Wednesday, 1 January 2020

8 Underutilized Digital Marketing Tactics Which Are Trending In 2019

If you want to be successful, you’ve got to think out of the box.

Take a close look at some of the biggest brands around the world. What’s making them successful?

They’re ahead of the game for a reason. First of all, you’ll notice that they have a plan to reinvent their digital marketing tactics.

They have the power to embrace change and realize what needs to be done to make the transition from being merely ordinary to extraordinary. And since the digital world is continuously changing, they understand that it’s no longer enough to use the same tactics year in and year out.

If you want to attempt to challenge the competition this year, you need to take a holistic approach. Capitalize on key marketing trends that include SEO, Social Media, Content Marketing, PPC, and much more. You need to boost brand awareness, increase sales, develop new ways to grow the business, generate leads, and enhance relationships with existing customers. Most importantly, you need to be aware of the latest trends.

Are you ready to survive in this thriving digital world? Here are some basic digital marketing tactics that you need to apply in 2019.

1. Artificial intelligence and machine learning

Global leaders like Amazon and Google are already maxing out on AI and machine learning, so this trend is here to stay.

Machine learning includes the use of AI (artificial intelligence) to allow systems to learn automatically from experience without the need to be explicitly programmed. The process initially involves using observations or collecting data to look for patterns. Predictions based on previous interactions are an important example of machine learning.

Since the primary aim is to promote computers to learn automatically without human intervention, this aspect of digital marketing is going to become quite popular in the coming years. The future of social media promises the application of bots to facilitate effective and effortless communication with visitors, viewers, and customers. In fact, experts claim that 85% of the interactions will be through bots.

In 2019, this technology is already influencing new sectors such as teaching and various aspects of banking and finance.

2. Augmented and virtual reality marketing

Augmented reality is a technology that enables computer-generated images to be superimposed on a user’s view.

Marketers can engage better with active buyers by creating a more realistic experience.

Businesses have been using this technology to improve brand awareness and customer experience, and it’s not likely that it will be going away anytime soon.

Examples of AR ads include Michael Kors asking people to ‘try on’ their sunglasses and IKEA allowing customers to place furniture in their homes before purchasing.

AR and VR are expected to improve the effects of ads and attract more visitors, both of which are essential to lure potential customers.

Augmented and virtual reality marketing for digital marketing tactics

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3. Video marketing

People are busier than ever, but they can afford to take a few minutes off- by watching a video.

Nearly 80% of them prefer to watch videos on the internet. Unlike written content, images and videos are more engaging and can generate a quicker response than a published post. They allow users to be more engaged with the content. And since social media is the fastest way to draw traffic to your site, videos on any of these platforms can reach a larger audience and boost conversion rates exponentially.

No doubt, video should be one of your digital marketing tactics this year.

4. SEO

SEO is moving at a fast pace. It’s not just blogs, articles, or web content that you need to focus on. Keywords, reputable backlinks, and the quality of the content on your website are still important. But the internet is saturated with information, so this year you’re going to have to find something different to say. It’s got to be concise yet niche-concentrated.

2019 brings with it a whole new set of rules when it comes to SEO. Not owning a mobile-optimized site with fast loading times could incur penalties from Google, for example, plus people are searching in different ways, on different platforms, and with different intentions. ‘Optimization’ is far more complex than it has ever been.

5. Mobile apps

The world is on the go. More people prefer to use smartphones over laptops. So you shouldn’t leave mobile technology behind. Currently, one of the most effective marketing tools is your brand’s mobile app. This is the chance to expand your business with apps that are more responsive and provide personalized content to match customer preferences.

Create mobile apps IKEA mobile on the go for digital marketing tactics

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6. Push notifications

One of the prevailing trends is to push notifications. These alerts or messages are sent to brand users, whether on a website or mobile app.

Companies can communicate clearly with customers to help retain them and increase conversion rates. One of the greatest advantages of app push notifications is that a user can receive messages on any device even when an app is not open at that time.

More importantly, push notifications can be used to target shoppers who have abandoned a shopping cart and entice them to complete their transactions.

7. Advanced searches

Current trends are demonstrating an increase in image and voice searches. Top brands are exploring both options to offer more affordable capabilities to their customers. Google is promoting image searches on mobiles, so businesses can now implement these services to enhance a customer search experience.

But presently, voice searches are undoubtedly rising in popularity. This is not something new. We are all familiar with Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa. But by incorporating this feature in a brand, companies can make it easier for people to get instant answers from voice-activated queries. As a result, they can leverage these moments to cater to specific requirements and target leads to improve conversion rates.

8. Chatbots

Chatbots have been gaining traction over the last few years, and it’s become a favorite among customers. 45% of users prefer to use chatbots, claiming that they enhance customer service by resolving issues or answering questions.

On landing on a website, visitors are automatically asked via a chatbot whether they need assistance or additional information. It’s a way to welcome them to the site and open a dialogue. The visitor could then be referred to a company representative or redirected to other pages.

The last word

These are just a few of the points that you should be looking into. However, it’s pretty clear that the most popular digital marketing tactics of 2019 are focusing on enhancing the customer experience. What the customer wants is what businesses need to provide. It’s a win-win situation for both.

If you are planning to stay ahead of the competition, you need to sway customers towards your brand. Aim at building your online reputation. It’s the best way to increase customer trust, loyalty, and the growth of your business.

So, do you have what it takes to beat the competition?

Guest author: Michelle Joe is a blogger by choice. She loves to discover the world around her. She likes to share her discoveries, experiences, and express herself through her blogs. Currently, she is associated with SEtalks Team.

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Tuesday, 31 December 2019

10 AI Tools For Social Media You Need To Use In 2020

DisPRuptive

Dec 30, 2019 · 6 min read

With the internet reaching every home globally, businesses have found new ways to market their products and services. There are about 3.48 billion social media users worldwide and the number is only going to increase in 2020.

Since the market is getting tougher, as a business owner or a social media marketer if you want to make the most out of your marketing campaigns while managing them with finesse, you need to get over your usual social media marketing tools and tactics and start approaching the AI-based ones.

There are a plethora of AI-driven social media marketing tools available that can significantly improve how you use social media for marketing in 2020.

How artificial intelligence is improving social media marketing effectiveness?

Social media is an invaluable platform where brands can directly talk to customers. It is a firehose of data with millions of Instagram and Facebook likes and thousands of Twitter posts being generated every minute. Therefore, handling the deluge of data is becoming more than complicated and marketers know that automation has its limits. So, in order to find and prioritize the engagement opportunities that add the most value on social media, digital marketing agencies and businesses have started using artificial intelligence.

As said, there are plenty of AI tools for social media marketing and in this post, we will discuss the top AI tools all social media marketers should know about if you want to gain traction in 2020.

#1 WordStream

WordStream is an AI-based program that is designed to improve ad performances with the help of machine learning. The software assesses PPC ads across social media networks and offers data-driven recommendations. The platform is available for both small businesses and large enterprises, including online sellers and marketing agencies. It allows them to determine the success of their PPC campaigns and help them to scale, train the team, and drive dynamic online growth, which might generate a solid ROI. Its 20-Minute Work Week feature is the most talked-about feature. It allows marketers to streamline their ad decisions while sending updates and suggestions for making the campaigns more effective.

#2 Pattern89

Pattern89 is a powerful AI-based social media tool that allows marketers and ad campaigners to take control of the essential ad management tasks like recommending channels, allocating the budget, and optimizing bids. In order to significantly improve the performance, Pattern89 provides recommendations on every facet of the ad campaign that includes targeting the customer base and adjusting the budget. Moreover, the platform also provides with a Creative Ads Manager feature where you can search and analyze all our past ads with filters such as ad targets, audience, campaign objective, and ad set, among others.

#3 Phrasee

Phrasee is an advanced AI-powered copywriting technology that helps optimize marketing copy for companies. The platform helps in creating marketing copy that sounds human thanks to its natural language generation system. Moreover, its deep learning engine helps predict what language will work and which won’t with greater accuracy. It pulls data from different marketing assets such as social media copy, emails, and other online posts for identifying, which is the least and most effective. With Phrasee, you can post ad copy you created and test its effectiveness or use the ad copy suggested by the platform itself.

#4 Linkfluence

Linkfluence is an AI-based social media management tool that allows you to monitor and analyze your social media channels. With Linkfluence, you can gain social insights for your brand and understand your audience. Linkfluence is designed to assess the data deluge that social media users produce every day. It can help you understand what makes your brand special and where it stands in the market. Moreover, you can measure the evolution of your brand equity on social media and set smart objectives. On the other hand, you can predict and analyze customer trends and create the perfect products/services and the right marketing campaigns to match.

#5 Cortex

Cortex allows you to create content that suits your audience’s needs. You can use Cortex for generating a detailed analysis of your competitors as well. The platform follows a data-driven creative strategy to help marketers determine what visual trends resonate with their targeted customer base and how to leverage them to stay ahead of the competition. This AI-based platform completely automates your social media. You can plan, schedule, create, and optimize your social media posts faster or automate the entire process with Cortex.

#6 Socialbakers

If you are looking for a tool that will give you advanced audience insights, then you can opt for Socialbakers. It is an AI-based social media management tool that provides marketers with a unified content feed, a tracking dashboard, and an influencer marketing dashboard, allowing them to see social media posts on all platforms. Moreover, it also comes with smart scheduling tools and an analytics dashboard that allow you to analyze the success of your posts and determine ideal post times.

#7 HubSpot

HubSpot is probably one of the most popular AI-based social media management tools that allow you to create social media posts based on the metadata of the link. Using HubSpot is quite easy. The instructions are straightforward. For creating a post, all you have to do is click on ‘Create Post’ and copy-paste the link in the text box. Once you fill in the information and press enter, it will display a meta description of the page or a short headline along with a photo and its link. The copy of the post is generated into the text box, which you can change to fit your voice.

#8 Sprout Social

Sprout Social is one of the most sought after automated social media platforms designed specifically for community management. With Social Sprout, you can generate automated tweets to reply to followers, customers, or fans. Moreover, you can manage direct messages through its dashboard. Its AI-based software can easily analyze the sentiment and wording of the tweets. While it will not take over the complete conversation with your customers, the platform will quicken up the process.

#9 Lately

Lately is designed in such a way that it recognizes the context from content and creates a social media campaign based on that. This AI-based platform also offers a dashboard containing all the necessary tools regarding social media project management and scheduling. For the maximum impact of your posts, you can leverage its feature of analyzing historic metrics. It not only suggests you the best posting times but also helps you improve the content. Similar to Social Sprout, you can create messages based on the information or URL.

#10 Persado

Persado is a marketing language tool that allows you to engage with your target customer base and create authentic relationships. The platform uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to create emotional profiles that resonate with the specific audience. It allows you to analyze past campaign responses and customize your content that speaks your brand’s unique voice.

The Bottom Line

As you enter 2020 with new hopes and strategies, it is best if you can leverage artificial intelligence for your benefit. While it may sound a bit overwhelming, there are tools incorporated with AI that can make the process a bit easier. As a social media marketing agency or a social media marketer, you must be aware of all the important tools as these tools are specifically designed to make the process of digital marketing easier.

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The EVA System to Build a Writer’s Brand on Your Personal Values

Let people know who you actually are

Katrina Loos

Dec 31, 2019 · 8 min read

I get it. I really do. All you want to do is write.

You want to tap away at your computer for hours. Sip your favorite beverage while you work. Enchant the world with your stories of adventure or articles of expertise.

Yet you’re stuck.

Not as many people are reading your work as you thought. You’re hopeful yet stressed. You’re starting to doubt yourself and your writing abilities.

“Am I good enough? Am I even a worthy writer? Why isn’t my work getting seen? Nobody finds it interesting enough.”

You feel like something is missing. Like there’s a piece of the puzzle missing, a code you can’t crack.

What’s that code? What’s the secret ingredient to success in your writing, to a dream so delicious, so close you can almost taste it?

Personal branding.

Why Writers Need a Personal Brand

Putting together an experience for your target audience is overwhelming. If you make it that way. Photo by Jeff Sheldon from Unsplash

What is a personal brand anyway?

A personal brand is the unique combination of skills and experiences that make you, you. It’s establishing and promoting what you stand for.

As an example, I’ll tell you mine.

My personal writer’s brand is simple: I write what I like and what interests me. People either like it or they don’t. My brand isn’t strict, and it isn’t uptight.

My brand is my personality: Open-minded, thoughtful, uplifting, and kind.

Writers need a personal brand.

According to Nicolas Cole, if you want to do what you love, on your terms, for the rest of your life, then be prepared to learn every aspect of the business: branding, positioning, marketing, distribution, design, partnerships, and more.

Simply put: Building a personal brand for your writing matters.

It enhances your self-awareness of the work you want to put out there and reminds you of your goals.

It requires you to establish and prioritize your values.

It helps you capitalize on the skills and traits you already possess, and it gives you a competitive advantage.

Elements of a Successful Writer’s Brand

There are many different structures building upon the foundation that is a writer’s brand.

The most important elements of a successful writer’s brand have a lot to do with what you can offer your target audience, why they should pick you, and how you present yourself to others.

But the number one way to get attention from your writer’s brand is the EVA system.

Expertise. I’m not an expert in some of the subjects I write about, but I do my research. So when I write an article about something, I know what I’m talking about. I wouldn’t talk about a subject matter or share relevant information if I didn’t think my readers could benefit from it.

Value proposition. What do you have to offer your audience? Why should they give up something of theirs (like an email address) in exchange for a piece of content that could potentially help them? You need to clearly communicate that with your audience.

Authenticity. You’re either who you say you are (or what you want your brand to be) or you’re not. It’s one or the other. People see through the bullshit.

To learn more about the key elements in an effective brand, check out this Entrepreneur article.

Easy Ways To Get Started On Your Writer’s Brand

The most important thing to worry about when creating a writer’s brand is focusing on the “writing” part of it. GIF from Giphy.

Before doing anything, you need to ask yourself these three things:

What are my personal values?
What is my vision with my writing? Where do I want my writing to take me?
What makes me stand out from all of the other writers out there?

Answering these questions will give you a good idea of where to move forward in your personal branding strategy.

You need to know what direction you’re going in or you’ll never know where you’re going. It’s like you took a spur-of-the-moment road trip to the country and didn’t bring your phone or money with you. You’re setting yourself up for failure.

“You can’t hit a target you don’t even have.” — Zig Ziglar

Let me tell you my answers to these questions to give you some ideas for how to create your personal brand.

1. What are my personal values?

Authenticity, happiness, and love. In that exact order.

Let me explain why.

Authenticity because I don’t want or need to change who I am to get other people to like me.

You either like me or you don’t.

I won’t change who I am to satisfy somebody else’s ego.

Happiness because life is too short to be miserable all the time. Yes, life is hard, but I’m still alive and I’m doing what I love.

If I can’t be authentic and true to myself and my writing, I can’t be happy.

Love because it’s the most powerful energy force in the universe. Love can change the world.

All of my personal values tie together three-fold: If I can’t be authentic and true to myself and my writing, I can’t be happy. If I can’t be happy, I can’t love anybody else or love what I do. My writing reflects my personal values.

2. What is my vision with my writing? Where do I want my writing to take me?

My vision is eternal growth.

I want my writing to reach the people who need it the most.

I want my writing to be remembered.

When I’m gone, my words make me immortal.

I want to continue writing my Medium articles, writing and self-publishing my books of poetry and prose, and having people remember my work.

3. What makes me stand out from all of the other writers out there?

I stand out from all the other writers out there because I’m not trying too hard.

I’m not obsessed with checking analytics, posting content I’m not actually interested in, or stressing myself out with numbers.

I failed math multiple times — I obviously don’t care about numbers.

I publish my work and talk about it on social media. That’s it.

I also stand out because I’m a crazy cat lady who thinks cats are infinitely better than dogs. I would rather hang out with cats than people.

There are many other elements to defining yourself and what you want your personal brand to consist of.

Nicolas Cole does a fantastic job going into detail about personal branding as a whole, and so he’s an excellent resource to refer to. I’ve also used this article when creating my personal writer’s brand.

After Asking Yourself Those Three Main Questions, It’s Time for You to Create Your Mission Statement

Your mission statement defines every facet of who you are and what you want your brand to stand for.

It announces why you exist.

I knew it was important to have a mission statement for my writing — I just never got started on it. That is until I read Holly Lyn Walrath’s insightful article.

Creating a mission statement for your writer’s brand keeps you focused. It’s you reminding yourself, “This is where I’m going. This is how I’m getting there. This is why I’m being consistent with my writing.”

Forbes specifies that your mission statement must be a clear, concise declaration of your writing strategy.

If you don’t have one, it’s time to get one. According to the lovely Holly Lyn’s article, coming up with your mission statement is as simple as brainstorming:

Start with your goals. Questions like, “How often do I want to write a year?” and, “What are my weaknesses in writing?” give you a solid foundation to build your mission statement on.
Ask yourself how you’re going to get there. You need a game plan for how you’re going to get to where you want to go with your writing. Brushing up on your grammar and vocabulary, reading more books and articles in the niche(s) you want to write in, and creating content calendars are great ways to get started on improving your craft and coming up with your mission statement.
Who do you want to write for? This can be anybody you want to write to. There are no limitations to what you can do. It’s your personal writer’s brand, after all. If you’re somebody like me who likes to write about a lot of different topics, you have an infinite number of possibilities with your audience. if you want to narrow your writing down to something more specific, such as B2C business owners, you can do that as well. You just need a content strategy that will entertain, educate, and inspire your target audience.
Mush all of your goals into one big goal. Doing this keeps you a bit more organized and not as overwhelmed. Unless you’re a wizard of organization. If you are, please teach me your ways.
Finally, make sure you see it every single day. That’s your baby right there! Your completed mission statement. Your future, your vision, your everything.

You’ve Asked Yourself the Three Golden Questions and Created Your Mission Statement. What Else Is There to Do?

This is where the hard work comes in, but it will pay off.

Figure out who your target audience is. Who do you want to write for? You need to create an irresistible offer. Something your target audience can’t live without.

Build your website. Create and execute strategies for your social media, email, and content marketing efforts.

Check out this Thinkific article for more details about how to create your personal brand.

There’s Another Secret Ingredient I Didn’t Mention

You now know why you need a writer’s brand. You also know how to get started on one before jumping into the nitty-gritty details making up your brand. And you know what the details consist of. Where the real hard work comes in.

But there’s another secret ingredient I didn’t mention before.

This other secret ingredient is actually baked in the center of the delicious personal branding ingredient that makes up your writer’s brand.

This secret ingredient is the one digital marketing, personal branding, and writing blogs don’t reveal to you:

You need to be patient when growing your audience.

“Building an audience takes time. There’s no magic formula. Put in the hard work, improve your writing, and over time people will show up.” — Justin Cox

Nothing is instant. Especially when it comes to your writing.

So trust the process.

Build your writer’s brand, stay patient, and never stop writing. When you stop writing, that’s when you’ve failed.

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