Here is a Great Content Recipe for DTC businesses
Sep 25, 2015
10 min read
Writing good content is as difficult as drawing a good sketch, or composing a musical tune. It demands a thorough understanding of the theme, in-depth research, analyzing the target audience's behavior and needs. While many business houses prefer having an in-house content team to write fascinating content that can add value to their brand, a good number of firms outsource this task to competent organizations.
Your content should focus on a certain theme. Whether it's a 140 character tweet or a 2000 word blog post, the pre-production work matters. The more a writer knows about a certain subject, the more likely he is to render good content.
Regardless of whether you have an in-house team or an outsourced one, you will want your web pages filled with great content. Not just good but great. What are the barriers that stop you from getting that great content?
And how can we solve those issues so that you get the best return on investment? Let's check out right here.
Choosing The Right Theme/Topic
You might have written very good content but if that is outdated and not relevant to the user's search, the content might not rank high. Having an estimate of what the audience wants to read will help to create better content. Content creation demands that you know what topics are trending in the news and search engines.
Also, it is important that you analyze what your audience might want to read. Knowing customer preference is a crucial aspect of formulating a successful content marketing strategy. To find out the context and environment of your online visitors through a proper analytic tool (Google Analytics is a great one for that!).
You will be surprised to know that it is quite easy to find out about current trends. Just use any web analytics tool to get an idea of what type of content is drawing more audience in a given time frame. While some web analytics tools charge you a nominal amount, tools like Google Trends are free, besides being more handy and efficient.
So that you choose the most relevant and evergreen topic for your blogs, you would like to consider thinking about the following key points:
1. Is the topic trending?
As a subject matter expert, you can add more value and information to the trending topic and provide useful content to your followers and readers.
2. Is the topic going to have a long-term effect?
Some topics stay relevant only for a specific time frame. For example, a post about some new update will be valuable only until the next update doesn't come up. On the contrary, thought-provoking posts can stay alive and appealing for a longer span of time.
Many contents in the form of blogs and videos etc. have shown remarkable success after a while they have been published, the time ranging from six months to two to three years.
Similarly, your content can rule the blog world and, therefore, elevate your website's popularity in due time.
3. Is the topic too generic or ambiguous?
Avoid such topics, because, in spite of providing a framework to an idea, such topics often lose their impact because of the competition around them. The reader is more interested in knowing the specific details rather than meditating on the general model of your concept. So stick to some specific context and then elaborate on it so that you can address the particulars of the pain points that your audience is dealing with.
Create Content in Coherence With Set Goals
Content marketing is a changing field. Having relevance to the context and timing, helps the marketing firms to sustain and grow. Giants like Huffington Post and Moz have attained heights because they understand their goals perfectly well. So whether you intend to promote your brand or want to generate more customer leads, your content should focus on that.
It should not be incoherent or utterly diverting from the goals. If you are someone who hires a content writer, you should clearly state what you want to achieve through the content.
Do you wish to drive more traffic to your sites? And get a high customer engagement too? Then let the content go by that.
Versatile Content Wins The Race
Writing long and flawless content is good but not enough. What we need to have is content that appeals to the audience. Content is good and valuable when it can be developed and propagated through various channels. Create content that can be transmuted or repurposed in different formats as well. You can consider creating your content in the form of Infographics, PowerPoint presentations, animated videos, and other formats.
The main advantage of having your content in different formats is that it exponentially increases your audience domains. Because of the variety of audience groups and their expectations from your brand, they will have different contexts in which they arrive at your blogs.
It is crucial to understand that every set of the audience has unique features, in terms of their age, gender, interests, and goals. So, having your content in different formats can cater to a larger audience group.
For instance, it is a well-known fact that the younger generation prefers to use graphically sound platforms like Pinterest and Instagram. If your content is only in textual format, it might miss your younger audience; but if instead, you provide them with a suitable infographic or just a simple flowchart, your task is done.
Not only does that adds value to their time and effort, but it will also help your content is getting more attention, specifically in terms of social shares and user engagement.
Measuring The Quality of The Content
Content is more of a qualitative commodity than a quantitative thing. But that does not mean you can't measure the success of your content. Measuring the quality of work is essential to figure out the areas of improvement.
Apart from checking the grammar and semantics qualities, you can consider the data from sales lead quality, conversion rates, SEO ranking, bounce rates, subscriber growth, and reader's feedback to measure your content. And then you can have a better idea about how to improve the quality of your content.
About writing, Faulkner has quoted, "Teach yourself by your own mistakes; people learn only by error". The rule set up by this Nobel Prize Laureate is valid for all forms of writing and content creation. It is apt that you experiment with your writing styles and keep a track of how each of your contents performs among your audience group.
Content creation is not a passive or mechanical task; instead, it is very much alive and interactive. Because you write to engage living people who have the capacity to think and respond, you can focus on producing content that actually adds value to the reader's thought-process and encourages some activity from his/her end.
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Top 5 Demand-Side Platforms (DSP) For Programmatic Advertising
We’re continuing on our programmatic spree! If you are still not familiar with what programmatic is, you can have a look at our previous blogs which specifically talk about what exactly programmatic advertising is and some things you should take care of before firing up your programmatic efforts. Going through them first will help you get on the same page as us. So, you’ve decided that going programmatic is the way to go to achieve better ROI and have successfully defined a strategy, got abreast with the current needs of your target audience and are almost ready to begin advertising programmatically. But what are the best platforms out there that will acquaint you with the best available ad units according to your targeted audience and provide detailed analytics as well so you can optimize all your programmatic advertising campaigns along the way? This post is all about that and a lot more! So, let’s get into those top 5 programmatic advertising platforms right away - Google Marketing Platform To keep up with the ever-evolving needs of marketers and publishers alike, Google went through a major rebrand to simplify, unify and consolidate their various top-of-the-line digital marketing and advertising products, giving advertisers and publishers more control over their entire digital marketing campaigns. After the rebrand, Google AdWords is now Google Ads. Google’s Doubleclick Advertisers products (including DoubleClick Bid Manager, Campaign Manager, Studio & Audience Centre) and Analytics 360 suite is now Google Marketing Platform. And DoubleClick For Publishers and DoubleClick Ad Exchange is now Google Ads Manager. The reason I’m telling you all this is because, before the rebrand, Google’s DoubleClick was the go-to product for everything programmatic for both advertisers and publishers. But after the rebrand, DoubleClick’s Bid Manager (DSP) and it’s other advertiser products are shipped integrated with Google Marketing platform under the name of ‘Display and Video 360’ which empowers advertisers to effectively plan, buy, measure and optimize their programmatic advertising campaigns across TV, video, display, mobile and more from a single unified platform. Coming to why Google’s platform is at the top of this list? Simply because of the large network of publishers selling advertising spaces on the platform. Reportedly, Google provides you with a choice to buy ad spaces programmatically on more than 1 billion websites and apps! And did I forget mentioning about Youtube? Yes, Google Marketing Platform is the only place where you can buy ad inventory on Youtube. Combined with the superior audience intelligence and analytics that the company is renowned for, you get a programmatic behemoth at your disposal that will support all your programmatic efforts every step of the way. We rely on the Google Marketing Platform as well for providing all our programmatic services. And it’s just great! Facebook Ads Manager Other than the web, if you are looking to advertise programmatically specifically on Facebook, then Facebook Ads Manager is your best bet. While there are other programmatic advertising platforms that provide ad spaces on Facebook and other social media platforms like Twitter, they will never be able to match the in-depth audience targeting options Facebook provides to its advertisers. And it’s all about the audience when it comes to making your advertisements work. If you have targeted the kind of audience who is already inclined to buy services/products related to your business, your ad will work. You can programmatically advertise native ads on the platform in the form of photos, videos, carousel ads, slideshows, and instant experiences. Appnexus Appnexus in another great programmatic advertising platform backed up by rich data and machine learning. The USP of the platform is you can fully customize it according to your business requirements and needs. The programmable platform allows you to programmatically buy premium inventory across various channels (desktop, mobile, TV) and formats (video, display, native, OTT) via multiple programmatic options (open exchange, private marketplace, programmatic guaranteed) with safety and transparency. Obviously, their inventory with not be as vast and detailed as Google but the platform still outscores other programmatic platforms over the web. SpotX If you have some videos at your disposal and want to advertise them programmatically over the web, then SpotX is your best option. SpotX is dedicatedly a video ad serving platform that has won various accolades for the awesome services they provide. I say services and not platform because the SpotX team, if you choose their services, will closely work with you to make your programmatic efforts a success. Their programmatic platform is studded with detailed analytics, superior audience intelligence and provides the functionality to advertise various video ad units such as in-stream videos, outstream videos, interstitial videos and OTT videos to deliver your preferred video experience to the targeted users and platforms of your programmatic advertising campaign. AdRoll Renowned for their spot-on retargeting services, this programmatic service provider and platform is best suited for entrepreneurs and advertisers of eCommerce stores. Their rich data pool of 1.2 billion online shoppers which includes their browsing behavior, previous purchases, and other important user data enables advertisers to target users based on their exact preferences and make every advertising campaign a success, ask from the 37,000 businesses using their platform and churning billions in business revenue. The platform lets you market your advertisements and retargets users across display, social, native and email. And their platform also lets you integrate all your user data with top eCommerce solutions such as Shopify, Magento, MailChimp and more to streamline all your workflows and turn you eCommerce store into a money-making machine. So, there you go! These 5 programmatic advertising platforms are all different in how they let you advertise yourself over the web and are built keeping in mind different business goals and objectives. So, I would advise you to go to their website, see what they have to provide and then decide which platform will suit you the best according to your budget and unique business requirements. If there are some other awesome programmatic platforms that have helped you remarkably in all your programmatic efforts, do let us know in the comments. ...
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Hire a Virtual Marketing Officer (VMO) to Set up Your Account-Based Marketing Strategy
Account-Based Marketing (ABM) has very quickly evolved from the “new thing” in marketing to the need of the hour for all businesses. Its rapid growth can be credited to the fact that it expedites your marketing initiatives and makes good use of the company’s data, time, and resources. The structure of ABM is such that it can help businesses navigate through complicated deals with ease. The factor of providing the right value to each customer stands true in lieu of ABM. Patience and persistence are the words to go by for incorporating ABM in your marketing plan. However, a Virtual Marketing Officer (VMO) comes equipped with tools that can cut the strain off of the discipline and rigor it takes to target the right accounts. By working per the needs of sales teams, VMOs are able to determine the scope of growth for existing accounts and can also help them target new ones. Personalized content is the core of ABM and in order to develop an aesthetically right message, it is imperative to utilize the data sales teams have at hand. Here we have a list of components VMOs use to accelerate the implementation of ABM in your marketing plans- Align sales and marketing A key aspect of the implementation of ABM is to create alignment between the sales and marketing teams. VMOs overcomes the challenges of mapping and managing effective communication between the teams by creating a strategic channel at the account level. Now, if you look at it from a macro perspective, you will realize that this strategy enables segmentation and communication with greater ease without having to overburden the teams into diverting their flow of communication. Tying up of territory-level sales activities with your marketing strategy can effectively reduce the time and effort required to reach a goal. This can only be achieved when the sales and marketing teams are perfectly aligned and in sync with each other. Some activities that can bring in this alignment are hosting shared training sessions, collaborative meetings, and such. Segmentation of accounts ABM works towards targeting the right audience with the help of strategically devised tactics. Segmentation of accounts enables you to significantly improve your campaign results and increase personalization. It is imperative to have a definitive framework to segment your database in such a way that it complements your marketing strategy. By focusing your delivery value largely on activities and messages targeted to specific segments, you can achieve effective results. Some of the basis of segmentation include categorization based on- Classification of company Size of the organization Annual revenue Current spend Projected spend Products bought Opportunities that are open or closed Geography Segmentation of your accounts ensures effective messaging and helps in simplifying execution at all levels. ABM can only help you if your audience is resonating with your content and segmentation can help you in refining your approach. Most VMOs have automation tools that can help with the segregation based on uniquely defined account-related information. Automation plays ABM programs yield effective results only if the coordination between sales activities and marketing plays is in place. VMOs target to achieve measurable results and automation is what helps them align their efforts. Automation tools guarantee efficient workflows at all levels be it program, campaign, or territory. They can provide palpable insights into the effectiveness of our strategies with flow-based alerts, follow-ups that are pre-programmed, alignment of tasks, and such. Not just these, automation in ABM enables- Definition of ABM strategy Alignment between targeting audience, creating messaging, and execution Tracking results Continuous and rigorous optimization A comprehensive marketing strategy can struggle to take root because it requires additional planning and execution which can be strenuous for the already overworked sales and marketing teams. This is where a VMO steps in and helps organizations in developing the tools required to automate the process and take control of core ABM strategies. Evolve per needs The final component to drive an ABM campaign is constant evolution and optimization of the marketing approach. Taking up consistent review sessions and measuring the performance bi-weekly or monthly is what VMOs suggest. This way they ensure the delivery of your campaign is efficient and the experience of targeted accounts is on point. Working in sync with the sales team allows VMOs to utilize the data of different segments and create a thorough segmentation system. The data collected by the sales team also helps in focusing the efforts per the needs of the audience. Source-Unsplash Now, with the key components in check, let’s move on to growing your ABM strategy. Here’s what VMOs recommend to help you- ABM- Strategy, not tool Adoption of ABM is not like any other marketing tool, it requires precision and changes on the organizational level. Thoughtful planning and effective use of data are the two components that can ensure you are targeting the right accounts. The process starts off with your sales team categorically dividing the accounts based on their territorial knowledge. Then comes the task of data utilization; by working in line with the sales teams you can analyze the customer trends and then strategize on the ways to target them and build a rapport. Then comes the usage of automation; you can simply use marketing tools to brush through details of your latest mega deals, be it a success or not. These details will then help you in analyzing the wins and losses from a microscopic perspective. Once you are through with the comparison, you will have a proper analysis of the factors of dos and don’ts. ABM allows you to optimize your messaging and build better relationships with your clients. It acts as a channel between sales and marketing and allows both teams to fully explore its potential. Identifying key customer profile Another significant aspect of your ABM strategy must be to build a kay customer profile. Now, these accounts to you may feel like the ones that will get on board the earliest. Well no, these are the ones that have the most likelihood for staying the longest with you. The development of key customer profiles is another process altogether, it requires you to analyze your alpha clients and map them for similarities. The data mapped will be on the basis of industry, size of the company, region, technology, and such. Once you are able to determine the similarities, it will get easier for you to target the right accounts. High-relationship clients are invested in their customer relationship and this is what can help you in making more strategic decisions about them. You can start by analyzing the needs of their customers and work towards making them more efficient in terms of reaching their goals. If you’re successfully able to evaluate the client and their customer profile, you will easily be able to nail your key customer profile as well. Internal engagement The alignment of sales, marketing, and other departments of an organization is of utmost importance- this is one fact that simply cannot be stressed enough. However, implementation of such an effective channel of communication requires persistence and constant management and that can be extremely difficult to achieve especially in larger corporations where the data flow is abundant. Internal engagement can be increased by laying focus on complementary training sessions for divisions that are to work together, seminars that showcase the importance of such a channel of communication, and activities that help both the teams in seeing the benefit of complementing each other. The fact that humans can be extremely competitive especially in a professional environment simply cannot be overlooked in a scenario such as this. And, this is why it is encouraged to instil the benefits of team-work and alignment in the organization. The future of marketing is ABM. It may evolve just like everything else but the core values that ABM brings in focus towards a wholesome approach that incorporates finding new accounts, engaging with them interactively, winning them over with your strategies, and driving mutual growth. This never-ending process is what will help your organization scale to the heights you have always dreamed of. Reach out to us today to know how VMO can help you with a tailor-made marketing plan and ABM strategy. ...
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Product, Performance, and Brand marketing: The Three Stages of Startup marketing
The pandemic has acted as a hard reset where several businesses are experiencing the brunt of it. The most massive impact has been over the startups where we have seen some new companies acquiring high sales while some were struggling for bare minimum profits. The pandemic has brought a fresh perspective to the startup environment. Entrepreneurs are carefully looking at building resilient strategies that can help them in achieving sustainable growth. However, market disruptions have always led to some revolutionary innovation that has allowed marketers to utilize more robust technologies. Small businesses that have less than 20 employees represent 98% of the total businesses in America! Hence, these businesses contribute massively to boosting the overall economic strength of the country. As per the data provided by Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, in 2020, the start-up business rate in the UK was 5.2%, and in the USA, it was 10.7%. Therefore, the emergence of new startups is quite evident. Source: Unsplash If you own a startup business, you must realize that having a great or unique business idea isn't enough. A startup needs more resources than just having a good team or funds. If you want to achieve a sustainable level of growth, you need to adopt the best startup marketing strategies. Not all digital marketing tactics drive you the same result or the desired profit. Therefore, you need to adopt a set of comprehensive startup marketing techniques that enables you to drive maximum returns. Hence, you need a growth marketing mix that involves Product, Performance, and Brand marketing. We have segregated these marketing avenues into different sections below; let's look into them one by one. Product marketing: Bridging Product Management And Market Communication Product marketing focuses on the market and the needs of the consumers. It primarily concentrates on understanding the buyer’s behavior which can help your startup generate more business opportunities. Product marketing is beneficial for aligning, positioning, and developing your brand with the current market environment. Product marketing is a strategic form of growth marketing that plays a crucial role in product management at a product-line level. Some of the critical things you must consider while curating your product marketing strategies are mentioned below. 1. Ensure your sales tools are in place for each product You must re-evaluate your sales tools every quarter. You have to ensure they are updated regularly. You can implement marketing automation tools to automate lead generation, segregation, conversion, etc. 2. Track your profits, expenses, and profitability You must make an unwritten rule to track these metrics every month. You should report these metrics every quarter to your senior management. 3. Track the number of consumers for each of your product You need to keep track of the number of consumers you are generating and losing every quarter. However, the significance of this move goes way beyond numbers. You need to talk to your customers, get to know the reason behind buying your product. 4. Update your sales every twenty-four hours Salespeople need an amount of information to act upon; hence, you should keep them in the loop. Successful product marketers can work with a sense of urgency. 5. Stay in touch with the latest trends. You must analyze the industry trends revolving around your product. Keep track of press releases that write about your market niche. When you stay aligned with the latest developments in the industry, you tend to make appropriate choices. Performance Marketing: Measurable, ROI-Driven Marketing For Startups Performance marketing is a form of strategic marketing where affiliates get paid when prospects take measurable action over the campaign. A successful consumer strategy is a strategy that balances convenience, consistency, and relevance to bring maximum engagement. Performance marketing fosters a type of engagement that brings optimal CLV and real business impact. It also helps you monitor your ad spend, reduces wastage, and enables you to optimize your ad spend based on your desired performance. We have mentioned some of the critical performance marketing channels below. Source: Unsplash 1. Social Media Advertising Today, marketers have numerous options for running their marketing campaigns via social media platforms. For instance, if your brand needs to gain more online exposure or traffic, you can choose a specific social media platform. You can market your brand to your targeted audiences at scale. Today, marketers utilize Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Reddit, etc., to drive traffic. The top-performance marketing metrics on social media are shares, likes, retweets, comments, clicks, etc. 2. Native Advertising The key highlight of using native ads is that they don’t appear like ads. Native ads are contextually aligned with the user content; hence, it doesn’t feel like an ad. Performance marketers can leverage re-targeting opportunities with native ad campaigns, that too at scale! They can utilize the power of content repurposing, wherein they can inform, educate, and convince consumers to take action. Marketers can sequentially target their customers based on their interests and intent. 3. Sponsored Content Sponsored content is also known as branded content which can prove out to be a precious marketing strategy. Marketers can captivate audiences by creating niche-specific content. A successful sponsored content strategy contains compelling and engaging solutions for user problems. Marketers should remember to align their content with the FTC guidelines to earn the trust of their users. 4. Performance Partnerships Online users use adblockers and other adblocking extensions; therefore, marketers have to collaborate with premium affiliate marketing programs to attract high-purchase intent consumers. Performance partnerships are excellent for such non-disruptive programs. A Shift From Performance To Brand Marketing: The Rise Of Consumer Experiences! What is brand marketing? In simple words, brand marketing promotes your brand as a whole to elevate the sales of your products and services. Primarily, it narrates the story of your products by keeping your brand in the epicenter. Brand marketing involves critical optimizations that are responsible for enhancing your business's CX. We have mentioned some of the essential brand marketing tactics. 1. Developing A User-Centric Website A high-performing website can turn out to be the most powerful asset of your company. A prospect's or a potential clients' first interaction with a brand can be its website. Hence, having a fully optimized website can prove out to be a helpful marketing asset. On the other hand, ignoring the quality of your website can force customers to move onto competitor websites. More than anything else, a well-designed, functional website represents a good image of your brand. It makes a user think that your brand is trustworthy. Source: Unsplash 2. Evaluate Your Brand's Purpose Your brand's purpose defines your brand's identity; it separates your brand from the rest of your market competitors. However, you must also determine your brand's purpose by evaluating the core principles like your work culture, values, and mission. All successful businesses refocus their purpose around their customers. They aim to improve the lives of their consumers, which allows the brand to build brand loyalty. 3. Create Your Visual Identity The visual identity of your brand plays a significant role in creating an impact on your customers. Hence, your brand's visual language must articulate your brand's identity. Elements like the brand logos, icons, colors, etc., are designs that you should align with your brand's purpose. Almost every startup today creates logos, but many among them miss out on the branding aspect of their logo. You should carefully choose the type of colors or font you want for your brand. 4. Give A Voice To Your Startup The concept of developing a "voice" for your brand has grown its importance over the years. Be it TV commercials or digital ads; brands have been using these mediums to maintain their brand identity. Today, brands have multiple ways of reaching out to their consumers. We can see an open dialogue between them and their consumers. Hence, these things highlight the importance of brand "voice." Your brand's personality lies in your visual and verbal identity. Through a wide range of platforms across diverse demographics, you must deliver consistent brand messaging. Source: Unsplash 5. Make Use Of Social Media Today, social media branding is helping brands to reach a significant chunk of audiences over the internet. Regulating your online presence while delivering a consistent brand voice can help your startup establish a robust brand identity. Social media is an excellent way to improve brand visibility too! Conclusion There are numerous strategies and marketing channels through which you can foster a startup's growth. However, you need to evaluate your audience, their purchase behavior, preference, and the nature of your business. Today, generating success for a startup business isn't a cakewalk; you need creative and robust marketing strategies with the given level of competition. If you are looking for product, performance, or brand marketing solutions that can help you generate a measurable amount of ROI, contact our growth marketing experts today! ...
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