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- 10 Dec
How Marketers Are Using Video In 2018
- Dec 10, 2018
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- B2B Marketing, Conversion Strategies, Video Marketing
from Marketing Charts
Video continues to be viewed enthusiastically by marketers. Now 83% are reporting that video content is becoming increasingly important to them. This according to the latest “State of Video Marketing” report [download available] from Demand Metric and Vidyard.
Both B2B and B2C Marketing Are Seeing The Benefits of Video
But, what is behind this migration to video? For one, the majority of marketers believe that video converts better than other forms of content. Previous stats from Vidyard show that video completion rates are also on the rise. Plus, these upbeat figures are likely partly a result of B2B buyers watching more video as well. We know that consumers tend to find video more engaging than other forms of content. And it’s very possible that B2B consumers are alike in that regard.
To learn more read the full post How Marketers Are Using Video In 2018 on MarketingCharts.com
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- 08 Dec
What Sender Reputation Means for Your Email Marketing
- Dec 08, 2018
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- Email Marketing, Lead Generation, Website Conversion Strategies
In email marketing, breaking through the noise has never been more challenging. More than 280 billion emails are sent each day. And that number is projected to skyrocket to 333 billion by 2022. So, even if you spend hours crafting the perfect email, all that effort may go unnoticed. That’s because roughly 20% of all emails never actually make it to the intended recipient.
It Takes More Than Just Another “Pretty Design”
Though much is made of the content of an email or its design, sender reputation holds plenty of power over where an email ends up. The stronger your reputation, the better the chance your email will reach its expected destination.
So if you are wondering what’s the best way to avoid falling victim to the dreaded spam folder? Try zeroing in on your reputation. And to get you started, here are a few steps you can take to enhance your brand’s reputation—and, ultimately, improve email deliverability at MarketingProfs.com
NOTE: A Free Registration pop-up opens on this site. Free Registration is required to read this article.
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- 07 Dec
8 Best Practices for Facebook Advertising Success
- Dec 07, 2018
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- Facebook, Facebook Advertising, Lead Generation
by Brian Bowman
Facebook advertising is a good place to spend your budget quickly. But if you aren’t following the most recent app advertising best practices, you can easily burn through hundreds — even thousands — of dollars in just a few minutes.
At first, the ads might even look like they’re performing well. You’re getting a lot of clicks. You might even be getting some business. But the final outcome ends up not being worth the cost. You’ve wasted most of your ad spend reaching the wrong people. Or you’ve spent $20 to get a customer who won’t ever spend more than 99 cents.
There are ways to fix that and here’s eight ways on Chief Marketer
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- 06 Dec
How to Heat Up Marketing Impact With Data-Driven Personas
- Dec 06, 2018
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- Customer Marketing, Demand Generation, Marketing Strategies
A customer persona is a figurative sketch of an audience segment. Marketers rely on those personas to define customers and their needs. Then they can meet those needs and wants. And, when you’re smarter about your audience’s needs and behaviors, you can meet those needs more effectively. Thats where a customer persona can help.
But The Bad News Is . . .
However, the problem is that too many marketers are still relying on traditional personas even though consumer behavior has evolved far beyond such tidy categories. And as a result, the relationship between brands and consumers has become stunted.
That’s where a data-driven approach to personas can make all the difference. And to learn how to go beyond the limits of traditional marketing personas, read the full article at MarketingProfs.com
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- 05 Dec
How to Create a Buyer Persona That Works
- Dec 05, 2018
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- Digital Marketing, Marketing for Small Business, Marketing Strategies
No matter what you do for a living, you have customers. And odds are you want more of them. But every customer is not equally valuable to your business. And every potential customer out there does not want to buy what you sell or buy it from you.
You Need to Truly Deep Understand Your Best Prospects
The easiest way to develop that deep understanding of your best prospects is to think about the current customers you have. And, then identify what common traits they share. This is the start of building a persona. These are the people who you are most likely to delight over and over again.
The more detailed and realistic your persona is, the stronger tool it will become for you. Then you can let your personas guide your language, channels, and key messages. So, to learn how to How to create a buyer persona, read the full article on McLellan Marketing Group.
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- 04 Dec
New Report: Content Strategies for Better SEO
- Dec 04, 2018
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- B2B Marketing, Content Marketing, Website Conversion Strategies
Content marketing is no longer the shiny new object. Those who have caught on are no longer asking “should we do this”. Rather, they are asking “how do we really dig in and get results?”
It seems that content marketing has matured. And the one most convincing pieces of evidence of this maturation comes from a report [download available] just released by the Content Marketing Institute. In cooperation with MarketingProfs, they surveyed a broad range of B2B content marketers across the United States.
In the 2018 results, and the insights they provide, offer some key characteristics of the more successful marketers. To see what they are read on and consider how your organization stacks up against your peers.
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- 03 Dec
A Surprising Cold Email Practice That Works
- Dec 03, 2018
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- B2B Marketing, Email Marketing, Lead Generation
Increasingly, clients are opening emails based on curiosity about what’s inside the email — not anticipation of value they’ll receive. Likewise, prospects are replying to cold messages based on curiosity, not value received in the message. Nor, for that matter, in anticipation of the value in a meeting.
Great. But How Does This Work?
Instead of asking for a meeting, help prospects ask you for a discussion by piquing their interest in one. Not by offering value. But, rather, by being vague. Simply pique their interest in a discussion.
This helps your message stand out from the pack. It’s unusual in how it breaks the typical cold email best practice (pushing value) pattern. And to see how to put it to work for you, read the full article at TargetMarketing.com
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- 01 Dec
B2B Content: To Gate or Not to Gate, That is the Question
- Dec 01, 2018
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- B2B Marketing, Content Marketing, Conversion Strategies
Everyone wants to build their lead databases and prove the value of their marketing automation programs. Gated content is one way to do that. But B2B marketers need to resist the urge to gate everything.
You Want Leads and That Means Contact Information
However, trying to grab someone’s information too quickly is a move that will fail. At that point in their process, the perceived value of what you’re offering in return doesn’t seem greater than the perceived pain of sharing their email address. Early in the purchase consideration process, prospects aren’t yet looking for a product. They have a challenge to solve. They need ideas, information, data and they’re looking for a solution.
So, where’s that balance point? To Gate or Not to Gate, That is the Question. And to find answers, read the full article at Chief Marketer.
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- 30 Nov
The Secret to How Small Businesses Can Impact Their Brand with Social Media
- Nov 30, 2018
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- Lead Generation, Marketing for Small Business, Social Media
by Sian Jaylo
Unsurprisingly, most small businesses are on social media these days. But having a social media account isn’t enough to attract and engage your audience anymore. A business needs to be both creative and consistent if they want to get the attention of buyers and build relationships with customers. One way to do this is through a strong social media marketing campaign.
But, as a small business, you probably don’t have the ready resources to simply dedicate to social media. And that’s why it’s vital for a small business owner to be smart about social media.
So, what can a small business do to make their social media marketing campaign stronger? To learn the secret to how small businesses can impact their brand with Social Media, read the full article at DrumUp
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- 29 Nov
How to Use YouTube Videos to Improve Your Google Ranking
- Nov 29, 2018
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- Content Marketing, Google, Video Marketing
by Elliot Chan
Blogging is not what it was 10 years ago. Just getting a blog post to rank in Google has become increasingly difficult. And if you are blogging and merely hoping that your posts will rank, you are likely going to be disappointed.
Change is in the Wind. And Online
The game is changing. But creating videos can afford you an opportunity to rise above all the boring, anonymous, no-personality content “noise” out there.
So, to learn how you can start optimizing your YouTube videos for Google ranking, read the full article on MarketingProfs.com
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- 28 Nov
How Marketers Can Generate Their Own First-Party Intent Data
- Nov 28, 2018
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- B2B Marketing, Content Marketing, Conversion Strategies
For B2B sales, wouldn’t it be valuable to understand when your prospects intended to make a purchase? This is the essence of the use of “intent data”. It is an actionably data set that enables B2B marketing and sales to understand what new leads and current prospects want.
Your Customer- Intent Crystal Ball
The value of this data is that it indicates what to serve as the most optimal content, message, or product across channels. And it gives an indication of where they are in their own buyer journey. And how ready they may be to buy.
Now, most of that type of data is readily available from third-party providers. And it is available for purchase. This third-party customer-intent data is helpful, but the best way to ensure you have the most accurate, useful intent data is to collect website-visitor data yourself. Here’s how to do that at MarketingProfs.com
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- 27 Nov
How to Beat the 8-Second Attention Span Plague
- Nov 27, 2018
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- Content Marketing, Digital Marketing, Engagement Strategies
by Al Gomez
Holding your audience’s attention in the digital world has grown increasingly difficult. And if you’re having a hard time keeping your audience engaged in your site, you’re not alone. Users leave web pages in a span of 10 to 20 seconds.
That Means Clearly Communicate Your Value Proposition in Under 10 Seconds
You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to figure this out. That amount of time is not nearly adequate to convince them to use your services. And, as a content marketer, how will you hold your audience’s attention long enough for you to convince them? And if you don’t hook them in, in that time-frame, you’ve lost the lead.
Here are 7 tips you need to optimize your content for the eight-second attention-span problem everybody’s having at Jeff Bullas’ Blog.
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- 26 Nov
8 Essential Tips for Real Estate Video Marketing
- Nov 26, 2018
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- Lead Generation, Marketing for Real Estate, Video Marketing
It doesn’t matter whether you’re a buyer, seller. Or, just a plain old real estate marketer. You know the importance of maintaining a strong, reputable, and attractive presence for your target audience. And, in such a competitive industry that hits so close to home, it is critical to market your business effectively and find ways to one-up your competitors.
So, here’s the real news. Real estate listings that utilize video marketing receive 403% more inquiries than those without video!
And, if you have not hopped on the video bandwagon, then it is time to buck up and take the leap. Video has increased in popularity among marketers and their customers. And for good reason. To learn how to make it work for you, here are 8 Essential Tips for Real Estate Video Marketing at WordStream.com
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- 24 Nov
Explainer Videos: The Best Way to Tempt Prospects
- Nov 24, 2018
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- Conversion Strategies, Lead Generation, Video Marketing
How would you like to have the opportunity to spend two minutes with all potential customers? Just showing them exactly why they should choose your brand instead of your competitors? Imagine how powerful your own passion for your product could be for interested consumers.
This is the power of an explainer video
Demonstrating this kind of contagious enthusiasm is often what ultimately wins your audience over. It is simply turning viewers into customers. And it works. Social performance management platform Work.com added an explainer video to its homepage. And their conversions increased by 20%. What’s more, according to Wyzowl’s Survey: The State of Video Marketing 2016, of the 45% of businesses that have explainer videos on their homepage, 86% say they are effective.
But, there are nine simple, but critically important elements, are needed to effectively (and perpetually) deliver your brand’s messaging to your target audience. And to learn them all, read the full article on ChiefMarketer.com
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- 19 Nov
What’s Your Post-Tradeshow Plan? Six Tips for a Successful Follow-Up Campaign
- Nov 19, 2018
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- B2B Marketing, Lead Generation, Tradeshow ane Event Marketing
by Kelsey Stage
Few marketers would argue against the benefits of exhibiting at a tradeshow. In fact, businesses of any size can easily gain exposure to lots of high-quality leads in a single space. But many marketers focus too much on lead capture. And they forget a critical component to their tradeshow strategy: the follow-up plan.
Following up with leads while they’re still interested in your company is the key to getting the best return on investment from tradeshows. With the right follow-up campaign, you can ensure that the time, money, and effort you’ve invested into a tradeshow don’t go to waste.
Here are six tips that will help you nurture new leads into valuable customers at MarketingProfs
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- 17 Nov
LinkedIn Just Relaunched Company Pages. Here’s What You Need To Know.
- Nov 17, 2018
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- B2B Marketing, LinkedIn, Social Media Marketing
by Alex Girard
Just in case you missed it, on November 13th, LinkedIn relaunched Company Pages as LinkedIn Pages. With this relaunch, they added new features that customers said they value most.
Viva La Differences
If you log into LinkedIn today, you’ll notice some obvious differences. The UI is cleaner and easier to navigate. Additionally, look a little deeper and you’ll see there are a number of new features. Most are geared towards helping you leverage LinkedIn to grow your business.
Understanding these new LinkedIn updates will help you take advantage of all that LinkedIn Pages has to offer, and find success on their platform. Here’s what you need to know about the new LinkedIn Pages at HubSpot.com
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- 16 Nov
9 Easy Ways to Convert Webinar Leads into Sales
- Nov 16, 2018
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- B2B Marketing, Conversion Strategies, Webinar Marketing
A jam-packed webinar is a beautiful thing. But you know what’s better than filling your funnel with webinar leads? Converting those leads into customers.
Plus, Webinar Leads are Some of Your Best Leads
A recent GoToWebinar study on content engagement revealed that people are willing to spend more time with a webinar than any other type of content. These are some of your most engaged leads, so make sure you have a plan to convert them.
However, the key to turning webinar leads into sales is giving your prospects a clear path forward. Too often, we focus on creating great webinar content and hosting an engaging webinar, which are both important, but we don’t spend enough time on the next step.
So, to learn the 9 Easy Ways to Convert Webinar Leads into Sales, read the full article at HubSpot.com
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- 15 Nov
85% of Millennials Say They’ve Made A Purchase After Viewing A Marketing Video
- Nov 15, 2018
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- Generational Marketing, Marketing to Millennials, Video Marketing
from Marketing Charts
For years, Baby Boomers were the market force to be reckoned with. This generation shaped the way we market to our audiences. We developed countless techniques and tactics around their preferences and their buying habits. But, now that is all changing. And we need to change with that market shift.
Old Markets Never Die. They Just Fade Away
One key element of this shift is the growing popularity of video marketing. New statistics from a Brightcove study provide some insights into why that’s the case. Plus, when you add to this, the growing influence of Millennial buyers for both B2C and B2B markets, you have a what can be called a marketing sea-change challenge.
And with the rise of this Millennial market influence, social media has become an increasingly important vehicle for this video content. As example, the Brightcove study found that 53% of adults overall – including two-thirds (66%) of Millennials – claim to engage with a brand after watching a video on social media. And they didn’t just view and move on. Most commonly, these respondents followed up by visiting the brand’s website or conducting further research.
To see more of the data, a chance to download the original report and to see more insights, read the full article at MarketingCharts.com
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- 14 Nov
The Top Factors That Slow B2B Purchases
- Nov 14, 2018
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- Account Based Marketing, B2B Marketing, Conversion Strategies
by Ayaz Nanji
Do you sell into a B2B industry? It may seem at times that the final purchase decision simply takes too long. Now, we know that our time-line is not necessarily the customers time-line. But still, it is frustrating. You know they want to buy from you but it seems to stretch out further and further.
So, “Why Is That?” You Ask . . .
It seems that the people at Showpad had the same question. And what better way to find out than to ask actual B2B buyers to find out. So they polled 656 B2B buyers based in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany who made a purchase in the previous 12 months. Their report does have value in that it was based on data from a survey conducted in June 2018.
What they found out may not be a surprise, but it is certainly revealing. To see what it was that they said, and gain insights into how to solve it, read the full article at MarketingProfs.com
NOTE: A Free Registration pop-up opens on this site. Free Registration is not required to read this article.
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- 13 Nov
Which Google Ads Network Is Right for Me? A Pocket Guide
- Nov 13, 2018
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- Google, Google AdWords, Lead Generation
Search. Display. Shopping. YouTube. Each Google Ads network represents unique value. You know your niche, the makeup of your business, and what you want out of your campaigns. But you’re working with a finite budget, and you want to maximize the return on every ad dollar you spend. So, the million-dollar question remains. Which network should your ads live? Or better yet, how do you allocate funds across these networks to maximize ROI? Is PPC just a giant game of Bingo?
Short answer: kind of. But it doesn’t have to be frustrating.
Especially if you’re on a budget—which, on some level, everyone is—choosing the right Google Ads network for you can feel a little like buying a car. You want to leave the lot with a vehicle that, over time, offers the most valuable return. Leave with the wrong vehicle—or, in the case of the advertiser, spend your budget in a network that doesn’t allow you to meet or exceed your campaign objectives—and you’re stuck with an asset you’ll want to lose as soon as possible. In either case, it can feel like there’s little room for error.
So, to give you a big of guidance, WordStream came up with a complete pocket guide to choosing the Google Ads network that works best for you. And to get a quick look at how they shake out, read the full article at WordStream.com