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Scooped by
Jeff Domansky
June 6, 2017 10:49 AM
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When the Flashpocalypse comes in July, CNN aims to offer advertisers space in its fallout shelter. The video-heavy publisher moved early to transition its video platform from Flash to HTML5 during Q1 of this year. CNN averages over 464 million video starts a month, so it knew it needed to get in front of the tricky technical transition. In December 2016, the IAB called for all video ads to switch from Flash to HTML5 by July. Google stopped accepting Flash creative in April, and it plans to stop serving Flash ads next month, in keeping with the IAB’s deadline. Chrome browsers stopped displaying Flash content in Q3 last year.“ Flash was at the heart of everything we did and had a way of showing up in virtually every one of our platforms,” said Alex Wellen, chief product officer at CNN. “Google was closing in by eliminating, tamping down or throttling Flash.” But switching over to HTML5 posed challenges. CNN needed to make sure that all of its advertisers submitted their video ads in the right format, since Flash ads can’t run in an HTML5 player....
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Scooped by
Jeff Domansky
June 6, 2017 10:28 AM
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Chic packaging. A mysterious name. Millennial pink. Those factors all scream prestige beauty products. And that’s exactly what Suave, the bargain drugstore hair brand owned by Unilever, was going for when it went undercover and pretended to be a new luxury hair care brand, dubbed “evaus.” (That’s “Suave” spelled backwards.) In a clever marketing stunt, Suave sent beauty influencers packages of evaus, claiming it was a new hair care line. Then, it captured their reactions on camera upon revealing they were actually using Suave. The campaign received wide press coverage in both lifestyle publications like Teen Vogue, Glamour, and New York Magazine’s The Cut, as well as in industry sources, like Fast Company and Ad Age. Plus, hundreds of people across social media posted about the campaign. It’s an example of a successful marketing campaign rooted in content. Here, we break down the key elements of how Suave effectively used content to launch it, and then extend the messaging afterwards....
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Scooped by
Jeff Domansky
June 6, 2017 10:06 AM
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I’m here to preach the gospel of quality news, and to talk about how combating fake news and hate news can not only be good journalism, but… good business.” Thus, Daily Beast editor-in-chief and managing director John Avlon opened MediaPost's Publishing Insider Summit, with a keynote addressing the hot-button issue that has come to symbolize America’s dysfunction and threaten its democracy — while mapping a way forward. Avlon began by acknowledging the decline of trust in media, pointing to a number of trends, including the rise of partisan media, which was an “attempt to balance implicit bias on the part of mainstream media with explicit bias,” as well as the fragmentation of the broader media environment....
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Scooped by
Jeff Domansky
June 5, 2017 11:02 AM
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Your brain can identify and retain details of an image in 13 milliseconds. That’s less than a 20th of the time it takes to blink your eyes. So it’s no surprise that visual content is on the rise as attention spans shrink. If you could choose between a consumer spending 20 seconds with a wall of text or 20 seconds with an image, it makes sense to go with the latter. In other words, people like looking at stuff. As such, infographics are rapidly becoming an essential component of a solid content marketing strategy. Free tools like Canva and Pixlr make it easier than ever to turn your data into compelling visual content. The best infographics give equal weight to both parts of the word – they combine essential info with stellar graphic design. I could write a whole blog post about how great infographics can be. But, of course, that would defeat the purpose. Instead, let’s look at ten great infographics with a meta twist: They’re content marketing assets about content marketing! These examples can inspire your own infographic creation while they inform your strategy....
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Scooped by
Jeff Domansky
June 5, 2017 10:44 AM
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Each year Mary Meeker, a partner at venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, puts together an exhaustive analysis of the latest online trends and the insights that can be gleaned from them. This year the report is a robust 355 pages—but here are a few of the important highlights for PR and marketing professionals.
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Scooped by
Jeff Domansky
June 4, 2017 1:42 PM
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Renowned rock climber Alex Honnold on Saturday became the first person to scale the iconic nearly 3,000-foot granite wall known as El Capitan without using ropes or other safety gear, completing what may be the greatest feat of pure rock climbing in the history of the sport.
He ascended the peak in 3 hours, 56 minutes, taking the final moderate pitch at a near run. At 9:28 a.m. PDT, under a blue sky and few wisps of cloud, he pulled his body over the rocky lip of summit and stood on a sandy ledge the size of a child’s bedroom.
Honnold began his historic rope-less climb—a style known as “free soloing”—in the pink light of dawn at 5:32 a.m. He had spent the night in the customized van that serves as his mobile base camp, risen in the dark, dressed in his favorite red t-shirt and cutoff nylon pants, and eaten his standard breakfast of oats, flax, chia seeds, and blueberries, before driving to El Capitan Meadow.
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Scooped by
Jeff Domansky
June 4, 2017 11:52 AM
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As we become more submerged in beer culture, it's a given that some untruths can slip into your hop-soaked consciousness. It's all good. It's not like you're one of those people who believes the Earth is flat just because you read it on Facebook (or are you?!). You can be forgiven for thinking that the fast-talking neckbeard with the cellar knows everything about aging. But maybe, just maybe, he's full of crap.In the interest of making your world more well rounded, we hit up a handful of Certified Cicerones, beer writers, and even scientists to debunk some of the most pervasive beer myths....
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Scooped by
Jeff Domansky
June 2, 2017 10:02 AM
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Salespeople shouldn’t send “just checking in” emails for one very simple reason: They don’t work. Buyers feel like the rep is virtually poking them, making them reluctant to answer. Not only do “checking in” messages rarely garner responses, they can even turn prospects against their senders. But reps still need a way to get in touch with buyers who’ve gone dark. Enter these 23 email templates. These “just checking in” alternatives simultaneously add value to the prospect while putting the salesperson back on her radar. She’ll want to restart the sales conversation -- so it’s a win-win....
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Scooped by
Jeff Domansky
June 2, 2017 9:34 AM
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There aren’t many leaders who would disagree with the idea that a healthy, productive culture is a defining element of business success. Yet I’ve seen so many companies with lofty-sounding “mission statements” and “core values” that have the most toxic workplaces imaginable. I’ve met so many leaders who are brilliant when it comes to product design and capital structure but who treat the people in business as an afterthought, a matter of sound administration as opposed to daring innovation.In other words, so much of our thinking about organizational culture has become so bland, so unobjectionable, that it is on the verge of becoming meaningless. What follows, then, is an attempt at culture shock — five hard questions about the “soft” side of business that leaders must be able to answer if they hope to build a workplace that works....
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Scooped by
Jeff Domansky
June 2, 2017 9:10 AM
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Following last year’s presidential election, some major U.S. newspapers reported a sharp jump in digital subscriptions, giving a boost to their overall circulation totals. The newspaper industry as a whole, however, faced ongoing challenges in 2016, according to new Pew Research Center analysis. Yearly financial statements show that The New York Times added more than 500,000 digital subscriptions in 2016 – a 47% year-over-year rise. The Wall Street Journal added more than 150,000 digital subscriptions, a 23% rise, according to audited statements produced by Dow Jones. And the Chicago Tribune added about 100,000 in weekday digital circulation, a 76% year-over-year gain, according to its filings with the Alliance for Audited Media (AAM), an organization that verifies many daily newspapers’ circulation figures. But these gains did not translate into circulation growth for the industry overall. A Pew Research Center analysis of data from AAM shows that total weekday circulation for U.S. daily newspapers – both print and digital – fell 8% in 2016, marking the 28th consecutive year of declines. (Sunday circulation also fell 8%.) The overall decline includes a 10% decrease in weekday print circulation (9% for Sundays) and a 1% decline in weekday digital circulation (1% rise for Sundays). Total weekday circulation for U.S. daily newspapers fell to 35 million, while total Sunday circulation declined to 38 million – the lowest levels since 1945. (For more information on how these totals were calculated, see our fact sheet.)...
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Scooped by
Jeff Domansky
June 1, 2017 11:22 AM
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2017 marked the fifth year of NewsCred’s annual #ThinkContent Summit. Over the past five years, the event’s theme has reflected the evolution of the digital marketing space. In 2015, the theme was “Creativity, Technology + The Future of Storytelling.” In 2016, it was “Convergence: The New Marketing Imperative.” When I looked at this year’s theme, its proclamation was even bigger and bolder than years past: “The Marketing Revolution.”Not only was this theme different in the scale of its claim, but it begged the question of what, exactly, made this year a revolution? After listening to the speakers at the event and diving more deeply into the current state of marketing, it was clear that we are in the midst of a marketing revolution....
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Scooped by
Jeff Domansky
June 1, 2017 11:09 AM
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Even though we all are crunched for time, spouting off a mediocre blog post for the sake of hitting a deadline isn't worth it. Considering our audiences have access to countless other articles, it's unlikely that they'd settle for a half-baked attempt.We get it, though: It can be difficult to keep track of all the right blog components when you've got a full plate of projects. There's a lot to remember when crafting a solid blog post -- which means there's also a lot to forget. To make sure nothing slips through the cracks and every one of your blog posts is both comprehensive and useful to your readers, we've created a rundown of everything you need to remember when you start writing. Bookmark this blog post, and make sure you've completed this checklist the next time you press "publish."...
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Rescooped by
Jeff Domansky
from Business Improvement
May 31, 2017 11:11 AM
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Running paid traffic? This post is right up your alley. Swipe 5 killer campaigns from the best media buyers across Facebook, YouTube, and Google AdWords.
Via Daniel Watson
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Scooped by
Jeff Domansky
June 6, 2017 10:37 AM
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What’s that adage? “Give a man a fish, and he eats for a day; but teach a man to fish, and he’ll never go hungry.” Widely applied to the value of long-term investments, today we’ll learn why this biblical entreaty also applies to content marketing. Rather than feed your bottom line with a few entertaining pieces of content, or even a short-term campaign, content marketing can indeed be an ongoing source of sustenance for a business. No one understands this better than David Beebe, who was VP Global and Creative Content Marketing at Marriott International for several years until just Monday, and a Content Engagement Award recipient at the most recent The CMO Club Awards. Under his leadership, Marriott’s global marketing department established its brands as preeminent travel lifestyle authorities through a never-ending storytelling program that focuses first on their audience.“ Now that consumers are in charge,” he told me, “we have to shift to not talking about ourselves, but what does that consumer want? How do I entertain them? How do I solve their problems? How do I build a relationship with them and provide value? Then, they’re more likely to pay attention to what I’m actually trying to sell.” Spend some time with Beebe’s story below, and learn how Marriott established its content marketing empire....
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Scooped by
Jeff Domansky
June 6, 2017 10:21 AM
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According to Twitter, if you really only trust your friends and family for this information, you’re part of the majority. But if you also have the highest trust in influencers for these recommendations, you’re far from alone -- 49% of survey respondents are right there with you. But what is an “influencer”? According to NeoReach, it’s “an individual with an online presence who has the potential to influence the opinions and behaviors of your target audience.” Because these folks -- like bloggers and social media personalities -- build a following over a long period of time by producing interesting, quality content, people begin to trust them. They’re relatable, and their opinions become respected. That’s why brands see the value of turning to influencers to reach or engage new audiences -- it’s a way to broadcast their messages as told by an authoritative source that people actually pay attention to. And no matter your industry, there’s likely an opportunity for your brand to connect and collaborate with influencers. Below, we’ve outlined seven tactics to try....
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Scooped by
Jeff Domansky
June 5, 2017 11:09 AM
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Content marketing mistakes are not always readily apparent. With vanity metrics and anecdotal stories, we can fool ourselves into believing that our content marketing efforts are successful even when they’re not serving the business. In both the video and the article below, what follows are some of the most common and repeated content marketing mistakes made by respected business professionals. They fessed up to their mistake, explained what they did to fix it, and at the end I offer up some advice on how to avoid this mistake so that you’re always serving the business....
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Scooped by
Jeff Domansky
June 5, 2017 10:54 AM
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Content marketing sounds very simple on its surface but I can tell you from lots of experience that it can be tough to do it right. Even if you have innate writing ability, this may not translate well into results-producing writing if you don’t do your homework and understand what you are selling and who you are selling it to. Plus, prospects are inundated with content from your competitors, many of whom take the creation of content very seriously. Like Dana Brookes, author of Content Marketing Revolution: Seize Control of Your Market in Five Key Steps, who stated,“Think of every contact a customer has with your brand as the most important encounter of your life.” Businesses that need to increase their brand awareness, credibility, and preference with their target audiences are turning to content marketing in greater numbers as a proven, pull-marketing strategy that aligns with business metrics. Whether your goals are to increase market awareness, drive website traffic, build lead generation or improve sales funnel conversion, understanding how to create copy that delivers results is fundamental to achieving success. From strategy to execution, you need content that is consistent and on-target. To leverage your brand’s core promise, quality content turns differentiators into a narrative that systematically engages your critical audiences. Tailored content for every stage of the process compels prospects to take action. In a Lead-2-Revenue Machine, we are not creating content for content’s sake, but rather to drive specific business objectives....
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Scooped by
Jeff Domansky
June 5, 2017 10:39 AM
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It was another intriguing week in online marketing data points, with even more eyebrow-raising mobile numbers than usual. Check out the eight that we found particularly noteworthy:Social TV, gamers and Wonder Woman made the list.
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Scooped by
Jeff Domansky
June 4, 2017 11:59 AM
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Spirits snobs may chuckle over “crazy” flavored spirits like pumpkin spice whiskey and bubblegum vodka, but those don’t have a patch on these stomach-turning ingredients. The offending distilleries claim these shocking ingredients have actual flavor merits (they never dreamed of getting attention on a gimmicky list like this, they swear!), but regardless, they deserve a spot on your booze bucket list. Here, 10 of the most insane liquors you need to try once—if you dare.
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Scooped by
Jeff Domansky
June 3, 2017 11:04 AM
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In other words, social data shouldn’t just be about measuring content distribution – it can also be used in the editorial process itself, right at the ideation stage.Many newsrooms already have particular ways of integrating social analytics and metrics into their workflows. Morning editors will keep a close eye on the stories that saw heavy engagement overnight as a means of informing their coverage in the early part of the day. But in a digital publishing space that is more competitive, where publishers have to fight hard to gain attention in news feeds, there’s room for much more creativity and with the data. We look at three ways that newsrooms can look at harnessing social data to improve their content and storytelling....
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Scooped by
Jeff Domansky
June 2, 2017 9:49 AM
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A persuasive blog post not only gets the conversation started, but it creates an appetite for your ideas and products, without you coming across like a sleazy salesman. This is why I put so much time, money, and effort into creating exceptional content with all the persuasive checks and balances. And I’ve told you this before: When I started blogging, my content failed to hit the mark. Now, I’ve fine-tuned a system that allows me to create powerful content in record time. Trust me, you can do it too, and I’ll show you exactly how. In fact, I’ll give you specific formulas that you can plug-and-play to craft your blog posts in under an hour....
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Scooped by
Jeff Domansky
June 2, 2017 9:27 AM
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In addition to giving you a weather update whenever you need it, The Weather Channel is known as an unapologetic defender of the idea, backed by basically the entire science community, that climate change is real, and a real threat to life on earth as we know it. It is unsurprising then, that the front page of its digital site would address President Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris climate accord, announced today. The way it did, it, however, is a work of art. It starts in a straightforward enough manner, with a main story whose headline reads “Trump Pulls U.S. Out of Paris Climate Agreement; What That Means.” That may be the point when you notice that the group of stories below are all about climate change, and that the atypical headlines of seven of them collectively send an unequivocal message. Put them all together, and this is what you get: “So, What Happens to Earth Now? Still Don’t Care? Proof You Should …and More Proof… …and Even More Proof… …Or the Imminent Collapse of a Key Ice Shelf… …or Antarctica Turning Green… …or California’s Coast Disappearing Into the Sea…”...
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Scooped by
Jeff Domansky
June 1, 2017 11:33 AM
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Ads used to just be ads. They were signs on the side of the road, or in our browsers. They were something that could be ignored. Visually loud, sure, but they weren’t a fundamental part of our conversations, relationships, or entertainment. But on the internet today, ads aren’t just part of the content or interface, they are the content and the interface. From what photos you see on Facebook, to the music you listen to on Spotify, to the videos you watch on Snapchat–it’s all served by algorithms that have quantified your response well enough to exploit your tastes, showing you things that you will almost certainly click on. By using these apps and services, we’re feeding the companies that control them immense amounts of data that, in turn, tailors the medium to fit our tastes. The difference between an ad and a piece of content, these days, is becoming technical. It’s an insight that echoes throughout Mary Meeker’s 2017 Internet Trends report, which she and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers published yesterday afternoon. The report, which is heavily anticipated every year, contains hundreds of slides breaking down digital culture and business–everything from emerging markets in China to the rise of unboxing culture. But the trend that stuck out most to us this year? That the internet is now playing every user in one giant game we cannot escape. Here’s how....
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Scooped by
Jeff Domansky
June 1, 2017 11:18 AM
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The other day at work, my colleague, HubSpot Marketing Director Ryan Bonnici, sent around a link on Slack -- to a website called “Will Robots Take My Job?” We were thrilled to learn marketing managers had only a 1.4% chance of our jobs being automated or replaced by robots and artificial intelligence. And although I breathed a sigh of relief that writing has only a 3.8% chance of being automated, it made me think about job roles that weren’t so lucky. If you think job disruption by AI is limited to the assembly lines, think again: AI is doing a better job than humans at some aspects of sales and marketing, too....
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Scooped by
Jeff Domansky
May 31, 2017 11:17 AM
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Most businesses know they should be following up leads with a good email autoresponder sequence. However, many simply don't know what to write in their emails, and so they never get around to it. Here are five approaches you can use when creating your email follow-up sequences. These approaches will help you stay top of mind without boring or annoying your prospect with the same message every time. Since these are frameworks, not scripts or copy-and-paste templates, you can adapt these to suit virtually any product or service in any industry....
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Learn about "Flashpocalypse" and how CNN got ready.