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Thursday, 8 May 2014

Free Tips On Writing A Compelling White Paper

May 08, 2014 prabhakardalvi

How to create content that won’t be overlooked in a marketplace saturated with white papers, tip sheets and ebooks.

What is a white paper? A white paper is a focused analysis that addresses a problem commonly experienced by a key audience. They provide specific and detailed information on topics that are relevant to a specific industry. Creating a white paper can be a useful content marketing tool for several reasons. A white paper:

helps build your reputation as an expert in your field
provides a means of collecting valuable customer leads if readers are required to complete a form in order to download
increases traffic and inbound links to your website from other sites, leading to improved search engine rankings
increases customer awareness of your brand, making you the first choice when the need for your product or service arises
Writing a white paper is different from creating a traditional report or guide. While guides are often presented in a “How-To” format, a white paper instead focuses on solving a problem experienced by a business’ typical customer.

Beware: a bad topic can be a death sentence

I know, I know, this should be obvious. However, finding the right topic can be challenging. Start by determining who your audience is: who is it that you are trying to reach? Then, find out what they are talking about—what are their concerns? A good place to look for topic ideas is social media outlets like Twitter. People tend to reach out to their social networks when looking for suggestions, tips or general business advice.

If you are going to write about it, know about it

You don’t have to be a guru or expert on a topic to write a white paper. But you should at least know enough on the topic you are writing about that you can comfortably throw out a rough draft with just the information you have stored in your brain. You can then go back and add credibility to your paper, do some research and toss in some facts and statistics around your topic.

When to use a White Paper vs. Tip Sheet?

White paper or tip sheet, that is the question? Sometimes it can be unclear if you should be writing a white paper or tip sheet. A tip sheet is what to use when you have a list of guidelines. They provide an instant takeaway for the reader that does not necessarily require reading an overwhelming amount of copy. It’s a quick, easy to read, and to the point. For example Cision recently ran a campaign and released a tip sheet titled, “Press Release SEO: Ten Ways to Rule the Rankings.”

A white paper is similiar in nature, but provides a more indepth solution to a problem or scenario. It is typically longer and more formal than a tip sheet. An example of a white paper that Cision recently promoted is, “Best Face Forward: Managing a Winning Social Media Facebook Communications Team.”
soucre : http://goo.gl/CRg2ar

Speak to your audience and keep it simple

Just because you know a lot about the topic you are writing about, does not mean your readers are as familiar with technical acronyms and processes. Ask an outsider to read your paper and define anything that may be confusing or prompts an internet search. Use short sentences and keep paragraphs brief. To be effective, use a simple format that includes an introduction, a detail of the problem and provide a solution.

Keep in mind that a typical white paper is anywhere from 3 to 10 pages long. Because people who normally read white papers are busy professionals, they are looking for guides that are simple and quick to read. This is why you need to simplify the writing and look up meanings for technical words.

Back it up with facts and stats

A recent article in BtoB Magazine reviewing an Eccolo Media study found, “White papers remain the most effective piece of marketing collateral, with 86% of respondents finding them moderately to highly influential in the purchasing decision.”

Anyone can write about a topic, but you want to be seen as an expert in your field. Facts and statistics validates your reputation as a thought leader and shows the reader you are up-to-date on recent developments, with access to the most current information. Sprinkle facts and stats into your report to increase value of your content and the number of takeaways for the reader.

Don’t forget about the small touches and add a visual

Good writing is the key to white paper success, but don’t overlook the value of a good design to give it that extra edge. The design makes the writing “pop” and draws attention to the content. The goal of the design and the headline is to attract attention and the role of the of the writing is to generate the leads.

On your mark, Get set…market!

Market your content! So many times companies are creating great content in the form of white papers and simply posting it on their websites and waiting for someone to download it. Pull some interesting facts from your story and use them to promote your message in an email campaign, via your social media channels and write an accompanying blog about it. Engage in Pull Marketing or Inbound Marketing, a promotional strategy that involves getting the customers to come to you.

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How To Get Press Don't Pitch Your Product - linkedin

May 08, 2014 prabhakardalvi

I get pitches every day from entrepreneurs, PR agencies and book authors who hope to get an article about them written on my blog, OnStartups (300,000 readers) — or on HubSpot's marketing blog(over 1.5 million visits a month).

It's sad that most of those pitches fall flat and are likely to be completely ignored. A waste of time and money for everyone.

For example, here’s a pitch from a PR professional. I’ve changed it slightly to avoid embarrassing anyone:

“I’m working with a wonderful new business… The owners grew up together and decided to go into business… it’s a story I’m sure your readers will care a lot about!”

Uh, no. I don’t really care about their story. No one else probably will either — except maybe their moms.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m sure the entrepreneurs are great people, but many entrepreneurs can tell a tale of struggle and euphoria and heartbreak and someday, against all odds, turning their dreams into reality and making their business a success. While occasionally we might be inspired or motivated, for the most part we’re just not that interested in other people’s stories. Unless those stories are particularly remarkable we're more apt to just keep living our own dreams and writing our own stories. So, the things we're interested in is not other people's stories, but information that helps us write our own.

So what should you do if you’re trying to spread the word about new products and services, landing new customers, bringing investors onboard… all the stuff you hire PR agencies to do for you or, more likely, try to do on your own?

If you’re looking for press, forget the formulaic, cookbook approach to crafting a winning media pitch. That approach may result in coverage in a few outlets… but not the ones you really want.

Quick rule of thumb: Any media outlet that will do a story based on a crappy pitch is a media outlet that will get you crappy exposure.

Let’s pretend you’re thinking about pitching me. (You can apply the following to any media outlet or blog, though.)

Here’s what to do and not to do:

Don’t tell me your story is unique.

No offense, but it really isn’t. There are thousands of Ramen noodle stories. There are thousands of 3 am “Eureka!” stories. There are thousands of maxed-out credit cards, relatives won’t return your calls, last-minute financing savior stories.

Your story is deservedly fascinating to you because you lived it, but to the average reader your story sounds a lot like every other entrepreneur’s story. Claiming your story is unique creates an expectation that, if not met, negatively impacts the rest of your pitch.

And if your story truly is unique, I’ll know. You won’t have to tell me.

Don’t tell me how much a little publicity will help you.

Never waste time by explaining how this could be a win-win relationship or, worse, by claiming you want to share your wisdom because you simply want to help others.

I know you want publicity, and I know why. I get it. We’re cool.

Know what I’ve done recently.

It’s easy to think, “Hey, he recently wrote about choosing a co-founder, so I should pitch a story about how I help people find co-founders”

Um, probably not. If just wrote about co-founders. I’m probably good for a little bit on that topic. Never assume one article indicates an abiding fascination with a particular topic.

But do feel free to pitch if you aren’t a member of the choir I just preached to. Different points of view catch my attention; same thing, different day does not.

Know my interests.

You certainly don’t need to know I enjoy late-night walks on the beach. (Hey, who doesn’t?) But skim a few posts and you’ll know I have a soft spot for company culture, startup funding and startup marketing

So if you really want to get my attention, don’t use the tried-but-in-no-way-true “mention you really enjoyed something recent the writer wrote” approach.

Instead put your effort into finding an angle that may appeal to my interests. If you can’t be bothered to do that you’ll never get the publicity you want.

Forget a profile piece.

Straight profile pieces that tell the story of a business are boring. (At least I think so, which is why I don't post those)

The best articles let readers learn from your experience, your mistakes, and your knowledge. Always focus on benefiting readers: When you do, your company gets to bask in the reflected PR glow.

So, I don’t want to know what you do; I want to know what you know. If you started a company, share five things you learned about landing financing. If you developed a product, share four mistakes you made early on. If you entered a new market, share three strategies you used to steal market share from competitors.

And while you may think the “5 steps to” or “4 ways to” approach is overdone, keep in mind readers love them… and even if I decide not to frame the story that way, developing mental bullet points ahead of time is a great way to organize your information (which helps me) and ensure you have great talking points (which definitely helps you.)

Realize that the more you feel you need to say… the less you really have to say.

Some people think bloggers are lazy and look for stories that write themselves. I can’t argue with the lazy part, but I really don’t want to read a 1,000-word pitch with a comprehensive overview of the topic and a list of semi-relevant statistics. The best products can be described in a few sentences, and so can the best pitches:

So now let’s get specific. Pretend you’re crafting your pitch:

Remember: forget what you want.

Many people think, “Wow, it would be awesome if OnStartups.com ran a story about our new product—think of the exposure! So many VCs would read it! We're looking for funding!"

Maybe so, but unless you focus on how readers can benefit from the story (learning about your new product isn’t a benefit to readers), that’s not going to happen.

Then, think about what I want.

I want to inform and occasionally – hopefully – entertain readers; the more you can help me accomplish that goal, the more interested I am in what you have to say.

Then craft your pitch with publicity as a secondary goal.

In the example above, the PR pro didn’t offer readers anything. His only focus was on getting publicity to benefit his clients.

Flip it around and focus solely on how you can benefit readers. When you do, your company will benefit by extension.

For example, if you want to spread the word about:

· New products or services: Share four lessons learned during the product development process; describe three ways you listened to customers and determined how to better meet their needs; explain the steps involved in manufacturing products overseas, especially including what you did wrong.

· Landing a major customer: Describe how you changed your sales process to allow you to compete with heavy hitters in your industry; share three stories about major sales that got away and what you learned from failing to reel them in; detail the steps you took to quickly ramp up capacity while ensuring current customers needs were still met.

· Bringing in key investors: Explain how you helped investors embrace your vision for the company; describe four key provisions that create the foundation for a solid partnership agreement; share the stories of three pitches to VCs that went horribly wrong and how those experiences helped you shape a winning pitch. source : http://goo.gl/sQB1s4

Sound like a lot of work? It is, but it’s worth it. When you offer to help people solve problems and learn from your mistakes, bloggers and writers will be a lot more interested.

More importantly, readers will be more interested in the news you want to share because first you helped them—and that gives them a great reason to be interested in your business.

This article is from the OnStartups.com blog: "Startup PR Tip: To Get Press, Don't Pitch Your Product"

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How to befriend journalists via e-mail

May 08, 2014 prabhakardalvi

Back when PR pros schmoozed with journalists at a local bar, or bumped into them at events around town, it was a lot easier to make connections and start lobbing a few pitches their way. Now, years after e-mail took over our lives, PR people have to rely on an impersonal and easily disposable method of communication to make these crucial connections.

Since e-mail is what we're stuck with, how can you engage a media contact in few words, and without the force of your personal charm? PR pros say that getting too chummy in an e-mail—especially a message to a journalist you've never met—usually has the opposite effect (i.e., you sound a bit like a stalker). And a too-formal tone comes off as extra-stiff in an e-mail.

Here's some guidance on hitting the right note in those first-approach e-mails.

1. Show you're a fan. "I can't think of a more simple, intuitive or appropriate approach to building relationships with journalists and editors via e-mail than actually reading their content, and then commenting to them via e-mail," says David Muise, vice president of PR at Full Spectrum Media in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

"It's a great introduction, requires no fluff and shows that you are practicing due diligence. It also shows that you are an active player in the story, and that you're not just sending materials blindly when you need something."

2. Give it the personal touch. Along those same lines, Kevin Aschenbrenner, senior account supervisor/PR for Jaffe Associates in Victoria, Canada, says to use names in your e-mail pitch, and not just the ones you get from a mail merge. "Even if you're working off of a huge media list, start it with their name," says Aschenbrenner. "I actually think it's better to use Outlook and not some mail merge program because, wearing my other hat as the editor of the Jaffe Legal News Service, I've seen e-mail pitches that are so obviously mail merges it's painful."

3. Spell-check makes perfect. Christine Hohlbaum, a Munich, Germany-based PR consultant for U.S.-based Wasabi Publicity, relies heavily on e-mail relationships given the distance between her and her media contacts.

She says that a polished message is key to making a good first impression. "I avoid typos," says Hohlbaum. "Using improper grammar and spelling in an e-mail is like stuttering."

4. Just the facts, ma'am. "E-mailing press isn't writing a love letter," says David Libby, principal of Libby Communications in Oakland, Calif. "It's akin to a job application.

The information should be factual, pertinent to the reporter's audience, quick to the point and mirror the reporter's style. If the information in an e-mail, to a reporter, carries these qualities, consistently, e-mail after e-mail, then the reporter will develop trust for the PR person and might respond."

5. E-mail to help out, not just to pitch. Dylan Powell, a PR writer at Houston's Origin Design, practices the "three to one" rule. He contacts journalists three times with helpful background info or comments before sending them one pitch.

6. The need for speed. "If a PR representative replies to journalists' questions with lightning speed, it automatically shows diligence and a commitment to assist," says Matthew Zintel, managing director of Zintel PR in Los Angeles. "That goes a long way in forming a relationship outside of e-mail. I can't tell you how many times an editor or writer has thanked us for quickly answering e-mail questions just minutes after receiving them, no matter the time."

7. Chill out. "Relax your tone," advises Kevin Quartz, PR director at Harrisburg, Pa., ad agency Pavone.

"Many pitches sound too polished, like every word has been agonized over and scrutinized by a team of writers, because they often have. The most effective and personal e-mail communications read like conversations between two friends—as if you wrote the e-mail just for them."

Kacie Main, an account executive at O'Connell & Goldberg PR in Hollywood, Fla., says she imagines she's chatting up a media contact over the phone.

"I think as PR professionals we get into our 'writing modes' and write e-mails as if we're drafting an overall PR plan we are going to send to the CEO of a major company," Main says. "In order to build relationships through e-mail, you have to write them as if you're on the phone. You would never call someone and immediately jump into your pitch. You would say 'hi, how are you?' And when hanging up, you wouldn't say 'best regards,' you would say 'thanks' or 'talk to you soon.'"

But don't get too friendly: "Don't act like someone's best friend in the first e-mail," says Karen Campbell, senior public relations manager for Zondervan, a publisher based in Grand Rapids. Kevin Quartz agrees: "Keep it professional. There's a fine line between conversational and awkwardly personal. Don't ask how their family is doing if you've never met them."

Think hard about that subject line: "You need to make your subject lines count," says Aschenbrenner. "'New Partners Join Firm' is something I see a lot. They don't even put the firm name in the subject. I try to write subjects like headlines. You want to snag a reporter so they open the e-mail, or at least read the first few sentences in the preview pane."

8. The five-second scan. Elizabeth Robinson, president of Volume PR in Centennial, Colo., got a grateful response to a short-and-sweet pitch she sent to a Fortune Small Business reporter who liked the fact that she didn't waste his time. "This is not an age where people curl up with a cup of a coffee to read e-mails," says Robinson. "We scan everything."

Robinson gives her pitches the "five-second scan test" to see if they're succinct and short enough to be digested in just a few seconds. "Set a timer, and see if the pitch entices you to read on," she suggests.

In her pitch to Fortune Small Business, she reduced the news to a few bullet points. The editor contacted her within three minutes, telling her that he was thankful he "didn't have to unpack paragraphs of text." source : hrcommunication.com

Kevin Quartz also likes the bulleted approach. "We've moved away from the 'pitch and attached release' format towards a series of easily digestible bullets of information incorporated into the body of the e-mail," he says. "This makes the entire e-mail look like the information is being delivered directly to the recipient."

Aschenbrenner also believes in the Gospel of Keeping it Short.

"When it comes to the body of the e-mail, the way you're going to let a reporter know that they're dealing with a flack who will be an asset and not a pest is to keep it short, and to the point," he explains. "I write out all my pitches ahead of time and make sure that they are no longer than five to seven sentences. That ensures they don't run beyond the first part of an e-mail. Reporters don't scroll."

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Free Resources for Building a Media List for ROI

May 08, 2014 prabhakardalvi

Below 14 Free Resources for Building a Media List :

The Internet Public Library

The Internet Public Library includes a list of popular magazines and newspapers organized by their respective subject area or geographic focus. Each individual listing includes a brief description of the outlet’s coverage area, along with a link to their website. Other similar directories include World Newspapers & Magazines (some of these listings are outdated, but it’s still a good starting point), the Yahoo! News and Media directory and Mondo Times.

LinkedIn Search

LinkedIn is a great resource for finding professional journalists. With LinkedIn’s new search features, you can dive deeper into user data to find contacts that fit your criteria. For example, I recently created a search to find contacts with “reporter” as their professional title within a 30 mile radius of my zip-code.

There were more than 18,000 contacts, but I could easily narrow this search by limiting other fields or adding a keyword like “business”. LinkedIn also lets you save five searches, so you can be alerted to new contacts that join LinkedIn matching your criteria.

MediaOnTwitter Wiki

We’ve talked about the MediaOnTwitter wiki several times in this blog already, but it’s worth mentioning again. The database is currently going through an upgrade and will soon be much easier to use.

As Twitter continues to experience explosive growth, no doubt will it continue to expand as a medium for reaching journalists and bloggers. You can learn more about the MediaOnTwitter wiki from PRSarahEvans.com. While MediaOnTwitter is the most comprehensive list, there’s also a Media People Using Twitter wiki that was created by My Creative Team (in case you wanted more).

Alltop

Alltop is an alternative to setting up RSS feeds for all your favorite blogs on a subject. Alltop has a team of keen-eyed experts that work to aggregate “All” the “Top” blogs on a particular subject. I regularly read the “PR” and “Journalism” categories on Alltop to keep up with current trends and developments relevant to the subjects I write about on this blog. With a few mouse clicks, Alltop will show you any number of the “top” outlets you’ll want to consider for your media list.

Technorati

Technorati is a blog search engine. You can use it to search for blog posts on any subject. The company also manages a list of the Top 100 Blogs, which is a great place to find the world’s most popular blogs on subjects you’re interested in. You can also explore Technorati by many different categories to find relevant blogs. Some of the more popular categories include Technology, Business, Entertainment, IT and Finance.

Congress.org Media Guide

This is a useful directory of media outlets organized by your geographic area. You can click on an interactive map to find newspapers in different areas of the country. Each listing includes a description of the outlet, along with some contacts for the publication (geared toward those that cover politics, but still useful).

Audit Bureau of Circulations

The Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) lists its members on its website, including Business Publications, Consumer Magazines and Newspapers.

PRSourceCode

PRSourceCode provides a variety of paid PR services for agencies and professionals working in technology-related sectors. While the company provides paid services, it has a free listing of business and technology publications on its website, linked to the sites. This is an excellent place to start if you’re building a tech-focused media list.

FAIR’s Media Contact List

This organization provides a list of media outlets – really designed for you to voice your opinion (or complaint) about media bias and censorship. Most of the contact information is generic, so you could use it as a jumping off point for major outlets. This list has basic contact information for outlets like CNBC, CNN, Fox News Channel, USA Today, Newsweek and Time.

HARO (Help A Reporter Out)

I’m sure you’ve heard about HARO. If you’re not one of the nearly 80,000 people using the service, it’s a free service that connects journalists with expert sources. Each email (there are three a day) includes reporter queries that you can respond to (provided you have a relevant pitch or expert to offer up).

But what if you’re not a fit for the opportunity, but are for the outlet? Keep track of journalists and bloggers that regularly write about topics related to your subject areas – then research those outlets and contacts to add to your media list. What better way to learn what a journalist is interested in than to see the types of experts they regularly reach out to through HARO.

Regator

Regator aggregates the best blog posts on different subjects. While Alltop will show you the best blogs on a subject, Regator shows you the best posts, saving you even more time. I’ve just started using this service (it’s another of our favorite Atlanta-based startups), and its useful for finding the most relevant posts on subjects I’m interested in. The best posts are hand-selected by experienced journalists, so you’ll find nothing but great quality here.

TradePub

TradePub works with business and trade magazine publishers to market free subscriptions to qualified professionals. This is your one-stop-shop for subscribing to a wide-range of free business and trade publications of interest to you. It’s also a great place to find outlets you’ll want to add to your media list.

TVA Productions

TVA Productions is a top independent studio that just happens to have an awesome directory of media outlets in many different categories. The directory is well-designed and easy to navigate. The only downside is the directory only lists the name and location of each outlet per category, so you’ll still have to find the outlet’s website to continue your research from there.

None of these resources will provide anywhere near the volume or accuracy of information found in commercial media databases like Vocus or Cision. It’s true that you get what you pay for when it comes to media research. If you’re managing media relations for several organizations, consider investing in one of these solutions. If you just need to create a media list for your small business or startup, you can do this for free with a moderate amount of effort, using the resources I’ve provided in this post.

Is there another resource people should know about? Do you have other suggestions for building media lists on the cheap? Please share your thoughts.

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Deliver Your Message With Short and Compelling Sound

May 08, 2014 prabhakardalvi

The demands on our time are overwhelming, constant, relentless. Everyone is rushing around at break-neck speed trying to jam more than is humanly possible into already overloaded schedules. Getting people to listen seems impossible because they're frantic, have a million things on their minds and can't spare a millisecond. If you ever pin them down, you're given little time, you're constantly interrupted and you realize that they have the attention span of minnows.

So if you get an opening, you better make good! You better be ready to say what you mean

quickly
clearly and
compellingly

Write A Sound Bite

Create a sound bite, a message, that you can deliver in less than 30 seconds. Cut it down to 10 or 15 seconds for the media. The purpose of a sound bite is to turn listeners on, it's a verbal business card to deliver when you're introduced to new people. It's your "elevator speech:" a snappy, self-description that you can rattle off in the time it takes an elevator to rise from the lobby to the fifth floor.

The more you say briefly, the better the sound bite. As David Belasco said, "If you can't write your idea on the back of my calling card, you don't have a clear idea."

Radio news segments come in ten second increments, so "if you can't express what you want and why it's news worthy in ten seconds, you're off the phone," advised a news director for a major NBC affiliate.

Your sound bite must be a grabber, a memorable message that makes listeners want to buy your products, champion your causes and fight your wars. If it's short and gets their attention, it buys you more time to sell them. Your sound bite must be

INTERESTING enough to attract immediate ATTENTION
POWERFUL enough to be REMEMBERED and
CONVINCING enough to STIR overloaded listeners into action.

In 30 seconds or less, your sound bite must explain:

Who you are
What you represent and
Why you make a difference.

Examples of a variety of short, effective sound bites are:

I used to weigh over 300 pounds; now, I'm a size 8. I can quickly teach you how to lose weight and keep it off. (Diet book author).
My name is _________ and I free folks from financially worry. Give me a call and I'll do the same for you. (Financial consultant).
I teach people how to look rich, even if they aren't. (Fashion advisor).
I'm the James Bond for the new millennium. I make computers secure, detect break ins and restore lost data. (Computer security expert).
I train your brain and set free your imagination. (Biofeedback instructor).
Most people aren't accustomed to promoting themselves. So when it's time to blow their own horns, they don't know what to say or they tend to over do it. However, in business, with so many competitors vying for the same dollars, you must distinguish yourself. And the best way to start is with a sound bite.

source : rickfrishman.com/article_deliver_message.html

Shine Your Star - Be creative, make yourself sound like a star or make your product or service seem groundbreaking. In our celebrity-obsessed society, the media desperately seeks new faces. It loves to splash their names in headlines, tell the world their stories and ride their coat tails to fortune and fame. Help the media, do a good deed, write a sound bite that captivates them, show them that you have star potential and make them want to move mountains to advance your career.

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Five Content Marketing Trends to Watch - Digital 2014

May 08, 2014 prabhakardalvi

As the third annual Digital Content NewFronts unfold, digital marketers are eyeing emerging trends. The Internet Advertising Bureau event, which took place from April 28 to May 7 in New York City, is a hub for the launch and discovery of digital marketing innovations with a focus on video.

The cast of featured presenters includes key players such as BuzzFeed, Hulu, The New York Times, AOL, Google, and Yahoo. The NewFronts are designed to imitate the TV upfront marketplace and are geared toward digital publishers and networks that want to compete with traditional media for advertising dollars.

As an ex-media planner from the world of digital advertising, it’s interesting for me to observe the NewFronts through a content marketer’s lens. Although they’re targeted at media planners and buyers, content marketers can learn from trends in the paid media landscape to shape strategies and identify integration opportunities. Here are five themes to watch:

1. Integrated Analytics

Measuring the impact of integrated marketing strategies that span both traditional and digital channels is one of the most significant challenges for marketers today. To more effectively report on multichannel performance, AOL and Yahoo announced partnerships with measurement giants Nielsen and comScore at the NewFronts.

The collaboration between comScore and Yahoo aims to streamline integrated measurement by offering advertisers access to comScore’s validated Campaign Essentials metrics, which equate video, display, and mobile performance to TV metrics.

AOL and Nielsen’s partnership focuses on testing gross rating points (GRPs) to measure audience reach for AOL’s original programming. GRPs allow marketers to report on impressions by a percent of the total audience reached rather than the exact size. The growth of cross-media measurement is a trend that content marketers should similarly incorporate into measurement strategies to prove return on investment (ROI) alongside other media forms.

2014 NewFronts: Five Content Marketing Trends to Watch Christine Warner

2. Original Programming

Publishers and networks are focused on promoting original programming to expand their audience and subscriber bases and to develop an authentic presence.

According to Mike Hopkins, Hulu’s CEO, the company is planning to quadruple its investment in original programming. Similarly, AOL is launching short-form, unscripted shows featuring stars such as Ellen DeGeneres and James Franco.

“Our main goal is to go after authentic voices,” said Ran Harnevo, AOL’s president of video.

The growth of original video series underscores the power of original content to engage online audiences based on its authenticity and viral tendencies. As advertisers shift budgets toward original programming, content marketers can bask in the industry’s increased respect for original content.

3. Real-Time Measurement

Brands increasingly want to monitor and participate in real-time digital events and conversations. Therefore, it’s critical to be able to measure the results of real-time engagements.

At the NewFronts, DigitasLBi and SimpleReach launched the NewFront Brand Content Index, a measurement tool developed to provide comparative performance data within a brand’s industry and across the Web. Enabling both real-time and historical insights, this tool optimizes content distribution.

“As content marketing becomes an increasingly important way to build brand equity, agencies and brands have struggled to prove the ROI of their efforts,” SimpleReach CEO Edward Kim said while summarizing the tool’s impetus.

Google-owned YouTube also announced a new feature that allows advertisers to measure brand interest according to real-time searches as a result of its collaborations with comScore and Nielsen. Content marketers should also seek to develop measurement strategies that capture the impact of real-time content responses.

4. Influencer Content

Publishers and networks alike are leveraging the personal brands of celebrities and influencers within new video programming. Condé Nast Entertainment introduced digital video series across several of its publications featuring people like actress and fashion icon Sarah Jessica Parker and fashion blogger Leandra Medine.

Similarly, AOL’s programming will include stars such as actress Nicole Richie, stand-up comedian Mike Epps, and Olympian Bode Miller.

“We’re trying to get people with a meaningful digital footprint who can help us push the shows and market the shows,” Harnevo said.

Influencer engagement isn’t a new phenomenon for content marketers, but its multimedia prevalence reinforces its relevance and impact. Influencer content appeals to marketers who want to team up with individuals who capture their brand essence and messaging, and it boosts the content’s viral potential.

5. Interest Targeting

Digital content in all its forms should be constructed to appeal to specific personas and audiences. BuzzFeed highlighted this trend as a core component of its strategy to produce highly targeted content that engages consumers and inspires social sharing.

Ze Frank, BuzzFeed’s executive vice president of video, and Jonah Peretti, BuzzFeed’s CEO and founder, outlined the benefits of interest targeting in appealing to an audience’s identity, emotions, and information needs. BuzzFeed applies this personalized strategy to both editorial and video content.

YouTube also announced Google Preferred, a new targeting technology that lets brands target pre-roll ads to the top 5 percent of the most popular content within specific topics on YouTube. This ensures that a brand is aligned with quality, interest-based content that audiences are consuming and sharing.

Despite the tactical differences between video advertising and content marketing, new digital trends are affecting both. Marketers should take an integrated approach to strategy development and measurement methodologies across all platforms and content types. Industry events such as the Digital Content NewFronts help marketers identify areas to implement parallel efforts.

For more insights and sound bites from the NewFronts, search the #NewFronts hashtag on Twitter.

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