Category: Marketing

6 Tips to Create Magnetic Content

Cherith AndesBlog, Marketing, Public Relations, , , ,

You feel it coming. That “oh-no-I-have-to-write-another-blog” weight.

Breathe easy. Producing “great content” doesn’t necessarily mean cranking out hundreds of web pages or blogs to stuff your SEO. Time and time again, the content that attracts traffic and converts buyers is a concise, tailored resource that solves a problem.

So if “king content” isn’t necessarily a bottomless library of graphics, articles or videos, what is it? Use this framework to guide your next content creation mission.

1. Identify your audience

This always is (and rightly should be) the first question any marketer should address. Create a concise persona of your audience member, from age and life stage to socioeconomic status and location. What issue are they addressing right now? What resource do they need in their decision-making process? Do they prefer pancakes or waffles? (Ok, kidding.)

2. What’s your point?

Unless it is wall art, content shouldn’t be just eye candy. What problem are you trying to solve for your audience member? How are you specifically making his or her life easier? Distill your entire piece of content into one short sentence that states its purpose. For example, the purpose of this blog is to equip marketers with a simple framework to create effective content. This “thesis” will keep you focused while you write/design/record.

3. Pack a powerful headline

Neil Patel cites a case study where he increased his conversion rates by 40 percent … just by tweaking his headline. A strong headline should (normally) be as short as you can make it and still get the job done. Tell the reader the big, bold benefit they will get from your article or video. Will you solve the problem they’ve been Googling for 18 minutes in three easy steps? Evoke emotion by providing a behind-the-scenes mystique with words like “tips, secrets, principles, must-knows.” Use data as you’re able.

4. KISS (Keep It Skimmable)

Eight of 10 people will read your headline; only two out of 10 will read your article. Keep the content as concise as possible, and make it easy on the eyes with titles, paragraph breaks and visuals. For more on that, check out our blog on writing stellar web copy.

5. But … be specific

Bolster your points with numbers, statistics or examples of success. For example, rather than saying “headlines increase readership,” point to Patel’s case study where an effective headline can skyrocket action by 40 percent. Demonstrate a technique. Walk through a case study — making your point more relatable, memorable and useful to your reader.

6. Give an easy action step

After you’ve shared you mind-blowing, life-changing content, give your readers an easy next step. Is that to download your guide? Hit up a video that shows the next how-to? Email so-and-so for an appointment? Whatever it is, don’t lose your prized reader without directing them to another point of contact with you. 

Bonus Tip:

Write/create your content in batches. You’re already in the creation mode with resources at your fingertips. Keep the flow going and plug them into a good content calendar to maintain a steady schedule.

And now? It’s time to translate these readers into buyers. Check out our tips for writing calls to action.

Guide: Maximize Your Call to Action
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Ways to Cultivate Your Daily Creativity

Clairemont InternBlog, Marketing, Professional Development, , , ,

One of the hardest things to do is be consistently creative. Great ideas can come from anywhere, but it can be a challenge to always be in that head space to create those ideas. At times, the idea of being creative can seem nebulous. Personally, the beginning of my life-long quest to be creative began with a revelation. Creativity is a skill. We need to treat it as such. Like lifting weights or doing math equations, creativity requires training and commitment to cultivate. Here are some meaningful ways to cultivate creativity in a daily setting. 

Do or Do Not, But You Must Try

This tip is the hardest, and it is by far the least convenient truth. The only way to be creative every day is to try every day. You must write, draw, paint, sing — whatever form your creativity takes — every single day. Behind every great idea are dozens of ideas that never came to fruition. Your imagination and your creativity deserve to be trained and exercised like any other part of your body. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither are most great ideas. When I was in high school, I had a theatre teacher who before every rehearsal or performance would tell us to “Go and do.” The best way to work on creativity is to go and do.

When to Change (and When Not to Change)

This tip will mean different things to different people. Each of us works differently. For some, the best way to spark great ideas comes from constant change and variety. For others (me included) creativity comes most naturally in a familiar and consistent environment. The most important thing is to find what works best for you. If you do best in new locations, go find some! (If you need some advice on where to go in Raleigh, check out our blog on places to work remotely in Raleigh.) By learning which environment suits your personal brand of creativity best, you can ensure that your days are as creative as possible.

Food for Thought

One of the easiest ways to get a little more brainpower into your day is by adding some brain-healthy foods to your daily diet. If we are going to train our brain like we would train our bodies, it makes sense to include a regiment of healthy eating on to our plate. Some foods that are easy to add into your day include green tea (full of creativity boosting antioxidants) or pumpkin seeds (contain zinc that has been linked to increasing memory and critical thinking). Foods like these, or those that are high in other nutrients like vitamin K or amino acids, can help set you up for successful “a-ha” moments.

While these ideas are great for cultivating creativity in the long term, sometimes you need an immediate creative boost to get you past your biggest mental blocks. Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered with our blog all about mental blocks. Check it out.

Will Hornbeck is a rising senior at Wake Forest University. Any naming similarity between him and the editor of the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life”(1946) is just a cool fun fact.

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6 Secrets to Gen Z

Cherith AndesBlog, Marketing, Public Relations, , ,

They’re the new kids on the block, and by 2020 they will account for 40 percent of the consumer population. That’s almost half of the the country’s purchasing power. 

Introducing … Gen Z.

Born after 1995, Generation Z is returning to what some might call “traditional values” combined with an acute technical savvy. This group is efficient, pragmatic, professional and self-motivated.

Ready for the quick study guide?

Gen Z: What They Value

  • Individuality and expression
  • Hard work, preparation for the future, a reliable plan of action
  • Privacy, having witnessed the backlash of oversharing on the internet and social media
  • Competition, as opposed to the collaborative millennials
  • Momentum and results, which incites them to develop their skills, their brands and their personal leadership within a company

Gen Z: How to Communicate

1. Appeal to the Eight-Second Filter.

Since Gen Z is inundated with a constant barrage of stimuli, it has honed an effective eight-second filter to decide if the message it applicable or interesting. And they can sense an ad a mile away. Rather than “sell,” entertain or educate with your messages. Communicate frequently and in short bursts. Use a relatable spokesperson, couch your message in a short video, and above all make the content funny or entertaining. Once you catch this group’s eye, you will have its focused, long-term attention. 

2. Show the data.

Gen Z is a data-driven group who can research its way out of any problem. This is the generation that loves tutorials, how-tos, DIYs and review-based decisions. Gen Z also has cultivated a sense of responsibility for its future, which makes this group eager to invest in professional development and long-term goals. Appeal to their practicality, or as Forbes puts it, “Sell the end game.” Show the end benefit for your audience, backed by clear, concise data or results. Why is your product or service worth their time? Fold it into an instructional video or a DIY context that solves a problem.

3. Communicate with transparency.

Related to #2, Gen Z is turned off by salesy verbiage. Hone your message, your supporting data and your call to action. (Check out this resource for how to write a strong call to action.) This puts an additional premium on the quality of the product or service and makes swift, effective customer service a critical component. If there are issues with your product, Gen Z will find it … and share it widely.

4. Video all the things.

This generation has enjoyed the brevity and immediacy of visual mediums pretty much since birth. Gen Z gravitates toward voice texting, image-based communication and video communication (like the Marco Polo app) instead of email and even text messaging. In addition to communicating via brief one- or two-minute videos, invest marketing time and dollars in video-based social media platforms (anything from YouTube to Insta Stories) to reach this demographic.

5. Use social media correctly.

According to a recent study by Response Media, Gen Z uses various social media platforms for distinctly separate purposes. They use Instagram to curate snippets of their aspirational selves; they share unfiltered, real-life moments on Snapchat; and they use Twitter and Facebook to conduct research or get the news. Be sure to appeal to their separate self-images on the correct platform.

6. Hear it from the peers.
The Big Deal With Small Influencers

In keeping with its desire to read reviews like crazy, Gen Z will trust peer recommendations from everyday folks far more than celebrities. In fact, according to Hackernoon, Gen Z is 1.3 times more likely to purchase a product recommended by an influencer they follow than a big-time celebrity. This provides a huge opportunity to partner with influencers and micro-influencers to vouch for your product. (See our post above on the power of micro influencers.)

Looking for some ideas to target your brand to Gen Z?

Drop us a line
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Getting Personal: Building Your Brand

Kelli FletcherBlog, Marketing, Social Media + Influencer Engagement, ,

In the digital age when everything from cars to cats has an Instagram account, a Facebook page and even a Twitter handle, it has become obvious that branding isn’t just for businesses anymore. Branding, it seems, is necessary for anyone (or anything) with a public presence.

Carefully cultivating your personal brand is important. It allows you to control your narrative both visually and verbally, which is critical in a time when first impressions are often in the form of a Google search. In fact, in a survey last year, it was found that a whopping 70 percent of employers use social media to screen candidates during the hiring process.

When you consider that big companies put a hefty amount of money and time behind establishing a brand, you may think you don’t have what it takes to create your own. But really, it’s a lot easier than you think. Simply put, your personal brand is what you do, how you do it and why. Which means, it’s nearly impossible to fake. And building your personal brand will do for you what it does for big businesses: make you stand out from the crowd.

We’ve rounded up a few easy steps that will assist you with establishing your personal brand and getting it up and running.

Know Yourself

Push past your passions to dig a bit deeper. What are your strengths? Values? What is your expertise? But keep in mind that (ironically) building your personal brand isn’t actually all about you. Think about your friends, family and coworkers – all the individuals in your circle. What are their needs and wants? What frustrates them? More importantly, how can YOU help, and how is it different from anyone else?

Know Your Audience

From their jobs to what brings them joy, study your audience. Where are they located? What makes them happy? But even more, get to know what they value and the challenges they face.

Once you identify them, reach out to connect to further explore what makes them tick. Begin creating content that aligns with each of these points to capture their eyes. Perhaps it’s an article with valuable tips on how to save time or money. Or maybe it’s simply a tell-all about your personal approach to an issue (anything from a design challenge to a parenting problem).

Know Your Message

Make it short. Make it simple. Make it strong. These things will make it memorable.

Position yourself as a person familiar with your audience’s interests, tastes and outlooks. Transfer this message across all your profiles – personal and professional. Most importantly, embody it in nearly everything you do. Doing this will help your message gain momentum and further make your mission clear.

Stay on Mark

Now that you have these three pillars in place, make sure you stay consistent with both your content and your cadence. Doing this will not only help you retain your audience (while also attracting new followers), but it will also keep you sharp and skilled, ready for interactions – on and offline.

Want to learn how we can help you build an authentic and strong personal brand? Send us a note!

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5 Golden Rules of Web Copy

Cherith AndesBlog, Marketing, Public Relations, , ,

Ten seconds.

That is all you have to grab the attention of a website visitor and convince them that your content is what they need. And 70 percent of people who leave your page halfway through will not return. Bottom line: in addition to design, website copy has no room for error. It must be informative and magnetic.

So where to begin? With these five golden rules for writing web copy.

1. Thou shalt know thy audience.

This the first cardinal rule in any marketing strategy, and it applies whole-hog here. Sixty-eight percent of users say if they don’t find what they want right away on a mobile site, they move to another website. Specifically identify what your audience is seeking on your landing page and ensure this information is easily found in the top few lines. This may differ with things like targeted campaigns for a certain buyer segment as well.

2. Thou shalt make all things skimmable.

First, stats.

  • According to HubSpot, 43 percent of people admit to skimming blog posts.
  • While 80 percent will pause to read a headline, only 20 percent will pause to read the rest.

Use the good ‘ole inverted pyramid to include the must-know information at the top of the page to show your reader that this page contains the info they need … (and entice them to read more). Employ headlines, bold text (as appropriate within your design and style guidelines), short paragraphs and phrases that lend themselves to “skimmability.”

3. Blessed are the brief, for they shall be heard again.

Related to Golden Rule #2. Write like you would speak: relatable phrases rather than lengthy jargon-packed paragraphs. Oh, and PS: good grammar actually matters to the reader. And in the spirit of brevity, that’s all I’ll say.

4. Thou shalt focus on the reader.

According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, self-esteem is near the top. Cast the spotlight on your customer by using “you” words; rather than “we the company can” or “I the consultant will,” say things like “you will … you can … imagine yourself.” Pepper the copy with messages that point to the reader’s success and completion of the goal that is driving them to your website.

5. Thou shalt call thy people to action.

Each page, blog or post should end with a call to action (CTA) that is commensurate with the readers’ journey. Are they ready for more information, tips or a download guide? Ready in the buying cycle to contact a rep, make an appointment, add an item to their carts? Visit a social media page to learn more about an event?

Copy should include strong conversion words that eliminate the sense of risk and provide a sense of assured success, like  “risk-free,” “everything you need” to show all-inclusive features. ThriveHive offers some great advice for tailored action words.

Looking for some help? We got your back on this one.

Drop Us a Line
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