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What’s the deal with Google Data Studio?

JANUARY 9, 2022

Business intelligence (BI) tools are essential to marketers. While many marketers are familiar with Google Analytics, not everyone knows that Google also has a data tool called Google Data Studio (previously Google Data Studio 360). Let’s break it down!

What is Google Data Studio?

Google Data Studio is a free data visualization and reporting tool that allows marketers to build interactive dashboards and generate insightful, customized reports. It can pull from other sources (on top of Google products like Search Console, of course).

Why does it matter? It helps marketing teams save time and money by creating and sharing insightful reports quickly and conveniently.

The Benefits of Using Google Data Studio

Multiple Data Sources: Google Analytics allows a maximum of 12 data sources, but Data Studio allows you to pull data from as many locations as you want.
Access Unlimited Widgets: GDS doesn’t skimp! Google Data Studio lets you have as many widgets/graphs as you need.
Easily Share Reports: Reports, you can export them to PDF, Excel, Google Sheets, email, and even embedded on social media. You can schedule automated email exports as well.
Create more designed reports: Data Studio allows you to break down reports into up to 20 pages where you can alter fonts, colors, sizes, themes, and other design details. You can also annotate and brand your reports with text, images, and links as well.

And one of the best reasons to use GDS: it’s free! Check out more on Google Data Studio in this article.

5 On-Page SEO Factors To Check In Underperforming Content

JANUARY 5, 2022

SEO tactics are constantly changing, especially when one of the biggest search engines, Google, likes to keep us on our toes. On-page SEO has changed to be more than just meta descriptions and copy.

It’s time for a refresher! Here are five on-page SEO elements to check if you have some underperforming pages.

Written Content: Your content elements are one of the primary types of on-page SEO. Make sure that the content you write is making good use of your keyword strategy. Use HTML subheadings for structure and SEO support, too!
Title Tags: The title tag is the “title” of your page and is the main element that search engines use to determine your page’s intent. The title tag should be focused on the exact keyword that your page is targeting to support ranking.
Page URL: We all know that every webpage generates a URL, but you should be taking the time to make sure those contain your primary keyword, too. But don’t cram keywords into the URL willy nilly, because search engines might get confused as to which word you are trying to rank for.
Image Alt Text: Visual elements are essential to making your site interesting, but many marketers still neglect their video and image alt text. If you don’t include your target keywords in your alt text, search engines won’t index your visual elements, which means they won’t show up if a user does a video or image search. Alt-text also ensures that your content is accessible. It’s a win-win!
Both Internal And External Links: Internal links are links that point to other content within your website, and they help Google understand the context of a page. External links point to content outside of your website. You need to have a balance of both!

Check out Search Engine Journal’s full post for more on-page SEO resources and examples.

A Big, Fat, Long List of Marketing Tools to Use in 2022

JANUARY 3, 2022

January is off to a hot and heavy start, especially if you didn’t already solidify your marketing tools budget for 2022. No platform does it all (but maybe one day), so you’ll need a collection of tools to get things done for analytics, social media management, customer relationship management, project management, email marketing, and your overall site management.

See if there are tools you haven’t heard of before and what combination of them you might need for your business:

Marketing Management Tools

HubSpot for lead generation and automation
Honeybook for CRM
Monday.com for HR and brand management
Wrike for project management and account-based marketing
EngageBay for automation and account-based marketing
Pipedrive for CRM and contact management
Salesflare for CRM and account-based marketing
Bitrix24 for appointment management
Lusha for CRM and data extraction
AeroLeads for lead generation
Pardot for lead generation
Sprinklr for marketing automation
Smartsheet for general business management
Trello for team collaboration and campaign management
Airtable for content management and automation
Asana for project management and campaign management
OptinMonster for lead management

Social Media Marketing Tools

Hootsuite for general social media publishing
Sprout Social for social media marketing and publishing
Buffer for general social media management
Social Status for general social media management
BuzzSumo for analytics and influencer trends
Sixads for social media ad management

Data Analytics Tools

Google Analytics for your web analytic essentials
Semrush for SEO and ad analytics
Coupler.io for data integration
CloudTalk for lead data and communication solutions
Outfunnel for customer data and marketing automation
Ahrefs for SEO and keyword tracking
Moz Pro for a full SEO toolkit
Leadfeeder for website analytics

Website Design and Other Web Tools

Hotjar for customer experience management
Optimizely for A/B testing and personalization
Unbounce for landing page optimization
SE Ranking for link management
Wix for fast website building
Elementor for WordPress web design
Venngage for simple graphic design solutions
Omnilink for landing page creation
ConvertFlow for landing page creation
Squarespace for website building
Google Search Console for keyword research and SEO

Email Marketing Tools

Mailchimp for newsletters, email marketing, and automation
Sendible for email and social media marketing and monitoring
Constant Contact for email marketing with e-commerce
Drip for personalized email and SMS
Campaign Monitor for email marketing
Marketo Engage for email marketing and lead management
Kartra for email and affiliate marketing
AWeber for email marketing
Omnisend for email marketing

UnboundB2B broke down the key features, prices, pros, and cons for each one of these tools so check it out!

Understanding CTV vs. OTT Streaming Ads

JANUARY 2, 2022

We all know traditional TV is on the outs in favor of digital streaming options. With that, advertising has had to adapt to our new media habits. So let’s break down the big differences and benefits to two streaming advertising methods: Connected TV (CTV) ads and Over-the-Top (OTT) ads.

Here’s your snapshot:

So let’s break it down even more…

Digitilized TV Vs. Linear TV: First, what’s the difference between then TV types? Traditional, or linear TV, is broadcasting content live directly to the TV receiver and usually means subscribing to the traditional cable or satellite provider to access the content. Advertisers purchase specific spots for the content. Digital television is the streaming of television using digital encoding, and advertisers can instead purchase spots based on a user or group as well as content-specific spots.
What is CTV? Connected TVs are TVs that are connected to the internet or devices (like Roku) that connect to internet-enabled apps. Connected TV (CTV) ads are often shippable ads that embed targeted advertising into user interfaces.
What Is OTT? OTT or “over-the-top” content is pulled directly from the internet and streamed. OTT providers include Netflix and Hulu, but many networks are also launching their own OTT services such as Disney+.
Understanding CTV Vs. OTT Terms: OTT is the content delivery method (like Netflix) and CTV is an internet-connected device (like Apple TV). Both of these can include things like in-stream video ads, interactive pre-roll ads, and home screen placement ads.

Here’s another snapshot on those platforms:

For more examples and details on streaming ads depending on platforms, check out Adcore’s full article.

What is Keyword Cannibalization?

DECEMBER 29, 2021

Multiple pages on your website ranking for the same keyword might not always be your best SEO strategy. When you have multiple pages ranking for the same keyword, you force your pages to compete with each other.

This is called “keyword cannibalization.”

This is often the case for very general terms that are the content stars on every page of your site. While you do want to maintain the use of broad terms, you also need to use longer-tail keywords to hone in specific pages.

How do you know you have keyword cannibalization?

Simply create a keyword matrix by listing all of your site’s important URLs, their meta info, and their keywords. Look for how many duplicate entries there are.

How do you fix keyword cannibalization?

Consolidate that Content: If you have pages focusing on the same broad keywords, they could likely be combined.
Restructure Your Website: A simple solution could just be a little organization. Often you can take your most authoritative page and turn it into a landing page.
Create New Landing Pages: Or you might need to make a unique landing page to serve as your authoritative source page that links to all of your variations from there. That way you target broad keyword terms with your consolidated pages, but long-tail keywords on your variations.
Find New Keywords: If your page structure is already solid, revisit your keyword strategy!
Use 301 Redirects: Don’t go heavy-handed with this one, but using 301s might help you consolidate content by linking less relevant pages to a more authoritative one.

See the full list of examples and details on keyword cannibalization at the Search Engine Journal’s post.

5 Words of Encouragement for Marketing on TikTok

DECEMBER 28, 2021

TikTok had a banger of a year in 2021. And advertisers noticed. Sprout Social took the plunge earlier this year and reported on their experience with it. They took us step-by-step through their TikToks and their marketing strategy.

Here are their five big takeaways as words of encouragement for anyone waiting to advertise on TikTok:

There’s always a niche. Regardless of your industry, product, or audience, there is likely a community for it on TikTok. Find it by deep-diving into hashtags, trends, and keywords.
Look to competitors and peers for inspiration. Like we said, there’s always a niche and someone likely is already capitalizing on that niche.
There are a lot of variables. You’re going to see some fluctuation. Take note of the variables that differentiate your TikToks that will inspire your next TikTok.
Take advantage of TikTok’s native features. Using sounds from the TikTok library increase the likelihood of your video being shown in someone’s For You Page. TikTok’s amazing for accessibility features like captioning.
Don’t sit and wait! Don’t wait to be discovered on TikTok, spread the news and cross-promote on your other social channels. Spread that content love.

Check out Sprout Social’s full post on the type of TikToks they made and for more details on their TikTok marketing journey.

7 Tips for Using Your LinkedIn Profile for Personal Branding

DECEMBER 27, 2021

We don’t have to be the ones reminding you that 2022 is around the corner, but it is. With just a few days left in 2021, there’s no better time to not just update your LinkedIn, but upgrade it.

Here are 7 ways you can be upgrading your LinkedIn profile to act as your own personal branding website:

Get It Up to Date: Duh. But have you done it? Many people start with their images. What’s more on-brand for you: a professional headshot, or something candid?
Add a Welcome Message: Like we said, start with the visual-heavy things. You can now add a video to your profile image or record an audio greeting that lives on your profile page. Does anyone else remember these MySpace features?
Feature Your Posts (and More): Take a look at your past year of posts and see if there’s something worth sticking around on your profile. In fact, check out all of the possibilities under the “Add Section” button of your profile.
The Tricky “About” Section: It’s time to spice up that bio. Do this by explaining how you add value instead of credentials. Keep it personal and in your own voice.
Maximize Your Experience Section: Add supporting media files to your experience like video, images, podcast episodes, case studies, etc.
Create a LinkedIn Newsletter: This is a relatively new feature on LinkedIn. Instead of linking out to a blog, you can create content right on LinkedIn for your existing followers and subscribers.
Ask for Recommendations: Sometimes this can feel awkward to ask for a recommendation from past clients or coworkers, but you never know until you ask! Your personal brand includes what others can say about you, too.

Take this list step by step and see what you can do to boost your LinkedIn profile and inject your own personal brand voice. Check out the full Entrepreneur post for more ideas of how to upgrade your LinkedIn.

Step-By-Step Guide for How to Start a Podcast

DECEMBER 22, 2021

Podcasts have grown to be one of the top sources for entertainment and sharing content in the past few years. Everybody’s doing it! But getting one started means taking the right steps.

Step 1 – Ask Yourself the Big Q’s: Other than it being so popular, why should you start a podcast? Keep in mind, podcasts are not for everyone or every brand. BUT most podcasts cater to a niche audience, so they can create content that targets their core audience. The next steps will help you out with the next big Q – how?

Step 2 – Do Your Prep Work: This is the most important step for figuring out what your podcast will be.

Start with thinking about your audience
Then move into the deets like your name, description, frequency, and episode length.
Determine your format with who is doing the speaking (solo, duos, multiple hosts, or call-ins/interviews)

Step 3 – Time to Get Technical: You can either rent studio space and they will have all the equipment for you, or you can grab them yourself. The essentials are a microphone, audio recording software, and a (preferably soundproof) space.

Step 4 – Make It Happen, Captain: Once you have everything prepared (including your script), you can record and get your podcast ready to edit. Editing can make or break how professional your podcast sounds so this is when to determine if you need to hire an editor or do it yourself to the best of your ability.

Step 5 – Time to Distribute: Most platforms need square artwork at least 1400 x 1400 in the RGB colorspace at 72 DPI. Distribution is one of the key elements to supporting your podcast is finding a reliable place to host your episodes like Buzzsprout or Anchor.

Step 6 – Monetize It!: Only do this once you’ve established a listener base, otherwise you’ll be wasting money. You might have to repeat some planning steps to grow.

See the full guide on Findstack’s post for more examples and ideas for your podcast preparation.

Mistakes and Best Practices Brands Need to Know About NFTs

DECEMBER 21, 2021

At least once or twice a week, we have been filling you in on a brand releasing NFTs or virtual “Metaverse” happenings. More and more big brands are taking advantage of crypto and NFT trends, typically as a retail channel. We’ve been seeing the same structure happening, and while some strike it big, some fall flat.

Here are a few things companies need to know to avoid common mistakes of NFTs:

How an NFT looks doesn’t matter too much: The artistry of the art is not what makes an NFT valuable. Instead, designing an NFT project should center around things like scarcity, innovation, and community. Many brands mistake that for just creating something quirky or really specific.
So what is a community in regards to NFTs?: Communities aren’t about companies, they are about ideas. NFT’s are sort of like a club membership (or sometimes an inside joke) that act as social currency to a community. The big mistake companies make is not establishing a community before releasing NFTs.
Early buy-ins have higher value: While many brands are rushing in blindly to NFTs and the metaverse. Metaverse-native brands are currently more valuable than existing corporate brands in this new arena. It’s supporting that idea of building community before launch, because “real-world” brand recognition does not always translate virtually.
NFT projects should change over time: The best NFT projects are constantly evolving and owners should be listening to their community for more changes.
Not every brand and product should have NFTs: But it seems every brands thinks they should. But most products should never have an NFT. Many brands are also rushing their NFTs. Yes, the market is saturating quickly, but innovative projects take time!

Check out CoinDesk’s full article for specific brand examples and more details about doing NFTs the right way.