Laura Forer says, “As consumers, we’re often quick to delete emails that don’t seem relevant to us. So when we put on our marketer hats, we should be thinking about what our customers want to hear more than what our brands want to say. That may seem obvious, but writing compelling content is harder than it looks. Luckily, an infographic by Campaigner gives actionable tips on how to write great emails. For example, 69% of email recipients report an email as spam based solely on the subject line, the infographic says, and it offers six tips for crafting read-worthy subject lines. In... [...]

Laura Forer says, “Consumers’ use of mobile and digital devices while shopping in-store has increased significantly in the past few years, an infographic by CUBE, a company that specializes in providing digital customer experiences, points out. For example, 5% of retail sales were influenced by mobile devices in 2013, but by 2016 that figure had jumped to 37%, and 22% of consumers spend more as a result of using digital devices in-store, according to data the infographic cites. But incorporating effective omnichannel strategies can be challenging: The strategies of 93% of brands and... [...]

Barry Feldman says, “Star ratings are simple, but they have an immense effect. They increase social proof, boost word-of-mouth marketing, and improve the results of paid ads. And, most important, they influence purchases. So… What’s social proof? Social proof is “a psychological phenomenon where people assume the actions of others in an attempt to reflect correct behavior for a given situation.” That’s the answer you get by Googling “social proof,” courtesy of Wikipedia. Stay tuned. The rest of this article is 99% jargon-free. If you’re hip... [...]

Ronald Dod says, “Search engines help you get new readers, viewers, and listeners for your content, but all too often you yourself are the reason search engines hold your content back from prominent positions in their search results pages. Search engines want to show the world your content, but not if you’ve made mistakes that undermine the user experience and search engines’ guidelines. So give the search engines what they want by avoiding the following common mistakes that content creators make. 1. Short Content Google likes long-form content because it gives searchers enough... [...]

Ayaz Nanji says, “In 2017, brands will spend more on Internet advertising than on traditional television advertising—for the first time ever—according to a recent global ad spending forecast from Zenith. The report was based on Zenith’s global advertising data for past years as well as spend projections through 2019. Internet ad spend is expected to reach $205 billion in 2017, and projected to account for 37% of all global ad spend this year, up from 34% in 2016. Advertisers are expected to spend $192 billion on traditional television advertising in 2017″. Global Advertising... [...]

Laura Forer says, “2016 was a busy year for social media, and an infographic by The Website Group maps out a timeline of some of the biggest social media events and milestones. Some of the highlights for various social networks: • January 2016: Snapchat rolled out its on-demand Geofilter. • May 2016: Facebook extended dynamic ads to Instagram and shut down FBX, and Twitter changed the way it counts 140 characters for tweets. • September 2016: Snapchat became Snap Inc. and announced its first physical product: Spectacles”. Social Media News and Milestones: 2016-2017 MarketingProfs  [...]

Laura Forer says, “National and global marketers often find themselves working with local affiliates, from mom-and-pop shops to medium-sized businesses. Local marketing automation platform Brandmuscle has put together an infographic with five ways to make your local efforts successful—no matter what your local strategy entails and who you’re selling through. Some highlights: • Make digital a priority. The top 3 local marketing tactics are digital, yet 57% of affiliates’ digital marketing programs are self-managed, without support from agencies or a corporate office, the infographic... [...]

Ayaz Nanji says, “The average clickthrough rate (CTR) for Facebook ads across all industries is 0.90%, according to recent research from WordStream. The report was based on November 2016 through January 2017 Facebook advertising data for 256 US-based WordStream clients in 18 industries: apparel, auto, B2B, beauty, consumer services, education, employment/job training, finance/insurance, fitness, home improvement, healthcare, industrial services, legal, real estate, retail, technology, and travel/hospitality. Legal advertisers have the highest average CTR on Facebook ads (1.61%); employment/job... [...]

Laura Forer says, “As a marketer, your bag of tricks may include content, email, and social marketing. But what about events? Event marketing can increase your bottom line by boosting your digital marketing, your brand, and your sales, an infographic released by NCC Home Learning points out. For example, event marketing helps brands collect demographic information, which can then be used in other marketing campaigns, the infographic explains. Another benefit? Customers can experience your brand at events, and those offline experiences play a big role in online searches, according to one... [...]

Ayaz Nanji says, “Marketers say social media advertising is the most effective tactic for growing email lists, according to recent research from Ascend2. The report was based on data from a survey of 225 marketers based in the United States (39% work for B2C firms, 36% for B2B firms, and 25% for hybrid B2C-B2B firms). Some 45% of respondents say social media advertising is an effective tactic for growing email lists. Content marketing ranks second (42%), followed by search engine optimization (38%), social logins/signups (36%), and contests/giveaways (34%)”. The Most Effective Tactics... [...]