Do you want your employees to contribute to your social media marketing? Looking for tools to manage the content people share on social? In this article, you’ll discover five tools that will help you coordinate the content your team posts on social media. #1: Leverage Employee Advocacy With Smarp If you’re looking for ways to [...]
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- Your Guide to the Social Media Jungle
Mad Men fans everywhere remember the pivotal first scene where we learn just how talented Don Draper is at his job.
Faced with an almost-impossible copywriting task, he rose to the occasion to solve a huge problem for his client, Lucky Strike. In spite of research warning customers of the dangers of cigarettes, Draper delivered the iconic slogan -- "It's toasted" -- to differentiate the brand from its competitors.
Now, we definitely aren't advocating for smoking cigarettes (or many of Draper's health choices). But fictional or not, you can't deny the memorability and catchiness of that tagline.
It's easy to recognize good copywriting when you see it, but there are actually several characteristics that really separate outstanding writing from the rest of the pack. Want to know them? Read on below to find out.
Sometimes, all a message needs to break through is a slight shift in angle. We've grown so accustomed to blocking out marketing messages, we don't even see them anymore. One of the most powerful things a copywriter can do is break down a reader's guard with an unexpected approach. Every story has a myriad of angles -- your job as a copywriter is to find the one that resonates.
The above ad from Sage Therapeutics pressing the importance of talking about postpartum depression works because instead of asking readers to care about something they don't know, it puts them in the position of experiencing the struggle that mothers suffering do. Did they miss some readers who quickly passed by the ad thinking it was for adult pacifiers? Most definitely. But the ad resonated that much more thoroughly with those who read it.
The next time you sit down to write, try out this approach. Don't take the topic head on. Instead, ask yourself why it matters. Each time you write down an answer, challenge yourself to push it further. Find the larger story happening behind your message.
In 1996, Steve Jobs let the cat out of the bag. He was speaking with a journalist from Wired on the topic of creativity and explained:
"Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something they feel a little guilty because they didn't really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after awhile."
Let's say you have to write an ad for a new pair of sneakers. You could take the assignment head on. You could write about the elasticity of the shoe's sole or the lightweight design. Indeed, many have. Or you could put all of that aside and instead draw the connection between the product and the experience it evokes.
Source: Pinterest
Two things are happening in this ad. First, the copy recognizes that for many, running isn't about running at all -- it's about solitude, peace, and restoring sanity to an otherwise hectic life. Second, not only does Nike connect the ad to the experience of running, it actually connects to the sound that those shoes make as they hit the pavement.
This ad is about the complexity of one's life fading away and being replaced by simplicity and clarity. As the copy progresses, the sentences simplify and the copy's complexity is slowly replaced by the simple and rhythmic pounding of words: run, run, run, run. The same rhythm one hears when all but their footsteps have faded away. That's connection.
The following are all headlines or leading sentences from Urban Daddy, an email-based magazine drawing attention to new products, experiences, and eateries.
What's common among each of these leads? They make us want to read the next line. I mean, seriously, how much do you want to know where that Ewok thing is headed?
There's an adage in copywriting that's loosely credited to copywriter and business owner Joe Sugarman, which roughly states that the purpose of the headline is to get you to read the first line. The purpose of the first line is to get you to read the second line, and so on. In short, if your first line doesn't enthrall your readers, all is lost.
Seeing its plans to launch yet another gym in the greater Boston region, an outsider might have called the Harrington family a wee bit crazy. The market was already flush with gyms, including a new breed of luxury ones that seemed to be in an arms war for the flashiest perks. Gyms across the region were offering massage services, smoothie bars, and fleets of personal trainers. And GymIt wouldn't have any of that.
What did GymIt have? An understanding of its core audience. Before launching its new gym, the brand did a ton of listening to its primary market of gym-goers. For many in GymIt's target market, the added benefits associated with luxury gyms were nice to have, but came with a lot of baggage -- namely expensive rates and overly complex contracts.
GymIt decided to simplify the gym-going experience for people who predominately cared about getting in and working out. The copy in its launch campaign and across its marketing materials reflects that understanding.
In an older blog post, Copyblogger's Robert Bruce put this nicely. "Humble yourself and truly serve your audience, listen to their needs and desires, listen to the language they use," he said. "If you listen carefully, your audience can eventually give you everything you need, including much of your copy. Get out of their way."
Groundbreaking. Revolutionary. Business Solutions. Targetable Scale. Ideation. Evidence-based approaches. Industry wide best practices.
Have I lost you yet?
When writers struggle to convey what is truly special about their company, product, or service, they sometimes fall back on jargon or hyperbole to underscore their point. The truth is, good copywriting doesn't need dressing up. Good copywriting should speak to the reader in human terms.
This isn't to say you should never celebrate awards or achievements. Just be direct in the way you explain that achievement. This homepage from Basecamp does a nice job of highlighting its popularity in concrete terms.
Good writing gets to the point -- and that means cutting out excessive phrases, and rewording your sentences to be more direct. In an ad celebrating its "academic" readership, The Economist playfully demonstrates this below.
How do you rid excess words from your writing? It's half practice, half knowing where to cut. This article from Daily Writing Tips is one of the most effective summaries I've found on precise writing. Included in its tips:
In general, if you can afford to cut without losing the meaning of a sentence, do so. Push yourself to strip down your word count. Turn 50-word homepage copy into 25, then push yourself again to make that 25-word sentence into 15 words. It's not about brevity so much as it is about making sure every word counts in your writing.
Since my last point was about getting to the point, I'll keep this brief: Words matter. Every time you sit down to write an ad, web page, video script, or other content for your company, you have the opportunity to break through to people. Find those opportunities in your marketing and make sure that you've made the most of them.
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Advertisers got creative in August, experimenting with the increasingly popular six-second ad format, contributing to the buzz surrounding the solar eclipse, and building a mountain of sugar in Times Square.
Let's take a look at some of the last great ads of summer 2017:
Say hello to the world's worst voice assistant: a stylish wooden box named Fârnhäan. In a brutally funny take down of our growing fascination with artificial intelligence, insurance company SafeAuto developed a vaguely German-accented AI device who always gets it wrong -- very wrong.
In a series of 30-second spots, Fârnhäan flubs question after question, with hilarious results. "Fârnhäan, what's in baklava?" one man asks. Fârnhäan responds: "Sugar, cabbage, pickles, and just a touch of toothpaste for color." Who knew?
On August 22, healthy food manufacturer KIND dumped 45,000 pounds of sugar on Times Square to demonstrate how much sugar the average child consumes annually.
Accompanied by several child-shaped statues (made of a sugar look-alike material to avoid attracting swarms of bugs), the art installation was orchestrated by Magnetic Collaborative, a London-based marketing shop.
Photo credit: KIND
If you follow virtually any media site in 2017, you've probably heard the news that millennials are collectively killing everything from diamonds, to fabric softener, to lunch. But if Canon has any say in the matter, this ruthless, avocado-hungry generation won't do away with point-and-shoot cameras.
To convince twenty and thirty-somethings to put down their beloved iPhones and opt for a real camera instead, Grey NY set up a wacky Rube Goldberg Machine, manufacturing some perfect photo-ops that could only be captured on a Canon -- naturally.
To showcase the unique design of Volvo's new fastback Arteon, German agency Grabarz & Partner enlisted the help of Pete Eckert -- a blind photographer famous for his otherworldly "light-paintings."
Eckert brought his signature long-exposure techniques to the project, producing a series of mirage-like images of the new Volvo model. "The new Arteon represents expressive, avant-garde design. Pete Eckert has presented this design in a unique way," said Xavier Chardon, Volkswagen's head of marketing, to Adweek. "The images he has created are genuine works of art and have a very special atmosphere that only he can create."
There are now souvenirs for workaholics who never take a vacation, celebrating the very place they never, ever leave.
JetBlue worked with MullenLowe to produce a line of delightfully kitschy keepsakes to remind you of the vacation you need to take. The line of mugs, decorative plates, candles, and other trinkets usually reserved for tourist trap gift shops feature phrases like: "Paper jams are my jam," and "Remember the free bagels?"
"If your last good memory is that time free bagels were left in the break room, we feel for you," said Heather Berko, manager of advertising and content at JetBlue. "These Office Souvenirs are just our way of reminding everyone there are blue skies and fresh air waiting to provide much happier memories."
Photo via: Adweek
This Danish brewery's founder died in 1887, but that didn't stop him from hosting a TED Talk in Copenhagen in August -- courtesy of FCB agency Happiness in Brussels.
J.C. Jacobsen, who founded Carlsberg back in 1847, showed up (via actor) to give a talk entitled, "Why You Should Answer Every Question With Probably." The topic plays into Carlsberg's longtime slogan: "Probably the best beer in the world," but it ended up being a surprisingly insightful meditation on the value of uncertainty.
This just might be the most beautiful clock ever created -- and it only took 30,000 objects to make.
To celebrate the do-it-yourself spirit their brand embodies, Japanese stationary company Hitotoki teamed up with agency Dentsu to assemble a 24-hour clock with a hand-crafted set of hands for each minute of the day -- 1,440 total. Against a backdrop of lovely Hitotoki paper (of course), the team mesmerizingly assembles each arrangement using every object imaginable -- cupcakes, confetti, even a miniature spaceship.
You can watch a real-time version of the Hitotoki clock on their website.
Is there anything bolder than slapping a logo on the solar eclipse?
Chiquita saw an opportunity that wouldn't come along for another seven years, and they jumped on it (with help from Wieden + Kennedy). Who can blame them really? It really does look like a banana.
"It took an intense knowledge of celestial bodies and an unrelenting love for bananas, but we did it," Chiquita wrote on their YouTube channel. "On August 21, Chiquita will move the moon in between the sun and the earth. For a fleeting moment before and after the totally overrated total solar eclipse, the sun will appear to be an enormous fiery banana. This phenomenon shall henceforth be known as the Chiquita banana sun. Please enjoy it."
A flightless bird might not seem like the most natural spokesperson for an airline, but you'll change your mind after meeting Air New Zealand's latest pitchman -- a tiny, adorable kiwi.
After getting some devastating news from a doctor ("You'll never fly ... because kiwis don't have wings"), our fluffy little hero discovers that the convenient flight options from Air New Zealand still allow him to get around in the sky.
In this series of quick, clever spots for online retailer Zappos, the creative team at barrettSF had a little fun with the phrase, "Save the drama for your mama."
Each ad plays off an alternative version of the saying, e.g.: "Save the drama for your daughter's diorama."
What were you favorite ads this month? Talk to us on Twitter.
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Did you know that 50% of Instagram users follow a business, and 60% actually use Instagram to learn about a product or service?
In fact, there are currently over 700 million Instagram users, and that number is expected to reach the one billion user milestone by the end of 2017. How's that for a potential audience for your business?
Instagram is one of the fastest growing social networks out there -- and with good reason! Businesses and individuals alike love connecting with each other through the image-dedicated platform by sharing inspiring images and videos with their communities.
For the marketers behind those brand Instagram feeds, it's important to keep your audience engaged and loyal to your brand to really take advantage of the expanding network.
Unfortunately, keeping your audience engaged is no easy feat. It requires constantly coming up with new ideas and creating a variety of content pieces to post every single day.
At HubSpot, our social media team works on our Instagram content schedule well in advace, making sure to keep a stock of posts handy to schedule out everyday. If you're a marketer wearing lots of different hats at your company, though, you may find it difficult to work far as far in advance.
But wouldn't be great if you had your whole month of Instagram posts ready so you can have one less thing to worry about?
Not sure how? Don't worry. We have a few tips to share.
Creating a bulk of content for any channel requires a few hours of focused energy, some inspiration, and the right tools.
Before we dig in, be sure set aside time to focus energy on your Instagram content. Start by blocking off time on your calendar to create all of your posts. Start with two hours. We promise: creating 30 posts at once will be easier than you think.
Once you've found your focus, it's time to look for inspiration.
The best way to create variety is to get outside of your own bubble. Don't just look around your office or at your past Instagram posts to draw inspiration for new posts.
Instead, start your creative process by looking at the brands you personally follow. Look at brands you admire (or even your friends) and look at what types of posts people tend to engage with.
Getting inspiration from other people is one of the quickest ways to come up with new unique ideas. Or, if you want to even get out of the Instagram feed, check out Designspiration. It's a great collection of designs to get your creative juices flowing.
As you look around Instagram and elsewhere for new content ideas, make a list of things you like and dislike. It can be anything -- colors, quotes, images, types of posts, etc.
Even if you don't use some of your ideas right away, it's important to keep a running list of the thoughts that flit through your mind when you're getting inspiration. After all, you never know where that idea might eventually lead.
While many Instagrammers spend tons of time each day taking new pictures on their phones, you aren't limited to just posting photos that you actually go out and take. Instead, mix it up by having a stock of images you design alongisde those you take.
Pro Tip: Not a great designer? No problem. Use a free design tool like Adobe Spark Post. With their free templates and easy-to-use interface, you can make beautifully designed images in no time. To get you started, we have 30 free exclusive Spark Post templates to offer you in our 30 day Instagram guide.
To get you started, we have 30 free exclusive Spark Post templates to offer you in our 30 day Instagram guide.
One easy way to come up with 30 unique Instagram posts is to focus on a new idea or aspect of Instagram each day. That's why HubSpot teamed up with Adobe Spark and Iconosquare to create this full 30 Days of Instagram guide.
Each day is focused on a different aspect of Instagram marketing. From different content creation ideas to promotional tactics to reporting and analysis, the guide is jam packed with ideas and examples from the best of the best.
The guide also includes 30 exclusive Adobe Spark templates for you to use to help you create your 30 days worth of Instagram posts. Check it out and get cranking!
Once you've successfully created 30 (or more) Instagram posts for the month, don't forget to get scheduling! Use a software like Iconosquare to schedule out a whole month's worth of Instagram posts, then let yourself relax!
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Want your LinkedIn posts to attract more viewers? Wondering how to increase views and shares of your LinkedIn content? In this article, you’ll discover five simple tactics to improve engagement on your LinkedIn posts. #1: Write Text-Only Posts You’ve probably heard that people engage more when a social media post shows an image or video. [...]
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- Your Guide to the Social Media Jungle
I'd venture to guess you get tons of emails in your inbox every day.
From coupons, to daily deal sites, to newsletters, to password resets, to your mother wanting to know when you plan to visit -- it's a lot to sift through, never mind actually open.
So what makes you want to take that extra step to actually open an email? Often, it's the subject line. After all, it's your very first impression of the email -- and from it, you'll do your best to judge the content on the inside.
If you're an email marketer, or just someone who happens to send emails on behalf of your company, you don't want to be one of those ignored (or -- gasp -- deleted) emails in your subscribers' inboxes. You've got to make sure your email subject lines are top-notch -- and what better way to learn how to do that than by examining some great examples of subject lines? Let's take a look at what makes a great subject line, followed by a few examples that, old or new, we're crazy about.
Before we dive into these fabulous examples, let’s look at what common elements you might find in a subject line. There were eight different components we found again and again in our top performing email subject lines:
There's a phrase that, for many of us, is reminiscent of classic infomercials: "Act now!" And while we wouldn't encourage using that exact language in your content, we do agree that communicating urgency and scarcity in an email subject line can help compel readers to click (or act) -- when phrased creatively and strategically. But because you don't want to be known as "the brand that cried wolf," use these subject lines sparingly, and try to limit them to when the occasion genuinely calls for immediate action.
Sometimes, subject lines work because of their ability to send the message, "You will benefit from opening this email." But other times, it's good to maintain some sense of mystery -- especially if it pique's the recipient's natural curiosity and interest. Because they require opening the email to get more information, they can result in, well, a higher open rate. But make sure the subject line, while enigmatic, still aligns with your brand. Too obscure, and it could end up being seen as spam.
Here's where that benefit of opening a given email comes in. At the end of the day, people love new things and experiences -- especially when they come free, or at least discounted. Open with that by including it in your subject line. Personally, I'm much more inclined to open my daily newsletters when there's an offer of or allusion "free stuff" directly mentioned in my inbox.
No two email subscribers are exactly the same -- and, sometimes, that means the emails you send them shouldn't be, either. At this point in time, marketers have never had more ways to learn about their subscribers' preferences, jobs, or general (dis)likes. So when you send them content, on occasion, make it catered toward the individual.
When we subscribe to an email list, much of the time, it's because we want to be kept informed, or at least learn more about a given topic (more on that later). Similar to piquing your audience's curiosity, crafting email subject lines that incorporate trending topics or timely headlines can help you establish your brand as an authority within your industry -- and can compel people to click to read.
Let's face it: We all have famous people who, at some point, we presently or previously have admired. And when you understand your audience's preferences and interests, you can pique their interest by including the names of this admired, recognizable individuals by including them in your content -- and mentioning them in your email subject lines. But take heed: This tactic really only works when it aligns with your brand, product, or service, so keep it relevant, rather than just throwing out a recognizable name for the sake of recognition.
At risk of sounding like a broken record, here's another place where curiosity comes into play. By front-loading your email subject line with a compelling allusion to a story that the message tells -- but can only be read if opened or clicked -- your audience is like to become intrigued, and want to learn more. Again, make sure the story is relevant to your brand. Otherwise, it might just confuse your readers and prevent them from opening the email.
Not too long ago, a HubSpot alum received this email two weeks before he needed to renew his prescription -- talk about great timing. And when you're eye prescription is expiring, it happens to be an excellent time to upgrade your glasses. By sending an email at the right time, Warby Parker increased its chances of this email getting opened.
But timing isn't the sole reason we included this example. This subject is brilliant because it appeared at the right time and with the right tone. Using conversational words like "uh-oh," keeping the subject line sentence case, and leaving out the period at the end, the subject line comes across as helpful and friendly -- not as a company trying to upsell you.
It's hard to be funny in your marketing, but Groupon's one of those brands that seems to nail it again and again. After all, who can for get this classic unsubscribe video?
This subject line is no exception. The quip, "(Unlike Our Nephew Steve)," actually had us laughing out loud. Why? It's completely unexpected. The first part of the subject line looks like a typical subject line you'd get from Groupon, highlighting a new deal. The parenthetical content? Not so much -- making this one a delightful gem to find in your inbox.
First of all, we have a not-so-secret love for emojis in email subject lines. Personally, I'm partial to turquoise -- so when I see an email implying that I might somehow be able to obtain a free turquoise dress, chances are, I'm clicking.
That's part of what makes this subject line work. It draws the recipients eye by using visual content (emojis), and it hints at an offer of something free. That hints at an incentive to open the email: There's a something to gain inside.
Similar to Warby Parker, this subject line makes use of urgency. If I don't take action on my King Arthur Flour shopping cart -- like actually buying them -- it will be cleared, and I'll have to start all over again.
Okay, so maybe this is a low-risk scenario. But when it comes to my baking goods, personally, I don't like to take any chances, or risk forgetting what I was going to buy. That's where the personalization aspect of this subject line comes in: King Arthur Flour -- especially its online shop -- tends to attract both professional and home bakers who take all things culinary a bit more seriously than, say, someone who only buys flour on occasion from the supermarket. And wouldn't you know? Those are the same bakers who probably don't want to spend time building their shopping carts from scratch.
The moral of the story: Know your audience when you're writing email subject lines. Is there something that they take seriously more than others? If so, incorporate that into your copy.
Ever been told to not do something? Being asked to refrain from something can actually have the opposite effect -- you now want to do that thing even more.
That's the strategy behind Manicube's subject line. It's a simple but effective way to make people curious enough to open your email. (Just be sure that the contents of your email actually have something worthy of that subject line.)
Okay, so maybe your business doesn't involve Botox. But still -- are you intrigued? I am, and despite my better judgment, I clicked.
That's the power of leading your emails with a story: It sparks curiosity, which works in two ways. There are times when our natural curiosity can pique our interest without context, such as in the example above. But in this case, the subject line implies that there's an intriguing story ahead. Why the heck did this person get Botox? And what did it look like? As the saying goes, "Inquiring minds want to know."
Think of the stories behind your industry, and then, find ways to include them in email newsletters and frame them within the subject line in a way that piques your recipients' collective curiosity.
Imagine getting this subject line in your inbox from a website showing apartments for rent. It's both exciting and encouraging ("Here are a bunch of apartments right in your budget. Yay!"), but also kind of competitive -- pitting your cash against what the market offers. Would you click it? I certainly would.
Personalizing emails to cater to your audience's emotions -- for which there's a broad spectrum, when it comes to real estate -- is key to getting people to open your emails. You don't have to be a psychologist to know how to take advantage of them, either. In addition to principles like urgency, crafting an email subject line that implies scarcity is another great way to increase your conversion rates.
When writing emails, you should also think about the recognizable names and reference that make people tick. For example, take this subject line from UncommonGoods forwarded to us from HubSpot's Content Director, Corey Wainwright, who happens to be a die-hard fan of The Princess Bride. Apparently, "As You Wish" is a pretty big reference to that movie (I know, I know -- I need to watch it again), so when she saw this subject line in her inbox, she just HAD to click.
Even though she knew logically that the email was part of a larger-scale send, it almost seemed like it was tailored to be sent personally to her -- after all, why else would it include a reference to Princess Bride in the title?
UncommonGoods knows its buyer persona like the back of its metaphorical hand. While it may not send emails to individual subscribers with references to their favorite movies in the title, it does have a general understanding of its subscribers and their interests.
If you're subscribed to a newsletter from a publication like TechCrunch, chances are, you signed up because you're either interested in or want to learn more about technology. To reflect that, the media outlet crafts its daily email roundups ("The Daily Crunch") with a subject line that reflects one of the latest, most compelling news items in the industry.
Here's the thing: Staying on the cutting edge is hard, especially with something that evolves as quickly as technology. So by writing email subject lines that reflect something that's recent and relevant, TechCrunch is signaling to email recipients that opening the message will help them stay informed and up-to-date on the latest industry news.
Think about the things that your audience struggles to keep up with -- then, craft an email roundup and matching subject line that reflects the latest news in that category.
Okay, you caught me: I'm a beer lover. (One of the many reasons I like working at HubSpot.) But that's not what hooked me here. The subject line arrived in my inbox just at the time I needed it: at 6:45 on a Wednesday evening. Absolutely. Genius.
Think about it: You're just over hump day and want to decompress with a few coworkers after work. Right as you're about to head out, you get a notification on your phone that says, "Where to Drink Beer Right Now." Perfect timing makes this subject line something you can't help but click on.
For your own emails, think about how timing will affect how people perceive your emails. Even if you send an email in an off-peak hour, you could get higher engagement on your email -- if you have the right subject line.
Okay, we admit it: We love BuzzFeed. If nothing else, its staff knows how to write great copy -- and that sentiment includes an exceptional email marketing team. Many of my colleagues have signed up for BuzzFeed's daily emails, and pretty much any day of the week, they win for best subject line in their inboxes.
While there are a few of BuzzFeed's subject lines here and there that aren't anything to write home about, it's the combination of subject lines and the preview text that is golden. They're friendly, conversational, and, above all, snarky.
Here's the text that followed the subject line above: "Okay, WHO left the passive-aggressive sticky note on my fridge. Honestly, who acts like this?" That conversational tone and snark pull us in over and over again -- and it's the preview text that completes the experience for me.
We're not all equipped to be snarky writers, but most email platforms have the preview text easily available to edit. How can you use that little extra space to delight your customers (oh, and probably improve your email stats)? Maybe you could use the subject line as a question, and the preview text area as the answer. Or maybe it's a dialogue: The subject line is one person, and the preview text is another.
You get the idea. By using that space, you have more opportunities to attract new subscribers.
No matter how humble people are, most don't like to do things wrong ... so why not play on that natural human tendency in an email subject line, especially if you're in the business of helping clients (or prospective clients) succeed? Thrillist certainly does in the subject line above, and it makes the language even more vibrant by using DO NOT -- a great takeaway for B2B marketers.
Instead of using the typical contraction "don't," Thrillist spells it out and adds the all-caps for effect. That way, you'll notice the subject line in your inbox, and then not, finder it harder to resist clicking on it.
Think about how going negative in your marketing might be a good thing. For example, many of us have anxiety about looking silly and stupid, so figure out how you can play to those emotions in subject lines. Of course, it's important to back up that subject line with encouraging, helpful content, so that you're not just ranting at people all day.
Getting negative can get your subscribers' attention -- this subject line certainly caught mine.
Next is a subject line from Buffer. Back in 2013, Buffer got hacked -- every tech company's worst nightmare. But Buffer handled it exceptionally well, especially on the email front.
What I admire about the subject line is that it's concise and direct. In a crisis, it's better to steer clear of puns. People want to see that you're not only taking the situation seriously, but also be reassured that the world isn't ending.
Because of the way the subject line is worded and formatted, you feel like Buffer is calm and collected about the issue, and is taking your personal safety into consideration. That's pretty hard to do in just a few words.
Here's another great example of leveraging your audience's full plate to your email marketing advantage. Who hasn't refrained from asking a question out of fear of looking silly or out of the loop? Excuse me, while I sheepishly raise my hand.
" ... but were too afraid to ask" is one of those phrases that, to us, probably won't go out of style for a long time. People seek insights from Copy Hackers -- an organization dedicated to helping marketers and other professionals write better copy, as the name suggests -- because, well, they have questions. They want to improve. And when that audience is too afraid to ask those questions, here's Copy Hackers, ready to come to the rescue with answers.
What does your audience want to know, but might be too embarrassed to ask? Use that information to craft your content -- including your email subject lines.
First of all: For reference, Tullamore is my dog.
Second: Another emoji for the win -- especially when it's a cute dog.
Here's a great example of how personalization goes beyond the email recipient's name. Wag!, an on-demand dog-walking app, includes the names of its customers' pets in a portion of its email subject lines. But this type of personalization is more than just a first-name basis. If there's anything I love more than free stuff and baking goods, it's my pup. Wag! knows that, and by mentioning Tullamore by name in the subject line -- in tandem with an offer, no less -- it catches my attention and piques my interest.
Last, but certainly not least, is this punny email subject line from Quirky. Yes -- we're suckers for puns, in the right situation.
What we like most about it is the second part: "Yeah, we said it." The pun in the beginning is great and all -- it refers to a new invention featured on Quirky's site to help everyday consumers detangle their numerous plugs and cords -- but the second sentence is conversational and self-referential. That's exactly what many of us would say after making a really cheesy joke in real life.
Many brands could stand to be more conversational and goofy in their emails. While it may not be appropriate to go as far as Quirky's subject line, being goofy might just be the way to delight your email recipients.
These are just some of our favorite subject lines -- and since we receive plenty of them, we'll continue adding the best ones as we discover them.
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Do you want to use customer endorsements in your social media marketing? Wondering how to create a persuasive testimonial video? In this article, you’ll learn how to produce an effective testimonial video to share on social media. Why Testimonial Videos? People value the opinions of their peers. According to a BrightLocal study, 84% of consumers [...]
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- Your Guide to the Social Media Jungle
Around here, we’re not exactly shy about our nerdiness.
We love data. We love running experiments. And upon the release of a new report that combines the two, we gleefully geek out and immediately devour the results -- always keeping in mind what they mean for marketers.
One of the more recent instances of this phenomenon is Hinge Research Institute’s 2017 Employer Brand Study. It’s full of data about the latest challenges faced by B2B firms, especially those within the realm of professional services -- with particular emphasis on recruiting and retaining the best talent.
As it turns out, a lot of that comes down to branding -- specifically, branding your firm as an employer, as well as a service provider.
In this post, we’ll dive into the report’s findings, and what marketers need to know when it comes to building a brand as an employer.
According to BusinessDictionary, a brand is the “unique design, sign, symbol, words, or a combination of these … creating an image that identifies a product and differentiates it from its competitors.”
In the past, we’ve written about the importance of and ways to brand your business based on an audience of current and potential customers, as well as buyer personas. But when it comes to recruiting the best talent to help your organization grow, branding remains key -- but how you position your company as an employer might look different than the way you do as a service provider.
In no way does that mean you should falsify your brand for a different type of audience. It just means that you might use different (factual) information to build a value proposition as someone who’s hiring, as opposed to that for your products and services.
In a nutshell, your employee brand should encompass three key pieces:
In publishing the Employer Brand Study, Hinge sought to answer several questions -- for the exhaustive list, check out the full-length study here. But we wanted to dig into the two that intrigued us the most:
In answering these questions, Hinge surveyed a sample of 801 professionals, who fell into one of two categories:
Here’s a breakdown of how each category was represented:
Source: Hinge Research Institute
And, a look at the industries represented:
Source: Hinge Research Institute
When Hinge asked respondents to identify their top professional challenges, they weren't restricted to one particular business category. And yet, have a look at how many of the top challenges fall within the realm of recruiting, developing, and retaining talent:
Source: Hinge Research Institute
In fact, over half of the respondents identified “attracting top talent/recruiting” as their biggest challenge, making it the second-highest-cited difficulty facing both talent-evaluators and employee-candidates. In fourth place, meanwhile, there was the reduction of turnover.
In other words: People operations -- as we call them here at HubSpot -- impact all areas of a business. Not only does something like turnover lead to extensive costs to employers, but it also leaves individual teams and employees in a lurch when they lose talent. In addition to their own workloads, they now have to take on the tasks of those who have left, all while trying to find fitting replacements.
Notice that “maintaining a positive public image” is also on the list. That’s reflected in recruiting efforts -- according to Harvard Business Review, a company’s bad reputation can cost it 10% more than a firm with a good reputation to acquire a new hire.
So how can firms manage their reputations in a way that heightens their appeal to talent? It goes beyond doing the right thing -- which, yes, is imperative -- and often involves managing their brands, too.
That’s where marketers come in. After all, the subject of the study was employer branding -- and branding is a category of marketing. That could be why Hinge also posed the questions to respondents: “What is marketing’s role in employer branding?” Next, we’ll explore those findings.
Source: Hinge Research Institute
When looking at the previous two charts side-by-side, it's interesting to note the similarities between the top challenges identified by professionals, as well as those named as the biggest responsibilities of marketers within employer branding. Both questions generated answers identifying lead generation (whether in the form of a customer or talent pipeline), a positive public image (or making the firm seem attractive), and best leveraging technology (we include maintaining a website and focusing on social media here) as priorities.
But we want to dig into some of those marketing responsibilities a bit more, especially “creating content for digital marketing.” We’ve covered a lot on the topic of content strategy, including that within the digital realm. And while creating quality, valuable content can attract an audience of business leads -- one of the main principles of inbound marketing -- it could potentially do the same for talent leads.
When I was preparing for my interviews with HubSpot, one of the first things I did was voraciously read the Marketing Blog. Of course, that’s the team I was interviewing to join -- but reading that content, as well as looking further into the downloadable offers created by the team -- provided me with some insight into the company’s culture, and got me thinking about the creative process. What do brainstorms look like there? How are all of these ideas for blog topics and downloadable content generated? It was very intriguing and contributed to my excitement to be part of it.
But before I read the blog, I did a general search for information on the company. I read Glassdoor reviews, perused the Culture Code, and even came across the HubSpot culture and careers blog, Move On Up. And while that first piece -- the Glassdoor reviews -- weren’t technically owned by HubSpot, the company was still managing its presence there, by providing a detailed response to every reviewer. And when combined, all of that content composed a cohesive presence: the employer’s brand.
See what we’re getting at?
Now, just for fun, let’s have a look at the report’s findings with regard to “Top Criteria Candidates Consider When Evaluating Opportunities”:
Source: Hinge Research Institute
Aha! The top response from employee-candidates was, “firm culture.” And while your firm might have a remarkable culture, it won’t do anything to benefit your recruiting efforts if you keep it a secret. It should be part of your employer brand and communicated across the content you produce.
And if you don’t already have an established culture -- or Culture Code, like we have here -- here’s a great opportunity to establish one. Not only will this work toward your recruitment efforts, but it can also force you to acknowledge exactly what type of business and team you want to have, and how (or if) your actual culture presently aligns with what you’d like it to be.
These principles can guide the type of hiring decisions you make in the future, and can even influence the way you manage your current teams, ideally supporting talent retention.
That speaks to the importance of internal employer branding, too. I’m a big fan of the phrase, “Practice what you preach.” While it’s much easier said than done, the employer messaging you broadcast externally should truthfully reflect what actually happens inside your company. The last thing you want to do is focus all of your employer branding efforts on recruiting outside talent, only to have those new hires enter the company to witness something completely different, or high turnover -- that can position them as flight risks.
So, remember: As you build your employer brand, think about where you want your workplace culture to be -- and just how much you’re currently missing the mark on those criteria. An important element of branding is honesty, with both target audiences, and with yourself.
Oh, and by the way: We’re hiring.
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Reputation is everything. And on the internet, that couldn't be more true.
It's important to always know what people are saying about you -- whether it's your customers, your competitors, or the press. And on any given day, it can be tricky to keep up with what your audience is sharing across a variety of social media platforms.
So, we've rounded up some of the best free social media and brand monitoring tools from around the vast web of social networks. Nearly all of these tools are free, but some offer paid versions with more features and capabilities. Let's dive into each one -- and see if you want to test them out today.
TweetDeck lets you create a more customized Twitter interface to monitor different users, hashtags, search terms, and lists. From one panel, you can look at Twitter content from the groups you want -- whether that's customers, competitors, or employees.
TweetDeck is a great tool to use during events or live-tweetstorms to keep up with live conversations -- while also keeping an eye on you or your brand's notifications and mentions.
2) Social Mention
Social Mention aggregates all of the blog, microblog, image, and video content related to the search term you provide from a variety of search engines and social networks. This makes it easier to digest and view what’s being said about your brand in one comprehensive view.
Followerwonk lets you quickly and easily search users' Twitter bios and profiles for mentions of you or your brand. Log in with your Twitter credentials to check it out, or subscribe to the paid versions to get even more social insights.
SumAll connects to a variety of different social accounts -- including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn -- to provide you with insights about your followers, interactions, and engagements. The paid version provides content recommendations and automatic post scheduling.
Mentionmapp connects to your Twitter API and see what’s going on in your Twitter network. You can see who mentions you the most, as well as who retweets you the most (using Retweetmapp). It's interactive, too. That way, you can click through and see how your interactions are connected -- if you want to keep an eye on the impact or reach a positive (or negative) tweet about your brand can have.
Source: Klout
Klout connects to your Facebook and Twitter accounts and provides suggestions of content you should share with your network -- as well as the ability to share said content natively from the app.
Hootsuite works like TweetDeck -- but for all of your social networks. From your Dashboard, you can carry out social monitoring, scheduling, campaigns, and analytics -- all in one place. Hootsuite integrates with Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Google+, and although it's free for individuals' accounts, businesses and enterprises have to purchase paid versions.
8) BoardReader
BoardReader does what its name suggests -- it crawls message boards and discussion panels to see what people are saying about you and your brand in the dreaded comments sections, which otherwise seem impossible to parse through. Commenters often have stronger words than social media posters, so make sure you have a thick skin before diving in.
BuzzSumo aggregates data about the number of links to your domain and pieces of content receive -- on social media, and via backlinks. These insights can help you determine which content formats perform best on each network, giving you ideas for web pages and pieces of content to replicate again. It's freeup to a certain number of links, but after that, you have to pony up some cash for the Pro version.
10) Google Alerts
You can set up Google Alerts to see where people are mentioning you or your brand in search results, too. Enter specific terms that might be included in news story titles, and you'll receive regular emails updating you to mentions from around the internet.
A few social networks provide free analytics to users -- or, sometimes, analytics viewing is included in a business subscription for brands. Above is an example of what Twitter Analytics looks like for individuals, with more data and insights provided for business accounts.
12) HubSpot
If you're a HubSpot customer, HubSpot Social Inbox lets you set up specific streams for users and search terms you want to monitor. Check out this video tour of different HubSpot tools to get an idea of how it works.
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By now, you've probably heard video marketing is a powerful tool for generating leads and capturing new customers.
So why aren’t you using it yet?
For many small to medium businesses, the reluctance to adopt video comes from a fear of the unknown. Video marketing feels expensive, cumbersome, and difficult to track. And these would be valid reasons … if any of them were still true in 2017.
Video technology has come a long way in the past five years. We’ve gone from “put it on YouTube and hope the millennials find it” to video enablement platforms which empower small businesses to create, share, and analyze videos without the agencies, actors, or expense. Some 70% of businesses report that video now their top channel for driving conversions, according to Demand Metric.
If you haven't seen what video can do for your company, t’s time to stop putting it off.
Sure, HBO's Westworld may have beaten The Game of Thrones’ record with a price tag of $10 million per episode, but you don’t have to play their game. In fact, stay as far away from it as possible.
Video doesn’t have to be expensive. Today’s buyers and consumers actually appreciate authenticity over production value.
According to Fast Company, consumers prefer lower quality but “authentic” goods and services over those of a higher quality but which seem “inauthentic.”
This craving for authenticity is why we’re seeing such an explosion in micro-influencer marketing and user-generated content. With both of these marketing strategies, brands rely on their own buyers to create content, usually with little more than an iPhone.
With your own video content, don't stress over having a low production budget if you have something valuable to say. Here at Vidyard, we produce Chalk Talks where we ask experts within our company to chat about topics like outbound sales, analytics, and video strategy in front of a chalkboard. The videos have been shared thousands of times, and the cost? A few minutes of someone's time and a lot of colored chalk.
What many small business owners typically mean by this is “I don’t know where to begin.” When they think of video, they imagine a time-consuming process of coming up with scripts and storyboards, procuring actors and equipment, and hiring someone in jockey pants to operate the clapperboard and shout, “Action!” Yet modern video marketing is worlds apart from Hollywood and requires a lot less effort.
When it comes to camera equipment, the age-old aphorism still holds true: the best camera is the one that’s with you.
Today, most iPhone cameras rival all but the top-of-the-line DSLRs and video equipment and are a great substitute. You can easily capture videos of yourself, your office, events, and customers giving off-the-cuff testimonials when your sales and account teams pay them a visit.
And when it comes to actors, don’t worry that you can’t afford Gal Gadot: you don’t need her. Your employees will do a far better job because they actually know your products, your customers, and the details of your industry. After the initial awkwardness of seeing themselves on camera fades, you’ll have all the actors you need.
And finally, not everything needs to be scripted. Writers are great and preparation has its place but a lot of great content can be created with little or no forethought. Take entrepreneur and internet personality Gary Vaynerchuk, for example. He built a media empire from selfie videos recorded on his mobile phone. The below video of him giving advice to young entrepreneurs might be what the internet would call “potato quality” but it still gets the powerful point across.
What most brands hopefully mean by this one is “our industry doesn’t use video yet.” Video is industry agnostic and the demand is being driven not by businesses, but the people who work within them. Remember, both B2B and B2C are really just B2H (business-to-human), and humans love video. One need only look at the numbers for a reminder:
In fact, the industries with the greatest opportunities are those where video has classically been underused. Just look at the recent proliferation of online video in places like real estate, where agencies are suddenly embracing everything from drone flyovers to virtual reality walk-throughs. To see similarly outsized gains ask yourself, "what would the people who make up our customer base, business or otherwise, like to see?"
Videos can indeed be difficult to track, but only if you’re using a bare bones video hosting platform like YouTube or your website’s video feature. These platforms only show you total video views which is like measuring your website’s success based solely from visits.
What if 95 percent of your video's viewers dropped off in the first three seconds? You’d never know. A true video enablement platform, on the other hand, can give you insights into how people watch your videos, who they are, what they liked and didn’t like, and what they did afterward.
You see, video has some unique characteristics that make it highly trackable. Because it's linear and people watch it from end-to-end, video enablement platforms can tell you what parts viewers watched, where they skipped, and where they revisited. From this, you can automatically infer an individual’s interest in particular products or value propositions that appeared in the video.
And, with CRM and marketing system integrations, you don’t have to spend all your time on these analytics. You can trigger actions based on how your viewers watched the video. Did they only complete 25 percent of it? Better send them a different video. Did another viewer rewatch the part where the product is shown over and over? Better ping your sales team because you might have a qualified lead on your hands.
Of all the excuses, this one invariably makes our editor cough and spit out her coffee in surprise. Video is perhaps the most dynamic and repurposable type of content that you have: It increases open rates for email, boosts click through rates for landing pages, encourages shares on social media, increases time on page for websites, and drives more leads than text alone. And, with a great video editing platform, you can optimize one video for all channels.
A good video editing platform provides small to medium businesses with the tools they need to easily cut up, edit, and optimize one video into many formats for many channels. This scales easily because users can easily A/B test videos just as they would an email and can render dynamic content to personalize videos to viewers, such as inserting logos, names, or even swapping out different products. With the right tools, video has more uses than you’ll know what to do with.
Once you have the epiphany that unscripted and low production value videos are both desirable and trackable, you’ll also realize that it’s useful for more than just marketing and sales. You can use video in your customer support to demonstrate how to use your product, in your internal communications to update your remote teams, and as a way for people within your company to communicate on a day-to-day basis.
So, knowing that video isn’t nearly as expensive, difficult, or untraceable as you previously thought, are you ready to stop putting it off?
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Wondering how much you should spend on Facebook ads? Do you need to set a budget? In this article, you’ll discover how to set a Facebook advertising budget by working backward from the revenue you need to generate. #1: Set a Target Revenue Goal Defining a revenue goal for your campaign seems like a simple [...]
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- Your Guide to the Social Media Jungle
Welcome to this week’s edition of the Social Media Marketing Talk Show, a news show for marketers who want to stay on the leading edge of social media. On this week’s Social Media Marketing Talk Show with Erik Fisher, Kim Reynolds, and Jeff Sieh, we explore Facebook Publisher changes, YouTube Breaking News, Facebook Camera updates, [...]
This post Facebook Publisher Changes, YouTube Breaking News Section, and Facebook Camera Updates first appeared on .
- Your Guide to the Social Media Jungle
If you're reading this blog post, chances are you already know you should incorporate more video content into your marketing.
But like most new strategies, you might need to prove its ROI before you get budget. And that can be tricky, because to make a great video, you need a few things -- like a camera and editing software.
You might already have a high-quality camera built into your smartphone, but to edit your raw footage to prepare it for publication and distribution, you may need to hop on the computer.
There's a good chance you already have video editing software installed on your computer. For Windows, that's Windows Movie Maker, and for Macs, it's iMovie. But depending on your particular skill set and what it is you're trying to accomplish with your videos, you may find that these options aren't packed with enough features.
The good news: There are several free video editing solutions you can download that run the gamut from super simple to Hollywood-level powerful. Use these to start making videos today.
Source: Softonic
At the simple end of the spectrum is Machete Video Editor Lite, which allows you to cut, copy, and paste different sections of video. As the Machete website puts it, Video Editor Lite was "designed for quick and simple 'slicing' of your video files."
The program's intuitive interface means you won't have to waste time shuffling through technical support documents. And because Video Editor Lite doesn't re-encode your video files when you slice them, you don't have to worry about losing video quality.
The main downsides to the program? It only supports the AVI and WMV video formats, and it doesn't allow for audio editing. Still, if you have zero video editing experience and only need to make simple edits, it's a great option.
Source: Softonic
Like Machete Video Editor Lite, Avidemux allows you to do basic video editing (no audio editing) without having to worry about loss of video quality. But Avidemux also has a few more tricks up its sleeve.
For starters, the program supports multiple video formats, including AVI, DVD, MPEG, QuickTime, and MP4. What's more, Avidemux comes with several filters that allow you to perform a host of different functions, from flipping and rotating clips, to adding subtitles, to adjusting colors and brightness levels.
And while the learning curve for Avidemux is slightly steeper compared to Machete Video Editor Lite, the upside is that there's an extensive Avidemux wiki that covers everything you need to know.
Source: WeVideo
Cloud-based video editing software (i.e., software that you access via a browser instead of downloading directly to your hard drive) is growing more and more popular. And one of the programs leading the charge is WeVideo.
Compared to the first two programs on this list, WeVideo definitely offers some more advanced features and functionality, including audio editing capabilities, a library of commercially licensed music, and the ability to share videos in 4K resolution. However, the free version of WeVideo isn't without its limitations.
One major downside is that you're only given 10GB of cloud storage. If you're making a one-off video, this is fine. But if you're planning to edit multiple videos, you'll definitely need more space. The free version also puts a WeVideo watermark on your videos, which isn't ideal.
For a complete breakdown of the differences between WeVideo's free and paid options, check out its pricing page.
Source: Softonic
In experienced hands, the VSDC Free Video Editor can produce some seriously professional-looking video. In addition to supporting nearly every major video format, the program offers advanced video effects, including object transformation and color correction, as well as advanced audio effects like volume correction and sound normalization. And unlike WeVideo, the VSDC Free Video Editor is truly free. You can use the program's full feature set without having to deal with pesky watermarks.
Unfortunately, there is one catch. If you want technical support, you need to pay. (And because there is a bit of a learning curve, there's a good chance you'll need to.) Support for the VSDC Free Video Editor costs $9.99 for one month and $14.99 for one year.
Source: Wondershare
Wondershare Filmora (formerly Wondershare Video Editor) is the perfect option if you want to start out with basic video editing functionality while also having the opportunity to get more advanced as you go.
The program's "Easy Mode" strips away the complexity so you can drag and drop video clips, choose a pre-designed theme, add some music, and produce a finished video in a matter of minutes. Go into "Full Feature Mode," however, and you'll be able to do much, much more -- from adding transitions, filters, and overlays, to playing video clips in reverse, to using split-screen effects.
Sound too good to be true? Well, you're right: The free version of Wondershare Filmora adds a watermark to your videos that you can only remove through upgrading to their paid service.
Source: Blender
The open source program Blender is more than just a video editor: It's a full-blown 3D animation suite, which allows for modeling, rendering, motion tracking, and more.
On the video editing side, there are a ton of features, including transitions, speed control, filters, adjustment layers, and more. There are also 32 slots available for adding video clips, audio clips, images, and effects, which means you can produce some incredibly complex video.
For the amateur video editor, all the functionality that's available can be a bit overwhelming. But if you're looking to produce truly professional-quality video -- without having to deal with watermarks -- Blender is a solid option. The best part: "You are free to use Blender for any purpose, including commercially or for education," according to its website. For the fine print, check out its licensing info.
Source: ZDNet
Like Blender, Lightworks is definitely on the more advanced (and powerful) end of the video editing software spectrum. In fact, it's a program that's been used to edit some well-known and award-winning films, including Pulp Fiction, The Wolf of Wall Street, and The King’s Speech.
There are two different licenses you can choose from with Lightworks: "Free" and "Pro." (The latter of which, as you might have guessed, requires that you cough up some cash.) The main difference between the two licenses is that the Pro version offers more features, including stereoscopic output and advanced project sharing. But the free version is still quite powerful, providing 100+ effects and supporting multicam editing.
Source: Shotcut
Shotcut is another open source video software -- and it's completely free. It's possible to use Shotcut to create professional-looking videos, but the interface is tricky to use. Perhaps that's because it was originally developed for the Linux platform, which looks and feels a lot different from the typical Windows or Mac UX.
With dedication -- and time spent in the Shotcut frequently asked questions and how-to guide sections -- it's possible to use this software to create and export high-quality videos, completely for free.
Source: HitFilm
HitFilm Express is a free video editing and visual effects software -- which means you can use it to add more than 180 special effects to your videos, including 3D editing.
Possibly the coolest HitFilm feature is its wealth of tutorial videos -- users can practice applying special visual effects in movie tutorials based on Star Wars, Westworld, and more.
Of course, upgrading to HitFilm Pro grants access to more visual effects, better high resolution and 3D rendering, and better audio syncing between audio and video files. It costs $349 for use on three computers, but if you're not ready to fully invest, HitFilm Express users can purchase lower-cost expansions to use more tools in their software.
Too see the complete list of differences between Lightworks Free and Pro, check out their "Compare Versions" page.
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