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#MarketingTitbits – content marketing, lenses, Aldi

content-lenses-aldi-smaller1. Ways to invite your followers into your content marketing
Content marketing has grown in popularity recently, but with the opportunity comes challenge for many businesses of how to go about taking advantage of it. A good example of comes from Vitamin Water, which partnered with Facebook and created the successful ‘flavour creator’ campaign. It worked perfectly cultivating interest and engagement with their target audience. But how have others capitalised on the power of content marketing?

Here are 5 ways to help draw your target audience into your world. Click here. 

 

2. Google inks a deal with Novartis to make smart contact lenses

The tech world has seen a rise in wearable items recently and Google is a major contributor to this. We’ve seen the introduction of watches and Google Glass to name but two. But never one to rest on their laurels, Google are now looking to expand even further after partnering with Novartis to develop ‘smart contact lenses’ that could provide vision correction or measure glucose levels for sufferers of diabetes.

To read more about the new lenses, click here. 

 

3. UK consumers rate Aldi top brand

As you may already know, discount grocers have rocked the retail sector over the last 12 months, and recent surveys about the nation’s top brands have certainly reinforced this.

Aldi has topped the list of YouGov’s top 10 brands relating to consumer perception, with a Buzz score of 25.9, shaking off rivals such as John Lewis and Sainsburys in terms of positive associations with the brands.

To read more and find out who else made the top 10, click here.

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#MarketingTitbits – Facebook ads, Jack Daniel’s stories, Google structured snippets

facebookads-jackdaniels-google-smaller1. Nine best practice tips for Facebook advertising

E-Consultancy has compiled a list of the best marketing practices to use with Facebook. The tips include engaging with a vast audience in order to facilitate the opportunity for more clicks on your links, to separating mobile and desktop campaigns due to the behaviour changes in users depending on which platform they are using. Surprisingly, according to previous research, mobile users are more likely to click on links.

To read the other tips on optimising your Facebook ads, click here.

2. How Jack Daniel’s uses storytelling to personalise the brand

Many brands across the world employ focusing on the tradition and heritage of their existence; Jack Daniel’s is one of them.  On their website, the brand describes their timeline as a story of ‘independence and craftsmanship using years as chapters’. For brands such as Jack Daniel’s, the importance of history is clear and September happens to be the month of ‘Mr Jack’s birthday’, although no one knows the actual date. Much of the time, the stories that are told fail to mention the brand in any way, creating a more authentic and engaging atmosphere around ‘Jack’. On the Jack Daniels website you can rewind back to the early 1900’s by scrolling through the timeline of events that have followed the brand throughout its history.

To read the story of Jack for yourself, click here.

3. Google introduces ‘structured snippets’ into search results

Google is starting to test out ways to improve CTRs (click-through rate). The introduction of ‘structured snippets’ is one of the initiatives they are testing. You can see exactly what this means for yourself by Googling ‘Nikon D7100’ or ‘Superman’. You’ll see that extra detail is added to directly to the search listing on the result page itself, informing us of the camera specifications or Superman’s origins without the need to click through to the webpage the search result is directing you to. Structured snippets certainly help a result to stand out more but will this improve CTRs or will it have the opposite effect?

To see more, click here.

 

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#MarketingTitbits – Google+, Black Friday emails, worst

googleplus-emails-adverts-smaller1. Former Google+ designer slams the service for being ‘Facebook lite’
One of Google’s former employees has described Google+ as ‘adrift at sea’, with the social network leaving behind big opportunities and a ‘ton of value on the table’.

Chris Messina believes that Google+ is too similar to rival Facebook, and that they should have embraced the concept of identity by creating connections from the information that is shared online by Google users.

Could Google be slowly moving away from its Google+ brand? Right now, it’s unclear. But watch this space.

To read more about Google+, click here.

2. Black Friday email marketing: eight retail examples

Black Friday seemed to cause mayhem across the UK, both online and in shops. Now that the dust has settled, David Moth from Econsultancy reviews the emails he was receiving in the lead-up to the infamous wallet-emptying weekend.

He found that retailers such as Topshop, Urban Outfitters and Quicksilver were all keen to start early, sending out emails offering savings across their lines in advance of the big day. When Black Friday arrived, we were bombarded by emails, declaring 10% – 50% off items.

Brands such as House of Fraser and Office decided to steer clear of a generic Black Friday title and simply presented consumers with sale details. In contrast, other retailers, such as River Island, embraced the event to the full, making the deals available online only.

What was your experience of Black Friday?

To read more, click here.

3. The 10 worst ads of 2014

The time of year has finally come – no, it’s not Christmas just yet. Instead, it is time for us to sit back, relax and look over some of the worst ads from the past year. Business Insider has compiled its rankings of the top 10 fails in advertising. Here is a taste.

The top 10 includes some poor taste humour from brands, such as Paddy Power, who were placing bets on the murder trial of athlete Oscar Pistorious, a spot of corporate feminism from Dove and their ‘Patches’ product and a three-minute Scottish travel agent ad, using a series of questionable effects and props.

From cheesy soundtracks to some odd laxative issues, the list doesn’t fail to disappoint in the ‘really?’ department. So, click here if you can cope with seeing some.

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#MarketingTitbits – Google Translate, Twitter, SEO

googletranslate-twitter-seo-smaller1. Report: Google app will soon let you translate voice to text in real time
Google Translate has helped many of us over the years to overcome the language barrier, but now Google are taking their electronic dictionary to new heights with the introduction of real-time voice translation. Although the app offers voice-to-text translation at present, the update will allow it to automatically recognise a language and then translate it to the language you desire.

It’s not yet apparent when the new update will be released and with 90 languages to work on, it’s no wonder the project started way back now, in July 2013.

To learn more about the upcoming feature, click here.

2. Prince William and Kate now have an official Twitter account

The day has finally come! Kensington Palace, which is home to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, has created its own Twitter account, gaining over 130K followers in just over a week. Much to the disappointment of many around the world, there are no plans yet for the royals to be tweeting personally.

Instead, the Twitter account will provide updates on engagements, following in the steps of Clarence House and The British Monarchy, who both have Twitter accounts officially dedicated to the Royals.

To check out more details, click here.

3. How social and mobile work with SEO

Marketing generally works best when it is integrated. Different channels interact and build on the work each other does, combining to deliver an enhanced ROI. With this in mind, consider how can social media and mobile marketing work together to lead to improved SEO rankings?

One of the keys to making this work is to optimise the posts and content you are putting out through your social media channels – think keywords and location. The new Google Pigeon update, which focuses on geographic location when generating mobile-based search results, delivers the most relevant local businesses for the searcher. Google will reward sites that are mobile-optimised, so maybe it’s time to get working on that responsive-designed site.

Click here to discover more tips on how to succeed in the SEO, mobile and social media world.

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#MarketingTitbits – Snapchat, Google & TED Talks

snapchat-google-TEDtalks-smaller1. Eight brands experimenting with Snapchat for social marketing
There’s no shortage of people who claim that marketing on Facebook and Twitter is a waste of time and money, but what would they have to say about the latest rise of businesses using Snapchat?

Opinions will always be varied, but it’s no secret that Snapchat can maintain the attention spans of users in ways that other social media platforms could never achieve. The ‘Stories’ feature on the app allows a creative combination of photo and video – here are just a few examples.

Brands like McDonalds, American Eagle, Southampton FC and Sour Patch Kids have all used Snapchat to interact with fans by revealing behind the scenes sneak peeks, giving a glimpse at new collections and running competitions.

If you’d like to see some of the experiments yourself, you can click here.

2. How can you tell if you have a Google penalty?

Have you ever wondered if you’d been penalised by Google in the past? If the answer is yes, then wonder no more. Econsultancy has asked a number of search experts to reveal the signs, so here are a few for you to check your site against.

Some tell of checking flagged messages on Google Webmaster Tools, most often seen as the most straight forward option, but also consider checking for dips in traffic or search rankings. If your website is to steer clear of penalties, it’s important that practices such as link building or the inclusion of thin content are avoided.

To read more tips on how you can protect your website from Google’s penalties, click here.

3. Here’s a TED Talk about sounding smart in a TED Talk

TED Talks are known across the world for delivering engaging speakers who present their ideas and thoughts about any topic possible, with the aim of inspiring people to learn. Such speakers have included Bill Clinton, Stephen Hawking, Jane Goodall, Bill Gates and many more.

Most TED Talks are under 18 minutes long, which could be considered a drag if it wasn’t for the audience being hooked after a few seconds. But, how do they do this? Comedian Will Stephen presents a TED Talk of his own, reiterating the fact that if you sound smart, you could talk about absolutely nothing relatable and still find viewers wanting more.

If you’d like to learn how to control your vocals as a way of engaging listeners, alongside many more tips, you can watch Stephen’s talk by clicking here.

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#MarketingTitbits – Google, websites – then and now, Twitter election

google-websites-election-smaller1. The Google algorithm update may be a thing of the past
Google’s algorithm updates are known by names such as Penguin or Panda and will regularly move the SEO goal posts, leaving marketers awaiting their arrival with a certain level of anxiety. But this could now be a thing of the past.  Since 2012, the number of updates released by Google have decreased each year.

In a recent post on Search Engine Land, Nate Dame, the founder and CEO of search and content marketing firm Propecta, revealed his thoughts for fewer algorithm updates from Google and the reasons behind them.

To read more, click here.

2. An internet blast from the past!

Can you remember what LinkedIn looked like when you first visited the site in 2003?

Web design has come a long way in the last 20 years, so we’re sure you will enjoy looking at how some of the leading websites have changed since the early days of their existence.

On the list you will see how our favourite social networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter have all evolved, as well as Google, Amazon and eBay.

To see how the websites have transformed, click here.

3. ‘Twitter can be crucial to connecting people at this General Election’

With the General Election just over a month away and social media at its peak, it comes as no surprise to see that 34% of people in a survey carried out by Twitter have changed their vote from one political party to another after seeing something on the social media site.

The country is now at a point where people are feeling more disconnected than ever from politicians, so it is clear that Twitter could become a powerful tool for improving engagement, with 78% of members of parliament now signed up. Those in the running for the election could take tips from politicians like Barack Obama, who benefited greatly from his social media strategy during his campaign.

It’s expected that the 2015 electoral campaign will top the 7 million tweets generated from the Scottish referendum, but what influence will this have on votes? Head to MarketingWeek to find out more.

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#MarketingTitbits – email investment, Google search update, Facebook algorithms

email-google-facebook-smaller1. Why is email investment falling despite high returns?
Marketers tend to be fond of email marketing due to the high return on investment (ROI) that it yields, so why is spending in this channel decreasing?

According to a census of 1,000 marketers published by Econsultancy, email marketing is only second to SEO when it comes to delivering ROI, with 22% rating the benefits of email as excellent. But over recent years, the survey has found that other marketing channels, such as mobile, are of greater focus to marketers.

To find out more about the barriers to email marketing and how to overcome them, click here.

2. Google updates mobile search snippets

Last month, Google announced its plans to change the way URLs are presented in search results and started to use mobile-friendliness as a ranking tool to promote optimised experiences for users.

Currently only available in the US, URLs will be updated as a reflection of site names instead of domains, but available worldwide is the breadcrumbs update that structures data to help users navigate a site. Website owners are being advised to ensure that their site name and breadcrumbs are accurately displayed, and can do so by using schema.org.

For more on Google’s latest updates, click here.

3. Facebook’s algorithm update: what it means for marketers

With the big mobile algorithm updates from Google dominating conversation on the internet, it’s no surprise that the latest change Facebook has made has been overlooked by some.

A blog post from Facebook outlined how the platform will now prioritise content from your friends over brand pages, seemingly in an attempt to widen the use of paid social reaches. Facebook also wants to encourage brands to generate better content for users that they want to see and interact with. If content is liked, more of a brand’s posts will continue to be distributed higher in a particular user’s news feed.

The update is proving for marketers that engaging and relevant content is more important than ever. If you’d like to know more, click here.

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#MarketingTitbits – General Election, Googling for pizza, spotting fake reviews

election-pizza-reviews-smaller1. The election result: what it means for marketers
Over previous weeks, the general election result has dominated news headlines, as promises were made and the prospect of new legislation loomed. But, what does the new Tory government mean for marketers?

During the election campaign, the Conservative party stated that it was the best choice for marketers, delivering an environment where businesses can thrive, supporting continuous growth through their pledge to continue to remove the ‘red tape’ that surrounds the marketing industry. A Conservative spokesperson told Marketing Week that “marketing is one of Britain’s great creative and economic success stories”, promising to keep it that way as long as they are in government.

To find out more on how the new government could affect marketers, click here.

2. Googling for pizza? You can now order food directly from search results

It can be hard to keep up with Google’s continuously evolving features. From showing song lyrics in search results, to highlighting health-related information in queries, the search engine appears intent on becoming more than a mere signpost to a site.

Google has recently partnered with six food delivery services like Grubhub and Delivery.com, allowing users in the US to search for restaurants and instantly place a delivery. Further brands are set to be added in the future, with the feature possibly going global. Will it hit the UK?

To see how the latest addition works, click here.

3. True or false? How to spot a fake review

The internet has become home to reviews that are used by consumers and businesses alike. They help guide almost any purchase, whether this be for services, restaurants or where to travel.  However, some of these reviews can be fake and therefore misleading, so what sets the true from the false?

There are a number of indicators that you can look out for. These include signs like: the quantity, the more reviews the more realistic the representation; or how up-to-date the reviews are – recent feedback is much more trustworthy. It is important to know that any company that has a set of reviews can expect to have some critical comments, and this can actually reinforce the authenticity of their reviews because after all, no company is perfect – despite what Apple might think…;)

Take a look at some other tips to help spot the fake from the real by clicking here.

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#MarketingTitbits – Google, Ryanair messaging, internet fees

google-ryanair-internet-smaller1. Does Google use social signals for ranking?Are pieces of content more likely to rank higher on SERPs if they have more social signals (likes, retweets, comments, etc.) than similar content of less social ‘worth’? Econsultancy sheds some light on the topic.

Google is known for ranking content based on its quality, but it appears now that social interaction could possibly be added to the complicated ranking equation. As of this month, Google has begun to roll out an update in the US which shares tweets in real-time in search results.

So, if you have created content and shared it on Twitter with an optimised tweet, chances are that Google may have shared it too. To read more, click here.

2. Quality now drives our messaging, not price, claims Ryanair’s CMO

Ryanair has recently announced that its profits were up 66%, reaching £614 million for the first quarter of the year. Chief executive, Michael O’Leary, has claimed their ‘Always Getting Better’ programme is the key to their growth.

Over the same period, the airline’s marketing spend hit £166m, in an aim to improve brand perception by boosting personalisation features for its customers. Although the brand appears to be winning customers from competitors, be it budget or premium, it still has work to do to push up its index score and rise in the aviation ranks.

To find out more about Ryanair’s success, click here.

3. We’ve hit the peak of ‘free’ on the internet. It’s time to pay up

Over the years, the New York Times has juggled its subscription fees from free to paid and back again a number of times, but what will happen at a point where around 15% of users are paying for a service of some sort?

Free content shows no sign of disappearing, but is likely to be ‘rebalanced’ as online payments become safer and paid content becomes more valuable. But now, as large companies such as YouTube and Apple begin to join in the premium services, will you be persuaded to pay up?

Click here to read more on the ‘peak of free’.

 

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#MarketingTitbits – vloggers, Google+, Google I/O Conference

vloggers-googleplus-google-smaller1. Why transparency is key in relationship between brands and vloggers
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) revealed plans for new guidelines surrounding vlogging shortly after consumer goods company, P&G, became the latest culprit to fall foul of their rules.

Vloggers are not just popular among their subscribers, but brands also. Brands have discovered the advantages of using vloggers to promote their products, but as P&G and others such as Oreo have found out, clear labelling of adverts is a strict requirement.

Although guidance is expected to be welcomed amongst the industry, ASA’s CEO, Gary Parker, has acknowledged that changes cannot be too heavy handed as this could affect further development and innovation in the future.

Click here to find out more.

2. Google+ chief: big changes are ahead

Chief of Google’s social network, Bradley Horowitz, has revealed that although the service is here to stay, it will undergo a “renaissance” of thinking and changes.

The announcement comes as Google Photos launched its standalone service, offering users free and unlimited storage for photos and videos. Other differences have also begun to appear, with profile links to Google+ being removed from the homepage and hidden within the app icon.

What do you think the future holds for Google’s social network? To read more, click here.

3. Google I/O – the key takeaways for marketers

At the end of May, Google held its annual I/O conference, announcing a number of changes and new introductions to the Google family. One of the latest introductions includes Android Pay, a mobile payment system that will take on the likes of Apple Pay in allowing customers to facilitate the process using NFC technology.

Another announcement made during the conference surrounded developments in the use of context for the Google Now platform. The service can already anticipate what consumers might want to search for next, but will now pull through further contextually relevant content. If you were searching for a restaurant on Google Maps the service could now pull through information on the restaurant’s website and reviews, for example.

For more on Google’s innovative introductions, click here.

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