Print Newsletters as Content Marketing Tactic: Pros, Cons, Examples and Best Practices

<a id="dd_start"></A><P><img alt="Print Newsletters Mail Delivery" class="alignright size-full wp-image-16474" height="225" src="/Print-Newsletters-Mail-Delivery.jpg" title="Print Newsletters Mail Delivery" width="300">One of the oldest forms of content marketing are printed newsletters that arrive by snail mail, providing valuable, information-rich content that your customers and prospects want. They can be an effective compliment to online promotions or serve niche markets where print is a preferred format.</P><P>Given the overall decrease in postal mail, a print newsletter can stand out to the recipient, unlike an online newsletter that can get lost in an already too full in-box. Conversely, due to the continuing rise of postal costs, newsletters are more likely to be concise and targeted, providing special appeal.</P><P>According to the <STRONG>2014 B2C & B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends</STRONG> report for North America, <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/mprofs/b2c-content-marketing-2014-benchmarks-budgets-and-trendsnorth-america" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.slideshare.net/mprofs/b2c-content-marketing-2014-benchmarks-budgets-and-trendsnorth-america');" target="_blank" title="B2C Marketers Use Print Newsletters">B2C marketers</A> use print newsletters with greater frequency at 29% compared to their <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/mprofs/b2b-content-marketing-2014-benchmarks-budgets-and-trendsnorth-america" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.slideshare.net/mprofs/b2b-content-marketing-2014-benchmarks-budgets-and-trendsnorth-america');" target="_blank" title="B2B Marketers Use Print Newsletters">B2B counterparts</A> at 22%. In addition, customer retention/loyalty is cited as a top marketing goal for B2C compared to lead generation for B2B.</P><P>But, both types consider brand awareness</EM> to be a crucial content marketing goal, which could explain why print newsletters continue to hold value as a content marketing tactic.</P><P><STRONG>Consumers still love getting mail.</STRONG></P><P>Direct mail, which includes print newsletters, also resonates with consumers in a way that email simply does not. According to marketing firm <a href="http://printinthemix.com/uploads/File/newsletters/PIM%20Spring%202012%20Final.pdf" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/printinthemix.com/uploads/File/newsletters/PIM%20Spring%202012%20Final.pdf');" title="Epsilon ">Epsilon Targeting’s Consumer Channel Preference Study</A>, direct mail continues to deliver as consumers’ preferred means of receiving marketing messages from brands. Here are some of their key findings:</P>Six out of 10 U.S. consumers surveyed say they “enjoy getting postal mail from brands about new products.”Across all key verticals – from financial and insurance to retail and personal care – direct mail is preferred over email by all respondents.The propensity for direct mail also extends to the 18-34 year old demographicConsumers report getting an emotional boost from receiving direct mail; 60% agree they “enjoy checking their postal mail boxes.”Half of all respondents concur with the statement, “I pay more attention to information I receive by postal mail than if it was received by email.”<P>As with any print medium, a brand has an opportunity to develop a relationship based on a mutually beneficial value proposition. Print newsletters represent an open invitation to communicate your company story as well as its products and services and to <a href="http://www.toprankblog.com/2012/07/life-cycle-optimization-content/" target="_blank" title="Optimize Beyond the Sales Life Cycle">optimize beyond the sales life cycle</A>.</P><P><STRONG>Demonstrate value to cut through the clutter.</STRONG></P><P>As digital marketers, we sometimes forget that good old-fashioned print meets the conditions of content marketing: demonstrate your value proposition while providing value.</P><P>Print newsletters, just like <a href="http://www.toprankblog.com/2014/02/print-magazines-content-marketing/" target="_blank" title="Print Magazines as Content Marketing Tactic">print magazines</A>, are a mainstay for many companies wanting a credible way to cut through the clutter. Typically, your newsletter periodical will include articles around one specific subject or topic related to your brand or company and written for a group of people with a common interest — namely your products, services or cause.</P><P>Like any marketing communication, it’s important to establish a consistent distribution cycle to be the most effective. Whether it’s weekly, monthly or quarterly, determine a regular schedule and stick to it.</P><P>Although the recipients of your newsletter gave you implicit permission to enter your home or office, remember, newsletters are not ads. If you are sending out a promotional newsletter, your goal, of course, is to turn prospects into customers and customers into repeat buyers. You just want to steer clear of any overt sales pitch. But calls to action are more than acceptable.</P><P>A print newsletter allows you to give more in-depth information to readers, which is especially important when trying to educate buyers about complex products or services. Once they understand fully the benefits of what your company has to offer, they will be more likely to buy.</P>It grabs attention.It’s a proven way to nurture customers, members and leads.There are no costs for distribution because you already own your customer list.Print is enjoying resurgence because it feels new when compared to digital marketing.The printed word is perceived to be more substantive and therefore more credible.Print allows people to unplug from the online chatter. Its noise to signal ratio is zero, compared to the Internet.Print is tactile, providing a deeper visceral connection to the brand. (Read <a href="http://printinthemix.com/research/show/92" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/printinthemix.com/research/show/92');" target="_blank" title="Using Neuroscience to Understand Role of Direct Mail">Using neuroscience to understand the role of direct mail</A>.)For niche demographics, like seniors, print is perceived as more legitimate.Print newsletters enjoy a longer shelf life, leading to more active engagement.Lacks the immediacy and accessibility of other digital communication channelsBudget and timeline may strain marketing resourcesWith people moving with greater frequency, keeping your list clean may be difficultCost prohibitive to publish in more than one language for most companies<P><B>George Dickel® – The Cascade Hollow Courier</B></P><P>This <a href="http://secure.dickel.com/en-row/Products/whisky/cascade-hollow-whisky.aspx" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/secure.dickel.com/en-row/Products/whisky/cascade-hollow-whisky.aspx');" target="_blank" title="Tennessee Whiskey Distiller">Tennessee Whiskey distiller</A> since 1870 celebrates its sipping heritage with apparel, glassware, accessories and tours and publishes a print newsletter to promote it all.</P><P><a href="E:\aaaaa\has'\1\data\make money online free and fast\seob\George-Dickel-Consumer-Goods-Print-Newsletter_new.jpg" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/downloads/wp-content/uploads/George-Dickel-Consumer-Goods-Print-Newsletter_new.jpg');"><img alt="George Dickel - Consumer Goods Print Newsletter" class="size-full wp-image-16471 aligncenter" height="274" src="/George-Dickel-Consumer-Goods-Print-Newsletternew.jpg" width="340"></A></P>Quality publication that enhances its overall brand message with consistent design and century-old feelCelebrates the outdoor lifestyle so prevalent in the south with content and promotional items, like collectible decoy replicas, to matchPromoting a Huntin’ and Fishin’ story contest further engages their readers adding to their enjoyment value<P><B>Valent Bioscience Corp.</B></P><P>This company was the <a href="http://www.creativityawards.com/42A_Newsletter_B2B.php" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.creativityawards.com/42A_Newsletter_B2B.php');" target="_blank" title="Valent Bioscience Gold Winner">Gold Winner</A> in the 42nd annual Creativity International Awards for B2B newsletter design, proving that science doesn’t have to be boring.</P><P><img alt="Valent Bioscience Print Newsletter" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-16475" height="507" src="/Valent-Bioscience-Print-Newsletter.jpg" title="Valent Bioscience Print Newsletter" width="393"></P>Great use of white space, typography, color and visuals4-pages packed with relevant content, including application notes and new product innovation, for its target audienceEstablishes their thought leadership with a strategic article under the heading, Vector Vision, discussing the benefits of controlling the mosquito population, i.e. vector control<P><B>Antalis</B></P><P>This leading European distributor of papers and packaging products <a href="http://www.creativityawards.com/42A_Newsletter_Consumer.php" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.creativityawards.com/42A_Newsletter_Consumer.php');" target="_blank" title="Award-winning Print Newsletter">took home the gold</A> at the 42nd annual Creativity International Awards.</P><P><img alt="Antalis Award Winning Print Newsletter" class="wp-image-16473 aligncenter" height="263" src="/Antalis-Award-Winning-Print-Newsletternew.jpg" title="Antalis Award Winning Print Newsletter" width="340"></P>Bold use of color, design and typographyContent promotes products relevant to the print and visual communications industriesEffective use of non-traditional format, fitting for the creative visual artsEmploys storytelling in a way that makes sense to its target audience looking to learn more about curious metallic®, a specialty paper<P><B>First impressions</B>: Even though your newsletter is most likely free to subscribers, will a new reader perceive value in it? The layout and openness of the design, color and weight of the paper and the balance of text and graphics are being scrutinized in a nanosecond. Does it say, read me now or shelve for later? All elements of your newsletter design should enhance your overall brand message and meet readers’ expectations.</P><P><B>Format</B>: Newsletters don’t have to be letter size portrait booklets to be called a newsletter. Other formats may work better, depending on your industry. Explore different sizes, orientations and folds based on the purpose and content length of the publication.</P><P><B>Content</B>: Carefully choose your articles so that each one generates results. Avoid using generic filler, such as recipes or quotes. Focus content on industry trends, new product innovations, a top customer spotlight, or company milestones. The goal is to include focused content that meets the informational needs of your target audience. Including testimonials of satisfied customers can add a persuasive element to your content and lets your customers do the selling.</P><P><B>Sales tool</B>: You can attract more readers and more potential customers by featuring your company’s area of expertise. This should be tips or best practices that are useful to readers regardless of whether they do business with you. A utility company might offer “energy efficiency tips” or a hotel conference center could offer a meeting and planning guide for corporate clients.</P><P><B>Offline promotion</B>: Promote free subscriptions to your newsletter. A simple way to generate leads is to include a call to action in all your company’s marketing communications, such as ads, brochures, catalog, trade show signage, etc. that encourages customers to call or email for a subscription.</P><P><B>Online promotion</B>: Include a sign-up box on your website for your free print newsletter and include an archive of sample newsletters to show exactly what the subscriber can expect. Promote it through all your social media channels to drive people back to your website to sign up. You may even want to run a contest using social channels, enticing people to sign up for the printed material.</P><P><B>Maximize exposure</B>: Having gone to the time and expense of publishing a newsletter, you want to cast your net wide. Here are a few additional tactics you can employ:</P>Mail your newsletter to all former customers or potential customers who have requested information on your product or service in the past but never ordered from you. Just be sure you make it easy for them to opt out.Give your salespeople copies of the newsletter to hand out on sales calls, at trade shows and exhibition booths.Send the newsletter to all potential clients who may have a strong interest in a solution-oriented article you published that may appeal to them. For example, if your technology solution helped a local hospital save thousands of dollars on staffing costs, send a copy of the newsletter to all the hospitals in your service area.<P>When people actually want to receive information about your company, doesn’t it make sense to include a print newsletter in your marketing mix?</P><P>If you like in-depth articles like this about content marketing, be sure to visit our <a href="http://www.toprankblog.com/2011/06/content-marketing-definition-tactics/" target="_blank" title="Content Marketing Tactic Definitions">index of content marketing tactics</A>.</P><P>Photo credit: <a href="about:www.shutterstock.com/pic-154552895/stock-photo-mail-box-in-front-of-a-house.html" title="Mail Box in Front of House">Shutterstock</A></EM></P><a id="dd_end"></A><BR clear=all><BR clear=all><img alt="Loading ..." class="post-ratings-image" height="16" src="/loading.gif" title="Loading ..." width="16"> Loading ...<br /><p><a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OnlineMarketingSEOBlog/~3/_PaGKor0024/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a></p>

Print Newsletters as Content Marketing Tactic: Pros, Cons, Examples and Best Practices

One of the oldest forms of content marketing are printed newsletters that arrive by snail mail, providing valuable, information-rich conten...

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Content Marketing With Research and Surveys: Pros, Cons, Examples, Best Practices

<a id="dd_start"></A><P><img alt="content marketing surveys" class="alignright size-full wp-image-16515" height="216" src="/content-marketing-surveys.jpg" width="300">All marketers need actionable insight to make important decisions. As the internet reaches a crescendo of voices all vying for their customers’ short attention span, the need for quality citations and third party industry research becomes even more important to stand out.</P><P>Therein lies an opportunity: Companies that create credible surveys, reports and playbooks on a regular basis can become known authorities and trusted resources – ahead of the competition. Such authority leads to trust and in the content marketing world those are essential characteristics to attract a target audience whether they are buyers, journalists or investors.</P><P>Ironically, it’s this exact labor-intensive exercise that provides some of the most sharable, citable content. The ability to attract substantial citations, social shares and attention is a very powerful capability for <a href="http://www.toprankmarketing.com/" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.toprankmarketing.com');" target="_blank">agencies</A> and corporate marketing marketing departments to have right now.</P><P>To benefit from this opportunity, it takes the hard work of doing thoughtful research. Once you’ve invested in conducting original, topically relevant research through polls and surveys, the task of making your findings part of the content marketing mix is only a matter of breaking it down into digestible bites, customized to the people you’re trying to connect with.</P><P>Every industry has their data champions whose purpose is to explain what’s happening in your world. Industry Analyst and Research Organizations like these devote a good portion of their marketing efforts on providing industry trends and offering insights and advice to illuminate what’s in demand within a market now and in the future:</P><P>Whether you’re a non-partisan, public opinion poll, a B2B company wanting to demonstrate thought leadership within the business community or a B2C brand using research to gain a foothold in a new market, the data you collect and research you conduct represent a solid foundation for a plethora of the content marketing tactics.</P><P>For example, <a href="http://blogs.forrester.com/ryan_skinner/13-12-27-content_marketing_fortnight_v_a_time_for_branded_data_surveys_reports_and_playbooks" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/blogs.forrester.com/ryan_skinner/13-12-27-content_marketing_fortnight_v_a_time_for_branded_data_surveys_reports_and_playbooks');" target="_blank" title="Forrester Research">research</A> was recently published by The Corporate Executive Board Company and LinkedIn (a TopRank client) that identified how marketers’ content skills, in particular, need to evolve, providing any number of content bites for practitioner’s in the field.</P><P>The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has an entire section devoted to <a href="http://www.iab.net/about_the_iab" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.iab.net/about_the_iab');" target="_blank" title="About the IAB">industry research</A> available to its members that can inspire companies to conduct their own research or repurpose the research they find that relates to their audience.</P><P>When done right, you could gorge on a content feast for the next six months with the data and analysis revealed from this type research.</P>Can become a revenue stream for your agency or business (MarketingProfs, eConsultancy)Established thought leadership in a crowded market (Gartner, Pew Research, HubSpot)Leverage research to drive customers and prospects to real-world events (Content Marketing World, MarketingProfs B2B Forum)Tacit endorsement for industry practitioners when compiled by impartial third parties (CMI, GigaOM)You can quantify meaningful engagement from your market research (Hubspot)Providing strategic industry research consistently builds your reputation, trustworthiness and, ultimately, your bottom line (CEB)Qualitative research takes unique skills and resourcesDirect line of sight ROI with research is not as likely compared to other content marketing metricsInitial research efforts, without history, may not be perceived as credible. It can take multiple reports to gain momentum.Your research is only as good as your premise. If your premise if flawed, your research could prove useless.<P>“The biggest opportunity corporate researchers have is to make sure our voices are heard within the organization. Not all organizations have ‘bought in’ to research and what it can do to save time, money and resources for the future growth of a company. Researchers who know how to demonstrate this value, while also selling what they do to gain buy-in from the top down, have the greatest opportunity.” Kassandra Barnes, Research & Content Manager, CareerBuilder</P><P>“RockYou® is investing in the development of the social gaming landscape and its growth as a powerful advertising medium. This <a href="http://www.socialgamesobserver.com/top-5-insights-about-social-gamers-rockyou-reveals-findings-6988" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.socialgamesobserver.com/top-5-insights-about-social-gamers-rockyou-reveals-findings-6988');" target="_blank" title="RockYou Research Study">study</A> enables us to better understand social gamers and their motivations and provide advertisers, agencies, and social game developers with actionable information they can leverage in a rapidly evolving social economy.” Julie Shumaker, SVP and GM of Media</P><P><B>Blackbaud & Content Marketing Institute</B></P><P>The Content Marketing Institute (CMI) and Blackbaud have released the findings from a first-time study that shows how nonprofit professionals in North America approach content marketing.</P><P><B>Getting it Right</B></P>Piggybacking on the highly successful B2C and B2B benchmarking surveys CMI has previously conductedResearch on how nonprofits distribute content helps justify their content marketing effortsAccompanied by a compelling <a href="https://www.blackbaud.com/nonprofit-resources/nonprofit-content-marketing-report-2013" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.blackbaud.com/nonprofit-resources/nonprofit-content-marketing-report-2013');" target="_blank" title="Blackbaud Nonprofit Resources">Infographic</A> created by Blackbaud, making the research eminently shareable across social platformsOffered in both PDF and slide deck creative for diverse consumer consumption<P><B>Kapost</B></P><P>Kapost, a content marketing software platform, developed a <a href="http://content.kapost.com/content-the-force" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/content.kapost.com/content-the-force');" target="_blank" title="Kapost eBook">41-page eBook</A> targeted at marketers. Surprise!</P><P><img alt="Kapost Report" class="size-full wp-image-16494 alignnone" height="530" src="/Kapost.jpg" width="469"></P><P><B>Getting it Right</B></P>Examines the new buyer’s journey and marketing’s new roleCreative execution with its comic book theme, giving readers a unique reason to shareProvides a side-by-side comparison of old-school vs. content-powered marketingSuveryed content marketing industry experts, such as Joe Pulizzi (Content Marketing Institute), Joe Chernov (Kinvey), Barabara Saxby (Accelent Consulting), Todd Wheatland (Kelly OCG) to derive recommended next steps<P><B>Jive</B></P><P>Social business solutions technology provider, <a title="Jive onclick=">Jive</A>, partnered with GigOm, a <a href="http://about.gigaom.com/" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/about.gigaom.com/');" target="_blank" title="About GigOM Research">new type of media company</A>, to identify how HR can embrace social business despite a distributed enterprise workforce.</P><P><img alt="GigaOm - Jive Research" class="size-full wp-image-16495 alignnone" height="203" src="/GigaOm-Jive-Research.png" width="300"></P><P><B>Getting it Right</B></P>White paper explores the current state of the workforcePartnering with independent third party, GigaOM Research, lends credibility to the researchPresenting research on social technology investments for HR give a reason to share the data across social platforms.<P>Photo credit: <a title="GigaOM onclick=">GigaOM</A></P><P>For the purposes of our online marketing audience, the following guidelines apply to conducting electronic surveys only.</P><STRONG>Conduct preliminary research</STRONG> – With automated survey software you can create multiple surveys to gather information. Start with questions that will give you actionable information. Your goals will determine what those questions should be.<STRONG>Determine your target audience</STRONG> – Customize your survey for your target group. If you’ve been segmenting your email list based on the minimum customer profile of existing, potential and leads. The language and tone may vary depending on where someone is in the customer life cycle.<STRONG>Keep the questions simple</STRONG> – Use simple straightforward language and keep them as short as possible. Avoid asking two pieces of information in one question, e.g. cost and quality. Break it into two shore simple questions, leading to better data.<STRONG>Prioritize question order</STRONG> – Start with personal questions that the respondent would most likely respond to from their own experience and work your way toward least-personalized questions once the respondent has warmed up.<STRONG>Use ample white space</STRONG> – If you’re using free online survey software, pay particular attention to the layout. Ideally, you want a survey that presents each question on its own individual page, taking advantage of the white space. It helps to have a progress bar, so respondents know where they are in the process and don’t feel overwhelmed by a long list of questions.<STRONG>Be transparent</STRONG> – Be honest with exactly how long the survey will take. I’ve exited out of surveys when I saw that the progress bar didn’t match my expectation for time allotted.<STRONG>Test before sending</STRONG> – Obviously, you want to check for spelling and grammar errors, but testing different email platforms is important as well. Send a survey to a small sample of your target audience. Feedback from the testers can provide invaluable insight, such as confusing questions illogical order and so on.<P>For a more detailed understanding of internet methodology, please see Conducting Research on the Internet: Online Survey Design, Development and Implementation Guidelines at <a title="Researchgate onclick=">ResearchGate.net</A>.</P><P>Does your organization use surveys or conduct research to create more insightful content for your audience?</P><P>If you like in-depth articles like this about content marketing, be sure to visit our <a href="http://www.toprankblog.com/2011/06/content-marketing-definition-tactics/" target="_blank" title="Content Marketing Tactic Definitions">index of content marketing tactics</A>.</P><P>Photo credit: <a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic.mhtml?id=110622887&src=id" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.shutterstock.com/pic.mhtml?id=110622887&src=id');" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Shutterstock</A></EM></P><a id="dd_end"></A><BR clear=all><BR clear=all><img alt="Loading ..." class="post-ratings-image" height="16" src="/loading.gif" title="Loading ..." width="16"> Loading ...<br /><p><a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OnlineMarketingSEOBlog/~3/_lW4jPeWv20/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a></p>

Content Marketing With Research and Surveys: Pros, Cons, Examples, Best Practices

All marketers need actionable insight to make important decisions. As the internet reaches a crescendo of voices all vying for their custom...

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Print Magazines for Content Marketing: Pros, Cons, Brand Examples and Best Practices

<a id="dd_start"></A><P><img alt="Print Magazines for Content Marketing" class="alignright size-full wp-image-16443" height="200" src="/print-magazines-content-marketing.jpg" width="300">Over 100 years ago, a tractor company set out to get the attention of farmers. They didn’t buy advertising or hire salesmen to go door-to-door. Instead, the John Deere Company created a custom print magazine, called The Furrow, designed to educate farmers on developing technology and trends in agriculture. With over 1.5 million copies currently in print and distribution in over 40 countries, this iconic company based in the heartland of America could be considered the <a href="http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2013/09/content-marketing-history-and-future/" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/contentmarketinginstitute.com/2013/09/content-marketing-history-and-future/');" target="_blank">first content marketer</A>.</P><P>While John Deere Company was an early, early adopter, for many years, print was the sole purview of magazine publishers.</P><P>Fast forward to today and while budgets are increasing for digital and content marketing online, (custom content spending on production and distribution rose to <a href="http://www.customcontentcouncil.com/news/nearly-44-billion-new-survey-shows-rise-content-marketing-budget" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.customcontentcouncil.com/news/nearly-44-billion-new-survey-shows-rise-content-marketing-budget');" target="_blank" title="Custom Content Spending 44 Billion Dollars">43.9 billion</A>) many brands are using print magazines as a way to engage customers in the offline world. The push to digital has positioned print as “<a href="http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2012/10/print-content-strategy/" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/contentmarketinginstitute.com/2012/10/print-content-strategy/');" target="_blank">non-traditional</A>” and some have even called print, “<a href="http://contently.com/strategist/2013/10/23/print-is-the-new-black/#!uiELP" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/contently.com/strategist/2013/10/23/print-is-the-new-black/#!uiELP');" target="_blank" title="Print is the New Black">the new black</A>”. In some industries like B2B Manufacturing, as many as <a href="http://www.business2community.com/content-marketing/how-manufacturers-are-managing-content-marketing-7-b2b-insights-0390990" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.business2community.com/content-marketing/how-manufacturers-are-managing-content-marketing-7-b2b-insights-0390990');" target="_blank">60% of companies</A> use print magazines as part of their marketing mix.</P><P>Why branded content and print magazines? According to a 2013 Custom Content Council study, customer education, retention and brand loyalty are the primary reasons brands are investing.</P><P>As marketers mature in their understanding of a target audience and their preferences for content discovery and consumption, the role of print magazines provide the story formats for topics that are important to customers.</P><P>However, a valuable piece of brand content doesn’t exist in a vacuum. In fact, custom content is such an effective medium for brands because it maps back to a broader narrative—<a href="http://www.toprankblog.com/2011/12/storytelling-persuasion-content-marketing/" target="_blank" title="Storytelling and Brand Persuasion">the story a brand is telling about itself</A>.</P><P>Essentially, content exists to tell a story, which is why, for the right business or brand, developing a print magazine as an offline component of their content marketing strategy offers a unique way to solidify its relationship with its audience while building brand equity.</P><P>The world of custom publishing and branded print magazines encompasses every niche, from members only to mainstream retailers to agriculture to luxury hotels.  There are currently over 85,000 custom titles in print across a variety of industries.</P><P><img alt="Food&Wine Brand Publisher Example" class="alignleft wp-image-16435" height="235" src="/FoodWinenew.jpg" width="180">With over 2 million consumers of <a href="http://www.amexpub.com/" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.amexpub.com/');" target="_blank" title="Amex Publishing">America Express Publishing</A> branded magazines and books, American Express is the forerunner of brand publishing with titles, such as Food&Wine, Travel+Leisure and Departures. What better way to engage with an upscale audience than with print products from the authority on upscale lifestyles?</P><P>20 million monthly shoppers in Canadian Walmart stores provide ample opportunity for Live Better, which has a print circulation of one million. Four Seasons Magazine claims a readership of 1.1 million in 36 countries, with the average reader boasting a net worth of $4 million. And counterculture favorite, Red Bull’s, The Red Bulletin, boasts 2.5 million monthly printed copies and claims to be one of the largest magazines in the world.</P><P>As the traditional magazine industry struggles to retain its footing in the Internet Age, custom publications offer an alternative way for brands to connect with their customers in a meaningful way. The content in branded magazines represents an opportunity for customers to explore a brand that they feel strongly about and one that they already connect with.</P><P>It’s about content in context: The branded print magazines that provide real value to readers will thrive even when traditional magazines may be struggling.</P>Opportunity to create something that is uncommon in today’s digital world and stand out in an overcrowded market of branded contentCreate a subscription based connection to consumers about topics that educate, retain and increase brand loyaltyPrint content can be repurposed online to work in concert with online editorial calendarsBrands don’t have to look too far to find quality content producers in their fields as a result of the sharp turnover in print journalism and the everlasting attraction of appearing in printFor the cost of a full page ad, an entire branded magazine can be producedThe cost of creating and distributing print magazines in comparison to many digital content marketing tactics can seem highGauging ROI can be tricky with no real metrics other than non-paid circulationManagement buy in may be hard to come by leading to early failure<P>“All media companies are only really competing for the one single non-renewable resource of our audience, which is their time. All of a sudden you have a Red Bull or a General Electric or an IBM, creating such compelling storytelling that you are sharing the time you had from your audience with these brands. That is the larger threat.” Raju Narisetti, vice president of strategy, News Corp</P><P>“Folks have been doing this for some time. “I think what is trending is that folks have put a name to a practice with ‘content marketing’, and they’re starting to pay attention to the successes that we and others have had.” David Jones, Publications Manager, The Furrow, the 119-year-old magazine from John Deere</P><P>“We feel that in the intimacy of our hotel rooms there is a good opportunity for our guests and a good opportunity for us. People have a lot of time, more time perhaps than they do at home to pick up a magazine. And so it’s an opportunity for guests to explore relevant content, and for us to strengthen our bond with customers.” Alexandra Blum, Director of Global Brand Partnerships for Fairmont Hotels and Resorts</P><P>“Why spend €40,000 a page to advertise in Vogue when, for the same amount of money, you can publish an entire magazine?” Alice Litscher, fashion communication professor at the Institut Français de la Mode, Paris</P><P>Most brands see print magazines as a vehicle to reinforce their brand without directly selling their products. Here are some of my favorites:</P><P><STRONG>LifeTime Fitness</STRONG> – <a href="https://www.lifetimefitness.com/en/programs-and-events/lifestyle/experience-life-magazine.html" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.lifetimefitness.com/en/programs-and-events/lifestyle/experience-life-magazine.html');" target="_blank">Experience Life</A></P><P><img alt="LifeTime Fitness Experience Life Magazine" class="wp-image-16436 alignnone" height="425" src="/Life-Time-Fitness-Experience-Life-Magazinenew.jpg" width="300"></P>Award-winning and paid subscription-based healthy-living publication published 10 times a year by Life Time Fitness, a nationwide fitness chainOffers a unique no-gimmicks, no-hype content designed to help people achieve your healthy-living goals<P><STRONG>Walmart</STRONG> – <a href="http://www.walmartlivebetter.ca/" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.walmartlivebetter.ca/');" target="_blank" title="Live Better - Walmart Canada">Live Better</A></P><P><img alt="Walmart Live Better Magazine" class="wp-image-16437 alignnone" height="226" src="/Walmart-Live-Betternew.jpg" width="300"></P>Each issue is filled with practical and inspiring ideas for Canadians who want to save money and live better.1 million copies of each issue are distributed free in Walmart Supercentres across English Canada.Featuring recipes and cooking tips, gorgeous home decor ideas, on-trend clothing and beauty looks to make shopping simplerThey’ve connected to top names in food, entertaining, health and wellness, beauty, fashion and interior design, rivaling any newsstand print publisher of shelter magazines.<P><STRONG>John Deere</STRONG> – <a href="http://www.deere.com/en_US/docs/html/brochures/publication.html?id=7cef5a26#1" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.deere.com/en_US/docs/html/brochures/publication.html?id=7cef5a26#1');" target="_blank" title="The Furrow">The Furrow</A></P><P><img alt="John Deere Magazine - The Furrow" class="size-full wp-image-16438 alignnone" height="398" src="/The-Furrow-John-Deere-Magazinenew.jpg" title="John Deere Magazine - The Furrow" width="300"></P>Back issues are fought over on eBay.At its peak in 1912, the magazine reached more than 4-million consumers.80 percent still prefer paper to electronic – regardless of their demographic, according to reader surveys.The magazine reaches 2 million globally, through the same John Deere network of dealers that distributed the original magazine.<P>Source: <a title="Contently onclick=">Contently</A></P><P><STRONG>Red Bull</STRONG> – <a href="http://www.redbullmediahouse.com/products-brands/print/the-red-bulletin.htmlhttp:/www.redbullusa.com/cs/Satellite/en_US/Red-Bulletin-Magazine-USA/001243243031120" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.redbullmediahouse.com/products-brands/print/the-red-bulletin.htmlhttp:/www.redbullusa.com/cs/Satellite/en_US/Red-Bulletin-Magazine-USA/001243243031120');" target="_blank" title="The Red Bulletin">The Red Bulletin</A></P><P><img alt="Red Bull Print Magazine The Red Bulletin" class="size-full wp-image-16440 alignnone" height="402" src="/Red-Bulletinnew.jpg" title="Red Bull Print Magazine " width="300"></P> 2.5 million monthly print copies in circulation monthlyPublished in Austria, France, Germany, Ireland, Gulf Region, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, Switzerland, UK, USA and BrazilLanguages served: English, German, French, Spanish and PortuguesFeatures stories full of action, sports, travel, culture and music, competing with any upscale lifestyle magazine on the market<P>These guidelines could easily be called a “style guide” because that is what most print publishers follow. Many brands also have “brand guidelines” that help maintain a consistent voice across multiple communication channels. Ultimately, the best practice is to use guidelines to support the brand’s identity and marketing goals.</P>Perform due diligence to understand if a print magazine will resonate with and achieve engagement goals with your customers.Be consistent across the brand but not identical across all channels. “Each channel has a unique audience, with distinct preferences for how they absorb information and respond to it,” says Elise Anthony, editorial director at D Custom in Dallas. That means a print magazine should offer complementary, not duplicate, content as found in the brand’s other content marketing tactics.With a target audience or group of customer segments in mind, identify the main themes, issues, topics and areas of focus that the magazine content calendar will cover, relevant to your customers. Content marketing answers customers’ questions and brand print magazines are no different.Feature relatively timeless, nationally or regionally-oriented content on topics to increase customer affinity.Use an existing style guide. Depending on your industry, the <a href="https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/717/01/" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/717/01/');" target="_blank" title="Chicago Manual of Style">Chicago Manual of Style</A> is the go-to source for writers, editors and publishers since 1906 (my preferred style guide) or the <a href="http://www.apstylebook.com/" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.apstylebook.com/');" target="_blank" title="AP Style Book">AP Stylebook</A>, the journalist’s bible, not to be confused with the APA Style®, which is the manual of the American Psychological Association. Both will serve you well in establishing rules for grammar, citing sources, and so on. Once you choose, don’t mix the two which will only create confusion.Establish an internal style guide. Every company has a unique language and/or preference in how they describe their product or service. Industry jargon needs to be spelled out as well as punctuation and capitalization that may be different from the external style guide you’re using. Make the differences clear.Define your tone and voice. This can be tricky. Give explicit examples of how to write in your preferred tone. Include sample copy, so that any new writer or editor is clear on what’s expected.There are a lot of stakeholders inside and outside the company involved in creating a print magazine. Understandably, marketers are reluctant to widely share brand strategies and propriety research. Distill the guidelines into useful principles while avoiding proprietary information—and then have everyone involved sign non-disclosure agreements.Keep your visuals consistent. You want to be sure that the visual content reflects your brand’s voice. This includes fonts, color, layout, and so on.Integrate with online channels. Either create an online version of the magazine or cross promote magazine content to current digital publishing channels, such as a blog and social networks.Establish a governance process that identifies who is responsible for keeping content up to date and aligned with the brand to guard against brand “drift” as creative teams explore fresh ideas.Implement a system that enables all content for the print magazine to be submitted electronically and reviewed by the brand team as they are created.Ensure that every print page includes a call to action, such as a unique 800- number or distinct URL to track behavior from your magazine.Remember traditional marketing and PR. Tease your social networks and customer community as well as industry bloggers and media about your new magazine. Build buzz and excitement for the launch.Track and listen to your readers and subscribers as it echoes via social spaces, communities, sharing, peer-to-peer communication and word of mouth.<P>With the rise and success of <a href="http://www.toprankblog.com/2014/01/native-advertising/">native advertising</A> within existing publications, more brands will look for alternative means to create their own publishing empires with which to attract and engage their customers.</P><P>Print magazines are not appropriate for all brands, but for those where storytelling and lifestyle content is essential for customer engagement, print offers a unique opportunity to “own” vs. “rent” their native advertising.  Some brand publishers, like Red Bull, are even transforming themselves into a full-fledged media company.</P><P>Whatever route you take, whether it’s a special yearly edition or a members-only print publication, print magazines are another way to cater to your customer’s special interests while creating an intimate relationship with the reader.</P><P>Has your company ever considered publishing a print magazine? Which print magazines from brands do you read?</P><P>If you like in-depth articles like this about content marketing, be sure to visit our <a href="http://www.toprankblog.com/2011/06/content-marketing-definition-tactics/">index of content marketing tactics</A>.</P><P>Photo credit: <a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic.mhtml?id=104378648&src=id" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.shutterstock.com/pic.mhtml?id=104378648&src=id');" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Shutterstock</A></EM></P><a id="dd_end"></A><BR clear=all><BR clear=all><img alt="Loading ..." class="post-ratings-image" height="16" src="/loading.gif" title="Loading ..." width="16"> Loading ...<br /><p><a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OnlineMarketingSEOBlog/~3/JLGJj0Iajxw/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a></p>

Print Magazines for Content Marketing: Pros, Cons, Brand Examples and Best Practices

Over 100 years ago, a tractor company set out to get the attention of farmers. They didn’t buy advertising or hire salesmen to go door-to-d...

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Podcasting: Storytelling for the 21st Century – Pros, Cons, Examples and Best Practices

<a id="dd_start"></A><P><img alt="Podcasting for Content Marketing" class="alignright size-full wp-image-16411" height="340" src="/Podcasting-for-Content-Marketingnew.jpg" title="Podcasting for Content Marketing" width="340">The human voice can convey much more meaning through tone and inflection than the printed word ever can. It’s why millions of Americans sat, fixated, during the Golden Age of Radio – listening to everything from adventure, comedy and drama to classical music concerts, news and farm reports.</P><P>As broadcast radio gave way to television, television to cable and cable relinquishing to the internet of everything, it comes as no surprise to content marketers that, spurred by technological advancements, broadcast radio has come full circle with podcasting and represents a <a href="http://www.toprankblog.com/2012/09/storytelling-b2b-marketing/" target="_blank" title="Storytelling">new platform for storytelling</A>.</P><P>The average podcast listener stays connected for 22 minutes on average (<a title="Sticher onclick=">Sticher</A>). This is one of the reasons why including podcasting as part of a long form content marketing strategy is so powerful. You have the opportunity to build a deep, rich relationship with your target audience</EM>.</P><P><STRONG>Research agrees that podcasting is hitting it’s stride</STRONG>. Podcasting has hit mainstream America, according to <a href="http://www.edisonresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Edison_Research_Arbitron_Infinite_Dial_2013.pdf" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.edisonresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Edison_Research_Arbitron_Infinite_Dial_2013.pdf');" target="_blank" title="Edison Research">Edison Research</A>. [PDF] Online radio is being consumed by millions of Americans on a regular basis with nearly half of all Americans surveyed familiar with the term “podcasting.” Stats on podcasting you may be interested in:</P>32 million people listened to a podcast in the last monthMore than ¼ of weekly podcast users consume 6 or more podcasts a week6% of Americans over the age of 12 listened exclusively to online radio in the past week.Video podcast listeners = 22%; audio podcast listeners = 27%44% of smartphone users have listened to online radio; 18% listen daily29% have used iPod/MP3 players for in-car media consumption12 hours/week on average people report time spent with all sources of online radio – double what it was in 2003<P>The growth of podcast outlets and overall distribution (Apple’s iTunes app just surpassed 1 billion subscriptions for podcasts), means podcasting has become a substantial channel where buyers consume digital content.</P><P><B>Wait A Minute, What is Podcasting?</B></P><P>Before we get deep into podcasting as a content marketing tool, let’s take a step back for our readers that are not familiar.</P><P>Podcasting represents a digital evolution of radio broadcasting, involving making one or more audio or video files that are released episodically and often downloaded through internet syndication and in MP3 format (but does not include music or movie downloads).</P><P>Podcasting offers a clear and concise way for marketers and brands to communicate their value proposition to a captive audience. For our on-the-go culture, the on-demand feature of podcasting lets businesses and brands tell their story anywhere anytime, helping them establish authority in their industry and creating brand advocates along the way.</P><P>While attracting a large audience isn’t immediate, unless you’re a comedian, podcasting can be a powerful medium to communicate a range of ideas, products and information to a niche audience.</P><P>One of the most outstanding features of a podcast is that it allows people to subscribe. With RSS feed syndication, your audience is alerted when a new podcast is available, eliminating the need to implement a new marketing campaign.</P><P>You can use podcasting to further engage with your customers and prospects by providing a dedicated email address associated with your podcast so people can respond directly to the content. Then, create an upcoming episode answering questions or addressing feedback you’ve received. Many podcast hosting platforms or aggregators allow comments. You can use that feedback to create new content down the road.</P><P>In addition, podcasting can easily be integrated under your company’s social media umbrella. Blog posts can be enhanced with podcasts for readers who prefer audio then both can be cross-promoted through various social media channels.</P><P>When you want to connect with your customers on a more personal level, sound allows the listener to hear the emotion behind the words.</P><P>Whatever you might have thought about podcasting in the past, it’s back. <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/talkingtech/2013/08/15/podcast-explosion/2647963/" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/talkingtech/2013/08/15/podcast-explosion/2647963/');" target="_blank">And it’s booming</A>.</P><P>“Our culture is so niche-oriented now, you don’t need 3 million people to listen to your podcast. If 10,000 people listen, which isn’t a hard number to achieve, then you can do something with that; you can build a community, and literally change the world, just recording into a recorder.” Chris Hardwick, comedian, Nerdist podcast</P><P>New apps to listen to podcasts directly beyond iTunes, including TuneIn Radio, SoundCloud, Stitcher and iHeartRadio “gave podcasts an entirely new audience.” Allen Weiner, analyst Gartner</P><P>Podcasting is still a “small portion of overall listening, but we need to invest in it. We need to be wherever consumers are.” Brian Lakamp, president of digital, Clear Channel</P>Engage with captive audience. Most podcasts are consumed while your customer’s commuting.Build brand awareness. Offering regular long form content keeps people connecting with your brand.Increase community engagement. By socializing your podcast, you can expand your reach by leveraging social sharing functionality.Improve find-ability. Adding metadata opens up avenues to attract new customers or prospects who may be listening to podcasts in your niche.You can increase awareness by integrating your podcasts into blog posts with accompanying text to extend your content reach.Helps with SEO. By distributing through RSS feeds, emails and your blog, others can embed the link on their site and the podcast can easily be shared.Bandwidth can be costly.<a href="http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2012/12/measure-value-content-marketing-podcasts/" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/contentmarketinginstitute.com/2012/12/measure-value-content-marketing-podcasts/');" target="_blank" title="Measuring Value of Podcasting">Can be hard to track ROI</A>.If you have limited resources for creating compelling content on a regular basis, you’ll lose your audience quickly.It may be difficult to get buy-in from internal stakeholders.You can’t fake enthusiasm. Make sure the person podcasting is passionate.<P><STRONG><a href="http://yarncraft.lionbrand.com/" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/yarncraft.lionbrand.com/');" target="_blank" title="Yarn Craft Podcast">Yarn Craft</A></STRONG> - YarnCraft is for people who knit, crochet and craft with yarn. They refer to themselves as the “Car Talk” for knitters and crocheters. They broadcast information twice a month to inspire listeners about the possibilities that yarncrafting offers. This podcast is the brainchild of 130-year old Lion Brand Yarn Company, America’s oldest hand knitting yarn brand. Who better to spin a story than a yarn brand!</P><P><STRONG><a href="http://www.spreaker.com/user/oraclesocial" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.spreaker.com/user/oraclesocial');" target="_blank" title="Oracle Social">Oracle</A></STRONG> – Oracle presents the latest happenings in the galaxy of social marketing and social technology.</P><P><STRONG><a href="http://www.ibm.com/ibm/syndication/podcasts/" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.ibm.com/ibm/syndication/podcasts/');" target="_blank" title="IBM Podcasts">IBM</A></STRONG> – Listen to IBM information with various syndicated podcasts. Keep up with the latest from business consulting to technology news, from storage and software to information from IBM DeveloperWorks.</P><P><STRONG><a href="http://www.marketo.com/podcasts/" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.marketo.com/podcasts/');" target="_blank" title="Marketo Podcasts">Marketo</A></STRONG> – Your weekly destination for all things digital marketing – email, social, web, mobile, search, direct mail – and where it’s all headed. Every week, Marketo’s Digital Marketing Evangelist, DJ Waldow, chats with the sharpest minds in the industry – anyone who thinks, eats, breathes or has a smart point of view about marketing.</P><P><STRONG><a href="http://www.thebeancast.com/" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.thebeancast.com/');" target="_blank" title="The BeanCast Podcast">The BeanCast</A></STRONG> – Bob Knorpp is a one man podcasting band. He interviews thought leaders, journalists, CMOs, bloggers, authors and more. They gather weekly to have the definitive discussion on the latest news and trends in marketing. He’s used this platform to grow his personal brand, resulting in consulting jobs and a regular fixture on FOX news.</P><P><STRONG><a href="http://podcasts.thoughtbot.com/giantrobots" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/podcasts.thoughtbot.com/giantrobots');" target="_blank" title="Giant Robots Podcast">Giant Robots</A></STRONG> – The Giant Robots Smashing into Other Giant Robots podcast is a weekly technical podcast discussing development, design, and the business of software development. The host is joined each week by developers and designers from thoughtbot, a web design firm, and beyond.</P>Review discussions on social media and blogs to discover what your audience may be interested in. Create profiles of typical listeners to inform podcast content.Share your knowledge and enthusiasm for the topic. Do not risk alienating your audience by giving a sales pitch or reading from a script.Stay up-to-date with what your audience is discussing within your subject area. Consistently listening to the social conversation will help uncover questions and hot topics.As with any content piece, think about ways you can repurpose content to create a podcast. If you’ve written an e-book that generated a lot of interest, interview the people you quoted.Check out the competition. You want to differentiate yourself from comparable podcasts. Think of ways you can improve on their format and provide your unique point of view.Length and frequency are dependent on the time you have available to plan, record, edit and promote each episode. Creating quality long form content takes time, so be realistic with your timeline. Once you’ve established a frequency, stick to it or your listeners won’t.Choose a format that’s right for you. This could be a discussion of current industry news and advice, an interview with an industry thought leader or an educational series. Whether the podcast is pre-recorded or broadcast live, once decided on the format, it’s best to remain consistent.Plan your content to keep it dynamic and focused but not so tightly planned that the podcast sounds unnatural. Writing a broad outline as you would if you were giving a speech will guard against reading the script.Include links to other resources that help your listeners research the topic further.Be sure to provide real value in every episode you publish. That way your subscribers will continue to tune in and recommend your podcast to their own networks.<P>Starting a podcast program may not require much money anymore, but the time and effort needed to develop a great podcast is significant. When done well and consistently, however, podcasts can expand your sphere of influence to a highly attentive audience, enhancing your online brand.</P><P>For additional resources on podcasting, be sure to check out: <a href="http://podcastanswerman.com/" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/podcastanswerman.com/');" target="_blank">Cliff Ravenscraft</A>, <a href="http://thepodcastersstudio.com/" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/thepodcastersstudio.com/');" target="_blank">Podcaster’s Studio</A>.</P><P>There’s a litany of marketing topic podcasts available, including the Marketing Smarts <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/marketing-smarts-from-marketingprofs/id468650101?mt=2" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/marketing-smarts-from-marketingprofs/id468650101?mt=2');" target="_blank">podcast</A> from MarketingProfs, Content Marketing Institute’s PnR This Old Marketing <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pnr-this-old-marketing-joe/id760760485?mt=2" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pnr-this-old-marketing-joe/id760760485?mt=2');" target="_blank">podcast</A>, and the Social Media Marketing <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/social-media-marketing-podcast/id549899114?mt=2" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/social-media-marketing-podcast/id549899114?mt=2');" target="_blank">podcast</A> from Michael Stelzner of Social Media Examiner.</P><P><STRONG>Does podcasting look like a fit for your content marketing strategy? What are your favorite marketing podcasts?</STRONG></P><P>If you like this article and want to learn more about various content marketing tactics, be sure to visit the <a href="http://www.toprankblog.com/2011/06/content-marketing-definition-tactics/">index of tactics articles</A> here.</P><P>Photo credit: <a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-96778864/stock-photo-a-creative-cellphone-with-headphones-isolated-on-white-portable-audio-concept.html?src=ZI5qUZBmxy-YnwGILGr5rQ-1-9" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.shutterstock.com/pic-96778864/stock-photo-a-creative-cellphone-with-headphones-isolated-on-white-portable-audio-concept.html?src=ZI5qUZBmxy-YnwGILGr5rQ-1-9');" target="_blank" title="Podcasting for Content Marketing">Shutterstock</A></EM></P><a id="dd_end"></A><BR clear=all><BR clear=all><img alt="Loading ..." class="post-ratings-image" height="16" src="/loading.gif" title="Loading ..." width="16"> Loading ...<br /><p><a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OnlineMarketingSEOBlog/~3/k4yB80SZmBY/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a></p>

Podcasting: Storytelling for the 21st Century – Pros, Cons, Examples and Best Practices

The human voice can convey much more meaning through tone and inflection than the printed word ever can. It’s why millions of Americans sat...

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Content Marketing With Real-World Events: Pros, Cons, Examples and Best Practices

<a id="dd_start"></A><P><img alt="Lee Odden" class="alignright size-full wp-image-16491" height="244" src="/leeodden-speaking-seslondon13.jpg" width="300">Conferences, symposiums, summits, trade shows, roundtables and world expos. From intimate, invitation-only events to sprawling Las Vegas-style exhibit halls, most of us have attended at least one industry-specific event.</P><P>While the business value has been debated off and on over the years, and it was predicted that webinars and other digital forms of online training would eventually replace live events, there is just no substitute for face time when you want to establish rapport with people who share your interests and business goals.</P><P>As content marketing strategy continues to gain momentum, an interesting phenomenon is occurring – real-world, in-person events are starting to edge out trendier content tactics, like video. In fact, according to <a href="http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/research/" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/contentmarketinginstitute.com/research/');" target="_blank" title="Content Marketing Research">Content Marketing Institute</A>, in-person events have been ranked as the most effective content marketing tactic over the past four years by B2B marketers.</P><P>This should come as no surprise when you consider all the pre- and post-event marketing opportunities.</P><P>The ability to deliver information in a variety of formats makes real-world events a content marketer’s dream. All it takes is some planning and an understanding of your target audiences preferred consumption patterns.</P><P>Content marketing channels around an industry conference or trade show abound, from pre-event storytelling through interviews and articles written by speakers in advance and from <a href="http://www.toprankblog.com/2011/10/live-blogging-tips-from-blogchat/">live blogging</A> to creating <a href="http://www.toprankblog.com/2013/02/inside-nasasocial-social-media-advocates/" target="_blank" title="Inside NASA Social">social media advocates</A> during and afterward.</P><P>Regular readers of this blog know how generous Lee is with sharing his online marketing expertise. Often, he takes this one step further with a play-by-play of tactics he employs to get the most ROI from many content marketing tactics.</P><P>Last year, preceding Content Marketing World’s annual conference, he laid it all out for readers, whether you were attending, speaking or sponsoring. We’ve republished his tips here:</P><P><B>Before the event:</B></P>Write headlines, descriptions, tags and make trackable short URLs.Pre-write tweets, updates and decide on a hashtag.Submit your session to event listing sites; create events on Facebook and LinkedIn.Create a contest or buzz around your presentation to inspire others to tell their networks.Issue an optimized press release.Schedule interviews with media attending the event and/or local media.Connect with other speakers in advance.Create a teaser for your presentation.Announce your event attendance through email and your social channels.When you meet people before your presentation, don’t be shy about sharing when you are speaking.Create a check-in notice on Foursquare inviting people to attend your session.<P><B>During the event:</B></P>Create content the audience can participate with. I like to take photos of the audience and post. to our Facebook page so they can tag themselves.Use tweetable, shareable content in your presentation.Give something away to motivate desired behaviors like asking questions.Always include a report or fulfillment piece in your thank you page.Have someone on your team monitoring tweets and buzz during your presentation. Interact as appropriate.<P><B>After the event:</B></P>Curate buzz about the presentation into a blog post and/or newsroom post.Follow up on questions asked and fulfillment deliverables.Connect with new contacts through appropriate social channels.Thank the conference for having you.If you were on a panel, thank the panelists and moderator.Thank any live bloggers that covered your session.Use media coverage from the event in your newsroom, corporate email and other communications.Builds your brandEstablishes thought leadershipInspires confidence in your employeesCited as a <a href="http://www.business2community.com/online-marketing/5-ways-to-triple-your-event-roi-through-your-contact-database-0285363" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.business2community.com/online-marketing/5-ways-to-triple-your-event-roi-through-your-contact-database-0285363');" target="_blank" title="5 Ways to Triple Your Event ROI">primary source of qualified B2B leads</A>.Drives social media engagement and amplificationMay garner attention of mainstream media and industry bloggersThere are costs involved: travel, event attendance feesTime to plan and/or attend may be make it hard to justify ROIPerceived as a sales tactic and not part of an overall content marketing strategy<P>“As event marketing naysayers continue raising this channel’s disadvantages, more than 4 out of every 10 B2B marketers are tapping into the opportunities from event-based prospecting.” Business 2 Community<STRONG></STRONG></P><P>“92 percent agreed that experiential marketing builds brand awareness and brand relationships.” Destination CRM<STRONG></STRONG></P><P>“A total of 84 percent of the event marketing executives surveyed believe events and experiential marketing are either ‘very important/critical’ or ‘important’ to their organizations—and driving this perception are sales and revenue.” Expo Web<STRONG></STRONG></P><P>“When asked to list the top three marketing elements for accelerating and deepening relationships, event marketing led at 64 percent, followed by social marketing at 55 percent and Web marketing at 54 percent.” Event Marketing Institute</P><P><B>Ted Talks</B></P><P>Ted Talks grasped the power of content from the start, as evidenced by its mantra: “ideas worth spreading.”</P><P><img alt="Ted Talks Infographic" class="alignleft wp-image-16487" height="431" src="/Ted-Talks.jpg" title="Ted Talks Infographic" width="497"></P>They have developed and executed one of the most highly integrated content platforms aroundNot only does each Tedx showcase their brand, it also establishes its equity and delivers on its brand promiseAt 150 million and growing, they’ve attracted one of the largest army of brand evangelists in the world. See <a href="http://www.dr4ward.com/dr4ward/2012/11/how-well-do-ted-talks-spread-ideas-worth-sharing-infographic.html" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.dr4ward.com/dr4ward/2012/11/how-well-do-ted-talks-spread-ideas-worth-sharing-infographic.html');" target="_blank" title="Ted Talks Infographic">this infographic</A>.<P><B>Apple</B></P><P>Apple is another early advocate of face-to-face events, understanding how the tactic would showcase their content.</P><P><img alt="Apple Live Event" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-16486" height="242" src="/apple-live-event-sept-12-2012.jpg" title="Apple Live Event" width="320"></P>Seen as the lynchpin of their marketing efforts, eagerly anticipated by management and experienced by every employee in a standing-room-only cafeteriaIt’s not just an event but also a golden marketing opportunity to engage and sustain his target audienceSteve Jobs personally oversaw the content strategy, content creation and integrated marketing efforts to forge deeper, more sustained connections with an audience of both consumers and employees.<P>Photo credit: <a href="http://www.cybereddie.gr/2012_09_01_archive.html" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.cybereddie.gr/2012_09_01_archive.html');" target="_blank" title="Creative Commons">Creative Commons</A></P><P>Even if you’re not as big a brand as Apple, you can create powerful content marketing from your organization’s own events or from those you attend. Here’s how:</P><P><B>Record the speaker’s presentation at the event.</B> Most conference organizers are set up for audio, but, as a backup, travel with your own microphone that you can connect to your own digital recorder. Content marketing output: white papers, articles, blog posts, podcasts</P><P><B>Tip:</B> Post the original text transcript along with the audio files, so that the keywords appearing in the content is discoverable through search engines.</P><P><B>Capture the presentation on video.</B> Break down the video into its most relevant highlights. Content marketing output: Create a demo reel and post on website or blog.</P><P>Send it to relevant industry thought leaders and journalists. Post on YouTube. Take a still screen shot and use it on your social media profiles establishing yourself as a thought leader and letting your connections know you’re on the speaking circuit.</P><P><B>Tip:</B> A wireless microphone synched to a pickup on the camera will produce a better sound than the camera’s microphone.</P><P><B>Create a graphic representation of the talk.</B> Repurpose the slide deck as a stand-alone, such as a SlideShare presentation which can also be posted to your LinkedIn profile to demonstrate your expertise.</P><P><B>Tip:</B> Include diagrams, photographs or other images that will add clarity to the presentation, since information shared outside of the original context may be confusing. Graphics can also help break up long blocks of text.</P><P><B>Create engaging emails about the event.</B> Whether it’s your company owned event or one you are speaking at, giving event details a prominent spot in your email content will help drive attendance and engagement.</P><P><B>Tip:</B> Plan for event-related content after the conference, such as follow up posts, news mentions, satisfaction ratings or pictures of attendees to generate excitement for your next event.</P><P><B>Treat your speaking calendar as content.</B> Posting event listings where you will be speaking either in an online calendar or as a graphic on your website gives prospective attendees an idea of the content you will be delivering at the event. At the same time, you can show clients or prospects the rich variety and robust quantity of events listed, further establishing your expertise.</P><P><B>Tip:</B> Treat event listings as you would any other piece of content: optimize them for search and announce them across multiple platforms. Include structured data on your events listing page to <a href="https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/164506?hl=en" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/support.google.com/webmasters/answer/164506?hl=en');" target="_blank" title="Leverage Rich Snippets">leverage rich snippets in Google</A>.</P><P>The power of attending or hosting real-world events transcends their content marketing value. Meeting people in person adds richness to your online relationships, exposes you to new clients and can lend itself to establishing new alliances.</P><P>All businesses have the opportunity to create a content platform and use events to extend and deepen customer engagement. This is the real value and ROI of events.</P><P><B>What have you taken away from the last conference or trade show you attended or sponsored?</B></P><P>If you like in-depth articles like this about content marketing, be sure to visit our <a href="http://www.toprankblog.com/2011/06/content-marketing-definition-tactics/" target="_blank" title="Content Marketing Tactic Definitions">index of content marketing tactics</A>.</P><P>Photo credit: <a title="Shutterstock onclick=">Shutterstock</A></EM></P><a id="dd_end"></A><BR clear=all><BR clear=all><img alt="Loading ..." class="post-ratings-image" height="16" src="/loading.gif" title="Loading ..." width="16"> Loading ...<br /><p><a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OnlineMarketingSEOBlog/~3/OnkoRmIFJcI/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a></p>

Content Marketing With Real-World Events: Pros, Cons, Examples and Best Practices

Conferences, symposiums, summits, trade shows, roundtables and world expos. From intimate, invitation-only events to sprawling Las Vegas-st...

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Podcasting: Storytelling for the 21st Century – Pros, Cons, Examples and Best Practices

<a id="dd_start"></A><P><img alt="Podcasting for Content Marketing" class="alignright size-full wp-image-16411" height="340" src="/Podcasting-for-Content-Marketingnew.jpg" title="Podcasting for Content Marketing" width="340">The human voice can convey much more meaning through tone and inflection than the printed word ever can. It’s why millions of Americans sat, fixated, during the Golden Age of Radio – listening to everything from adventure, comedy and drama to classical music concerts, news and farm reports.</P><P>As broadcast radio gave way to television, television to cable and cable relinquishing to the internet of everything, it comes as no surprise to content marketers that, spurred by technological advancements, broadcast radio has come full circle with podcasting and represents a <a href="http://www.toprankblog.com/2012/09/storytelling-b2b-marketing/" target="_blank" title="Storytelling">new platform for storytelling</A>.</P><P>The average podcast listener stays connected for 22 minutes on average (<a title="Sticher onclick=">Sticher</A>). This is one of the reasons why including podcasting as part of a long form content marketing strategy is so powerful. You have the opportunity to build a deep, rich relationship with your target audience</EM>.</P><P><STRONG>Research agrees that podcasting is hitting it’s stride</STRONG>. Podcasting has hit mainstream America, according to <a href="http://www.edisonresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Edison_Research_Arbitron_Infinite_Dial_2013.pdf" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.edisonresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Edison_Research_Arbitron_Infinite_Dial_2013.pdf');" target="_blank" title="Edison Research">Edison Research</A>. [PDF] Online radio is being consumed by millions of Americans on a regular basis with nearly half of all Americans surveyed familiar with the term “podcasting.” Stats on podcasting you may be interested in:</P>32 million people listened to a podcast in the last monthMore than ¼ of weekly podcast users consume 6 or more podcasts a week6% of Americans over the age of 12 listened exclusively to online radio in the past week.Video podcast listeners = 22%; audio podcast listeners = 27%44% of smartphone users have listened to online radio; 18% listen daily29% have used iPod/MP3 players for in-car media consumption12 hours/week on average people report time spent with all sources of online radio – double what it was in 2003<P>The growth of podcast outlets and overall distribution (Apple’s iTunes app just surpassed 1 billion subscriptions for podcasts), means podcasting has become a substantial channel where buyers consume digital content.</P><P><B>Wait A Minute, What is Podcasting?</B></P><P>Before we get deep into podcasting as a content marketing tool, let’s take a step back for our readers that are not familiar.</P><P>Podcasting represents a digital evolution of radio broadcasting, involving making one or more audio or video files that are released episodically and often downloaded through internet syndication and in MP3 format (but does not include music or movie downloads).</P><P>Podcasting offers a clear and concise way for marketers and brands to communicate their value proposition to a captive audience. For our on-the-go culture, the on-demand feature of podcasting lets businesses and brands tell their story anywhere anytime, helping them establish authority in their industry and creating brand advocates along the way.</P><P>While attracting a large audience isn’t immediate, unless you’re a comedian, podcasting can be a powerful medium to communicate a range of ideas, products and information to a niche audience.</P><P>One of the most outstanding features of a podcast is that it allows people to subscribe. With RSS feed syndication, your audience is alerted when a new podcast is available, eliminating the need to implement a new marketing campaign.</P><P>You can use podcasting to further engage with your customers and prospects by providing a dedicated email address associated with your podcast so people can respond directly to the content. Then, create an upcoming episode answering questions or addressing feedback you’ve received. Many podcast hosting platforms or aggregators allow comments. You can use that feedback to create new content down the road.</P><P>In addition, podcasting can easily be integrated under your company’s social media umbrella. Blog posts can be enhanced with podcasts for readers who prefer audio then both can be cross-promoted through various social media channels.</P><P>When you want to connect with your customers on a more personal level, sound allows the listener to hear the emotion behind the words.</P><P>Whatever you might have thought about podcasting in the past, it’s back. <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/talkingtech/2013/08/15/podcast-explosion/2647963/" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/talkingtech/2013/08/15/podcast-explosion/2647963/');" target="_blank">And it’s booming</A>.</P><P>“Our culture is so niche-oriented now, you don’t need 3 million people to listen to your podcast. If 10,000 people listen, which isn’t a hard number to achieve, then you can do something with that; you can build a community, and literally change the world, just recording into a recorder.” Chris Hardwick, comedian, Nerdist podcast</P><P>New apps to listen to podcasts directly beyond iTunes, including TuneIn Radio, SoundCloud, Stitcher and iHeartRadio “gave podcasts an entirely new audience.” Allen Weiner, analyst Gartner</P><P>Podcasting is still a “small portion of overall listening, but we need to invest in it. We need to be wherever consumers are.” Brian Lakamp, president of digital, Clear Channel</P>Engage with captive audience. Most podcasts are consumed while your customer’s commuting.Build brand awareness. Offering regular long form content keeps people connecting with your brand.Increase community engagement. By socializing your podcast, you can expand your reach by leveraging social sharing functionality.Improve find-ability. Adding metadata opens up avenues to attract new customers or prospects who may be listening to podcasts in your niche.You can increase awareness by integrating your podcasts into blog posts with accompanying text to extend your content reach.Helps with SEO. By distributing through RSS feeds, emails and your blog, others can embed the link on their site and the podcast can easily be shared.Bandwidth can be costly.<a href="http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2012/12/measure-value-content-marketing-podcasts/" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/contentmarketinginstitute.com/2012/12/measure-value-content-marketing-podcasts/');" target="_blank" title="Measuring Value of Podcasting">Can be hard to track ROI</A>.If you have limited resources for creating compelling content on a regular basis, you’ll lose your audience quickly.It may be difficult to get buy-in from internal stakeholders.You can’t fake enthusiasm. Make sure the person podcasting is passionate.<P><STRONG><a href="http://yarncraft.lionbrand.com/" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/yarncraft.lionbrand.com/');" target="_blank" title="Yarn Craft Podcast">Yarn Craft</A></STRONG> - YarnCraft is for people who knit, crochet and craft with yarn. They refer to themselves as the “Car Talk” for knitters and crocheters. They broadcast information twice a month to inspire listeners about the possibilities that yarncrafting offers. This podcast is the brainchild of 130-year old Lion Brand Yarn Company, America’s oldest hand knitting yarn brand. Who better to spin a story than a yarn brand!</P><P><STRONG><a href="http://www.spreaker.com/user/oraclesocial" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.spreaker.com/user/oraclesocial');" target="_blank" title="Oracle Social">Oracle</A></STRONG> – Oracle presents the latest happenings in the galaxy of social marketing and social technology.</P><P><STRONG><a href="http://www.ibm.com/ibm/syndication/podcasts/" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.ibm.com/ibm/syndication/podcasts/');" target="_blank" title="IBM Podcasts">IBM</A></STRONG> – Listen to IBM information with various syndicated podcasts. Keep up with the latest from business consulting to technology news, from storage and software to information from IBM DeveloperWorks.</P><P><STRONG><a href="http://www.marketo.com/podcasts/" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.marketo.com/podcasts/');" target="_blank" title="Marketo Podcasts">Marketo</A></STRONG> – Your weekly destination for all things digital marketing – email, social, web, mobile, search, direct mail – and where it’s all headed. Every week, Marketo’s Digital Marketing Evangelist, DJ Waldow, chats with the sharpest minds in the industry – anyone who thinks, eats, breathes or has a smart point of view about marketing.</P><P><STRONG><a href="http://www.thebeancast.com/" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.thebeancast.com/');" target="_blank" title="The BeanCast Podcast">The BeanCast</A></STRONG> – Bob Knorpp is a one man podcasting band. He interviews thought leaders, journalists, CMOs, bloggers, authors and more. They gather weekly to have the definitive discussion on the latest news and trends in marketing. He’s used this platform to grow his personal brand, resulting in consulting jobs and a regular fixture on FOX news.</P><P><STRONG><a href="http://podcasts.thoughtbot.com/giantrobots" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/podcasts.thoughtbot.com/giantrobots');" target="_blank" title="Giant Robots Podcast">Giant Robots</A></STRONG> – The Giant Robots Smashing into Other Giant Robots podcast is a weekly technical podcast discussing development, design, and the business of software development. The host is joined each week by developers and designers from thoughtbot, a web design firm, and beyond.</P>Review discussions on social media and blogs to discover what your audience may be interested in. Create profiles of typical listeners to inform podcast content.Share your knowledge and enthusiasm for the topic. Do not risk alienating your audience by giving a sales pitch or reading from a script.Stay up-to-date with what your audience is discussing within your subject area. Consistently listening to the social conversation will help uncover questions and hot topics.As with any content piece, think about ways you can repurpose content to create a podcast. If you’ve written an e-book that generated a lot of interest, interview the people you quoted.Check out the competition. You want to differentiate yourself from comparable podcasts. Think of ways you can improve on their format and provide your unique point of view.Length and frequency are dependent on the time you have available to plan, record, edit and promote each episode. Creating quality long form content takes time, so be realistic with your timeline. Once you’ve established a frequency, stick to it or your listeners won’t.Choose a format that’s right for you. This could be a discussion of current industry news and advice, an interview with an industry thought leader or an educational series. Whether the podcast is pre-recorded or broadcast live, once decided on the format, it’s best to remain consistent.Plan your content to keep it dynamic and focused but not so tightly planned that the podcast sounds unnatural. Writing a broad outline as you would if you were giving a speech will guard against reading the script.Include links to other resources that help your listeners research the topic further.Be sure to provide real value in every episode you publish. That way your subscribers will continue to tune in and recommend your podcast to their own networks.<P>Starting a podcast program may not require much money anymore, but the time and effort needed to develop a great podcast is significant. When done well and consistently, however, podcasts can expand your sphere of influence to a highly attentive audience, enhancing your online brand.</P><P>For additional resources on podcasting, be sure to check out: <a href="http://podcastanswerman.com/" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/podcastanswerman.com/');" target="_blank">Cliff Ravenscraft</A>, <a href="http://thepodcastersstudio.com/" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/thepodcastersstudio.com/');" target="_blank">Podcaster’s Studio</A>.</P><P>There’s a litany of marketing topic podcasts available, including the Marketing Smarts <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/marketing-smarts-from-marketingprofs/id468650101?mt=2" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/marketing-smarts-from-marketingprofs/id468650101?mt=2');" target="_blank">podcast</A> from MarketingProfs, Content Marketing Institute’s PnR This Old Marketing <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pnr-this-old-marketing-joe/id760760485?mt=2" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pnr-this-old-marketing-joe/id760760485?mt=2');" target="_blank">podcast</A>, and the Social Media Marketing <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/social-media-marketing-podcast/id549899114?mt=2" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/social-media-marketing-podcast/id549899114?mt=2');" target="_blank">podcast</A> from Michael Stelzner of Social Media Examiner.</P><P><STRONG>Does podcasting look like a fit for your content marketing strategy? What are your favorite marketing podcasts?</STRONG></P><P>If you like this article and want to learn more about various content marketing tactics, be sure to visit the <a href="http://www.toprankblog.com/2011/06/content-marketing-definition-tactics/">index of tactics articles</A> here.</P><P>Photo credit: <a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-96778864/stock-photo-a-creative-cellphone-with-headphones-isolated-on-white-portable-audio-concept.html?src=ZI5qUZBmxy-YnwGILGr5rQ-1-9" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.shutterstock.com/pic-96778864/stock-photo-a-creative-cellphone-with-headphones-isolated-on-white-portable-audio-concept.html?src=ZI5qUZBmxy-YnwGILGr5rQ-1-9');" target="_blank" title="Podcasting for Content Marketing">Shutterstock</A></EM></P><a id="dd_end"></A><BR clear=all><BR clear=all><img alt="Loading ..." class="post-ratings-image" height="16" src="/loading.gif" title="Loading ..." width="16"> Loading ...<br /><p><a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OnlineMarketingSEOBlog/~3/k4yB80SZmBY/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a></p>

Podcasting: Storytelling for the 21st Century – Pros, Cons, Examples and Best Practices

The human voice can convey much more meaning through tone and inflection than the printed word ever can. It’s why millions of Americans sat...

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Print Newsletters as Content Marketing Tactic: Pros, Cons, Examples and Best Practices

<a id="dd_start"></A><P><img alt="Print Newsletters Mail Delivery" class="alignright size-full wp-image-16474" height="225" src="/Print-Newsletters-Mail-Delivery.jpg" title="Print Newsletters Mail Delivery" width="300">One of the oldest forms of content marketing are printed newsletters that arrive by snail mail, providing valuable, information-rich content that your customers and prospects want. They can be an effective compliment to online promotions or serve niche markets where print is a preferred format.</P><P>Given the overall decrease in postal mail, a print newsletter can stand out to the recipient, unlike an online newsletter that can get lost in an already too full in-box. Conversely, due to the continuing rise of postal costs, newsletters are more likely to be concise and targeted, providing special appeal.</P><P>According to the <STRONG>2014 B2C & B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends</STRONG> report for North America, <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/mprofs/b2c-content-marketing-2014-benchmarks-budgets-and-trendsnorth-america" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.slideshare.net/mprofs/b2c-content-marketing-2014-benchmarks-budgets-and-trendsnorth-america');" target="_blank" title="B2C Marketers Use Print Newsletters">B2C marketers</A> use print newsletters with greater frequency at 29% compared to their <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/mprofs/b2b-content-marketing-2014-benchmarks-budgets-and-trendsnorth-america" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.slideshare.net/mprofs/b2b-content-marketing-2014-benchmarks-budgets-and-trendsnorth-america');" target="_blank" title="B2B Marketers Use Print Newsletters">B2B counterparts</A> at 22%. In addition, customer retention/loyalty is cited as a top marketing goal for B2C compared to lead generation for B2B.</P><P>But, both types consider brand awareness</EM> to be a crucial content marketing goal, which could explain why print newsletters continue to hold value as a content marketing tactic.</P><P><STRONG>Consumers still love getting mail.</STRONG></P><P>Direct mail, which includes print newsletters, also resonates with consumers in a way that email simply does not. According to marketing firm <a href="http://printinthemix.com/uploads/File/newsletters/PIM%20Spring%202012%20Final.pdf" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/printinthemix.com/uploads/File/newsletters/PIM%20Spring%202012%20Final.pdf');" title="Epsilon ">Epsilon Targeting’s Consumer Channel Preference Study</A>, direct mail continues to deliver as consumers’ preferred means of receiving marketing messages from brands. Here are some of their key findings:</P>Six out of 10 U.S. consumers surveyed say they “enjoy getting postal mail from brands about new products.”Across all key verticals – from financial and insurance to retail and personal care – direct mail is preferred over email by all respondents.The propensity for direct mail also extends to the 18-34 year old demographicConsumers report getting an emotional boost from receiving direct mail; 60% agree they “enjoy checking their postal mail boxes.”Half of all respondents concur with the statement, “I pay more attention to information I receive by postal mail than if it was received by email.”<P>As with any print medium, a brand has an opportunity to develop a relationship based on a mutually beneficial value proposition. Print newsletters represent an open invitation to communicate your company story as well as its products and services and to <a href="http://www.toprankblog.com/2012/07/life-cycle-optimization-content/" target="_blank" title="Optimize Beyond the Sales Life Cycle">optimize beyond the sales life cycle</A>.</P><P><STRONG>Demonstrate value to cut through the clutter.</STRONG></P><P>As digital marketers, we sometimes forget that good old-fashioned print meets the conditions of content marketing: demonstrate your value proposition while providing value.</P><P>Print newsletters, just like <a href="http://www.toprankblog.com/2014/02/print-magazines-content-marketing/" target="_blank" title="Print Magazines as Content Marketing Tactic">print magazines</A>, are a mainstay for many companies wanting a credible way to cut through the clutter. Typically, your newsletter periodical will include articles around one specific subject or topic related to your brand or company and written for a group of people with a common interest — namely your products, services or cause.</P><P>Like any marketing communication, it’s important to establish a consistent distribution cycle to be the most effective. Whether it’s weekly, monthly or quarterly, determine a regular schedule and stick to it.</P><P>Although the recipients of your newsletter gave you implicit permission to enter your home or office, remember, newsletters are not ads. If you are sending out a promotional newsletter, your goal, of course, is to turn prospects into customers and customers into repeat buyers. You just want to steer clear of any overt sales pitch. But calls to action are more than acceptable.</P><P>A print newsletter allows you to give more in-depth information to readers, which is especially important when trying to educate buyers about complex products or services. Once they understand fully the benefits of what your company has to offer, they will be more likely to buy.</P>It grabs attention.It’s a proven way to nurture customers, members and leads.There are no costs for distribution because you already own your customer list.Print is enjoying resurgence because it feels new when compared to digital marketing.The printed word is perceived to be more substantive and therefore more credible.Print allows people to unplug from the online chatter. Its noise to signal ratio is zero, compared to the Internet.Print is tactile, providing a deeper visceral connection to the brand. (Read <a href="http://printinthemix.com/research/show/92" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/printinthemix.com/research/show/92');" target="_blank" title="Using Neuroscience to Understand Role of Direct Mail">Using neuroscience to understand the role of direct mail</A>.)For niche demographics, like seniors, print is perceived as more legitimate.Print newsletters enjoy a longer shelf life, leading to more active engagement.Lacks the immediacy and accessibility of other digital communication channelsBudget and timeline may strain marketing resourcesWith people moving with greater frequency, keeping your list clean may be difficultCost prohibitive to publish in more than one language for most companies<P><B>George Dickel® – The Cascade Hollow Courier</B></P><P>This <a href="http://secure.dickel.com/en-row/Products/whisky/cascade-hollow-whisky.aspx" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/secure.dickel.com/en-row/Products/whisky/cascade-hollow-whisky.aspx');" target="_blank" title="Tennessee Whiskey Distiller">Tennessee Whiskey distiller</A> since 1870 celebrates its sipping heritage with apparel, glassware, accessories and tours and publishes a print newsletter to promote it all.</P><P><a href="D:\aaaaa\has'\Auto Blog Samurai\data\make money online free and fast\seob\George-Dickel-Consumer-Goods-Print-Newsletter_new.jpg" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/downloads/wp-content/uploads/George-Dickel-Consumer-Goods-Print-Newsletter_new.jpg');"><img alt="George Dickel - Consumer Goods Print Newsletter" class="size-full wp-image-16471 aligncenter" height="274" src="/George-Dickel-Consumer-Goods-Print-Newsletternew.jpg" width="340"></A></P>Quality publication that enhances its overall brand message with consistent design and century-old feelCelebrates the outdoor lifestyle so prevalent in the south with content and promotional items, like collectible decoy replicas, to matchPromoting a Huntin’ and Fishin’ story contest further engages their readers adding to their enjoyment value<P><B>Valent Bioscience Corp.</B></P><P>This company was the <a href="http://www.creativityawards.com/42A_Newsletter_B2B.php" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.creativityawards.com/42A_Newsletter_B2B.php');" target="_blank" title="Valent Bioscience Gold Winner">Gold Winner</A> in the 42nd annual Creativity International Awards for B2B newsletter design, proving that science doesn’t have to be boring.</P><P><img alt="Valent Bioscience Print Newsletter" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-16475" height="507" src="/Valent-Bioscience-Print-Newsletter.jpg" title="Valent Bioscience Print Newsletter" width="393"></P>Great use of white space, typography, color and visuals4-pages packed with relevant content, including application notes and new product innovation, for its target audienceEstablishes their thought leadership with a strategic article under the heading, Vector Vision, discussing the benefits of controlling the mosquito population, i.e. vector control<P><B>Antalis</B></P><P>This leading European distributor of papers and packaging products <a href="http://www.creativityawards.com/42A_Newsletter_Consumer.php" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.creativityawards.com/42A_Newsletter_Consumer.php');" target="_blank" title="Award-winning Print Newsletter">took home the gold</A> at the 42nd annual Creativity International Awards.</P><P><img alt="Antalis Award Winning Print Newsletter" class="wp-image-16473 aligncenter" height="263" src="/Antalis-Award-Winning-Print-Newsletternew.jpg" title="Antalis Award Winning Print Newsletter" width="340"></P>Bold use of color, design and typographyContent promotes products relevant to the print and visual communications industriesEffective use of non-traditional format, fitting for the creative visual artsEmploys storytelling in a way that makes sense to its target audience looking to learn more about curious metallic®, a specialty paper<P><B>First impressions</B>: Even though your newsletter is most likely free to subscribers, will a new reader perceive value in it? The layout and openness of the design, color and weight of the paper and the balance of text and graphics are being scrutinized in a nanosecond. Does it say, read me now or shelve for later? All elements of your newsletter design should enhance your overall brand message and meet readers’ expectations.</P><P><B>Format</B>: Newsletters don’t have to be letter size portrait booklets to be called a newsletter. Other formats may work better, depending on your industry. Explore different sizes, orientations and folds based on the purpose and content length of the publication.</P><P><B>Content</B>: Carefully choose your articles so that each one generates results. Avoid using generic filler, such as recipes or quotes. Focus content on industry trends, new product innovations, a top customer spotlight, or company milestones. The goal is to include focused content that meets the informational needs of your target audience. Including testimonials of satisfied customers can add a persuasive element to your content and lets your customers do the selling.</P><P><B>Sales tool</B>: You can attract more readers and more potential customers by featuring your company’s area of expertise. This should be tips or best practices that are useful to readers regardless of whether they do business with you. A utility company might offer “energy efficiency tips” or a hotel conference center could offer a meeting and planning guide for corporate clients.</P><P><B>Offline promotion</B>: Promote free subscriptions to your newsletter. A simple way to generate leads is to include a call to action in all your company’s marketing communications, such as ads, brochures, catalog, trade show signage, etc. that encourages customers to call or email for a subscription.</P><P><B>Online promotion</B>: Include a sign-up box on your website for your free print newsletter and include an archive of sample newsletters to show exactly what the subscriber can expect. Promote it through all your social media channels to drive people back to your website to sign up. You may even want to run a contest using social channels, enticing people to sign up for the printed material.</P><P><B>Maximize exposure</B>: Having gone to the time and expense of publishing a newsletter, you want to cast your net wide. Here are a few additional tactics you can employ:</P>Mail your newsletter to all former customers or potential customers who have requested information on your product or service in the past but never ordered from you. Just be sure you make it easy for them to opt out.Give your salespeople copies of the newsletter to hand out on sales calls, at trade shows and exhibition booths.Send the newsletter to all potential clients who may have a strong interest in a solution-oriented article you published that may appeal to them. For example, if your technology solution helped a local hospital save thousands of dollars on staffing costs, send a copy of the newsletter to all the hospitals in your service area.<P>When people actually want to receive information about your company, doesn’t it make sense to include a print newsletter in your marketing mix?</P><P>If you like in-depth articles like this about content marketing, be sure to visit our <a href="http://www.toprankblog.com/2011/06/content-marketing-definition-tactics/" target="_blank" title="Content Marketing Tactic Definitions">index of content marketing tactics</A>.</P><P>Photo credit: <a href="about:www.shutterstock.com/pic-154552895/stock-photo-mail-box-in-front-of-a-house.html" title="Mail Box in Front of House">Shutterstock</A></EM></P><a id="dd_end"></A><BR clear=all><BR clear=all><img alt="Loading ..." class="post-ratings-image" height="16" src="/loading.gif" title="Loading ..." width="16"> Loading ...<br /><p><a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OnlineMarketingSEOBlog/~3/_PaGKor0024/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a></p>

Print Newsletters as Content Marketing Tactic: Pros, Cons, Examples and Best Practices

One of the oldest forms of content marketing are printed newsletters that arrive by snail mail, providing valuable, information-rich conten...

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