Customers Are Not Commodities. Why Does Advertising Treat Them Like They Are?

Technology has been transforming the business enterprise for several decades. First it was the finance department, when paper ledgers were replaced by digital spreadsheets and databases. In manufacturing, we had supply chain management. Human resources and payroll were automated and data-based. Customer service functions were transformed by call center management software, then CRM. Sales organizations were supported by sales force automation systems, then CRM as well.

Finally, technology is starting to transform Search Engine Marketing, starting with how enterprises talk to consumers. We have websites, ecommerce, email and mobile apps. It's so much easier for customers and marketers to proactively connect than ever before.

On the advertising front, we have display ads, search ads, email ads, app ads, social ads. And all of the other ad channels, from TV to radio to direct mail, are now being measured by digital systems.

Now that we have all of these digital touch-points and databases, marketers and their corporate information officers and finance officers are looking for models to organize and manage all of these marketing and advertising activities. And, quite naturally, they are looking for guidance to models that worked on other parts of their business. Not surprisingly, many have focused on what has worked for their supply chain and have tried to apply supply chain-oriented models to their “demand chain.”

I believe that treating marketing – and the creation of customers – with supply-chain models is short-sighted and will be damaging for businesses and their customers. Why? Because is likens acquiring customers to buying commodity raw materials. It assumes that marketing is only a cost, and that customers are commodities. It doesn't assume that customers are organic assets that can grow. As Wenda Millard famously warned us almost a decade ago at an IAB meeting, trading advertising like “pork bellies” will be damaging to our industry.

Wenda is and was right. Media should not be bought and sold like pork bellies, and not just because much of what makes media special can't be captured in a real-time-bidded world, but because customers are not commodities, and treating them as such can only hurt businesses that do.

Marketers need customers to choose them. Choice abounds. Diesel fuel and toilet paper can't choose its purchaser. Most consumer businesses today can't choose their customers. Customers today choose their brands and retail outlets.

Rather than looking to the corporate supply chain for the best technology model to apply to marketing, I would look at the department that marketing will most likely evolve to look like: human resources. The functions, focus and mindset in recruiting, training and retaining talent is not unlike the creation and growth of customers and fans - much more so than marketing is like buying diesel fuel and toilet paper.

Could HR software and systems be the future of marketing? Quite possibly. What do you think?

 Contact Virtual Focused Marketing for more information.

Via: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/275225/customers-are-not-commodities-why-does-advertisin.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=more&utm_campaign=92725

 

How Top Sites Structure their URLs

Does the format of your URL really impact where a site ranks on the search engine result pages?

While opinions vary, ultimately it's most likely a combination of factors where the URL can play a part – although it remains difficult to determine how much.

Couple that with personalized search results and the real-time nature of search (as well as the Web) in general and it's really difficult to know the right way to approach page naming and URL structure for the purpose of search marketing and search engine optimization.

For example a descriptive (keyword-rich) title tag, an informative URL structure and keywords in the actual page name, when combined, has been shown time and again to perform far better on average than by those site not following the best practices. That's reason enough for SEOs to concentrate on their site-wide naming conventions – at least to some degree.

This all leads us to the overwhelming question: what's the best way to structure a URL? To find the answer it is imperative to determine how other Search Engine Optimization companies are building their URLs.

Today's search results are far different than in years past, and the best way to understand how search engines are using this variable is to head right on over to the search results and determine how others are engaging in the development of this possible variable.

A search for “grow tomatoes in a raised bed”, for example, shows a variety of methods employed by those sites that are returned. For example, three of the top ten organic listings used nearly the exact phrase in their page naming and another three had a portion of the search term (“raised bed”) within their URL structure. Nearly every site (nine out of ten with the sole exception being YouTube) included keywords somewhere in the complete URL – be it in the domain name itself, a folder or sub-folder, or a variation of the keyword phrase somewhere in the page name.

The quality of the content and the quantity of relevant links of course (and the manner in which other sites provide a citation) is still going to be a stronger signal for the search engines, but if you're looking for an edge, it may very well start with the way in which URLs are structured and what's included within them.

Contact Virtual Focused Marketing for more information.

Via: http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/pages/how-top-sites-structure-their-urls.aspx?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter

 

10 Powerful Visuals That Will Pump Up Your Content Marketing

 

Do you want your visual content to touch the hearts of people far and wide?

Of course you do. Who wouldn't want something they put up to get liked and shared within hours?

But it takes more than simply uploading and crossing your fingers. It's about sharing images that make people care. Images that showcase what you and your business stand for.

Don't worry if you're not a professional graphic artist. I'm not either – far from it, actually. As long as you understand what makes people tick, you can use visuals that get shared and promoted by your audience.

Let's get started.

Are you using any of these 10 visual strategies in your business right now?

1. Motivate using people in action

There's more to an image than simply picking one that looks nice.

If you want people to feel or act a certain way, you need to pick an image that will influence them to do so.

Want people to cooperate with others? Show an image of people connecting. Photos affect how people behave in a subtle, yet powerful manner.

I shared a post on Elite Daily recently about how I become productive in the mornings. Elite Daily typically uses a high quality photograph at the beginning of each post, and this was no exception.

Notice how the image sets the stage for the rest of the article?

A person concentrating intensely on her laptop with a cup of coffee in her hand lets readers know it's time for business.

Depending on what you're writing about or trying to promote, use an image where your advice is being put into use.

2. Simplify with charts

Sometimes it's difficult to explain a concept clearly with words. Visuals, however, can cut through the clutter and instantly make a strong impression.

Since 40 percent of people respond better to visual information than plain text, it makes sense to supplement explanations using graphs or charts.

On the Mirasee blog, I wrote about the process of finding your ideal client in order to save time and increase revenue. While I could have spent a long time describing in detail what steps to take, a chart simplified the whole concept by showing the key takeaways of my message.

See? You don't have to be a professional artist to make charts and graphs. I'll share some tools to make it easier for you to create professional-looking images later in this post, though.

The point is that if you have a concept that is difficult to explain, consider including a chart to help others understand.

3. Maintain a theme

In your business, visuals should share a similar vibe. Do you want your brand to be known as friendly and approachable? How about edgy and rebellious?

Whatever it is, the images you share on your social media accounts should have a similar format so that your brand is consistent. When people see your profile, they should know what type of message to expect.

Wistia presents itself as fun and friendly. Its Instagram profile shows smiling employees enjoying themselves, alongside a mascot that's the epitome of warmth: an office dog!

Every time I use Wistia, seeing their tutorial videos with Lenny makes me smile.

4. Create funny brand-related memes

A lot of marketing sites use boring and lackluster photos in their posts (Jeff Bullas' site being an exception, of course!). But you can stand out from the sea of blandness by using images that are funny and memorable.

One of the most effective ways of doing so is by creating memes. That's right. Memes have long been used to present humorous, yet true statements. Applying the concept to your business makes people see you as personable and unique.

Kevin Duncan makes good use of memes on Be A Better Blogger when he shares advice on making a post memorable. His meme definitely made me laugh.

Memes are easy and quick to make. By using a meme generator such as Imgflip, you simply need to find the right picture (or upload your own), and type in the top and bottom text.

5. Celebrate your off-work moments

Let loose and have fun. In a world of solemn corporations and grey suits, a company with a bit of spontaneity and goofiness is like a breath of fresh air. Pulling back the curtains and letting your followers see you having fun helps them connect with you more.

Taco Bell is known online for their fun, quirky sense of humor. Their Instagram features bright colors, cheerfulness, and good times all around.

Whoever is behind Taco Bell's social media deserves a gold star. Or maybe the whole enchilada.

6. Hop onto the selfie trend

There's no denying that selfies are one of the most popular trends to hit social media. As we speak, there are nearly 300 million Instagram photos tagged with the selfie label. Love 'em or hate 'em, there is reason to the madness.

It's been said that selfies are a way of projecting an identity of ourselves onto others, whether we want to be seen as glamorous, fun, adventurous, or any other characteristics.

Selfies can also help you become more popular on Instagram. Researchers have found that pictures with human faces are 38 percent more likely to receive likes than photos without faces.

Before you think that selfies are used only by self-obsessed teens and celebs, check this out. John Kerry snapped a selfie with an orphaned elephant while he was in Kenya learning about conservation efforts. Even the coldest heart would thaw a little.

7. Reference pop culture

Pop culture is exactly that: popular. And what better image is there than one that's instantly recognizable?

Besides being familiar, shots from hit movies or TV shows increase the chance that your blog will show up when people are searching for images.

I wrote up a post on the psychology behind why we don't follow through on our goals. In the post, I included a shot from the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. The image wasn't completely related to my post, but I thought it would be a fun touch.

Surprisingly, readers have found my site through the image.

While an image and the article are not always a close match, people online get sidetracked easily. This can be a good thing because they get drawn to an image they recognize, and then end up discovering your content this way.

You just might be able to catch a fan for life.

8. Show off your original drawings

Putting up images or pictures that you created is a strong way to stand out from everyone else. Followers come to associate you with the type of images you put up and can remember your work more.

Sometimes I see the same stock photography being used over and over, so a brand new image draws my attention and makes me more attentive to the message.

There are a lot of great illustrators out there who create amazing designs, but like I said, you can make unique visuals at any skill level.

If you are going to create original visuals to share, make them consistent no matter what your style is. The aim is for people to see your illustration and know immediately where it's from.

9. Break it down with infographics

Explaining a concept to readers by using large chunks of text can be overwhelming and time-consuming.

Infographics, on the other hand, are the perfect blend between visual information and supporting text. They're fun to look at and are often valuable enough to stand on their own, making them easy to share.

You can make one on your own with colorful templates from Piktochart, which I enjoyed using. I made an infographic about the lead conversion funnel and shared it on Duct Tape Marketing.

10. Whisk 'em away with beautiful landscapes

Beautiful images enhance our mood. When people see pictures of exotic locales and scenery at their desks, it feels almost as if they're traveling there.

Not all landscapes are the same, though. Depending on the colors and brightness, your followers can be left with feelings of excitement, serenity, pensiveness, or wonder.

What emotions do you want to evoke? Look at a picture and reflect on how you feel. See how those emotions align with your message.

This one makes me feel adventurous and optimistic. You too?

Go forth and visualize

While these images have worked well for other businesses, there isn't a one size fits all.

It's up to you to decide what type of images work well with your vision. After all, you're ultimately in charge of the direction that your business takes.

Are you ready to promote yourself and make an impact? Then start by letting me know what type of images give you the best results.

More info at- http://virtualfocusedmarketing.com/content-marketing/

Via: 10 Powerful Visuals That Will Pump Up Your Content Marketing

How to Better Engage Email Subscribers

One of the biggest challenges facing marketers is how to engage with email subscribers. With so many email marketing companies competing for readers' attention, it may seem nearly impossible to have someone read an email from start to finish. But, like Bill Gates famously said in 1996, “content is king.”

If an email contains compelling content throughout, it will drive subscribers to a higher level of engagement. Below are ways marketers can create and incorporate engaging content in an email campaign, from attention-grabbing subject lines to videos and interactive content.

Start with the subject line.

If a marketer wants to grab subscribers' attention amid a sea of other marketing emails, they need to craft a great subject line. The majority of people read emails on a mobile device, and most mobile phone displays truncate subject lines at roughly 35 characters, so the subject line must be brief. Avoid redundancy, for example, including “June Newsletter” in your headline is a wasted subject line.

A subscriber receiving the newsletter already knows that it's a newsletter, and that it arrived in June. The best approach is to use the subject line to highlight a few items from the newsletter and separate them with a vertical bar. For example, “2016 Email Marketing Tips | Social Media News.” The character cutoff also means marketers must put the most important information first. So, instead of saying “Purchase our newest products 50% off,” try “50% off our newest products.”

Write content that gets noticed

The body of the email is just as important as the subject line, so be sure the content lives up to the hype of the subject line. In addition to abiding by the basic grammar rules, here are some tips for writing engaging content:

• Don't forget details. Assuming most people skim emails, including relevant details in the opening sentence is key to keep subscribers reading.

• Be concise. Similar to the subject line, it's important to keep the body of the email concise. No one wants to spend a lot of time reading through an email.

• Include a call-to-action. Informing readers about a new product or whitepaper is great, but telling them to purchase the product or to download the whitepaper is even better.

• Keep it casual. A conversational tone is almost always the best choice for marketing emails. If you're not sure how to write in a conversational tone, the easiest way to get started is to read your writing aloud. If you sound like a robot or a college professor, the tone is too formal. The best way to achieve a conversational tone is to use contractions and write short sentences.

• Get a second pair of eyes. Always ask someone else to read your work. Pick someone who can proof for grammatical errors and who's not afraid to say, “This is boring.” Then use that feedback to write something better.

Mix it up

Adding a variety of content in emails enables marketers to connect with a broader audience. Here are some tips on how to best use different types of content:

• VIDEOS

How-to and tutorial videos are great ways to find a new audience, but there are many other ways marketers can use videos. Videos allow companies to humanize themselves and ultimately better connect with their audience. Videos showing employees engaging in some fun activity around the office or explaining their culture and corporate values are great examples.

• SURVEYS

Surveys are particularly useful in B2B marketing, especially if the majority of a company's subscribers operate within the same industry. For example, marketers could conduct a survey about challenges in the service industry and share the results with those who participated.

• INFOGRAPHICS

Infographics are perhaps the most versatile type of content, because the format works well in newsletters, on social media and on company websites. Infographics also allow marketers to present statistics and survey results in an appealing, concise manner.

• GUIDES

Consumers are sometimes faced with an overwhelming number of product choices, and buying guides can help them compare and contrast products without conducting multiple Internet searches. Include a link in the email to a guide on your website, and this can help keep a potential customer on your website, rather than leaving to find better information.

Creating engaging content takes time. Successful email marketers not only listen to feedback from their peers, but also monitor how their subscribers respond to the content, and are willing to make changes accordingly. Contact Virtual Focused Marketing for more information.

 Via: http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2016/04/22/how-to-better-engage-email-subscribers.aspx?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter

Checklist for Optimizing Your Website for Mobile Users

Mobile is now the norm.

The number of people relying on their mobile devices to get them through the day - check email, browse the Internet, chat with friends, update social media and shop – has skyrocketed over the past few years. It is expected that by 2017, 63.4 percent of users worldwide will access content via their mobile devices instead of laptops.

Websites that aren't adequately optimized for the mobile experience risk being left behind. Designing for mobile, however, presents a whole different kind of challenge. You want to deliver the best possible user experience via your mobile site while keeping intact the most important features of your website. It's a delicate balance to strike and the greater the content, the greater the challenge.

Businesses can choose to create responsive sites or standalone websites for mobile experience. Regardless of choice, the following checklist will help your company optimize a website for mobile users.

FAST LOAD TIME

A website should load fast on desktop as well as mobile, but even more so on mobile given the limitations of the hardware supporting such devices. Not everyone uses devices with fast processors and rarely do people have the patience to wait for a site that takes forever to load. They might as well just check out your competitor – and they do.

WELL-STRUCTURED

A website that looks great on desktop may not be eye-pleasing on a mobile device in a similar fashion.

You have greater screen space to make use of with desktop, so you can afford to introduce a number of menus, loads of quotations, heavy homepages and a ton of content, with special effects that pop out throughout the users' journey on the site.

All of this, however, will have to be handled carefully when optimizing the site for mobile. Too many drop-down menus are a no-no as is a lot of content in one place.

A website should look uncluttered and minimalistic on mobile. This might mean you are not able to include all the features from the desktop version. It's a tough call to make, but it's necessary to deliver a smooth and lean mobile user experience.

NO POP-UPS OR FLASH

Pop-ups are intrusive and annoying. They are also difficult to close on small screens. Similarly, not all mobile devices are able to support Flash. If you include features that are not universally supported or well-received on mobile, it will just lead to users abandoning the site.

EASY-TO-FIND INFORMATION

Form is important, but not at the cost of function. The most important and relevant information should be easy to find. Also, the structure of the mobile-optimized website should not sacrifice the usefulness of its content.

If a user has to think or tinker around a lot in order to get to the important bits, you haven't done a good enough job of optimizing the website for mobile.

PROMINENT CALLS-TO-ACTION

A clean and intuitive layout aids users in navigating through a website smoothly, but calls-to-action (CTAs) should be easy to spot and click on. These could be blog subscription buttons, shopping cart icons or buttons representing any action that you want users to take. You would have to structure the website so that they are eased along the process. The goal of a mobile-friendly website is also to drive conversion.

TACKLES THE 'FAT FINGER' PROBLEM

Browsing the Web on mobile leads to a lot of accidental clicks. Apart from being annoying for the user, these also lead to skewed metrics for businesses.

The ergonomics of your mobile/responsive site should be such that they minimize the occurrence of users clicking on buttons and/or banner ads they had no intention of accessing. Instead of the little 'X' in the corner, ads should display broad tabs that are easier to click on for the desired action. Scrolling should be smooth, and menu tabs should be spaced apart well enough not to lead to clicking on the wrong ones.

OPTIMIZED FOR SEO

Since mobile devices are increasingly being relied upon for Internet searching and carrying out all kinds of tasks, it becomes equally important for them to be optimized for SEO, too, just as the desktop version. Pay as much attention to optimizing it for local SEO as you would to your main website.

It's a combination of functionality and user experience

A mobile website requires a precise design. It should be intuitively laid out to facilitate an easy and memorable user experience.

For new business owners, or those on a tight budget who cannot afford to hire Web agencies to design for them, there are a number of responsive WordPress themes that lend themselves beautifully to mobile devices. A little bit of DIY and customization will help you take advantage of all of the features.

• See more at: http://virtualfocusedmarketing.com/website-design/
  

Via: Checklist for Optimizing Your Website for Mobile Users