Localytics pushes Places notifications as key to personalization, mobile engagement

The range of use cases for location is much broader than most mobile marketers recognize.



Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

Suck Your Readers In: 4 Types of Openings for “Sticky” Content

The headline is the most important part of your content.

That's a fact.

What's the second most important part?

That would be your introduction.

Think of it this way: Your headline compels people to click on your post, but your intro draws them in to actually read the post.

And if you're sick of not getting a high level of engagement on your posts, this is likely one of the main causes.

Here's the simplest way to illustrate the effect of introductions on your content's performance:

• Bad headline – Low traffic


• Good headline, bad intro – High traffic, high bounce rate, low time on page


• Good headline, good intro – High traffic, low bounce rate, high time on page

Always aim for that third scenario.

The sad fact is that most bloggers put very little effort into their introductions. They either quickly say what they're writing about, or they end up going on about things that don't entice the reader to read on.

It doesn't matter whether or not you fall into that category. What matters is that just about all bloggers could benefit from improving their introductions.

To help you do that, I'm going to show you 4 of the best types of openings that you can use in your content. You can always use at least one of these for any post you create. 

1. Embrace the fear of failure

A great introduction needs to connect with the reader emotionally.

As any copywriter knows, emotions drive action. In this case, the action we want is for the reader to continue down the page.

Fear is one of the strongest motivating emotions, and people are willing to go to great lengths to prevent that fear from coming true.

Let's look at a few examples, and then I'll show you how to come up with your own.

Example #1 – Use a common fear: Here's one of my own introductions:

The first 4 paragraphs focus on a common scenario: putting in a lot of work on a project (like a product or piece of content) and then finally releasing it.

If you're an entrepreneur, you know how terrifying this can be. Entrepreneurs have sleepless nights worrying about failing.

What if they hear “crickets” when they release their project? What if no one cares?

Anyone in, or nearing, this sort of situation is going to read the rest of the introduction at the very least.

Quickly look at that final line in the screenshot: “there is a solution…”

You use fear to grab your readers' attention, but then you need to transition that into a solution that they will achieve by taking action.

Example #2 – Does your reader feel like a failure? This one is going to sound kind of mean, but it's effective.

If your reader already feels like a failure, all you need to do is describe their biggest problem, evoking their fear of failure.

Here's an example from a Smart Blogger post:

Here, Carol Tice starts by calling out bloggers with low traffic and loyal subscribers.

If you're a reader of that post in that situation, it hurts to read it.

You start thinking about your low number of readers and get a sinking feeling that you will never get many more.

But you feel that only until Tice offers a solution, which is the whole point of her post.

How to write your own fear-inspired introduction: This type of opening is not only effective but also fairly simple to write.

Create it in three steps:

1. State the fear of failure (or cause of fear) – Do this in a straightforward manner. In my example, the fear was not knowing what would happen when a product was launched.


2. Illustrate the fear – If you can describe the fear and make the reader picture it, do it. Sometimes it's simple. The image of “crickets” is all I needed to do to make readers picture no customers, signups, or attention after the release of their product.


3. Transition to a solution – The whole point of hooking in a reader with fear is to give them the incentive to read your content. Your content needs to offer a solution to their fear. Write about how your content will help them.

That's all there is to it. You can start with a few notes for each part and then combine them together.

2. No one wants to be left behind

There are many ways to incorporate fear into your openings.

Fear of failure is a big one, but there's another big fear you should be aware of: the fear of missing out.

It's why many people buy lottery tickets, especially as a group. They don't want to be the one who misses out if the group miraculously wins.

When it comes to most content, the fear of missing out can be applied in a few ways:

• Fear of being left behind – In niches like SEO, if you don't keep up with the latest information, you can become obsolete.


• Fear of missing out on fun – No one wants to miss out on a fun event or product.


• Fear of missing out on an opportunity – If something is only available or useful for a limited time (like content on certain topics), people will be more interested than they would be if it was always useful.

Here's an example (note the two parts boxed in red):

Just like in type #1, we use a similar 3-step process.

The first step is prompting the fear, which the first box begins to do. It mentions that some types of content are better than others.

In this case, marketers don't want to miss out on the best tactics because it means they won't get great results.

In the following two paragraphs, I amplify that fear. I explain that the content that most marketers produce isn't as great as they think it is and that they might be closer to an average marketer.

The second box alludes to the solution-certain types of content that are guaranteed to outperform what average marketers are making. I go on to expand on my solution before starting the post.

Again, it's the same 3-step process:

1. State the fear (or cause of fear)


2. Illustrate the fear


3. Transition to your solution

3. Use AIDA to captivate visitors

You may have heard of AIDA before.

It's one of the most famous copywriting formulas there is because it just plain works. It's incredibly versatile, and we can apply it to our openings as well.

First, what does AIDA stand for?

• Attention


• Interest


• Desire


• Action

Typically, you'll address each point in that order.

To start off, you need to grab the attention of your readers. How do you do that? Typically with a bold or surprising claim.

For example, in a post on Backlinko, Brian Dean said that he analyzed over 1 million search results. That's a lot and pretty intriguing to most SEOs reading the post.

If you can use numbers-great, but they're not required. The only goal here is to catch the attention of your reader. It may be a sentence or two that seem unrelated at first to your topic.

Check out this intro from one of Jon Morrow's best posts:

The post is about being a better blogger, but you wouldn't know it from that opening.

However, he grabs your attention by doing something out of the ordinary: telling you (in great detail) that he's going to tell you something you're not going to like.

Even though I know what's coming (since I've read it before), I still have that feeling of needing to know what comes next.

Then, we move on to interest.

Interest is similar to attention, and you certainly need to maintain attention, but this is where you tie your attention-grabbing introduction to the subject of the post.

In Brian's article about SEO ranking factors, he included two parts to accomplish this:

Which factors correlate with first page search engine rankings?

And…

With the help of Eric Van Buskirk and our data partners, we uncovered some interesting findings.

Brian knows that his readers want to know which ranking factors are most important. However, he doesn't give away all the answers quite yet, saying instead they uncovered some “interesting findings.”

Next, it's time to move on to desire.

This is where you make it really clear why your reader should care about your content, if they didn't already know that.

Here's an example from one of my posts:

Here, I make it clear that if a reader follows my advice in the post, they could double their writing speed.

Remember that your reader is already interested at this point. To induce desire, all you need to do is make the benefits of your content clear.

Now, what about action-the last part of the formula?

You can interpret and use it in two ways.

First, you could get a reader to take an action right at the end of your introduction. Maybe you want them to get a pen and paper or open a spreadsheet. Or maybe you want them to answer a question and come back to it at the end.

If this applies, go for it.

The action in this formula typically refers to the end of the content, though. So, in your conclusion, you should make it clear how a reader is supposed to apply what you just taught them.

4. Show me the money (benefit first)

Some readers just absolutely hate stories of any kind.

They want you to get to the point and do it fast.

If your audience has a lot of readers like that, consider starting off with the benefit of your content. But not just any benefit-the biggest one.

This is how you will attract attention, and if the benefit you promise is big enough, they will invest their time to read through your content.

For example, you could start an article about SEO basics by saying:

If you learn the basics of SEO, you could be making $3,000+ per month within 6 months.

Assuming you've got your audience right, they'll be glad to dig a bit deeper to find out if your claim is true.

After that opening claim, you then want to expand on and back up your claim. To continue the example:

I know this because I've taught multiple students to do so. I myself am an SEO who makes over $XXX,000 per month.

Now you have some credibility behind your solution.

Finally, you should close off your introduction by explaining how the reader will get to the solution.

In this case, something like this would work:

I'm going to show you the X SEO basics you need to know and then a step-by-step process to follow to start generating revenue.

At that point, most readers will be hooked.

To recap, the 3-step process for this type of opening is:

1. Start with your strongest benefit.


2. Show why your claim is credible (since the claim needs to be impressive/slightly unbelievable).


3. Explain how you'll help the reader achieve the benefit.

Keep in mind that it doesn't necessarily have to look exactly like that as long as all the elements are covered.

Here's an example of this type of opening from one of my posts:

The sentence in the first box only implies the benefit (ranking as well as Quick Sprout). I'm counting on the reader to be familiar with my site.

Shortly after, I say that I'll show the reader what they need to do if they want to rank like Quick Sprout. This is actually the 2nd and 3rd step all in one.

The claim is credible because I state that I'll personally show them the solution. Of course, I'm credible in this situation since I'm the one who built the site up.

At the same time, I've explained that I'm going to show them what they need to do. I explain a bit more right after that part.

Don't get hung up having a clear distinction between all parts of the opening-just make sure they are all covered in the right order.

Conclusion

Don't put tons of hours into writing an amazing post and then just slap on a weak introduction.

If you do that, too many of your readers will never make it down to the content that has the value.

Use these 4 types of openings to craft introductions that basically force readers to give your content a chance.

From there, I hope your content delivers.

Now, I have a question for you. Have you seen any great introductions lately? If so, do you mind sharing them in a comment below?

7 Content Marketing Lessons Brands Can Learn from Journalists

Before making my debut in the content marketing world, I was a journalist living out her days at coffee shops, city council meetings, ribbon cuttings and community gatherings. The daily grind was grueling at times, but it was also exciting. The prospect of breaking news always kept me on my toes and every day I worked to give my readers the latest and greatest news and information. And of course, I aimed to deliver that news and information before the competition.

Now as a content marketer, I find that while my job title has changed, the essence of what I do hasn't. Like journalism, content marketing is all about providing your audience with quality content that informs, engages and develops your brand as a trusted go-to resource.

Journalist or content marketer, I'm still faced with the same challenge every day: actually delivering that quality and engaging content in the face of stiff competition-something all brands and marketers can relate to.

The fact is, B2B and B2C brands alike are creating more content than ever before-and they don't plan on stopping. In fact, for B2B specifically, 76% of marketers said they planned to produce more content this year than in 2015, according to B2B Content Marketing's 2016 Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends-North America report. And 60% of those marketers find it challenging to create engaging content on a regular basis.

But all isn't lost. I believe that looking at content and content strategy like a journalist can give brands and marketers a new perspective-and maybe an edge over their competitors. Below are a few lessons that brands can learn from journalists to do just that.

7 Content Marketing Lessons

#1 – Know Your Audience

Journalists understand that in order to create content that gets read and gets shared, they need to understand who their audience is and what they care about.

For brands, knowing and understanding your audience will allow you to build the foundation of your content marketing strategy. To get that knowledge, here are a few tactics to use:

• Perform keyword research: Keyword research not only uncovers the search volume behind your most important keywords, but it can also offer insights into keyword opportunities and search intent. In addition, perform your own searches for various keywords and look through the results to see who's ranking at the top.


• Conduct a competitive analysis. Research your top three to five competitors through their website, social media pages, news articles and search results. How does your brand stack up?


• Dig into data and analytics: Get familiar with your website's analytics to gain insights about the users you've already managed to attract to your site. Look at the most popular pages, the pages with the highest bounce rate, and the pages with the best and worst conversion rates.

#2 – Strive to Be the Best Answer

Journalists are dedicated to being the best answer for their audience. They want to get the scoop. They want to be the go-to resource. And they want to do everything better than the competition.

For brands, being the best answer means providing relevant, quality content wherever and whenever their audience is searching for it. Use the research you've done to identify where those content opportunities lie. In addition, don't be afraid to engage your existing audience. Use social media to pose questions or send out a current customer survey to get feedback and insight. The more you know, the better you'll be at providing the right information.

For example, TopRank Marketing CEO Lee Odden often reaches out to his Twitter audience to gather insights on various marketing topics using polls.

#3 – Write for the Reader

Every piece of content a journalist turns out is aimed at enticing the reader. Content is organized to help readers easily flow through the article and photos are often used to add a visual element to the story. Long-form pieces are often broken down into sections with headers, which is more pleasing to the eye and helps with scanability. In addition, content is written in a way that tells a story-not in a way to please search engines.

For brands, the bottom line here is to create content that's a good experience for your audience to read. SEO is important, but usability and user experience is more important. Read 7 Ways to Optimize Your Web Content for Humans & Search Engines for more tips.

#4 – Mind the “5Ws and H”

Who, What, Where, When, Why and How-the 5 Ws and the H. These are the foundation of every article a journalist will ever write. And they can certainly be applied to your content marketing strategy.

As you map out your strategy, ask the following questions for each piece you plan to create:

• Who is my audience?


• What does my audience want to know?


• Where am I going to publish and disseminate?


• When am I going to publish and disseminate?


• Why am I writing this? (Drive traffic? Increase brand awareness?)


• How will I measure results?

#5 – Follow the Story

In my early journalism days, I thought I needed to cover everything. But then reality sank in. If I covered every piece of news, I was spread far too thin and I wasn't giving my audience enough of the news they really wanted to read. Most of all, I wasn't showing my audience value.

Brands should use their audience knowledge, keyword research, and their website data to hone in on their content strengths and opportunities. Choose a handful of topical areas to get started with-and create as much content around that topic as possible. This will allow you to begin showcasing yourself as an expert in specific areas and eventually you'll be able to expand that to new areas.

#6 – Add Perspective

The best news articles have a face and provide perspective. Journalists use people close to the story and expert sources to give their articles credibility and depth. Brands can do the same with their content by working with influencers. Influencers not only lend expertise and authority to content, but they can also help that content reach a larger audience.

Don't just reach out to your influencers in times of need. Engage with them on their social platforms. Share their content. Shoot them an email to check in. Just as a journalist works hard to build a network of credible sources, brands should remember that building a relationship with influencers is an ongoing journey and there needs to be value for everyone.

Mayo Clinic has a cool and interesting way of using influencers through its story hub Sharing Mayo Clinic. The hub features stories from patients, families, friends and Mayo Clinic staff about the treatments they've had at the famed hospital. The stories often feature photos, videos and personal messages to tell the stories.

# 7 – Make Accuracy a Priority

One of the first lessons you learn in journalism school is that accuracy is a non-negotiable. I once received a failing grade for the misspelling a source's name. (I'll always remember your name Fred Woods.) It was certainly embarrassing, but really it was a careless mistake.

Make sure that you have a solid QA process for every piece of content you create. Little things that get missed can have an impact on your credibility and the effectiveness of your content.

What other professions have helped inspire your content marketing strategy? Tell us in the comments section below.

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Marketing Day: B2B predictive marketing analytics platforms, “frictionless logins” & more

Here's our recap of what happened in online marketing today, as reported on Marketing Land and other places across the web.



Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

How Companies Are Falling Short at Social Media [INFOGRAPHIC]

It's not enough to just jump into social media because everyone else is doing it. Like my mother always said, “If you're going to do something, you better do it right.”

While many brands are dominating social media marketing, others fall short. Not for lack of posting. Not for lack of dollars spent. But because they're just not doing it right.

Fear not, though, for the folks at Socially Aware have made a supremely helpful infographic that not only identifies social media marketing trends, but also highlights where most companies fall short, and how they can do better.

Don't be that company. Don't let your social media dollars go to waste. And for goodness' sake, don't chew with your mouth open!

Embed this infographic on your site

<a href=”http://unbounce.com/social-media/how-companies-are-falling-short-at-social-media-infographic/?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=embed&utm_campaign=meta-infographic-infographic&utm_content=infographic” target=”blank”><img src=”http://unbounce.com/photos/160104-social-media-marketing-infographic.jpg” alt=”infog” width=”600″ height=”4132″ class=”alignnone size-full wp-image-50408″ /></a><br/>

Local SEO Tips For Small Business Owners

Local SEO Tips For Small Business Owners written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

Marketing Podcast with Phil Singleton

No matter what you are selling – hardware to legal services – people are looking online.

When someone turns to a search engine to find a source locally they intend to buy – perhaps today!

Any business that wants to thrive locally must get very, very good at local SEO. In other words, they must show up on the mobile device in maps, they must show up on the laptop in the “Google 3-pack,” and they must have a credible amount of reviews and social signals to convert the click to a customer.

My guest for this week's episode of the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast is a web designer and SEO expert, founder of Kansas City SEO Website Design, Duct Tape Marketing Certified Consultant and co-author of the award-winning book The Small Business Owner's Guide to Local Lead Generation. We discuss SEO, website design and the keys to getting your business to rank.

Singleton is a tremendous source of information about what “actually” works in the trenches on the local level because he lives and breathes it every day on behalf of his small business clients.

Questions I ask Phil:

• What are your top tips for SEO for local business owners?


• How can content help drive SEO?


• How much time should a business owner spend on creating content?

What you'll learn if you give a listen:

• The #1 tactic for improving SEO on a budget.


• How to use content to gain an edge on your competitors.


• Where to look for more information on SEO.

To learn more about Phil Singleton, visit his website here. Click here to find out more about Phil's book The Small Business Owner's Guide to Local Lead Generation. Interested in joining Phil as a Duct Tape Marketing Certified Consultant? Find out more about the Duct Tape Marketing Consultant Network and attend a Discovery Call here.

This week's episode of the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast is brought to you by our friends at Hover. Do you need a domain name for your next big idea? Hover.com makes it easy to register a domain name quickly. Go to hover.com and use the promo code PhilDTM for 10% off your first purchase.

 

Forrester Research Names Oracle Marketing Cloud a Leader

As digital marketers grapple with the 3800+ vendors that serve the marketing technology landscape, many are demanding a focus on integration to help them deliver more consistent customer experiences. That's according to Forrester Research's newest Enterprise Marketing Software Suite (EMSS) Wave, a market assessment that looks at vendors who compete in the “marketing cloud” landscape. This year, we're proud to share that Oracle Marketing Cloud was a leader in their assessment.

The need for simplicity in the digital marketing landscape is urgent. According to research Forrester shared in the assessment, more than 40% of marketers say their technology environments are too complex, and that separate teams often purchase redundant capabilities. To help combat the need, Forrester defines an Enterprise Marketing Software Suite (EMSS) as “an integrated portfolio of marketing technology products that provide analytics, automation, and orchestration of insight-driven customer interactions to support inbound and outbound marketing.”

As Oracle Marketing Cloud just celebrated its second birthday this year, our performance in this evaluation reflects where a lot of innovation work has been focused. By creating an integrated portfolio of best-of-breed components, we've been to help marketers connect data, build comprehensive profiles, and orchestrate experiences across marketing channels. In doing so, we can not only deliver marketing simplicity to teams, but we also empower them to be more customer-centric in the interactions they tailor for their customers.

Forrester emphasized the data-driven characteristics of our acquisition portfolio and the fact we made a strategic decision to have best-of-breed experience for both B2C and B2B marketers.

The Oracle Marketing Cloud addresses B2C marketers with Oracle Responsys and B2B marketers with Oracle Eloqua. It supports audience management for both with a comprehensive data aggregation strategy based on acquisitions of BlueKai, Datalogix, and AddThis….Oracle effectively addresses multiple B2C and B2B use cases with native functionality and an impressive partner network.

Despite the topic of the report, it's important to remember that marketers still manage heterogeneous technology environments. While we've invested in areas of digital marketing we believe every marketer should have as part of an integrated experience, we remain committed to an open platform strategy that helps them connect all their third-party applications they need to power their customer experience. This is most evidenced through the Oracle AppCloud.

Finally, I'd encourage marketers to think about as their marketing technology becomes more connected is how to configure their organizations to support the shift to Enterprise Marketing Software Suites. Recently, we released the CMO's Guide to Building a Modern Marketing Organization, which I recommend as a starting point.

We're honored to be recognized as a leader in this report, and we look forward to creating more connected experiences for our marketing customers.