Friday, March 30, 2012
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Google - What counts as a high-quality site?
What counts as a high-quality site?
Our site quality algorithms are aimed at helping people find "high-quality" sites by reducing the rankings of low-quality content. The recent "Panda" change tackles the difficult task of algorithmically assessing website quality. Taking a step back, we wanted to explain some of the ideas and research that drive the development of our algorithms.Below are some questions that one could use to assess the "quality" of a page or an article. These are the kinds of questions we ask ourselves as we write algorithms that attempt to assess site quality. Think of it as our take at encoding what we think our users want.
Of course, we aren't disclosing the actual ranking signals used in our algorithms because we don't want folks to game our search results; but if you want to step into Google's mindset, the questions below provide some guidance on how we've been looking at the issue:
- Would you trust the information presented in this article?
- Is this article written by an expert or enthusiast who knows the topic well, or is it more shallow in nature?
- Does the site have duplicate, overlapping, or redundant articles on the same or similar topics with slightly different keyword variations?
- Would you be comfortable giving your credit card information to this site?
- Does this article have spelling, stylistic, or factual errors?
- Are the topics driven by genuine interests of readers of the site, or does the site generate content by attempting to guess what might rank well in search engines?
- Does the article provide original content or information, original reporting, original research, or original analysis?
- Does the page provide substantial value when compared to other pages in search results?
- How much quality control is done on content?
- Does the article describe both sides of a story?
- Is the site a recognized authority on its topic?
- Is the content mass-produced by or outsourced to a large number of creators, or spread across a large network of sites, so that individual pages or sites don’t get as much attention or care?
- Was the article edited well, or does it appear sloppy or hastily produced?
- For a health related query, would you trust information from this site?
- Would you recognize this site as an authoritative source when mentioned by name?
- Does this article provide a complete or comprehensive description of the topic?
- Does this article contain insightful analysis or interesting information that is beyond obvious?
- Is this the sort of page you’d want to bookmark, share with a friend, or recommend?
- Does this article have an excessive amount of ads that distract from or interfere with the main content?
- Would you expect to see this article in a printed magazine, encyclopedia or book?
- Are the articles short, unsubstantial, or otherwise lacking in helpful specifics?
- Are the pages produced with great care and attention to detail vs. less attention to detail?
- Would users complain when they see pages from this site?
What you can do
We've been hearing from many of you that you want more guidance on what you can do to improve your rankings on Google, particularly if you think you've been impacted by the Panda update. We encourage you to keep questions like the ones above in mind as you focus on developing high-quality content rather than trying to optimize for any particular Google algorithm.One other specific piece of guidance we've offered is that low-quality content on some parts of a website can impact the whole site’s rankings, and thus removing low quality pages, merging or improving the content of individual shallow pages into more useful pages, or moving low quality pages to a different domain could eventually help the rankings of your higher-quality content.
We're continuing to work on additional algorithmic iterations to help webmasters operating high-quality sites get more traffic from search. As you continue to improve your sites, rather than focusing on one particular algorithmic tweak, we encourage you to ask yourself the same sorts of questions we ask when looking at the big picture. This way your site will be more likely to rank well for the long-term. In the meantime, if you have feedback, please tell us through our Webmaster Forum. We continue to monitor threads on the forum and pass site info on to the search quality team as we work on future iterations of our ranking algorithms
Lunch Time Disco BarsTuesday, March 27, 2012
Friday, March 23, 2012
The Art of Content Marketing -
by Craig Anderson
A few months ago I went to collect a friend from hospital. Arriving early, I entered the waiting room and noticed in-house magazines stacked by the door. I picked one up, grabbed a coffee and took a seat. The magazine read like a very long press release, blabbering on about patient-centric care and employee awards. I was quickly bored, so I read from my phone instead. The magazine failed in its purpose.
Effective content marketing holds people’s attention. It gives you a distinctive brand, loyal fans and increased sales. You don’t need a big budget to succeed, which is why good content marketing is the single best way to beat bigger competitors online.
Content marketing used to be about customer magazines and mailed newsletters. Now it covers blogs, email newsletters, eBooks, white papers, articles, videos and more. In this article, you will learn about content marketing techniques that you can apply to your business.
When speaking with people, you see their expressions and you adjust your tone accordingly. In a meeting, when you see that someone is confused, you clarify meaning, simplify sentences and speak reassuringly. The Web offers no feedback until your content is published, and then it’s too late.
To get the right tone, think of the person who best represents your brand. The person could be fictional or real, and they may or may not work for you. Now think of adjectives that describe them. Once you know what you want, provide clear details and practical examples.
Let’s say you run a travel agency that markets to young independent travelers. You want your representative to sound experienced, helpful and friendly. Try using a table like the one below to delineate what your adjectives do and don’t mean:
Ask everyone who wants to be a content creator to write a sample blog post. Then you can find the best few people. Some might not be able to write but have interesting ideas. In this case, you’ll need someone to edit their copy. Perhaps you want to raise the profile of a particular staff member. If they can’t write, have someone ghostwrite for them.
Imagine you’ve got a well-staffed company that is putting together a B2B white paper. You could organize your workflow like this:
An example of how to organize your workflow in a well-staffed company.
Many people make this mistake. They use language that is unnecessarily complicated, usually to show off or to sound corporate and professional.
“Short words are best and the old words when short are best of all,” said Winston Churchill. So, don’t talk about “taking a holistic view of a company’s marketing strategy to deliver strategic insights, precise analysis and out-of-the-box thinking.”
Prefer “make” to “manufacture,” and “use” to “utilize.” While “quantitative easing” offers precision to economists, your personal finance audience would prefer “print money.”
Think politically: consider the popularity of your views and whether they will attract media coverage. Ideally, your opinions should be bold and popular.
9Paperless Pipeline takes your real estate transactions and related documents online—without changing how you work.
So, instead of promoting the technology directly, offer content that focuses on the benefits. By using benefit-focused copy, you immediately tell the reader what’s in it for them.
You can make your content interesting by doing something new, without necessarily saying something new. For instance, you could write a comprehensive article on a topic that has only piecemeal information scattered across the Web. Or you could use a different format for a topic that gets the same treatment; rather than writing the fiftieth blog post on a topic, shoot the first video.
The magazine read like a very long press release, blabbering on about patient-centric care and employee awards. I was quickly bored, so I read from my phone instead. The magazine failed in its purpose.
Effective content marketing holds people’s attention. It gives you a distinctive brand, loyal fans and increased sales. You don’t need a big budget to succeed, which is why good content marketing is the single best way to beat bigger competitors online.
Content marketing used to be about customer magazines and mailed newsletters. Now it covers blogs, email newsletters, eBooks, white papers, articles, videos and more. In this article, you will learn about content marketing techniques that you can apply to your business.
When speaking with people, you see their expressions and you adjust your tone accordingly. In a meeting, when you see that someone is confused, you clarify meaning, simplify sentences and speak reassuringly. The Web offers no feedback until your content is published, and then it’s too late.
To get the right tone, think of the person who best represents your brand. The person could be fictional or real, and they may or may not work for you. Now think of adjectives that describe them. Once you know what you want, provide clear details and practical examples.
Let’s say you run a travel agency that markets to young independent travelers. You want your representative to sound experienced, helpful and friendly. Try using a table like the one below to delineate what your adjectives do and don’t mean:
Ask everyone who wants to be a content creator to write a sample blog post. Then you can find the best few people. Some might not be able to write but have interesting ideas. In this case, you’ll need someone to edit their copy. Perhaps you want to raise the profile of a particular staff member. If they can’t write, have someone ghostwrite for them.
Imagine you’ve got a well-staffed company that is putting together a B2B white paper. You could organize your workflow like this:
An example of how to organize your workflow in a well-staffed company.
Many people make this mistake. They use language that is unnecessarily complicated, usually to show off or to sound corporate and professional.
“Short words are best and the old words when short are best of all,” said Winston Churchill. So, don’t talk about “taking a holistic view of a company’s marketing strategy to deliver strategic insights, precise analysis and out-of-the-box thinking.”
Prefer “make” to “manufacture,” and “use” to “utilize.” While “quantitative easing” offers precision to economists, your personal finance audience would prefer “print money.”
Think politically: consider the popularity of your views and whether they will attract media coverage. Ideally, your opinions should be bold and popular.
9Paperless Pipeline takes your real estate transactions and related documents online—without changing how you work.
So, instead of promoting the technology directly, offer content that focuses on the benefits. By using benefit-focused copy, you immediately tell the reader what’s in it for them.
You can make your content interesting by doing something new, without necessarily saying something new. For instance, you could write a comprehensive article on a topic that has only piecemeal information scattered across the Web. Or you could use a different format for a topic that gets the same treatment; rather than writing the fiftieth blog post on a topic, shoot the first video.
Always mix interesting stories with useful information; fail to do this and your audience will feel you’re wasting their time.
Produce something informative that people will want to read. Give your brand a personality and your business will benefit across the board, from recruitment to sales. Warren Buffett looks for businesses protected by “unbreachable moats,” and no moat is more unbreachable than a brand with a story, ideas and opinions.
nd seeing both the positive and negative, you become immersed in its story.
Always mix interesting stories with useful information; fail to do this and your audience will feel you’re wasting their time.
Produce something informative that people will want to read. Give your brand a personality and your business will benefit across the board, from recruitment to sales. Warren Buffett looks for businesses protected by “unbreachable moats,” and no moat is more unbreachable than a brand with a story, ideas and opinions.
A few months ago I went to collect a friend from hospital. Arriving early, I entered the waiting room and noticed in-house magazines stacked by the door. I picked one up, grabbed a coffee and took a seat. The magazine read like a very long press release, blabbering on about patient-centric care and employee awards. I was quickly bored, so I read from my phone instead. The magazine failed in its purpose.
Effective content marketing holds people’s attention. It gives you a distinctive brand, loyal fans and increased sales. You don’t need a big budget to succeed, which is why good content marketing is the single best way to beat bigger competitors online.
Content marketing used to be about customer magazines and mailed newsletters. Now it covers blogs, email newsletters, eBooks, white papers, articles, videos and more. In this article, you will learn about content marketing techniques that you can apply to your business.
Prepare
Before creating content, you need to prepare. Think about your tone and style, where to find the best writers and how to organize your workflow.Tone and Style
Too many companies start writing content before their brand has a defined voice. This leads to inconsistency. It’s like using one logo in your brochure, another on your website and another on your blog.When speaking with people, you see their expressions and you adjust your tone accordingly. In a meeting, when you see that someone is confused, you clarify meaning, simplify sentences and speak reassuringly. The Web offers no feedback until your content is published, and then it’s too late.
To get the right tone, think of the person who best represents your brand. The person could be fictional or real, and they may or may not work for you. Now think of adjectives that describe them. Once you know what you want, provide clear details and practical examples.
Let’s say you run a travel agency that markets to young independent travelers. You want your representative to sound experienced, helpful and friendly. Try using a table like the one below to delineate what your adjectives do and don’t mean:
| Experienced | Helpful | Friendly | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Does mean… | Knowledgeable Write with authority, as though the knowledge was gained first hand. | Efficient Explain things clearly and positively. Make sure all relevant information is obvious and accessible. | Personal Use informal language, and write as though you are talking to one person, rather than a broad customer base. |
| Does not mean… | Condescending You know a lot but don’t talk down to your customers. They probably know a lot too. | Pushy Promote your company, but not at the expense of good service. Always have your reader’s wants in mind. | Unprofessional Make sure there are no grammar or spelling mistakes. Proofread carefully. |
You’ll also need a style guide, so that your authors write consistently. Should you use title case in headings? Are contractions appropriate? Check out The Yahoo! Style Guide 1 for ideas.
Picking Content Creators
Don’t pick the wrong people to create your content. It’s hard for a non-technical person to pick the best Web developer, and it’s the same with content marketing. You need to know about content creation in order to judge other people’s abilities. Some people suggest making everyone in your company a content creator, but this is a bad idea. Not everyone can be a good accountant, secretary or rocket scientist, and the same applies here. To succeed, you should pick the best.Ask everyone who wants to be a content creator to write a sample blog post. Then you can find the best few people. Some might not be able to write but have interesting ideas. In this case, you’ll need someone to edit their copy. Perhaps you want to raise the profile of a particular staff member. If they can’t write, have someone ghostwrite for them.
Workflow
Some companies have a simple workflow: one person does everything. The person researches, writes and publishes without any input from others. This model can work, but you’ll see more success with a workflow that enables other people to take part. Have different people write, edit and proofread. It’s a good way to catch mistakes and to bring more ideas into the process. Think about the best process for each type of content. One person might be enough for a tweet, whereas four to six people might be ideal for an eBook.Imagine you’ve got a well-staffed company that is putting together a B2B white paper. You could organize your workflow like this:
An example of how to organize your workflow in a well-staffed company.
Persuade
Your content should be persuasive. Pay close attention to how you speak and what you say.Use Simple Language
Take the question below on Yahoo! Answers. To “sound intelligent,” this person would like to know “big words that replace everyday small words.”Many people make this mistake. They use language that is unnecessarily complicated, usually to show off or to sound corporate and professional.
“Short words are best and the old words when short are best of all,” said Winston Churchill. So, don’t talk about “taking a holistic view of a company’s marketing strategy to deliver strategic insights, precise analysis and out-of-the-box thinking.”
Prefer “make” to “manufacture,” and “use” to “utilize.” While “quantitative easing” offers precision to economists, your personal finance audience would prefer “print money.”
Lauren Keating has studied the effect of scientific language on the persuasiveness of copy. She found that most people respond best to advertisements that contain no scientific language. People found them more readable and persuasive, and they felt more willing to buy the product. Lauren’s conclusion was clear: copy needs to be plain and simple.
Have Opinions
Interesting people have opinions, and interesting brands are the same. Look at the amazing work of new search engine DuckDuckGo 2. It has positioned itself as the antithesis of Google, launching websites that criticize how the search giant tracks you 3 and puts you in a bubble 4. The strategy is paying off: DuckDuckGo is seeing explosive growth 5.
While this strategy is perfect for defeating a big incumbent, you don’t have to be openly hostile to your competitors. You can say what you think without mentioning their names.
Bear in mind that people are ideologically motivated. Brendan Nyhan and Jason Reifler’s study, “When Corrections Fail”, describes the “backfire effect” of trying to correct people’s deeply held beliefs. The authors found that contradicting people’s misconceptions actually strengthened those opinions. If people see you as an ideological ally (like a political party), they are more likely to agree with you on other issues — even ideologically inconsistent or non-ideological ones. You can use your opinions to attract people to your company: converting the agnostic or validating the views of allies.
As a small-scale brewer, for example, you might have a strong opinion on ale, believing in craft over mass production. You might think the market is dominated by big businesses that sacrifice quality for quantity. In this situation, you could use content marketing to talk about the best way to make beer. By stressing how seriously you take the development of your product, you communicate your opinion to those who share it without directly criticizing your competitors.Think politically: consider the popularity of your views and whether they will attract media coverage. Ideally, your opinions should be bold and popular.
Sell the Benefits
In the same way that you sell your products and services, tell your audience the benefits of your content. This technique is essential if your audience doesn’t know what it wants.
PaperlessPipeline 8 is a transaction management and document storage app for real estate brokers. Its founder, Dane Maxwell, had a creative idea to sell his product. The biggest problem for real estate brokers is recruiting. So, Dane invited them to a webinar titled “Recruiting Secrets of the 200-Plus Agent Office in Tennessee.” Brokers didn’t even know they needed to manage transactions, so he didn’t mention it in the invitation.
9Paperless Pipeline takes your real estate transactions and related documents online—without changing how you work.
In the webinar, he introduced PaperlessPipeline and explained how it enables brokers to recruit more agents. The webinar attracted 120 guests, and “16 ended up buying at the end,” said Dane in an interview with Mixergy 10.
Imagine you run a company that develops technology for mobile phones, and you want to promote a new femtocell that boosts mobile reception in public spaces and rural areas. This technology could be valuable to people who want to improve mobile reception, but those people might not have heard of it.So, instead of promoting the technology directly, offer content that focuses on the benefits. By using benefit-focused copy, you immediately tell the reader what’s in it for them.
Teach
Think about what your audience wants. People want to hear answers and to learn something new, so give them what they want.Give Answers
Content marketing needs to offer practical advice that people can use. Readers have been trained to expect answers on the Web, and yet so much content fails to deliver.
Consider FeeFighters, a comparison website for credit card processing. One of its blog posts, Do You Know What Makes Up Your Credit Score? 11, talks about the factors that affect your credit score. Instead of offering abstract advice and concepts, the post provides practical tips for improving your credit score:
Area #2: Your Credit Utilization Ratio
The second largest determining factor in what makes up your score is the amount of credit that you have available to you in relationship to how much of that credit you’ve used. This accounts for 30 percent of your credit score. The optimal rate is 30 percent, which means that if you have $10,000 in credit available to you, you should only be using about $3,000 of it. One trap that some people fall into is believing that if they max out their credit cards every month and then pay them off at the end of the month, they’ll build their credit. But since that gives them a 100 percent credit utilization ratio, and that ratio accounts for 30 percent of their overall credit score, they’re really doing more harm than good.
Say or Do Something New
Most content is boring and unoriginal, which is good for you. It makes it easier to beat your competitors.You can make your content interesting by doing something new, without necessarily saying something new. For instance, you could write a comprehensive article on a topic that has only piecemeal information scattered across the Web. Or you could use a different format for a topic that gets the same treatment; rather than writing the fiftieth blog post on a topic, shoot the first video.
You can also make your content interesting by saying something new. An infographic by Rate Rush 12 compares the popularity of Digg to Reddit, creatively combining a bar graph and clock to present the data. Although Rate Rush is a personal finance website, with little connection to social news, its staff researched a topic they were interested in and drew attention by putting it to imaginative use.
Our agency also researches things that we find interesting, and this has been a great source of content. In 2010, we polled around 1000 iPad owners 13 to find out how consumers use the device. It led to a slew of media attention.
You can do the same. Come up with an original idea to research, and then undertake a study. Also look into studies that your business has done in the past, because interesting stuff might be lying around. One of our clients looked through her company’s research archive and found amazing material. She didn’t spend any money on research but got a lot of great content, links and media coverage.Captivate
Give your content more personality. Captivate your audience with stories and characters that will draw them in and keep them coming back.Tell a Story
Telling a story is a great way to connect with readers. According to a number of studies summed up by Rob Gill of Swinburne University of Technology, telling stories can be useful in corporate communication. Storytelling is fundamental to human interaction, and it can make your content more compelling and your brand more engaging.
Citing Annette Simmons’ The Story Factor, Rob says this: “It is believed people receiving the narration often come to the same conclusion as the narrator, but through using their own decision-making processes.” Told through a story, a message becomes more personal and relevant. The reader is also more likely to remember what was said.
Rand Fishkin is the co-founder and CEO of SEOmoz 14. Instead of sharing only positive accounts of his business, he also writes about difficulties such as his failed attempt to raise capital 15:
Michelle was the first to note that something was “odd.” In a phone call with Neil, she heard him comment that they “needed to do more digging into the market.” In her opinion, this was very peculiar.… Tuesday morning we got the call; no deal.Brands need stories, and stories need people, suspense, conflicts and crises. By reading SEOmoz’s content, afew months ago I went to collect a friend from hospital. Arriving early, I entered the waiting room and noticed in-house magazines stacked by the door. I picked one up, grabbed a coffee and took a seat.
The magazine read like a very long press release, blabbering on about patient-centric care and employee awards. I was quickly bored, so I read from my phone instead. The magazine failed in its purpose.
Effective content marketing holds people’s attention. It gives you a distinctive brand, loyal fans and increased sales. You don’t need a big budget to succeed, which is why good content marketing is the single best way to beat bigger competitors online.
Content marketing used to be about customer magazines and mailed newsletters. Now it covers blogs, email newsletters, eBooks, white papers, articles, videos and more. In this article, you will learn about content marketing techniques that you can apply to your business.
Prepare
Before creating content, you need to prepare. Think about your tone and style, where to find the best writers and how to organize your workflow.Tone and Style
Too many companies start writing content before their brand has a defined voice. This leads to inconsistency. It’s like using one logo in your brochure, another on your website and another on your blog.When speaking with people, you see their expressions and you adjust your tone accordingly. In a meeting, when you see that someone is confused, you clarify meaning, simplify sentences and speak reassuringly. The Web offers no feedback until your content is published, and then it’s too late.
To get the right tone, think of the person who best represents your brand. The person could be fictional or real, and they may or may not work for you. Now think of adjectives that describe them. Once you know what you want, provide clear details and practical examples.
Let’s say you run a travel agency that markets to young independent travelers. You want your representative to sound experienced, helpful and friendly. Try using a table like the one below to delineate what your adjectives do and don’t mean:
| Experienced | Helpful | Friendly | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Does mean… | Knowledgeable Write with authority, as though the knowledge was gained first hand. | Efficient Explain things clearly and positively. Make sure all relevant information is obvious and accessible. | Personal Use informal language, and write as though you are talking to one person, rather than a broad customer base. |
| Does not mean… | Condescending You know a lot but don’t talk down to your customers. They probably know a lot too. | Pushy Promote your company, but not at the expense of good service. Always have your reader’s wants in mind. | Unprofessional Make sure there are no grammar or spelling mistakes. Proofread carefully. |
You’ll also need a style guide, so that your authors write consistently. Should you use title case in headings? Are contractions appropriate? Check out The Yahoo! Style Guide 1 for ideas.
Picking Content Creators
Don’t pick the wrong people to create your content. It’s hard for a non-technical person to pick the best Web developer, and it’s the same with content marketing. You need to know about content creation in order to judge other people’s abilities. Some people suggest making everyone in your company a content creator, but this is a bad idea. Not everyone can be a good accountant, secretary or rocket scientist, and the same applies here. To succeed, you should pick the best.Ask everyone who wants to be a content creator to write a sample blog post. Then you can find the best few people. Some might not be able to write but have interesting ideas. In this case, you’ll need someone to edit their copy. Perhaps you want to raise the profile of a particular staff member. If they can’t write, have someone ghostwrite for them.
Workflow
Some companies have a simple workflow: one person does everything. The person researches, writes and publishes without any input from others. This model can work, but you’ll see more success with a workflow that enables other people to take part. Have different people write, edit and proofread. It’s a good way to catch mistakes and to bring more ideas into the process. Think about the best process for each type of content. One person might be enough for a tweet, whereas four to six people might be ideal for an eBook.Imagine you’ve got a well-staffed company that is putting together a B2B white paper. You could organize your workflow like this:
An example of how to organize your workflow in a well-staffed company.
Persuade
Your content should be persuasive. Pay close attention to how you speak and what you say.Use Simple Language
Take the question below on Yahoo! Answers. To “sound intelligent,” this person would like to know “big words that replace everyday small words.”Many people make this mistake. They use language that is unnecessarily complicated, usually to show off or to sound corporate and professional.
“Short words are best and the old words when short are best of all,” said Winston Churchill. So, don’t talk about “taking a holistic view of a company’s marketing strategy to deliver strategic insights, precise analysis and out-of-the-box thinking.”
Prefer “make” to “manufacture,” and “use” to “utilize.” While “quantitative easing” offers precision to economists, your personal finance audience would prefer “print money.”
Lauren Keating has studied the effect of scientific language on the persuasiveness of copy. She found that most people respond best to advertisements that contain no scientific language. People found them more readable and persuasive, and they felt more willing to buy the product. Lauren’s conclusion was clear: copy needs to be plain and simple.
Have Opinions
Interesting people have opinions, and interesting brands are the same. Look at the amazing work of new search engine DuckDuckGo 2. It has positioned itself as the antithesis of Google, launching websites that criticize how the search giant tracks you 3 and puts you in a bubble 4. The strategy is paying off: DuckDuckGo is seeing explosive growth 5.
While this strategy is perfect for defeating a big incumbent, you don’t have to be openly hostile to your competitors. You can say what you think without mentioning their names.
Bear in mind that people are ideologically motivated. Brendan Nyhan and Jason Reifler’s study, “When Corrections Fail”, describes the “backfire effect” of trying to correct people’s deeply held beliefs. The authors found that contradicting people’s misconceptions actually strengthened those opinions. If people see you as an ideological ally (like a political party), they are more likely to agree with you on other issues — even ideologically inconsistent or non-ideological ones. You can use your opinions to attract people to your company: converting the agnostic or validating the views of allies.
As a small-scale brewer, for example, you might have a strong opinion on ale, believing in craft over mass production. You might think the market is dominated by big businesses that sacrifice quality for quantity. In this situation, you could use content marketing to talk about the best way to make beer. By stressing how seriously you take the development of your product, you communicate your opinion to those who share it without directly criticizing your competitors.Think politically: consider the popularity of your views and whether they will attract media coverage. Ideally, your opinions should be bold and popular.
Sell the Benefits
In the same way that you sell your products and services, tell your audience the benefits of your content. This technique is essential if your audience doesn’t know what it wants.
PaperlessPipeline 8 is a transaction management and document storage app for real estate brokers. Its founder, Dane Maxwell, had a creative idea to sell his product. The biggest problem for real estate brokers is recruiting. So, Dane invited them to a webinar titled “Recruiting Secrets of the 200-Plus Agent Office in Tennessee.” Brokers didn’t even know they needed to manage transactions, so he didn’t mention it in the invitation.
9Paperless Pipeline takes your real estate transactions and related documents online—without changing how you work.
In the webinar, he introduced PaperlessPipeline and explained how it enables brokers to recruit more agents. The webinar attracted 120 guests, and “16 ended up buying at the end,” said Dane in an interview with Mixergy 10.
Imagine you run a company that develops technology for mobile phones, and you want to promote a new femtocell that boosts mobile reception in public spaces and rural areas. This technology could be valuable to people who want to improve mobile reception, but those people might not have heard of it.So, instead of promoting the technology directly, offer content that focuses on the benefits. By using benefit-focused copy, you immediately tell the reader what’s in it for them.
Teach
Think about what your audience wants. People want to hear answers and to learn something new, so give them what they want.Give Answers
Content marketing needs to offer practical advice that people can use. Readers have been trained to expect answers on the Web, and yet so much content fails to deliver.
Consider FeeFighters, a comparison website for credit card processing. One of its blog posts, Do You Know What Makes Up Your Credit Score? 11, talks about the factors that affect your credit score. Instead of offering abstract advice and concepts, the post provides practical tips for improving your credit score:
Area #2: Your Credit Utilization Ratio
The second largest determining factor in what makes up your score is the amount of credit that you have available to you in relationship to how much of that credit you’ve used. This accounts for 30 percent of your credit score. The optimal rate is 30 percent, which means that if you have $10,000 in credit available to you, you should only be using about $3,000 of it. One trap that some people fall into is believing that if they max out their credit cards every month and then pay them off at the end of the month, they’ll build their credit. But since that gives them a 100 percent credit utilization ratio, and that ratio accounts for 30 percent of their overall credit score, they’re really doing more harm than good.
Say or Do Something New
Most content is boring and unoriginal, which is good for you. It makes it easier to beat your competitors.You can make your content interesting by doing something new, without necessarily saying something new. For instance, you could write a comprehensive article on a topic that has only piecemeal information scattered across the Web. Or you could use a different format for a topic that gets the same treatment; rather than writing the fiftieth blog post on a topic, shoot the first video.
You can also make your content interesting by saying something new. An infographic by Rate Rush 12 compares the popularity of Digg to Reddit, creatively combining a bar graph and clock to present the data. Although Rate Rush is a personal finance website, with little connection to social news, its staff researched a topic they were interested in and drew attention by putting it to imaginative use.
Our agency also researches things that we find interesting, and this has been a great source of content. In 2010, we polled around 1000 iPad owners 13 to find out how consumers use the device. It led to a slew of media attention.
You can do the same. Come up with an original idea to research, and then undertake a study. Also look into studies that your business has done in the past, because interesting stuff might be lying around. One of our clients looked through her company’s research archive and found amazing material. She didn’t spend any money on research but got a lot of great content, links and media coverage.Captivate
Give your content more personality. Captivate your audience with stories and characters that will draw them in and keep them coming back.Tell a Story
Telling a story is a great way to connect with readers. According to a number of studies summed up by Rob Gill of Swinburne University of Technology, telling stories can be useful in corporate communication. Storytelling is fundamental to human interaction, and it can make your content more compelling and your brand more engaging.
Citing Annette Simmons’ The Story Factor, Rob says this: “It is believed people receiving the narration often come to the same conclusion as the narrator, but through using their own decision-making processes.” Told through a story, a message becomes more personal and relevant. The reader is also more likely to remember what was said.
Rand Fishkin is the co-founder and CEO of SEOmoz 14. Instead of sharing only positive accounts of his business, he also writes about difficulties such as his failed attempt to raise capital 15:
Michelle was the first to note that something was “odd.” In a phone call with Neil, she heard him comment that they “needed to do more digging into the market.” In her opinion, this was very peculiar.… Tuesday morning we got the call; no deal.Brands need stories, and stories need people, suspense, conflicts and crises. By reading SEOmoz’s content, and seeing both the positive and negative, you become immersed in its story.
Ikea is another example of a brand that tells stories that generate opinions about its company. For instance, it plays up its Swedish roots 17 and paints a romantic image of a wholesome and natural society. Its website is full of stories that contribute to this effect.
A survey conducted by the B2B Technology Marketing Community showed that around 82% of LinkedIn users found that telling a story through case studies was the most effective form of content marketing.
Sometimes you’ll want to use anecdotes to make a point, and sometimes you’ll write a post or tweet to build a narrative. When you’re cultivating a story, keep the information simple, and don’t be afraid to repeat points here and there; some readers might have missed what you said before.Always mix interesting stories with useful information; fail to do this and your audience will feel you’re wasting their time.
Use Real People
Think of your favorite writers. You’ve probably seen their photos and heard them speak. Likewise, people need to see and hear your employees, so use pictures, audio and video. This will bring your audience closer to your brand.
Jakob Nielsen has studied 18 people’s reactions to images online. He used eye-tracking software to discover that people ignore images that seem decorative, random or generic. They even ignore generic images of people. But when they come across a photo of a “real” person, they engage with it for a longer time.
People prefer to get involved with a company with which they feel a personal connection. But introduce your employees gradually; as with any story, introduce too many characters too early and you’ll confuse your audience.Summary
Develop a compelling tone of voice. Don’t assume that anyone can write amazing copy, because they can’t. If you want the best content, then you need the best writers and thinkers.Produce something informative that people will want to read. Give your brand a personality and your business will benefit across the board, from recruitment to sales. Warren Buffett looks for businesses protected by “unbreachable moats,” and no moat is more unbreachable than a brand with a story, ideas and opinions.
nd seeing both the positive and negative, you become immersed in its story.
Ikea is another example of a brand that tells stories that generate opinions about its company. For instance, it plays up its Swedish roots 17 and paints a romantic image of a wholesome and natural society. Its website is full of stories that contribute to this effect.
A survey conducted by the B2B Technology Marketing Community showed that around 82% of LinkedIn users found that telling a story through case studies was the most effective form of content marketing.
Sometimes you’ll want to use anecdotes to make a point, and sometimes you’ll write a post or tweet to build a narrative. When you’re cultivating a story, keep the information simple, and don’t be afraid to repeat points here and there; some readers might have missed what you said before.Always mix interesting stories with useful information; fail to do this and your audience will feel you’re wasting their time.
Use Real People
Think of your favorite writers. You’ve probably seen their photos and heard them speak. Likewise, people need to see and hear your employees, so use pictures, audio and video. This will bring your audience closer to your brand.
Jakob Nielsen has studied 18 people’s reactions to images online. He used eye-tracking software to discover that people ignore images that seem decorative, random or generic. They even ignore generic images of people. But when they come across a photo of a “real” person, they engage with it for a longer time.
People prefer to get involved with a company with which they feel a personal connection. But introduce your employees gradually; as with any story, introduce too many characters too early and you’ll confuse your audience.Summary
Develop a compelling tone of voice. Don’t assume that anyone can write amazing copy, because they can’t. If you want the best content, then you need the best writers and thinkers.Produce something informative that people will want to read. Give your brand a personality and your business will benefit across the board, from recruitment to sales. Warren Buffett looks for businesses protected by “unbreachable moats,” and no moat is more unbreachable than a brand with a story, ideas and opinions.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Brand and Search Seen Most Important Online News Drivers
|
|
News
outlets are the most popular path to news for online consumers, although search
follows closely, finds the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in
Journalism (PEJ), in a March
2012 report. 38% of tablet news consumers said they go to a news website or
application very often for news, while one-third of smartphone news consumers
and laptop or desktop consumers said the same. Not far behind was keyword
search, used very often by 30% of tablet and desktop or laptop news consumers,
and one-quarter of smartphone news consumers. The
report notes that the influence of search may be overestimated, as previous PEJ
research indicates that many news site visitors who arrived there via search
typed in the name of the news organization instead of a particular topic or
story.Meanwhile, roughly one-quarter of news consumers on each device said they very often get their news through websites and apps that aggregate and curate content.
SocNets Not Key Drivers
Despite the impressive reach of social networking sites, they are not being used as news sources. Indeed, the proportion of digital device users who turned to Facebook recommendations very often for news ranged from just 6-8%, and that was still far ahead of those who used Twitter recommendations (2-3%). This same trend was reported by the Pew Research Center in a February study that examined digital news sources for political campaign information: data from that report indicated that only 20% of voters regularly (6%) or sometimes (14%) get campaign information from Facebook, while only 5% say the same about Twitter.Although social networks are not a primary driver of news, the PEJ study indicates that they may yet turn into one. When totaling the proportion of users who say they follow recommendations from either Facebook or Twitter at least somewhat often, the report finds that this figure rises to 27% among smartphone and tablets news consumers, and 22% among desktop or laptop consumers.
Mobile Users More Apt to Turn to SocNets
The influence of social networks is somewhat larger among mobile users, and indeed, those who use multiple devices to access news. In fact, those who use both a smartphone and a tablet for news are 63.4% more likely than those who use only a desktop or laptop for digital news to ever follow news recommendations on Facebook (67% vs. 41%), while those who use either a smartphone or a tablet for news are 43.9% more likely (59% vs. 41%).This extends to those following recommendations on Twitter, also. Multi-device users are about 4.3 times more likely than desktop or laptop users to ever follow news recommendations on Twitter (39% vs. 9%), while those using a single device are almost three times as likely (24% vs. 9%).
A Newspaper Association of America (NAA) study from February 2012 also indicated greater popularity of social networks among mobile users. Results from that survey show that although social networks were far less trusted than other media sources and websites by voters, among those planning to use a mobile device to access political campaign or elections news this year, 41% said they would visit social media websites, beating out local TV sources (33%) and radio sources (20%).
Other Findings:
- Among the PEJ survey respondents, 52% of laptop owners also own a smartphone, while 23% of laptop owners also own a tablet. 31% of smatphone owners also own a tablet, and 13% own all three devices.
- 7 in 10 desktop or laptop owners say they get news from their device, a figure that drops to 56% among tablet owners, and 51% among smartphone owners. March 2012 data from Nielsen indicates that
Friday, March 16, 2012
Brand Marketers Home In on Online Target Audiences
Premium publishers, content seen offering focused audiences and greater brand safety
In December 2011, 61% of US advertisers and agencies surveyed by ValueClick Media said audience targeting was the most important type of targeting for online marketing campaigns, followed closely by demographic targeting (59%) and contextual targeting (57%).
Similarly, publisher-solutions provider Maxifier found US ad agencies it queried in Q4 2011 were most concerned with audience targeting capabilities when measuring a publisher’s effectiveness in disseminating their brand-awareness campaigns.
Offline, content such as TV programming or print articles have long been used by advertisers as a proxy for finding the right demographic or audience. Online, however, buying display ads typically requires a trade-off between audience and context. Brand marketers, it seems, want the best of both.
May 2011 data from Collective and Advertiser Perceptions showed the equal importance of audience targeting and content targeting to US marketers when building online brand campaigns.
As more brand dollars migrate to digital, premium publishers and premium content owners are beginning to offer advertisers the benefits of targeting alongside brand security, something Legolas Media co-founder Yoav Arnstein said is absolutely essential.
“There’s a wealth of audience data that can be very relevant for brands and can drive a lot of efficiency and value, but the platforms need to allow brands to feel comfortable by knowing who they are buying from and of what quality the content will be,” said Arnstein in a February 2012 interview with eMarketer.
For now, many brands are analyzing data in-house through the use of data management platforms, or DMPs.
“Brands are creating their own DMPs to manage brand data in real time, rather than handing it off to someone else to manage or analyze once a quarter,” said Doug Bryan, vice president of analytics at digital advertising agency iCrossing in a February 2012 interview with eMarketer. “They’re managing these audience profiles either through an agency or themselves, so they can make real-time decisions about campaign targeting. Brands are getting clearer and clearer on the targets they really want.”
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Organic Search Seen Dramatically Undervalued in Conversion Path
Last-touch attribution models drastically undervalue the contributions of organic search and non-branded organic search to multiple-interaction conversions, while overvaluing direct visits, finds a [download page] a March 2012 study from Slingshot SEO. The analysis examined 23 million multiple-interaction conversions across 30 domains throughout 2011, and compared results from using a last-touch attribution model (where the last in a series of interactions gets all the credit for a conversion) with results from using a flat multi-touch attribution model (where the value of each conversion is divided equally among each channel in the path).
5 Display Advertising Metrics You Should Know
It's the most measurable medium in the world," they say; and it's true. In fact, there are so many different ways to measure the effectiveness of display advertising campaigns that marketers are bombarded with metrics -- everything from video pauses to video replays to custom interactions such as scrolling down the text.
Many marketers just give up trying to understand what these kinds of metrics actually mean for their business objectives. Instead, they resort to the basics (i.e., the click). Click-through rate (CTR) is not only easy to understand, but also easy to explain to your boss. That's especially crucial when you need to show some results for all the money you've invested in advertising.
The problem with this simplistic approach is that while clicks are intuitive and generate valuable traffic, they require active participation from the user and the link between CTR and effectiveness is not actually grounded in research. In fact, research shows that online advertising is effective even at low CTR.
Indeed, comScore maintains that the primary value of online ads is the exposure itself and not necessarily the act of clicking. In a study titled "How Online Advertising Works: Whither The Click?" comScore has shown that two-thirds of internet users do not click on any display ads over the course of a month and that only 16 percent of internet users account for 80 percent of all clicks. Furthermore, clickers tend to be younger and less affluent than non-clickers. The comScore research confirmed that there is latency effect and branding value to online advertising, driving users to the advertiser's website even without clicking.
The research by comScore also indicates that display advertising has an effect on user behavior even at low CTR. In the research, which included 139 display campaigns from seven verticals, comScore recorded substantial effects on traffic, sales and branding despite low CTR. The campaigns yielded a 46 percent lift in advertiser website visits over a four week period. During the same period, exposed users were 38 percent more likely to conduct an advertiser-related branded-keyword search, and 27 percent more likely to make a purchase online. Furthermore, exposed users were 17 percent more likely to make a purchase at the advertiser's retail store.
So if clicks are not the quick and easy campaign measurement for online campaigns, what can you tell your boss? Here are five metrics that are simple yet comprehensive enough to effectively measure your campaign performance.
Until recently, reach was typically measured with a cookie-based approach -- ad servers counted the number of unique cookies placed on the browsers of users exposed to the campaign. The problem is that if a user deletes the cookie, a new cookie is placed in the browser, and the user is counted again.
According to comScore, 33 percent of users delete their third-party cookies (cookies used by ad servers) during a one-month period and that each user is counted an average of 5.1 times during that same period. The prevalence of cookie deletion means that simple cookie measures of reach largely overestimate the correct number of unique users.
Therefore, measuring unique users requires a metric that is adjusted for cookie deletion. Ad servers offer "adjusted unique" metrics that compensate for cookie deletion and prevent the over-counting of users exposed to your campaign.
Campaign size and reach in the United States
So how many impressions do you need to reach 10 million users at least once based on these metrics? In the U.S., it would be about 100 million impressions, on average. In Germany, France, the U.K., and Spain it would take about 120 million impressions.
This measure of engagement provides an estimate of the share of impressions that were, with high likelihood, seen by users, as a user's natural tendency is to follow the mouse cursor movement with their eyes. Dwell measures the proportion of impressions that had a meaningful mouse-touch, lasting more than one second. While there are undoubtedly users who see an ad without a mouse-touch, dwell allows us to gauge the number of users that are very likely to have seen the ad.
Dwell rate and duration
Research by MediaMind, Microsoft Advertising, and comScore shows that engagement does have an effect on brand metrics. Results of the joint study indicate that users who were exposed to campaigns with high dwell are three times more likely to search for brand-related keywords as users who were exposed to campaigns with low dwell. Moreover, campaigns with high engagement boosted advertisers' site traffic by 69 percent and improved brand engagement --increasing page views and time spent on the brand's site.
For example, one gaming advertiser we analyzed wanted to measure the full effect of a campaign that achieved a relatively low CTR. When we analyzed site visits, we saw that the campaign actually had a significant effect on the number of website visitors. Before the campaign, this advertiser had 6,000 visitors on average every day. When the campaign was running, the number of average daily visits increased to more than 10,000 -- an increase of 60 percent.
Note: This analysis is effective for campaigns that run online exclusively, as attribution of site visits would be a very difficult task for a multi-channel campaign.
Measuring search activity can be a good way to assess if a display campaign is performing. For example, if users are searching for the tagline from your campaign, product name, or other branded keyword, you can be confident those terms are resonating with users. If there is no increase in branded keyword searches during the campaign, it may be time to revisit your ads.
Online-only retailers who can capture the full effect of online advertising should by all means track ROI. To calculate ROI, sum-up all dollars coming in from sales attributed to your campaign and divide by campaign cost.
What if you only collect leads or applications and do not sell anything online? Then you can either calculate a "notional value" for each conversion (leads or applications), or track your investment on advertising by calculating the average cost per conversion.
These five simple metrics offer a more telling alternative that your boss can appreciate. Depending on your campaign objectives, reach, engagement, lift in site visits and search activity, conversions, and ROI cover all the angles you need for confident campaign measurement.
The problem with this simplistic approach is that while clicks are intuitive and generate valuable traffic, they require active participation from the user and the link between CTR and effectiveness is not actually grounded in research. In fact, research shows that online advertising is effective even at low CTR.
Indeed, comScore maintains that the primary value of online ads is the exposure itself and not necessarily the act of clicking. In a study titled "How Online Advertising Works: Whither The Click?" comScore has shown that two-thirds of internet users do not click on any display ads over the course of a month and that only 16 percent of internet users account for 80 percent of all clicks. Furthermore, clickers tend to be younger and less affluent than non-clickers. The comScore research confirmed that there is latency effect and branding value to online advertising, driving users to the advertiser's website even without clicking.
The research by comScore also indicates that display advertising has an effect on user behavior even at low CTR. In the research, which included 139 display campaigns from seven verticals, comScore recorded substantial effects on traffic, sales and branding despite low CTR. The campaigns yielded a 46 percent lift in advertiser website visits over a four week period. During the same period, exposed users were 38 percent more likely to conduct an advertiser-related branded-keyword search, and 27 percent more likely to make a purchase online. Furthermore, exposed users were 17 percent more likely to make a purchase at the advertiser's retail store.
So if clicks are not the quick and easy campaign measurement for online campaigns, what can you tell your boss? Here are five metrics that are simple yet comprehensive enough to effectively measure your campaign performance.
Reach
The research by comScore shows that exposure to an ad is one of the major contributors to increase in sales, site visits, and branded keyword searches. Therefore, reaching as many relevant people as possible should be a prime goal for every campaign. So, how do you measure how many online users you have actually reached?Until recently, reach was typically measured with a cookie-based approach -- ad servers counted the number of unique cookies placed on the browsers of users exposed to the campaign. The problem is that if a user deletes the cookie, a new cookie is placed in the browser, and the user is counted again.
According to comScore, 33 percent of users delete their third-party cookies (cookies used by ad servers) during a one-month period and that each user is counted an average of 5.1 times during that same period. The prevalence of cookie deletion means that simple cookie measures of reach largely overestimate the correct number of unique users.
Therefore, measuring unique users requires a metric that is adjusted for cookie deletion. Ad servers offer "adjusted unique" metrics that compensate for cookie deletion and prevent the over-counting of users exposed to your campaign.
Campaign size and reach in the United States
So how many impressions do you need to reach 10 million users at least once based on these metrics? In the U.S., it would be about 100 million impressions, on average. In Germany, France, the U.K., and Spain it would take about 120 million impressions.
Engagement
What is engagement, and how can we measure it? To measure the proportion of impressions that consumers engaged with and for how long, we use a metric called "dwell." The metric measures the proportion of rich media impressions that were intentionally engaged by mouse-touch, interaction or click as well as the duration of the engagement. Unintentional dwell (lasting less than one second) is excluded.This measure of engagement provides an estimate of the share of impressions that were, with high likelihood, seen by users, as a user's natural tendency is to follow the mouse cursor movement with their eyes. Dwell measures the proportion of impressions that had a meaningful mouse-touch, lasting more than one second. While there are undoubtedly users who see an ad without a mouse-touch, dwell allows us to gauge the number of users that are very likely to have seen the ad.
Dwell rate and duration
Research by MediaMind, Microsoft Advertising, and comScore shows that engagement does have an effect on brand metrics. Results of the joint study indicate that users who were exposed to campaigns with high dwell are three times more likely to search for brand-related keywords as users who were exposed to campaigns with low dwell. Moreover, campaigns with high engagement boosted advertisers' site traffic by 69 percent and improved brand engagement --increasing page views and time spent on the brand's site.
Lift in site visits
Site traffic is another gauge of advertising effectiveness, reflecting users (not all of whom clicked) who were enticed by your banner to seek more details about your product or service.For example, one gaming advertiser we analyzed wanted to measure the full effect of a campaign that achieved a relatively low CTR. When we analyzed site visits, we saw that the campaign actually had a significant effect on the number of website visitors. Before the campaign, this advertiser had 6,000 visitors on average every day. When the campaign was running, the number of average daily visits increased to more than 10,000 -- an increase of 60 percent.
Note: This analysis is effective for campaigns that run online exclusively, as attribution of site visits would be a very difficult task for a multi-channel campaign.
Search and display overlap
Our search-display overlap research revealed that one of every five users that arrived at an advertiser's site was exposed to a display ad.Measuring search activity can be a good way to assess if a display campaign is performing. For example, if users are searching for the tagline from your campaign, product name, or other branded keyword, you can be confident those terms are resonating with users. If there is no increase in branded keyword searches during the campaign, it may be time to revisit your ads.
Conversions and ROI
ROI is how every other investment in a company is measured, so why not advertising? Unfortunately, if you're not selling all your products online, ROI can be very hard to calculate. The conundrum is spillover from online advertising to offline brick and mortar shopping. In these cases, the investment is online, but the return is attributed to other channels.Online-only retailers who can capture the full effect of online advertising should by all means track ROI. To calculate ROI, sum-up all dollars coming in from sales attributed to your campaign and divide by campaign cost.
What if you only collect leads or applications and do not sell anything online? Then you can either calculate a "notional value" for each conversion (leads or applications), or track your investment on advertising by calculating the average cost per conversion.
Summary
Measuring the most measureable medium should not be convoluted. Clicks are simple and intuitive, but are proving to be ineffective for measuring real results.These five simple metrics offer a more telling alternative that your boss can appreciate. Depending on your campaign objectives, reach, engagement, lift in site visits and search activity, conversions, and ROI cover all the angles you need for confident campaign measurement.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Newspapers Look to Targeting, Video to Boost Flagging Revenues
MARCH 14, 2012Will newer display formats and better targeting help digital revenues rise faster?
March 2012 research from the Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism suggests that newspapers are bullish about online opportunities, however, seeing targeting and newer ad formats as important sources of incremental revenues.
More than nine in 10 US newspapers selling targeted online advertising believed that such ads would take in a greater share of digital revenue over the next year, and nearly as many respondents said the same for video ads. Most respondents, however, also reported that these two tactics represented only a minor portion of their ad sales effort—with more going toward other display and banner advertising or classifieds.
Pandora gives a clue to how it’s pitching to local advertisers
As
it works to penetrate the local radio ad market, Pandora provided a peek into
its ad sales pitch during a presentation yesterday at the Barclays Capital
conference in New York. To illustrate how hyper-targeting can make for a more
efficient buy, CEO Joe Kennedy singled out a Honda dealership currently running
an ad campaign on the pureplay service. Located in Union, NJ, Planet Honda is
well within the signal coverage of most New York City stations but draws a
majority of its customers from a slice of the metro in Northern New Jersey. The
dealer could buy local New York radio, Kennedy said, “but they don’t get people
coming in from Long Island, Connecticut or upper Westchester County to Rt. 22
to buy their cars.” Because Pandora collects email addresses, age, gender and
ZIP code information from its listeners, advertisers such as Planet Honda “can
focus 100% of their spend on the ZIP codes that they know, based on their
experience, are the sources of their business,” Kennedy said. In what may be a
standard boilerplate pitch as it puts more feet on the street in the top 10
markets, Kennedy contended that a time buy on a pricey New York station would
“probably waste two-thirds of their spend on consumers who have no chance
whatsoever to show up in a Planet Honda dealership.” In addition to positioning
itself as a more efficient buy than broadcast radio, Pandora is also touting
the advantages of giving clients the only audio spot in a commercial pod, as
opposed to being one of many. It currently averages 1.5 audio commercials an
hour and has capped spotloads at three units an hour. The company is also
posturing itself as more measurable and interactive than broadcast radio. With
Pandora’s monetization efforts not keeping pace with its mobile consumption,
penetrating the local ad market is a critical part of the webcaster’s strategy.
Mobile usage accounts for roughly 70% of Pandora listening but only one-third
of its revenue. As music royalties gobble up more than half of its revenue,
Pandora’s mobile usage-revenue mismatch has spooked some investors. Kennedy
reports “very significant success” in executing the company’s mobile
monetization strategy but notes that it is at a “tremendously early stage of
development.”
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
New Mobile TV Network for Digital Devices
Larry King to headline mobile TV
Mexican mogul Slim underwrites new network for digital devices
Photo: JB Lacroix/WIreImage Ramin Talaie/Corbis
Larry King, left, will do an interview show on the Net TV network planned by Carlos Slim, right.
By Russell Adams Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Former CNN talk show host Larry King is reprising his old role in a new format with the launch of an Internet television network backed by Mexican telecom billionaire Carlos Slim.
The network, called Ora.TV, will stream shows to computers, tablets, phones, Internet-connected televisions and other devices, and plans to launch later this year. It’s not clear how much of the programming will be in English and how much in Spanish.
King will host an interview show like the one he had at CNN for 25 years through 2010, and be involved in a couple other projects that veer sharply from that format, said Jon Housman, chief executive of the network. He declined to elaborate on plans for any of the programs beyond the talk show.
Housman had previously been president of digital journalism initiatives for News Corp., which also owns The Daily.
Ora.TV is one of an expanding number of online programming ventures seeking to bypass traditional TV by distributing directly to consumers who increasingly are watching video on handheld and other devices. Google’s YouTube is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to fund new channels that will be available anywhere.
“The whole space has matured nicely and is poised for explosive growth,” Housman said.
The network is being funded by America Movil, the Latin American wireless giant that Slim controls. Arturo Elias Ayub, Slim’s spokesman and son-in-law, declined to disclose the size of the investment. “We are going to invest whatever is necessary to make this channel successful,” he said.
The programming will be completely advertising-supported. Housman said that in the last couple years, advertisers have started to follow the “massive” amount of viewers of streaming video.
– NewsCore
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Interactive Display Formats See Higher Engagement
More-Interactive Display Formats See Higher Engagement, Dwell Rates
MARCH 7, 2012
Static banners underperform compared to newer digital formats
Does it pay to be polite? Perhaps not, at least for online display advertisers looking to up their engagement rates.
Standard banners have notoriously low clickthrough rates, and although mobile has increased the banner’s effectiveness, that effect may prove temporary as the novelty of mobile advertising wears off.
While the standard banner may be increasingly seen as an underperforming display format, research indicates other, potentially more intrusive formats will help advertisers see higher engagement in return for their efforts. When MediaMind compared dwell rate and average dwell duration for polite banners to several more interactive formats, such as homepage takeovers, interactivity and creativity won out. A homepage takeover lifted dwell rates 32% over those for a polite banner, and lifted average dwell duration 67%.
An even higher increase in dwell rate was seen for video extender ad formats, which allow web users to expand a video ad, making it easier to watch the kind of longer-form, creative-focused video ads that often perform well.
Dwell rate and average dwell duration were boosted most significantly by ads within instant messenger clients, where marketers have an opportunity to reach users as they wait for the next chat message to come through. Pushdown banners, with a 164% lift in dwell rates over polite banners, performed almost as well—but also exemplify the dangers associated with some of these interactive ad formats. Although a user only has to scroll further down the page to see publisher content once a pushdown banner is activated, that level of intrusiveness on the browsing experience can still be a turnoff.
MediaMind used dwell rate and dwell duration to measure user engagement. Dwell rate measures the percentage of rich media impressions users intentionally engaged with by touch, interaction or click. Dwell duration is the length of time the user remains exposed to an ad after first engaging with it. To further ensure the validity of the dwell rate measure, all interactions lasting less than 1 second were removed.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
SMBs Up Ad Budgets For Digital Media
Showing power in numbers, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) continue to increase their share of digitaladvertising. Over the next 12 months, SMBs plan to allocate 26% of their budgets to digital and online media, according to Local Commerce Monitor, BIA/Kelsey’s 15-year tracking study of SMB advertising spending, mediausage, Web presence and sales channels. As a whole, SMBs are particularly interested in self-serve advertising and promotional tools, including video, social
media and search engine marketing. “SMBs love the easy-to-use tools, like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and selfserve advertising,” according to Matt Booth, SVP and program director of Interactive Local Media at BIA/Kelsey. “We are on the verge of a real revolution in marketing platforms that serve SMBs, in particular around digital presence.” According to LCM Wave 15, nearly half of respondents -- 49% -- reported that they purchase online advertising, including SEM products, directly from a Web site -- either with or without live operator assistance. More than half --52% -- of LCM respondents reported that they use social media to promote their businesses, while 22% said they plan to have a video on YouTube in the next 12 months.
According to a new U.S. SMB Spending Forecast by BIA/Kelsey, small and medium-sized businesses will continue the recent trend of shifting their marketing budgets to digital advertising, performance-based platforms and customer-retention business solutions over the next five years.
Late last year, BIA/Kelsey predicted that SMBs would allocate 30% of their marketing budgets to traditional
advertising by 2015 -- down from 52% in 2010. That would leave 70% for digital and online media, including mobile, social, online directories, online display and digital outdoor; performance-based commerce, including pay-per-click, deals, and couponing; and customer retention business solutions, including email, reputation and presence management. In sheer dollar terms, U.S. SMB spending on media, marketing and business solutions will grow to reach $40.2 billion by 2015 -– up from $22.4 billion in 2010 -– according to BIA/Kelsey. If accurate, that would represent a compound annual growth rate of 12%. – Online Media Daily
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