Ash Read says, “By now, it’s clear that video is an essential channel for marketers. But what makes a great video? And what keeps viewers engaged? Is it a good story? Or maybe it’s all about reaching the right audience at the right time.We teamed up with Wistia to find out. We looked at some of our favorite examples of video marketing and uncovered some traits they have in common.Here are seven secrets to creating successful video content.1. Focus on stories, not salesBefore the rise of social media, if you wanted someone to see an advert, you had to rent space within a popular... [...]

Dan Scalco says, “Today’s businesses are obsessed with conversions—and that means they should be obsessed with their customer service. But too many companies fail to make the connection between the way they treat their customers and customers’ willingness to purchase their products. In case you’re among the group who remains unconvinced, consider this: One survey found companies that invest heavily in customer service report an average conversion rate that’s 11 percent higher than their less-customer-focused counterparts. Other research has found customers are willing to pay more... [...]

Malinda Wilkinson says, “So… you are running an email campaign, and you’ve planned your schedule. That’s great! You’ve developed a campaign plan and you’ve segmented your list. Even better! But now it’s time to craft the actual emails.You send emails every day, you’ve been practicing for this since you got your first AOL account, it should be a piece of cake, right? Well, crafting marketing emails doesn’t have to be hard, but like planning and scheduling your campaigns, it also requires strategy.For every dollar spent on email marketing,... [...]

Marsha Hunt says, “All B2B marketers and business owners are on a constant search for ways to grow their company. One of the keys to success for any small company or startup is growth hacking. Growth hacking allows you to find the most effective marketing channels and take advantage of them to connect with your audience and scale your business. Growth hacking tools can measure the performance of your marketing campaigns across different platforms. You can then use the information you gather to find the best ways to engage your audience.Why focus on growth hacking?It’s critical for B2B... [...]

Barry Levine says, “Artificial intelligence (AI) is more than a stylish trend. It goes beyond rules, providing the ability to understand content or language, find patterns that can be applied to the future, digest all kinds of information and make reasoned decisions.One by one, B2B vendors are rolling out their AI chops — targeting platform Demandbase, CRM and marketing platform Salesforce, account engagement platform YesPath, conversational platform Conversica, and B2B predictive marketer CaliberMind, among a growing list of others.To get some insight into what this means for businesses... [...]

Liz Willits says, “Email automation — everyone’s doing it! Or at least they should be. Ninety percent of marketers say email automation is key to success.And yet, according to Forbes, less than 10 percent of companies use marketing automation.If you’re not already familiar with the benefits of email automation, it’s time to get on board. Automated emails are great for building a relationship with your audience, driving engagement and increasing conversions.Ready to find out how to get started with email automation? Read this post to get 6 easy steps.1. Start collecting subscribers.Before... [...]

John E Lincoln says, “Do you have an app that you’d like to rank in mobile search engine results? If so, you’re going to need to make room in your SEO strategy for app optimization.For apps, there are distinct ranking factors. Although they are similar to ranking factors for a standard web page, there are differences that you need to know about.Here’s how you can optimize your app to get the best possible rank.Yes, you need to optimizeAccording to a recent Google report, 27 percent of users find apps through a search engine. That’s up from 2 percent to 3 percent in 2014.That... [...]

Tim Peterson says, “Audience growth is no longer a problem for Twitter. That’s great, especially since Twitter has plenty of new problems.In the first quarter of 2017, Twitter’s overall revenue declined year over year for the first time ever, and its advertising revenue declined for the second straight quarter. That’s bad, right? Apparently not to Wall Street investors. Despite the revenue declines, Twitter’s stock price was up by more than 10 percent after the company released its quarterly earnings report on Wednesday.What gives?For starters, Wall Street analysts expected Twitter... [...]

Marcia  says, “Customers’ concerns vary, sometimes dramatically, across regions and cultures. Because these variations present business opportunities, you might expect global companies’ buyer personas to reflect those variations. In fact, many organizations miss this opportunity, applying one set of personas everywhere.Even organizations that have regional or cultural personas may lack the insights they need to succeed across markets.  Sometimes, even small differences between regional and cultural personas affect the bottom line, according to Cassio Politi. In his talk at 2016 Content... [...]

Patricio Robles says, “Amazon’s effort to take over the world continues unabated.This week, the online retail giant announced a big push into a new market with the launch of Subscribe with Amazon, a new marketplace that will allow third parties to sell subscriptions through Amazon.The marketplace, which is said to have been in development for the past year, was born out of Amazon’s homegrown subscription initiatives. “Over the years, Amazon has gained extensive experience in the memberships and subscriptions space, innovating across programs like Prime and Kindle Unlimited,”... [...]