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- 10 Mar
4 Things You Need To Do To Create More Research-Based Content
- Mar 10, 2020
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- Content Marketing, Digital Marketing, Digital Media Trends
by James Riddle
A research study conducted by Demand Metric recently revealed that 90% of all companies employ content in their marketing efforts. Today, the majority of business owners believe that content should be central to marketing work.
It May Not Be as Simple as You Thought
However, content marketing, and content marketing that really succeeds, is more than crafting 600-800 words. No, it is far more than that now. Now research-based content is gaining favor. Especially so with those who consume that content.
Research-based content marketing is a sustainable way of bringing in more loyal customers. Even though both large and small-sized businesses can benefit from employing the best practices of content marketing, most of us struggle to pull off a successful content marketing strategy.
For some help with those struggles, James Riddle brings us some great advice on some research-based content actions you can take to improve your content marketing game. Read the full article on Jeff Bullas’ Blog
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- 03 Mar
New Research: Using B2B Video to Drive Results
- Mar 03, 2020
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- B2B Marketing, Digital Media Trends, Video Marketing
by Lisa Heay
Video in the B2B landscape has exploded. It is becoming a staple in today’s modern marketing toolkit. Yet, as more companies invest in video, the gaps between execution and performance are widening.
So Many Questions. Now for Some Answers . . .
While sales and marketing professionals may understand the value of video, what are they doing to actually act on it? And, for those who are investing more time, money, and resources in online video than ever before, are they generating the return on investment (ROI) required to sustain it?
How are today’s most successful companies using video to drive results? To answer these questions, Heinz Marketing teamed up with Vidyard to conduct a research study. And if you’d like to learn more, and download the full research report, see the full article at Heinz Marketing.
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- 27 Feb
How to Build Interactive Content to Achieve Your Digital Marketing Goals
- Feb 27, 2020
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- Content Marketing, Digital Media Trends, Engagement Strategies
by Chris Lewis
Because the online content landscape is so crowded, audiences value originality that interest and engages them. One way savvy content marketers are responding is to create compelling interactive content.
But, What Is Interactive Content?
For a piece of digital content to succeed, it needs to engage. That may sound trite, but engagement is a big challenge for content marketers today. And it’s nearly always the deciding factor between a hit campaign and a miss that “fell just short.”
Now, interactive content comes in many forms. But all interactive content shares one main trait. It’s built to have an audience actively engage with it in a way that isn’t solely reading written content. I is nearly always customizable. It allows user input. And, it is functional only when a user engages with it. But, where and how to start? To help you get started, the right way, here are 4 types of interactive content you can build at MarketingProfs.comNOTE: A Free Registration pop-up for MarketingProfs will open on this site and registration may be required to read the full article.
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- 20 Feb
A Step-by-Step Guide: How to Make a Video
- Feb 20, 2020
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- Content Marketing, Digital Media Trends, Video Marketing
In 2019, video marketing is being used more than ever. A whopping 87% of businesses say they use it as part of their overall inbound strategy. But even with its success, creating a video may seem daunting. And especially so if your company has never done it before.
Why Are We So Afraid of Doing Video?
Most of us get paralyzed by the “no time, too hard” fallacy. But creating a video doesn’t have to be hard or time consuming. If done right, videos can be made quickly and easily. And all while supercharging your engagement and click-through rates.
Ready to dive into your first video? If you, then read the full article at the HubSpot blog to learn the 5 Quick Tips for Producing Video.
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- 13 Feb
Should You Gate Your Best Blog Content?
- Feb 13, 2020
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- Content Marketing, Digital Media Trends, Inbound Marketing
Gated blog content is a tried-and-true way to collect email addresses for your marketing campaigns. But gating all of your best content isn’t necessarily always the best move, either. You should decide on a case-by-case basis if a given piece of content should be gated.
There’s More Than One Way to Slice it
There are multiple factors that determine whether a piece of gated blog content will meet the goals you have for it. Or if it will just sit there, totally untouched.
Gating your content can lead your marketing strategy to either skyrocket or nosedive. And it almost entirely depends on choosing the right content to gate. And what information you require as the key to that gate. Here’s your guide to deciding whether or not you should gate your best blog content at Jeff Bullas’ Blog.
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- 12 Feb
What’s The Best Time to Send Email Campaigns?
- Feb 12, 2020
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- Content Marketing, Digital Media Trends, Email Marketing
Timing isn’t everything in email campaigns. But it’s a huge thing. After all, there’s no use in spending hours on a perfect campaign your subscribers won’t open. So, it’s imperative to get timing as right as possible.
The Make Or Break Factor
Undeniably, having a high ROI is critical for proving the success of your email marketing campaign. But, while the quality of content and a myriad of other factors contribute to a good email campaign, there’s one factor that makes or breaks it. And that one factor is the time you send your email.
For instance, Wordstream found that sending email campaigns before 10:30 on Thursdays yields 25% CTR. However, when sent Tuesdays at the same time, it earns a 5% CTR. Surprised? Well, there’s more and to learn all of the best times to send email campaigns, read the full article at the HubSpot Blog.
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- 11 Feb
2019 Email Benchmarks Study: What Works Now
- Feb 11, 2020
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- B2B Marketing, Digital Media Trends, Email Marketing
rom Marketing Charts
Today there is a growing sentiment among marketers that email effectiveness is on a downward slope. But, nothing could be further from the truth. The fact is that the channel remains a digital workhorse.
But that doesn’t mean that it is an easy space to win. More and more brands are battling for attention in the inbox. Most are doing this with an increasing focus on increasing engagement. And that makes its worth taking a look a new email benchmarks from 2019 offered in a new report from Campaign Monitor.
Open Rate
One glaring point of the study is that the average email open rate in the US, across all industries, was 17%. This comes from Campaign Monitor’s analysis of more than 30 billion emails sent globally by its customers. To see all of the data, some probing insights and to see the original report, read the full article at MarketingCharts.com.
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- 06 Feb
10 Email Subject Line Formulas to Skyrocket Your Open Rate
- Feb 06, 2020
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- Content Marketing, Digital Media Trends, Email Marketing
You put a lot of effort and time into creating the perfect email content for your subscribers. But, no matter what or how well you write, people may not even see your email. That is, if the subject line doesn’t get them to click on your email.
Breaking Through The Noise and Distractions Ain’t Easy
Today our world is oversaturated with marketing messages, blog posts, and a deluge of content. And in this world full of distractions, it’s hard to get and hold the attention of your email subscribers. Your emails may be getting lost in all the inbox clutter.
And in this environment, the lowley subject line is becoming increasingly important. Especially to any marketing program that relies on email. So, in today’s feature from MarketingProfs, Brahim Belabbes gives us some great tips to help. In the article, he outlines 10 subject line formulas proven to get subscribers to open emails. Read the full article at MarketingProfs.com
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- 13 Jan
The 16 Best Marketing Strategies to Try in 2020
- Jan 13, 2020
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- Content Marketing, Digital Media Trends, Marketing Strategies
by Lisa Smith
Well, 2020 is here. And, so far, it doesn’t look a whole lot different than it did in December 2019. That’s why Lisa Smith, over at WordStream set out to ask dozens of digital marketers for their best marketing strategies of last year.
And Boy, Did They Deliver
They unloaded and gave us a huge list. But here is what we think are the 16 best marketing strategies you can take into 2020. So, to see what they are, read the full article at WordStream.com – The best marketing strategies to try in 2020
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- 07 Jan
How to Create the Right Amount of the Right Type of Content
- Jan 07, 2020
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- B2B Marketing, Content Marketing, Digital Media Trends
There is such a thing as too much content. And if you’re creating content for the sake of it (without a clear business need, strategy or to simply create something new), you’ve taken a wrong turn.
The Content Paradox: Not Enough or Too Much?
In today’s fast-paced, digital-first world, there is a glut of content available. And it’s a fine line between not having enough content and having too much content. On the one hand, you need enough content to satisfy various use cases. As an example, consider Forrester’s finding that a person on average consumes 11.4 pieces of content before buying.
On the other hand, having too much content creates challenges. When you have too much content, it becomes difficult to manage and volume can degrade the value of that content with both customers and your sales team. So where is the line between not enough and too much content? And how do you find the “just right” amount of content? Start with these six steps at MarketingProfs.com
NOTE: A Free Registration pop-up opens on this site. Registration may be required to read the article.
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- 06 Jan
50 Bright Ideas for Promoting Content to Drive Leads
- Jan 06, 2020
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- Content Marketing, Digital Media Trends, Marketing Strategies
by AJ Beltis
We know that content marketing is huge. And there is no doubt about that. Content is being created and published every second of every day. Plus, in 2019, more than four million blog posts were published. On a daily basis!
WOW! That’s a Lot of Noise Out There . . .
This brings up an imperative question. And, it’s a question that all great content marketers need ask themselves. How do I get more people to see, engage with and react to my content?
How Can I Make The Most of My Content?
To help, the good people at HubSpot have put together a great guide. They have outlined the best content promotion ideas across various mediums. From podcasting to blogging, to everything in between. You can use these best practices to get a strong ROI from your content. So, to learn them all, read the full article at the HubSpot blog.
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- 10 Dec
Online Video Consumption Continues to Rise Globally
- Dec 10, 2019
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- Content Marketing, Digital Media Trends, Video Marketing
from Marketing Charts
What is the reason that video marketing has gained so much momentum? Here is your answer. Online video consumption growth is expanding at a terrific pace. And it shows no sign of slowing down in the next few years.
Marketers are Simply Following Their Market Momentum
The recent global forecast estimates from Zenith Media is that the average person will watch 84 minutes of online video this year. This is up from an estimated average of 67 minutes spent per day in 2018. This rate of growth is not unusual. Zenith reported that between 2013 and 2018 online video viewing grew at an average rate of 32% per year.
The insights from this study clearly support some of the more recent findings
- The growth of mobile video advertising is expected to be more than 3 times larger than non-mobile video advertising in 4 years time.
- On the B2B front, shorter videos are best. B2B online videos less than one minute in length had a completion rate of 68% last year, compared to the 25% completion rate of videos which were more than 20 minutes long.
- More than half (56%) of US consumers prefer video ads which are relevant to the videos they are watching as opposed to ads that are relevant to their browsing behavior or their mindset.
To see more of the data, insights and to access the full report, read the full article at MarketingCharts.com
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- 06 Dec
Seven Tips for Building a Video Marketing Campaign
- Dec 06, 2019
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- Content Marketing, Digital Media Trends, Video Marketing
Video is getting hotter by the day. It can even be said that it is becoming the most popular of mediums for content marketing, and marketing in general.
But Why Is That?
For one reason, video is the one content medium that is effective at every stage of the buyer journey. That makes it one of the most power full forms of content you can have. And it has been a driver for the increasing use of video in both B2C and B2B marketing campaigns.
And with that popularity there are a multitude of ways you can start. And if you’re considering using video, there are seven tips to help you build a solid video marketing campaign at MarketingProfs.com
NOTE: A Free MarketingProfs Registration may be required to read the full article.
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- 05 Dec
8 B2B Video Marketing Myths Debunked with Cold Hard Facts
- Dec 05, 2019
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- Content Marketing, Digital Media Trends, Video Marketing
Video has exploded in the B2B landscape over the past few years. And, today, it has becoming a staple in today’s modern marketing and sales toolkit. However, there are some common misconceptions and video marketing myths. And those myths seem to be keeping some businesses from reaching their full video potential.
But, That Need Not be the Case
Video is here to stay. According to a study conducted by Heinz Marketing, 68% of organizations plan to increase their level of investment in video in the next six to eight months. Now, more marketing and sales professionals are realizing that video plays an important role throughout the entire buying journey. And this includes their sales cycle as well. And they are experiencing first-hand the true impact it can have on their business.
There’s still a lot to be said about video and its use in your marketing and sales mix. But to help you out, here are eight of the most common video marketing myths. To find out what they are, read the full article on the Heinz Marketing Blog.
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- 02 Dec
10 Ways Social Media Fuels Inbound Marketing
- Dec 02, 2019
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- Digital Media Trends, Inbound Marketing, Social Media Marketing
by Sian Jaylo
Your social media efforts can help establish your online presence. And it can drive traffic to your brand. From creating increased exposure to converting leads consistently, it works. So, social media campaigns should be the backbone of your digital marketing strategy.
In spite of all of the recent bad press, social media is still important. According to Sprout Social, Facebook has over 2 billion active users. Instagram has 400 million daily active users. And Twitter boasts 326 million monthly active users who send 500 million tweets daily.
And That Represents a Lot of Potential Customers for Your Brand
But the benefits of social media and inbound marketing goes beyond the sheer volume and reach. Social media lets you deliver exactly what your audience wants. It provides them with engagement, education, and confidence.
To learn more of why social media is the perfect marketing tool for giving your audience what they want, read the full article at DrumUp
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- 26 Nov
The New 4Ps of Marketing and What They Mean to You
- Nov 26, 2019
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- Demand Generation, Digital Media Trends, Lead Generation
Back in college or at some point in your career, you learned about the 4Ps of marketing. As the old mantra goes, they are place, price, product, and promotion. Though nearly 60 years old, the 4Ps still hold weight today.
However, the marketing landscape has been undergoing drastic changes. And today, marketers must shift to an even more permission-based data strategy to fuel their personalized marketing strategies. That suggests a new set of the 4Ps of marketing.
Now Privacy, Permission, Personalization, and Performance (ROI) are the way forward for marketers looking to earn consumer trust and loyalty. To learn what these are and how to apply them in your business, read the full article at MarketingProfs.com.
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- 19 Nov
Banish The Boring: Use B2B Video to Entertain, Educate & Engage
- Nov 19, 2019
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- B2B Marketing, Digital Media Trends, Video Marketing
by Aljaz Fajmut
When we think of some of the B2B videos we have seen, we probably think to ourselves – BORING. Well, B2B videos don’t have to be boring anymore. No longer is it necessary for our customers to suffer thought a monologue of charts, facts and figures.
For B2B video marketing success today, those videos need to follow the Rule of the 3-E’s. They now need to entertain, educate and engage.
That Means It’s Time to Get Creative
We can no longer escape the fact that video is not a trend. It’s not a fad. In fact, it’s everywhere. And it has proven, time and again, to be a great way of connecting with clients, building leads and clinching sales. But, how relevant is it to the B2B sphere? Well, 73% of B2B marketers have already said that video positively affects their marketing ROI.
Today, there’s no reason why your next B2B video marketing campaign can’t hit a home run. And according to Aljaz Fajmut,as long as you use video to be entertaining, educational and informative, there is no reason to be boring. And to learn 7 of the best B2B video marketing techniques so that your own ROI grows and grows this year he shars, read the full article on Jeff Bullas’s Blog.
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- 18 Nov
Good Storytelling Starts With Your Value Proposition
- Nov 18, 2019
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- Brand Storytelling, Content Marketing, Digital Media Trends
As a consultant, I often see companies forgetting to tell the story about the value their products hold for the customer. In most cases, that is because companies are so close to their products. As a result, they assume the benefits are apparent to everyone.
This is Where Good Storytelling Comes In
And this is a good example of what good storytelling represents. With the markets changing at such a rapid pace, it can all be overwhelming. Understanding the shifting demands of buyers, and the market are hard.
But, one thing is constant. A good story always works and a good story always starts with the value your products brings to your customers. And that means that all of your content needs to demonstrate as well as explain your products values to the customer. But not as a focal point of your product, rather from a customer-view perspective.
To understand this all more clearly and learn how this can be applied to your business, read the full article on Heinz Marketing’s Blog.
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- 12 Nov
5 Big Changes in B2B Buying Behavior You Need to Know
- Nov 12, 2019
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- B2B Marketing, Digital Media Trends, Generational Marketing
If you’re a B2B marketer, and especially if you work for a services provider, your environment is about to be upended. Your customers are changing. And so are the ways those customers buy.
The Winds of Change Are Upon Us
There is mounting evidence that B2B buyer behaviors are shifting due to a number of dynamic forces. While those forces are slowing moving the markets we work in, most have not noticed the shifts. And if we don’t move with those forces, we will be left in the dust.
In this article from Target Marketing Magazine, Ruth P. Stevens brings forward five glaring developments in business buying behavior that you need to know about. And once you know, you must consider how to adapt and, better yet, turn the changes to your advantage. To learn what those developments are, read the full article at Target Marketing Magazine Online.
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- 04 Nov
2018 B2B Video Completion Rates and Success Benchmarks
- Nov 04, 2019
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- B2B Marketing, Digital Media Trends, Video Marketing
from Marketing Charts
We know that in the B2C space, marketing videos have grown in popularity. But, this year B2B marketers have also named video as their top lead generation tactic.
But keeping B2B buyers engaged can sometimes be a struggle. Marketers are constantly challenged with the cold, hard reality of engagement. So, the question remains if they work and how they can work harder for our marketing. And, can video really help with that?
One measure of video marketing success is video completion rate. That means, people watching the complete video from start to finish. And a new video benchmarks from Vidyard [download page] offers insights into that very benchmark. And what they found for completion rates for business-related videos, and the results are encouraging.
But beyond just completion rates, the study offers other benchmarks for business-related videos on Vidyard’s platform in 2018. To see what those are and to learn just how effective B2B marketing videos can be, read the full article at MarketingCharts.com