The Daily Carnage

The savvy marketer's hub for industry news, insights, resources, and culture.

Today’s Issue

Your Brain on AI 🍳

This is “AI Brain Fry.”

Issues

View All

9 Ways to Get More YouTube Subscribers

DECEMBER 14, 2020

Y’all, YouTube has only been around since 2005. As a matter of fact, today is YouTube’s 15th birthday. If YouTube was a person, it wouldn’t even be able to watch its own age-restricted content. That said, in this relatively short amount of time, we could fill the Smithsonian with YouTube history. Everything from “Leave Britney Alone” to Rickrolling to Gangnam Style has captivated the world and resulted in millions of subscribers. Here are Ahrefs’ 9 ways to get more Youtube subscribers.

Target topics that people are searching for. This is one of the basic principles of SEO. If you’re trying to bring people to your content, you’ll need content people actually want to see. Google Trends is a handy tool for you to determine what people are searching for within a given topic. Find out what people want to know and show them in your own videos.

Keep your channel’s theme right. There are millions of questions people are asking that you can answer in videos. The vast majority of these questions are likely entirely irrelevant to your brand and your goals. For instance, if your YouTube channel is all about promoting your bike shop, then using your videos to answer questions like “best skydiving operators” won’t help you. It will only confuse people who are trying to get a sense of what your brand is all about.

Give people what they’re looking for. When someone clicks to watch one of your videos, they’ll expect the video content to match up with the video’s title. Don’t bait people with titles unrelated to the video content. People came for something you promised, so deliver on the promise.
Double down on formats that work. In the beginning, it’s important to explore different formats to determine which ones work and which ones don’t. When you post a video that garners a bunch of subscribers, then make more videos in a similar format. If you post anything that loses subscribers or remains stagnant, then steer away from those types of videos moving forward.

That’s not all! Continue on for more.

How to Write a Call to Action: Increase Your Conversions with 16 Proven Tips for Creating CTAs

DECEMBER 13, 2020

What’s the most compelling CTA you’ve ever seen? Was it in one of Sara McLachlan’s ASPCA commercials? Those will stir up an emotional response to say the least. Or how about Wikipedia’s call for donations? Whatever it is, it probably struck you regardless of whether or not you converted. Take a look at these 16 proven tips for creating CTAs from Databox.

Attract a user with a clear and concise CTA. Don’t beat around the bush with your Call To Action. The key word is ‘Action’; make sure visitors on your site know exactly what action you wish for them to take. Don’t forget to make clear why following through on the CTA will benefit them.

Use action verbs in your CTA. Again, ‘Action’ is the winning word. Don’t be vague with your CTA. Do you want them to download something? Subscribe? Donate? Share? Start with a verb so the reader knows exactly what to do.

Match your CTA and landing page intent. If your visitor clicks your CTA, take them to a page where they can execute on the action. If your CTA offers a discount code, then take them to a page where they can claim or redeem the discount. Don’t make them feel like they’re sitting through a timeshare presentation. Give them what they want.

Keep a neutral tone in your CTA text. Being pushy with a CTA won’t help you. The visitor knows they don’t have to follow through with your CTA. If you’re pushy, you’ll only push them away. Present the CTA, but don’t force them into it.
Create curiosity and anticipation in your CTA. Build urgency or scarcity. Visitors may feel they can come back and follow through with your CTA whenever they please. This probably won’t drive the kind of result you want. Let them know your CTA should be addressed now.

Now click the ‘Read More’ button and don’t miss a single tip!

The Evolution of Content Marketing: How It’s Changed and Where It’s Going in the Next Decade

DECEMBER 9, 2020

Every couple of years (barring 2020) we get to watch the world’s greatest athletes compete for gold in the Olympic Games. These athletes shatter the records of their predecessors and inspire us all with their incredible feats. Then a few years go by and someone else does the same thing. The world is committed to progress and achievement, and it’s not slowing down. Today, Hubspot is showing us the evolution of content marketing: how it’s changed and where it’s going in the next decade.

How Content Marketing Evolved in the Past Decade

Google’s Zero Moment of Truth study in 2011 found that 88% of shoppers start their buying process with research and discovery. This underlined the importance of SEO as a crucial step for brands to get their messages in front of consumers. Furthermore, the strategy of ‘keyword stuffing’ became old hat as Google shifted its ranking algorithm.

During the same decade, social media rose to prominence like nothing the world had seen before. The ways people interact with search engines vs social media is much different. Search engines offer answers to more pointed questions, but on social media content finds its way to you. The difference is the individual pursuing the content vs the content pursuing the individual. Bite-sized, attention-grabbing pieces of content spread like wildfire on social media and became an effective marketing method.

How Content Marketing Will Evolve in the Next Decade

Video shows no signs of stopping. Video is taking hold with various formats optimized for different viewing experiences. 85% of brands today use video for marketing whereas only 24% did in 2016. Video is a mainstay of the mobile experience, and it’s transforming social media in many ways.

Speaking of mobile, the majority of Google searches take place on mobile devices. Marketers know the importance of optimizing for mobile as well as desktop. As the capabilities of mobile devices change, so will the opportunities for mobile content. For instance, many companies are investing in virtual reality experiences and capabilities that are becoming mainstream.

Keep reading for more of what this next decade holds.

7 B2B Email Marketing Best Practices

DECEMBER 8, 2020

Ever see someone wearing a tux at the beach? Outside of a wedding, it would be a pretty strange site amongst the sunbathers in swimsuits. People dress accordingly for different settings and occasions, and people write differently for various formats.

There are best practices for many of the things we do. Today, Sleeknote is teaching us 7 B2B email marketing best practices so you can craft your B2B message accordingly.

Use a Subject Line Between 28 and 50 Characters. Too short and you won’t reveal anything. Too long and you might get cut off or you simply risk being too wordy. A Campaign Monitor study found the sweet spot to be between 28 and 50 characters. Try sticking to the low end and slowly test the waters of subject lines closer to 50 characters. Find out what works best for you, but use this range as a guide.
Use Between 50 and 125 Words of Text. Get right to the point and don’t drone on. Readers’ attention spans aren’t committed to sifting through a bunch of text to find the info they need. Be concise and your response rates will thank you. Campaign Monitor found this range to garner a response rate above 50%. Furthermore, break up your text for an easier reading experience.

Keep A Conversational Tone. At the end of the day, you’re talking to individual people. Dry, matter-of-fact text isn’t going to engage people. Keeping a professional tone is important, but it’s not mutually exclusive so you can still remain conversational and friendly.
Use 1 to 3 Images. Constant contact found that click-through rates decrease as the number of images increases. 1 image performed better than two, two performed better than three, and so on. Using images is important, but don’t overdo it. Let 3 be your upper limit.

Read on for more tips with examples.

What ‘Arrival’ Taught Us About the Superpowers of Infographics

DECEMBER 7, 2020

OK, we cheated. We asked you the same question in the survey we launched on Friday. (In case you missed it, go ahead and participate here).

If there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that y’all love infographics. 72.5% of you who participated in our survey showed serious love for infographics. So today we are going to talk about the superpowers of infographics. Beware: spoilers to the 2016 film ‘Arrival’ ahead.

The movie ‘Arrival’ presents a take on how first-contact with an extraterrestrial species might look. These beings are called heptapods, and the protagonist of the film is a linguist working to decode the heptapod language to determine the reason for the heptapods’ visit.

We discover the heptapod language defies the typical conventions we’re so accustomed to. The key to our protagonist’s breakthrough is understanding the heptapods’ written language is a “visual syntax that’s unrelated to the syntax of their spoken language.”

Now let’s bring that concept down to earth.

Infographics marry the way we interact with written language and the way we interact with pictures and images. This visual format taps into a “simultaneous mode of awareness” that transcends the limitations of written and spoken language.

Keep reading and learn about 3 situations where infographics have the superpowers you need to communicate your message clearly.

12 Insider Tips for Creating Viral TikTok Videos

DECEMBER 6, 2020

Y’all, let’s dive into some ancient history. The year 2009 to be exact. You know, the same year Obama took office, FarmVille launched, and Kanye stole the show from Taylor Swift at the VMAs. Also that year the oracle, Ke$ha, said, “Tick-tock on the clock, but the party don’t stop, no.”

Fast forward to 2020 where Tik Tok is absolutely on the clock and the party definitely does not stop. The times change and we embrace new trends. Ride the TikTok wave with Jeff Bullas’ 12 insider tips for creating viral TikTok videos.

Optimize your TikTok profile. People need to know who you are and what you’re all about when they visit your profile. Be concise, but make sure your 80 character allowance is interesting enough to prompt follow-through on your CTA. On that note, make sure you have a CTA. This can be as simple as encouraging visitors to follow you or it can be a Linktree featuring some of your featured products for sale.

Understand your audience. TikTok has seen insane growth in the last year. You’re bound to have an audience within the user base, but your audience will not consist of all TikTok users. Know who your audience is, and look at the content they produce and interact with.

Niche down. Pick a niche and stick with it. Trying to cover too much territory on TikTok is a great way to become a master of none. Look at what your competitors are doing and explore the nuances of their viral videos to learn what works and what you can do better.
Don’t be afraid of being different. Keep in mind TikTok’s surge in popularity is partially because it offers people something different than Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. People like different and unique content. Simply copying what everyone else does may feel safe, but it won’t accomplish any goals of going viral.

Read on for more tips on creating viral TikTok videos.

8 Effective Ways to Wrap up Your Blog Posts

DECEMBER 2, 2020

Nobody likes a bad ending. Too many books, movies, and shows have failed their readers and viewers with conclusions that don’t match the quality of the rest of the work. Heck, even a “To be continued” or a cliffhanger is better than something that falls below expectation. Make the most of your conclusions with these 8 effective ways to wrap up your blog posts from ProBlogger.

Sum up your message. Recapping everything you’ve written is a simple way to leave a good last impression of a topic. In a long piece, a summary at the end is useful for tying your main point to everything you’ve covered.

Ask a question. Ask your readers something you’re genuinely interested in hearing about. Encourage them to answer and engage on the topic. We’re not talking about rhetorical questions. Ask something in order to prompt contributions to the topic you’re covering.

Ask the reader to share your post. You’ve probably seen countless YouTube videos with creators asking viewers to “smash that subscribe button.” The same principle applies: you don’t get what you don’t ask for. Spreading your content amongst those who read and love your content can only help you.
Give your reader more of the same. People aren’t going to read something they don’t enjoy. There’s just so much out there to choose from, so why bother? If someone is nearing the end of your post, odds are they enjoyed it. Give them more content like the content they just enjoyed. Either suggest another one of your posts or link to similar external content. Your readers will appreciate your recommendation and you can build relationships with other content creators this way.

4 more to go! Keep reading for the rest.

SEO Writing Hacks to Boost Your Social Media

DECEMBER 1, 2020

Ventriloquism is an interesting trick. A magician, for instance, performs a trick we can’t understand, but we still know it’s a trick. On the other hand, a ventriloquist’s schtick is understood from the outset; we’re not left questioning how the act worked.

SEO is the magic trick not everyone understands. A brand’s social media is the ventriloquist’s puppet serving the interests of the ventriloquist; it’s right there in front of us and it works. Exercise your brand’s voice with Agorapulse’s SEO writing hacks to boost your social media, and let your social media boost you in return.

Write great captions. Social media is bite-sized. Like browsing books in a library, it takes a great cover, title, and description to draw someone into your story. Make sure your posts display keywords that translate easily to your site. Featuring a product on Instagram? Don’t forget to add the product name. Take advantage of relevant hashtags and break up text with emojis where applicable.

Tag & Feature People With a Higher SEO Ranking Than Your Own. Tune into brands and influencers in your niche and tag them in your own posts. For instance, if you own a bike shop, tag a brand whose bikes you sell. In addition to building good rapport with the brand, your message will extend to their followers. Highlight User-Generated Content and host contests where likes, comments, and tags equal entries.
Make Everything Shoppable. People shop on Instagram. Short and simple. 60% of users discover new products on the platform and 130 million users tap to reveal product tags each month. Make posts shoppable with tags or include links to products within your bio. Don’t miss out on hot leads.

Get more hacks and tips from the full scoop.

Five Steps to Generating & Converting More Leads in 2021 and Beyond

NOVEMBER 29, 2020

The fact that we’re living in the digital age has never been more apparent than in 2020. Without the opportunities we have online, this year would be even more difficult than it currently is. Suffice to say, investments in digital infrastructure and capabilities will be crucial in 2021. Invest in your own digital needs with Convince & Convert’s five steps to generating and converting more leads in 2021 and beyond.

Start Building Sustainable Customer Relationships. Generating new leads is tough. Much of your SEO is dedicated to getting people to your website. So what’s next when you finally get them there? A CRM can save you a lot of trouble by keeping track of various touchpoints and informing remarketing decisions, so your leads don’t go cold.

Match Your Content to Customers’ Expectations. This is a case of meeting people where they are. Some of your visitors are in the learning phase of the buyer’s journey, and some are ready to buy. Tailor content around the various stages of the journey so you can best represent peoples’ needs.

Customize Returning Users’ Experience. Getting repeat visitors is important since they are more likely to convert. They’re already familiar with your brand and they come back to your site knowing what they’re looking for. Create banners and CTAs surrounding the campaigns that initially drove them to your site.

Create and Market More Videos. Videos are becoming more and more effective. The use of video on landing pages can increase conversions by a whopping 86%. You don’t need to be a pro video editor to create a great landing page video; countless programs make it a breeze.
Create More Engaging Landing Pages. A site needs to captivate its visitors. Set your site up for success with a well-crafted headline, and testimonials displaying real-life benefits others experienced from your products and services. You have about five seconds to hook someone, so dedicate quality time to optimizing landing pages.

Read on for all the details we couldn’t hit.