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June 8, 2015
Developing skills needed for data-driven marketers who can understand and apply metrics and analytics
Becoming a data-driven organisation doesn’t just rely on the right technology, structure and processes. The human element is essential, and without the right skills, qualities and roles, any effort to be successful at data-driven marketing is destined to struggle.
The kinds of skills that support a data-driven philosophy are rich and varied
'The team needs to be technically savvy,' says Jim Sterne, Founder of the Digital Analytics Association.
"They do not need to be technologists, but they need to understand how the Internet functions at the bits-and-bytes level, so they can make the most of it at the human level. The team needs to understand how data is gathered and where it may have weaknesses so they can make informed decisions about which numbers to trust in which…
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June 3, 2015
A review of best practices in video marketing for different parts of the customer lifecycle
Our society has bred consumers who want to receive maximum information with minimal effort. So it’s no surprise that videos telling snappy and engaging stories – at approximately 24 frames (images) per second are quickly becoming one of the most effective ways to engage customers with a brand.
Sophie Rayers is Director of Marketing EMEA at Brightcove, notes: 'Video is the future of content marketing. That is, if it isn’t already the present. Although creating video content often requires more time and investment up front than other digital marketing assets, the results from a marketing and sales generation perspective are often easier to measure and evaluate'.
In 2014, Brightcove commissioned a study with Aberdeen Group to examine the return on investment (ROI) from video…
What does the 'IoT' mean for Marketers?
The Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the biggest trends in digital technology within the past 5 years. However, discussion of Marketing applications for IoT, has been surprisingly limited. This new infographic from Marketo, gives a nice visual introduction to opportunities for Marketers in different sectors to engage and satisfy the needs of our customers using the IoT.
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Tips to help brief on-screen graphics for your videos and animations
Brands are increasingly employing video marketing to communicate their messages, engage online audiences and use content to support the sales and marketing teams. especially n B2B. According to the Demand Gen report, the use of video content in B2B marketing increased from 8% of companies employing it in 2013 to 58% in 2014.
Website Inc reports that 92% of B2B customers watch online video and 43% of B2B customers watch online video when researching products and services for their business. There is little doubt that video is both here to stay and will require your focus.
There are many styles of video from case study to product profile, feature to interview style films. What they have in common for a business is that they are professional, clear, informative and engaging for the viewer and potential buyer.
As part of the commissioning and…
Examples of using social media to promote your personal blog
Blogging without social media is now the digital equivalent of stranding yourself on a desert island. To promote yourself effectively and get the results you want, you need to find and connect with people who share similar interests and goals. The best social media strategy entices people to follow the link back to your main blog and check out your main content posted there.
Developing a personal brand using a blog together with social media has a slightly different approach depending on your niche and subject matter. Researching some basics about your target audience is an essential early step, and thankfully each of these social platforms has user-friendly search tools to help you. The essentials to note are average age groups and interests among the followers you want to target as potential blog readers.
Starting up a Personal Blog
The definition of 'personal' has become rather…
It's about content, style and value more than SEO
We like this infographic which has been created with newcomers to blogging in mind. It practices what it preaches by using an interesting visual style with useful recommendations rather than less useful 'facts and figures' about how to promote your blog. It recommends how to develop the right types of content and style within your blog post rather than providing SEO techniques or basic social media promotion.
It can be a learning curve and take time to build up your followers, so why not learn from existing bloggers to speed up your success rate by reading further.
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An infographic about infographics
We know that visual content increases sharing across social media platforms as Gary Lipkowitz explains in his article on 'Why infographics should still be part of your content marketing strategy. But do you know why our brain craves infographics or visuals on a more scientific basis?
The team at NeoMam Studios have designed this infographic about infographics which summarises why they are such an effective communications tool. Did you that...
"70% of our sensory receptors are in our eyes, it only takes one tenth of a second to understand visual content and that we 'recall 80% of what we see AND do'".
If you're looking for more practical guidance on creating effective infographics for marketing see this article by Dan Bosomworth of First 10 on A checklist of 10 best practices…
Big Data’s Impact on Email Marketers
If you aren’t talking about the opportunities for content marketing in 2015, you are probably talking about the opportunities for ‘Big Data’. Next to content marketing, big data is a hot trend in marketing right now. Everyone is talking about how they can take advantage of all the data they have on hand; how to slice it, dice it and serve it up with a actionable meaning.
Missed opportunities that changes everything
Currently, only 25% of businesses are putting their own data into action. This indicates a significant amount of missed opportunities, the likes of which can be extremely valuable once companies discover how to use data in order to drive more engagement, greater reach and growing their business.
Emarketer.com reported that when KPMG asked CFOs and CIOs about the impact of big data on business strategy, more than half stated that it was changing everything. That’s a…
Don't dump your entire marketing budget into pre-roll ads...
With the thousands of hours your target customer spends on YouTube, I can’t blame you for thinking that pre-roll ads — those 10- to 15-second promotional videos you see before you play a video — seem like a good idea.
After all, you’re catching your audience while they’re in the mood to watch a video, and they’re pretty much trapped unless they want to exit the video entirely. Despite their situational appropriateness, pre-roll ads are shockingly ineffective. They maintain a laughable 94 percent skip-through rate, and without intentional planning, they can quickly alienate your customers.
Fortunately, this is the age of video marketing, and you have alternatives that you can (and should) use.
The problem with pre-roll ads
Pre-roll ads simply don’t measure up to the YouTube generation’s expectations for…
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December 27, 2014
Examples showing how screencasts can help different types of business
Screencast videos are already a big hit in the education industry. Tuning into a video demonstration gives your audience a step-by-step guide, showing them exactly what to do.
This is exactly how big providers such as Khan Academy and Treehouse got started.
But screencasting doesn’t just have to be about how-to videos, it’s also a powerful tool that can be used to create clever customer-focussed videos or provide feedback on client assignments.
This means that the technology has applications across a range of industries for businesses of all sizes.
What is a screencast video?
Essentially, screencasting is recording your computer screen and adding audio to it.
Screencast programs usually highlight your cursor to make it clear to your viewer where the focus of attention should be.
Screencast videos can be sold as a series of tutorial products or uploaded as a how-to…
