New opportunities in native advertising. Native advertising is increasingly entering into the conversations of today's digital marketers. It is defined as an advertising unit designed to integrate seamlessly with a user's consumption experience. It is taking shape in the form of Sponsored Stories on Facebook, promoted content on Buzzfeed, and Paid Discovery on StumbleUpon, to name a few.
Marketers are scrambling to better understand how to take advantage of this "new" form of advertising, yet they neglect to relate these platforms to their predecessors. Native advertising isn't new. It has been around for more than a century, though it has evolved into more personal applications as time has passed. In today's digital world, we are hungry for brand interactions that are meaningful and turn into viral distribution.
The brand that started the native advertising movement was Jell-O in the early 1900s. The First Jell-O Cookbook The consumer was placed at the center of the brand experience, and Jell-O reaped the benefits. 30 rare photos part 2. Design Daily: Are Minimalist Brands the Future? - Design. When these "minimalist brands" started popping up on the A2591 blog a few weeks ago, they seemed like a fun design exercise. The designers simply reduced familiar packaging to its bare essentials, taking colors and graphics away in a dramatic, three-step reveal. Some of the brands look especially sharp when reduced to a bare-bones execution; others are reduced to an almost unrecognizable state without their cascading milk falls or sides of sliced fruit. These seem like products stocked in some fantasyland grocery store patronized exclusively by anal-retentive designers, but as I started to look at some recent rebranding stories, I'd argue that the minimal trend is actually infiltrating the market faster than we think.
Remember the outcry over the new Pepsi branding? Compared to a few years ago, heck, even compared to the other brands in its flock, that's about as streamlined of a design as you could get. Disclaimer: GOOD partners with PepsiCo on the Refresh Project. 14 Inspiring Email Subject Line Hacks from the SXSW Catalog. InShare36 The process of naming SXSW panels is part of the process of getting them accepted. The fine folks at SXSW seem to prefer interesting, surprising panel titles.
Of course, they may be swayed by the votes that cleverly-named panels get at the start of the selection process. Thirty percent of the decision to choose a panel comes from the number of votes garnered. An unexpected title might just help get votes. So, each year, I do a study of the SXSW panel names, looking for inspiration and common themes that I can use in my own email subject lines. Things That Don’t Fit Together: Non-Sequiturs Our brains are wired to discard the familiar faster than a bear can spell Constantinople.
Lists of Three There is something memorable, readable, and easy-to-count about lists of three. Shock and Awe Boring subject lines make me want to poke needles into my eyes! Rhymes and Alliteration Sensual subject lines supplement the bottom line. Create a Common Enemy Insult Someone Don’t be a wimp. Sex Sells. 12 LinkedIn secrets to supercharge your social networking. To know me is to know that I love—love—LinkedIn. At 150 million members and growing, LinkedIn is a powerful professional networking tool, and it’s not just for job seekers. Frankly, if you’re in the professional world and not using LinkedIn, I’m not sure what you’re thinking. Our team at V3 uses it for new business development, competitive research and analysis, participating in groups and discussions, and engaging with and learning from peers—and, of course, it’s the go-to site for savvy job seekers everywhere.
One of the cool things about LinkedIn is there’s always something new to learn. Sure, the first step is to sign up and create your profile. But once you’ve got the basics covered, there are a number of ways you can customize your experience in not only achieve your professional goals, but also to get more out of LinkedIn. I do a lot of corporate LinkedIn training and these are some of my favorite tricks and tips: 1. Want to ditch a connection? How to wield this magic? 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Do You Make These 10 Mistakes When You Blog? Assuming you want to increase your blog traffic, there are certain mistakes you must avoid to be successful. If you commit these mistakes, your traffic will never gain momentum.
Worse, it may plateau or begin to decrease. Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/VisualField How do I know? After writing more than 1,000 posts and receiving more than 60,000 comments, I have made most of the mistakes you can make—numerous times. As a result, I have begun to see certain patterns emerge. Mistake #1: You don’t post enough. There are other mistakes, too; I doubt this list is exhaustive. Question: What other traffic-killers have you witnessed as a blogger? The Top 10 traits of Strong Brands | Ashesh R. 8 Ways to Maximize Your YouTube Marketing Results. Are you on YouTube? Are you getting the results you hoped for? In this article I’ll share 8 actionable tips to enhance your YouTube marketing. Why YouTube? The most recent statistics on online video and YouTube are mind-blowing: Nielsen reported that Americans streamed 15 billion videos in the most recently recorded month (May 2011).
Before you throw all your marketing dollars into YouTube, however, you might want to consider this other statistic: 35 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube… every minute. In other words, there’s a lot of competition for those eyeballs. . #1: Create compelling videos. Most of us will never create a “viral” video with millions of views because we don’t own a piano-playing cat or a sneezing baby panda, but thankfully those aren’t required for success. This is not your competition. Instead, you should create content that addresses your audience’s needs. . #2: Make your video findable. Your videos should be findable both within and outside of YouTube. Blog it. How to Market on Flickr | Small Business Search Marketing. (Ed. note: This was originally published on June 15, 2006, as an “article” — something separate from the blog. It’s now being republished as a blog post on July 5, 2012, but with the original date intact, because I’m removing the Articles section of this blog.
The facts and statistics mentioned below are from 2006 and have not been updated. I have, however, deleted one tip below that I no longer believe is appropriate.) As a small business owner, you’ll have to work harder and smarter on the web to compete against the likes of Big Company Widgets and Deep Pockets Doodads. You’ll also have to be more creative and take advantage of a lot of marketing opportunities the big guys have overlooked. And you’ll have to make marketing opportunities where none exist. Let’s look at one marketing opportunity that very few businesses are using: Flickr. What Is Flickr? Flickr is a web site owned by Yahoo! How does Flickr work? A Flickr account is free. Most Flickr members are active in groups. 1.) 2.) The who, what, where, when, why, and how of social media. 16 Facebook Marketing Strategies. There are thousands of Facebook apps, including a growing class designed for marketing use on company Facebook Pages. Here is a list of 16 different marketing strategies — using apps — that can help your ecommerce business. 1.
Facebook Send button Facebook recently launched the “Send” button, which allows Fans to send your content to their friends. Think of this as you would a “forward to a friend” button in email. According to Facebook, Fans have the option to send your URL in an inbox message to their Facebook friends, to the group Wall of their Facebook groups, and as an email. While the Like button allows users to share your content with all of their friends, the Send Button allows them to send a private message to just a few friends. 2. FriendCard is a way to increase brand visibility by offering Fans the ability to send customizable branded greeting cards to their friends directly from your Facebook Page. 3. Merchants increasingly utilize online video to showcase products. 4. 5. 6. QR Code Resume Blows Traditional Strategy Out the Window | Creative...
1K SharesTwitter58Facebook45Google+0Pin It Share2LinkedIn36StumbleUpon8661K Flares× With our first guerrilla marketing giveaway coming to a close, I figured it would be only fitting to key into some of the strategy and concepts that the giveaway book brings to the table. Be sure to enter our guerrilla marketing giveaway that ends on April 30th! See the details and enter today by clicking here. This is a prime example of Guerrilla Marketing and creative job hunting that will help you land your dream job! “I realized during my previous job search that getting an interview at a communication agency is the hardest part of the process,” says Petit.
“I tried to create a CV that would enable me to express myself vocally as soon as they read the paper version. This out-the-box thinking certainly breaks the monotony of traditional resume examples. QR CODE – Content-rich Resume from Victor petit on Vimeo. via Mashable Related. 10 tips for writing that sells | Internet Marketing Strategy: Conversation... No matter why you have it, your web site needs to sell. You need to get visitors to do something, whether that something is ‘sign up’, ‘buy now’ or just ‘keep reading’. Here are 10 quick tips for copy persuades, sells and converts: Start by telling people why they should read. Marketing copywriting 101: You have to get folks to read before you can persuade them. That’s it. Oh, and a call to action: Buy my e-book, The Unscary, Real World Guide to SEO Copywriting. $7, and chock full o’ writing advice. Also, follow me on Quora. 40 Key Emotional Drivers. B-to-B prospects respond to the same key emotion drivers consumers do.
In “Mail Order Strategy” (Hoke Communications, 1956), Victor Schwab compiled the following 40 key emotional drivers. People want to gain:Health PopularityPraise from othersPride of accomplishmentSelf-confidenceTimeImproved appearance ComfortAdvancement: social-businessMoneySecurity in old ageLeisureIncreased enjoymentPersonal prestige They want to save:TimeDiscomfortRisksMoneyWorryEmbarrassmentWorkDoubts They want to be:Good parentsCreativeEfficientRecognized authoritiesUp-to-dateGregarious“First” in thingsSociable, hospitableProud of their possessionsInfluential over others They want to do:Express their personalitiesSatisfy their curiosityAppreciate beautyWin others’ affectionResist domination by othersEmulate the admirable Acquire or collect thingsImprove themselves generally. 7 Things Pick-Up Artists and Savvy Marketers Have in Common. 5 Subject Line Tricks that Get Your Emails Read | Speedy Mail Email...
By Josh Shayne We all want our email campaigns to be read. But with the volume of messages your subscribers receive, you need to make YOUR email stand out from the rest – shining like a lighthouse beacon in a storm. No matter how great the content inside, if your email is never opened, it is almost not worth sending. Your email subject line is your bait – it must hook your reader’s attention and reel them in. Here are 5 Subject Line Writing Tricks to Get Your Emails Read: Have you ever seen a magazine headline that read something like this?
How about: 15 New Movies You Absolutely, Positively Must See! Or even: 7 Seductive Secrets to Sexier Sideburns Of course you have! Stating the number of tips, ideas or thoughts grabs the reader’s attention and puts them at ease. You are promising an easy, digestible format – a numbered list. Try adding a number to your next Email Subject Line to heighten appeal. Consider the difference between these subject lines: This is a fun opportunity to be creative. Color Psychology in Marketing: Branding Strategy Insider. All sizes | Interesting Social Media map by Overdrive | Flickr - Photo Sharing! - StumbleUpon. The Best and Worst of Marketing | Marketing Degree - StumbleUpon. How to Win Friends & Influence Peopleby Dale Carnegie. What Apple Can Teach You About Marketing | SmallFuel Marketing. Apple rocks at marketing—I think that's something fanboys and haters can both agree with.
From building an incredible amount of buzz, to driving fans out to buy products, to keeping repeat customers for life, they really have their act together. There are a lot of things small businesses can learn from Apple's success, and most of them easily translate from the corporate world to the small business world. The strategies that set Apple apart from its competitors are strategies that you can learn to use too. If you're lucky, you might just grow a fan club the size of Apple's. It’s important to be pretty. In all of Apple’s product lines and marketing materials, you won’t find a single thing that isn’t pretty. There are several opportunities for your small business to have great looking materials. People like big photos. A quick look at their website, and you’ll see that Apple fully believes in the old adage “a picture is worth a thousand words”.
Keep your message simple. Free Marketing Guides. Social Media pays off for small business. If you’re a small business owner using social media, chances are you’re beating out your larger competitors. According to a recent report, small businesses using socal media are likely to see these benefits: Increase Traffic – 72 percentImproved Search Rankings – 62 percentNew Partnerships – 59 percentBetter Sales – 48 percentReduction in Marketing Costs – 59 percent for self-employed, 58 percent for SMBsTwice as likely to find qualified leads Of course, there’s a catch. This only holds true if you are willing to put in the time. The results also show that the more time business put in, the more results they’ll reap. Full story at Small Biz Trends.
More top social media news. Photo credit: Fotolia. 9 Viral Videos That Are Actually Advertising. As a marketer, there's nothing less cool than being seen trying to promote a viral campaign and failing. On the other hand, there's nothing cooler than a viral campaign taking off through no effort of your own. It's a bit like having a flat stomach: There's much more cachet if you have good genes as opposed to constantly hitting the gym. Marketers can curse the gods for this profoundly unfair happenstance or they can get creative and release fake viral videos that are actually ads. That's the approach the following have taken, and in each case, they've been caught. So, a few questions: Is it actually better to try to orchestrate a viral campaign in which you distance yourself from the campaign? Twitter Is Launching Its Own Photosharing Service.
Consumer Behavior: The Psychology of Marketing. 30 Bizarre and Creative Packaging Design Examples. The Anatomy of a Perfect Landing Page. Fortune 500 Mission Statements.
Scribulous Scrawlin' by ~Alphabeta85 on deviantART. How do colors affect purchases? The Best and Worst Identities of 2009. Zing your Brand - Mary van de Wiel, Online Branding Expert. Social Media pays off for small business.