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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.

Focus on content topics that stand out 0

Writing content for your business takes skill, practice, discipline and a keen knowledge of the subject. But then again, it is writing, and it’s often overlooked or the duties delegated.

Much of it has to do with consistently finding engaging topics to write about. Finding the right topic to create content is about knowing your audience. You’ll want to know what potential customers are searching for and what interests them. You’ll know when the topics you’re publishing are hitting the mark, but also when they’re not getting the reads.

If you, as a content creator, find yourself asking “What do I write about for my company,” here are some steps that can help.

Ask your customer service teams what audiences are looking for. Do they want tutorials about your product or service? A topic that centers around giving instructions might lend itself to blog posts, video content or lists. What are the needs of the audience, or problems they are experiencing? Think informational, rather than promotional, in your content topics.

News and industry topics convert into good, consistent content, especially if it involves your brand or business. Anything newsworthy about your brand or company is also content fodder.

Reviews and opinions are also good options, because they detail your company’s perspective on a particular topic. Interviews with people in your industry are also a solid bet.

Focus on topics that can perform and stand out. With that key element, your company can get the exposure that most businesses want.

 

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.

Video: Mobile content tips from a pro 0

Compendium’s online marketing aficionado Eric Kotchi goes over some tips for those looking to launch a content marketing strategy that’s geared toward mobile devices.

He has some advice on plotting a mobile content strategy that is worth listening to for about a couple of minutes in this segment.

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.

User experience counts in mobile content sites 0

Planning a content marketing strategy that includes mobile devices means taking the user experience into account.

It helps if the written or video content accessed through a smartphone or tablet is clear, concise, informative and easy to navigate.

placeit(13)But the worse a site looks or functions on a mobile device, the less likely people are to continue accessing the content on it.

Most users consider four seconds to be the threshold for a website to load. A recent survey by Trilibis, however, found that only 21 percent of websites were loading in less than four seconds on a smartphone.

According to Trilibis’ survey, 69 percent of responsive design websites, those that provide easy reading and navigation across a wide range of devices, fail to deliver acceptable load times on mobile devices. That means users trying to access these sluggish and underperforming websites were more than likely to move on to other companies’ pages that loaded faster.

That can cost a company customers, and brand exposure.

The user experience needs to be responsive, and fast. If performance is a problem, the site may need updating to improve the experience.

An abundance of marketing video segments may be part of the content plan for the site, but the downside is longer load times. Targeted consumer content for the mobile device may be better served by less bandwidth-intensive images.

 

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.

 

 

Think integration in mobile web design, content strategy 0

 

 

The challenge for creators of a content marketing strategy is making it work for a mobile device. Many ask whether they can effectively combine mobile Web design and content without sacrificing the successful elements of either site appearance or subject matter.

mobilecontentEffective mobile Web design and content marketing can work together to achieve the desired user experience, which is to make it engaging, educating, shareable and effective in its integration.

There are ways to get this done:

For one, marketing pros, designers and content writers need to work as a team to ensure the mobile design and content are properly integrated. The goal is to find a creative way to present the brand content that meets the objectives of the mobile site.

It helps also to outline the content strategy for the mobile website. Ask some questions geared toward how to optimize the user experience. What information to include, and how much of it? Who is looking at the information? Are they partial to smartphones or tablets in accessing information? Try to research, analyze and anticipate the needs.

Consider the device capabilities, such as touchscreens and cameras, that allow interactivity of the content between the device and the user.

One more thing: The content should be extended across all of your marketing mediums so that users can switch devices as they go, and still access the content.

Bottom line: More people are turning to mobile devices to access online content, so the integration of mobile web design and content strategies is essential.

 

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.

Video: The value of evergreen content 0

In this segment, Steve Toth of Toronto-based TechWyse goes over the effectiveness of evergreen content and how it offers advantages for content marketing managers.

Toth, TechWyse’s content marketing manager, offers tips on how this relevant content has search value, particularly to bloggers for companies. Toth also offers advice on how to develop a content plan that includes evergreen content.

It’s about 5 minutes. Tell us what you think about 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.

How evergreen content aids your content marketing efforts 0

Evergreen content. Anyone who’s ever worked at a newspaper has come across it, , particularly around the late-year holidays. It’s an article that newsworthy, even topical, but is not time sensitive.

contentmktg_artWhen it comes to content marketing, evergreen content is fresh, useful, and can run at any time. It’s an effective and integral part of any marketing pro’s editorial calendar.

Evergreeen content remains relevant over a long period of time. There are many advantages to creating it. It allows for consistency in publication, while removing some the pressure of having to write timely daily content. It also can provide sustainable, long-term content that benefits your business or brand.

Evergreen content offers value to potential customers. It is informational and educational, without being tied to timely trends. It is also cost effective and easy to implement.

Think how-to guides, articles about the business or industry, tutorials, lists, top tips, product reviews – any content that doesn’t have an expiration date and can draw steady online traffic to the website.

Of course, it must be shareable. Evergreen content, from time to time, can be posted on social media to serve as fodder for engagement and conversation.

This article offers some tips on producing effective evergreen content and how to make it work effectively for your content marketing strategy.

Bottom line: Think relevant, quality marketing content that does not go stale.

 

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.

Be consistent in publishing content to be effective 0

Consistency is one of the key components in an effective content marketing strategy.

contentmktg_artIt’s one thing to write the occasional blog post or article promoting a new product or upcoming campaign. If content is posted infrequently, days or even weeks apart, potential customers take notice.

The effective approach is publishing smart, informative articles and posts that draws the consumer’s attention, retains it and gives the consumer something to pass on to others through social media channels.

Producing good content takes time, and it can be a challenge. But the benefits to a business are substantial and not to be taken for granted.

Consistent content, for one, builds familiarity and trust. It demonstrates that the business can deliver products and services well, that it is interested in engaging the consumer and earning the consumer’s trust.

To be consistent in creating and publishing relevant content means planning ahead. An editorial calendar gives the marketing pro the opportunity to plan content in advance, make note of trends in the business, and take control of its distribution on a daily basis.

Finally, the publishing of consistent content gets the word out to your target audience on a regular basis, leading to more traffic, leads and potential business.

The bottom line for content marketing pros: Effective, engaging content produced and published on a regular basis draws interest from potential customers. Companies that can deliver it in a steady stream will have the means to build upon their brand.

Creating a workflow for your content campaign 0

The development of a good content marketing strategy should include how the content will be produced and published. The workflow for your content creation efforts should be unique to the needs and goals of your business or organization.

This article by Business 2 Community boils down the workflow planning process into five key steps, as summarized in the infographic here. Study the steps, then find a way to incorporate them into your content marketing campaign.

workflowchart_art