Topical vs. Evergreen Content – Which is Better for Your Brand?

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Content creation and marketing remain a cornerstone of any successful digital marketing strategy. The Content Marketing Institute reports that 73% of B2B marketers and 70% of B2C marketers now regularly employ content marketing as part of their larger marketing strategy. A significant component of any content marketing strategy is deciding what type of content is most effective. A perennial debate is the choice between topical and evergreen content. 

Topical Content

As the name suggests, topical content typically focuses on current events, trends, and discussions. It is timely and often addresses issues that are at the forefront of public consciousness. From breaking news to viral memes, topical content harnesses the power of immediacy to capture attention and spark conversation.

Pros of Topical Content:

  • Relevance: Topical content positions your company as a thought leader by demonstrating an acute awareness of industry trends and current affairs.
  • Engagement: By tapping into ongoing conversations, topical content invites active participation from your audience, fostering a sense of community and connection.
  • Shareability: Timely and topical pieces are more likely to be shared across social media platforms, amplifying your brand’s reach and visibility.

The biggest downside to topical content is that because it so heavily emphasizes current events and trends, there is a high risk of it seeming dated once the hype around said events and trends dies down. 

Evergreen Content

In contrast, evergreen content stands the test of time. It is enduring, addressing fundamental questions, providing valuable insights, and offering timeless solutions. Evergreen content remains relevant long after its publication date, continuously attracting organic traffic and serving as a reliable resource for your audience.

Pros of Evergreen Content:

  • Longevity: Evergreen content has a lasting impact, generating consistent traffic and engagement over an extended period.
  • SEO Benefits: Search engines favor evergreen content due to its enduring relevance, resulting in higher rankings and increased organic traffic.
  • Authority Building: By addressing core topics comprehensively, evergreen content establishes your company as a trusted authority in your industry, fostering credibility and loyalty.

The only significant downside of evergreen content is that because it lacks the hype and sense of urgency that topical content has, it often takes longer for it to gain success. Engagement is often more organic and built over time versus topical content. 

Choosing the Right Strategy for Your Company:

As with all business decisions, the choice between topical and evergreen content hinges on your company’s goals, audience preferences, and industry dynamics. While both approaches offer distinct advantages, finding the right balance is key to a robust content strategy.

As such, rather than viewing topical and evergreen content as mutually exclusive, the best approach is to consider integrating both into your content strategy. Embrace the agility of topical content to stay relevant and responsive to current trends while anchoring your strategy with evergreen pillars to build lasting authority and credibility. 

By utilizing both methods, your company can leverage the unique strengths of each to create a cohesive and compelling content strategy that resonates with your audience and drives meaningful results.

7 Resolutions Companies and Brands Should Consider for 2024

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It’s a New Year, and that means time for New Year resolutions. Resolutions aren’t limited to individuals’ desire to lose weight or save more. Companies and brands need goals and planning to succeed. And what better way to define those at the start of the year, than with a few resolutions? That said, here are seven resolutions all companies should consider this year (and beyond). 

  1. Resolve to Think SEO – I know what you’re thinking. Hasn’t SEO been all the rage for years? Well, yes, but that’s because it remains one of the most effective components of a successful digital marketing strategy. And as with all things, SEO tricks, trends, and rules continue to evolve. Companies must stay abreast of all these changes and remain ahead of the curve. So this year, resolve to place search engine optimization at the forefront of all your digital marketing activities. That is, think more long-form, versus short-form content, more interactive content, establish online authority, prioritize link-building, and more.

  1. Resolve to Improve Email Marketing – Research shows that email marketing revenue was estimated at $11 billion last year. And 87% of marketers recognized email marketing as critical to business success. Email marketing is still a very effective digital marketing strategy when done right – emphasis on the “done right” part. See my article on tips to improve your company’s email marketing open rate, which addresses a few methods to ensure a successful email marketing strategy.

  1. Resolve to Do More A/B Testing – Unless one is lucky or possesses some magical ability to predict the future, it is nearly impossible to get things perfect on the first try. Writers always go through multiple edits and marketers should as well. That’s the power of A/B testing. A/B testing does not necessarily mean you are doing something wrong, but sometimes it is simply a way to do it better. For example, perhaps changing a few words of the copy on a landing page decreases the bounce rate. This year, apply more A/B testing to your digital marketing strategies and content. That may include using multiple subject lines in an email marketing campaign, alternating images and wording for social media promotions, switching calls to action, and more. 

  1. Resolve to Produce More Purpose-Driven Content – The world has changed significantly in the last few years, and the effects are being seen and felt in many ways. A myriad of social issues – from racism, sexism, environmental concerns, and more have come to the forefront. And it has gotten to the point where companies cannot afford to ignore these issues and pretend it is all business as usual. Research suggests that 54% of global consumers consider a company’s corporate social responsibility practices when making purchasing decisions. This year, companies should resolve to focus on producing more purpose-driven content. Driving leads and making a sale is still the number one goal of every for-profit company. However, that can be achieved while giving back and signaling to consumers that your brand stands for something. Click to read my tips on how companies can get it right with social justice and why sustainable marketing is a must for your brand. 

  1. Resolve to Invest in Social Commerce – Social commerce – the process of selling via social media – has steadily increased in recent years. According to Statista, global social commerce sales totaled an estimated $1.2 billion in 2023, and predictions suggest that the number may reach $3 trillion by 2026. This year, companies must resolve to devote more time and energy to perfecting their social commerce strategy. Because more than likely, many of your customers are already purchasing your products while browsing on various social platforms.

  1. Resolve to Embrace AI Responsibly – 2023 became the year when AI established its widespread relevance. And companies and brands wanting to remain ahead of the curve must establish ways of embracing and implementing the technology. AI can no longer be a thing to avoid for fear of its replacing the human workforce. The reality is that AI is not replacing humans, but it does offer some significant benefits for companies. Such as helping to increase productivity by automating routine management tasks, and creating more effective personalized experiences by extracting deeper insights into consumers’ preferences and purchasing motivations and behaviors. Read my article on some of the future trends to anticipate regarding AI. 

  1. Resolve to Place Emphasis on Privacy – As the conversation around the issues of safer online spaces and disinformation becomes more prevalent, users’ privacy is often at the forefront. Although e-commerce sales continue to increase, there remains growing anxiety among users about the safety of websites and the safety of their private information. Companies must resolve to place greater emphasis on privacy and security protections, particularly when requiring personal information from customers. If individuals do not feel confident or comfortable with your website, it can potentially cost you a sale.

A new year is always an excellent time to take stock of things and identify ways to grow and do better. The same principle applies to companies and brands. These seven resolutions are an excellent way to start. Cheers to an excellent 2024!

Underrated Content Marketing Trends for 2024

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In the fast-paced world of digital marketing, content continues to reign supreme, with 84% of organizations revealing that they have a documented content marketing strategy. As we step into 2024, identifying and leveraging the right content marketing strategies remains an essential factor for the success of any company and brand. Many are well-versed in the tried-and-true content tactics – social media, short-form blog posts, email marketing, display ads, and more. 

And while those are all still effective, companies and brands will want to consider incorporating some underrated content marketing trends that have the potential to reshape the landscape. Let us explore a few of those lesser-known but highly impactful trends. 

  1. Voice Search Optimization: While voice search is not a new concept, its impact on content marketing is often underestimated. However, with the proliferation of smart speakers and virtual assistants, optimizing content for voice search is becoming increasingly imperative. Companies and brands will want to tailor their content to address natural language queries and focus on conversational keywords, to help enhance their visibility in voice search results.

  1. Interactive Content: While blog posts and videos are go-to staples in content marketing, interactive content remains an underutilized gem. Quizzes, polls, surveys, and interactive infographics not only engage your audience but also provide valuable data insights. By turning passive viewers into active participants, companies can create a more immersive and memorable experience, fostering a deeper connection with your brand.

  1. Personalized Content Experiences: Personalization is more than just using a recipient’s first name in an email. In 2024, effective content personalization will require tailoring the entire user experience based on individual preferences and behaviors. Utilize data analytics to understand your audience better, segment them, and accurately define your brand persona, to deliver personalized content recommendations, emails, and even website experiences. That will not only enhance user satisfaction but also increase the likelihood of conversions.

  1. AI-Driven Content Creation: Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been hovering on the fringe of content marketing trends for the past decade. However, this year saw it emerge to the forefront with the explosion of Chat GPT and the many similar tools that followed – such as Google Bard and Microsoft Bing. This emergence of AI tools is revolutionizing content creation by automating mundane tasks, thereby enabling marketers to focus more on strategy and creativity. In 2024, companies and brands need to embrace AI-driven content creation to help streamline their workflow and ensure their content is data-driven and optimized for their target audience.

  1. Micro-Influencer Collaborations: While influencer marketing is not a new trend, recent years have seen an increasing shift towards micro-influencers.While their follower counts may be smaller than mega-influencers, micro-influencers often have highly engaged, niche audiences. Collaborating with them allows for more authentic connections, increased trust, and a more cost-effective approach to influencer marketing.

  1. Long-Form Content for SEO Dominance: The age-old debate continues – small-form or long-form content. Which is better? In the age of bite-sized content, many still argue that short-form is better because consumers’ attention span is too short to consume long-form content. However, data shows that search engines continue to prioritize in-depth, comprehensive articles. Investing in well-researched, long-form content establishes authority in your industry, while also boosting search engine rankings. Craft content that thoroughly addresses a topic or theme, therefore providing real value to the audience.

  1. Be Funny – Many companies and brands tend to take a serious approach to the content they create. The belief is that establishing one’s brand as a thought leader requires an informative, authoritative, and serious tone. Informative is fine. However, one can be authoritative even while being light-hearted and yes, funny. Research shows that 91% of consumers want brands to be funny, yet only 20% use humor in their ads. In 2024, more companies and brands should embrace occasionally flexing their funny bone. 

  1. Embrace the Power of Repurposing – Creating great content takes time and effort. Therefore, it is a complete waste for companies and brands to treat their content assets as one and done. Every great piece of content can and should be repurposed. A whitepaper is not just a whitepaper – it is content for bite-sized social media posts, an infographic or explainer videos, and more. Repurposing content takes away the stress of having to consistently create brand new content, while maintaining a consistent posting schedule. Click for tips on how to repurpose content. 

The content marketing landscape is evolving rapidly, and embracing these underrated trends can help set companies and brands apart. From optimizing for voice search to leveraging AI-driven content creation, the key is to remain adaptable and open to innovation. By incorporating these trends into their content strategy, companies and brands will not only stay ahead of the curve but also create a more meaningful and engaging experience for their audience. For more suggestions, see my previous article about underrated content marketing tactics.

6 Unconventional Promotions to Help Your Brand Stand Out this Holiday Season

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year – for businesses. With the holiday season right around the corner, brands and companies are brainstorming and implementing campaigns aimed at attracting consumers. While traditional holiday promotions can be successful, many brands are looking for ways to stand out in what is a very crowded period in the marketplace. Unconventional holiday season promotions can help. Here are six unconventional holiday season promotion ideas to help elevate your business and brand during this magical time of the year. 

  1. Reverse Advent Calendar Charity Promotion – The holiday season is synonymous with generosity and giving. So why not incorporate that spirit into your promotions? One way to do so is to replace the typical daily discounts with a Reverse Advent Calendar promotion. Every day leading up to Christmas, encourage customers to bring in an item for a local charity, food bank, or shelter. In return, they will receive a special discount or a small gift from your store. Doing this will not only foster goodwill in the community but also increase awareness about your company’s commitment to social responsibility.

  1. Themed Flash Mobs – I know what you’re thinking; “aren’t flash mobs for surprise dance routines in public spaces?” Yes and no. Surprise dance routines indeed are what flash mobs are typically known for. However, that’s not all they are. Consider organizing themed flash mobs around your store or in a high-traffic area. For example, you can stage a Frozen themed flash mob if you sell winter clothing, or a Santa’s Workshop flash mob to engage families with young children. These spontaneous performances can create buzz and draw shoppers to your store, turning an ordinary shopping trip into an unforgettable experience.

  1. Gamified Shopping Experience – Inject some fun into your holiday promotions by creating a gamified shopping experience. Provide shoppers with a holiday-themed map or scavenger hunt where they must visit various sections of your store to collect clues, discounts, or small prizes. You can also utilize augmented reality (AR) technology to create an interactive game that enhances the shopping experience and encourages shoppers to spend more time in your store.

  1. Surprise Pop-Up Shops – Surprise and delight your customers by setting up temporary, themed pop-up shops within your store. These pop-ups can offer unique, limited-edition products or exclusive discounts available only during the holiday season. Not only will this increase foot traffic, but also, create a sense of urgency that will help drive sales as customers feel eager to seize these opportunities before they disappear.

  1. Virtual Reality (VR) Shopping Experiences – With digital experiences increasingly more relevant, consider adopting virtual reality (VR) to create immersive shopping experiences. With VR, customers can explore your store from the comfort of their homes. They can virtually walk through your holiday-themed displays, interact with products, and even make purchases, all without leaving their living rooms. This innovative approach will likely appeal to and leave a lasting impression on tech-savvy consumers.

  1. Eco-Friendly Wrapping Stations – With sustainability an ever-increasing concern for consumers, a unique promotion idea is to set up eco-friendly gift-wrapping stations in your store. Use recycled or reusable materials, and encourage customers to use them for free or at a reduced cost. It will not only promote sustainability and align with the values of environmentally conscious shoppers but also increase your reputation as a socially responsible brand. 

The holiday season is the perfect time when creativity and innovation can set your business apart from the competition. Unconventional promotions not only create excitement and buzz but also forge memorable experiences for your customers. The key is to tap into the spirit of the season while surprising and delighting your audience. So, this year, consider breaking away from the traditional and embracing unconventional holiday promotions to help make your company and brand the star of the season!

7 Outreach Tips for Building Quality Links

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A crucial component of successful SEO is building quality links through outreach. The benefits of high-quality backlinks are numerous and invaluable. They help increase your website’s authority, consumer trust and confidence and ultimately increase traffic to your website. More traffic to your website naturally results in an increase in leads and sales. 

However, not all backlinks are equal. In fact, adding poor-quality links to your website can have the inverse result of hurting your Google ranking with a poor authority score and low consumer trust and confidence. That is why it’s essential to establish an outreach strategy for building quality links. The following seven tips are essential. 

  1. Identify Quality Websites – The first step of any outreach strategy is to identify the most relevant websites and blogs to your brand and industry, and therefore worth pursuing. The following are key factors to consider when deciding if a website or blog is a good fit:
    1. Relevance – Is the website or blog content relevant to your product, brand, and audience? 
    2. Content Quality – Is the website or blog’s content high-quality? That includes excellent grammar, working links, keyword-friendly, etc. 
    3. Domain Authority – Developed by MOZ, a website or blog’s domain authority score indicates the likelihood of ranking on a search engine results page (SERP). Naturally, a higher score suggests a greater likelihood of ranking. 
    4. Link Profile – Analyze the quality of a potential website’s backlinks. Ensure they link to authoritative, relevant and credible websites that are not spammy. 

  1. Create High-Quality Content – Your outreach effort will fail if your website lacks valuable and engaging content. High-quality content that provides informative and well-researched value to your audience is the cornerstone of a successful outreach strategy. Popular, authoritative, and high-domain websites will not entertain linking to a website where the quality of the content is poor. 

  1. Build a Relationship – Bloggers, influencers, and brands are less likely to respond positively to outreach efforts initiated with no prior relationship building. Avoid sending emails or private messages, requesting a link to your website, or sharing your blog, if you haven’t previously engaged with the website and its owners in any meaningful way. That includes liking the site content, leaving helpful comments and feedback, sharing their content on your social media pages, and more. 

  1. Personalize Outreach Emails – Successful outreach efforts can be time-consuming, which explains the appeal of using a templated email. That said, while using a standard format for your outreach efforts is fine, it’s imperative you include personalized details. Such as the recipient’s first name, an explanation of why your content would be relevant to their audience, specific examples of why their website and content appeal to you, and more. An outreach email that is too generic is more likely to be ignored. 

  1. Offer Value – At its core, the key to successful outreach is convincing whatever website owner, blogger, or brand you’re reaching out to that there’s value for them in working with you. Because why else would they agree? Therefore, the most crucial part of any outreach communication is to outline the benefits of a potential partnership with the recipient. 

  1. Guest Posting – Outreach is more than simply backlinking. One of the most popular and effective outreach methods is guest posting. Many popular, authoritative websites offer the option to submit a guest post for their website or blog. Some tend to do so at a fee, however, many offer a free option. The benefits of guest blogging are numerous:
    1. It helps drive traffic to your company website or blog 
    2. Increases brand awareness and credibility
    3. Helps improve search engine ranking 
    4. Drives leads and increase conversion 

  1. Follow-Up – It’s essential to remember that successful outreach is more than a one-time transactional exchange and instead should be considered an attempt at successful relationship building. That means following up after you’ve successfully negotiated a backlink to your website or posted a guest post, likely with a polite thank you email. Maintain a line of communication, because another opportunity may arise where you will need to leverage the connection. 

Building quality links through outreach is a time-consuming strategy that requires patience and a strategic approach. It’s important, therefore, to focus on building long-term relationships with other websites and providing value to their audiences. Eventually, with the right content, this approach will lead to a network of high-quality backlinks that will improve your website’s SEO and establish your brand authority online.

Customer-Journey Content vs. Persona-Focused Content

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It is no secret that the key to successful marketing is compelling SEO-driven content. Great content increases brand awareness, and engagement, drives traffic and leads, and results in conversions. That is why one of the most critical first steps of any marketing campaign is a detailed content strategy. Every content strategy starts with identifying the key goals and objectives of the campaign. Establishing a goal and objectives dictates what type of content is best suited for a specific campaign. 

Content comes in various formats and styles, such as blog articles versus social media posts or webinar videos. However, another significant content distinction is the approach applied. The most prominent examples are customer-journey-focused content versus persona-focused content. There are benefits to both, and ultimately, the decision of which to use comes down to your campaign goals and objectives. 

Customer-Journey-Focused Content 

As the name denotes, customer journey-focused content seeks to appeal to customers at various stages of their journey with a brand or product. The typical customer journey follows the following pattern – awareness, consideration, decision-making, purchase, and post-purchase. The customer journey content approach, therefore, focuses on delivering content that addresses a customer’s specific needs and questions at each stage of their buying process. 

The following breakdown expands on each stage and outlines some content assets best suited: 

  • Awareness Stage: The awareness stage is the earliest stage of a buyer’s journey, where the customer recognizes a need and tries to find solutions to resolve this need. It is the stage where they first come into contact with a company’s product and brand. The most effective content assets for this stage include:
    • Blog posts
    • Social media posts 
    • Whitepapers or eBooks 

  • Consideration Stage: After identifying a need and searching for a solution, the consideration stage is where a customer evaluates various options to decide the best one for their problem. The most effective content assets for this stage include:
    • Comparison guides
    • Product reviews
    • Case studies

  • Decision-Making Stage: At this stage, the customer has narrowed their options and is ready to decide which product and brand to purchase. The most effective content assets for this stage include:
    • Product demonstrations
    • Free trials
    • Special offers

  • Purchase Stage: Also known as the conversion stage, this is the moment when a potential customer becomes an actual customer, after purchasing your company product. Most of the hard work is done at this point, however there are still a few content assets that can be applied to this specific stage, including:
    • Free coupons 
    • Consultation offers 
    • User guides 

  • Post-Purchase Stage: The final stage of the customer journey is also often referred to as the loyalty stage. A company’s relationship with a customer doesn’t end after a final sale. Research has shown that it costs less for companies and brands to retain customers versus trying to attract new ones. That is why the post-purchase or loyalty stage is crucial. It’s all about ensuring an existing customer remains loyal to your product and brand. The following content assets are most effective at this stage:
    • Tutorials
    • Follow-up emails
    • Loyalty programs 

Persona-Focused Content

An essential step in any marketing strategy is accurately identifying your target audience. Crafting customer personas is a beneficial and effective tactic in accurately defining a company’s target audience. They are detailed representations of your ideal customers based on various factors, including demographics, behaviors, preferences, and pain points. 

Therefore, as the name denotes, persona-focused content involves creating content that targets specific customer personas. It is an approach that requires in-depth research and a deep understanding of your target audience to create content that resonates with them.

The following are a few examples of a persona-focused content approach: 

  • You’ve identified your brand persona as a tech-savvy millennial who values sustainability. Your content, therefore, might focus on showcasing how your product uses innovative technology while remaining environmentally friendly.

  • You’ve identified your brand persona as a budget-conscious parent. Therefore, your content might emphasize the affordability of your product and the value the consumer receives. 

  • You’ve identified your brand persona as a young professional looking for ways to save money and financially invest in their future. Your content might then focus on providing tips, suggestions, and advice and establishing your brand as a thought leader on financial matters. 

The scenarios listed above include broad examples of brand personas. It is important to note that creating a brand persona can involve getting far more granular, to better zero in on the exact individuals you would like to appeal to. 

Which Should You Choose 

As stated above, deciding which approach is best depends on your overall goals and objectives. The customer journey-focused approach is useful for companies and brands that offer complex products or services that require educating and nurturing potential customers. The persona-focused approach works best when wanting to connect with a specific target audience on a deeper level. It is a great way to build a powerful emotional connection with the customer and subsequently establish customer loyalty. 

Ideally, a successful content strategy could and probably should incorporate elements of both approaches. For instance, use the persona-focused content to attract and engage specific segments, while the customer journey-focused content is used to guide them through their customer journey with relevant content at each stage.

Ultimately, as with most marketing strategies, the most effective approach is the one that aligns with your target audience, business objectives, and the resources at your disposal. 

8 Errors to Avoid in Social Media Ads

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Despite the many controversies surrounding various platforms, social media advertising continues to increase, with total spending projected to reach $268 billion this year. Unsurprisingly, Facebook remains the preferred platform for most marketers, with Instagram a close second. 

However, the success of social media ads is not guaranteed, with many factors playing a role. One of the most significant is quality. When creating social media ads, it is important to avoid certain elements that may negatively impact their effectiveness or result in negative user experiences. The following are seven elements to avoid in social media ads:

  1. Avoid Misleading or False Information: As tempting as it may be to make wild and bold claims in your ads to grab your audience’s attention, if caught, the consequences are not worth it. Misrepresentation or false claims can harm not only your brand reputation, but also lead to regulatory issues. Therefore, ensure all your ads include accurate and truthful information. Remember, it is always better to underpromise and overdeliver versus the inverse. 

  1. Avoid Offensive or Controversial Content: Most offensive and controversial content is obvious, and therefore easily avoidable. However, as consumers become more socially aware, some terminology, imagery, and themes that may not initially seem offensive, may end up offending certain demographics. Therefore, as a best practice, proceed with caution, and if ever in doubt about the offensiveness of any piece of content, best to play it safe. Because the consequence of ignoring your concern and offending some users can include alienating your audience, damage to your brand image, or online backlash.

  1. Avoid Excessive Text: Most social media platforms limit the amount of text allowed in ads or include a text-to-image ratio. Violating these limitations can often result in an ad not running as it should or not running at all. Too much text on an ad can also make it difficult for the consumer to read and understand the message your brand is trying to convey.

  1. Avoid Irrelevant Targeting: Avoid the trap of believing that targeting a large number of individuals will automatically result in a higher open rate and ultimately drive more leads. Targeting works best when it is strategically sound. That means targeting the right audience for your brand and product based on demographics, interests, and behaviors. Irrelevant targeting can sometimes negatively impact an ad’s overall engagement and result in wasted ad spend.

  1. Avoid Intrusive Ads: Intrusive ad formats, such as pop-ups or auto-playing videos with sound, are sometimes effective advertising tactics. However, they are not the type of ad formats a brand should use excessively, as many consumers find them disruptive and annoying. If you plan to use intrusive ads for your social media marketing, keep it at a minimum. 

  1. Avoid Poor Design and Visuals: Poorly designed ads with low-resolution images or inconsistent branding can appear unprofessional and likely fail to capture the audience’s attention. And if it does, it may not be for the right reasons. Therefore, ensure all social media ads feature high-quality images and are consistent with your brand style guide. That includes brand colors, logos, etc. 

  1. Optimize Ads for Mobile: It seems obvious, with the proliferation of mobile usage, and yet many brands still fail to optimize their online assets for mobile devices. Research suggests that out of 4.48 billion social media users, 99% access websites and apps using their smartphones. Put simply, ensure all social media ads are mobile-friendly to get the most out of said ads. 

  1. Avoid Slow-loading Landing Pages: Every social media ad asks users to take an action – click to read a blog post, click to download a guide, etc. Therefore, it is essential to ensure that the landing page your ads lead to is optimized for speed. Slow-loading landing pages will likely lead to higher bounce rates and lower conversion rates.

Social media ads, when well-executed, can be a very effective digital marketing tactic. However, it only works when all of the essential elements are present. Avoiding the eight errors outlined above is a crucial place to start. 

6 Reasons Sustainable Marketing is a Must for Your Brand

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In a 2022 study of 850 companies across the globe, 80% vowed to increase their investments in sustainability. The decision may not be entirely altruistic, as research also shows that 80% of consumers show more loyalty to companies that support social and environmental issues. As environmental concerns, such as climate change and social issues, ranging from LGBTQI+ rights to gun control, continue to shape public discourse, the importance of brands showing their commitment to helping address these issues has increased in the form of sustainable marketing. 

Sustainable marketing focuses on the environmentally and socially responsible creation and promotion of products and services. It considers the overall impact marketing activities have on both the physical and social environment, and works to minimize the negative effects while maximizing positive ones.

The goal of sustainable marketing is for companies to create long-term value for their customers, shareholders, and society, versus focusing solely on short-term profits. It may include promoting environmentally friendly or socially responsible products and services, using sustainable materials and production processes, reducing waste and emissions, and engaging in fair labor practices.

Sustainable marketing offers numerous benefits to companies, by promoting more responsible and sustainable practices. The following are six reasons sustainable marketing should become a must for your brand. 

  1. Improves Brand Reputation – With consumers increasingly making it clear that social and environmental factors play into their purchase decisions, brands that promote themselves as sustainable marketers working towards a positive impact on social and environmental change, are likely to build a positive brand reputation. 

  1. Improves Brand Loyalty – A positive brand reputation can often lead to increased brand loyalty from customers, particularly those who are environmentally and socially conscious. If consumers believe that brands are practicing what they preach and are genuine in their efforts to want to do good through their products and business practices, they are far more likely to remain loyal. 

  1. Improves Employee Engagement – Like consumers, employees are increasingly seeking out companies that consistently engage in sustainable practices. One study found that 70% of employees at large companies across the US were more likely to work for companies with a positive environmental agenda. Many respondents also stated that a company with a strong sustainability plan would play a part in their choice to stay at the company long-term. Companies consistently engaging in ESG practices (environmental, social, and governance) are more likely to inspire employees’ loyalty, leading to increased engagement and better productivity. 

  1. Reduces Cost – Sustainable business practices and marketing can often include implementing cost-efficient technologies and processes, resulting in a reduction of operation costs. Reduced operating costs can, in turn, result in increased profits. 

  1. Helps the Environment – The most apparent benefit of companies engaging in sustainable business practices is the positive effect they can have on the environment, both physically and socially. Sustainable business practices can help reduce waste, carbon emissions, and more. 

  1. Increased Profits – As operating costs decrease, a company’s return on investment significantly increases. An improved brand reputation, coupled with increasing brand loyalty can also likely lead to increased profits. 

These benefits can only exist if companies and brands fully commit to a sustainable marketing strategy. That includes making a long-term commitment to various sustainable business practices, demonstrating consistency, and integrating sustainable practices across your company. 

Consumers will be skeptical and cry foul if, for example, it is discovered that while the production of your products uses eco-friendly materials, the labor used to make them is outsourced to countries guilty of using illegal labor practices. For a successful sustainable marketing strategy, companies must commit to making all aspects of their brand sustainable.

Content Intelligence – What and How?

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Marketers and industry experts have been predicting the rise of AI for the better part of a decade. However, the recent rise of ChatGPT and its numerous competitors, such as Google Bard and Microsoft Bing, has finally made the prediction appear closer to reality. 

Artificial intelligence’s impact on digital marketing is significant, particularly concerning the data insights it provides. With data driving much of our lives, data-driven insights have become essential to any successful marketing strategy, especially content marketing. Thus, the importance of content intelligence. 

Content intelligence is the use of data analytics and AI technologies to gather insights and make data-driven decisions about content creation, distribution, and optimization. It involves collecting and analyzing data on content performance across various channels, identifying patterns and trends, and using said insights to optimize content strategies for better engagement, lead generation, and conversion rates. These technologies include everything from web analytics and social media metrics to search engine optimization and content management system tools. 

There are numerous significant benefits of content intelligence, including: 

  • Improved Content Performance: Content intelligence helps companies and brands ideate and implement content that resonates with their target audience, which results in better engagement, higher click-through rates, and increased conversions.

  • Better Decision-Making: Content intelligence offers marketers data-driven insights, which allows them to make better-informed decisions about content development, distribution, and optimization.

  • Increased Efficiency: Automating the process of collecting and analyzing data allows companies to save time and resources, and to better focus on creating high-quality content.

  • Competitive Advantage: Using data-driven insights to inform their content strategies can help companies gain a competitive edge by creating content that more effectively meets the needs of their audience versus their competitors.

  • Helps Prove ROI: No matter how creative and inventive, content marketing activities are irrelevant unless marketers can prove that they successfully affect the company’s bottom line. Content intelligence helps accomplish this far more effectively than standard analytic tools. 

The most important element of any company’s content intelligence strategy is choosing the right tool that successfully aligns with its goals. Asking the following questions helps companies and brands make the right choice. 

  • What are your goals? Is there a specific problem you’re trying to solve using content intelligence? Naturally, the ultimate goal for any company is to increase sales and profit. However, there are various additional steps to achieving that ultimate goal; and these mini-goals and objectives can influence your content intelligence approach. 

  • What are the essential features a tool must have? Based on your goals, are there any specific non-negotiable features? For example, real-time reporting, audience and customer insights, and third-party integration with Google Analytics, are just some of the features offered in various content intelligence tools. 

  • What is your budget? Depending on your budget, pricing may be a significant or minor factor in whatever platform you choose. For example, some content intelligence platforms can range from as low as $199 per month, while others go as high as $999 per month. 

  • Is the user experience seamless or overly complicated? User experience is one of the most significant facets of any tool. A too-complicated process can turn users off. Regarding a company, it can drive up costs as the budget needs to then account for the costs of training employees on how to use the tool. 

As investment in AI and content marketing continue to increase, so too will the importance of content intelligence. That means companies and brands must invest in the right content intelligence tools and have a sound strategy for how best to implement the insights derived.

7 Tips to Perfect Video Content

dignaj55 Communications, Content Marketing, digital marketing, Marketing, Strategic Communications , , , ,

The numbers are staggering. Research suggests that online video currently accounts for 82.5% of all web traffic. According to a report from Wyzowl, 80% of consumers want to see more videos from businesses. YouTube has surpassed Facebook as the leading platform influencing consumer behavior. Video marketing is currently a more than $100+ billion industry. Most companies and brands know video is essential to their marketing strategy. However, many still struggle to identify the right tactics and approach for executing a successful video marketing strategy. The following eight tips can help. 

  1. Know Your Audience (and Their Interests) – Videos exist with many themes and lengths. Some are funny, informational, explanatory, short, long, animated, interactive, etc. The list is almost endless. Therefore, one of the most crucial steps for nailing your video marketing strategy is first identifying what types of videos best appeal to your audience. That does not mean having no variety, but rather being creative within the format that best appeals to your audience. 

  1. Define Goals and Objectives – It is best to identify goals and objectives for your overall video strategy, as well as for individual videos. For example, the goal for your overall video strategy might be one, to increase brand awareness, and two, to drive leads. The goal for a specific video that promotes a product guide, might be to increase downloads. 

  1. K.I.S.S. – When in doubt, apply the K.I.S.S. approach and keep things simple. The last thing you want to do is create an overly complex video, which may be interesting to look at, but leaves your audience confused by its intention. Your audience should always know what action you want them to take or the key message of your video.  

  1. Tell a Story – Your videos should always have a beginning, a middle, and an end. It may be as simple as, “Here’s our new product, this is how it works, and how you can buy it,” or something more profound. However, it should always follow the basic principles of storytelling – an introduction, conflict or problem, and resolution or solution. 

  1. Maintain SEO Rules – For your videos to stand out and be successful, it must be easy for your audience to easily find them. Use the correct keywords and hashtags in your video descriptions, ensure the video title is memorable and catchy, use appropriate meta tags, and more. Closed captioning and subtitles are also beneficial for highlighting relevant keywords and to also ensure your content is inclusive. 

  1. Consistently Analyze Data – The most effective content is data-driven content. That means constantly analyzing the results of your existing content and applying said results to help make your future content more effective. Does the data show that your audience prefers short-form to long-form videos, informational versus tutorial videos, etc.? Whatever the data shows, use it as a guiding light to inform future content. 

  1. Include Call to Action – Do you want your audience to buy your product after viewing your video, to visit your website, like the video, etc.? Whatever action you want them to take, it is essential to communicate that with a clear and concise call to action. 

Video marketing is not complicated. And with the variety of tools available, it also does not have to be an expensive investment. However, it does require a well-defined strategy, commitment, and consistency.