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8 Content Marketing Stats to Know

JANUARY 9, 2023

Content marketing — the creating and sharing of relevant and entertaining text-based, video, and audio content to attract and retain a defined audience — is an indispensable part of any digital marketing and SEO strategy for businesses big and small. By now, everyone knows it. But we love data around here. So what’s the math behind the strategy? Here are some top stats to consider:

Everyone’s doing it. 73% of B2B marketers and 70% of B2C marketers use content marketing as part of their overall marketing strategy.
Shooting from the hip? Just 40% of B2B marketers have a documented content marketing strategy; 33% have an undocumented strategy, and 27% have no strategy at all.
It’s hard to keep up. Half of all marketers say they outsource some content marketing.
Take your time. 83% of marketers believe it’s more effective to create higher quality content less often.
Word count counts. Short content (300–900 words) attracts 21% less traffic and 75% fewer backlinks than articles of average length (900–1200 words).
Distill your message. Buyers are willing to spend 5 minutes or less consuming most content formats.
More for less. Content marketing generates 3x as many leads as traditional outbound marketing but costs 62% less.
What’s your budget? 22% of B2B marketers said they spent 50% or more of their total marketing dollars on content marketing.

So, how do you stack up? When you build a documented strategy, produce high-quality content, distribute it on the right channels, and provide consistent value to your customers, you can triple your returns.

Check out 22 more content marketing statitics at Search Engine Journal.

How to Dominate with DOOH

JANUARY 8, 2023

We told you digital out-of-home (DOOH) would be big in 2023, thanks to developments in technology and enhanced opportunities to execute, target, and measure performance. Here’s four hot tips to maximize your DOOH campaigns:

Be in-your-face about it. Too much branding won’t kill your ad, so opt for simple messaging and privilege your logo throughout the ad experience for maximum recognition.
Consider the context.
- What is the venue type? Large-screen formats are viewed from a distance by pedestrians and traffic. Place-based screens in grocery stores and gas stations can engage consumers with contextually-relevant messaging.
- What level of personalization is available? Are consumers viewing a board from a crowd in a high-traffic area, or are they close-up and interacting with a self-service screen?
- How much time do you have with your audience? Are they flying by on the highway or passing through an elevator? Or are they working out at the gym, concentrating on your ad to power through the pain?
Be in the moment. Relevance is key. Consider seasons, holidays, weather patterns, current events, cultural moments, and even the time of the day in your messaging.
Make it move. You have between 6 and 15 seconds to get your message across with busy consumers, so make it flashy with video and animation.

Check out the full story at The Drum.

What is Entity Search?

JANUARY 4, 2023

In the past, you might have gotten by on keywords and link-building alone—but, these days, you have to help semantic search engine bots understand your content by optimizing for entity search. But what does that really mean?

entity (n.): a name, place, object, event, concept, or numerical expression that a search engine can understand without ambiguity.

For example, in the query “what is the cheapest price for a hotel in the San Francisco Bay Area,” the following are considered entities:

“What” — concept
“Cheapest” — numerical expression
“Price” — numerical expression
“Hotel” — organization
“San Francisco” — location
“Bay Area” — location

By connecting these entities, search engines can understand both the query and the intent behind the query. Search engines use Knowledge Graphs, citations, Wikipedia, reviews, and various digital content to provide the most accurate and relevant results. This retrieval process is called entity search.

So how do you leverage entity-focused SEO to give your content a competitve advantage in search?

What: Provide the most comprehensive source of information on a topic by covering as many related topics as relevant to the searcher.
Why: Understand user intent. Are they seeking info, evaluating options, looking for directions, or ready to make a decision? Your content should cater to every need of your audience across their buying journey.
How: Employ video, images, headings, bulleted and numbered lists, hours of operation, and Q+A to create the most holistic semantic SEO strategy.

Dig into the details over at Search Engine Land to get started on your strategy.

What About Your About Page?

JANUARY 3, 2023

Your About Us page isn’t just a parking spot for your boilerplate copy. In fact, users rank it as the second-most important element on a site behind contact information. The most engaging About Us pages stay true to the brand’s tone and share these key elements in common:

The why. This is your opportunity to share your mission with consumers who are hungry to support brands that align with their values. What problem—macro or micro—is your brand committed to solving? Why does your brand exist?

The how. Your About page is not the place for corporate speak, so “execute” somewhere else. Users are here to learn exactly how you’re going to make their life better. Use clear, customer-focused language to pitch what you’re selling.

The when and where. Storytelling facilitates connection. Share your brand’s humble beginnings, origin story, inspiring impetus. When did all begin? And where are you headed?

The who. When it’s appropriate, sharing headshots and bios of the key players on your team can build trust with consumers who increasingly value brand transparency.

The what now? Don’t forget the obvious. Your About page should include a call-to-action to drive users to back to your services and products, blog content, newsletter, etc.

Check out Search Engine Land for a full list of gold-star About Us examples.

Know Your Social Stats

JANUARY 2, 2023

What were the top challenges faced by social media managers last year? Keeping up with the algorithm, navigating new features, and fighting that shrinking organic reach. It can be hard to prove ROI to clients and managers, despite what we know to be true. So, here are a few powerful, platform-specific stats to have on hand:

Instagram users spend an average of 30 minutes on the app a day, and 81% of them are researching products and services with all that time.
TikTok‘s 1 billion monthly users spend a whopping 95 minutes daily on the app, where they’re engaging at a rate of 17.96%.
Twitter is still hot with millennials (this 😂 emoji is the most used). Despite ongoing chaos, new user sign-ups were at an all-time high in November ’22—and 30% of users are hoping to see more brands on their feeds.
LinkedIn posts sees 15x more content impressions than job postings, and 6 people are hired from this platform every minute.

Check out HeyOrca to dive into the full scope of stats from 2022.

Google Ads in ’23

JANUARY 1, 2023

Based on last year’s trends and new features—as well as some upcoming data regulations—here’s what to expect from Google Ads in 2023:

Broad match or bust. Google strongly suggests that you upgrade existing keywords to broad match to yield quality impression share and higher conversions. More data = better optimization. Still, you should closely monitor broad match, as it could produce overspend from irrelevant queries.
More dependence on creative. In 2023, emphasize creative. Use high-quality images and videos for Display Network ad types (Responsive, Discovery, Performance Max) and set yourself apart by adding images to search ads.
Privacy-focused management. Google—and the digital marketing industry at large—is moving to first-party data. On May 1, 2023, Google advertisers will no longer be able create similar audiences, even with first-party data.
Less transparency to advertisers. Google’s automation and machine learning algorithms continue to be a mystery to advertisers. The challenge will be finding opportunities within these limitations.

Check out the full story over at Practical eCommerce.

How can marketers use ChatGPT?

DECEMBER 28, 2022

You’ve probably heard the hype about ChatGPT, the AI chatbot trained by OpenAI that amassed over a million users in five days. ChatGPT is capable of generating natural and coherent language responses to general questions. Its ability to build strategies and automate tasks has caused some experts to speculate that AI has the potential to replace human marketers in the not-so-distant future. For now, it’s still a developing tool with the power to enhance your workflow. Here’s how:

Keyword suggestions. ChatGPT can’t replace a solid SEO strategy, but it can help quickly identify a list of synonyms from a root keyword.
Content. Major digital publications have already started trusting ChatGPT with basic articles. The copy is relevant and readable, if a little rudimentary. However, with a simple request like “What to see and do in Athens,” ChatGPT provides a helpful overview and outline for a real content writer to work from.
Ad copy. Coming up with snappy headlines and taglines can suck up a lot of time. ChatGPT seems to excel at yielding totally viable options for a request like “give me headlines related to ‘buy budget beds online.’” If AI doesn’t strike gold for you, it’s at least getting the brainstorm started.
Names. Need to come up with the second-best name for a newsletter? ChatGPT can do that, too.
Ok, nothing groundbreaking here.
Code. If you need a little help with basic coding and your favorite dev is busy, you tell ChatGPT to “create HTML for a link to open in new window,” for example.

Check out Browser Media’s article to find out more about ChatGPT’s capabilities and limitations.

Demystifying the TikTok Algo

DECEMBER 27, 2022

It’s the fastest growing social media platform of our time with the highest engagement rates per post. In Q3 of 2022, TikTok surpassed 1 billion monthly active users. The “For You Page” (FYP)—a curated feed of videos hyper-tailored to user interests and behaviors—is no small part of that success (and controversy). So how do you make the TikTok algorithm work for you and your brand?

Try a CTA. When a user interacts positively with your content (posting a comment, liking a video, following your account, or simply watching the content through), the algorithm is sure to show them more of the same—and bring them back to you. Encouraging users to interact positively can pay off.
TikTok SEO. TikTok video information includes sounds, captions, hashtags, overlays, and video descriptions. It’s no secret that brands can hop on a viral sound to reach a wider audience, but the small stuff counts too. Experts recommend conducting keyword research on the platform to optimize your description. Plus, captions are a non-negotiable if you want to max visibility.

Check out Search Engine Land’s tips for going viral on TikTok, plus some debunked myths about what does and doesn’t work on the app.

5 Ways to Optimize Your Ad Campaigns in 2023

DECEMBER 26, 2022

We know a lot of work goes into building and optimizing display ad campaigns, but you can’t let the same campaigns repeat without optimization. As you plan your 2023 campaigns, check out these 5 ways to finetune and boost your ads.

Try different approaches to targeting. There is a theory that the more you narrow down targeting, the more relevant your ads become. Since there is no one-size-fits-all audience, experimentation is essential. Just be careful with too much hyper-targeting as it often comes with higher costs per click.
Refine campaign budget allocation. Google Ads cost per lead has increased for 91% of industries… yikes. Make clear 2023 goals before allocating budgets. When making adjustments, only shift a maximum of 10% at a time and always set aside a sum for A/B testing, as it can help you greatly improve your campaign’s performance.
Run A/B tests through thick and thin. A/B testing is amazing for understanding underperforming campaigns so you can pinpoint what elements work best. Run A/B tests even when you’re satisfied with your current results because there’s always room for improvement.
Review performance data periodically. Data is everything. Leverage analytics if you want to squeeze as much ROI as possible from your campaign. Choose the best KPIs to track beforehand so you know what you’re looking for in a sea of metrics. Check campaign reports periodically and see what adjustments you could make to boost performance.

Whatever you do, be sure to set your goals before any launches. Check out other budgeting advice, pre-planning, and ongoing optimization tips from Search Engine Land’s post.