Content or Conversion Ecommerce (B2C) merchants are narrowing the "content marketing" gap with their B2B cousins, but the old left/right brain problem remains. Ecommerce requires a strange synergy between right brain creativity (design, merchandising, visualization) and left-brain science (analytics, metrics, KPIs).
If you asked me the greatest challenge from my 7 year Ecommerce Director tenure it would be finding ways to win on both sides of the content - conversion Rubicon.
When we thought we had the content dial just right it would tank our conversion metrics. Each time we thought we had conversion set up perfect our "content" metrics like pages viewed, time on site and bounce rates would disintegrate.
Finding the tiny balance beam between CONTENT's heuristic benefits (more time on site, better engagement, more Lifetime Value, better quality User Generated Content and more of it) and conversion's MONEY was hellish.
Scoop.it To The Rescue If you run a multi-million dollars ecommerce website and aren't using Scoop.it you’re nuts. There is NO faster content feedback tool than Scoop.it (period, full stop).
Here are ways I would be using this magic wand of a tool if I was still responsible for more than $6M in online sales yearly:
* Test contest and game ideas. * Test Q&A content (most shared WINS a page). * Find and empower brand advocates (buzz team).
* Watch competitors like a HAWK (with keyword tool).
* Watch my key brands like a HAWK (also with keyword tool). * Ask for help (amazing talent in Scoop.it community). * Reward previous helpers with Scoop.it profiles and long thank you notes). * Copy Scoop.it's brilliant soft gamification and leader boards.
* Crack the API and find ways to build curation as a "channel" with a P&L, a budget and distinct goals. * Partner with the Scoop.it team to find common points and tap their community for "testing before you test" ideas.
* Look to create an uncapped incentive plan with Scoop.it team to weigh, measure and value traffic and conversions from the channel and PAY THEM a % of the action they create.
This last bullet is worth MILLIONS . Instead of simply thinking about the very cool curation tool I would set up "content curation" as a marketing channel with a budget. Next I would call Guillaume and Marc and ask to meet in SF.
At that meeting I would pitch a mutually beneficial partnership. Instead of approaching the partnership in a static way I would pitch the Scoop.it team on a more flexible and uncapped arrangement. If the "commons" we create together produced millions projected then Scoop.it gets a sizable "affiliate-like" commission.
If I were running LLBean.com, Target.com or especially B&N.com I would be all over Scoop.it in 2014. RedEnvelope.com is an even better example. When I created FoundObjects.com in the late 1990s (now gone sadly) RedEnvelope was the cool kid on the block.
Now RedEnvelope.com is being destroyed.
They can't compete against the User Generated Content of Estsy.com or the scale of Amazon. They are in the middle where NO ONE SURVIVES.
Crack the top of that website and reinvent it with the help of a cool tool like Scoop.it or RedEnvelope.com will reach the point of diminishing return where every order costs more to ship than it makes (ouch).
If you are developing your ecommerce plan for 2014 and you aren't thinking about Scoop.it LOOK OUT.
Content marketing is everything. It's nothing. It's substantial like rock. It's fleeting like the wind. It's both sides of the brain in perfect harmony. It's the brand story. It's the value proposition shown, not told. In other words, it's a tactic with an identity crisis.
Teeehe Content Marketing Institute itself is proud to stack up no fewer than 21 explanations of this burgeoning field, plus six more definitions on another page on its site. I say this not to ridicule, but to highlight the confusion in the marketplace about content marketing. There's not a broadly agreed-upon definition of the field....
Ok, it's confusing but trust me, this article is not and makes a good job at explaining a simple but often misunderstood truth on content marketing: the intent is important.
Publishing content randomly won't help your brand or company at all. It's publishing content that adds value to your audience and brings it close to your brand or a buying decision.
Ok, it's confusing but trust me, this article is not and makes a good job at explaining a simple but often misunderstood truth on content marketing: the intent is important.
Publishing content randomly won't help your brand or company at all. It's publishing content that adds value to your audience and brings it close to your brand or a buying decision.
Tinder is an online dating app that has been sweeping the world…or should I say swiping the world? The app matches potential partners based mostly on their appearances. Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association (VOKRA) wanted to try their paws at a fun campaign to match some of their orphaned furry friends with potential new owners. How? By creating a profile for some of their cats that had more human names.
VOKRA partnered with ReThink Canada and created several profiles on tinder and started matching with young singles in the area. Of course they played around with them for a bit before confessing that the profile was for the cat, not the human.
Retention is often assumed if a customer enjoys using the product but how many brands consider the after care service? I know, for example if I’m looking to renew my Sky subscription, a poor communication experience with their Contact Centre or lack of relevant, appealing renewal promotions in their retention campaign to me will significantly impact my judgement as to whether I remain a loyal customer or shop elsewhere.
The customer experience your brand delivers can also be integral to the efficiencies of your business. Do you need to send three letters followed by an email, a telephone call with six ‘press XX’ options and a follow-on direct mail piece to every customer that needs to renew their Sky subscription? More than likely not.
Remember, remember, the scourge of Movember? We’re halfway through the advocacy month that calls for men to grow the manliest mustaches they can muster to
"As November babies and gender critics, we take Movember as a personal affront.
There’s a school of thought that says any act in service of a good cause is a good act. So why do we hate Movember? Are we grumpy contrarians and feminist killjoys who hate things precisely because other people love them? Probably, but there are deeper reasons for our Movember naysaying, too. Below, we investigate in conversation."
"As November babies and gender critics, we take Movember as a personal affront.
There’s a school of thought that says any act in service of a good cause is a good act. So why do we hate Movember? Are we grumpy contrarians and feminist killjoys who hate things precisely because other people love them? Probably, but there are deeper reasons for our Movember naysaying, too. Below, we investigate in conversation."
Body positivity has been having a moment as of late. Plus-size models are dominating runways and magazines. The tyranny of the "thigh gap" has been usurped by the somewhat more fat-friendly "thighbrow." In a duet with self-proclaimed "thick" chick Nicki Minaj, Drake has even declared, "I like my girls BBW," referring to "Big Beautiful Women," a niche genre of porn featuring women that are, well, big and beautiful.
However, even though we pay a lot of lip service to women like models Nadia Aboulhosn and Tess Holliday, is the body-positivity trend in the style sphere reflective of a larger phenomenon? Is our culture becoming more accepting of bigger women, both in the fashion world and in the privacy of our own bedrooms? In short: Are we increasingly masturbating to plus-size porn?
Any major film that comes out is going to have teasers, a few trailers, posters and the stars doing umpteen interviews about their newest film. But now, one insider has let us in on an advertising technique you may not, or at least pretend not to know about.
If you want to do well on Facebook, you need to know the 3Ps of Facebook marketing.
What are the 3Ps you ask? The 3Ps are:
Personal: Posts that show more about you and your business
Purpose: Content that adds value
Promotion: Posts that sell
Having a mixed ratio of these 3 types of content will allow you to diversify your content and make your Facebook page more exciting, which will ultimately lead to more engagement.
YES!
Now for the bigger question, how do you create a range of content and keep your page constantly updated with these 3Ps?
Watch manufacturer Multi Time Machine Inc. won its appeal against Amazon this morning in a dispute over the way the e-commerce giant displays search result
Focusing on a mix of curated, influencer-driven, and user-generated pins can be the key to driving (and even tripling) your website traffic. Learn how to make it happen in this post from Jessica Gioglio.
The FTC recently updated its social media guidelines again, which means that marketers should pay very close attention to the words used in any contests, endorsements and reviews.
Are you building backlinks for seo, want to build backlinks fast or build backlinks after penguin. Well, that's exactly what I'm going to share with you in today's blog post no-matter for what reason you are building backlinks.
This video, which spread like wildfire across social media last week, was just the latest example of the way organizations continuously downplay the impact of domestic violence and rape culture. In turn, this betrays how little we as a society care for, or even think of, victims of interpersonal violence.
Ever wondered whether tweeting about a blog post could actually expand your keyword traffic? It appears that it can do exactly that!
Deanna Dahlsad's insight:
An interesting read about Twitter V. Link Farms (Directories). I theorize the difference is human interaction, hence the bump when Tweets are made with different wording/phrases -- as in, a person read the content and synthesized in order to compose a tweet.
The hit TV show “Shark Tank” helps start-ups get started. Would-be business owners come on the series to solicit money and help from a panel of five heavy-hitting entrepreneurs. After giving a pitch and going through a grilling, the contestants find out if they’ll get funded or not and how much equity they will have to give up.
On the air for five years and counting, “Shark Tank” is an entertaining and successful show. However, as a founder of 16 start-ups, my criteria for evaluating potential businesses differs from most of the panelists—I often find myself arguing with the screen.
There's plenty of room for adoption among brands looking to reach Instagram's enthusiastic audience, and restaurants and hotels have the largest presence currently. No matter the industry, brands should take a quality over quantity approach to Instagram, as recent research finds that post frequency and engagement have an inverse relationship.
An opinionated woman obsessed with objects, entertained by ephemera, intrigued by researching, fascinated by culture & addicted to writing. The wind says my name; doesn't put an @ in front of it, so maybe you don't notice. http://www.kitsch-slapped.com
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An eye opener on striking the balance between content and conversion.. The "How-to" list is worth multiple visits.