This article originally appeared on CoreyPadveen.com.
When it comes to marketing and startups, there are some buzz words that have been so overused that they cause more of a cringe than add value to a presentation.
We’ve all been there: listening to a pitch – whether it’s from a seasoned marketing veteran or a young entrepreneur – and hearing a buzz word that immediately draws our attention away from the presentation and onto the use of the term. We ask ourselves, “Why would they say that? It sounds ridiculous!”
While some of these terms are simple modifiers, others are industry titles themselves that are starting to cause more harm to businesses within those markets than good.
Revolutionary/Revolutionize
Virtually nothing you’re doing is ‘revolutionary’. Unless you’re finding cures or new treatments for diseases that have plagued mankind for centuries, harvesting solar energy in order to halt the reliance on fossil fuels for every person on the planet (thanks Elon Musk!), creating a market where one did not exist in the past, or something else on that scale, all you’re doing is offering a solution to a problem (a problem that, in the case of most startups, people didn’t even realize they had).
A mobile app that makes it easier to select a ringtone from your favorite songs, for example, is not revolutionizing the way we receive phone calls. In fact, using a term like ‘revolutionize’ to describe your product immediately devalues your service in the eyes of those to whom you’re pitching. If you plan on using the term (or something like it) you better hope that what you’re about to blow people away with what you’ve created. Otherwise, you’re only hurting yourself by setting expectations too high.
‘Big Data’
Plagued by its own hype, the term ‘Big Data’ has largely become synonymous with other passing fads, like ‘Pet Rock’. But that’s not the case! There are virtually endless applications to data – both ‘big’ and small sets – and the overuse of the term has resulted in people tuning out a lot of what comes next for one major reason.
People have short attention spans. They want immediate results, and when that doesn’t happen they look for the next opportunity for instant gratification. Just take a look at the Gartner Hype Cycle (pictured below):
As you can see, ‘Big Data’ is on its way into the Trough of Disillusionment. (What a Kafkaesque name.) People are over all the hype and are now waiting to see what might actually come of it. That, combined with the fact that no real definition was ever offered, and the term was just loosely used has led to people scoffing at the term whenever they hear it.
Big data is amazing, but do yourself a favor and avoid referring to anything with the phrase in order to keep the attention on what you’re discussing.
Guru
If you’ve spent more than ten seconds perusing LinkedIn, you will have undoubtedly come across a self-proclaimed ‘guru’ or sorts. It is widely considered to be in poor taste to use terms like guru in your profile (particularly since you are describing yourself).
I once received an interesting piece of advice (that not everyone would agree with, but I do): Avoid using terms like ‘guru’, ‘expert’ or anything else that asserts your dominance in a field, as you are describing yourself in these cases. Rather, go into detail about your accomplishments and what has set you apart. Let others describe you as the expert – it goes much further.
Personally, when I see the term ‘guru’ used, whatever credibility had been built up around a profile is immediately shot.
Disruptive
You’re playing a dangerous game if you refer to your work/startup/app as disruptive and don’t have the data to back it up. Much like the term ‘revolutionary’, disruptive leads to an immediate judgment on the part of your audience. They want to know why, and if you’re not truly changing the way an industry works, you won’t be taken seriously. (OK – maybe that’s a little bit of a stretch, but you will have dug yourself into a hole that is hard to leave.)
Clayton Christensen (The Innovator’s Dilemma) coined the term ‘disruptive’ (in this sense) and the simple definition is as follows: a new breakthrough, technology or methodology that shifts an industry and forces incumbents to rethink the way they approach operations.
Unless you are doing that (think Uber/Lyft and the taxi industry) you’re not disruptive.
Engagement
What does engagement mean? This is a term so often associated with social media (another overly broad term) that it has lost most of its meaning. If I go into a presentation and talk about the great engagement we’ve seen on a campaign, the question will still remain: How are we defining engagement and what is this particular type of engagement worth?
Vanity metrics such as Facebook ‘Like’ count, Twitter favorites and Instagram ‘Likes’ have been long-standing tentpoles for engagement, but are those worth anything to a brand? And if so, what? When you want to talk about ‘engagement’ go a little deeper. Be more specific and assign value to these measurement criteria. You’ll look a lot better for it.
Conclusion
These are certainly not the only buzz words that get overused. There are dozens of terms that we hear every day that cause our ears to burn. Cutting these out and adding real value to a presentation or profile description can go a very long way.
15 Amazing Social Media Fun Facts
/by Corey PadveenEveryone loves a good collection of social media fun facts, and with all that is happening in the market, there are always plenty of new ones to share!
Surprising and amazing social media fun facts!
It’s always hard to believe the speed at which social media increases and the resulting data always baffles marketers. Here is another great collection of social media fun facts!
Be sure to check back regularly for more updates on statistics and fun facts from around the social media market!
Creating and Navigating Goals in Google Analytics [Video]
/by Corey PadveenWe’re excited to announce a new video series in conjunction with the Global Strategic Management Institute (Social Media Strategies Summit) focused on Google Analytics!
Google Analytics is a popular tool and an equally popular topic covered at the Social Media Strategies Summit events. And it makes sense; a huge number of businesses that track their website data do so using Google’s free product. The problem is that so few marketers go beyond the surface level data.
In this video series, we’ll be covering several topics as they relate to the most effective use and best practices of Google Analytics. This first video looks at an important and highly under-utilized feature: goals in Google Analytics.
Enjoy the video and be sure to stay tuned for more!
5 Buzz Words People Are Tired of Hearing
/by Corey PadveenThis article originally appeared on CoreyPadveen.com.
When it comes to marketing and startups, there are some buzz words that have been so overused that they cause more of a cringe than add value to a presentation.
We’ve all been there: listening to a pitch – whether it’s from a seasoned marketing veteran or a young entrepreneur – and hearing a buzz word that immediately draws our attention away from the presentation and onto the use of the term. We ask ourselves, “Why would they say that? It sounds ridiculous!”
While some of these terms are simple modifiers, others are industry titles themselves that are starting to cause more harm to businesses within those markets than good.
Revolutionary/Revolutionize
Virtually nothing you’re doing is ‘revolutionary’. Unless you’re finding cures or new treatments for diseases that have plagued mankind for centuries, harvesting solar energy in order to halt the reliance on fossil fuels for every person on the planet (thanks Elon Musk!), creating a market where one did not exist in the past, or something else on that scale, all you’re doing is offering a solution to a problem (a problem that, in the case of most startups, people didn’t even realize they had).
A mobile app that makes it easier to select a ringtone from your favorite songs, for example, is not revolutionizing the way we receive phone calls. In fact, using a term like ‘revolutionize’ to describe your product immediately devalues your service in the eyes of those to whom you’re pitching. If you plan on using the term (or something like it) you better hope that what you’re about to blow people away with what you’ve created. Otherwise, you’re only hurting yourself by setting expectations too high.
‘Big Data’
Plagued by its own hype, the term ‘Big Data’ has largely become synonymous with other passing fads, like ‘Pet Rock’. But that’s not the case! There are virtually endless applications to data – both ‘big’ and small sets – and the overuse of the term has resulted in people tuning out a lot of what comes next for one major reason.
People have short attention spans. They want immediate results, and when that doesn’t happen they look for the next opportunity for instant gratification. Just take a look at the Gartner Hype Cycle (pictured below):
As you can see, ‘Big Data’ is on its way into the Trough of Disillusionment. (What a Kafkaesque name.) People are over all the hype and are now waiting to see what might actually come of it. That, combined with the fact that no real definition was ever offered, and the term was just loosely used has led to people scoffing at the term whenever they hear it.
Big data is amazing, but do yourself a favor and avoid referring to anything with the phrase in order to keep the attention on what you’re discussing.
Guru
If you’ve spent more than ten seconds perusing LinkedIn, you will have undoubtedly come across a self-proclaimed ‘guru’ or sorts. It is widely considered to be in poor taste to use terms like guru in your profile (particularly since you are describing yourself).
I once received an interesting piece of advice (that not everyone would agree with, but I do): Avoid using terms like ‘guru’, ‘expert’ or anything else that asserts your dominance in a field, as you are describing yourself in these cases. Rather, go into detail about your accomplishments and what has set you apart. Let others describe you as the expert – it goes much further.
Personally, when I see the term ‘guru’ used, whatever credibility had been built up around a profile is immediately shot.
Disruptive
You’re playing a dangerous game if you refer to your work/startup/app as disruptive and don’t have the data to back it up. Much like the term ‘revolutionary’, disruptive leads to an immediate judgment on the part of your audience. They want to know why, and if you’re not truly changing the way an industry works, you won’t be taken seriously. (OK – maybe that’s a little bit of a stretch, but you will have dug yourself into a hole that is hard to leave.)
Clayton Christensen (The Innovator’s Dilemma) coined the term ‘disruptive’ (in this sense) and the simple definition is as follows: a new breakthrough, technology or methodology that shifts an industry and forces incumbents to rethink the way they approach operations.
Unless you are doing that (think Uber/Lyft and the taxi industry) you’re not disruptive.
Engagement
What does engagement mean? This is a term so often associated with social media (another overly broad term) that it has lost most of its meaning. If I go into a presentation and talk about the great engagement we’ve seen on a campaign, the question will still remain: How are we defining engagement and what is this particular type of engagement worth?
Vanity metrics such as Facebook ‘Like’ count, Twitter favorites and Instagram ‘Likes’ have been long-standing tentpoles for engagement, but are those worth anything to a brand? And if so, what? When you want to talk about ‘engagement’ go a little deeper. Be more specific and assign value to these measurement criteria. You’ll look a lot better for it.
Conclusion
These are certainly not the only buzz words that get overused. There are dozens of terms that we hear every day that cause our ears to burn. Cutting these out and adding real value to a presentation or profile description can go a very long way.
Highlights from the Best Global Brands Report
/by Corey PadveenThe Best Global Brands report from Interbrand highlights a few interesting business trends.
For more than 15 years, consulting firm Interbrand has compiled a list of the 100 most valuable brands according to three main criteria: the financial performance of the brand, its impact on a consumer’s purchasing decision, and how it stacks up against the competition. While it might seem somewhat arbitrary, the results tend to fall in line with consumers’ perception of these brands.
It shouldn’t come as any surprise that the two most powerful brands on the planet are Apple and Google (in that order). Here is a snapshot of the top 32 brands according to the report:
Facebook, which last appeared at #29, has jumped up to #23, largely (almost entirely) due to the fact that the brand’s market value has increased by 54%.
It also doesn’t take an experienced consultant to notice something interesting about this list. While there are familiar brands like Coca-Cola, GE and Budweiser on the list, there is a particularly high number of tech companies featured.
In fact, if you were to review the full list, which can be found here, you would find that 28 of the top 100 are tech companies. That’s the most we’ve ever seen on this list and, perhaps more importantly, the tech industry makes up the largest grouping of companies on the list.
With nearly a third of the top 100 brands falling into the tech space, it is interesting to see what types of companies command the most power on the brand side. It also leads to a better understanding of why so many non-tech brands, like Ford, are beginning to focus heavily on the technological integration into their products (and, of course, their marketing).
The benefit of a report like this one is that it indicates to marketers and brands where the priorities of consumers lie. From there, adapting to their tastes and preferences becomes significantly easier, and developing products, campaigns and initiatives that resonate at a very deep level comes within reach.
For more on the report or to review the findings for yourself, visit the Interbrand website.
The Three Ts of Content Creation [Video]
/by Corey PadveenWhat exactly are the Three Ts of content creation?
Creating content is never easy. With so much noise across the many media on the web, creating content that gets noticed can be a difficult task. When it comes to content creation, there are a few key elements on which to focus. But what are they?
The Three Ts of content creation are important for any marketer. With these in mind, creating useful, valuable and actionable content that generates results will be a much easier process. Watch this video to find out what they are!
How to Optimize Advertising Budgets on Facebook
/by Corey PadveenIn order to drive positive results from Facebook advertising, it is important that marketers optimize advertising budgets.
Facebook advertising is a hugely useful asset, but it is so easy to see budgets spiral out of control when they are not being properly allocated. In order to truly get the most out of Facebook ads, marketers need to learn how to optimize advertising budgets.
In our latest eBook series, How-to with t2, we cover everything from simple applications to advanced practices in simple, easy to follow steps. In this first issue of the series, we cover the process marketers need to follow in order to optimize advertising budgets on Facebook using t2’s proprietary Incremental Bidding System.
Click here or on the image below to download the eBook today and find out how you can get the most out of your ad budget the next time you decide to run a Facebook ad campaign!
15 Marketing Fun Facts About Instagram
/by Corey PadveenInstagram is a network with tremendous marketing potential, as proven by some of these great marketing fun facts!
Long before Instagram opened its API for advertising, it was a valuable asset for any marketer. There is plenty that supports this statement, and the fun facts and figures listed here are just a few of those things.
These are just a few of the amazing statistics that make Instagram a marketers dream when it comes to rich media.
Have you used the network for a particular campaign? Tell us about it!
10 Ways to Improve Your Landing Page Conversions
/by Corey PadveenThis post originally appeared on CoreyPadveen.com.
There are a lot of reasons why your landing pages might not be converting, so here are ten things that might help.
Your landing pages are designed to drive conversions. But with so much noise, and what can sometimes feel like guesswork (though it doesn’t have to be), our landing page conversions might not be as strong as we had hoped.
These are a few best practices to keep in mind next time you decide to create a landing page in the hopes of driving new conversions from a campaign.
1. Match Your Page Title
If I, a consumer, have clicked on your content from an ad, email, social post or some other source that read one thing, and I arrived at your landing page only to find that the title does not match the original content, I’ll likely a) go back, thinking I arrived at the wrong place or b) exit because I feel duped. Keep a consistent message from content to landing page in order to maintain consistency throughout the consumer’s journey.
2. Clear Call-to-Action
If you have paragraph after paragraph of text and wait until the very end of the page to prompt me to take action, nine times out of ten, I’m going to leave. The average online attention span is eight seconds. If you don’t have a clear call-to-action above the fold prompting visitors to take action immediately, they likely won’t.
3. Direct Users to Your CTA
Using something as simple as an arrow, a photo or even turning your images slightly to face your call-to-action call can all lead to significantly improved conversion rates. Our eyes naturally follow directions that guide them. Do yourself a favor and help your prospects along the way.
4. Single Message
Landing pages have significantly higher conversion rates when there is a single, clear and uninterrupted message without any distractions. As noted above, people have short attention spans. If you push too many messages (i.e. more than one) at the same time, they will likely become overwhelmed and move onto something simpler.
5. Contextualize Your Offer
Showing is better than telling. Think about the classic door-to-door sales person. Your Fuller Brush Man wouldn’t simply tell you how great his products were, he would show you a mess and clean it up! On your landing page, you should try and do the same thing. Showcase an example, or a video that highlights why the product is a must-have and the offer can’t be beat!
6. Conformity
Along the same lines as the single message approach, every bit of content on your landing page should be aligned with the purpose of the page itself. If your goal is to get people to download your eBook, everything on the page should not only push people to download the eBook, but focus on its benefits. At no point should the attention that a consumer is giving you be broken. Don’t share links to other pages, and don’t promote other offers. Your landing pages should be singular in nature.
7. Test Variations
Keep all elements constant, but change the color of your call-to-action from blue to red. Did it make a difference? Now change the phrasing of your page title. Did that help? It is no secret that A/B testing is a valuable practice, yet not all marketers take advantage of it in all aspects of their campaigns. Maybe they’ll run A/B tests on email campaigns, or social ads, but too often landing pages are not tested. Try using a service like Optimizely to make things even easier and to automate some of the process.
8. Give a Guarantee
The majority of consumers are naturally risk-averse. Therefore, when they see that something is guaranteed – satisfaction, as a soft guarantee, or, as Kaplan does, improved test scores, for a hard guarantee – they will be more comfortable making a purchase or subscribing to a service. There is simply something comforting about seeing that a brand is confident in its product.
9. Segment by Source
If you are running search ads, social ads and email campaigns, they should have their own landing pages. Each of these variations should have its own set of A/B tests as these audiences will not be made up of the same people, and neither one of these audiences are likely to have the same tastes.
10. Show Accessibility
People are naturally skeptical when it comes to web offers. Showing that you have a real email address, an actual phone number and can be found in an office somewhere in the world will boost the confidence of your visitors. Again, people like to know that there is an actual human being on the other end of the computer that will be there for them if needed.
Try some of these tactics and see if you can’t boost your landing page conversions next time you run a campaign!
Social Media Update: What’s New?
/by Corey PadveenEvery so often, there are so many major announcements and changes in the world of social media, that a simple industry-wide update is needed.
With everything from Instagram to Google+ changes being announced lately, it seems harder than ever to keep up with what’s happening in the social media marketing world. This list breaks down what marketers need to know in order to stay on top of the social media game.
Instagram Ads Open to the Public
We recently discussed Instagram ads and how this announcement is going to open a whole new world for marketers. It is no secret that Instagram is a powerful tool, and that power has now increased exponentially with this announcement from the company.
Google+ is Disappearing
Though it is not completely dead, Google+ is slowly (but very surely) pulling out of the spotlight. This has been made apparent by the fact that other Google products no longer require the Google+ profile sign in. It is safe to say that it won’t be long before Google+ is broken down even further (Photos, Streams, etc.) and all we are left with is some version of the +1. While there is still some value to sharing content (from an SEO standpoint) paying close attention to the network won’t seem to yield great results moving forward.
LinkedIn Creates a Messenger
It is no secret that LinkedIn has long had one of the worst messaging platforms of any social network. While the intention (as a business-oriented social network) was to make it seem like an email dashboard, it wound up feeling clunky and outdated. Finally, LinkedIn has updated their messaging system so it feels more like a live chat than a series of disjointed and unnecessarily professional messages.
Improved Facebook Ad Dashboard
As the first social network with an ad dashboard it should come as no surprise that Facebook’s latest update to its ad management system makes it the most powerful of any social advertising dashboard on the market. The simplicity and user-friendliness make it a marketers dream, and on the agency side, it has quickly become the best to work with (with regards to segmenting campaigns and producing reports).
Facebook Messenger for Businesses
Slowly but surely, Facebook is making use of its assets. Another new feature on the network is the ability for businesses and customers to interact privately in Facebook Messenger. For a long time, detailed customer service issues have been a problem since interaction between consumers and brands have been done publicly on an open message board. Now, Facebook is providing a space where customer service can be taken to new heights.
Twitter Makes Ads Easier
Another major move forward for marketers (particularly on the agency side) is the new ability for marketers to edit Twitter ads in bulk with their new ad manager system. Twitter ads offer great value when it comes to interest and behavioral targeting, and the TV targeting is second to none. Now, with this update, marketers can rejoice at the amount of time it will save managing campaigns.
While plenty has taken place (much more than what is listed here) these are a few of the updates that marketers need to be aware of and should be most excited about. What other changes are you looking forward to?
4 Ways Instagram Ads Will Benefit Marketers
/by Corey PadveenInstagram recently opened its ad API, and readily available Instagram ads can mean great things for marketers.
For quite a while now, Instagram ads have been something reserved for the most elite brands, those willing to spend the high costs and take the time needed to execute the programs. Now, as Instagram opens its API to the public, virtually any marketer will be able to reap the benefits of the Instagram ad platform.
These are a few of the benefits that marketers can begin enjoying thanks to this move.
Instagram Advertising (Obviously)
The first one almost goes without saying, but it is (quite obviously) the greatest benefit of all.
Now that the API is open to the public, marketers will finally have access to the hundreds or millions of Instagram users worldwide (in a very targeted way). Of course, it might take a little trial and error before finding an advertising sweet spot (as with most ad capability introductions, there is bound to be some resistance) but reaching specific users with a hypertargeted message is a major win for marketers.
Speaking of which…
Hypertargeting
The ability to pinpoint an audience by tastes, preferences and behaviors, and then craft messaging geared towards those criteria is an under-utilized benefit when it comes to social media and, more specifically, social advertising.
Now, on Instagram, marketers will have the ability to create messaging geared towards a specific group of followers of general users. No longer will there need to be sponsored content worked into a news feed in a clunky way (for example, comedy accounts sharing posts promoting iPhone covers) and marketers can focus messaging efforts on the users that actually want to hear them.
Detailed Analytics
Instagram analytics have been made available in some capacity before (with tools like Simply Measured, for example) but with a native analytics dashboard now available, marketers will be able to see exactly how their content is performing with their desired audience.
As any marketer knows, detailed analytics is something that any client, brand, or boss needs in order to justify a program’s expenses and progress. Now (presumably) there will be far more insights made available with Instagram that marketers are going to love.
Monetization
While the age of Instagram advertising is still quite young (nascent, really) it is fairly safe to assume that there will be aspects worked in that are designed to monetize the ad.
As with Facebook (e.g. register for an event, download an app, click to a website, sign up, etc.) there would really only be value to the investment in advertising (for some marketers) if there were some sort of mechanism built in that allows for a direct return on investment. While there are many ways of measuring ROI, capabilities like those outlined above surely aren’t too long for this new space.
Conclusion
There will certainly be a lot of excitement over the new ad platform (and capabilities) and a lot of these features and benefits will be rolled out over time. But the one thing that can be said for certain is that there is sure to be a great deal of benefits reaped for this new launch. It’s exciting to watch.
Do you plan on using Instagram ads? Tell us in the comments below!