digital Archives - Page 4 of 10

March 15, 2017March 15, 2017

It’s time to get rid of FAQ?

The FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page started out, like most information on the Internet, with the very best intentions. Its purpose was to provide a list of questions and answers the site authors would anticipate the user would ask often (albeit, the “frequent” part) thus negating the time the users spent either searching the site for an answer, sending a question through the contact form or *gasp* calling the contact number for an answer. But also like other vanguards of the Internet, it has long outlived it’s usefulness and is time to be retired. The FAQ has gone from a convenience tool for customers looking for quick information, and has turned into a dumping ground of information that: Does not fit within the information architecture of the web site, yet is deemed important enough to stay Is cleverly disguised as helpful information to the user but is in reality […]

5 content strategy considerations for website projects

Planning and producing content for websites is challenging. It has to be useful for the organisation and their customers, written in an authentic voice and tone, and there are often lots of people involved with individual agendas and priorities. Add to this the considerations needed around accessibility, structured content, localisation,personalisation, migration, governance (and many more), and you can easily find yourself spiralling down a rabbit hole of missed deadlines, delayed content and out of control budgets. I’ve painted a bleak picture here but there is hope. Having a content strategy for website projects can ensure a better way of getting content planned, produced and published. We need to put content at the top of the agenda from the get-go and ask questions early on in the project to make sure you don’t get to the stage of building the website and realising there is no content. When content isn’t […]

16 Time Management Tips for Digital Marketers

The life of a digital marketer is tough. Each day, you face a pile of potential distractions that seem to hit you from all sides: endless social media updates, the launch of the latest and greatest tool, another ultimate guide to becoming an online hero, and more. You know how it is? It’s so easy to feel overwhelmed with everything that’s going on around you. That’s why it’s important to remain disciplined and focus on the things that matter if you’re going to succeed online. In this post, I’m going to share some tips and tools that will help you manage your time and work more efficiently. General Time-Saving Tips 1. Set Time Limits When you allocate a specific amount of time to a specific task, you’ll find that you become more productive. It’s a well-known fact that you can drift and let any given task consume all of […]

Here’s What 2016 Taught Us About Content Marketing and SEO

Good, bad or indifferent – 2016 is over. And while 2017 is well underway, I recommend content marketers take one good look back before they go. The past is the past, after all. And there’s plenty of lessons from 2016 that we can apply going forward. 1. We’re getting better at this. Good news first: The big story of content marketing in 2016 is that content marketers were considerably more effective than they were even one year earlier, with 62 percent of B2B content marketers and 63 percent of B2C content marketers report that they were “somewhat more successful” or “much more successful” than they were one year ago. Most content marketers report that they were more successful with their content marketing in 2016 than in prior years. This is clearly great news. It means we can canvas for larger budgets. It also means we can better balance between […]

Google Just Changed The Rules: Here Are 5 Things You Must Do Now

If you’re concerned about search engine optimization, chances are that you keep a close eye on what the big search engines are up to – especially Google . Anyone following the search engines will tell you that they’re always up to something. New changes are introduced regularly and keeping up with these changes is vital for improving your search rankings . You can’t really blame Google either. They are the world’s most popular search engine for many reasons and they intend to stay there. One way of doing so is by providing a better user experience, and many of the changes they make to their search ranking algorithm are aimed at exactly that. One of the latest changes is the introduction of a mobile-first index. How Google’s mobile first index works Google has traditionally prioritized desktop versions of websites over mobile versions when analyzing content for ranking on results […]

3 Ways to Re-Use Your Content Magnets to Dominate SERPs

A lead magnet is a piece of content aimed at motivating consumers to take an action. At the top of your conversion channels, lead magnets spur interest and tie a visitor to your brand but don’t necessarily drive a direct sale (e.g., provide contact information, sign up for a newsletter, join a free trial.) Creating a solid lead magnet is hard work: You invest hours of brainstorming and research, creation, and design. The good news is you should be able to further your investment by converting them into attractive assets on third-party sites, which in turn could strengthen your presence on search engine result pages for relevant keywords and queries. Here are three ways to turn your on-site lead magnets into digital assets for third-party sites. 1. Turn a PDF into a flip-book A downloadable e-book is a common and effective lead magnet. People love free e-books. If done […]

Want to Know How to Make Influencer Marketing Work?

The Internet is a noisy, overcrowded place. Building momentum for your brand is often an uphill battle, and getting your audience to buy in can be daunting. So, how do you get people to take you seriously? How can you go from being just a little fish in a vast ocean to becoming a recognizable brand or even a household name? One strategy that’s proven to be effective is influencer marketing. The number of brands using this strategy has grown exponentially over the past few years. In fact, “interest in influencer marketing has risen more than 90x from 2013 to the present.” Here are some other stats to give you a better idea of the state of this strategy at the moment: “Influencer marketing content delivers 11x higher ROI than traditional forms of digital marketing.” “Twitter users report a 5.2x increase in purchase intent when exposed to promotional content […]

Marketing Research to Bookmark for Your Next Blog Post

If you thought your research days were over when you graduated from high school or college, think again. If you create any kind of content as part of your role, your arguments should be well-supported with data. Why is research so important? It makes your claims credible, your content authoritative, and helps you earn more social shares and backlinks. In fact, an analysis of over one million articles from Moz and BuzzSumo revealed that research-backed content generates more shares and more backlinks than other content types. The thing is, finding the research to cite is tough sometimes. The original source data can be hard to track down and citations might be incorrect or missing, among other issues. For all of you content creators, bloggers, SEOs, and market researchers, we feel your pain. So we put together a comprehensive list of sources with original research data about all things marketing. […]

Content Has Never Been More Important, Mobile World Congress Panelists Say

Despite all the shiny new things at the Mobile World Congress, content is still the key to marketing success. BARCELONA — Robots, connected cars, virtual reality rides and 5G devices are the shiny things that line the show floor here at the Mobile World Congress (MWC). But content is still king, said Vice Media CEO Shane Smith. "What are you going to fill the pipes with? All of the data and algorithms in the world can only take you so far," he said during a morning keynote at the event, which attracted more than 101,000 attendees from over 200 countries and more than 2,200 exhibitors. But content has to be reimagined for the always on, multiple screen world in which the same viewer might want to watch Michael Phelps win a gold medal, find out his age, see who he is dating and then tweet about it all a […]

Identity Matters: How Content Strategists Build Trust and Loyalty

In 2009, whether you were a golfer or not, you likely heard about Tiger Woods. It started with a drama-filled Thanksgiving night with his wife. It ended with a public apology the following February. The superstar’s wholesome image unraveled publicly as one mistress after another came forth. Soon his marriage was lost, sponsorships gone, and fans bewildered. We were left wondering: Who was the real Tiger Woods anyway? Was everything we thought about him just a sham? Woods didn’t need a consultant to help him with his brand. He needed a therapist. He stated this himself in a somewhat bizarre 14-minute public apology. He also could have benefited from a crisis communications expert. But most importantly, Woods needed to figure out his identity – who he was and who he wanted to be. Identity is the foundation for authentic living. Many companies need to refocus on identity as well. […]