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How to get eyes on your blog content 0

You’re creating and publishing consistent, engaging and educating blog content for your brand or business. The articles are short, concise, shareable on social media.

But is anyone looking?

contentmktg_artThere are 2 million blog posts published daily, according to Digital Buzz Blog. That’s 2 million efforts for a writer to get noticed. For a marketing pro, the post he or she publishes becomes a needle in an enormous haystack.

As a content creator or marketing pro charged with the numerous daily posts about your product, business or brand, a blog marketing strategy helps.

Here are some suggestions, courtesy of the Content Marketing Institute, to get potential customers talking about those few hundred words for the Web.

  • Set a clearly defined goal for the blog post.
  • Do your research for find the ideal audience for your blog content.
  • Come up with a unique selling position, the reason why a person should purchase your product or follow your brand.  the reason why a person should buy your product or service, rather than that of your competitors
  • Be effective in the distribution of  your blog post.

Your blog is a key component of your content marketing strategy. It should be seen by more than a few people. Follow these tips, and get the word out.

Infographic: Printing on the move 0

More than a third of the workforce worldwide will be mobile by 2015, and among the tasks workers in the “bring your own device” environment will find themselves doing is printing.

They’re using smartphones and tablets to connect to wireless printers with increasing frequency. By 2015, 50 percent of smartphone users will use the devices for printing tasks, and 58 percent of tablet users will do the tasks,

This infographic by IDC explains this further.

idcmobileprint_art

 

 

Headline tips from a tabloid classic 0

The importance of an effective headline is key to content creation, especially when the content is created for the mobile device.

headless_artAn effective, informative headline helps generate the desired content marketing results: attracting, engaging, informing and keeping the reader interested on the online article or blog post.

More readers mean more interest in the brand, and potentially more customers and exposure.

This 2012 post from Content Marketing Today offers some tips on effective content headline creation by drawing inspiration from this classic newspaper headline written three decades earlier.

To summarize, headline content must:

Be brief in the description.
Lure the reader into the story.
Don’t give away too much of the story.
Be precise and descriptive with the words, without ambiguity.
Make it memorable.

 

 

Google Glass’ one-day only offer 0

Talk about one-day only sales.

googleglass_artGoogle is making its groundbreaking Google Glass available to anyone who wants to purchase a pair. The computer-equipped eyewear will be available for purchase for a single day, April 15, and only to U.S. residents who sign up in advance or return to Google’s site at 9 a.m. on that date. Orders will include a free sunglass shade or one of its newly introduced prescription glasses frames.

The offer is an expansion of Google’s Explorer Program that makes the eyewear available to select users who act as brand ambassadors.

Says Google:

“To discover new places, sometimes we need to leave the map behind. And that’s what Glass Explorers do. They are the first to make, to tinker, to create, to shape, and to share through Glass. We’re expanding little by little, and experimenting with different ways of bringing new Explorers into the program.”

With this controlled step the company is putting the $1,500 devices in the hands – or rather, on the faces – of more people in advance of the device’s launch to the general public.

The Verge first reported the plans for Google Glass, citing leaked slideshows detailing the promotion plans.

Market for wearables is gaining momentum 0

smartwatch_artShipments of wearable computing devices are expected to more than triple as they become functional, stylish and increasingly popular with the general public.

Leading the way are complex accessories like the Nike + Fuelband and Fitbit fitness and activity monitors that operate when connected to a smartphone, tablet or PC. Research from International Data Corporation says interest in the market for these devices will grow.

Says Ramon Llamas, research manager at Framingham, Mass.-based IDC:

“Complex accessories have succeeded in drawing much-needed interest and attention to a wearables market that has had some difficulty gaining traction. The increased buzz has prompted more vendors to announce their intentions to enter this market. Most importantly, end-users have warmed to their simplicity in terms of design and functionality, making their value easy to understand and use.”

IDC says overall shipments of wearables will exceed 19 million this year, more than triple last year’s sales, and grow to nearly 112 million units by 2018.

Another segment of the market, smart accessories like the Pebble smartwatch, Samsung GALAXY Gear, and Sony SmartWatch that allow users to access third-party apps, is projected to surpass complex accessories by 2018.

The third segment, smart wearables that include Google Glass and function with full autonomy, has yet to reach millions of units shipped, IDC says, and is not expected to reach that point until around 2016. But according to IDC, it is not a question of “if,” but “when” wearables as a whole will extend into the enterprise.

 

Comcast weighing plans for Wi-Fi phone service 0

Could mobile phone service soon be on your Comcast cable bill?

The communications giant, which is currently in the midst of a $45 billion acquisition of rival Time Warner Cable, is reportedly developing a wireless service that would mostly rely on Wi-Fi capable phones. The service would use Wi-Fi from wireless routers and public hotspots.

When Wi-Fi isn’t available, the service would use spectrum leased from traditional carriers like Verizon, AT&T and Sprint.

CNET is laying out Comcast’s plans, citing a report appearing in The Information.

The country’s largest cable operator also offers Internet and phone service, as well as home security systems. Over the past couple of years Comcast has been building an expansive public Wi-Fi hotspot network for its broadband customers to access.

The number of its Xfinity hotspots in public locations nationwide has now surpassed 1 million.

 

 

Choices to make: mobile app or website 0

As the population of consumers using mobile devices continues to rise, companies have decisions to make. Should they develop mobile device apps, or optimize their websites to be viewed on smartphones?

This infographic by Boca Raton, Fla.-based MDG Advertising helps break it down. Let us know what you think.

mobileapp_art

 

Five examples of unique mobile retailer content 0

What makes good content marketing for a mobile device?

It informs the consumer, and engages them. It helps the consumer make decisions and connect with the brand. The content goes beyond advice on making a purchase or finding a store nearby. Over time, it builds customer loyalty.

Content Marketing Institute recently came up with five solid examples of retail content created for mobile devices. For those focusing on effective mobile content, these should be worth a look:

teavana_artTeavana’s mobile site (shown at left) is unique and informative content for fans of the specialty tea shop found in many shopping malls, offering tips from a tea blending tool to brewing instructions for the perfect pot.

An app created for Lowe’s stands out for its “My Lowe’s” feature that helps shoppers remember what they bought at the home improvement store before.

A user-friendly Domino’s Tracker shows what stage a customer’s pizza order is in, whether it is still in the oven or is on its way to being delivered in 30 minutes or less.

Best Buy’s mobile app features content that helps educate consumers as they make their in-store decisions, like a scanner that they can use in the store to compare product features and check out reviews.

wendys_artThe MyWendy’s app (shown at left) has content geared toward the calorie conscious. Customers can set the calorie range for their meal, and they can view a list of items they can choose from to help them stick to their goal. The customer can save a customized meal that displays on the app what each item looks like, as well as the nutritional information.

These five apps have common content characteristics: They engage and inform the customer and give them a reason to stay interested in the brand. For content marketing creators, that is the goal.

Skip the fluff in your content 0

Fluff. It’s comforting in pillows, appealing in clouds and essential in marshmallows.

But when it comes to content geared toward communicating your brand message, fluff is the unnecessary stuff that can block the purpose of what you have to present. That can cost you customers, which is the ultimate goal.

fluff_artIt’s always a challenge to communicate what you have to say effectively and precisely, especially when it comes to marketing a product or brand. The temptation for those creating written content is to show how much they know by producing as much as they can.

Unnecessary words creep into the narrative, clichés work their way into the presentation, concise descriptions are replaced by wordy phases.

The fluff can obfuscate the message you wish to present of your business or brand, which is not what customers seeking to be informed and educated want.

The quality of the writing and how you deliver your point is key, rather than how much of it is written. Tight, concise writing is essential to reach out to those with limited attention spans and a multitude of online distractions.

It can be a task, but the goal is getting the job done with content that connects with your consumer audience, and doing it effectively.

A smartphone essential? The search engine 0

The search engine is proving to be the most essential tool at the disposal of smartphone users who responded to a recent survey.

It’s what mobilemarketingthey turn to when they want to know about what restaurant to dine at, the retailer to make a purchase, how to get from Point A to Point B. And it almost always involves accessing good, informative and searchable content for the mobile device.

Research by the advertising and technology company Local Corporation, gleaned from an online survey of 1,294 mobile shoppers in March, found that 73 percent of customers use search engines like Google in their smartphones to do their research about a product.

Search engine results are also a top influencer in purchasing decisions, with half of those customers surveyed saying it helps them make a decision, and 42 percent saying they rely on ratings and reviews.

The use of apps and other websites continues to gain traction, according to Local Corporation. Thirty-three percent of those surveyed turned to companies’ mobile specific websites, and 24 percent accessed mobile apps.

As consumers use their smartphones more for online searches, companies will need to do more than rely on keywords or search terms to attract customers. It also means a commitment on their part to high-quality content.