MKT 315 Exam 1 Study Guide

Acquisition Campaign

-Acquire new prospects/customers -Do the work on the front end of the customer journey -Not all about profit

Establish content segments

-Blog post formats that repeat on a schedule and follow a similar style/template -Easily repeatable and quickly consumable -Your audience will learn to expect them and this provides consistent value -Examples: •Letters to the Editor •Buzzfeed - What People are Purchasing on Amazon Right Now •Moz - Whiteboard Friday

Engagement Campaign

-Create communities of brand advocates and promoters -Customer interactions should go beyond the simple transaction of buying goods/services -A superior product matched with a superior experience

Top of the Funnel (TOFU)

-Entertain, inspire or educate with ungated content •Blog posts: -Raise awareness and help offer a solution -Nike Blog •Social media updates: -Free, valuable content •Infographics: -Entertaining AND educational -Create for free •Photographs: -Explain a lot in a single image -Breaks up text content •Digital magazines and books: -E-books •Podcasts: -Consumable content on the go •Microsites: -An auxiliary blog about a specific topic •Print magazines and newsletters: -Still viable but more expensive •Primary research: -Offer results so others don't have to collect their own

Monetization Campaign

-Generate revenue from existing leads/customers -Make profitable sales/offers to the leads/customers you acquired with your Acquisition campaign

Monitoring your data

-Google Analytics can help determine which posts garner the most traffic -WordPress or Squarespace can help to easily track social shares -Track your email information - •Google Analytics Academy helps you learn about Google's measurement tools so that you can grow your business through intelligent data collection and analysis.

Sales Letter Steps

1.Craft the headline: -Don't be too clever, stay clear and concise -Let a copywriter focus on the clever lines -"How To..." is oftentimes the easiest start 2.Write a sub-headline -Optional, but sometimes clarifies and supports the headline 3.Create an opening -Problem Solution 4.Show ease of use -Communicate that your solution is easy to do or quick to deliver 5.Forecast the future -Paint a picture that allows the prospect to envision themselves as free of the problem -"Imagine what it would be like..." 6.Establish credibility -Why you? Why are you qualified to solve the problem? •Testimonials •Provide credentials •Borrow credentials •Tell your story •Impress with numbers 7.Bullets that sell -People tend to skim rather than read in entirety -Purchasers are buying a desired outcome, not a product/service - i.e. They don't buy cold medicine, they buy a good night's sleep 8.Show proof -Provide proof of your claims (think infomercial) •Demonstration •Social proof •Data/research •Borrowed credibility 9.Make the offer -Think thru any/all questions a prospect might have about an offer and answer all of them 10. Sweeten the deal -Possibly add a bonus to create urgency 11. Communicate urgency -If the prospect believes they can come back later and get the same offer, they are less likely to take action -"Think how much it is costing you every day that you don't take action on this problem." 12.Reverse risk -Adds a sense of security •Provide a guarantee •Offer a free trial •Provide a return policy •Use trust icons 13.Make the CTA -What you want the prospect to do and how to do it

Deep Discounts Checklist

1.Does it lower the barrier to entry? a)Should be an impulse buy, rarely go over $20 2.Is the value clear? a)Make it easy to understand 3.Is it useful but incomplete? a)Ensure its usefulness - don't burn the lead 4.Does it have a high perceived value? a)Don't skimp 5.Does it have a high actual value? a)Deliver on promise and value

10 Blog Guidelines for Success

1.Exceptional headline -see previous slide 2.Strong introduction -Easy to consume and compels further reading -"You've finally found it." -"Stop me if you've heard this before." 3.Easy to consume content -Simple copy formatting -Smooth transitions -Lists -Break up paragraphs 4.Satisfy your goal (conversion) -Make sure to stay relevant -Include a CTA using effective copy that is placed in a prominent position 5.Quality media -Make sure media loads quickly (less than 3 seconds) - consider the pros and cons of autoplay -Try and avoid stock imagery as it can look too staged 6.A compelling close -Deliver on your promise and ask readers to comment/share 7.SEO -Include a relevant keyword in the: •Title tag •Body text •Image alt attribute •URL •Meta description 8.Categorize topics -Improves the user experience and increases value 9.Deliver on your promise -Look to add: •Media •Examples •Data •Links for more information 10. Keep professional consistency -Ensure the voice of your brand -Don't contradict yourself

Factors in Gating (Part 1)

1.Is your offer extremely specific? a)If so, make your promise very specific and provide a specific solution to a specific problem 2.Are you offering too much? a)Focus on one big thing rather than many small things - stay on course 3.Does the offer speak to an end result? a)Promise a solution 4.Does the offer deliver instant gratification? a)NOW - be specific about timeline

Factors in Gating (Part 2)

5.Does the offer shift the relationship? a)Move prospects closer to the purchase stage 6.Does the offer have a high perceived value? a)Don't skimp 7.Does the offer have a high actual value? a)Live up to your promise 8.Does the offer allow for rapid consumption? a)Don't be a roadblock, help the prospect move to the next step

Customer Journey Step 5

Build excitement -The value of the offers should exceed the price paid by the customer

Customer Journey Step 3

Build subscribers/leads - anyone who has given you permission to have a conversation with them -Email (still most effective) -Facebook -Twitter -Instagram -iTunes -Stitcher

Customer Journey Step 7

Develop brand advocates -Testimonials -Reviews -You build this relationship by adding value and delivering on your promise - delivering consistently quality products

Customer Journey Step 2

Drive engagement - it's not enough to make a cold prospect aware, you must engage. -Blog posts -Podcasts -Videos

Customer Journey Step 1

Generate awareness -Advertising -Social media -Search

Customer Journey Step 8

Grow brand promoters -Promoters go beyond advocacy -The brand is part of their life - -A promoter is active whereas an advocate is more passive

Customer Journey Step 4

Increase conversions - convince the prospect to give you a little time or money -Up to this point, the engagement has been passive -Here we being to onboard

Customer Journey Step 6

Make the core offer sale -Prospects are much more likely to buy now that they have developed a relationship

Statement of Value

Product/Service enables Avatar to experience happiness.

Product Detail Page

The product detail page should include everything a prospect needs to make a purchase decision.

BuzzSumo

is a site that allows you to analyze what content is performing well on social for a specific topic -Search for keywords and phrases -Adjust for specific types of content -Compare to competition using their domain

Meme Generator

is one of the simplest and most popular tools a marketer could employ. It is safe to say that sometimes the fewer frills, the better. •Word to the wise, though, the meme game has stepped up — so be prepared to do your research and hit the Reddit forums to ensure memes are properly vetted and up to snuff.

Wideo

simplifies video animation. As an incredibly effective marketing tactic, many businesses have pined over having the ability to produce video content on a regular basis. •With ready made templates and its easy drag and drop interface, upload images and original creative to turn weeks or months of dedicated resources into a wheelhouse of daily marketing, promo, and explainer videos.

Blog

•A blog is, in reality, a tool to help you manage certain pages of a site •The power of a good blog is that is can generate awareness for your company, brands, customer-facing employees, products, and services •The main purpose is to create awareness and engagement -The main goal is not conversion

Landing Pages

•A landing page is a web page designed to persuade a visitor to take a specific action •Your website should have a landing page for each offer made to prospects and customers •The focus should always be on the Call to Action (CTA) •Your home page is generally a poor landing page

Establishing a Publishing Process

•A process helps: -Fine-tune aspects such as style, tone, topics, offers, etc. -Plan your content and identify gaps -Maximize content impact

What Matters in a Gated Offer?

•A promise •An example •A shortcut •A solution •A discount •Rapid consumption is important b/c you want to provide value as quickly as possible

Content Marketing

•A type of marketing that involves the creation and sharing of online material (such as videos, blogs, and social media posts) that does not explicitly promote a brand but is intended to stimulate interest in its products or services. •What blog posts, videos, podcasts, etc. should you create to attract and convert your avatar?

The Marketing Funnel

•Awareness: -Entertain, inspire or educate •Evaluation: -Various choices, including competition, is evaluated •Conversion: -Convert leads into repeat and high-ticket buyers

Checklist

•Checklist posts continue to perform really well across industries. They not only offer utility, they also force us to think about things we may not have previously considered. •Harder to translate into a blog post without the help of the design team and developers, Checklist aims to solve the problem that many single content creators face — creating a blog post without the help of a design team or developers. •Create a checklist for any occasion, upload images, add a description, tag it, and then embed it right on your site or within a post. Forget about numbered bullet points.

Grading a Landing Page

•Clarity -You only have a matter of seconds •Congruence -Keep everything as close as possible to the same across the board •Visualization -Avoid stock imagery •Number of fields -Don't ask for what you don't need -Complex = more fields -Low commitment = few fields •Visible and compelling CTA button -Submit isn't good enough -Provide a specific command -Don't let it blend in

Pricing

•Clearly communicates difference in plans •Communicates different pricing options •Offers a free trial

Planning Ascension

•Connect content to business goals •Build offers into each piece of content that allow prospects to get more value -Consume more content -Provide contact info -Purchase

Promise

•Craft a clear promise and make sure it's in your title - don't try and be too clever •Tie the title to the benefit the target audience will receive •What are the prospects fears, concerns or desires?

Content Campaign Plan

•Create a Content Campaign Plan for each major offer 1.Choose avatars 2.Brainstorm content assets 3.Choose the vehicle and channel 4.Plan for ascension

Maximizing Profit

•Cross-sell -A related product •Immediate upsell -More of the same •Build bundles and kits -Create anew value proposition •Add a slack adjuster -A product/service that costs much more than your typical offer -Only a small number of sales will have a large impact •Recurring billing (a continuity offer) -Offer anytime cancellation -Be clear about the additional value

Choosing Avatars

•Decide which avatar this content targets -Each avatar will possibly have different intents, motivations, and problems -Some content will cross but the most effective content will speak directly •Example: -A wealth management firm attempting to sell financial planning should approach a young professional much differently than a retiree.

Deep Discounts

•Deep discounts help leads overcome doubt about your business •Offer small wins -i.e. a gym selling a 7 day juice cleanse at a deep discount and saying it's the hardest part of getting started back on the road to fitness •What do you offer that the market wants but doesn't necessarily need •What do people need but don't necessarily want?

Bottom of the Funnel (BOFU)

•Demos: -The downside to buying online is the inability to touch -Demonstrate your product thru video, screenshots, etc. •Customer stories -Prove your product can solve a problem •Comparison/spec sheets -Compare your product to competition, as well as, among your own offerings •Webinars/events -Use for complex, risky, or high-ticket items

Offering Value in Advance

•Digital marketing is unlike traditional in that a consumer may have no prior knowledge of the brand •Need to build trust and lead with value to build a relationship •Entry Point Offers (EPOs) are acquisition offers that lead with value

Customer Avatar

•Digital speak for buyer persona or target audience. •Be as specific as possible to craft personalized content, offers and campaigns.

Middle of the Funnel (MOFU)

•Educational resources: -Reports, white papers, webinars, etc. -Maintain a high quality or else leads will feel cheated once they provide their contact info •Useful resources -Cheat sheets, lists, templates, software, surveys, quizzes, assessments, coupon clubs, etc. -Save the lead time and energy - •Don't be passive, i.e. put a gate on the sidebar of a page. A missed gated offer doesn't create any leads. •Drive traffic directly to your landing page using social media, email, SEO and paid traffic.

Designing an Ungated Offer

•Entertainment -People pay a lot to be entertained, use short content to get across your message •Inspiration -Use inspirational content to challenge a buyer •Education -People want knowledge

Giphy

•Everyone loves a GIF (actually pronounced JIF). •Because they not only let people express themselves easily and without having to put feelings into words, but they also make brands more relatable. •With GIPHY, access hundreds of thousands of available GIFs ready for repurposing, or create your own to showcase products, features, and tutorials. Simply upload a series of pictures, add some text, and voila.

Generating Leads with Educational Content

•Free Reports -Guides with facts, news, best practices, etc. •White Papers -Best in B2B -An authoritative guide explaining a complex issue •Primary Research -Interviews and observations that you collect so the prospect doesn't have to •Webinars -Online training to emphasize expertise •Sales Material -See next slide

Creating a Lead Capture Page

•Generally, the more info asked for, the lower the conversion rate -Only ask for info that is used in your marketing •This page is extremely focused and consists of: -Gated offer -Headline -Bullets -Product image -Proof -Lead Form •Gated offer -Small value that solves a specific problem in exchange for contact info •Headline -Apply law of blog headlines to compel the visitor to read the below bullets •Bullets -Outline the benefits of the gated offer •Product image -Show visual representation if possible •Proof -Include trust icons, i.e. associations, reputable brand associations or testimonials •Lead Form -The collection mechanism

Generating Leads with Tools

•Handout or cheat sheet -Similar to a free report, just very short •Resource list -If you're an expert, share your tools •Template -A preconfigured spreadsheet or a layout for designing something -These are powerful b/c they can be put to immediate use •Software -Offer a trial to capture an email address •Discount and coupon clubs -Offer exclusive savings and early access to sales •Quizzes and surveys -Fun an engaging •Assessment -Offer an assessment and then provide a grade

Customer Journey

•If you have even one customer, a customer journey is in place. -Also called: sales or marketing pipeline •Sequence in digital marketing is CRUCIAL

Establishing Market Objectives

•Increasing problem and solution awareness •Acquiring new leads/customers •Activating leads/customers •Monetizing existing leads/customers •Onboarding new leads/customers •Building community and advocacy

Distributing Content to Attract and Audience

•Marketing thru email is still the best method for making offers and sending more content -Growing and managing your email list is critical •Capturing leads thru search (SEM) is still important but often handled by major engines •Using social to drive traffic depends on your brand personality and platform requirements •Paying for traffic helps segment visitors and makes use of retargeting -It is predictable

Creating a Sales Page

•Most digital marketing campaigns require one of two types of sales pages: 1.Product detail page §Unique to e-commerce businesses, a staple for the digital marketing of physical products §The product page is the make-or-break point that determines how successful your e-commerce store is §It must get prospects to ascend to conversion 2.Sales letter §Long-form text and/or video aimed at persuading a customer to purchase

When to use each type of campaign?

•New business - Acquisition •Existing leads - Monetization •Comfortable - Engagement

Snappa

•Not everyone has the luxury of hiring a graphic designer. And often, even if they do have one or two dedicated staff members, the constant necessity for fresh content as an inbound tactic day in and day out can still create barriers to production. •Snappa allows marketers to create high-quality visual content without having to rely on design. •With many pre-designed templates in a variety of formats, start cranking out fresh content for your blog, social media, newsletter, paid media initiatives, etc. All your in-house design team has to do is make sure that everything matches brand guidelines.

Defining a Digital Campaign

•Objective based: -Coordinated actions intended to achieve a specific business goal •Multi-parted: -Content, landing pages, ads, etc. •Seamless and subtle: -Make your Call to Action (CTA) simple - don't propose on the first date •In flux: -Much simpler to pivot/tweak digitally than traditionally

Discount

•Opt-in to receive the discount •Wording is key to effectively tell the prospect how much they'll save

Designing Deep Discounts

•Physical premiums -May actually lose $ •Offer a book -Often an e-book •Webinars -Call it a teleclasss, boot camp or training •Software •Splinter a service

Brainstorming Content Assets

•Plan to create content at all stages of the marketing funnel: awareness, evaluation, conversion •Example: -What should the wealth management firm create to increase awareness for the young professional? -What should it create to move the retiree thru the conversion stage?

SurveyMonkey

•Quizzes are still hot., But it is important to also include an added layer of purpose so they drive conversions. •This is where players like BuzzFeed and Refinery29 shine, and for those interested in making their content a little more engaging, it can easily be done with tools like SurveyMonkey or Qualtrics. •Customizable to include your logo, theme, and whatever variation of questions formats you'd like to combine, drafting a simple or robust quiz has never been easier. They even include a bank of popularly used questions to help spark inspiration.

Solution

•Raise and answer a specific question to provide value •Helps establish you as an authority on the subject

Shortcut

•Raise and answer a specific question to provide value •Helps establish you as an authority on the subject •Saving a person time is appealing and converts well -i.e. a list of healthy snacks can help someone eat a more nutritious diet

Retargeting

•Retargeting: -Also known as remarketing, allows you to keep your brand in front of bounced traffic after they leave your website. -For most websites, only 2% of web traffic converts on the first visit. Retargeting is a tool designed to help companies reach the 98% of users who don't convert right away. •A cookie-based technology that uses simple Javascript code to anonymously 'follow' your audience all over the Web. •How it works: -You place a small, unobtrusive piece of code on your site (the code is often referred to as a pixel). The code, or pixel, is unnoticeable to your site visitors and won't affect your site's performance. -Every time a new visitor comes to your site, the code drops an anonymous browser cookie. Later, when your cookied visitors browse the Web, the cookie will let your retargeting provider know to serve ads, ensuring that your ads are served to only to people who have previously visited your site.

Designinspiration

•So, you've been left to your own devices but you don't exactly consider yourself the most aesthetically inclined. •Select Designspiration's handy paintbrush, select up to five colors, and get ready for a host of visual ideas and concepts to help bolster your creativity.

Social Media Marketing

•Social media marketing, or SMM, is a form of internet marketing that involves creating and sharing content on social media networks in order to achieve your marketing and branding goals. •What social media sites is your avatar spending time on? What topics does your avatar like to discuss?

Content Creation

•Successful content marketing often requires the persistent creation of great content on a regular basis. •This content could span from a simple blog post to an extremely complex interactive graphic. As with everything else, you can maximize your productivity by equipping your business with the right tools to tackle all kinds of digital content creation. •But in a constantly evolving digital landscape, tools come and go along with fads in various content types and formats.

ThingLink

•Take your images, graphics, and videos and make them interactive. Tagging important elements with rich links not only drive deeper engagement, but also meaningful conversions. •Use ThingLink to enhance the shopping experience, capture audience attention, and deconstruct ideas. It's having the power of a Pinterest shopping button right on your owned, native content.

Sales Material

•Tends to be longer b/c the prospect needs more information •If a prospect opts-in, then it indicates they are a qualified lead -A qualified lead is someone who is actively seeking more info about your products or service b/c they are interested in buying from you

Email Marketing

•The act of sending a commercial message, typically to a group of people, using email. In its broadest sense, every email sent to a potential or current customer could be considered email marketing. ... Marketing emails can be sent to a purchased lead list or a current customer database. •Which avatar should receive a specific email marketing campaign?

Copywriting

•The act of writing text for the purpose of advertising or other forms of marketing. The product, called copy, is written content aiming to increase brand awareness and ultimately persuade a person/group to take a particular action. •How should you describe offers in your email marketing, ads, and sales letters in a way that compels your avatar to buy?

Vennage

•The almighty infographic lives on to help content marketers — new and old — turn complex stories into aesthetically beautiful and comprehensible experiences. •Venngage has many templates based on a variety of different layouts and constantly updated categories to suit your specific needs (think statistical, geographic, timeline, and charts).

Product Creation

•The overall process of strategy, organization, concept generation, product and marketing plan creation and evaluation, and commercialization of a new product. •What problem is your avatar trying to solve?

Search Marketing

•The process of gaining traffic and visibility from search engines through both paid and unpaid efforts. -Search Marketing encompasses: •SEO: Earning traffic through unpaid or free listings. •SEM: Buying traffic through paid search listings. •What solutions is your avatar searching for on search engines like Google, YouTube and Bing?

Working with content creators

•To engage outside content creators, include the following in a "Write for Us" section on your site: -Acceptance of bylined articles •Most writers want to know you will link to their own site -Statement of pay •If you want to pay for outside content -Content categories •Outline the topics you want covered -Contact form

Designing a Gated Offer

•To graduate someone from prospect to lead, you need a gated offer to capture their contact info •Use for a specific problem in a specific market •You exchange value for the right to contact the lead in the future •Specificity is key to a gated offer b/c it increases relevancy -A simple "Subscribe to Newsletter" isn't enough

PhraseGenerator

•Turning quotes into graphics for social media is more common than not these days, but if you don't have anything to contribute to the conversation, how can you reap the benefits? •Unless you've got talented in-house writers who can shell out some serious inspiration, best to stick to the classics. And now, they are easier to find than ever. While fairly rudimentary looking, PhraseGenerator let's you mine academic, financial, political, historical, and even headlines, to surface the perfect motivational sentences for your audience.

The Prospect's Intent

•Understand existing intent to anticipate future intent -Brainstorm internally to represent the voice of the customer -Remember to focus on each stage of the funnel •Provide a path to the next step

Types of EPOs

•Ungated: -Does not require contact info or a purchase to get value -i.e. blog post, video or podcast •Gated: -Requires contact info to get value •Deep Discount: -Requires a purchase at a deep discount, generally 50% or greater

Brainstorming Post Ideas

•Use your avatar for inspiration. Answer each of the following questions: -Goals and values -Sources of info -Demographics -Challenges and pain points -Objections

NoNotes

•Used for recording, transcribing, and video captioning, NoNotes is a triple threat among audiences thirsty for podcast, interviews, and video content. •The only problem is, most marketers don't have the equipment to properly conduct a podcast fast enough... or hands to jot down notes during comprehensive interviews... or the time to transcribe all of the above for the purpose of providing transcripts or even captioning videos. •NoNotes.com is free to try and cheap to add to your fulltime toolkit, allowing you to do all of the above with ease.

Objections

•Why would the avatar decline to buy the product/service? •Prepare ahead of time to combat any objections the avatar may have.

Gamefroot

•Years ago, gamification was at the peak of inflated expectations on what Gartner would consider it's "7 Step Hype Cycle." Nearly impossible to implement unless serious developer work went into creating an experience, today, companies like Gamefroot allow common laymen to develop, test, and publish games. •A handful of templates make it easy to test the waters. A marketplace of free assets will have your audiences engaged, having fun, and even educated about important information.

Segmenting with Content

•You can truly begin segmentation once your leads give you their time and/or money •Allow potential customers to raise their hands by spending time or money with your content