Archive for the
‘Content marketing’ Category

Home / Content marketing

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

 

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.

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.

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.