By google on Oct 26, 2016 09:18 am
 How to Master Content Marketing written by Roxanne Doche read more at Duct Tape Marketing 
Marketing Podcast with Pamela Wilson Content and the notion of content marketing is here to stay. Prospects and clients alike expect to be able to turn to a search engine and find the answer to any question or challenge they face. This idea is also likely one of the greatest sources of stress for most business owners. The need to feed the never satisfied content monster is real. But, content marketing has evolved and is no longer a nice thing to have – it’s the air that powers all of marketing today and you simply need to get this part right in order to fully maximize any marketing channel. My guest for this week’s episode of the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast is Pamela Wilson, founder of Big Brand System and the driving force behind most of the content you read at Copyblogger. She is also the author of Master Content Marketing: A Simple Strategy to Cure the Blank Page Blues and Attract a Profitable Audience. Pamela and I talk about content marketing and what it takes to produce compelling material. Pamela knows all about everything marketing. She’s an award-winning graphic designer and marketing consultant who, for 30 years, has been teaching small business owners how to grow their business with a combined system of marketing, strategy, and design. Questions I ask Pamela Wilson: - How would you define the term “content marketing” today? And how has it evolved throughout the years?
- The idea of writing content is to not necessarily attract thousands of readers but to draw in prospects and to move people along the customer journey – can you explain this?
- Do you believe that, as companies look to grow their teams, small business owners should all be hiring content-specific staff?
What you'll learn if you give a listen: - How to create non-intrusive content that is helpful and easy to read
- Where to begin when creating a content strategy and what the key components are to creating great material
- What the different stages of readers are and how to write effective content for each category
Learn more about Pamela Wilson and Big Brand System here and check her out on Copyblogger here. To buy Pamela’s book, Master Content Marketing: A Simple Strategy to Cure the Blank Page Blues and Attract a Profitable Audience, click here. This week’s episode of the Duct Tape Marketing podcast is brought to you by magicJack for BUSINESS, trusted by a quarter million small businesses. Reliable phone service at an incredible price: plans from just $14.99/month per line – flat. Get two months FREE service when you sign up at magicjackforbusiness.com/ducttape. The first 100 listeners will receive a FREE IP phone for every line (each an $85 value)! 
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By google on Oct 25, 2016 03:25 pm
 The Mildly Inauthentic Nature of Social Media written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing 
I wrote a bit of an off the cuff post on Facebook yesterday that drew far more interaction and conversation than I expected. I think in part because it came dangerously close to defining an uneasy feeling that many people have about sharing in networks like Facebook. They can’t quite put their finger on it, but it’s there hovering around. You’ve certainly witnessed it in others. You know, the post that goes something like “Humbled to be included on the list of the top 435 actuaries in Des Moines.” (If I may rant on that one a bit, you get humbled by your ex-girlfriend, the IRS, or the slightly faster, taller kid from South High. What people likely mean is that they are honored to be included, but then again being listed #425 of 435 actuaries might be humbling – but I digress.) The thing that’s hard to reconcile is that for many the things they put on Facebook are more aligned with who they would like to be, what they aspire to be, what they want everyone to know right now. And, we’re all guilty of that one in some manner or another. It’s a bit like trying on different costumes – eventually, we get the right fit – some travel and veer, some power through, but it’s all done in full public view. The challenge with this, as was noted by so many of the comments in my Facebook post, is that many of the people who follow you on social media already know who you are – you’re Stevie’s little brother, you’re the nerdy geek dude, you’re the princess, you’re the accountant, you’re the vegan. People have portraits frozen in their mind about who you are and, in some cases, that’s the way they would like it to stay – no matter how far you’ve traveled. Have you ever gone to a high school reunion as the successful lawyer or fabulously contented mom only to slip back on the mask that defined you in that rather tumultuous period of your life? Many of the comments this particular Facebook post received kind of validated the central point I was trying to make. In addition to sharing what we are passionate about at the moment, we must have a little empathy for the folks that no longer know or understand what currently drives us. We can’t show up at the giant cocktail party full of diverse individuals and think the big show is actually about us. Difficult as it may be on the edge of the daily storm; I believe that the only way to be authentic in social media and human media is to speak from the heart and honor the light in every other person – do that, and all the stuff will pretty much work itself out. Okay – end of public service announcement – time for recess! Here’s the post that started all of this in case you’re interested 
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By google on Oct 22, 2016 09:00 am
 Weekend Favs October 22 written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing My weekend blog post routine includes posting links to a handful of tools or great content I ran across during the week. I don't go into depth about the finds, but encourage you to check them out if they sound interesting. The photo in the post is a favorite for the week from an online source or one that I took out there on the road. 
Drift – Messaging app for sales and customer success. Turn leads into customers faster by focusing on the people who are live on your website. Sleeknote – Set up lead capture forms on your website in minutes and sync your new email leads with your favorite email service provider – no coding required. FotoJet – An all-in-one free online tool for photo editing, graphic design and photo collages. 
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By google on Oct 21, 2016 10:00 am
 How Gamification of Business Process Yields Successful Results written by Guest Post read more at Duct Tape Marketing  Simulating business processes in the gaming scenario is an interesting way to keep yourself intrigued in the business. Better if you were once a gaming freak in your early days of life. No matter if you are an employee, CEO, or even a stakeholder. You need to get aware of the buzz around Gamification. It simplifies your task to comprehend and analyze the business process to undertake resourceful activities.
Gamification is a trending tool to grow skills, behavioral design patterns, and solve problems that facilitate innovation. Gamification is the process of deploying gaming techniques designs to the business framework. The aim is to engage efficiently and motivate the ones who works for the common goal of the organization. The noticeable advantage of Gamification is that it makes learning more exciting by incorporating visual gaming elements and keeping it more practical. The idea is to convert the business activities into games in an assertive manner. Often, technology is integrated into the Gamification process that leads to innovation in the process along with the personnel growth, employee performance management, and escalation of a learning curve. According to numerous industrial experts, gamification brings a positive change in the way people evolve within the organization. It is because there is much more to gamification than just badges and points. If deployed strategically, it might turn out to be the most popular mechanism to alter business operations in all the departments. According to Brian Burke, it is an entirely different model altogether, and it might be possible that a lot of stakeholders in Information Technology organizations are unaware of gamification. Undoubtedly, effective implementation of gamification technique can lead to a significant increment in business revenue as well. The entire process involves employees, customers, and any other group of interest who interacts with the business on a frequent basis. Few examples of companies or organizations that have managed to apply gamification effectively are Nike and Khan Academy. Nike utilized the concept of gamification to enhance the engagement level of fitness maniacs to take their workout session to a higher standard. On the other hand, Khan Academy does it to improve the students' learning experience. Since gamification is one of the new age practices that companies have their eye on, the initial phase of this rise has been followed by various misconceptions regarding its implementation. One commonly heard myth about gamification is that it is only for the young learners or perhaps, it should look like a game. But in reality, the organization is expected to pay attention to their gamification design as even a bit of error can prove hazardous. Here are few of the steps that you can follow to figure out the appropriate gaming application for your business. - It is important to define the target players to get them actively involved in the gamification process. It can be anyone; specific departmental staff, certain distinctive employees, managers, or even customers.
- In the case of engaging employees in the process, the prior objective should be to maximize the return on investment (ROI). The ideal way is to determine the areas you intend to improve.
- Designing Gamification process for customers requires you to retrospect the online engagement model as well the offline methods. In the case of B2B business, the ideal way is to come up with a robust symbiotic gamification model for business progression.
- It possible to simply gamification in multiple areas like health and wellness, sales performance, training, and retention.
- In the case of health and wellness, the organization must come to a customized solution. In the event of health and wellness gamification, you can opt for a successful platform like Keas.
- For gamification of the sales process and gauging its performance, the decision regarding the integration with the CRM software must be taken. If work process permits then it is best to go ahead with the Fantasy Sales platform for else Play Vox is always the best bet.
- The training and retention area requires management to determine whether a deficit of learning management system. If there is, then is Badgeville offers a suitable platform. While in another case where the Learning Management System is already implemented, Wheeldo can work wonders.
- While targeting gamification method for customers to increase online engagement, you should determine whether it is for new clients or customer retention. In either case, you have the option.
- While aiming to attract new customers, you can opt for any intuitive platform, or else, Gigya serves the purpose for customer retention. However, if your target is not limited to the enhancement of online engagement, then you should determine whether you would like to get regular customers back into your retail stores.
- In case you are looking for restaurant management solution by gamification of the restaurant process then you should go for Belly. In case you run a retail store, then you should go for Perkville.
 Shahid Mansuri co-founded Peerbits, one of the leading mobile app development companies, in 2011. His visionary leadership and flamboyant management style have yield fruitful results for the company. He believes in sharing his strong knowledge base with a learned concentration on entrepreneurship and business. Being an avid nature lover, he likes to flaunt his pajamas on the beach during the vacations.
Source: News from Duct Tape Marketing
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By google on Oct 20, 2016 10:00 am
 Live Video is King: How To Use It Without Going Broke written by Guest Post read more at Duct Tape Marketing  As you may have heard from industry events like NABShow and Social Media Marketing World, marketing dollars are switching from broadcast TV to live video streaming for more creative and targeted visual advertising.
What makes a live video so effective and attractive to brands? Some illuminating statistics: - 90% of users say that seeing a video about a product is helpful in the decision-making process.
- 92% of mobile video viewers share videos with others.
- After watching a video, 64% of users are more likely to buy a product online.
- 96% of B2B brands use video in marketing campaigns. 73% report video had a positive impact on ROI.
- Facebook – a major site for advertising – prioritizes live videos and shows them on users' newsfeeds before anything else.
It seems most marketers are convinced video works. However, are there ways to get the advantages of live video without having a large production budget – or any budget at all? Take inspiration from the examples of successful brands and our budget-friendly suggestions below. Vlog and Stream For A Personal Connection: Why do 90% of consumers trust their peers, friends, and bloggers over brand sources? The answer is simple: it's the human connection. Who prefers watching an ad to getting a recommendation from a trusted blogger or friend? Nobody. Because brands have that age-old problem social media is slowly helping to address: the faceless 'corporate robot' image that keeps them from engaging with customers directly. Well, not anymore, as many are embracing video as a way to form personal and personable connections with their target audience. For instance, T-Mobile's CEO John Legere regularly posts vlogs to discuss the latest in mobile tech. The Packers also use video, albeit in a different way, staging live webcasts of their press conferences to bring fans into their world and give them the latest updates. For another example, the doggy-centered monthly subscription BarkBox chose a simple yet brilliant route of live streaming puppies. Now, that's a brand that knows their audience! The Budget-Friendly Option: In fact, this type of strategy should not hurt you financially if you stay away from overly complicated tech. If you're a CEO who wants to add a personal touch to your content marketing, grab your own laptop or phone and advertise a YouTube Live or Periscope chat so your customers can put a face to the brand and see that you are involved and knowledgeable about your industry, and are concerned about their experiences. However, be wary of being too human and getting carried away, as John Legere did with insulting the Electronic Frontier Foundation during a Twitter Q&A. Collaborate with Influencer Partners Brands like Benefit Cosmetics invite beauty vloggers (such LustreLux) to join them for tutorials. These videos work because they are building on the star power of established influencers that their audience will already be familiar with. This tactic can also be employed in different ways. For a more permanent arrangement, we can look at Amazon's Style Code Live, which regularly invites beauty vlogger Tati Westbrook to host and has her promoting the show weekly on her own channel. One-off campaigns also tap into the influence of bloggers and vloggers. Curology teamed up with ThatGirlShaexo to promote their skin care line and hosted a contest where one lucky winner got to spend a spa day with Shae. As part of the campaign, Curology and Shae also hosted a live-streamed Q&A where fans could ask the vlogger and the Curology experts about the line and their skin care problems. The Budget-Friendly Option: If you don't have the budget to regularly employ a mega-influencer with millions of subscribers, there are still ways to get your product out there through similar channels. Many industries, including beauty, are already sending their products to influencers to be featured in their blogs or vlogs. For example, partnering with 'middle-range influencers' (those with around 100K subs) rather than huge YouTube stars means less of a strain on your budget and the chance to collaborate with more than just one influencer. Find influencers quickly using a blogger review campaign platform and request that bloggers feature your product on their own live video channels such as Snapchat and get the benefit of live video and an instant new audience without lifting a finger. Use Free Apps To Advertise New Launches and Provide Exclusive Content If you're thinking of whether to go for a budget-breaking TV ad or a targeted Snap campaign, perhaps you'll be better off with the latter, seeing the success other big brands have enjoyed. Periscope has been used by big names like Adidas and DKNY to advertise and was even used by Spotify to live stream their launch. Spotify's concert feature is another game-changer, offering customers the chance to listen to their favorite artists' concerts via live stream. Live stream is also being seen more and more in sports, with EA Sports and the NFL streaming games through platforms like Twitter. Snapchat is also home to many creative and fun campaigns, such as Taco Bell's launch of the Quesalupa and Spicy Chicken Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Tacos, which was promoted through a short Snap film. The Cinco de Mayo taco face lens was an even bigger hit, breaking Snap record with over 200 million views. The Budget-Friendly Option: Sponsored lenses like Taco Bell's or creating entirely new live streaming options cost a pretty penny, so try starting small and seeing where this technology can take you. Create business accounts on apps like Periscope and Snapchat and advertise them on your existing channels. Encourage your whole team to get involved in thinking of creative campaigns that would inspire word of mouth. As you experiment, take advantage of free online tools, such as WeVideo, PowToon, Wideo, and Kaltura to create simple videos rather than breaking the bank on expensive professional software. Provide Educational Content: Experian's #CreditChat is a pure customer service bonanza, with the event streaming on YouTube, Periscope, and Twitter every Wednesday. A panel of experts is invited to speak on a different topic each week and give financial tips, with customers able to get their questions answered instantly. Insurance giant MetLife combined a similar strategy with influencer collaboration by hosting a webcast with parenting bloggers who asked MetLife representatives questions about life insurance. The Budget-Friendly Option: Fortunately, these types of Q&As don't have to take up much of your budget. Shelling out on panels of experts is great but not necessarily crucial for such campaigns. A weekly Periscope session where your customers can ask questions live will be a major boon if you want to improve your customer service. Providing content that is educational rather than purely promotional also builds trust between your brand and your audience, exemplifying that you are serious about addressing their concerns. Main Takeaways: - Vlogs from company representatives put a human face on a brand, encouraging audience engagement and trust. And if puppies happen to be a big, representative part of your brand? All the better. Kittens work too.
- Partner with influencers who have their own video capabilities to create buzzworthy campaigns.
- Use free apps to advertise new launches and provide exclusive content to your target demographic.
- Improve customer service through Q&As and other educational content that will benefit your consumers.
Thinking of launching your own live video campaign? Let's discuss in the comments!  Eti Nachum is the CEO of BlogsRelease, the #1 marketplace where brands can get product reviews from bloggers worldwide. Eti is a marketing professional with 20 years of experience in advertising and marketing. She likes to follow influential bloggers and works hard on bringing the blogosphere a visible platform to find the latest blogger campaigns in diverse industries. Connect with the team on Twitter @BlogsRelease, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+.
Source: News from Duct Tape Marketing
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