Ways Content Marketing Will Change in 2015

Like the 29.6% of respondents to a Smart Insights survey, I too believe (I know) content marketing will be the biggest part of marketing for my company in 2015.

One of the major changes highlighted in the article is an enhanced focus on personalization. With the increased volume and depth of data attributable to your profile following you around the internet, marketers now have the ability to personalize content to your specific interests/profile.  At my company, we just evaluated a couple of automated marketing tools (Pardot and SharpSpring) that have the ability to reverse look up a users IP address, identify when you visit our website, download a whitepaper, click on our ads, etc.  Either of these platforms will pull data from social media sites and elsewhere into our CRM tool and build a full profile so we can then personalize emails, landing pages, and other messages they receive.

A second change mentioned in the article is "better use of visual content" - both videos and infographics - since these mediums typically perform better than static text.  We learned in class that 2015 would be the year of video content, so this article supports that point.  While video may not make sense (at this point) for my firm, we definitely will be increasing our use of infographics (and graphics in general).

Has Google Fiber Found the Holy Grail?

Granular tracking and metrics that show advertisers who has watched their ad, when, and if it led to a conversion is a huge advantage of online video and search/display ads vs. traditional television (still relying on Nielson ratings).  However, Google Fiber is piloting an ad-tracking system in Kansas City that will provide this granular insight into their tv ad inventory.

"Fiber TV ads will be digitally delivered in real time and can be matched based on geography, the type of program being shown (sports, news, etc.), or viewing history," the company explains in a blog post set to go live this afternoon.

Now, the same type of hypertargeting available on the web will be available for dynamic insertion in Kansas City.  Google will ultimately be able to match your Google Fiber habits with your Google search, YouTube, and Gmail, and mobile habits and provide the opportunity for true cross-device advertising and engagement.

An interesting aspect of this pilot is the fact that's it's Google, and I can't think of another firm that would have the same opportunity to replicate a full-stack, cross-device approach.  Major cable companies such as Comcast, Time-Warner, and Optimum have the cable/fiber infrastructure, but not the online search habits and histories.  Others like Yahoo! and Bing have search habits and histories, but not the TV infrastructure.  Google is the only one with both (albeit a small pilot market in Kansas City), but if this plan proves super successful, it may justify the expansion of Google Fiber as an alternative and competitor to the major cable companies.  Stay tuned to the progress of this pilot.

Is Wearable Tech the Next Digital Marketing Frontier?

Wearable tech isn't new, but the Apple Watch may be the first product to actually take off on a large scale.  If so, what are the implications for digital marketers?

• Understanding physical reactions
• With the ability to literally read your pulse, marketers can register your reaction to different ads and adjust accordingly.  
• Hyperlocal Targeting and Timing
• Phones with GPS already provide the ability to track your every movement.  Building off of the previous bullet point, now marketers will be able to track your reaction to specific ads in certain locations and track if it prompted an impulse purchase.  Marketers will be able to provide much better metrics on conversions, ROI on ads, etc.
• Keywords and Clearly Audible
• With the Apple Watch's microphone, users will likely use voice detection to search, rather than type out queries.  Marketers will need to perform audio and verbal keyword audits so that harder to spell (or weirdly spelled companies) are properly detected and show up in search queries.

I'm a huge fan of classic timepieces, and personally think the Apple Watch is pointless (I need my watch to look nice and tell time).  However, I wasn't considering any of these marketing possibilities or how the Apple Watch will provide all sorts of opportunities for companies/app developers.  It will be interesting to see if it catches on and how it unfolds.

How Do You Google?

On Wednesday night while in Advertising & Branding class, we were discussing the proposed Lowline project in the Lower East Side.  I had a question regarding the cost to build the High Line, so I typed into Google "high line cost", and Google returned the result below:

I didn't even need to check the search results, because Google determined that the NY Times is reputable and gave me the information directly from the article.

Apparently, companies and anti-trust officials in Europe have an issue with this (precisely for the reason stated above - no need to click through the results).  Mediative performed an eye-tracking study to see how our search habits have changed over time.  The "golden triangle" found in a 2005 study (upper left of page) no longer applies. The new study shows that our eyes still focus on the upper left, but then scan down the left side of the page to check out the new sections Google has added (local, maps, news, etc), and there's less horizontal scanning across the top (see image below).  Additionally, we now take less time to find the result we want (8-9 seconds vs. 14-15 in previous study).

For companies, this is good news because you no longer have to be the first search result.  If you're in the top 3-5 results then users will quickly scan the results and find what's most relevant to them (if not the first result).  With  changes to Google's search algorithm (more fact based results), it will be interesting to see how users behavior changes even further.

Email is King

According to an infographic shared by AdWeek courtesy of Smart Insights, email remains the best tool for improving customer communications and loyalty (appropriate timing given the topic of last class).

Personally, I pay attention to well worded, timely emails, more so than reports or white papers I have to find and download, or social media engagement.  If you can catch me on the train in the morning with something that I perceive as valuable, then there's a good likelihood I'll read the entire email.  Content based marketing is key and email is still the best way to deliver this message.  This infographic seems to support my conclusion, with email checking in with the highest rated digital channel at 51%, vs. SEO at 45% and paid search at 34%.

The article also outlines 3 key steps for managing digital marketing:

1. You need a digital strategy and plan, preferably integrated into the broader marketing strategy
2. You need to manage integration of digital activities through a transformation program
3. You need to invest in optimization

"The State of Digital Marketing in 2015" also shows a couple of additional interesting statistics:

• the growth rate of internet usage (3 billion people, 40% of world population)
• 91% of search is done through PCs, with 80% (and growing) through smartphones
• Smart TVs are the leading "emerging" device, at 34%
• Smartphones had the lowest sales conversion rate, followed by tablets and desktops

Content Marketing: Shorten the Sales Cycle

Over the past 5 years, the average sales cycle has increased by 22%; buyers are more knowledgeable, information is more readily available online, and economic growth is slow.   A recent Harvard Business Review study found that 60% of a purchasing decision occurs before even speaking with a supplier (for B2B).  To shorten the sales cycle, businesses should "meet the customers where they are" and embrace content marketing such as emails and white papers.

Some interesting stats from this article: 

• 80% of business decision makers prefer to get company information through several articles rather than through an advertisement
  
• 60% of those business managers believed a company’s content helped them make better product decisions
• 70% of consumers say that content marketing makes them feel closer to the sponsoring company

According to Business 2 Community, there's content addressing specific topics to be created for each of the 5 stages of selling:

1. Awareness - problem identification, industry education, brand storytelling
2. Consideration - compare and contrast, specific problem solutions
3. Preference/Intent - detailed product/service descriptions,
4. Purchase - discounts, coupons, specials
5. Repurchase/Abandon - email marketing campaigns, social media retargeting

Personally, I've witnessed the increased length of the sales cycle over the past 2-3 years and my firm can definitely benefit from a shorted cycle.  We've (inconsistently) used some content marketing (weekly emails) which were well received by clients and prospects, so I know we need to seriously address all of the content marketing listed above (which is why our group project is working with my company, EnergyWatch).  

Data-Driven Writing Tools for Content Marketers

As a B2B company, my firm, EnergyWatch, realizes the importance of content based marketing (and our need to commit to consistently generating content).  For organic SEO and paid search advertising, Google AdWords and its tools are invaluable.  But for our market update blog and other generated blog content, we just rely on our intuition and some metrics that are built into mailchimp.

BrightEdge, and SEO and content marketing platform, uses its "Content Optimizer" as a writing coach to provide recommendations on things such as blog post structure or when a post is too long.  Additionally, content creators can systematically review competitors content (rather than search and click through individually).  It's a really interesting concept (as evidenced by their $62MM in funding), and is an attempt to bridge the gap between SEO and content.  I'm surprised that Google hasn't launched something similar, as it complements their existing tools, and competitors such as AOL and another start-up, Conductor, are also focused on the content marketing space.  With the importance of content marketing and quality content, any tools that help optimize the process would be beneficial.

Social Media Is Like a Cocktail Party

"Social media is like a cocktail party.  Don't be a jerk and don't talk about yourself all the time. Don't try to make a sale before you get to know someone."

This is a fantastic analogy (and good advice for both social media and actual cocktail parties).  Additional digital marketing advice touted in this Forbes articles includes:

Companies should blog more often.  Silence is a missed opportunity to communicate directly with stakeholders. My company is guilty of this.  We started a "market update" blog that was published weekly, and we managed to keep this up for a few months.  But consistency takes up resources, and we diverted those resources elsewhere.  We know we have to start it up again, but I always find an excuse to avoid starting.

Most digital communications aren't visual enough.  Every PR student should take a course in graphic design so you can take full advantage of digital possibilities.  Guilty as charged here as well.  We have very little design expertise on staff, so we need to consider bringing talent on board or hiring an outsourced consulting firm to support our marketing efforts. 

You have to mix paid and earned media.  Organic reach alone isn't enough anymore, and the lines between paid and earned are blurring.  Both need to support each other.

10 Best Digital Marketing Stats of the Week

As a quantitative type of guy, stats have always intrigued me, and what I find fascinating about digital marketing is the ability to quantify so many aspects of digital campaigns.  In this week's top 10 countdown on Adweek, there are a couple of interesting stats that caught my attention.

Stat number 3 came from Facebook, where it reported that video views have hit 3 billion daily, and ad revenue reached $3.6 billion, of which 69% came from mobile devices.  That's an astounding number and speaks to the value of being able to hyperfocus ads on specific groups, rather than blasting to the 18-45 year olds that watch a certain TV show at a certain time slot., for example.

Stat number 7 was surprising not for the statistic, but for the fact that the NFL didn't have a Youtube channel.  They've proven to be out of touch regarding domestic issues and health issues, but their overprotective-ness of their content is probably hurting more than helping.  I immediately think of the MLB network, its "Fancave" here in NYC, and MLB.com, which are the best interactive/digital marketing assets of any of the major sports.  The NFL should review what MLB has done, as there's likely tons of value to be captured through these channels.  It seems like mobile betting and fantasy football apps and their respective online presences are leveraging the NFL more than the actual NFL.

Super Bowl Ad Tracker & Complementary Campaigns

Sports and consumerism, what the USA does best!  Adweek is keeping track of the brands and agencies that are participating in what's still the biggest advertising event of the year - the Super Bowl.  For $4.5MM per 30 second spot, you too can reach one of the largest live audiences on TV - but which of these brands / agencies are also planning to complement their TV ads with online campaigns ready to take advantage of the hopefully spiked interest from the ads?  As of 1/25/15, of the 28 brands listed in the article, 9 explicitly mention their plans for complementary digital ads or are enlisting internet celebrities (e.g. Youtube stars Dude Perfect and Roman Atwood).  While the rest may be planning digital ads as well (lost opportunity if they're not), it's interesting to see the increased importance and need to explicitly explain not just the TV ad, but what the plans are to capture increased consumer engagement.

Several of the brands are planning "social media war rooms" (dramatic?) or have leaked teasers on Youtube or pre-launched in the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl (e.g. College bowl championship game, late night TV).  One of the more interesting plans is from Newcastle Brown Ale, which technically isn't even advertising during the Super Bowl, but made the list anyway.  They're planning a fake online ad that takes aim at Dorito's "Crash the Super Bowl" campaign, which builds on last year's surprisingly successful campaign with Anna Kendrick that ultimately was named the #1 campaign of 2014 by Adweek.  Here's to nachos, wings, beers, and deflated footballs!