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March 20, 2017

Marketing’s Artificial Intelligence Revolution Is Here

Chief marketing officers have one of the hardest jobs in the corporate world. According to research by the consulting firm Russell Reynolds, it’s only getting harder. Last year, CMO turnover reached its highest point since Russell Reynolds began tracking the data in 2012. After years of swift technological development disrupted marketing to its core, CMOs and their teams are now responsible for a bevy of critical company functions: optimizing the sales process, improving customer experience, and marketing the product across a complex array of channels. Meanwhile, CEOs understand that technology allows for accurate tracking of marketing dollars spent, creating immense pressure on CMOs to perform. Now, another technological breakthrough is on the horizon: artificial intelligence (AI). According to many experts , AI has the potential to be the most revolutionary technology since computing itself—and marketing is first in line for disruption. Should marketing leaders panic or celebrate? It depends on who you ask. The artificial intelligence hype machine 2016 was a big year for artificial intelligence. Google’s AlphaGo program defeated the world champion in the complex game of Go , a landmark in AI development. Facebook, Microsoft, Google, and Amazon all made significant investments in AI. Wired proclaimed that the world’s biggest tech companies are “remaking themselves around the technology.” In marketing, Salesforce and Adobe announced new intelligence programs, called Einstein and Sensai, respectively. We’re in the midst of an AI arms race. “I’m astounded in how AI is going to transform every industry,” said Leslie Fine, VP of product at martech giant Salesforce. “Companies today face an imperative to integrate AI into their products and services, or risk becoming less competitive with companies who are applying AI to improve customer experiences and make more intelligent business decisions.” But what is AI exactly? And how does it apply to […]

7 Easy-to-Forget SEO Steps You Need to Consider Every Time You Publish

“But I don’t really think about SEO very much anymore.” That was my initial reaction when we all agreed that March would be SEO month here at Copyblogger. At which point, of course, I knew I’d have to write about it. “Look, I just create useful content for people. Do that, get it read, get it shared, get links, have good hosting and fast page-load times … and productive search engine results will follow, right? I mean, what else is there to say?” Turns out, plenty. Keyword research is more fundamental to your content marketing strategy than you may think. Also, you may already be making fatal optimization mistakes . Plus, who knew SEO advice could be so … practical ? (Including #8, which will punch you square between the eyes.) I read those articles, rethought my position, and decided to examine exactly how much I actually think about SEO on a post-by-post basis. And, turns out, plenty. (Whether or not I realized it.) It’s easy to forget about the basic steps I’m going to outline below, but they shouldn’t be overlooked. Because the minute I stop doing them is the minute my content starts attracting fewer targeted visitors. Same goes for you. So let’s start at the top, because the first one is by far the most important of the seven — and it will take me the longest to explain. ( Note: I’m going to use my site AssemblyCall.com as an example throughout this post. It’s built on the Rainmaker Platform , which has all of the tools I’m about to mention built right in. And thank goodness, or I’d probably forget about them. StudioPress Sites has all of these tools built in, too.) 1. Be extra intentional about your SEO title tag You don’t have to […]

The Science Behind Successful Content

Content marketing is truly a science, and creating a solid campaign that delivers results is the ultimate experiment. You’re testing different variables in search of the exact combination of content elements that will engage your readers, educate your prospective customers, and shine a positive light on your company—all while ensuring that each piece of content includes all the right ingredients in the right order (to reach the right people). In any one content marketing campaign, there are hundreds of decisions to make, approaches to take, and results to measure —and that can complicate the process for even the most experienced content marketer. Any scientist would tell you experimenting with possibilities yourself is half the fun . That said, beginning any experiment without an understanding of what you’re testing is never a good idea. We teamed up with Ceros, an interactive content creation platform , to research the anatomy of a successful digital content piece and dissect each element—from topic ideation and copywriting to design and distribution—so fellow content scientists can begin their own experiments with the right data. Explore the interactive infographic below to see the results. As you can see, content includes a number of variables. You won’t find much success if your topic misses the mark, you haven’t researched the right keywords, or your formatting or copywriting leaves audiences more confused than engaged. Content marketing is a science that requires your attention to detail and willingness to test. Focus on these elements of your next content experiment, and you’ll have a better chance of validating your efforts. Get more content like this, plus the very BEST marketing education, totally free. Get our Definitive email newsletter.

Why Does User Intent Matter So Much to Your SEO?

Once upon a time, search engines were robotic, mechanical, and mathematical. However, Google’s algorithm standards have since become much more focused on what those searching for information really want. As such, user intent is the key to creating the content that enhances the relevance of your pages and improves your SEO. Neil Patel describes “user intent” as the goal someone has in mind when typing a query into Google. In some cases, the intent is to purchase something. For others, it’s to find information or make a connection with a company or an individual. Just as you wouldn’t develop a product without knowing who the user for that product is going to be, you shouldn’t develop online content without knowing how it can help people and whose goals it will help fulfill. What’s more, you’ll enjoy the added benefit of standing out as a brand that cares deeply about its customers and their needs. As you seek to better incorporate user intent into your content marketing strategy , these three tips can help. 1. Consider different types of user intent “A person’s goal when they search something online” seems like a simple definition, but it can take many forms. As you probably see when you evaluate your own digital searches, not all Google queries are created equal. In fact, intent can (and does) differ from person to person and time to time. Neil shares these three types of user intent in online search: Transactional : A person wants to buy something. Navigational : A person seeks for a specific resource, page, or site. Informational : A person wants additional information on a topic or answers to their questions. Tailoring content for one of these types is critical. How do you do this? It’s simple. First, you look at keywords […]

Humanize Your Brand: 3 Ways to Create a Visual Social Media Calendar

Social media is arguably the most powerful growth tool on the internet. Ironically, it’s also the most difficult to master. In a study by Ascend2, 40% of digital marketers cited social as the “most difficult” channel to master (a tie for first with websites). Asked to identify the most difficult tactic on this most difficult channel, the answer — by a landslide — was three words: creating compelling content. How can you rescue your social media approach and create truly compelling content? The easiest way is to create a visually based social media calendar built around three of the primary reasons humans engage with social media: Celebrate holidays At the risk of stating the obvious, marketing revolves around holidays: Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas, Halloween, Presidents Day, etc. Augment your holiday promotions with original content that celebrates the holiday … not your products or sales. Chubbies does this brilliantly and gets phenomenal engagement as its reward: In 2015, Samuel Adams reached viral status with its April Fool’s campaign announcing the release of a new “heliYUM” beer. The real social gold, however, is in the obscure holidays : Batman Day (Sept. 17, according to DC Comics), Star Wars Day (May 4), Bubblegum Day (Feb. 3 — not to be confused with Chewing Gum Day on Sept. 30), and many, many more. Building a visual social media calendar around these types of holidays involves two steps. First, get to know your audience. Outside of the usual suspects, the prioritized holidays should be a direct reflection of the people you serve. Sometimes a connection will be obvious. If it’s not, dig into Facebook Audience Insights to find pages and events your fans like, as well as the hashtags they frequently share. Second, get organized. Set up a visual calendar. Consider using tools […]

The Chief Content Officer Is Dead; Long Live Content Marketing

Although some firms consider hiring a chief content officer (CCO) a best-practice, it turns out that bringing an executive on board at that level hasn’t been realistic at most companies.

Most B2B organizations (other than publishing, communications, and media companies or agencies) don’t have a person with chief content officer title who has a seat at the CEO’s table.

Not to worry, though: similar to the results of a Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs study, a 2016 study conducted by Curata found that 75% of companies are increasing their investment in content marketing, and 43% are increasing staff levels.

Chief marketing officers have recognized the need for a core content marketing team, led not by a CCO but by a content executive (typically with a marketing operations manager or writer/editor title), who develops and orchestrates a content strategy across the company.

The Best Way to Get More Results From Your Content

Content marketing has a problem: the content itself. Creating good content is expensive and time-consuming. It requires skill and subject expertise. It’s generally a pain in the … budget. And bad content? It might be less expensive. And easier to create. But it’ll get you almost no results. Fortunately, there are several ways around this: You can outsource your content creation, either to freelancers or influencers. You can hire an Editor to take your in-house rough drafts and make them better. You can create far less content, and just promote, SEO, and advertise the heck out of it. You can curate some of your content. You can just ignore content marketing entirely, and stick with advertising … at least for as long as that lasts. I don’t recommend that last one. And while the other tactics are good, they aren’t actually the best option. But before I get to […]

3 Types of Content That Gets More Traffic, Links and Shares Than All the Others

Why waste time creating content that doesn’t get you traffic, links, and shares? The problem for many content creators is they aren’t sure what type of content to focus on, so they try creating everything and anything they feel like creating in the moment. That works for some, but not for all (especially not for me). Let’s focus on 3 types of content that are proven to get you more traffic, links, and shares. If you focus on creating these types of content pieces you will start seeing better results. Good? Read on. 1. A Sure-Fire Way To Get Attention and Traffic Fast (Especially For Beginners) With A Recognition List Post Anyone doing something online whether that’s blogging, selling, writing, video publishing or email marketing love it when their work is recognized by others. Think back to when you were a teenager. Think of times when you put in […]

What CMOs Need to Know About Data Informed Content Marketing

Driven by trends in lower performing advertising and changing consumer behaviors, many marketers have embraced content with the majority of companies adopting the practice. According to CMI and MarketingProfs 2017 Content Marketing Benchmark report, the most successful B2B marketers spend an average of 39% of their marketing budget on content marketing and 39% plan on increasing spending in 2017. However, even with the promise of greater marketing performance through content, organizations are challenged to produce a variety of engaging content on a consistent basis and there are a few key reasons why: 41% of marketers are clear on what an effective content marketing program looks like 36% are somewhat committed or not committed at all 75% are minimally or moderately successful at content marketing What’s missing in the content marketing success equation where clarity is not so clear, commitment is not in full force and most companies think their […]

These Six Content Marketing Tactics Will Give You 142% More Traffic in Six Months

You don’t need me to tell you how potent content marketing is. I could spout off a laundry list of stats, e.g., “ conversion rates are nearly 6x higher for content marketing adopters than non-adopters” or “content marketing costs 62% less than traditional marketing and generates about 3 times as many leads.” You get it. But the term “content marketing” is a wide umbrella, encompassing a nearly infinite number of strategies and variations. What you really need to know is which content marketing tactics will get you legitimate results—which ones will boost your traffic and generate sustained leads. In other words, which strategies are truly worth your time? In this post, I’d like to discuss six key tactics I feel are most pertinent for content marketers in 2017. More specifically, these tactics will give you 142% more traffic in six months. Here we go. 1. Create multiple landing pages […]