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Tools that help inspire content creativity 0

Acquiring and retaining customers starts and ends with good content. The better, more useful and more informative and educational the content published by a business is, the better the chances for lead generation and a growing customer base.

contentmktg_artContent can take many forms: narrative articles, blog posts, images and video shared on social media. The common thread is that when published, it plays an integral role in the experience that users have with the brands responsible for the content.

Corporate stories, reviews, tutorials, interviews white papers, calls to action – the success of this type of marketing content is whether its message resonates with the targeted audience, whether it addresses a customer’s wants and needs and brings the customer back for more.

But it all starts with an idea.

There are apps that can help fill the gap between blank slate and finished product. Here are a few of them to help inspire some content creativity:

Skitch: Marketing pros who want to get their points across using annotation, shapes and sketches will find this app useful. Start with an image, then use the toolbox of arrows, shapes and text callouts to inspire content.

Inbound Now: The marketing community’s “Kill Writer’s Block”  app creates random post titles with the key terms left blank, to give blog writers a head start in creating an effective headline.

Feedly: A timesaver for content marketing pros who can browse aggregated news published on many different subjects, from tech to cooking to design, to generate ideas.

XMind: This tool has the potential to be essential for people who brainstorm on content by allowing them to create maps and charts to clarify thinking, manage complex information and get work organized.

Are there other apps that you find useful in the content inspiration process? Feel free to let us know about them.

 

We are MyMobileLyfe and we can help your company develop a content marketing strategy to reach people on the go. Click here to contact us.

Content marketing ideas: Tips from the experts 0

Generating ideas for good brand marketing content can be the difference between having an effective and inspired strategy and one that starts out slow from the gate.

In this segment created by Kapost.com, these content marketing experts share their insights on coming up with the ideas that can educate, engage and inform and, most importantly, attract the target audience.

We are MyMobileLyfe and we can help your company develop a content marketing strategy to reach people on the go. Click here to contact us.

 

 

Smartphone can be handy when severe weather approaches 0

The severe weather season is underway, and with it comes the likelihood that you will have to take steps to protect yourself and your family in case of a tornado, hurricane or other serious weather event.

tornado2_artYour smartphone can connect you to a source of emergency information that notifies you of severe weather events. It’s called the Wireless Emergency Alert, or WEA, and it is similar to the Emergency Alert System that broadcasters use.

The WEA is a cooperative effort between wireless service providers, the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. It delivers text message-like warnings to areas facing an imminent weather threat, such as tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis and high winds.

A WEA-enabled phone will receive alerts based on your current location, rather than your home service area, if the phone is using a cell tower in the location you are in. These message often complement alerts issued by local agencies that are sent to your mobile device.

The WEA is also broadcast for child abduction incidents, called Amber Alerts, and for presidential bulletins regarding national emergencies. This service is offered for free by wireless carriers, and WEA messages do not count towards texting limits on your wireless plan.

WEA messages have been issued for the past two years. Most newer handsets, including smartphones, are capable of receiving these alerts. You may check with your service provider to see if your device is WEA capable.

 

We are MyMobileLyfe and we can help your company develop a content marketing strategy to reach people on the go. Click here to contact us.

 

Android nudges past Apple’s iOS in mobile ad traffic 0

Advertising traffic on mobile devices operating on Google’s Android platform has surpassed that on iOS for the first time.

android_artA new quarterly report from San Mateo, Calif.-based Opera Mediaworks on the state of mobile advertising puts Android as the overall smart device platform, with 42.8 percent of all traffic, compared to iOS’ 38.2 percent of traffic.

The report could be a factor for content marketing pros in their decisions on which device platform is best suited for their company’s efforts to reach the most customers.

Apple’s iOS remains the revenue leader, accounting for 52 percent of total ad traffic revenue. But Android is catching up, accounting for just over 33 percent of total revenue, up from 26.72 percent last year.

As Android-operating phones continue to improve, advertisers shifted from an almost exclusive preference for the iPhone market toward the much larger number of consumers who use mobile devices with Google’s operating system.

The result, according to Opera, is a substantial growth in ad traffic not only on Android devices, but tablets running on the system as well.

 

We are MyMobileLyfe and we can help your company develop a content marketing strategy to reach people on the go. Click here to contact us.

 

 

Making emotionally connecting content 0

Every business has a story to tell, and each is looking for ways to best tell that story to existing potential customers. It’s no longer enough to boast about sales figures, or audience reach. It’s about connecting with the customer on a more emotional level.

These days, marketing content is moving beyond the factual toward establishing personal connections with the audience. Look at how Wells Fargo is expanding its audience reach with its “Wells Fargo Stories,” a Web channel dedicated to telling stories of its employees, communities and brand values. The instrument of Wells Fargo’s effort is compelling narratives that connect with the customer, and inspires brand loyalty.

Such content is designed to engage and educate an audience with a “tell, don’t sell” approach, even if it means tugging at the heartstrings, like this holiday-themed content from British retailer John Lewis two years ago:

Making that emotional connection means understanding the customer’s needs. It helps to focus on this when creating an effective marketing narrative plot that would relate to the customer’s feelings and desires. Like, say, the retailer wants to take customers on a nostalgic trip to the childhood anticipation of Christmas morning. It’s important to consider the target audience when deciding how to structure the marketing content.

Since marketing narratives are stories, they should have a beginning, a middle and an end. It should be easy to follow and to understand. The narrative should also be as unique as the product or brand. It should stand out from the competition. The John Lewis content stands out because it was emotionally engaging, so much so that the retailer’s holiday marketing content has become a seasonal event in Britain.

Tell us what you think about marketing content that makes an emotional connection. We’d like to hear it.

 

We are MyMobileLyfe and we can help your company develop a content marketing strategy to reach people on the go. Click here to contact us.

 

 

 

Gallup poll: People connecting more through mobile tech 0

The results of a new Gallup poll is shedding light on how mobile technology substantially affects many aspects of our lives.

mobilecontentFor one, we’re in contact with friends and family more. Sixty-two percent of Americans polled say the use of smartphones and tablets has increased interpersonal communication a lot, with another 27 percent saying it has increased it a little.

We’re also working a bit more because of mobile devices. Gallup finds that two-thirds of U.S. workers say the amount of work they are doing outside of working hours has gone up a little.

The same cannot be said, however, about political activity. Even as candidates and elected officials pursue more effective ways to connect with voters and campaign contributors, more than half of those polled by Gallup say their involvement in political campaigns and similar activity has not increased because of mobile technology, although 17 percent say it has increased a lot.

Gallup polled 1,505 Americans 18 and older from March 21-23 to assess how mobile technology has affected their behavior in the personal, political and work areas.

The results are from a March 21-23 Gallup poll designed to assess how much mobile technology has affected Americans’ behavior in the personal, political, and work areas. The poll finds that seven in 10 Americans use either a smartphone or tablet.

The poll finds that mobile technology has increased Americans’ opportunities to stay in touch with each other. Those ages 30 to 49 are just as likely to use mobile devices more to communicate as adults 18 to 29. Americans older than 50, particularly those 65 and older, are less likely to be affected to a large degree.

It is likely, Gallup says, that mobile technology will foster even greater activity in the areas of communication, work and political activity in the future.

 

We are MyMobileLyfe and we can help your company develop a content marketing strategy to reach people on the go. Click here to contact us.

Choices to make: Native apps vs. mobile web 0

Businesses looking to launch a mobile strategy have two choices to make: Does the company create a website specifically for mobile devices, or invest in the development of a downloadable app?

Decisions, decisions.

Even as smartphone and tablet users spend more than two hours a day on native apps, as opposed to 22 minutes daily on the mobile web, there are pros and cons for each. It’s up to the business to determine which is the best fit.

This infographic courtesy of Business2Community.com can offer some help to content marketing strategists with the task of making that decision. It compares native apps and the mobile web, the benefits and pitfalls of each, and how to make the best choice.

appscompare_art

We are MyMobileLyfe and we can help your company develop a content marketing strategy to reach people on the go. Click here to contact us.

Why people like educational apps 0

Why do people buy educational apps for their mobile devices?

For kids and their parents, educational apps offer fun and creative ways to learn. Apps like Sprout Games and Videos for the iPad and First Words with Phonics for Windows motivate kids to work on their reading, math and other classroom skills, often using a familiar character like Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat.

A study by global trade organization MEF finds that 17 percent of mobile device users worldwide download an educational app. In its recently released report analyzing regional and global trends for mobile education products and services, MEF finds that educational apps rank ninth among all app categories.

But learning is not the prime motivation for people downloading education apps. Many users see them as playful or fun; the MEF study finds that 47 percent of people who buy an app from an educational site cited the entertainment value.

You can read more about MEF’s study in the infographic below.

educationapps_art

We are MyMobileLyfe and we can help your company develop a content marketing strategy to reach people on the go. Click here to contact us.

 

Netflix to take up brand content 0

You may have heard of Netflix. The company started out as a DVD-by-mail service before expanding to on-demand Internet streaming of programming seven years ago, allowing customers to watch shows like the acclaimed “House of Cards” and “Orange is the New Black” on their PCs, tablets and smartphones.

More than 35 million customers in the U.S. subscribe to Netflix’s streaming content service, with much of the growth of its subscriber base coming through word of mouth from satisfied customers.

But Netflix is about to ratchet up its marketing efforts with plans to rely on brand content centered around its original programming.

Executives addressed the strategy this week during the company’s quarterly earnings call. In its letter to shareholders Netflix says:

“Original series represent a tremendous opportunity to raise awareness of, and build consumer enthusiasm for the Netflix brand. We’ll be investing more in marketing high-quality exclusive content, and spending less on direct response advertising such as banner ads touting free trials.”

Netflix is airing ad segments that try the “tell, don’t sell” approach to enhancing and promoting its brand to customers in an emotive, personal manner, including this recent one:

The move to brand marketing has advantages for Netflix, which has emerged as a major player in online streaming programming. But the company must engage its loyal customer base more effectively, Andrew Solmssen of Possible Los Angeles tells Clickz.com:

“I think brand advertising is important, but not as important as trying to activate their existing user base to be brand advocates. And they haven’t been able to do that particularly well. They have a really strong community, but they have not historically given people avenues to tell friends about Netflix. They don’t use social media marketing particularly well. When you have a great brand, that’s a lost opportunity.”

Stay tuned.

 

We are MyMobileLyfe and we can help your company develop a content marketing strategy to reach people on the go. Click here to contact us.

A billion mobile users are on Facebook 0

One out of every seven people in the world uses Facebook on a mobile device.

The social media giant reported in its quarterly earnings statement that it has exceeded the 1 billion mark for monthly active users on smartphones and tablets. The number of people who log in and visit Facebook on a daily basis with a mobile device, either to access or share content, is 609 million for the quarter that ended March 31.

That’s not counting those using Instagram or on Facebook messenger, which in themselves are each at over 200 million monthly users.

Of note in the company’s earnings report — and one that will have the attention of content marketing pros — is the 59 percent of advertising revenue that Facebook earned from mobile advertising revenue, up 30 percent from the first quarter of 2013.

Much of the revenue growth came from Facebook’s newsfeed ads, which inject paid marketing messages straight into a user’s stream of news and content and are ideally suited for the smaller-sized screens of smartphones and other mobile devices.

 

We are MyMobileLyfe and we can help your company develop a content marketing strategy to reach people on the go. Click here to contact us.