The Daily Carnage

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

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Why You Should Invest in Branded Keywords (Even if You Rank #1 for Them)

JULY 10, 2022

Marketers spin their wheels to stay ahead of the SEO game. It’s a good feeling when the work pays off and your brand ranks No. 1 for a keyword. But what do you do when you get there? According to Search Engine Land, you have to keep that investment going. Why do you need to get ahead if you’re already ahead?

Here are the top reasons why brands should remain invested in their brand keywords:

SERP Authority: Dominate SERPs with PPC in addition to your top ranking. Search ads take out competition from this prime real estate.
Auction Dynamics: This is the most straightforward reason to keep up with brand search keywords. Because of changes in auctions, you may find that brand investment yields higher conversions than non-branded keywords. Work with your analytics teams to show how any shifts in investment impact total traffic to the site.
Meet the Customer Where They Search: People searching for your brands seek additional information about your brand. That means they are telling you what they are interested in learning more about. Invest in those search queries for your brand to give these engaged users the best possible search results.
Messaging Autonomy: To establish SERP authority, you need a catered message that shows prominently at the top of the page. PPC provides an opportunity to customize the message, based on known attributes of the user.

Check out the full article by Search Engine Land for all the details PLUS how to explain this tactic to clients.

Tips for Different Social Media Algorithms

JULY 6, 2022

Each social media platform has its own algorithm that takes into account different factors. So while step one is to create high-quality content that encourages engagement, step two is to use these tips for each channel to get it to the most people possible.

Facebook

Relevancy: Facebook/Meta audience personas are not always accurate, but keep audience data points from Facebook in mind when creating content.
Timing: On the topic of data, post when your audience is most active (even if it means scheduling at funky hours).

Twitter

Hashtags: Twitter is an oddball because of how fast Tweets can fly. Pay attention to trending topics and hop on hashtag trains (ideally within the same day of a topic).
@Mentions: Mention influencers and other brands with large followings strategically. Use your existing partnerships to your advantage.

Instagram

Hashtags: Hashtags are more influential on Instagram than other social networks. Instagram settled the caption vs comment debate at the end of 2021. (Captions are the better hashtag home.)
Comments: Comments show Instagram that your content is engaging and worth reading. With likes, they help your content become more likely to be discovered.

LinkedIn

Engagement: While content that has more likes and comments is likely to be seen by your connections’ networks, making content worth sharing is the most ideal. Shares get the most eyes.
Groups: LinkedIn has been shifting heavily into groups for more engaging content sharing.

TikTok

Views: The number of views your content gets is the most important factor in the TikTok algorithm.
Comments: Comments are important for two reasons. First, they show that your content is engaging and worth watching. Second, comment engagement is essential for building your TikTok community.

Keep in mind, these algorithms are constantly changing and social platforms aren’t exactly revealing all of their secret formulas. Check out the full Bsquared blog for more social media tips and tricks!

How Reviews Can Improve Your SEO Efforts

JULY 5, 2022

Off-site SEO can be some powerful stuff to continue giving you brand awareness outside of your own website or SEM. A great way to give your off-site SEO a boost is with reviews and testimonials that aren’t hosted on your website.

Here are five ways marketers can leverage SEO from reviews:

Off-site should be a priority: Your off-site SEO helps your relevancy, authority, and trustworthiness. Yet, brands still push it to the wayside and spin their wheels focusing on on-site SEO. Make more effort to expand your online presence with third-party review sites (and Google reviews, of course).
Don’t neglect referral traffic: Creating complete brand profiles on third-party sites can also lead to a spike in referral traffic. Research the top results for third-party review sites and take advtange of that channel opportunity.
Display reviews on your website: Okay, we just got done saying that brands are spending a lot of time on their on-site SEO. BUT if you don’t already have a place on your website to show off some testimonials, now is the time to change that. Show off your good side!
Pay attention to star ratings: While individual reviews that are rich with keywords and search terms are great for the long game, star ratings are often the first impression that matter most.
Make use of long-tail search queries: Detailed reviews are a great opportunity to rank for niche keywords and phrases. Leverage those long-tail keywords that get less search traffic but often have a higher conversion value as they are more specific.

Check out the full post by Search Engine Land for more SEO tips and real examples of how it’s done.

Spotify Advertising Culture Next 2022 Report

JULY 4, 2022

18- to 24-year-olds have already played more than 578 billion minutes of music on Spotify. Gen Z has consistently been the largest age group consuming audio content, and Spotify advertising has noticed. The company put out a new year of data on the influence that the generation has on sounds, music, culture, and audio advertising.

Here are some of our favorite takeaways from the report:

Gen Z listeners search for more content after finding something they like. 47% of Gen Z listeners have joined a digital community after following an artist, which is an interesting observation for marketers looking at additional channels.
Podcasts are far from on their way out. Gen Z listenership in the U.S. has increased by 62% on Spotify.
Everyone is in their feels. The report has a whole bunch of stats about Zs using audio content for comfort, energy, nostalgia, and even understanding themselves. 79% of Gen Z listeners believe their listening history tells a story about them.
Keep it authentic. Gen Z, above other generations, sniff out phony brand values and don’t appreciate misplaced ads within podcasts. Branded audio content like sponsored playlists or ads need to be genuine when they are aligning with values. Spotify gives great advice on how to strategically plan your campaigns.

The Culture Next report is also beautiful to look at! Experience the stylish report for yourself by smashing the button below (they also have it in a handy dandy PDF format).

Wanna see how it compares to 2021? Here’s the 2021 Culture Next Report.

The Dos and Don’ts of QR Code Marketing 

JUNE 29, 2022

What rock are you living under if you don’t know about QR codes? These scannable links have reached their peak ressurgance after how essential they were during touchless, distanced Covid times. Businesses have fully opted for this route for a lot of reasons. The top being they are trackable and editable, as opposed to traditional printed collateral.

And yet…they are also the worst! People slap them on everything and anything.

So despite QR codes being slightly old news, they are still here, and marketers should know how to use them properly.

QR Code Tips and Tricks:

QR codes on TV need to be large and in charge. Most people sit 10 feet away from the screen, so if you must use a QR code, give people enough time to scan it.
The shorter the URL, the better. QR codes mainly use three black squares that contain data. The shorter the URL, the less data to compress, making it easier to scan.
Don’t add a QR for just anything. Advertisers can put QR codes on boxes, products, screens, even the sky. Ideally, you should keep QR codes away from moving objects or moving scannable targets.
Make QR codes worth scanning. QR codes are not a great avenue for advertising. Rather, they should add value to a user experience (virtual try ons, personalized experiences, information, and so on).

Check out the full post by The Trade Desk for stats and examples of QR codes being used by big brands in the wild.

Bonus QR code Fun Facts:

They are old enough to drink –– QR codes are 27 years old.
QR stands for “quick response” code.
China is the top user of QR codes.

Using Memes for Marketing

JUNE 27, 2022

Memes are funny, entertaining, easy to consume, and usually relatable. That’s a perfect storm for content. They are great for making light jokes or getting a point across.

Memes have evolved heavily over the years from static images to speaking with GIFs or TikTok video memes. So how exactly can brands capture this format for themselves? Let’s dive in.

Tips for Meme Marketing

Know Your Audience: Make memes that’ll appeal to your followers, as well as the ones you want to gain. While not all brands should post memes, if you’re targeting millennials or Gen Z, it’s a solid format to include in your content plans.
Add Originality to Popular Memes: Yes, memes can be funny. But don’t forget that meme marketing is for brand awareness. Use recognizable memes in a way that puts your brand in the forefront.
Keep Up with What’s Trending: A huge part of meme culture is current events. You have to be timely, especially on Twitter, if you want to be a leader in the meme game.

World class memes aren’t going to happen overnight. You have to do your research and play around. Don’t be afraid to get weird with it every now and again (we’re looking at you, Denny’s). But be sure to use them sparingly with your other content.

Check out this full blog post by Shane Baker for more meme tips and examples from brands.

Related: The Spongebob Meme Phenomenon

Where Are CMOs Spending Money in 2022?

JUNE 26, 2022

No one ever knows for certain how far your money will go. As CMOs and executives plan their marketing budgets, Forbes noticed a trend in five areas of focus.

Here’s where marketers are putting their money so far in 2022:

Customer Data Privacy: The marketing landscape as a whole has grown privacy as a focal point. More than 1 in 3 CMOs will enhance cybersecurity for customer data as well.
Data Driven Marketing: We’re still fans of the notion that “content is king,” but data is quite the convincing runner up. So as marketing strategies move data to the forefront, there is a need to invest in big data and analytics (if that hasn’t happened already). We’re not just talking streamlined dashboards, we’re talking advanced data sourcing and research.
Building a More Diverse Marketing Team: The Great Resignation is still alive and well meaning companies are dealing with major gaps in their talent and likely still understaffed. CMOs will have to work to fill those gaps by building a more diverse marketing team and hiring more agency partners that prioritize diversity.
Elevating Diverse Voices: Brands have recognized that they cannot treat diversity as a trend to celebrate outwardly. They have to make meaningful steps and put money where their mouths are for authentic support in communities and elevation of diverse voices in campaigns.
Expanding the Team’s Skills: Part of employee retention during these times includes developing your team’s skill-set. Investing in programs, certifications, and even soft-skills is essential for your team’s success and happiness.

Overall, there are huge trends in data and diversity for where CMOs are investing their budgets. Check out the full Forbes article for all the stats and examples.

5 UX Web Design Mistakes to Avoid

JUNE 22, 2022

“Bad” design is a pretty subjective opinion. BUT if something is giving users a less than desirable experience, we are happy to be the ones to call it bad. Here are 5 popular UX trends that should be reconsidered:

Pop-Ups: Either use very sparingly or not at all. Pop-ups are great for urgent CTAs, but can also give users a negative experience of being interruptive. Try to integrate CTAs more into pages or with sliding bars instead.
Auto-Play Videos: Have you ever been minding your own business browsing a site then suddenly you have audio playing from your tab and you can’t understand where it came from? No one likes auto-play with sound.
The Flash Intro: Much like an auto-play video, flash intros are not worth it and will likely make a user bounce.
Stock Photos: It’s got to be real! Users can sniff out overused stock. While it’s fine to use them here and there, you are better off investing in your brand’s own, authentic photography.
Bad Parallax Scrolling: We’re not saying kill parallax…but use it sparingly. It slows down your site, isn’t mobile-friendly, and can make your users a little dizzy if it’s too drastic.

We’re not all bad news bears here. Here are 3 simple UX trends to check out:

Bold Color and More White Space: C’mon it’s the internet. Play with some more vivid color schemes to catch a user’s eye. Counter it with plenty of white space to breathe instead of overstuffing pages with content.
Illustrations: If you can, get custom illustrations for your brand to bring your site unique life. It creates a more memorable user experience, too.
Accessibility: This isn’t a trend, just a reminder that accessibility is a must. Not only is it more inclusive, but it also improves UX for everyone with better visibility, reading, and navigation.

Check out Lounge Lizard’s full post for more design details!

5 Ways to Ask Customers for Reviews and Testimonials

JUNE 21, 2022

We all know how powerful reviews, word of mouth, and reputation are to a business. You can scream and shout about your brand all day, but hearing about it from others hits different.

Here are 5 ways to ask your existing customers for reviews so you can gain the trust of new ones:

Send an Email: It’s the number one way to ask for them. Typically it’s a follow-up after the service has been completed.
Ask Via Social Media: Brands often forget to put it all out there on social media. If you’re confident that posting on social media for reviews would get you positive feedback, go for it!
Use your website: Brands will happily post past testimonials on their site, but will forget to ask for new ones. Include a CTA to leave reviews on your services, testiomnials, and contact pages.
Ask on Your Thank You Pages: While most review solicitations are post-purchase, you should still ask for reviews on the customer experience. Put review call outs on thank you pages while it’s fresh in their minds.
Ask in Person: If you have a great relationship going with your client, ask them directly in your next meet up.

Okay, so you got the methods…where do the reviews go? Here are some of the best places to ask customers to leave their reviews:

Your own website
Third-party review websites
Your Google My Business listing
Industry platforms and business directories
Social media

These are all methods that have been around for ages. But which ones have you forgotten about? Check out the full post by Website Builder Expert for more ideas and examples.