Showing posts with label content marketing tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label content marketing tips. Show all posts

Wednesday, 18 December 2013

5 tips for being sexy with your content marketing

Hi guys! Hope, you are all enjoying this lovely Wednesday and counting days to Christmas. :) I, on the other hand, am a little bit upset as my Glasgow days are almost over and my luggage is half packed. 
As for my blog - I am not saying 'Good-bye' to you anywhere soon, so here is my latest post. Let me share some sexy tips with you. Enjoy! :-)

Looking back on how TV, commercials and 'not-so-innovative' marketers work, one can always find that sex (sexy images, naked body parts, 'intriguing' noise and so on) always works as a fast and easy way to sell stuff to people, be it chocolate dessert, luxury car or the newest fragrance. 'Sex appeal' or the prosaic 'sex sells' rule has been long ago incorporated into the advertising/PR/marketing world agenda (which was 'scientifically' proven by Gallup and Robinson btw). 

And I am not here to judge what is and is not wrong with it. Let me just say that today's blog post was inspired by the growing popularity of 'Masters of Sex' and the iconic status of 'Sex and the City', people's interest to 'Secret Diaries of a Call Girl' and the idea that all commercially successful perfumes are 'Guilty' 'Pleasure' 'Seduction' 'Fallen Angel' and so on.

I guess there are so many decent ways to include 'sexy' principle into your strategy, be it in the field of marketing, content creation, or sales, that more attention should be paid.

One way to go, (which we have already discussed) is to feature half-naked people in your ads. The question is to what extent such idea is cheap and tacky.



Here is my rather tasteful solution of integrating the well known rules of seduction into the everyday content marketing strategy - 5 tips on how not to cross the line between sexy and vulgar.



1.  Every glamour magazine would advise women to be mysterious, because secret equals intrigue. With content marketing there is a similar trick. If you want to ‘write sexy’ something should be always left unsaid. To clarify, I do not suggest you write incomplete articles or do not answer questions in a proper manner; instead, your content has to be so engaging that the audience would strive coming back for more.

2. Pay attention to words and styles. Catchy headlines work better and so do witty articles. Always reflect on the people you are targeting: professional jargon might be appropriate for some industry-specific journals and websites, but general audience would prefer clear explanations. Would you say nerds are sexy? Who knows. In the meantime, don’t leave your audience feeling ‘What?! I did not get a word of this’. Do not confuse and provide great examples to illustrate your points.

3. Confidence is sexy. Confident people always have charm which makes them even more attractive. Make your content emphasise your expertise and leadership in the particular field. Moreover, let you style of writing be confident as well. No one will follow ideas like ‘our products seem to be better’; ‘you will probably enjoy our services’ and so on. Nevertheless, be careful with the thin line between the confidence and arrogance. If you claim you are the best - prove it (better have others prove this for you).

4. Flirt. Yes, just like in a real life, in producing and managing content, there often is a place for flirting. Of course, I believe flirt is art and talent, but some tips are pretty general so anyone can use them. Thus, engagement is one thing - replying to comments, Liking, re-tweeting and re-posting are all examples of modern digital life coquetry. You should make your customers, readers and potential buyers feel they all have their tiny place in your company's heart. The only exception to the rule in the context of flirting is customer service - if you provide this on your Facebook page - that is definitely not a place to ‘play hard to get’ despite how sexy you may think it is. Another way of flirting would be through the actual content. Talk through your content.  What this means is that engagement always increases when some real-experiences, case studies and illustrations are involved. When you write for your audience from their standpoint and in their words, real magic happens - readership starts ‘Liking’ you.

5. I thought of having tip No.5 here at first, but then decided to make it sexier by leaving some space for ‘fantasies’...I mean comments and questions. :) But than my colleague came up with this brilliant rule, which basically sums up everything written above - Think Pirelli calendar rather than Hooters bar...

Monday, 23 September 2013

Simple content marketing tips

Monday morning to everyone! :) Hope, you all had a great weekend!

This week I will start from explaining the basics of the content marketing, because this truly is a big thing nowadays. In case you are wondering why content marketing is important, I will provide you with 3 interesting facts from 2 different studies (by Content Marketing Institute and NewsReach)

1. 78% of UK companies invest in content marketing 
2. 54% of businesses plan to invest more into content marketing next year
3. 97% of UK organisations planed to maintain or increase their investments in content marketing this year


When marketing your content there are three simple but importnat things to remember:

1. Use various formats of content. Overall, among 12 different content marketing tactics - social media channels, blogs and case studies are seen by the practitioners as the most effective. Video as a way of delivering messages is used by 70% of UK businesses, making it 6th most effectively used content marketing tool. Interestingly, infographics - very engaging, likeable and shareable type of content, are used by 32% of companies. I believe this number will increase withing the next few years, because users seems to appreciate infographics more than long boring articles. Finally, contests, games and quests are brilliant, just make sure you know the best way to approach them. This recent piece at +Jeff Bullas blog on Facebook contests should be helpful. 

2. Use multiple platforms to deliver your content. It is not only about driviing traffic, but simplifying it for your audience. It is always great when the mechanics of the website or company`s blog allow readers/visitors to share the content in one click. Thus, don't forget to put the necessary social media buttons and make sure it is possible to login to your site through those social media channels. (And to make this paragraph sound more legitimate, here is some more statistics for you). 83% of all businesses use LinkedIn to share their content, this is a significant figure proving that professional networks cannot be underestimated. Moreover, Google Plus seems to promise great future for your business presence online.

3. It is not about how your write, but what your write about. Quality over quantity, content and essence over the delivery format - there are many ways to formulate this tip. The main point is that everyone, including Google and other digital habitants are becoming smarter developing digital savvy, creating a real challenge for the content marketing practitioners. Not only your content should be tailored for the specific audience, it should always provide additional value and originality. Facts and figures should be up-to-date, 'borrowed' ideas should be referenced, you should be an expert in what you write. (Well, luckily I just share what I know here, not pretending to be a business shark or marketing guru). 


Finally, I have co-written this fabulous blog post with my colleague +Euan Leopold (who, by the way, has also started his own blog). Don`t forget to check it out! 

Have a great productive week and come back tomorrow as I will share some thoughts with you on the new iPhone! :)