Digital Marketing News: Facebook’s Ad & Metric Changes, Pinterest Tops 250M Users, Google’s URL Plans, & LinkedIn’s Dynamic Ads

LinkedIn brings Dynamic Ads into Campaign Manager platform
LinkedIn has added Dynamic Ads into its Campaign Manager platform. Templates, auto-translation, and data-mapping are among the new additions to an expanded LinkedIn (client) ad management tool. MarketingLand

Americans are changing their relationship with Facebook
A new survey from the Pew Research Center shows that 42 percent of Facebook users having taken a break from the site during the past year, one of several findings of interest to digital marketers. Pew Research Center

Google Wants to Kill the URL
Google and other tech firms are grappling with oftentimes unwieldy and increasingly dangerous URLs. Google’s Chrome browers is looking to at least alter how URLs are displayed, a move that could change how digital marketers incorporate them. Wired

Some Marketers Are Cutting Back on Third-Party Data
Certain digital marketers have pulled back from reliance on third-party data, according to new survey data from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, Deloitte, and the American Marketing Association (AMA). Browsers blocking third-party tracking data and Facebook’s Cambridge Analytica fallout are among several reasons noted for the drop in numbers. eMarketer

The new Search Console is graduating out of Beta
Google’s latest Search Console has rolled out, along with a number of other new features including a Manual Actions report and a live-testing tool. Google Webmaster Central Blog

Twitter adds audio-only broadcasting for iOS app, Periscope
Twitter has added audio-only broadcasting to users on certain versions of its platform. Users have gained the ability to record and share audio, with a rollout to remaining Twitter platforms expected over time. MarketingLand

Facebook advertisers can now manage where Instant Article, in-stream video ads appear
Facebook has released an update allowing advertisers to precisely control where Instant Article and in-stream video ads are displayed. Exclusion lists and publisher delivery reports are among additional new features on the social giant’s platform. MarketingLand

Pinterest passes 250 million monthly active users
Pinterest has topped the 250 million user mark. Most of them are now non-U.S. users, as the company has seen its strong growth pace hold steady. VentureBeat

Facebook Updates Ad Metrics to Combine Web, App, and Offline Purchase Data
Facebook has updated its advertising metric data, with cost-per-purchase, offline, Web, and app integration among a slew of new data available to digital marketers. Search Engine Journal

Consumers Say: Treat Us Like People, Not Numbers
A new Salesforce survey shows that 75% of millennials and GenZers expect “seamless handoffs between departments and channels, contextualized engagement based on earlier interactions,” among other revelations. MediaPost

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE:

A lighthearted look at the silo mentality by Marketoonist Tom Fishburne — Marketoonist

Apple Announces New Trade-In Offer For Customers To Exchange Their Old iPhones For Absolutely Nothing — The Onion

TOPRANK MARKETING & CLIENTS IN THE NEWS:

• Lee Odden — Content Marketing World 2018 Wrapup — BrainTrust Insights
• Lane R. Ellis and Nick Nelson — What’s Trending: An Eventful Week — LinkedIn (client)
• Lee Odden — Top 15 Marketing Bloggers to Keep You Informed, Interested, and Influential — Commun.it
• Lee Odden — What were the best questions and answers from Content Marketing World? — Crystal Clear Communications
• Lee Odden — Content Marketing World Round-Up — Meltwater
• Lee Odden — B2B influencer marketing essentials: How to identify your influencers — B2B Marketing
• Prophix — Adapt & Innovate – AI and the Next Evolution of Finance — Phophix (client)
• Arm Treasure Data — How IoT Data is Reshaping the Marketing Landscape — Phophix (client)

What are some of your own top social media marketing news items this week?

Thanks for taking the time to read our weekly news, and we hope you’ll join us again next week for a new array of relevant digital marketing industry news, and in the meantime you can follow us at @toprank on Twitter for even more timely daily news. Also, don’t miss the full video summary on our TopRank Marketing TV YouTube Channel.

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© Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®, 2018. | Digital Marketing News: Facebook’s Ad & Metric Changes, Pinterest Tops 250M Users, Google’s URL Plans, & LinkedIn’s Dynamic Ads | https://www.toprankblog.com

The post Digital Marketing News: Facebook’s Ad & Metric Changes, Pinterest Tops 250M Users, Google’s URL Plans, & LinkedIn’s Dynamic Ads appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

Article Source: http://bathseoexpert.blogspot.com/2018/09/digital-marketing-news-facebooks-ad.html

Use It or Lose It: 8 Ways to Make the Most of Your Digital Marketing Budget Surplus

For all marketing leaders, effectively managing your digital marketing budget is a delicate balancing act. Spend too much too early, and you’re running ultra-lean for the balance of the year and risk falling short of your goals. Spend too little, and you’ll likely lose those dollars at year’s end—and perhaps put yourself in a position to see cuts next year if your frugalness is taken out of context. In our experience, we often see organizations slow to spend the first nine months of the year and eager to spend in the final quarter. So, if you’ll soon find yourself in the “use it or lose it” position, absolutely use it—but be thoughtful. How and where should you allocate those dollars? Ultimately, your overall marketing goals and strategy should be your guide. But other factors to consider are projected resource constraints, upcoming and future events you’ll be attending or hosting, planned campaigns, and internal expertise. Regardless of the size of your dollar surplus, there are several ways to make the most of it, gain some end-of-year momentum, and set yourself up for more success in the coming year. What are they? Let’s dive in.

Ideas for Making the Most of Your Leftover Marketing Budget

#1 - Invest in a content audit.

As TopRank Marketing CEO Lee Odden has often said: “Content isn’t king. It’s the kingdom.” So, chances are, many of your budgetary resources have been allocated to creating top-notch content such as blogs, robust resource pages, or larger assets like eBooks or white papers. As a result, you have a lot of content. But where are the gaps? What should be killed, kept as is, or updated? A content audit can provide answers here, allowing you to prioritize low-hanging fruit opportunities, refine your 2019 content strategy, and more. [bctt tweet="Where are the gaps? What should be killed, kept as is, or updated? A #content audit can provide answers here. - @Alexis5484 #MarketingBudgets" username="toprank"] Depending on the scope of the audit, (e.g  blog content only vs. full site audit) this can be one of the most cost effective uses of your budget.

#2 - Conduct a competitive audit.

There’s little doubt that you’re keeping a close eye on what your competitors are doing, but when’s the last time you took a more detailed deep dive into their activities or position in the marketplace? Better yet, have you had a chance to dig into those who are on the rise? A competitive audit—which can be simple yet insightful (e.g. social only audit) or more robust—can refresh your view and surface insights that were not on your radar.

#3 - Experiment with new content types.

Consumer and buyer preferences are constantly evolving, especially when it comes to wanting more visual or on-demand content. With extra budget in hand, you have the opportunity to experiment with new content types that have the potential to reach your audience in new ways, And can continue to be promoted and drive results in 2019. Some content types to consider include:

• Podcast series
• Video interview series
• Product explainer videos
• How-to videos
• Motion graphics
• Interactive or animated content assets

An important note when it comes to podcasts: Podcasts do require a more significant investment of time, money, and resources. However, they also have the potential to be a staple offering that your audience comes back to again and again.

#4 - Build up your library of original photos.

From social media promotion to blog post header images, many marketing departments often rely on stock photo sites for their image needs. Typically, there’s either no time, no budget, no designer—or a combination of all three—to create custom imagery. So, why not use some of those extra dollars to create a library of eye-catching, unique photos to add some pizzazz to your written content?

#5 - Put paid spend behind your best content.

Whether it’s AdWords, boosted social posts, retargeting, or display, there’s always an opportunity to leverage digital advertising tactics to boost your marketing results. Your top-performing content assets are the best candidates for this approach. You know they resonate. You know they inspire. So, you know they have the best opportunity to deliver ROI in a paid setting. [bctt tweet="Whether it’s #AdWords, boosted social posts, #retargeting, or display, there’s always an opportunity to leverage digital advertising tactics to boost your #marketing results. - @Alexis5484 #MarketingBudgets" username="toprank"]

#6 - Add new tools or subscriptions to your technology stack.

These days, I think it’s safe to say that every marketer uses tools and technology to make their jobs easier and their marketing more effective. If there’s a new one you’ve had your eye on, this is the perfect time to invest in a tool which will drive value throughout 2019. Don’t jump right to purchase, however. Nearly every software tool offers demos, free trials, or free versions that you can try before you buy. If you find one you want to test for the long-term, many offer a on-time payment, rather than a monthly option.

#7 - Conduct original research.

Original research has a myriad of benefits. Not only does it allow you to uncover meaningful data about the pain points, attitudes, and insights of your audience, but also enables you to create a credible piece of pillar content that resonates. Like podcasts, this certainly isn’t an initiative to take lightly. For the last two years, we’ve helped our friends at DivvyHQ compile the Content Planning Report. So, take it from us: It’s resource and time intensive, but the reward can be big as you continue to refine each year and become sticky in the content landscape.

#8 – Collaborate to co-create content with influential voices.

People trust people over brands. So, if you have extra budget, why not use that to collaborate with industry influencers or thought leaders to create credible, insightful content? This could be a series of long-form interviews or a more robust campaign with assets large and small. Over the last two years, this type of content and program has been at the top of the end-of-year spend list for our clients for two reasons: 1) As an agency, we’ve developed relationships with experts in a range of industries and we’re experienced in making new connections. 2) Influencer content has longevity since it can be sliced and diced or rolled into larger assets, and the insights shared often stand the test of time.

Don’t Lose It

You’ve worked hard to win your marketing dollars—so make them work for you. Whether you want to build up a stockpile of ready-to-go promotional images or go big with an influencer program, you have cost-effective and extravagant options to make the most of your budget. If you’ve found yourself on the other side of the spectrum—facing a budget cut—don’t panic. Check out this piece for tips to prioritize your marketing efforts after budget cuts.

The post Use It or Lose It: 8 Ways to Make the Most of Your Digital Marketing Budget Surplus appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

Article Source: http://bathseoexpert.blogspot.com/2018/09/use-it-or-lose-it-8-ways-to-make-most.html

Game On: How to Power-Up Your Content Marketing Game with Insights From #CMWorld

Article Source: http://bathseoexpert.blogspot.com/2018/09/game-on-how-to-power-up-your-content.html

Ashley Zeckman Dispels B2B Influencer Marketing Lies at CMWorld

It’s no wonder that Ashley Zeckman, Digital Strategy Director at TopRank Marketing, drew a crowd last week at Content Marketing World: she promised to debunk the prevalent myth that influencer marketing is best suited for B2C brands. Content marketers, just like everybody else, see loads of influencers promoting consumer brands. So, why can’t some of us get over the notion that involving influencers in B2B campaigns isn’t a good fit? Because, as Zeckman puts it, content marketing is difficult. As it stands today, only 50% of marketers believe they’re achieving their marketing goals (Smart Insights). In addition, 75% of blog posts get fewer than 10 social shares, and get zero links from other domains (Buzzsumo & Moz). What’s worse, is that 70% of marketers lack a consistent or integrated content strategy (Altimeter). But for those of you newer to the idea of using influencers for B2B, keep reading to see Zeckman’s proof that it works wonders. And as an added bonus, she debunked five other lies about B2B influencer marketing along the way.

The Difference Between B2C & B2B Influencer Marketing

Before digging in to how marketers can use influencer marketing to boost B2B results, Zeckman broke down the difference between B2B and B2C campaigns with a few examples. You’re no doubt familiar with the Marlboro Man, whose face was synonymous with a smoke. You’ve seen Kim Kardashian’s image associated with perfumes, liqueurs, and more than a few fashion labels. And, you probably remember Britney Spears’ “Got Milk?” ad. But Zeckman points out the key difference in those B2C tactics and the new way of B2B influencer marketing: [bctt tweet="Rather than unapologetically telling us to buy a product, #B2B influencers are collaborating around an idea. - @azeckman #InfluencerMarketing" username="toprank"]

5 Lies About Influencer Marketing

#1 - All Influencers Are Created Equal

When you’re looking for influencers to get involved in your B2B campaign, it’s important to know that, no, not all influencers are equal. Nor should they be used interchangeably. The best B2B influencer campaigns, stresses Zeckman, involve multiple types of influencers, which she breaks down into five main categories below: Ultimately, choosing your perfect mix all depends on your campaign objectives, Zeckman says. If you’re looking to expand your audience and get eyeballs on your content, brandividuals should be part of the mix. They’re the people with a large audience reach of their own with whom their own content resonates deeply. [bctt tweet="Ultimately, choosing the right mix of influencers comes down to your campaign objectives. - @azeckman #InfluencerMarketing" username="toprank"] If your goal is to engage a more specific audience segment, aim to include up-and-comers who resonate with your audience, and are consistently creating content that’s highly and specifically relevant to your target. And if your main focus is to convert, don’t leave out the niche experts or customer influencers, even if they don’t have as many followers as your other influencers. They know the nitty-gritty of the subject matter, and create content that not many others can. Their relevance will make your customers feel comfortable that somebody’s been in their same shoes, and will produce the content that nudges your targets over the finish line.

#2 - Brands Should Dictate What the Influencers Say

Telling your influencers what to say can be irreversibly damaging to the level of audience trust you’ve worked hard to build. That’s why it’s so important to make sure the influencers you choose for your B2B campaign are already talking about your subject matter. That topical alignment is key, according to Zeckman, regardless of the topic itself. Take, for example, the B2B influencer campaign that Zeckman and TopRank Marketing partnered with Prophix to create. The goal of the campaign was to increase general brand awareness for the financial software company by targeting the office of finance. To do so, our team took a close look at the office of finance, and found that the audience was in the midst of an industry shift thanks to AI, but was having trouble visualizing what that change would mean for their day-to-day. So, the team put together an animated asset featuring AI-style audio contributions from well-aligned influencers like Chris Penn and Jennifer Warawa.

#3 - Influencers are Only Good For Social Promotion

It’s natural, given how wrought with influencer promotion our social media feeds can be, to assume that the main benefit of influencers is the promoting they’ll do on your social channels. But, as Zeckman points out, we can engage influencers in a variety of collaborative ways, even making them foundational elements of the content such as audio or video interviews, or podcasts or other serialized content. A great example of this is action is a podcast series Zeckman and the TopRank Marketing team worked on with 3M. The series involved 16 influencers across various scientific fields, including professors, teachers, astrophysicists, and chemical biologists, and was hosted by the Jayshree Seth, 3M’s Chief Science Advocate. The podcast series beat industry benchmarks by 69% with over 7,000 downloads. Many of the influencer guests amplified, employees amplified, and live events put on by 3M (involving some of the influencers who had contributed throughout the season) also helped drive awareness.

#4 - Engaging Influencers is Just Like Buying an Ad

Because B2B influencers are collaborating around an idea rather than just peddling a product, getting them involved is rarely as simple as purchasing a media spot. Zeckman has perfected the practice, and gives a few tips for engaging the ideal influencers for your B2B campaign. First, you’ll have to send out some signals. As a brand or agency, create content that features the individuals you’d eventually like to partner with on a campaign. The simplest way is to include them on any lists that you’re creating. TopRank Marketing, for example, recently featured people from all industries in the list the  Top 50 Content Marketing Influencers, many of whom have gone on to contribute to B2B influencer campaigns. After you’ve started sending signals, nurture the budding relationship. Staying in touch is a great way to gain credibility with the influencer and encourage them to co-create content, amplify it, and stay in touch for future opportunities to collaborate. Above all, says Zeckman, be thoughtful in your interactions, and show your gratitude. Bonus points if you can show your gratitude in the form of pie, as the TopRank Marketing did for the influencers who contributed to DivvyHQ’s Easy as Pie campaign. [bctt tweet="Be thoughtful in your influencer interactions. And show some gratitude. - @azeckman #InfluencerMarketing" username="toprank"]

#5 - Successful Influencer Marketing Requires a Lot of Time, Budget, and Resources

Some believe the juice isn’t worth the squeeze when it comes to B2B influencer marketing, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Collaborating with the right influencers to create content is one of the most economical ways to build a successful campaign. For one thing, the content created with influencers has great potential to be repurposed. A blog post with influencer contributions can be grown into an eBook, Slideshare, or any number of other valuable assets. Most influencers are happy to expand upon a small contribution to provide more detail where needed, and that can be filed away for future, modular use. In addition, influencer content perfectly lends itself to curation. If you’ve worked hard enough to have a small arsenal of contributions, consider compiling them into a list and publishing them as a blog post. Quotes that hit home are easily converted to beautiful, shareable images. And don’t forget, says Zeckman, that your the influencers you involve are individuals. They’re real people who are most often thrilled to help amplify the content to which they’ve contributed. By providing influencers with social messages and images to share at the time of campaign launch, you’ve got a head start to promoting your hard work. And the payoff is worth it; Zeckman once saw a 1,700% increase in social ad clicks for a campaign as a result.

The Truth About B2B Influencer Marketing

Don’t believe the lies. B2B brands absolutely have an opportunity to collaborate with influencers and industry thought leaders, just like B2C brands have been doing for decades. Influencers can help extend your reach, lend authority to your content, and help you build credibility with your audience. Want more insights on influencer marketing? See what TopRank Marketing CEO had to say during his 2018 CMWorld session on solving the “confluence equation.” What misconceptions or concerns have you heard about influencer marketing? Tell us in the comments section below.

The post Ashley Zeckman Dispels B2B Influencer Marketing Lies at CMWorld appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

Article Source: http://bathseoexpert.blogspot.com/2018/09/ashley-zeckman-dispels-b2b-influencer.html

LinkedIn’s Megan Golden on Building a Blockbuster Content Marketing Strategy

“The good news about being a marketer in 2018 is that we have dozens and dozens of channels to share our marketing story,” Megan Golden, group manager of LinkedIn’s* global content and social media marketing, said in the opening of her session at Content Marketing World last Thursday. “The bad news about being a marketer in 2018 is that we have dozens and dozens of channels to share our marketing story," she added. It’s true. We’re inundated with options for trying to reach our audiences these days, making it a challenge to narrow focus and find the right mix. But it’s safe to say that if you work in B2B, LinkedIn has to be in that mix. Hosting more than half a billion professionals, and boasting unparalleled targeting capabilities, the platform is tremendously powerful for those who know how to use it. No one knows better than LinkedIn’s own marketers. During her presentation, Megan pulled back the curtains to provide an inside look at tactics her team has developed and refined over the years. It starts with a nod to Disney.

Embracing the Blockbuster Model

When Megan talks about shifting to a “Blockbuster Strategy,” she’s certainly not talking about the defunct video rental chain. Instead, she’s referring to the approach used by film studios like Disney to capitalize upon their most valuable franchises. After all, effective content needs to entertain, so which better examples to follow than cherished box-office boomers like Star Wars and The Avengers? Via 7 Trends in B2B Marketing: Think Like Disney and 6 Other Strategies As the timeline above depicts, Disney’s roadmap is structured largely around sequels, spinoffs, and sagas. The volume of net-new content makes up only a fraction of the release schedule. And clearly, it’s working. “They’re monetizing their back catalogue by understanding what’s worked,” Megan says.

Three Principles of B2B Blockbuster Content

[bctt tweet="A #B2B blockbuster #contentmarketing strategy monetizes a brand’s expertise. @Goldmegs" username="toprank"] The content team at LinkedIn Marketing Solutions has adopted this same mindset, with great success. Megan points to a trio of core tenets that guide LinkedIn’s editorial council:

• Focus. Concentrate your effort and promotion into regularly spaced out big-rock assets rather than following a scattered, ad-hoc calendar.
• Familiarity. Make this content recognizable by consistently releasing new iterations and tie-ins around the same themes.
• Extensibility. Unleash this content across various channels, platforms, and formats to increase its reach and accessibility. (Think about how much revenue Disney drives through merchandise.)

LinkedIn’s marketing team applied these principles through its Sophisticated Marketer’s Sessions series, which has turned into pillar content for them. These sleekly and uniformly designed sets of guides, infographics, videos, and cheat sheets showcase the unique insights from LinkedIn’s own leading marketers around key B2B social media marketing topics like targeting, engagement, and ROI. The Sophisticated Marketer’s Sessions exemplify the B2B blockbuster model, following the three aforementioned principles and, in turn, monetizing the brand’s expertise. But of course, all of this is contingent on the content resonating with audiences. Disney’s model wouldn’t be so effective if not for the sensational appeal of Luke Skywalker and Iron Man. In order to execute the B2B blockbuster strategy, you need to find out what your audience loves. Doing so requires plenty of experimentation. Megan helpfully shared some of the findings her team has surfaced through its own experiences in this regard.

Tried and True Tips for Marketing on LinkedIn

[bctt tweet="If you’re not testing, you’re literally losing money. @Goldmegs on #ContentStrategy" username="toprank"] Film studios like Disney invest significant resources into test screenings, surveys, and research to determine what will hit home with viewers, because missing the mark is very costly. Marketers can similarly rely on audiences to direct their strategies through A/B testing, which Megan emphasizes as an essential practice. When it comes to marketing on LinkedIn, she saved us some of the work by sharing insights gleaned from her team’s experimentation on the platform. For instance:

• Concise, quick-hitting content outperformed lengthier posts in terms of reach and clicks
• Calling out the audience directly in the copy drove higher conversions
• Darker shading tended to yield stronger click-through rates than light aesthetics
• For digital assets, the descriptor “guide” outperformed “eBook”and drove 100% higher CTRs
• Featuring a person rather than an object drove a huge lift in conversion rate

Create Your Own B2B Blockbuster

In the immortal words of Master Yoda, “Always pass on what you have learned.” We appreciate Megan following this directive from an unforgettable Star Wars character who’s helped vault Disney’s most prized franchise into the stars. With these insights in hand, you’ll be ready to take off with your own B2B blockbuster. Looking for more of the best nuggets to come out of Content Marketing World 2018? Check out some of our team’s other reports from the conference:

• Influencer & Content Marketing: Solving the Confluence Equation with Lee Odden
• How Twitch is Breaking New Ground In Audience Engagement
• Allen Gannett Shares His Secrets to Racking Up Millions of LinkedIn Video Views
• Andrew Davis Helps Content Marketers Grasp & Keep Audience Attention with the Curiosity Factor
• How Amanda Todorovich and the Cleveland Clinic Monetized Their Blog (And Why the Resulting Revenue is Just Gravy)

*Disclosure: LinkedIn is a TopRank Marketing client.

The post LinkedIn’s Megan Golden on Building a Blockbuster Content Marketing Strategy appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

Article Source: http://bathseoexpert.blogspot.com/2018/09/linkedins-megan-golden-on-building.html

How Amanda Todorovich and the Cleveland Clinic Monetized Their Blog (And Why the Resulting Revenue is Just Gravy)

In a room overflowing with content marketers hungry to find out how to turn a blog audience into a monetizable asset, Amanda Todorovich delivered.

Todorovich, Content Marketing World’s 2016 Content Marketer of the Year, became Director of Content Marketing at the Cleveland Clinic in 2013, when their blog was only six months old and had roughly 200,000 views per month. Now, the Health Essentials blog gets six million views per month and is the number one most-viewed hospital blog.

So, how do Todorovich and her team continue to grow their blog and turn that traffic into revenue?  “You can’t think about the money first.” She stressed that creating content to answer the question, “what do we need to sell today?” is no way to decide what will be most valuable for your audience.

Below are 5 steps that helped Amanda and her team grow and monetize the Health Essentials blog:

#1 – Make Your Audience Your Universe

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Content has to be interesting, valuable, and useful above all else. @amandatodo #CMWorld
Click To Tweet

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Growing and monetizing a blog starts with amazing content that’s not about you, explained Todorovich. If you’re not considering the needs and wants of your audience, you won’t keep them coming back, much less be able to monetize the traffic. Providing content that’s “interesting, valuable, and useful above all else,” is a must, and requires content marketers to know and listen to your audience.

Todorovich recommends that content marketers to define the audience with as much data and detail as you can. “Make them as real as possible to your team. Give them a name. Give them a picture. What are their problems? How can you make decisions easier for them?” This important concept ran deep at #CMWorld this year, and jibes especially well with with the “Doris” callout from Ann Handley’s keynote. And no wonder the know-your-audience theme resonated; Once you you’ve made data-informed decisions about what your audience wants and can think of them as individuals with real questions, you’ll know what content will resonate and keep readers coming back. By letting their audience inform their content strategy, Todorovich grew the Health Essentials blog from 250,000 views per month to one million per month in just half a year after joining the team.

Take this example: Todorovich jokes that her team can keep track of the flu season—among other things—by their audience data. Sometime around October each year, search volume grows around influenza prevention tips, then treatment methods, then “clean-up.” Ick, right? But, you better believe that the Health Essentials blog is providing content for that audience. The flu-season breakdown that Todorovich describes may be niche, but her strategy of in-depth analysis and response is something that all of us content marketers should be providing for our audience before we even think about monetizing our blogs.

#2 – Know the Landscape

Only when Todorovich was confident that the content of the blog was becoming more and more interesting, valuable, and useful to her audience did she seriously consider options for monetizing. From her time working for a digital publisher, Todorovich knew of the three most common monetization tactics: Advertising, Syndication, and Acquisition of other publishing sources.

Todorovich confessed that the Health Essentials blog first focused on syndication “because people asked,” and that some of that syndicated content was written “in exchange for eyeballs, not money.” But with the blog’s quickly growing traffic, Todorovich recognized the biggest opportunity for monetizing the blog would lie in advertising.

And there was no shortage of obstacles to selling advertising: “We’re non-profit. Internally, nobody wanted us to advertise.” Knowing the internal and external landscape surrounding the Health Essentials blog is what allowed Todorovich find her way to monetizing it. “We weren’t going to make enough money to be profitable. The problem was perception.”

To protect the brand and address the specific needs of the Cleveland Clinic (and it’s PR and legal departments), Todorovich and her team wrote a disclaimer that is shown on every ad unit on their site to inform the reader that the ad supports the mission of the Cleveland Clinic. Sure, it limits the potential of advertisers—the clinic doesn’t accept advertising from alcohol or tobacco companies, for example—but the policy was necessary to navigate the landscape of the healthcare industry and continue to grow trust from their readers.

The same knowledge of the hospital’s internal landscape is what led Todorovich to engage a partner to help manage the advertising rather than take it on herself. In a 50/50 revenue share partnership, Todorovich and her team provide the content while their partner manages and sells all of the advertising. Both companies allowing the other to focus on strengths without pushing comfort boundaries. While content marketers may not all face the same obstacles, the emphasis that Todorovich put on the need to remain flexible enough to navigate circumstances without sacrificing the integrity of the content or brand was well-received.

#3 – Start Small and Test Often

The first advertisements that were sold on the Health Essentials blog were “just traditional display” ads, said Todorovich. “We did do a small test in google, because we feared there would be a negative reaction.” But, the audience didn’t mind the advertisements on the Health Essentials blog “probably because our content is mostly news-driven. In fact, the advertisements may have even lended us more credibility as a news source,” explained Todorovich.

About slowly starting to advertise on the blog, Todorovich said, “we tested our way through it – we test everything.” There’s still some slight discomfort that arises around the monetization of the Health Essentials blog. It’s based on a fear that it could negatively impact the credibility they’ve worked hard to build. But the reassurance comes in the form of the team’s own commitment:  “We will always be brand-first. Our content has not changed because of our advertising.”

#4 – Yesterday’s Score

Big goals are sexy, and especially tempting when it comes to monetization. But, warns Todorovich, they can be daunting and distracting, and less meaningful than smaller goals. Regardless, she said, “there’s no magic way to achieve goals. It takes effort and commitment to strategy.”

Strategies, of course, will vary based on industry, subject matter, objectives, and various other factors in the marketing equation. What’s worked for the Health Essentials blog team is to huddle every day to ask and answer two questions: “What did we learn yesterday? And, what are we testing today?” Certainly two questions that would be helpful for any content marketing team to ask, especially as they begin to dabble in monetization.  

The “small” goal that Todorovich and the team behind the Health Essentials blog focus on? It’s not a big annual revenue goal. Simply, it’s to “beat yesterday’s score.”

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Every day we should ask ourselves two questions about content: What did we learn yesterday? What are we testing today? @amandatodo #CMWorld
Click To Tweet

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#5 – The Revenue is Gravy

“If you’re interested in monetizing your blog,” Todorovich says, “focus on great content. Focus on your audience.”  With a data-based knowledge of the audience, a commitment to valuable content, a brand-first approach to navigating obstacles, and the patience to always test new ways to beat yesterday’s score, you’ll be on your way to monetizing your blog.

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Influencer & Content Marketing: Solving the Confluence Equation with Lee Odden

Due to my lifelong contempt for math, I’ve been known to struggle with equations – especially complicated ones.

Luckily, understanding the “Confluence Equation,” as broken down by TopRank Marketing CEO Lee Odden at Content Marketing World, is quite straightforward. For modern marketers, it’s also absolutely critical.

Content + Influence = Confluence

Given the setting where Lee’s session was delivered – a massive conference with thousands in attendance – it goes without saying that there’s plenty of interest in content marketing right now.

But you might be surprised to learn that, at least through the lens of Google search trends, interest in influencer marketing has actually surpassed it, and continues to rise rapidly:

Confluence, as Lee refers to it here, represents the intersection of these two strategic initiatives. It’s a key frontier for B2B content marketers, and the math to support that is simple:

By co-creating content with influencers, you can add credibility, subtract from the amount of effort required, and multiply your marketing reach exponentially.

Redefining Influencer Marketing

The framing of influencer marketing as a tactic driven by celebrities or YouTube stars is outdated, and not especially relevant in the B2B space. This approach is not about attaching your brand’s name to some popular or trendy individual for the sake of basic exposure and positive associations.

Instead, Lee asserts, it is entirely about the ability to affect action.

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Unless an influencer can help you facilitate some business outcome, then what’s the point? @leeodden #CMWorld
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To comprehensively encapsulate what influence should mean for today’s B2B marketers, Lee provided this definition:

Influencer Marketing activates internal and industry experts with engaged networks to co-create content of mutual value and achieve measurable business goals.

An influencer could be a celebrity, sure. It could also be a recognizable executive within your industry. Or a knowledgeable and outspoken employee at your company. It could even be you.

And these influencers can be very powerful as content conduits. As evidence, Lee cites these data points from the 2018 Content Preferences Report:

• 78% of B2B buyers place a higher emphasis on trustworthiness of content source
• 65% have a higher preference for credible content from industry influencers

When you think about the gravity of B2B purchase decisions, which can often involve thousands if not millions of dollars, it’s easy to see why the heightened impact of this content matters – a lot.

Lee offered examples of TopRank Marketing client programs to demonstrate this, including a campaign for IT service management company Cherwell that drove 22% revenue growth, and one for content planning platform DivvyHQ that surpassed its lead gen goal by 550%.

He also offered a practical framework for a building a sustainable engine of influencer-driven content.

Empathy, Ask, Reward

Incorporating influencers into B2B content marketing might seem like a no-brainer, but how to actually put such a model into action? First, you need to identify relevant influencers for your niche or campaign, which can be accomplished through software such as BuzzSumo, Traackr and Onalytica. Then, Lee says it’s all about three letters: E.A.R.

Empathy: This applies to both the influencer and the audience. What do they want? What do they need? What are their goals? This can direct your outreach for the next step.

Ask: Engage your selected influencers and enlist them to contribute. Naturally, you’ll need to frame the benefit for them to participate.

Reward: Even prominent “Tier 1” influencers may see intrinsic value in having their expertise exhibited to new audiences, or having their content appear alongside other highly respected authorities. But if that isn’t a strong enough incentive, or if you’re asking for a heavier lift (e.g., longform content creation or hosting a webinar), Lee suggests offering compensation to make it worth their while.

By successfully applying the E.A.R. framework, and working continually to nurture your influencers – “I can’t stress enough the value of an always-on approach to maintain relationships,” says Odden – you can develop a fruitful long-term strategy with reliable influencers who not only contribute consistently, but advocate and recruit others.

It doesn’t take a math whiz to see the immense value in that equation.

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© Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®, 2018. | Influencer & Content Marketing: Solving the Confluence Equation with Lee Odden | https://www.toprankblog.com

The post Influencer & Content Marketing: Solving the Confluence Equation with Lee Odden appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

Article Source: http://bathseoexpert.blogspot.com/2018/09/influencer-content-marketing-solving.html