishermen called The Gulf of Mexico Reef <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.shareholdersalliance.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Shareholders’ Alliance</a>. Their goal is to promote seafood sustainability and fishery conservation throughout the Gulf of Mexico.</p> <p>They do this through Gulf Wild branding on fish sold in stores all around the gulf, from Florida to Texas. And they do this through participating restaurants including the MyGulfWild information sign in their dishes, to encourage patrons to learn more about keeping the gulf fishery healthy and sustainable.</p> <p>It worked on me.</p> <p>This particular initiative is called <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~gulfwild.com/transparensea.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Transparansea</a>, and it’s a terrific example of integrated content marketing that resonates.</p> <p><strong>The BEST way to get your content seen? Put it right in front of your customers.</strong> And with <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.convinceandconvert.com/content-marketing/b2b-marketers-are-working-harder-than-necessary/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">so little time and attention being paid to content marketing for customer retention</a>, this kind of program could have a big impact.</p> <span class="ctx-article-root"><!-- --></span><Img align="left" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt="" style="border:0;float:left;margin:0;padding:0;width:1px!important;height:1px!important;" hspace="0" src="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/i/332128020/0/convinceandconvert"> <div style="clear:both;padding-top:0.2em;"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/2/332128020/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fbshare20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/28/332128020/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fblike20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/30/332128020/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/googleplus20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/16/332128020/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/linkedin20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/29/332128020/ConvinceandConvert,http%3a%2f%2fwww.convinceandconvert.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2017%2f05%2fHow-to-Make-Sure-Your-Content-Gets-Seen.jpg"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/pinterest20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/12/332128020/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/stumble20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/24/332128020/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/twitter20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> </div> ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:24;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:47:" ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:4:{s:42:"http://rssnamespace.org/feedburner/ext/1.0";a:1:{s:8:"origLink";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:96:"http://www.convinceandconvert.com/social-media-strategy/how-is-dark-social-affecting-your-brand/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:0:"";a:6:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:40:"How Is Dark Social Affecting Your Brand?";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:60:"http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/330989876/0/convinceandconvert/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Tue, 23 May 2017 13:55:56 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:8:"category";a:7:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:21:"Social Media Strategy";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:1;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:11:"dark social";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:2;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:17:"marketing metrics";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:3;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:22:"social media analytics";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:4;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:17:"social media data";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:5;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:21:"social media strategy";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}i:6;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:7:"traffic";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:42:"http://www.convinceandconvert.com/?p=39884";s:7:"attribs";a:1:{s:0:"";a:1:{s:11:"isPermaLink";s:5:"false";}}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:1616:"You may not be attributing your traffic to the right source. Learn what dark social is, how it's affecting your brand, and how you can measure it.<div style="clear:both;padding-top:0.2em;"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/2/330989876/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fbshare20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/28/330989876/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fblike20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/30/330989876/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/googleplus20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/16/330989876/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/linkedin20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/29/330989876/ConvinceandConvert,http%3a%2f%2fwww.convinceandconvert.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2017%2f05%2fHow-Is-Dark-Social-Affecting-Your-Brand.jpg"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/pinterest20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/12/330989876/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/stumble20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/24/330989876/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/twitter20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> </div> ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:11:"Liesa Opitz";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:40:"http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:16238:"<p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-39916 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/How-Is-Dark-Social-Affecting-Your-Brand.jpg" alt="How Is Dark Social Affecting Your Brand" width="1600" height="800" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/How-Is-Dark-Social-Affecting-Your-Brand.jpg 1600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/How-Is-Dark-Social-Affecting-Your-Brand-600x300.jpg 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/How-Is-Dark-Social-Affecting-Your-Brand-768x384.jpg 768w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/How-Is-Dark-Social-Affecting-Your-Brand-1024x512.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></p> <p>The term “dark social” is kicked around every so often by marketers. But what is it, how does it affect your brand, and how you can measure it?</p> <p>Messaging apps continue to be <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.businessinsider.com/the-messaging-app-report-2015-11?IR=T" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">on the rise</a> with no end in sight, and they come with a bunch of <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.convinceandconvert.com/customer-experience/why-messaging-is-your-customers-preferred-communication-channel-webinar-of-the-week/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">new opportunities</a> for marketers. The prize: billions of active monthly users, including coveted millennial and Generation Z consumers. <strong>The four most popular messaging apps already have more monthly active users than the four major social networks. </strong>According to a recent <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.statista.com/statistics/260819/number-of-monthly-active-whatsapp-users/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">estimate</a>, 16 percent of the world’s population is using Whatsapp.</p> <div id="attachment_39918" style="width: 1034px; border: 1px solid #dddddd; background-color: #f3f3f3; padding-top: 4px; margin: 10px; text-align:center; display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="wp-image-39918 size-large" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Monthly-actives-users-for-popular-messaging-apps-1024x718.jpg" alt="Monthly actives users for popular messaging apps" width="1024" height="718" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Monthly-actives-users-for-popular-messaging-apps-1024x718.jpg 1024w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Monthly-actives-users-for-popular-messaging-apps-600x421.jpg 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Monthly-actives-users-for-popular-messaging-apps-768x539.jpg 768w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Monthly-actives-users-for-popular-messaging-apps.jpg 1600w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p style=' padding: 0 4px 5px; margin: 0;' class="wp-caption-text">Image via <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://lab.getapp.com/consumer-messaging-apps-for-business">GetApp</a></p></div> <p>The marketing potential is endless. AI-based technologies are bridging the gap between users and brands on a one-to-one basis, offering bots for ordering pizza and settling customer service questions in private. There are <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://adespresso.com/academy/blog/how-5-brands-are-using-messaging-apps-for-marketing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">great examples</a> on how brands are leveraging this, but the age of messenger communication also comes with a new set of challenges that already have an impact on your brand. The question is: How big is that impact, and how are brands supposed to measure it?</p> <h3>What Is Dark Social?</h3> <p>Dark social describes the “invisible” shares that happen through channels like messengers, but also email and text messages. If you go to <em>The New York Times</em> right now, pick any article, and send the URL via Facebook Messenger to one of your friends, you’ve shared it via dark social. For the <em>NYT</em> team, that share will come up as “direct,” even though you didn’t type the whole link into your browser. They won’t know where you got the article from, <strong>making dark social a form of referral traffic that is attributed to the wrong channel</strong>.</p> <p>The term was <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/10/dark-social-we-have-the-whole-history-of-the-web-wrong/263523/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">coined</a> by Alexis Madrigal of <em>The Atlantic</em> in 2012, who then said we’re only seeing—and measuring—the tip of the sharing iceberg. And he was right, of course. The private nature of these channels makes it near impossible for marketers to find out easily what the source of the traffic is.</p> <p>(By the way, don’t confuse dark social with Facebook’s dark posts. If you’re a social media marketer and haven’t heard of dark posts, by all means add <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.socialmediaexaminer.com/4-ways-to-use-dark-facebook-posts-for-business/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">this excellent resource</a> to your reading list.)</p> <h3>Is Dark Social Messing with Your Metrics?</h3> <p>This is the crux of the matter: How do you produce numbers for something that can’t be measured?</p> <p>The dark social stats that are being cited in many articles trace back to only one source. Marketing firm RadiumOne that says <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://radiumone.com/darksocial/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">more than 80 percent</a> of all shares are “dark.” That would mean you’re basing your advertising dollars on only 20 percent of what’s actually happening—not a great idea. But don’t take out the big red marker just yet.</p> <div id="attachment_39921" style="width: 791px; border: 1px solid #dddddd; background-color: #f3f3f3; padding-top: 4px; margin: 10px; text-align:center; display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="wp-image-39921 size-full" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/RadiumOne-dark-social-data.png" alt="RadiumOne dark social data" width="781" height="323" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/RadiumOne-dark-social-data.png 781w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/RadiumOne-dark-social-data-600x248.png 600w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/RadiumOne-dark-social-data-768x318.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 781px) 100vw, 781px" /><p style=' padding: 0 4px 5px; margin: 0;' class="wp-caption-text">Image via <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://radiumone.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/RadiumOne-Dark-Social-White-Paper.pdf">RadiumOne</a></p></div> <p>According to RadiumOne data, <strong>84 percent of shares happen via dark social</strong>. If 80 percent seems high, we’re on the same page, so let’s see what else there is.</p> <p>For <em>The Atlantic</em>, Madrigal wanted to know a ballpark estimate on dark social shares, and together with their web analytics firm came up with a relatively straightforward way to show how much traffic was falsely attributed to “direct.” Of all the “direct” visitors, they excluded people that landed on the homepage or a category page, essentially leaving only the people reaching a post because they’d gotten the link from somewhere. Combining this with their available sharing data, they got to this graph, which says more than <strong>50 percent of their social shares happens via dark social</strong>.</p> <p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-39922 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Atlantic-dark-social-data.jpg" alt="Atlantic dark social data" width="615" height="286" srcset="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Atlantic-dark-social-data.jpg 615w, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Atlantic-dark-social-data-600x279.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 615px) 100vw, 615px" /></p> <p>That was in 2012, when messengers were less popular. Nevertheless, keep in mind that not all brands are <em>The Atlantic</em>, and news outlets tend to receive a lot more shares than, say, a B2B marketer.</p> <p>I live by, “Never trust a stat you haven’t faked yourself,” so we did our own little bit of research.</p> <p><img style=' display: block; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;' class="size-full wp-image-39923 aligncenter" src="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Talkwalker-dark-social-data.jpg" alt="Talkwalker dark social data" width="586" height="374" /></p> <p>The percentage of Talkwalker’s direct traffic isn’t as high as other sources have reported, but still significant. If we look at our direct traffic in Google Analytics and exclude traffic to the homepage, landing page, and app, we see that 21 percent of our traffic comes from dark social sources.</p> <p>We also looked at the lead figures for a recent webinar. Five percent were attributed to direct by Google Analytics, even though the sign-up page was not accessible anywhere on the website. That means it’s not possible that these people landed on the page directly, and our analysis wasn’t entirely accurate.</p> <p>Now, you see that this dark social number is way lower than the 80 percent advertised by RadiumOne, but whatever the number is for your brand, your web analytics are probably a little wonky in this respect.</p> <hr /><p><em>What percentage of your traffic is being attributed to the wrong source?</em> <br><a href='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=http://wp.me/p3EoXv-ani&text=What%20percentage%20of%20your%20traffic%20is%20being%20attributed%20to%20the%20wrong%20source%3F&via=convince&related=convince' target='_blank' >Click To Tweet</a> <br><hr /> <h3>Should Your Brand Worry About Dark Social?</h3> <p><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~www.convinceandconvert.com/social-media-strategy/why-is-social-media-measurement-so-hard/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Social attribution</a>, or assigning credit to your social efforts, will only grow in importance. CMOs want to track where their dollars are going and be able to show what they get out of social. You want to make the best possible decision, so you need numbers that tell the truth without obfuscating anything.</p> <p>But rather than thinking about it as something you’re not doing well just yet, think of all the future potential. Dark social is definitely an area of potential for brands, and marketers should start to leverage it where they can. The biggest part of this is making sure you’ve got access to the right data. You can only make informed decisions about where to spend your dollars if you know what’s working and what isn’t.</p> <p>Create a dark social segment in Google Analytics and <strong>find out what percentage of your traffic is being attributed to the wrong source</strong>. <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.talkwalker.com/blog/introducing-business-impact-metrics" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Analyze earned, owned, and paid together</a>, so you can start optimizing and tweaking campaigns and content to move customers along their purchase paths. In your social media analytics tool, you can overlay it with your mentions and social shares to shed some light on how your customers are sharing.</p> <p>If you want to go even further, we’ve listed some tools below that help you make sense of dark aocial traffic.</p> <div class='ctx-autosidebar-container'></div> <h3>Helpful Tools for Measuring Dark Social</h3> <p>If dark social is something that your brand is concerned about, look at some of these tools:</p> <ul> <li>Use link shorteners like <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://bitly.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bitly</a> or <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~ow.ly/url/shorten-url" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Owly</a>, which can shed some light on your sharing. You can get a better understanding of the clicks your links receive if you use a tracked link.</li> <li>Improve your sharing buttons with a tool like <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.sharethis.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">sharethis</a>, which lets you implement inline or sticky share buttons to make it easier to track if people share your content via email, messenger, or text.</li> <li>If you want to really crack the dark social code, look at <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://getsocial.io/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">GetSocial</a> or <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.po.st/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Po.st</a>. They’re pricey options, but you’ll know you’ve covered your bases.</li> </ul> <p>If you want to find out more about how your measuring strategy can help you improve ROI, download <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~https://www.talkwalker.com/how-tos/the-key-to-social-roi-is-a-killer-measurement-strategy" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Talkwalker’s free report</a>.</p> <p><em>Get a weekly dose of the trends and insights you need to keep you ON top, from the strategy team at Convince & Convert. Sign up for the <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/convinceandconvert/~convinceandconvert.com/newsletter" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Convince & Convert ON</a> email newsletter.</em></p> <span class="ctx-article-root"><!-- --></span><Img align="left" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt="" style="border:0;float:left;margin:0;padding:0;width:1px!important;height:1px!important;" hspace="0" src="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/i/330989876/0/convinceandconvert"> <div style="clear:both;padding-top:0.2em;"><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/2/330989876/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fbshare20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/28/330989876/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/fblike20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/30/330989876/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/googleplus20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/16/330989876/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/linkedin20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/29/330989876/ConvinceandConvert,http%3a%2f%2fwww.convinceandconvert.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2017%2f05%2fHow-Is-Dark-Social-Affecting-Your-Brand.jpg"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/pinterest20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/12/330989876/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/stumble20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/_/24/330989876/ConvinceandConvert"><img height="20" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/i/twitter20.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0;"></a> </div> ";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}}}s:27:"http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom";a:1:{s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:0:"";s:7:"attribs";a:1:{s:0:"";a:3:{s:4:"href";s:39:"http://www.convinceandconvert.com/feed/";s:3:"rel";s:4:"self";s:4:"type";s:19:"application/rss+xml";}}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:44:"http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/";a:2:{s:12:"updatePeriod";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:6:"hourly";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:15:"updateFrequency";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:1:"1";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}}}}}}}}s:4:"type";i:128;s:7:"headers";a:9:{s:13:"cache-control";s:12:"max-age=1800";s:12:"content-type";s:23:"text/xml; charset=UTF-8";s:16:"content-encoding";s:4:"gzip";s:4:"etag";s:34:""694d41405795c815a5c74c9c274dc3ce"";s:4:"vary";s:15:"Accept-Encoding";s:6:"server";s:17:"Microsoft-IIS/7.5";s:12:"x-powered-by";s:7:"ASP.NET";s:27:"access-control-allow-origin";s:1:"*";s:4:"date";s:29:"Tue, 20 Jun 2017 12:19:31 GMT";}s:5:"build";s:14:"20170320111500";}