As the year winds up, it’s a good time to reflect on some of the things we’ve learnt about marketing and some of the tools we have picked up in our quest to become better marketers and advertisers.
So, here’s a look at the top ten articles of 2015.
The Future of Shopping
This article examined the trends of online shopping that emerged in 2015. With 50% of Australian’s doing a portion of their shopping online and $15.9 billion spent on online shopping in the months leading up to September 2014 its an area worth examing. The article showed some of the ways that companies are using this enormous market to the advantage of their business. Mobile shopping, or m-commerce is one of the trends and it comes as a result of a 101% growth in the percentage of people that use their mobile for online shopping.
The second trend refers to a type of customer interaction known as Omni-Channel, which is a connection between the online and offline shopping experience. Reverse Showrooming also emerged, which is a tactic that takes into account the fact that customers will often go online for research before purchasing offline. Virtual Fitting Rooms are the effort for companies to come up with ways for people to find clothes that fit online and mass customisation is the rise of flexible, computer-aided manufacturing systems that allow online-shoppers to have greater input into what they buy. Read The Future of Shopping.
Statistics for Social Media Usage in Australia: What They Mean for Your Online Marketing Efforts
This article is a follow-up from articles in the last two years that examined the ways in which Australians interact with various social media platforms. This years’ statistics showed that Facebook is still growing and now has an incredible 14,000,000 active users in Australia, which is a growth of 800,000 users compared to last year. Instagram is the upstart, seeing enormous growth in users, from 1,600,000 in 2014 to 5,000,000 this year. YouTube gained another million users, while professionals channel LinkedIn remained steady. Google+ actually went backwards and lost 5,000 users – sometimes even Google gets things wrong. The article argues that audience must determine the channels that you target. For example, if you are targeting a younger audience you have to advertise through Instagram. Read Statistics for Social Media Usage in Australia.
How to Write Compelling Online Copy
Writing compelling online copy is a difficult task, due to the fact that you have to write to two audiences – the reader and Google. The article gives some tips on ensuring that you keep both your readers happy. The headline is important and should be both attention-grabbing and contain some keywords. Your prose needs to be crafted to appeal to the short-attention span of the online reader. Images are key and you have to remember that a marketing blog is trying to achieve something. You need to include a call to action or ensure that your prose elicits the desired response form the reader, whether that’s to buy something, try something or do something – every word should be aiming towards achieving that reader response. Read How to Write Compelling Online Copy.
The Content Marketing Matrix and How to Satisfy Your Readers Needs (as well as SEO Considerations)
This article addresses the problem of creating content that satisfies the reader, the needs of the business and SEO. The article explores metrics and divisions as a way to separate these interests to create a piece that satisfies all three measures as a whole. The infograph in the article demonstrates how to create these divisions. Using the example of the reader, the article shows how each article requires a writing approach based on its purpose. An article designed to educate readers will be very different form an article designed to inspire readers. Just as an article designed to promote something will be very different from an article that is supposed to entertain the reader. Read The Content Marketing Matrix.
How to Use LinkedIn: A Beginner’s Guide
This article runs through the process of setting up a LinkedIn account, filling in all the required information and growing your network. With 2 members joining every second and a worldwide membership of 330 million, if you aren’t on LinkedIn yet you should be and this article will show you how. It provides information on the information that you must provide, where you should be broad and where you should be specific and provide details. It also gives you the magic number of connections you need to reach in order to be a LinkedIn success. Read How to Use LinkedIn.
Tips on Using Promotional Merchandise for Client Christmas Presents
Promotional merchandise make for fantastic client gifts. The article demonstrates how by giving promotional gifts to clients you are engaging with the client and creating a very cost-effective marketing and advertising campaign. These gifts will improve company perception and encourage loyalty and client referrals. The article also goes through how to effectively use promotional gifts to your advantage. Read Tips on Using Promotional Merchandise for Client Christmas Presents.
Google AdWords: How to Write a Compelling AdWords Advert
This article provides a breakdown of an AdWords advert and how you can fit the most into the limited character count you are provided with. It outlines the importance of the headline and making sure it is keyword rich. It also encourages you to be succinct in your descriptions and litter them with keywords as well. It contains other tips such as including promotions for mobile users only, matching the ad with the landing page and ensuring that your grammar is absolutely perfect before your ad goes live. Read How to Write a Compelling AdWords Advert.
Intelligent Online Marketing Content – Avoid Over-Selling And Repelling
Striking the midway point between direct selling and discretion is the key of creating online marketing content. The article runs through some tips on how you can inform your readership rather than bombard them and the benefits you can receive if you work on your ability to avoid over-selling. Read Intelligent Online Marketing Content.
How to Use MailChimp
MailChimp is a fantastic tool in the content marketers toolkit. It works in most browsers and there are three pricing tiers that allow you to pay only for what you need. The article runs through creating a recipient list, adding people, creating and editing your templates and campaigns as well as analysing reports. Read How to Use MailChimp.
How to Use Google AdSense
AdSense is a perfect way to generate profit of your website or blog. The article demonstrates how to generate as much profit as you can from your AdSense ad. It runs through the types of sites that work best with AdSense and ensuring that yourt site uses best practice SEO and encourages click-throughs. It also shows how to install AdSense and add the code to your website as well as how to format your ad and where to place it on your site. Read How to Use Google AdSense.