Month: November 2017

How to Design Your Ads So Prospects Read Them

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If you’ve been paying attention lately, you’ve likely discovered that marketers like us are trying to make ads look less like traditional ads. Now, why would we be doing this? Because we know our ads will be far more effective if they look more like content!

Here are some popular (and effective) ways to make your advertising look more like your editorial content.

 

Native Advertising

Ads that purposely look like your other content are very effective. Prospects are likely to click on it because they think it’s editorial and not an ad. There’s a fine line here though. No one likes to feel tricked. And, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has weighed in on this stating, “advertisements and promotional messages that promote the benefits and attributes of goods and services should be identifiable as advertising to consumers.” So, while this is a very effective tactic, use it wisely.

Influencer Marketing

It likely comes as no surprise that celebrity endorsements are hugely effective. And today you don’t have to be famous in the traditional sense to be an influencer. Influencers are also people who have created a following entirely through their online activity.

There once was a time when influencers weren’t required to make it known that they were getting compensated to promote a brand. Not so anymore. The FTC issued guidelines (and threatened penalties) that require upfront disclosure. So, while using influencers is smart, do so properly.

Sponsored Editorial Content

Sponsored editorial content can be very effective if not the most powerful of all content related advertising.  Facebook and LinkedIn, for example, provide the perfect platform to not only place sponsored content but also micro-target.  Using the micro-targeting tools provided by Facebook and LinkedIn will place your sponsored content on the targeted audiences page – a winning strategy if the content is written to meet the needs of the intended audience.

Social Media Advertising

Social media platforms are following the trend, and they too have made it harder for prospects to determine what is an ad and what is editorial. Each platform uses a faint “sponsored” or “promoted” disclaimer to meet FTC requirements. Even Google has gradually blurred the line between paid ads and organic ads – no longer flagging ads with a large “ad” box as it did in its early inception.

The point isn’t that we want to trick prospects. The point is that we want to deliver ads they actually want to read. It just so happens the more an ad looks like editorial, the more likely a prospect is to click on it. And, engagement is what we are going for. So, try to make your ads look more like your editorial content (legally and ethically) and you should start seeing higher ad engagement and more sales.

 

 

 

 

 

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Which Marketing Trend Will be Most Important to Your Business in 2018?

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Smart Insights asked this same question: Which marketing trend will be most important to your business in 2018? They gathered responses from over 850 marketers in different types of business from around the world. Here’s what they reported.

As we would expect, content marketing tops the list. That’s because content marketing is the engine that drives your digital strategy. Big data takes its rightful seat in second place. More and more marketers are embracing the fact data must be looked at to help direct (or redirect) marketing efforts. In third position is artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning – the new kids on the block. AI and machine learning can help with implementing a full lifecycle contact system, something most marketers aren’t doing. The high priority placed on AI and machine learning in this survey makes me think this is a subject we’ll be talking about and implementing more in 2018.

Here are some other interesting results of the survey.

There’s no denying 2018 is already promising to be an interesting year for marketers with new technologies emerging to help us achieve our goals.

4 Ways Content is Changing in 2018

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A new year is almost upon us. That means it’s time to start thinking about 2018 and how we are going to inject new life into our marketing initiatives. With this in mind, here are four ways content is going to be changing in 2018.

  1. Create Better and More Consistent Content

The focus will be less on quantity and more on quality. That said, prospects want to see a consistent flow of content from you. They should be able to determine with a great deal of accuracy when they will receive the next video, e-mail, podcast or blog post from you.

  1. Don’t Try to be All Things to All Prospects

With so many social platforms, it’s tempting to try to be on all of them. The problem is that is a lot of work to do it well, and you would be better served picking a few and focusing on making your use of those platforms the best they can be. So, while cross-channel integration is still necessary, I’m suggesting you be highly selective. Use your analytics and see which social platforms pull the highest for you. Just because one platform is hot at the moment doesn’t mean it’s the best option for you. No matter which options you choose, make sure you have content that is unique to each platform.

  1. Video Will Only Increase in Popularity and Effectiveness

If you’re not on the video bandwagon, it’s really time you get on it. Video works so well, its use is only continuing to grow. That’s because it’s so engaging. Video captures attention like no other medium. And, when prospects are watching, they are receiving your message, and they are more likely to engage, which brings them closer to a sale.

Don’t worry if you don’t have a big production budget or video crew. You can shoot pretty good short videos on your cell phone. Your main focus needs to be on the content of the video. Keep it simple and recognize that you’re most likely not dealing with professional actors. Have your talent speak from the heart.

  1. SEO is Back

If you took a break from SEO, you’re going to want to put this back on your radar. While social media platforms work great to reach prospects, you don’t own those platforms. You own your website and blog, so you should invest the time to make sure your SEO is pulling hard for you. SEO has to be viewed as a long-term commitment and investment. However, it will pay dividends for years and make you happy you did it. A blog post that is well optimized and high ranking can drive quality traffic to your website for months and years after it has been posted. Having a lot of relevant content on your website drives leads, increases your keyword ranking, and drives traffic to your site.

Use the remaining time in 2017 to develop your marketing plan for 2018, keeping these four content trends in mind.

 

How to Use Content to Attract Customers and Close Sales

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We all know that content is king. It’s the driving force behind attracting customers and closing the deal. The following seven tips should help you get the highest ROI from your content marketing. Choose the ones that work best for you.

  1. Approach Content Like It’s Tactical Warfare

If you’re going to win the marketing war, you have to have a strategy that has multiple components that reach your prospects on different platforms and specialized ways. Even more importantly, you have to make sure you publish new, relevant content regularly to boost your SEO. And, while you’re at it, refresh your old content so it appears new. Your prospects will like this and so will search engines.

  1. Make Content Laser Focused

You can’t be all things to all people, but by using data analytics, you can get pretty darn close. See what your prospects’ actions are telling you about what they want from you – then deliver it to them with content that speaks to their desires or that answers frequently asked questions. An added advantage of this approach is that it boosts your key word search results.

  1. Develop Content That has Value

If you want prospects to give you their information, you have to give them something in return. And, it needs to be something they want and can use. This encourages paid ad clickthroughs, increasing the number of eyeballs that see your content. Consider offering exclusive content for social followers or build a highly targeted Facebook group for prospects that offers content your data has indicated will be useful to them. Work with sales to find out common objections and address those in your content.

  1. Disseminate Content Far and Wide

Use your website and other social channels strategically to get your content to your prospects where they are.

  1. Actually Look at Your Data

I know it takes time, but if you actually look at your data, it tells you quite a bit about what’s working and what isn’t. You can use your data to determine where you have content gaps and then work to fill them.

  1. Build Targeted E-mail List Segments

The data you gather from engagement in your content pieces can be use to create an e-mail list group that is highly targeted and features specific conversion pieces.

  1. Advertise Special Content Pieces

If you have created an exceptional content piece – like a white paper, case study, or e-book – advertise it to prospects. Ask them to request it from you, which is a much easier way to get the process to “yes” going.

These seven tips are pretty comprehensive. Don’t worry if you’re not doing all of them all of the time. The point is to have them on your radar and to implement as many of them as works for your business. Good luck!

 

Why You Should Visit the New Producers Digital Network Website

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Producers Home Page

We have redesigned the Producers website, making it an informative stop on your journey with us. Log on today to meet the team – we may not look exactly how you expected us to look! You’ll also see our thoughts on what makes us different and the unique way we approach working with our clients. But, the best part is the gallery that showcases lots of different samples of our work so prospective clients can see for themselves how we deliver. Of course, there are also several FREE helpful e-books you can request and a link to our popular blog.

Here’s a peek at some of what you’ll see in our gallery of work.

Our Work

We at the Producers Digital Network love what we do. We hope that shows in our work and on our new website.