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10 Great Sources for Blog Content

December 16, 2015 by admin

As has been discussed multiple times in our own blog over the last year or so, content is king. The quality of the content you push out in your company’s blog is directly correlated to the amount traffic you pull in to your site, but sometimes quality content is hard to come up with. When it comes to blogging about marketing and design, often times it can feel like everything has been written about. Lack of motivation, lack of in depth knowledge on a topic, and lack of writing skills can all be content killers, but beyond these, the largest reason for poor quality and redundancy in blog content is just not knowing what to write about. I’ve been guilty of this many times in the past and have taken the easy road and written about something mundane just because it was easy. It doesn’t have to be this way though. There are numerous sources for great blog content ideas across the internet and that’s what we’re going to list here today. So, without further ado, let’s get to business.

1. Reddit

Reddit is a haven for user submitted original content that you can utilize for list creation and original blog stories. The proof is in the Buzzfeed pudding. The pop blog/list giant is often accused of stealing content directly from Reddit, but the truth is despite their often late arrival to the party, they do a great job of giving credit to users for the content they pull and you can do the exact same thing. Further, Reddit’s subreddit feature makes it easy to find information and submissions no matter how niche the topic may be.

2. Quora

Quora is an amazing way to find out what people want to know about your industry. As is the case with Reddit, on Quora you can follow specific themes and topics to have a never ending supply of questions you can answer on your own blog s well as on the site.

3. Slideshare

Slideshare is the number one site for sharing slideshows. Use it to find the most popular presentations in your industry for blog content inspiration. For the title of a presentation to the content contained within, there is a surplus of information you can utilize.

4. Alltop

Alltop is a fantastic site that lists the best blogs in whatever industry you’d like to view and keeps the top 5 posts from each of them listed at all times. This allows you to find favorites from which to draw inspiration for blog content.

5. Popurls

For the most up to date trending topics within any industry, this site can’t be beat. Taking the hottest posts from some of the webs largest publications, there is an endless supply of blog content to take.

6. Ubersuggest

Ubersuggest is a keyword tool that shows you the top ten suggested keywords and phrases when someone starts typing into Google. Just search for the keyword of your choosing and you’re able to browse a large range of keyword topics that can help you come up with some great titles and topics.

7. Hubspot’s Blog Topic Generator

How much easier could this be to use? Answer? It can’t. Hubspot’s Blog Topic Generator is the most simple tool you can use in your blog content endeavors. Simply enter up to 3 keywords and watch as the algorithm pumps out some great titles for your next post.

8. NinjaOutreach

NinjaOutreach is the perfect tool to use for your content research. It allows you to find the most shared content across the web and be able to see who shared it as well. You can also search specifically for influencers and bloggers and see their most successful posts which might give you some ideas to generate your content from. The best part is that NinjaOutreach also doubles as an outreach tool, meaning that once you’ve created your own top quality content it will help you promote it via email outreach.

9. Your Social Media Interactions

Maintaining a conversation with your user base is a major key to a productive social media presence. Pay attention to what people are saying about you and to you on social media. Positive or negative, there are an enormous number of takeaways for blog content you can get from your social media presence.

10. User Submitted Questions

Last but not least, and in the same vein as the previous source, are user submitted questions. What are people asking you through your own website? Are they commenting on your articles? Are you contacting you through your contact page? What are they looking for? These are all questions that you should be able to answer with some great blog content.

3 Keys to Lifecycle Marketing Success

December 9, 2015 by admin

As marketers, one of the most important facets of our job in being able to run successful lifecycle marketing campaigns. For those reading this who may not be familiar with what lifecycle marketing is, allow me to briefly explain. Lifecycle marketing refers to sales and marketing campaigns that take your potential and current customers’ needs into account as they transform over time. That means providing incentive for new customers to choose you over your competition as well as for already existing customers to continue choosing you, thus, generating more revenue. This is done first off by recognizing that new and returning customers have different needs and utilizing that knowledge to assign specific user profiles and create direct marketing campaigns that make the customer feel important rather than enterprising campaigns that are hit or miss at best. Doing this will transform your marketing campaigns into meaningful and engaging initiatives. No matter the customer, timely, poignant, and motivated emails will help you engage your client successfully, as their needs evolve. So, having read that, how now can you guarantee lifecycle marketing success?

1. Constant Communication

Clients want to know that you are providing them with value. The best way to reassure them of this is by keeping in contact with them and letting them know what steps you are taking in the evolution of your business and product to do the most you can for them. Letting them know about new updates, fixes, and sharing content with them are some great examples of things to update customers with because it expresses your commitment to delivering value.

2. Usage-based Programs

Knowing how your customers are using your product in relation to the usage-cycle affords you the ability to let them know exactly what you need to regarding any offers, updates, or events. There are a number of ways to monitor this sort of activity, primarily the method of CRM triggering in email marketing campaigns. The typical order of a lifecycle marketing campaign goes as follows: Trial phase > Onboarding > Land & Expand > Customer Success. Recognizing where customers fall within the expanded spectrum of those four steps gives you the opportunity to tailor solutions and emails in a way that is geared towards moving them along the funnel.

3. Product-based Upselling

Incentive goes a long way to bring in new clients as well as keeping existing ones within the funnel. Offering additional products that speak to your customer’s needs and usage is a fantastic way of upselling. Whether this be in the form of complimentarily bundling a purchased produced with an unpurchased one or offering special events and purchasing opportunities for returning customers (much in the same way that Nordstrom does with their member sales), keeping paying customers in the loop and learning about their product use can teach you a lot about your clients and yourself.

The Difference Between Earned, Owned, & Paid Media

December 5, 2015 by admin

If you have ever worked or still do work within the world of marketing, chances are high that you know the differences that differentiate earned, owned and paid media from one another. As a company that aims to serve small businesses in Austin we’ve found that small business owners to more often that not be on the opposite of the spectrum and not know what these differences are or why they matter. That being the case I thought I’d take a little time out of my Friday night to explain the differences.

EARNED MEDIA

Simply put, earned media accounts for brand exposure your company has receive through word-of-mouth. Whether it’s the content of your website or your social media channels, your customer service reputation or community influence, earned media refers to the recognition you receive as a result. This often comes in the form of mentions in the press, reviews and recommendations on sites such as Yelp and Glassdoor, shares on social media sites, content you post in collaboration with other companies and more. Some of the benefits of earned media are that it’s the most credible (because it comes unsolicited from people not connected to your business), it’s transparent, and its long lasting. However, there are a few negative trade offs such as you not being in control of it. Take a look at the trainwreck that used to be Amy’s Bakery. Negative press killed that business (Not that it wasn’t deserved). Earned media is usually at the top of the funnel for lead conversion and is what gets people initially interested in your company.

OWNED MEDIA

Whereas earned media is uncontrollable, owned media is just the opposite. You are in full control. From the graphics you feature to the words you type, the way your company is perceived through your channels in in your hands. The most common types of owned media come in the form of your website and social media pages but may also take shape as blog posts, case studies, whitepapers, etc. The primary goal of owned media is to provide value to leads as they try to find out more about your company without being overly promotional. Think educational content. What do you want people to know about you, your company, and your resources. Because you have complete control you can tailor this however you want, but be wary. Just because you can say whatever you want doesn’t mean you should. Being hyperbolic or deceptive is a sure-fire way to lose trust and credibility.

PAID MEDIA

Last but not least is paid media. As is the case with owned media, you are in full control of paid media. Paid media at its roots is a way to promote content and drive exposure for your company and in today’s world of technology there are a multitude of ways to do this. Paid media also brings you full circle back to earned media. Have you ever seen a funny commercial and then told a friend about it, or even made them watch it? This is a simple example of that conversion. Advertisements on TV, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and more are the most obvious examples of paid media, but there are certainly more. It all depends on where your target audience likes to congregate both digitally and in the real world. Besides full control, another benefit of paid media is the immediacy of it. Being able to identify what’s in demand and custom tailor a quick solution for people to latch onto is great. The negatives are that in the growing digital realm where ad blockers are present, a lot of paid media is now treated as unwanted clutter.

The Best of Black Friday 2015

December 2, 2015 by admin

Black Friday means a lot of things to a lot of different people. For some, it’s a chance to forego all civility and act upon baser animal instinct as if living out a scene from The Purge or South Park in order to own the latest hit item at a fraction of the cost. For others, including myself, it’s a wondrous day where hours are entertained by driving around and gawking at the massive amounts of people willing to brave the elements and go concrete camping for a shot at their pick of the retail litter. Still, for most, it’s a day where those got-to-have items that might have been a tad too expensive earlier in the year can finally be purchased without breaking the bank. No matter the reason for the season it’s an undeniable constant that Black Friday is a day that the whole country lives for, and with it being over until 2016 it’s time to recant the top 10 stories from Black Friday 2015 (in no particular order).

1. Black Friday Breaks Record with 185K Gun Background Checks

To start with, here is an interesting article with some harrowing statistics on the amount of attempted firearm purchases that were made which come in the wake of multiple mass shooting incidents. “The National Instant Criminal Background Check System processed 185,345 requests on Nov. 27, one of the largest retail sales days in the country.” Read More

2. Cards Against Humanity Sells Nothing on Black Friday, Makes $71,000, Spends It Immediately

In a move that can only be described as hilarious and completely in line with the culture of Cards Against Humanity, the company collected $5 from customers in exchange for absolutely nothing and distributed the gross sum among its employees to spend on whatever they wanted. See what they bought here!

3. Black Friday 2015: Crazy Shopping Fights Nationwide, but What About N.J.?

What would Black Friday be without all the standard brawls and beatdowns over cheap electronics?

Who’s in for the Black Friday pool? Which state will have the first Black Friday shopper fight? I’m betting New Jersey.

— Comfortably Smug (@ComfortablySmug) November 27, 2015

Need I say more? Read more here.

4. Black Friday 2015 Rioting: A Roundup of the Chaos, Fighting, Pushing and Shoving from America’s Malls

Okay, that last link was pretty fun so lets keep the chaos ball rolling with another video collection of Black Friday madness!

5. Amazon Dominated 36% of Online Black Friday Sales, Says Slice

Shocking! /s. As anyone with any sense could probably guess, Amazon is still the online retail king and never more so than on Black Friday (…well except maybe Cyber Monday). This article gets into some pretty cool numbers concerning Amazon’s success as well as that of other retail giants. Check out more here

6. Black Friday Winners And Losers: How Amazon, Walmart, Apple And More Fared

Continuing in the same vein, here are some statistics from a different market research group detailing the amounts of money Americans spend on the most gluttonous of holidays.

7. 3 Lessons Investors Can Learn from Black Friday Shoppers

Let’s just summarize here. “We encourage investors to start early, buy low and have the discipline to stay the course with their financial plans.” Want more details? Here you go.

8. How Data Helped a Little-Known Brand Get a Black Friday Promo at Target

Custom research by NPD Group suggesting that retailers move more memory cards through the bundling than by letting shoppers grab cameras and cards separately helped a small company wedge it’s way to a big payoff and into new deals with Amazon. Check it.

9. Cyber Monday Breaks Record, But It’s Not Really A Thing Anymore

Different but the same. This article reminisces over the marketing gimmick of Cyber Monday by making pragmatic points comparing it to Black Friday and the rise of internet retail in general. Read more

10. ‘The Madness of the Crowds': The Psychology Behind Black Friday

Get an inside look at the things that make us so crazy for the giant retail holiday. From family tradition to our competitive nature there are a number of reasons for the hysteria. Read more

Top 10 Marketing Trend Lists for 2016

November 18, 2015 by admin

As 2015 comes to a close I’ve found numerous marketing websites churning out their annual marketing trend lists for the upcoming year. The tradition of publishing these types of marketing trend lists has been held for as long as the industry has been around and its not going anywhere so long as technology and the marketing industry continue to evolve. And believe me, they are evolving. From ad blockers and wearable tech to Snapchat and Periscope, the threshold of a new age is being reached, and as always, we must move with it. So without further ado, in no particular order, here are the top 10 marketing trend lists for 2016.

1. 5 Digital Marketing Trends to Watch in 2016

2. 10 Content Marketing Trends To Help You Budget For 2016

3. SEO Guru Shares Top Marketing Trends That Will Dominate 2016

4. 10 Guidelines For Your Content Marketing in 2016-2017

5. Top 10 Visual Content Marketing Trends for 2016- #infographic

6. 4 Marketing Trends That Will Change Everything in 2016

7. 4 Marketing Trends to Watch for in 2016

8. RIP Millennials: Marketing Will Be ‘Age Agnostic’ Next Year

9. 2016 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends—North America

10. The Top Digital Marketing Trends to Expect in 2016

Visual Content Marketing: King Baby!

November 11, 2015 by admin

In the age of infobesity, it’s more important than ever for companies to generate and pump out killer content that stimulates and engages audiences. In fact, seventy percent of marketers have claimed that they are pumping out drastically more content this year than they have in recent years. Without hesitation I can guarantee you that most of the content that will be pushed out will be of a visual nature. In the constantly evolving landscape of digital marketing, visual content is more important than ever. The advent of ad-blockers has given us an opportunity to rethink how we approach the development of advertisements on the internet, giving reign and incredible importance to visual approaches such as site fabric integrated infographics, videos, comics, photos, memes, and more, and it’s about time. In a recent Forbes article documenting the rise of visual content, it is noted that in “the case of reading, our brain decodes visual information 60,000X faster than text.” Youtube has already surpassed Yahoo and Bing to become the 2nd largest search engine in the world and it’s precisely because visual content and storytelling, again, are more important than ever when it comes to marketing. So, how do marketers take advantage of visual content? What follows is a list of my top 5 visual content webinars from Youtube that you can use to understand, develop and supercharge you visual strategy.