The Media and Advertising Industry Has a Trust Issue: Here's How Publishers Can Fix It

November 03, 2015 at 01:00PM

Earlier this year, AdAge made a profound yet controversial statement that “no one trusts advertising or media.” Only 4% of Americans think the marketing industry behaves with integrity, and nearly half of consumers surveyed say that they don’t trust any news source.

Ouch.

This trend is a blow to the media industry, which is built on trust. Shady and dishonest internet marketing practices have left a sour taste in consumers’ mouths: they’re inherently skeptical of any information your brand puts out to the world—especially your native ads.

The word “sponsored” is enough to make anyone raise an eyebrow and evoke an instant fear of skepticism. Consumers may instantly assume that your messaging has an ulterior motive--even when your goal is to simply provide entertainment or share educational materials.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

Creating an Advertising Strategy That Garners Trust With Your Readers

There are simple steps that editors can take to improve trust in media and advertising. Here are some recommendations to guide you:

1) Develop Ads That Audiences Find Interesting

A recent report from Nielsen points out that one third of online advertising campaigns don’t work—they fail to drive awareness, lift, or purchase intent. Compare this stat to another in the same study: branded websites are the second-most-trusted advertising format, behind recommendations from friends and family.

Cliff notes:

• As a whole, advertising is ineffective.
• As a subset of advertising, branded content is highly effective.

The big question is why. To answer that question, let’s look at sponsored content. It may be labeled an ‘advertisement,’ but it’s so much more—most importantly, it’s a way for brands to better engage their audiences.

The difference between sponsored content and advertising is that sponsored content is typically developed by trained editors and journalists. These creators are content experts, in the business of entertaining audiences and publishing creative stories. According to recent data, 56% of publishers indicate sponsored content and native ads are the most likely ad offering to increase in value over the next two years.

The bottom line? Focus on what your audiences care about: educate and engage. This level of authenticity and transparency builds trust.

2) Be Helpful

The Nielsen study uncovered a link between trust and action. Why? Consumers take action on ad units that they find valuable when they come from a reputable source. It's content + context, with one more factor tacked on. Curator.  

How does this work for media companies specifically?

Media companies can use ads to guide consumers through the decision process, while still providing the value that caused readers to visit their site to begin with. They can make it easy to purchase a product in the moment, or provide a resource to download additional information. Native can build trust between advertisers and consumers, in ways that display cannot. As Nielsen points out, the strongest online and mobile formats make it compelling to ‘live in the moment’—a quality that you can take back to your company’s native ad strategy.

Focus on educating and delivering value rather than selling.

Native ads and branded content make it easy for audiences to have fun, take a break, and live in the moment. Make it easy for your viewers to take the next step, make a purchase, or surface more details about your advertisers.

3) Don’t Forget Emotion

It can be easy to forget your editorial voice when building educational content. But whatever you do, don’t restrict your communications to corporate-speak. According to the Nielsen survey, successful marketing campaigns require more than identifying the right channels for reaching consumers. You also need to deliver the right messaging: in doing so, you’ll capture your audience’s attention, improve conversion to long-term memory, and improve emotional engagement. 

And depicting real-life situations? This strategy resonates most powerfully, according to 44 percent of global respondents—and publishers know what resonates with their audiences (that's their job!) bring the same emotions to the ads they help create.

One of the most impactful ways to connect your message to memory? It’s storytelling. And native ads provide the perfect format to accomplish this goal through video, text, and photos.

Create sponsored content that makes your audience’s feel something and help your advertisers illuminate their human sides.

Final Thoughts

Editors are in a strong position to help their advertising partners build trust. Both brands and publishers should treat their editors as consultants.

Editors can help advertisers look beyond marketing messages in sponsored content to build a transparent yet emotional rapport with audiences. They can also make sure that the advertising message is backed by the ultimate investment—integrity.

The bottom line: Be true to who you are, and trust will follow suit.

http://bit.ly/1Menc6O

What Makes a Great Leader? 6 Defining Qualities to Strive For [Infographic]

November 03, 2015 at 12:00PM

There are a lot of misconceptions about leadership floating around in the business world. Think great leaders love the spotlight? Or that they have all the answers? Or they got to where they are by taking a lot of credit for big wins?

These leadership myths are all too common. In fact, great leaders don't seek attention; they find pride in helping others succeed. They aren't all-knowing; they use their resources to turn ideas into executable plans. And they don't take all the credit; the best leaders are humble, self-aware, and shoulder a little more share of the blame and a little less share of the credit.

What else makes a leader stand out? Check out the infographic below from ELIV8 to learn more about the characteristics of excellent leadership. And remember: Leadership is a skill, not a genetic disposition. Work on improving these qualities and you, too, can become an exemplary leader.

What other qualities make a great leader? Share with us in the comments.

http://bit.ly/1MEjHIT

A Simple Guide to SEO for Local Businesses [Infographic]

November 02, 2015 at 06:00PM

When you find yourself in an unfamiliar area and you're looking for a restaurant, coffee shop, sports store, or some other local business ... how do you go about finding it?

Most of us pull out our smartphone, open up a search engine, and search for a specific type of local business. That's called a local search, and it's for customers in a particular area who use online search engines to find a business in that area.

According to Google's own research, "50% of consumers who conducted a local search on their smartphone visited a store within a day, and 34% who searched on computer or tablet did the same."

With local businesses competing for the top spots in those searches, knowing how to optimize your website accordingly is key. To help you learn more about local SEO, SurePayroll created the infographic below. Check it out to learn the anatomy of a local Google search results page, how to optimize your website for local searches, and how to separate your search result from everyone else's.

 

What local SEO tips can you add to the list? Share with us in the comments.

http://bit.ly/1NlNyEx

How to Make Your B2B Content More Lovable: 9 Tips to Try

November 02, 2015 at 02:00PM

One of my life missions has been to rescue B2B blogs from their backwater boring status and bring them to the forefront of awesomeness.

Thankfully, I’m seeing the trend grow.

More B2B blogs are nailing it and putting forth the level and quality of content that B2B readers truly crave ... but there is still progress to be made.

I’ve assembled this list of tips that can help you bring your B2B content up to the next level.

9 Tips for Creating Content that B2B Readers Love

1) Use jargon appropriately.

Whenever you spend a lot of time in a particular niche, the jargon rubs off on you. If you’re in the military, you’re going to talk about BFO, CFB, BOHICA, BZ, EOD, JO, FTN, and everyone will know what you’re talking about. (I’m honestly not sure. I just pulled those off military.com.)

If you’re into SEO, you expect to be able to use that acronym -- SEO -- and everyone knows what you’re talking about.

Every industry has its jargon.

Image Credit

While overuse will muddy up your content, using jargon strategically can make people feel included, welcomed, respected, and appreciated for their knowledge.

The first few paragraphs of this Moz article are all that you need to alert you to the fact that this is an insider’s piece. You can expect some jargon, and that’s okay.

Keep in mind that jargon can be seen as pretentious, so make sure you’re using the right jargon, in the right way, for the right reason, and with the right readers.

2) Go deep.

B2B readers are proud of their knowledge, and rightly so. They have invested their lives, their education, their careers, and their time into acquiring professional skills.

They love it when people speak to them on their level -- a deep level.

That’s why the B2B content that you produce should go deep. Take this expert excerpt from the Toptal blog:  

The final step is to iterate N elements once again replacing the element by its code for each element: element[i] = code[i]. The complexity is O(N). The complexity of FastSMQT is O(N) + O(2^L) + O(L*(2^L)) + O(N) = O(2*N) + O((L + 1)*(2^L)) = O(N + L*(2^L)) .

It’s gibberish to the average Joe, but it’s pure read-worthy gold to the software engineer.

Bear in mind, you can’t get content this deep from most “freelance writers” you find on Craigslist. Sourcing B2B writers is one of the first and greatest challenges to generating great B2B content.

3) Predict the future.

B2B blogs will thrive when they are dealing with present hot topics and future predictions. Predictive blogs tend to generate viral sharing and excited feedback.

Who wouldn’t want to know the future of their industry or the precursive power of daily trends?

A well-researched, thorough, and to-the-point prophetic piece is the kind of content that will give you a strong ROI. The blog, Acxiom, has an example of this kind of post:

This kind of content is especially popular around the New Year, when B2B readers are particularly interested in finding out what’s next.

4) Get to the bottom line.

Nearly every B2B reader shares an interest in the bottom line: revenue. When you can boil down the trade to this fundamental bedrock, then you’ve landed on a popular topic.

It is possible to chase everything back to this one point. Whether it’s an abstruse coding trick, a marketing move, or some other niche technique, everything somehow goes back to the bottom line.

This blog is a great example of getting down to brass tacks. (Or are those thumbtacks?)

The Proppelr blog uses revenue-driven content to advance the following article. And the title tells all: 

B2B content can and should deal with a wide range of topics. Be sure to trace these topics back to a core concern: revenue.

5) Be an expert.

There’s an alarming trend in B2B content marketing. It’s becoming challenging to find experts in niche fields, especially experts who have the time and ability to create long-form content for content marketing purposes.

According to a report from CMI, more B2B marketers say they are challenged with finding trained content marketing professionals this year (32%) than last year (10%).

It makes sense. If you have an expert, you’re probably using that expert to do great things, not just to write about them.

Toptal has managed to overcome this challenge. Their business model involves attracting and recruiting the finest engineers in the industry. Their marketing strategy includes getting these gurus to create content:

Even if you don’t know what optimized successive mean quantization transform is, you at least know that this B2B blog is getting an expert to wax eloquent on the subject.

6) Create case studies.

Case studies are a linchpin of great content.

Case studies aren’t just advertisements. They are revelations of data, information, technique processes, tutorials, and a bunch of goodness rolled up into a single piece of content.

Most marketers use case studies for their glaringly obvious benefit -- showcasing the skills and expertise of the business.

Yet case studies have a broader effect. In addition to acquiring clients, case studies bring value to the industry as a whole. Industry members and participants can learn how things are done, the techniques used, and the processes followed to achieve a certain goal.

Think With Google is a collection of case studies, each showcasing what a good case study looks like:

Beginning with the title, the case study promises to tell a story and bring value. The bulleted section of the case study makes for easy, digestible reading:

Even failure makes for a great case study, as per the following one on JeffBullas.com:

Case studies have immense value, and every B2B content marketing effort should contain them.

7) Be ruthlessly tactical.

The content has to make a difference.

The best B2B blogs will always be those that answer the toughest questions, solve the thorniest problems, and show the clearest solutions.

This article from Cardinal Path exemplifies the tactical approach: 

The writer explains exactly why he has written the whitepaper:  

"'But which one is best?' -- We get that a lot too….Our newest whitepaper, A Marketer’s Guide to Finding the Right Analytics Solution, provides an overview of the major analytics platforms and offer insights into ways you can optimize your solution."

There’s no need to keep your readers in the dark. A good B2B article should do the following:

• Address a problem. This should be a commonly-identified issue in your field. It’s something that your audience deals with.
• Sketch the problem for the reader. They’ve got to be able to relate to it -- to say, “Yeah, I have that problem!”
• Solve the problem. This is the meat of the article.

Such articles will be tactical to the bone. They explain clearly how to do, what to do, what it looks like -- with data to back it all up. The more specific, detailed, and actionable you can be, the better.

8) Bring forth the juicy data.

Ah, data, how we love you.

When a B2B blog publishes a solid mass of data, the data aficionados, bloggers, ponderers, thinkers, movers, and shakers pounce on it.

The Content Marketing Institute is a purveyor of data. Their research-backed approach gives to their B2B audience exactly what they crave — lots and lots of data.

The more statistics, pie charts, line graphs, and bar graphs you can pack into your article, the better.

9) Just say it, prove it, and be done.

Some writers obsess over style.

How does it sound? Is my tone correct? What’s the best word in this particular sentence? How should I wrap up this paragraph? Should I use a question here, or is a declarative sentence better?

I’m all about stylistic finesse. You don’t want your blog post to fall flat with a can-hardly-read-it style. On the other hand, you don’t want to obsess over it. Great B2B content simply says what it needs to say, proves it, and that’s it.

If you have a flair for style, so be it. But don’t make stylistic perfection your goal.

I'd argue that Invision has one of the leading design B2B blogs in the industry. Their content is typically packed with data and actionable information, but they don’t pursue a sizzling style.

An article that contains the words iterative, prototyping, methodology, articulate, and hypothesis in the first couple of lines?

It’s not exactly a man-bites-dog style.

Let me make the point clear with an example. ViralNova is B2C:

You don’t need this kind of content. You don’t need the "OMG!" approach or the cliff-hanging style for a B2B blog. Your goal isn’t to be Hemingway, let alone ViralNova. Your goal is to be as clear as possible.

Conclusion

This article has focused on articles as the primary portal of B2B content. The reason for this focus is because of the lack of quality I’ve noticed in many B2B blogs.

Keep in mind that B2B content can take myriad forms. For example, advanced and powerful webinars are an explosive source of producing high-value content with the extra advantage of generating direct leads.

Whatever the style, medium, approach, or goal, keep these tips in mind.

What trends, tips, or tactics do you have for creating killer B2B content? Let us know in the comments section below.

http://bit.ly/1KTaGE8

Blogs, Books, Tools & More: Your Go-To Guide for Marketing Training [Free Resource]

November 02, 2015 at 12:00PM

2.4 million emails. 108,000 YouTube views. 50,000 Google searches. 10,000 tweets.

These numbers represent what goes down on the internet in just one second. I repeat, one second.

These days, the world spins too fast for formal, one-time marketing training. Our methods of communicating with each other are constantly evolving, and even while “content is (still) king,” the way we package and distribute that content is dramatically different than a few years ago.

Successful marketers have learned to make learning a part of their day job. They read, attend events, watch webinars, seek out mentors, and study their peers. It's this type of continuous marketing training that enables teams with varied skill levels to work more effectively.

“A CMO of a successful company taking the time to re-learn the fundamental skills she requires of her team so she can communicate with them better is the embodiment of an 'always be learning' team culture," explains Sarah Bedrick, Certifications Program Leader here at HubSpot.

So to help marketing teams navigate their options for continued marketing training and cultivate this type of culture, HubSpot Academy created The Ultimate Guide to Marketing Training.

The page organizes various types of marketing training based on how comprehensive they are, and by how expensive they are. For each training type, you can explore the pros and cons, dive into recommended resources, and discover hidden gems.

To find a marketing training that fits you and your team's needs, check out the free guide here.

http://bit.ly/1ixASxs

How to Become an Influential Leader: Tips on Hiring, Growth & Management [Podcast]

November 01, 2015 at 01:00PM

When you first start out in your career, growth seems straightforward. You do great work, and then you get promoted to the next level. Simple as that.

But as you start to progress up the ladder, figuring out how to get to the next level in your career becomes more complicated. 

If you're an ambitious leader looking to progress to the next stage, what should you be doing?

Charlene Li, Founder & CEO of the Altimeter Group, has literally written books on the subject. And this week on The Growth Show, Charlene joins us to chat about influence, leadership, and building high-growth companies in our digital, hyper-connected world. Some episode highlights include:

• The one similarity among high-growth companies
• The key to avoiding "groupthink" at your company
• Why every single job candidate at Altimeter Group takes a practical exam
• How leaders need to adapt when they hire empowered employees
• The secrets to growing in your career over time
  

Click the play button below to listen to this episode in your browser, or subscribe on iTunes to download episodes directly to your phone:

Check out the latest recaps of The Growth Show episodes by clicking here.

http://bit.ly/1MqfqlP

7 Psychology-Backed Hacks for Boosting Your Motivation

October 31, 2015 at 01:00PM

This post originally appeared on HubSpot's Sales Blog. To read more content like this,subscribe to Sales.

Motivation is crucial in any professional environment. Trouble is, staying motivated is often easier said than done.

No matter what industry you're working in, you’re bound to encounter days with more bad than good. This is no reason to give up.

After all, success comes when you push through the frustrating times and focus your efforts and energy on accomplishing one goal at a time. 

To help you keep pushing forward in whatever you're doing, we've compiled seven science-backed tips for sustaining motivation in the workplace. From finding your "why" to accepting rejection, we're willing to bet that these tips will make a noticeable difference in your day.

7 Psychology-Backed Hacks for Boosting Your Motivation

1) Remind yourself of what you love about your job.

There are two fundamental types of motivation -- extrinsic and intrinsic. When you’re extrinsically motivated, you’re driven to act because of external incentives, like money, recognition, or praise.

Intrinsic motivation, behavior driven by the simple enjoyment of a task, is a more powerful force. Richard Griggs, a psychology professor, writes, “A person’s intrinsic enjoyment of an activity provides sufficient justification for their behavior.”

Try writing down a physical list of everything you enjoy about your job, or keeping a running tab of on-the-job moments that made you happy. The important thing is to be able to quickly refer back to a list of positive moments that will provide you a jolt of intrinsic motivation.

2) Find your “why.”

The intrinsic-extrinsic dichotomy is further explored in the push-pull theory of motivation. According to this theory, humans are either pulled to do something because of internal motivation, or pushed because of external factors.

“Pull-based motivation is about tapping the desire to achieve something,” entrepreneur Jonathan Fields writes in Psychology Today. “It’s about taking action not to remove a current pain, but to bring yourself closer to a deeply desired end.”

So when you’re feeling discouraged, remind yourself of why you got into your industry, and what you’re striving for long-term. With a clearly defined purpose, finding your intrinsic motivation to keep going is far easier.

3) Expect a certain amount of rejection.

Instead of treating rejection as something to be afraid of or an unpleasant surprise, build the expectation that a certain number of potential customers are going to say “no” into your day.

Expectancy theory, pioneered by Victor Vroom, states that people choose to act a certain way based on their expectations of what will happen.

A caveat: This only applies to a normal level of rejection. If no one is converting or expressing interest in the content you're putting out, it might be time to take a closer look at your approach with your manager or peers.

4) Frame potential pitfalls as opportunities.

Research shows that high achievers tend to be achievement-oriented, rather than failure-avoiding. Achievement-motivated people gain satisfaction from succeeding at difficult tasks. Failure-avoiding individuals are primarily concerned with -- you guessed it -- avoiding a screwup.

Failure-avoiding people “are less likely to attempt achievement-oriented tasks, and may give up quickly if success is not readily forthcoming,” according to psychologist Carl Beuke. Not too inspiring, right?

To put yourself in the mindset of a high achiever, frame risks as opportunities. Sure, not everyone is going to be in waiting at their computer to tweet out your latest blog post, but it's more productive to view your post as a step in the right direction towards educating your prospects. Coming from a positive place rather than a place of fear will go a long way to keeping you motivated.

5) Set specific short- and long-term goals.

It’s important to keep in mind your blue-sky goals -- that is, where you want to be in five or 10 years. But five or 10 years is a long time. What are you supposed to reach for in the meantime?

Sports psychologist Frank Smoll suggests setting goals for the short- and long-term. 

Short-term goals allow people to “see immediate improvements in performance and thereby enhance motivation,” Smoll writes in Psychology Today.

On the other hand, relying purely on lofty goals is actually damaging, as it ignores “the sub-goals needed to attain them.” And this results in a failure to achieve much of anything at all.

6) Remember that it’s not personal.

It’s natural to take rejection personally because humans are inherently social beings. But in marketing and sales, it’s unproductive.

“Taking things personally keeps you tied to someone else,” psychiatrist Abigail Brenner writes in Psychology Today. And if you’re tying yourself to every failed opportunity, you’re going to become overwhelmed with disappointment in short order.

To get some distance from an unpleasant situation, Brenner suggests evaluating what the relationship you have with the person who upset you really meant to you.

7) Go take a walk.

The arousal theory of motivation proposes that humans act to correct imbalances in neurological activity. That is, that when we’re either over- or under-stimulated, we subconsciously behave in ways that bring us back to a healthy level of arousal.

You can stay one step ahead of your subconscious, however. If you feel yourself getting agitated or frustrated, remove yourself from the situation. Leave the office for a quick stroll, stop by a coworker’s desk for a quick chat, or just take a bathroom break. By doing something relaxing, you’ll be able to center yourself and re-focus on the task at hand.

How do you stay motivated? Let us know in the comments below.

http://bit.ly/1OeWSeW