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Content Marketing Is Marketers’ Top Focus for 2013

April 12th, 2013 :: Rieva Lesonsky

By Rieva Lesonsky

Content marketing is surpassing social media as the number-one marketing focus for businesses this year, a study by CopyPress reports. The Copypress 2013 State Of Content Marketing Study asked marketing decision-makers to pick one “leading focus” for their marketing efforts. In 2012, 18.9 percent of marketers named content marketing, ranking it behind both email and social media and tied with SEO. However, in the 2013 survey, the number of marketers who said content marketing was their leading focus climbed to 34.8 percent–making it the top priority for the greatest number of respondents, ahead of social media and email marketing. Social media is a focus for 24.7 percent of respondents, SEO for 14.6 percent and email marketing for 10.4 percent.

The survey also asked marketers which specific types of content had the best return on investment (ROI). Articles, video and white papers topped the list:

Featured articles – 62.2 percent
Videos – 51.9 percent
White papers – 45.6 percent
Photos – 37.8 percent
Interactive media – 36 percent
Sales copy – 29.7 percent
Infographics – 27.9 percent
Buyers’ guides – 21.6 percent

Here are some of the challenges marketers faced with regard to specific types of content:

Video – Although video was widely considered to have high ROI, most marketers also felt that this was among the most difficult types of content to create. When pressed more specifically, they seemed to feel that video was too expensive.

White papers and articles – Authorship was a main focus for these types of content. Two-thirds of respondents thought it was important for content to have a specific person’s authorship, as opposed to being generically “from” their business. In general, this means they felt it was important for white papers or articles to be bylined by high-profile people in the company and industry, whose prominence would help in search results. However, only 42 percent were willing to pay more for content authored by high-profile individuals.

What do these trends mean to your business?

While video can be expensive if you turn to outside sources to create it, it doesn’t have to be. Videos filmed with a basic video camera or even those filmed on a smartphone can be of adequate quality if the information conveyed is relevant, interesting and useful and the presentation is lively and professional.
You may not be able to afford to pay a well-known individual to write content for you, but by writing enough content yourself and promoting it on your website, blog and social media channels, you can eventually raise your own profile as an author. With changes to Google’s search algorithms making authorship more important in search results, this criterion will matter more in the future.

Image by Flickr user Richard_of_England (Creative Commons)

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Tags: content marketing, Marketing, small business, social media
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How to Get Fans to Engage With Your Content on Facebook

April 10th, 2013 :: Rieva Lesonsky

By Rieva Lesonsky

For most small business owners, Facebook is a huge part of their content marketing strategy. But constant changes to Facebook’s newsfeed, timeline and algorithms mean it’s important to keep up-to-date with the best ways to engage fans and followers on Facebook.

ClickZ recently shared the results of research it conducted on the top 50 brands on Facebook. One primary way companies interact with consumers on Facebook is by using social engagement apps to build engagement. But ClickZ found that many top brands were missing out on potential interactions because they weren’t using engagement apps to their fullest extent.

If you use apps on your business’s Facebook page, ClickZ suggests these 10 best practices for encouraging engagement, based on its research:

Get the fans involved. Ask fans to create their own content and share it on your social media account. Content made by fans is seen as more authentic than that created by a business, which increases the chances it will get shared.
Connect emotionally. Whether you are creating your own content or sharing others’, think about whether it reflects your brand on an emotional level and how it will connect with customers emotionally.
Get them invested. Fans will care more about the outcome if you ask them to take action, whether it’s voting on the winners of a contest or contributing to a charity to reach a certain level of funds.
Keep it fresh. Ideally, your social engagement apps will bring something new to your page every day, whether it’s a new contest, a new quiz or a new survey. This keeps consumers coming back.
Encourage fans to share their own experiences and opinions. Sharing is key to content marketing success, and everyone wants to talk about themselves.
Take advantage of current events that relate to your business. When you piggy-back on something that fans are already talking about, they’ll naturally want to share what you’re saying.
Know what types of content are most likely to get shared. Funny, interesting or cute content works best.
Promote. If you have a social app on your Facebook page, promote it with a mobile-friendly link so customers can access it wherever they are.
Multiply results. If you have more than one Facebook page for different product lines or divisions of your business, put your social app on each page.
Get partner businesses to promote the app, too. The more sponsors, partners or affiliates who promote your social app, the more attention it will attract.

Image by Flickr user Sean MacEntee (Creative Commons)

Editor’s Note: Network Solutions’ Facebook Boost can help your Facebook page get results.

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What Are the Biggest Content Marketing Hurdles?

April 8th, 2013 :: Rieva Lesonsky

By Rieva Lesonsky

Consumers don’t trust most marketing methods, meaning content marketing has a better chance of winning their business, a Forrester Research study reported in MediaPost says. But businesses face lots of challenges in successfully implementing content marketing strategies.

First, let’s look at what kinds of marketing earn the least—and most—trust:

Text messaging ranked low, with just 9 percent of U.S. consumers saying they trust texts from companies.
Banner ads are trusted by only 10 percent.
12 percent trust mobile apps.
18 percent trust email marketing messages.

At the higher end of the trust scale, 46 percent of people say they trust consumer-written reviews of products; professional reviews are trusted by 55 percent; and recommendations from friends or family earn the trust of 70 percent.

Since so many marketing messages are earning limited trust, more and more brands are turning to branded content, which Forrester defines as “content developed or curated by a brand to provide added consumer value such as entertainment or education.” Branded content isn’t a paid ad, sponsorship or product placement. It isn’t designed to directly sell a product or service, but simply to build affinity with a brand.

What does your branded content marketing campaign need to be successful? Here are a few important points Forrester recommends:

Content must reflect your brand’s core values.
It must create value for the consumer so they’re inspired to share it with others.
When creating content, companies should focus on good storytelling and on creating content that is useful, inspiring and interesting.
In addition, that content must engage with consumers in the proper context. You would develop different content for your blog than for Facebook or Pinterest, for example.
Companies must measure results of their content marketing strategies on an ongoing basis.

Forrester recommends creating an editorial calendar to manage your content marketing strategy. While its study focused on major global brands, an editorial calendar can be smart way for even the smallest business to keep its content marketing strategy on track.

You can use an editorial calendar to plan what type of content will be needed when—such as for a new product launch, to tie in with a particular event such as the Super Bowl, or for a certain season—and what channels you will share it in. An Excel file is a simple way to create an editorial calendar.

Always leave room in your editorial calendar for spontaneity so that if a topical event sparks a lot of chatter and it’s relevant to your brand, you can create relevant content or comment on the event in an appropriate way.

Want to learn from the big brands? Forrester called out Cisco, the Cleveland Clinic, Red Bull, Chanel No. 5., Michelob Ultra, BMW, Schiff and Chipotle as brands that excel at content marketing. Try following them on social media to see what strategies they’re implementing and what your business could borrow from.

Image by Flickr user (Creative Commons)

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Tags: content marketing, Marketing, small business, social media
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Are You Making the Wrong Offers on Social Media?

March 28th, 2013 :: Karen Axelton

By Karen Axelton

If you’re trying to grab fans and followers on social media just by offering discounts, deals and special offers, you might be making the wrong move, according to a study by mobile video advertising firm Rhythm NewMedia.

The study, which looked at how customers engaging with brands on mobile social media platforms, found that discounts and deals (although important) aren’t the only or even the biggest factor in whether customers like or follow companies. What mattered more was simply showing loyalty to the companies.

Rhythm found that while 51.9 percent of mobile social media users follow brands on Twitter to get discounts, 60.7 percent do so because they want to support the companies and show their loyalty. Similarly, 55.9 percent like brands on Facebook in order to get deals or discounts, 57.6 percent do so to show support for and loyalty to the businesses.

The study reports that customers are engaging with businesses on mobile social media in increasing numbers. Some 74 percent use Facebook on their mobile devices several times per day, and 68 percent engage with brands on Facebook on their mobile devices. A slightly smaller figure (63 percent) use Twitter on mobile devices multiple times per day, and 56 percent say they engage with businesses or brands via Twitter.

Brands are engaging, too, with about one-quarter (24 percent) of marketers in the study reporting that they have mobile social media campaigns. That’s an increase of more than 400 percent from a year before the study was conducted in late 2012.

Try these three tips to improve your engagement on mobile devices:

As you create your social media campaigns, think about how they will play out on mobile devices. That means keeping posts short and sweet, using images that display well on mobile devices, and thinking about the kinds of content users will want to see on the go.
If you use mobile advertising, consider putting social media buttons within the ad so that users can easily share, tweet or like it. The study reports that social media buttons in ads increased using engagement by 36 percent.
If your current social media campaigns are focused on discounts and deals, expand what you do to appeal to loyal customers. Consider spotlighting customers, encouraging them to share photos or make comments, or asking questions so users will feel like they’re part of your brand.

Image by Flickr user Beverly & Pack (Creative Commons)

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Tags: Marketing, small business, social media
Posted in Marketing, Small Business, small business, Social Media, social media | 1 Comment »

Web.com Small Business Toolkit: Pinterest Web Analytics (Web Analyzer)

March 25th, 2013 :: Maria Valdez Haubrich

Pinterest Web Analytics

If you’ve been waiting to see if Pinterest would catch on in the social media world, you really shouldn’t wait any longer. Especially if your target audience is women. Women make up 80 percent of Pinterest users and since women make 85 percent of all consumer purchases, you don’t want to miss out on all these eyes seeing information about your business. Now, Pinterest is offering Web Analytics so you can measure how well your Pinterest business account is performing. Be sure to set up your Pinterest account as a business account and then sign up for Pinterest Web Analytics. You’ll find out how many people are pinning from your website, seeing your pins and clicking on your content. Plus, pick a specific timeframe to see how your numbers trend over time.

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Tags: Marketing, Pinterest, small business, social media, web analytics
Posted in Marketing, Resources, Small Business, small business, Social Media, social media | 1 Comment »

Hot Market: Indie Women

March 25th, 2013 :: Rieva Lesonsky

By Rieva Lesonsky

When you think of marketing to women, do you think of moms? Then you’re missing out on a huge and profitable target market of “indie women.” Age 27 and up, these single women are living without partners or kids, and pack a disproportionate amount of spending wallop, as MediaPost reports.

Currently, indie women account for 31 million or about one-third of all U.S. women over 18, and their numbers are increasing: There will be a projected 50 million indie women by 2035. What do you need to know about this powerful market?

Indie women have higher incomes than the average woman and spend $1 trillion each year, including:

$22 billion on vehicles (that’s five times more than “indie men” spend)
$20 billion on entertainment
$50 billion on food

Indie women watch more television than average women and are multi-screen users, meaning they frequently accompany TV-watching with a “second screen” such as the tablet, laptop or smartphone.

Indie woman are highly socially engaged online. They are 6 percent more likely than average women to rely on online ratings and reviews, 12 percent more likely to report that friends and family routinely ask them for advice on health and nutrition advice, and 10 percent more likely to say they are frequently the first among their friends to purchase from a new brand or store.

Indie women are professional: They hold 59 percent of masters’ degrees and 52 percent of managerial positions.

What should you do to reach indie women?

Use social media. These women are key influencers and brand advocates, so engaging with them on social media can drive your success.
Treat them with respect. Indie women are successful on their own terms, so make sure your marketing reflects the fact that they’re happy with their lives and making their own decisions.
Know where they’re spending. Indie women are more likely to dine out, entertain at home and spend money on home décor and apparel than the average woman, making these potentially lucrative areas for your business to focus on.

NBCUniversal Integrated Media began studying the indie woman because this group does a lot of discretionary spending, but is not yet widely researched in demographic studies, making it an undiscovered marketing opportunity. You can learn more about this demographic by watching NBCUniversal’s Integrated Media group’s film about indie women here.

Image by Flickr user EpSos.de (Creative Commons)

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Tags: Marketing, marketing to women, niche marketing, sales process, small business, social media
Posted in Business Development, Marketing, sales process, Small Business, small business, Social Media, social media | No Comments »

How to Reach Niche Markets on Social Media

March 15th, 2013 :: Rieva Lesonsky

By Rieva Lesonsky

If your small business is targeting niche markets such as specific minority groups, age groups or other demographics, it’s important to know what social media tools these individuals are likely to use. New research from the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project examined what social media networks are most popular with different user groups. Here’s what they found:

Overall, social media use is widespread. More than two-thirds (67 percent) of all Internet users use at least one social networking site. Those 18-29 are the most likely of any age group to do so (83 percent), but even among the 65-and-up age group, nearly one-third (32 percent) use social media. Women are more likely than men to use social media, and urban residents are more likely than rural Internet users to do so.

What sites are most popular? Pew took a look not only at the “biggies,” but also at some up-and-comers.

Facebook users

Facebook is still the most popular social networking platform, with two-thirds of online adults on the site. Women are more likely than men to be Facebook users (72 percent vs. 62 percent), and the 18-29 age group is most likely to use it (86 percent).

Twitter users

Twitter is showing steady growth, with the percentage of Internet users who use this social media site doubling since November 2010, to 16 percent. People under 50, and especially those 18-29, are more likely to use Twitter. Urban residents are more likely than both suburban and rural residents to use Twitter. African-Americans are the most frequent users of Twitter, with 26 percent reporting they use it, compared to 14 percent of white Internet users and 19 percent of Hispanics.

Pinterest users

Overall, 15 percent of Internet users use Pinterest, but this site is especially popular with the youngest cohort (18 to 29), those with higher educational attainment, and upper income consumers. Nearly a quarter (23 percent) of Internet users with household incomes between $50,000 and $74,999 use Pinterest; so do 18 percent of people with incomes of $75,000 or above. Women are five times as likely to use Pinterest as men (25 percent vs. 5 percent).

Instagram users

Photo-sharing site Instagram is popular with 13 percent of Internet users overall. Women and younger users (under 50) are the most likely to use it; so are urban dwellers, African-Americans and Hispanics.

Tumblr users

While Tumblr is still the least popular social networking site users were asked about—used by just 6 percent of Internet users—keep in mind that just a few years ago, Twitter had similar numbers. In addition, Tumblr is far more popular among younger users, with 13 percent of 18-to-29-year olds blogging on the site. However, Instagram, which offers similar photo-oriented functionality, has become twice as popular overall in a shorter period of time.

What do these stats mean for your business?

If you’re targeting younger customers, you definitely need to be on social media—and you need to be checking out the newest up-and-coming sites. Whether that’s Instagram, Tumblr or something even newer, take the time to explore it and see if your target customers are there.
No matter who you’re targeting, you probably need to be on Facebook. With even the 65-plus-crowd hanging out here, Facebook is a smart marketing tool for just about every consumer-oriented small business.
Trying to reach women or high-income customers? Get familiar with Pinterest, since a high proportion of those customers spend time there.

Image by Flickr user eldh (Creative Commons)

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Posted in Business Development, Generational Marketing, Marketing, Sales Process, sales process, Small Business, small business, Social Media, social media | 6 Comments »

Meet the Mobile Super-Shoppers

March 1st, 2013 :: Rieva Lesonsky

By Rieva Lesonsky

Is your small business reaching out to Hispanic consumers on their mobile devices? If not, you’re missing out on a big opportunity. New research reported by eMarketer shows that Hispanic consumers are not only far more likely than non-Hispanics to use mobile devices, but are also far more likely to use them to shop.

A study from Acosta Sales & Marketing found that Hispanic consumers, in particular, are more likely than the average shopper to use a smartphone (51 percent of Hispanics vs. 41 percent of all consumers), regularly use text messaging (47 percent vs. 42 percent) and use mobile apps (19 percent vs. 14 percent).

According to a study from Leo Burnett and Lapiz, Hispanic consumers are 7 percent more likely than non-Hispanic consumers to use their mobile phones to shop (56 percent vs. 33 percent of non-Hispanics). They’re also more likely to shop with a tablet (43 percent of Hispanics do so, vs. 25 percent of non-Hispanics).

The same Leo Burnett/Lapiz study reports that Hispanics are far more likely than non-Hispanics to make shopping a social activity, whether they’re shopping online or off:

Nearly half (48 percent) of Hispanics use social networking sites as part of their shopping activities, while only 31 percent of non-Hispanics do so.
Hispanics are twice as likely to share their opinions of products or brands and write product reviews on social media sites (36 percent of Hispanics do so, vs. 18 percent of Non-Hispanics).
Hispanics are more than twice as likely to reach out to friends and family for help with shopping decisions (37 percent of Hispanics do so, vs. 17 percent of non-Hispanics).

What do these numbers mean to you? First, with Hispanics a growing segment of the U.S. population, there’s scarcely a business out there that shouldn’t be reaching out to them. To attract these super-shoppers, consider:

Creating a mobile app for your business that lets customers do something more easily, whether that’s getting product quotes or making purchases directly on their phones.
Making it easy for consumers to share information from your website or ecommerce site or social media accounts with friends and family, whether via email, social media or text messaging.
Have an active presence in social media and make sure your business is represented on ratings and review sites.
Taking advantage of text messaging, since Hispanic consumers are actively engaged in it. But be careful: Don’t overstep your welcome or send too many texts.

Image by Flickr user moodboard photography (Creative Commons)

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Tags: hispanics, Marketing, Search Marketing, small business, social media
Posted in Branding, Business Development, Email Marketing, Marketing, Sales Process, sales process, Small Business, small business, Social Media, social media, Technology | No Comments »

Web.com Small Business Toolkit: Facebook Boost (Customer Relationship Manager)

February 22nd, 2013 :: Maria Valdez Haubrich

Facebook Boost

Just getting your Facebook page published isn’t going to help you build fans and market your business—unless you do it right. Facebook Boost gives you a dedicated social media analyst to help you build buzz for your business on Facebook, plus create customized Facebook advertising to help you increase “likes” to your page. Thanks to its detailed reporting on your social media accounts’ activity, you’ll never be in the dark as to whether your efforts are working. With Facebook Boost, you’ll get help in managing all areas of your page, including posts, how many people are talking about your page and fan interactions.

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Marketers Are From Mars, Consumers Are From Venus

February 21st, 2013 :: Maria Valdez Haubrich

By Maria Valdez Haubrich

Social media is growing by leaps and bounds, but email is still the best way to reach out to the most customers and gain their loyalty, reports a new study by ExactTarget. Called Marketers from Mars, the study found significant gaps between how marketers think customers want to be marketed to, and how customers actually want to interact with brands.

The clear winner? Email, which was named as the most valuable marketing tool for building loyalty by both customers and marketers. Ninety-three percent of consumers subscribe to at least one brand’s email, while about half (49 percent) have made a purchase as a direct result of email messages. One-third of consumers want marketers to invest more in email marketing.

However, while marketers were highly focused on mobile marketing, customers aren’t quite there yet. About one-fourth of marketers thought mobile apps were an effective marketing tool, but just 7 percent of consumers thought so. Instead, consumers were more likely to want brands to invest more in marketing on their traditional websites.

Consumers were more likely than marketers to want to interact with brands on Facebook. More than half (58 percent) of consumers have “Liked” a brand on Facebook, up 20 percent from the prior survey in 2010. About one-third of consumers with a smartphone and one-fourth of consumers who do not own a smartphone say they prefer to interact with brands on Facebook, making it the second most common place consumers go to connect with businesses online.

While just 21 percent of consumers have made a purchase as a direct result of a Facebook message, 22 percent of consumers say they want marketers to invest in creating a better Facebook experience. This suggests that there is great potential for Facebook to grow as a sales and marketing channel.

While marketers are highly engaged with Twitter, consumers are far less so. Some 61 percent of marketers follow at least once brand on Twitter, but only 12 percent of consumers do. That was an increase of just 7 percent from the prior survey in 2010.

What’s the takeaway? If you’re involved in small business marketing, you’re on the cutting edge of new trends and technologies—so don’t make the mistake of assuming your habits mirror those of the average consumer. Always do your research to understand exactly what your target customers are doing and how they want you to market to them—it may not be how you’d like to be marketed to yourself.

You can download the complimentary research from Exact Target or view an infographic of the survey.

Image by Flickr user (Creative Commons)

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Posted in Branding, Business Development, Email Marketing, Marketing, Sales Process, sales process, Small Business, small business, Social Media, social media, Thought Leadership, Web Design | No Comments »