The Daily Carnage

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Everybody Wants Thought Leadership Content. But How Do You Do It, Exactly?

AUGUST 2, 2020

There has been a ton of fuss over the last few years about thought leadership. We all recognize its importance, but when it seems everybody is writing thought leadership content, how do we know what actually lives up to the name? There’s so much competition when catching peoples’ attention.

Adam Grant sums it up pretty well when he says, “Creating knowledge for the purpose of sharing it is thought leadership.” Thought leadership is not a byproduct of your content. It requires unique experience and expertise, and it must be recognizably you.

Animalz outlines 5 sources of thought leadership content: Counter-narrative opinions, Personal narrative, Network connections, Industry analysis, and Data storytelling.

Use your Counter-narrative opinion for sharing a view thoughtfully contradicting the mainstream.
Shed light on a Personal narrative so you can outline a unique situation you played a part in and the wisdom you gained.
Reach out to your Network connections and expand your own knowledge by tapping into someone else’s mind.
Give your own original take on notable events happening within in industry with an Industry analysis.
Don’t just trust the numbers; interpret them. Share your findings via data storytelling so others can reach a realization or conclusion from different types of data.

This merely scratches the surface of how you can intentionally craft thought leadership content. Read on for more info on the kinds of people certain content types attract, and determine which of the 5 sources will work best for you.

Blog SEO: 39 Expert Tips for Optimizing Your Blog Posts for SEO

JULY 29, 2020

Y’all voted and we listened. Today we’re going over best blog SEO practices. Blogging can become monotonous at times. This is especially the case if you lose sight of the big picture: your posts help people solve real problems and your ranking can go up and up. It’s a win-win.

Databox has a whopping 39 tips you can use for optimizing to your heart’s content.

Start with keyword research. This entails finding the most searched keywords as well as the questions that are asked surrounding those keywords. Find out what comes up on your Search Engine Results Page (SERP) when you use a particular keyword. Established blogs at the top will make claiming a spot on the SERP more challenging. On the contrary, results from Quora may indicate you can expand on a topic.

Cover topics that your target audience is searching for. Let your audience help in doing some of the work. There’s no need for pulling topics out of thin air when you can find exactly what people are interested in. No matter how good your post may be, if no one is searching for your topic, then what’s the point?

Compress images to improve page load speed. You must ensure your pages load in under 2 seconds. If they don’t, you’ll lose a lot of potential readers. Shoot for image sizes of 100kb or lower.

Interlink your content. A particular post will appear when someone searches a specific topic. When you reference previous posts you’ve written, your discoverability increases. This is a great method for becoming more competitive amongst topics and different niches.

There you have it. Well, not quite. Follow the rest of Databox’s 39 tips and truly master your blog SEO.

How B2B Marketers Can Get the Most Out of Webinars in 2020

JULY 28, 2020

As you’re well aware, many things are still on hold in the world. Most conferences and speaking engagements we looked forward to are postponed indefinitely.

Luckily, we’re great at adapting so we find the workarounds we need for accomplishing our goals – namely webinars. Top Rank Marketing shared on their blog how B2B marketers can get the most out of webinars in 2020.

Start With Content Research. If you’re planning on delivering something of value, do some due diligence. Find out what exactly will be valuable for the attending audience.
Reach Out to Influencers. They don’t need millions of followers, but they ought to have clout within their industry. Ask meaningful questions for a substantive discussion.
Create a Landing Page & Promote. Don’t wait until the last minute. Start getting the word out at least two weeks before your event. Collect sign-ups on your landing page and send it out in your newsletter. Ask some questions or create a poll for your audience on social media so you can build a list of questions they’re interested in.
Change Up the Format. There are so many webinars happening every day, so you must cut through the mix. Instead of a panel or a Q&A, try something where a panel works together and creates something, or break up the session with pre-produced video content.
You Don’t Have To Be Live. Putting together your webinar ahead of time allows for a more polished product when you broadcast. Attendees will appreciate the production quality, and you won’t have to worry about live tech glitches. You can still do a Q&A after your content broadcasts or you can have a live chat during the stream.

Check out the rest of these webinar tips from Top Rank Marketing.

101 Content Ideas to Add to Your Editorial Calendar

JULY 28, 2020

Being 100% on top of things all the time is nearly impossible. Because of this, it’s important we set ourselves up for success as often as we can.

When it comes to your content strategy, a content calendar helps you progress and keep organized. But constantly thinking of new content ideas can be daunting and overwhelming. Without further ado, Convince & Convert has provided 101 content ideas to add to your editorial calendar.

Lists. People love lists. They’re easily digestible, and viewers can get an idea of reading time from the number of items on a list.
How-To. A wonderful method of demonstrating prowess in your field is by showing people how to do certain things. Pick something you’re good at and something people have questions about. This can really help your audience in a way blatant self-promotion won’t.
Case studies. The proof is in the pudding, and people will eat it up. Don’t just explain quantitatively why your products and services are better. Use stories people can relate to. Paint a picture so they may step into the proverbial shoes of a problem-haver and understand how you can help.
Company News. Let people know all the latest and greatest about your company. This can be light and simple, and it’s all about building a better connection between your business and customers.
Screenshots. Give people a concrete idea of what you’re talking about. Show them visuals so they may follow along. Perhaps you’re walking through a dashboard in the software you sell or you’re telling people about a tool you like using. Screenshots will let them easily follow along.

There are 96 more ideas from the Convince & Convert report that we didn’t get to, so check out the rest and get your content calendar all fired up!

How to Create a Brand Style Guide That Will Evolve with Your Business

JULY 27, 2020

What would ya say you do here? No, we don’t mean to ask you that, but rather your brand.

Being able to define your brand and express it accordingly is crucial. For two reasons: to keep appearance consistent and to set yourself apart as a business. This is where a brand style guide comes into play.

Wix goes over how to create one that will evolve with your business as it grows and develops. Whether you’re kicking off a new brand, locking down the details, or rehauling your brand, these are the steps to keep in mind.

Define your brand identity. Start by fleshing out the personality of your brand. Define goals, values, mission, and target market. Then define how those will be portrayed by the look, voice, and behavior of the brand.
Research your competitors. When it comes to creating your brand style, it’s helpful for ensuring your aesthetic isn’t too similar to your competitors. You don’t want any confusion regarding who’s who.
Include all the essential elements. Each brand has its own unique style guide, but making sure it is cohesive and easy-to-apply is important. Components to include are the introduction, typography, color palette, iconography & photography, grid system, and tone of voice.
Make a list of collateral. Determine how your collateral goals will be addressed in your brand style guide. Whether your advertising materials will be printed, digital, or both, consider a section entirely for product branding and packaging.
Plan for a brand evolution. Most things are subject to change and your brand style guide is no exception. Building a solid foundation is imperative that way ongoing development may be easily applied. When you have some new ideas, designate a place for them for reference when it’s time for a review.

Read on for a breakdown of the components mentioned in step 3 and check out brand examples for Spotify, Starbucks, and more.

The 8 Most Important SEO Metrics to Track

JULY 22, 2020

We love SEO and all the data it provides. Need to make more informed marketing decisions? Just look at your site’s analytics. There’s a treasure trove of information that we can count on for continuous improvement.

DigitalMarketer is here to tell us the 8 most important SEO Metrics we should all be tracking.

Organic Traffic. This one is obvious. Your organic traffic metric gives an overview of how well you’re ranking. What’s working and what’s not working. Knowing whether or not the time spent on SEO is worth it, hinges on knowing your organic traffic metrics.
Don’t underestimate the surge of voice search. Alexa.com can give you SEO analysis, competitive website analysis, keyword research information, and more.
Backlinks to Your Site vs. Competitors. If your content is superb, then you’ll notice lots of free backlinks coming your way. Use this as an indicator of how well your content stands. Check out your competitors’ backlinks and gauge what they’re doing well, so you can amp up your game.
Page Speed is, understandably, a large factor in bounce rate. The rule of thumb for page load speed is under two seconds. Not everyone will wait patiently. Don’t let slow page speeds increase your bounce rate.
Drive traffic from your social media channels to your website. If you’re not getting much traffic from social media, then it’s time to revisit your strategy. Figure out what works best, and do more of it.
Organic Conversions gives you insight into how well your website converts visitors into email subscribers, motivating them to opt-in for a lead magnet, or buying a tripwire offer. If you have 100,000 monthly website visitors and 10% become subscribers or customers, then you’re doing a terrific job.

Two more tips left – read on, friends!

Love me do – The marketing KPIs to measure your brand love

JULY 21, 2020

What’s your next move when the marketing playbook gets thrown out the window? We noticed there’s always one constant. When all else fails. When there’s no clear path. When you’re staring at your computer thinking what in the heck is happening… Brand love should be your focus.

Talkwalker is showing us how to express this four-letter word in our marketing and the Key Performance Indicators (KPI) to keep you on track.

Let’s start with those KPIs. See Talkwalker measured the success and maintenance of brand love using two metrics:

Average Sentiment (AS), or an analysis of language, content, and context of a comment or mention to determine a positive or negative reaction. Aka, how folks feel about your brand.
Average Engagement Rate (AER), or the total engagement divided by total mentions. With this metric, the bigger the better. A high rate says your content is spreading to a wider audience.

After their industry analysis of over 700 brands, Talkwalker found a pattern. The more followers you gain and the higher engagement rises, the more your overall sentiment drops. After all, you can’t make everyone happy.

Alright, we’re keeping this love train moving. Next stop, a few quick, industry-specific examples, plus the strategies you should be taking advantage of!

Starting with retail, Talkwalker looked into 50 brands that resulted in an average sentiment of 54.8% (low) and an average engagement rate of 10.20 (high).

Strategy: Let your community guide your content by tackling their issues.

When it comes to the 25+ hospitality brands, the analysis showed an average sentiment of 73.2% (high) and an average engagement rate of 13.49 (high).

Strategy: Throw all efforts on the experience your brand is offering and how that impacts people’s lives.

Talkwalker analyzed 18 other industries on brand love. Smash the button to learn more!

How to write a landing page for problem-aware visitors

JULY 21, 2020

Ever come across a page where something is just off? You’re not sure what it is, but you know your expectations aren’t met. That feeling is being problem-aware. You know there’s a problem even if you don’t quite understand it, aka something smells smelly.

So how do we as marketers address this landing page experience? Copyhackers knows just what it takes to deliver a proper landing page for problem-aware visitors. The main thing to keep in mind is using empathy as a key ingredient in showing problem-aware visitors that you’re worth trusting.

Pitfall #1: Misplacing the source of the pain. A problem-aware visitor will more easily see the value when the problem references a specific situation – not just a generic framing of a problem.

It’s probably not a matter of the problem being too complex, but rather they haven’t fully considered their own situation.

Pitfall #2: Focusing on the surface-level problem. Most problems driving solution-seekers are actually just symptoms of the real causes. External problems are the symptoms, and internal problems are the causes. Finding the internal problem is a demonstration of empathy.

External problem: “I need a content calendar.”
Internal problem: “I’m disorganized with my current approach, and my ideas and content pieces are scattered.”

Pitfall #3: Forgetting the emotion. Emotion drives people to search for solutions. Recognize this and meet emotion with emotion. Rather than telling what you can do, convey why you do it.

Think of a top-of-funnel situation when a prospect visits your landing page for the first time. This prospect is looking to be understood. Address that emotion first. Then, move in to demonstrate capabilities and expertise.

Check out the rest of this post from Copyhackers for more examples of these pitfalls.

How to Ask for a Referral to a Potential Client [+ Free Email Templates]

JULY 19, 2020

Customers are everything. Aside from the obvious, the Wharton School of Business found that a referred customer has a 16% higher lifetime value than a non-referred customer. Hubspot is here to tell us how you can go about asking for a referral.

Before jumping into how to ask, we must first determine who we’ll ask. Do this by identifying your advocates. Think of customers who you’ve shared a long, positive relationship with.

Once you’ve identified some good candidates, first ask if they’re willing to give feedback, which you can turn into a testimonial for your website. After collecting some testimonials from willing customers, it’s time to ask for a referral.

How to Ask for Referrals

Build value first, then ask. Don’t jump the gun. This is your customer, so show them the unparalleled service you offer before you ask for anything. Share relevant content with them and keep them up to date with your products and features that will benefit them.

Offer incentives for referrals. Although your great service helps, a little push in the form of a reward always lends an extra hand. Offer items like Amazon gift cards, discounts on invoices, or a donation to a charity of their choice. Tell them the first 10 to respond with a referral will receive the prize. This helps to expedite the process.

Share their work, too. It’s crucial to always generate goodwill. Be consistent about passively, yet proactively, referring them by sharing their blogs, publicizing their product launches, or leaving positive reviews. It’s a two-way street after all.

These are just half of the tips Hubspot offers, so give the rest a read. You’ll also find 45 great templates when asking for referrals.