Think long and hard about the last blog you read that you remembered. What made it memorable? Was it the artistic use of alliteration in the title? Was it the fact that the lead was totally unpredictable? Now try to think about the last billboard you drove past that really pulled at your heartstrings.
Are you coming up blank trying to remember anything that riveting?
When was the last time you were prompted to buy something after seeing a television commercial, a billboard or a newspaper ad? Now think back to the last time you made a purchase after receiving an email, reading a blog or seeing an ad on social media. If you’re like me—and I’m assuming most of you are—then you’ve probably done the latter. Continue reading “When was the Last Time You Had a Conversation with Your Consumers?”
Are you having an inner debate right now? Is the entrepreneur in you telling you to steal 30-minutes with your boss to delineate the reasons content marketing has to make it into the budget for 2014? Meanwhile, is your inner three-year-old cowering in your boots afraid that your boss does not want to hear from you and will immediately squash your content marketing dreams?
Though it sounds scary, now is the time to silence the latter voice and trust the first one.
According to an aggregated video composed by Erik Qualman, author of “Socialnomics,” the return on investment (ROI) of social media is that your business will still exist in five years.
That’s a big claim to make, and many brands are still plagued by the question of whether social media drives real ROI. However, on the other side of companies’ inhibitions lies research and testimonies that keep proving the value of social media to be true. For instance, Coffee Groundz, a midtown neighborhood coffee shop, reported a 20-30 percent increase in company sales and market share via Twitter.
Continue reading “Three Ways You Never Thought to Use Social Media for ROI—Until Now”
By now my husband fully understands my interest level in content marketing. So much so that when something content marketing-related appears on television or is covered in a magazine, he will DVR the show or rip out the article (yup, I’m one lucky girl).
So late last week, you can imagine how pleasantly surprised I was when a special segment titled “Content Marketing: The New PR?” found its way into my DVR lineup right alongside “Friends” reruns and the latest episode of “The Biggest Loser.”
I don’t know about you but for me, 2013 was a prominent year for content marketing. In the past—say, five years ago—things were so much different. Just take a look at the Content Marketing Institute’s list of 2009 content marketing predictions, where industry pundits were calling social media a “new frontier” for marketing.
It’s amazing to think just how far companies have come with the use of social media for content marketing purposes. Just yesterday, industry figures were applauding companies that paved the way by making corporate Twitter accounts. Today, a company is expected to have a maximum 60-minute response time on social media and can lose credibility with just a single spelling error in a post.
The reins are being tightened and companies have been forced to jump through more hoops than they care to admit this year. This pressure suffocated some brands and enabled others to rise to the top. Here are three social media content marketing campaigns that I think absolutely killed it in 2013. (Take note: these guys took the social marketing bar and raised it a few notches).
Continue reading “My Three Favorite Social Content Marketing Campaigns of 2013”
It is official: the holidays are over. I’m still coming to terms with the fact that I ate way too much of my sister’s homemade chocolate cheesecake and that I’m actually back at work today. But this is a good thing (well, at least the latter is). The reason being that although I was away for the majority of the week spending time with family, I was also feeding my workaholic side by checking e-mails on the daily—and spotting some great examples of holiday content marketing in the process.
As a consumer, content marketing makes me feel great. Whether it’s a daily newsletter, a blog, a special video or a simple e-mail, personal messages really do make me feel like brands know me by name and actually appreciate the money I spend with them.
Every single company should have had a holiday content marketing plan this season. Here are some great examples that I received from some of my favorite brands this week. For all of you out there with content marketing New Year’s resolutions, these are some invaluable tips for getting it right on the first try.
Continue reading “Three Holiday Content Marketing Campaigns That Gave a Rosy Glow This Year”
It’s Christmas night. Your family has passed out from all of the excitement, your gifts have all been unwrapped and there is nothing left to do but sit down with the remaining cookies and watch Ralphie shoot his eye out in “A Christmas Story” for the 10 millionth time.
Here is a better plan: put down the plate of cookies, turn off the television and think about whether your business is prepared to handle the legions of shoppers that will be looking for holiday sales in just a few hours. Next to Black Friday, the day after Christmas is one of the busiest days of the year for shoppers. In order to find the best sales, consumers will be performing searches via mobile devices as they browse at home on the sofa or out around town.
Continue reading “Don’t Lose Out on Post-Christmas Sales: Optimize for Mobile”
I can’t help but have a big smile on my face today. That is because no matter how old I get—or how many years it’s been since I actually asked Santa for a gift—this time of year is truly magical. From the whimsical window displays lining Fifth Avenue to the holiday-adorned cups at Starbucks to the flooding of Christmas carols on the radio, the weeks immediately following Thanksgiving right until New Year’s Day unquestionably bring out the inner five-year-old in all of us.
Continue reading “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas And All Through the Marketing Department…”
In addition to the wonderful food and immense cheer, this year’s office holiday party included a welcome surprise gift. Everyone here at Content Boost, and our parent company TMC, received a Chromecast, the new Google platform that allows users to enjoy online content on a television screen.
As soon as I opened the gift I realized I was quite familiar with the product through its television and YouTube commercials. Most commercials barely register with me, as I am typically either fast-forwarding through them on my DVR or half-listening from the kitchen as I microwave something to eat. The Chromecast commercial, however, stuck with me to the point that I recognized the device and remembered its function as soon as I saw the box. Why you ask? Batman, of course.
