Thought Leadership - Express Writers

Your Content Bullets Aren’t Working: Why the Answer to Content ROI Lies in a Content Ecosystem

June 19, 2024July 9, 2019 by Adam Oakley

I was listening to a live talk from Jay Baer not too long ago, and this quote hit me hard: “Stop doing random acts of content. Stop firing content bullets into the air hoping that a customer bird will fly by and that it’ll WORK.” As this quote permeated my brain, subconsciously stewing while I carried on a typical month interacting with marketers, going through meeting after meeting, leading my team, writing and brainstorming content for all my publications… this thought hit me: The reason why random content acts don’t work, and why so many believe these low-ROI tactics are still worth trying. here’s a concept I teach in my Content Strategy & Marketing Course called the “content net.” It’s the antithesis to random acts of content. But, it’s not the norm. I’m bringing it up today, because, well: content bullets. They need to STOP. Why? Because one-off content tactics result in dismal content marketing. In an industry that’s already ridiculously tough to break into, relying on content bullets makes NO sense. Consider this: According to a Backlinko study, 94% of blog posts earn zero external links. If only 6% of blog posts published get any backlinks, that means it’s a mighty feat to build your link profile and brand authority – especially if your site is brand new. Even worse, when you ARE able to rank in Google, settling for position #2-10 isn’t enough. You need to be #1 to get the best shot at traffic and leads. That’s because click-through rates (CTR) drastically drop as soon as you fall to position 2, according to an Advanced Web Ranking study. In fact, at position 2, CTR is cut in half. Unfortunately, ranking #1 for a keyword requires much more than random acts of content. You need more than one bullet to hit the bullseye – especially when that bullseye is a moving target. So, what exactly does it take? Let’s get into today’s original concept by yours truly, called the “content ecosystem”, developed to help you understand how and why a long-term, consistent approach to content over time works. Your Content Bullets Aren’t Working (Why You’re Still Trying Them) [bctt tweet=”Learn about @JuliaEMcCoy’s original concept called the ‘content ecosystem,’ developed to help you understand how and why a long-term, consistent approach to content over time works. ” username=”ExpWriters”] Marketers and brands are still relying on content to be their magic shot – the golden bullet that will miraculously hit whatever targets or goals they’re aiming for. They regard random content as their “golden egg” that will bring in ALL the traffic, leads, and sales $$$ they’ve ever wanted, much like the mythical golden egg from Jack and the Beanstalk (which ensures Jack and his mother live in comfort the rest of their days). But content doesn’t operate that way. For it to work, content needs work. It needs a basic foundation of strategic fundamentals in place to succeed. Most marketers don’t do this, or they don’t fully understand how to do it. According to a ClearVoice survey of 1,000 marketers, the biggest content challenges are centered around production: time, content quality, creating content, scaling content, and generating ideas. But, instead of getting strategic and putting in more legwork, they expect a one-off content bullet to make the magic happen and the sales fly in. How did this happen? How did so many marketers come to think of content as a miraculous solution? No matter the situation, pretty much nothing in life works like this. One random act rarely to never equals a level 10 success. Does a workout, for instance, lead to an instant buff physique? NO. If you pick up the violin, will you be able to play Bach in a week? AS IF. Look at any major “people” success story. Oprah and her empire. Elon Musk and Tesla. Steve Jobs and Mac. NONE of these mega-brand legacies came about from overnight success or a shot in the dark. These people all worked their butts off to succeed. Does any good thing in life work this way? Typically not. So, why are we trying to apply this line of thinking to marketing, to business? If you could get one-on-one advice from Oprah or Steve Jobs’ ghost or Elon Musk (dreams, am I right?), what do you think they would say? Here’s my guess: Quit wimping out and trying to take shortcuts. Quit copying and pasting what “experts” do or say and hoping instant success will come. Stop trying one little tweak and expecting the world to fall in your lap. Success is about hard work. Not luck, not a shot in the dark, and certainly not a magic bullet. And that absolutely holds true for content. [bctt tweet=”Success is about hard work. Not luck, not a shot in the dark, and not a magic bullet. And that absolutely holds true for content. ” username=”ExpWriters”] Why Today’s Audience Won’t Stand for the Content Bullet Let’s take this one step further. Content bullets won’t work for you, but also, they won’t EVER work for your audience. Look at the state of marketing online – people can smell an inauthentic, fake, or “doing it for the likes, follows, traffic, $$” approach from a mile away. The CTR of Facebook ads is dismal – 0.5 – 1.6% – because people are seeing through the bullsh*t marketers and the Lamborghini lies. Every marketing channel you’ve ever relied on is decaying. Andrew Chen calls this “the law of shitty clickthroughs.” It just means that, even when you find a marketing strategy that works, it will inevitably stop working due to increased competition, fading novelty, and more scale. “First to market” means nothing in an online world where saturation happens FAST. As recently as 2018, Instagram has doubled-down on eradicating fake bot accounts, fake likes, and fake followers. People who used to pay to fake a super-popular, engaged account are up a creek without a paddle. (It’s no wonder users prize authenticity online since so much of what we see is … Read more

Content Hacking: The Future of Content Marketing

March 24, 2022May 14, 2019 by Adam Oakley

If you’ve spent any amount of time on the internet, you’ve probably heard terms like “hack” and “hacking.” In the blog-o-sphere, these terms have been used to mean “clever solutions to tricky problems” or “tricks to make your life easier.” If you Google “hacks,” you can see this clearly – the results are all about clever, interesting, or creative solutions to life’s dilemmas. Hacking is typically a good thing. Now, what about hacking for marketing? Scary and bad – or good and effective? The term ‘hacking’ was used in the marketing industry in 2010, when Sean Ellis, co-author of Hacking Growth and CEO of GrowthHackers, coined the term growth hacking in his blog, Find a Growth Hacker for Your Startup. Ellis says: “A growth hacker is a person whose true north is growth. Everything they do is scrutinized by its potential impact on scalable growth.” With content hacking, the definition is just this – hands-on creativity and can-do, growth-focused attitude – but applied to content creation. True content hacking is about getting tough, heavy content marketing tasks done in a smart way. Making life easier. Getting to the rewards faster, without sacrificing quality or principles along the way. When applied to content, content hacking is about making your content marketing better, using BETTER, smarter methods. Growth-focused methods. Join me on an adventure where we dive into the traits, skillsets and brain of a modern-day content hacker. You might relate to a large percentage of these traits yourself. (Let me know in the comments if you do.) Ready? The Content Hacker: Origins of Content Hacking Full disclosure: I didn’t come up with the term “content hacker” itself. The hat-tip for that goes to Garrett Moon of CoSchedule. He coined the phrase by smashing together the concepts of growth hacking and content marketing. As we already mentioned above, growth hacking is a term Sean Ellis, the CEO of GrowthHackers, originated. It’s the process of driving breakout business growth using “a high-velocity testing/learning process.” It’s about being quick, agile, and nimble on your feet. If a process doesn’t work, you need to be able to pivot, adapt, and try something else. At the end of the day, sustainable growth is the bottom line, not quick fixes. You have to learn what works and what doesn’t — fast. As for content marketing, we all know and love it. Content marketing is the process of creating useful content that builds trust and turns traffic into leads and customers. Thus, growth hacking + content marketing = content hacker (noun): a growth-focused content marketer. (No, that doesn’t mean cheap or overnight fast-track tricks.) Content hackers climb over roadblocks to reach our goals on the content marketing horizon. They don’t add to the noise. They create beauty online. A real brand reputation that relies on content that works. If you’re on-board for all of the above, then congratulations: You’re a content hacker, too. [bctt tweet=”Growth hacking + content marketing = content hacker (noun): a growth-focused content marketer. Learn more about a #contenthacker” username=”ExpWriters”] [bctt tweet=”The term content hacker takes inspiration from the original creator of ‘growth hacking’, @SeanEllis. #contenthacking ” username=”ExpWriters”] [bctt tweet=”‘A growth hacker is a person whose true north is growth. Everything they do is scrutinized by its potential impact on scalable growth.’ – @SeanEllis #contenthacking ” username=”ExpWriters”] [bctt tweet=”Content hackers climb over roadblocks to reach our goals on the content marketing horizon. This is white-hat hacking or growth hacking for content. @JuliaEMcCoy” username=”ExpWriters”] [bctt tweet=”True ‘content hacking’ is about getting tough, heavy content marketing tasks done in a smart way. @JuliaEMcCoy #contenthacking ” username=”ExpWriters”] What a Content Hacker is NOT Let’s be clear: Content hacking is NOT about “overnight success” or “scary-quick results.” It’s NOT about fast fixes or putting band-aids on content marketing problems. Instead, a content hacker is laser-focused on growth – any kind of growth, whether that means converting three new leads to customers, getting 100 more people to visit your blog, or earning 1,000 new email subscribers. No matter how small, growth is something you can build on. Growth is something you can leverage. As long as it’s consistent and sustainable… As long as the process to get there is repeatable… As long as the content serves the user’s wants/needs/pain points, that’s the kind of growth a content hacker is all about. [bctt tweet=”Content hacking is NOT about fast fixes or putting band-aids on content marketing problems. More about a growth-driven #contentmarketer ” username=”ExpWriters”] Why Does Content Hacking Matter Now and in The Future of Content Marketing? In 2019, content by itself won’t do much. I hate to break it to you. There’s too much noise out there on the web. You won’t stand out unless you approach content in a radically different way. Nearly 4 million blog posts are written every day. That means, in a single year, over 1.46 billion individual posts are published. The internet is bursting at the seams with content. Even worse, much of it is useless. Worse than that? Most of the content that IS useful is same-old, same-old. (How many times have you seen this headline: ‘# Ways to Start a Blog’?) So, we’re left looking at a big, stinking pile of crap content. Let’s call it “Crap Content Mountain.” If this scenario makes you feel bleak, here’s a ray of light. Crappy, same-old, ugly content is exactly what a content hacker rails against. Content hackers don’t create useless content. They don’t create content because it’s the “thing to do.” Instead, they are always locked-in on their audience and hell-bent on producing content that those people will gobble up. They’re constantly researching their audience, researching topics and keywords, testing new ideas, updating their knowledge, and trying new content marketing tactics. Content hackers are the future of content marketing because, in the end, they are the ones working to make the internet better. Content hackers STOP producing more crap to add to the content trash pile. We’re on a mission to create content that matters to users, and builds trust and connections … Read more

How to Stand Out Online: 5 Questions to Ask to Know What Makes You Different From the Rest of the Pack

March 24, 2022March 19, 2019 by Adam Oakley

“Be yourself; everyone else is taken.” Thank you, Oscar Wilde, for the inspiration. But this doesn’t just apply to individuals. It applies to businesses and brands, too. As the creator of Express Writers, I have learned that we are successful because we have embraced our individuality and refuse to focus on what our competitors are doing. Along with dancing to the beat of our own drum, from the beginning, we focus on building the best services for our clients and original thoughts that build elite and unique levels of service. From my own life experience, I know how hard it is to find out what makes you different in an industry everyone seems to be in. I’ve always enjoyed writing, and building a content marketing and writing agency was a natural next step for me. But it hasn’t come easy. Through the ups and downs, I discovered my greatest successes on the heels of failures. (It’s a longer story than this, and you can read it all here.) In short, my failures helped me ask a ton of questions and ultimately embrace my flaws and stand out from the rest of the content-marketing industry. So, how do you find out what makes you different from your industry? Here is a number of questions to help you and your business know just how well you’re standing out — and making a real difference online. [bctt tweet=”Answer these 5 questions to know if you’re standing out and making a real difference online, vs. adding to the noise. @JuliaEMcCoy #ContentDifferentiationFactor” username=”ExpWriters”] How to Stand Out Online: 5 Questions to Ask to Know What Makes You Different from the Rest of the Pack Let’s dive into the five questions every entrepreneur and business owner should be asking. 1. What is Your Content Differentiation Factor in Your Industry? I teach this concept in my Content Strategy & Marketing course and have written extensively on it in my book. To summarize, your content differentiation factor (CDF) is what separates you from the billions of other content on the web. Ask this question: “Does my business communicate topics with people that the rest of the web doesn’t?” Maybe it’s exclusive content you provide that no one else does, a positive digital experience clients can’t get anywhere else, etc. Your CDF is how you present your brand/business, and how you communicate industry topics to your audience. So, understand what separates you from the rest of your industry and go from there. 2. What Makes Your Selling Technique Different from Everyone Else? Everyone in your industry is selling something similar, right? For example, if you’re in the marketing industry, you’re probably doing some content marketing. Why? Because content marketing provides one of the highest ROIs. From our last post, 6 Major Content Marketing Trends from CMI’s 2019 B2C Content Marketing Research Report If you understand that, a number of other people in your industry know that too — so, how do your content marketing services stand out from everyone else? Or any of your other services for that matter? Remember, your unique selling proposition (USP) is different than your CDF. Your USP is the factor that makes your services and products different than competitors. (Different in terms of by choosing your services and products, they are receiving a higher value.) Your CDF is how your business/brand is presented. (When you acknowledge industry topics you don’t just give a generic response. You provide an individual and valuable experience that will educate and benefit your customers.) Make sure you’re asking this strategic question: “How do I present my services/products differently?” Remember though, don’t focus only on your competitors. By focusing on what your competitors are doing, you’re losing focus on your own ideas. Understand what your competitors are doing and how you’re different from them, but don’t focus too much on them. Look inside you, your team, and your own environment for your best ideas. Make sure you have a valid reason to give when your customers ask why they should invest in you and your services/products. 3. What Does Your Business Do for Your Customers? This is part of your USP: understanding what your business/brand provides your customers. If you’re having a hard time pinpointing what your USP is — don’t worry. You can start narrowing it down by asking yourself what your business does for your customers. For example, Charles Revson, the founder of Revlon, said that he sold hope, not makeup. Revson’s promise to his customer was that he was going to provide a product that gave women hope to receive the look they wanted. So, when you’re thinking about what your businesses do for your customers, don’t just think about the products/services you sell. Think of the feelings and solutions it provides. 4. Are You Comparing Yourself to Your Competitors Too Much? I mentioned earlier when I talked about asking yourself what your USP is how you should understand what your competitors are doing. But, don’t focus on them too much. Once you start focusing on your competitors more than you start focusing on your own ideas, you lose your own sense of creativity. Trust me. I used to use templates for my emails, and veered too close to copying and pasting while going off “best practices.” Then, one day, I sat down without distractions, only armed with inner inspiration. I had the idea for a great email around my Content Strategy & Marketing Course, and wrote it out. It turned into one of my most high-converting emails to date: If you think you’re losing the original “you”, simply ask yourself, “Do I compare myself to my competitors too much?” If the answer is yes, then I have a few tips to get you to stop analyzing your competitors and start going more internal for bigger and better results: 1. Unglue Yourself from Social Media 2. Get Some Fresh Air and Exercise 3. Indulge Your Creativity Read more here: Why Focusing On Your Competitor Could Be Killing … Read more

How a Value-Focused, Serve-First Marketing Approach is the Best Approach For Today & Tomorrow’s Smart Marketer

June 19, 2024February 19, 2019 by Adam Oakley

Early this February, I wrote a blog telling the story of my LinkedIn post that went viral. The short, organic post that went viral was a rant about cold sales pitches. Too many people were connecting with me on LinkedIn only to flood my inbox with these money-grubbing pitches. Fed up, I posted a rant that ended up garnering over 1,000 likes, 287 comments, and over 85,000 views. Naturally, that visibility made a lot of haters crawl out of the woodwork, but the post was also flooded with positive comments and genuine questions. One question, in particular, caught my eye. It went something like, “So, you don’t pitch EVER, or sell EVER?” My answer? No, not really. And this question made me think deeper about it all. Our focus at Express Writers truly is on serving our customers first. That rings true from our blogs and content, down to our sales team (which are not actually made up of salespeople, but content specialists and managers who focus on helping, instead of selling). Even our live on-site conversations with ‘hot leads’ are focused on helping and serving, rather than selling. This value-first, serve-first mentality goes hand-in-hand with content marketing. Content marketing is value-focused marketing. A content-focused marketing approach is our #1 way of driving qualified traffic to our site, earning leads, and making sales. I have leaned into content marketing because I love it, and because it WORKS — we have seen amazing things happen because of our audience-first content focus in marketing. This content marketing mindset has trickled down into almost every aspect of what we do at Express Writers — and that’s what I wanted to write about today on the blog. How a serve-first mindset really, truly can equal brand growth. Delighting your customers AND growing your bottom line? It’s possible. Read on. [bctt tweet=”Our focus is on serving our customers first. That rings true from our blogs and content, down to our sales team. More on #valuefirstmarketing via @JuliaEMcCoy” username=”ExpWriters”] The Growth of a Value-First, Serve-First Content Marketing Approach: Your Consumer Wants You To Care About Them Content marketing as a whole has been growing rapidly. A Technavio market research analyst forecasted the content marketing market to grow globally at a CAGR of more than 16% from 2017-2021, according to their latest report. By 2021, content marketing is set to be worth over $412 billion! According to Ujjwal Doshi, a lead analyst at Technavio for media and entertainment services research, content marketing’s effectiveness is because of the lack of effectiveness in traditional marketing. What do you know — today’s consumer is savvy, and can’t be fooled into buying something! “The effectiveness of traditional marketing is decreasing by the day. Companies must adopt the latest marketing trends to enhance their business and increase their consumer base. Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach that is focused on creating and sharing valuable, consistent, and relevant content to attract and retain the audience.” As a whole, content marketing is first and foremost about the customer, NOT about the brand. And this is why it’s growing at such an incredible rate and being adopted by upwards of 90% of B2Bs. According to Content Marketing Institute’s definition, the whole point of content marketing is actually to “attract and retain a clearly defined audience.” They go on to say: “Instead of pitching your products or services, you are providing truly relevant and useful content to your prospects and customers to help them solve their issues.” This is a big shift from traditional marketing and advertising, where it’s all about the brand pushing their message out to consumers. Instead, with content marketing, the consumer has the power to discover and connect with brands and content that suit their needs. And that’s what today’s smart consumer is looking for in a brand or marketer. Someone that cares about them. [bctt tweet=”Content marketing is first and foremost about the customer, NOT about the brand. And that’s what today’s smart consumer is looking for in a brand or marketer. Someone that cares about them. @JuliaEMcCoy” username=”ExpWriters”] Unsurprisingly, the rise of content marketing has happened alongside changing buyer preferences. Shoppers don’t like pushy sales pitches, ads, or impersonal marketing according to studies by Accenture, BigCommerce, and SnapApp & Heinz Marketing. The latter study even found that most B2B Millennial buyers are sales avoiders, and will avoid talking to sales until at least the middle of their buying journeys. Modern buyers have the internet and social media at their beck and call to help them find information and make purchase decisions, so their buying journeys are more independent, self-directed, and unpredictable than ever. This quote from the BigCommerce study showcases how buyer expectations have changed: “Millennials have grown accustomed to speed, convenience, and a personalized online shopping experience. However, Gen Z has never known shopping without these. They’re more brand agnostic and very wary of brand promises.” – Erik Christiansen In other words, trust and loyalty are harder to win than ever, but today they matter more than ever. Consumers today are more discerning, smarter, savvier, and more resourceful. They have the internet to help them make informed purchases. They can smell a sneaky sales pitch from miles away, and they know when brands are being inauthentic. That’s why we need to serve our customers value before we do anything else. We need to focus on building trust and loyalty rather than selling. It’s what they want! How do we do it? With a content marketing strategy built on the right framework. Lifecycle Marketing: A Framework for Targeted Content Marketing Luckily, the concept of lifecycle marketing fits in perfectly with a content marketing mindset. When you think of the buyer’s journey in terms of a lifecycle versus a sales funnel, you can more accurately predict what they need/want at each stage, including after you’ve won their loyalty. A traditional sales funnel doesn’t show that part of the journey, let alone what you’re supposed to do to keep delighting loyal customers. The only way to go is down and out, and … Read more

3 Major Lessons from 8 Years: What It Takes to Be a Successful Entrepreneur (Video)

March 23, 2022February 18, 2019 by Adam Oakley

Way back in time, February 2011, I decided to follow my dreams and build a life and career I’d love. And I’m so glad I did. This is my eighth year since stepping out and deciding to be a full-time entrepreneur — and this coming May will mark eight years for my company, Express Writers. The idea of figuring out how to make money doing what I loved came to me like a lightbulb moment, and I acted on it same-day, Googling “how to write and earn money online” and building my first freelance profile. (To the action-takers the world belongs!) Waking up and doing something I loved gave me a brand new reason to get up every day and embrace Mondays. I’d always loved to write, ever since I was a 12-year-old kid writing a 200-page medieval fiction. And I loved the internet. I’d made my first paycheck doing online surveys at 13. I blended both passions, and found online content. Within three months, I had an entire career on my hands, and dozens of clients asking me for more. I was suddenly at a crossroads: stop taking more clients (I already had more than I could handle), or build a team. I built a team, that May. (This was just four months after making the decision to drop out of college and quit McDonald’s!) Today… eight years later, 90+ people on staff, thousands of clients served… I am proof that anyone, anywhere, can follow their dreams. I was living in a cult when I decided to build my own life — which I later escaped, thanks to the freedom and income I’d built! That means you, my friend, have no excuse. Since this benchmark has come, instead of my typical how-to videos, I decided to film a special video for you today. Being an entrepreneur may look pretty from the top, but it’s a hellauv a lot of hard work, especially if you have BIG, hairy goals (like me). My constant goal is to build the best content writing agency in the industry. I don’t consider my brand fully ‘there’ — but we are at an incredibly exciting place today, and I wanted to stop and celebrate that with my latest video for my YouTube channel, @JuliaMcCoy. Without further ado, here it is. This is dedicated to each and every one of you as motivation to never, ever, give up on your dreams. If today feels like your greatest struggle, then your greatest moment is just a few steps ahead. The best is yet to come. [bctt tweet=”Don’t expect everything for nothing. Put in the work to reap the results. This and more in @JuliaEMcCoy’s inspirational video, celebrating 8 years of #entrepreneurship ” username=”ExpWriters”] 3 Major Lessons from 8 Years: What It Takes to Be a Successful Entrepreneur Being an entrepreneur is a twofold thing. It’s incredibly rewarding, and incredibly difficult. It’s an exhilarating ride when you win and achieve your goals. And it’s a letdown when people desert you, things don’t work, and you get overwhelmed. For the past eight years, I’ve been an entrepreneur. I’d never call it easy, but I call it rewarding. The process of becoming a full-time entrepreneur, learning the skills necessary to grow a team, earn hundreds of clients, and make my own living has taught me so much. Today, I identify as a content hacker. I take online content and create it in a way that directly leads to bottom line revenue and growth, like growth hacking but with content. Content marketing is the new marketing, for today and tomorrow’s entrepreneur — it provides value to your end user and puts you where they’re already searching for answers. So, I’m a college dropout who taught myself everything simply as I went! I got out there and put in the work. Today, my methodologies in content marketing have been the sole means of growth for my agency, Express Writers — and millions of dollars in revenue. As I go into my eighth year of entrepreneurship, with hundreds of people hired and fired, countless failures, lessons and letdowns, incredible wins and moments where it all became worth it, and millions of dollars in revenue… what are the top factors that have contributed to my entrepreneurial success? 3 Lessons that Equal Entrepreneurial Success Here are my top three lessons from 8 years of entrepreneurship. They might not be what you think. 1. Quit Chasing Shiny Objects If you’re chasing shiny object after shiny object, and you have serious FOMO about the things you want to do, STOP right now. Focus on one goal, and do everything in your power to achieve it. Then focus on another, and achieve that. Think in terms of single goals. And make these goals big—the bigger the better! It’s better to shoot for the stars and land on the moon than shoot for the hills and land back in the weeds. Here’s an example of a big hairy goal: grow my business to seven figures in 12 months, or build an industry-leading course in 8 months. The how and the path will get clearer when you know and focus on one goal and what it takes to get there. 2. Getting Up After Failure is the Key to Success Don’t expect everything for nothing. Put in the work before you reap the results. After your hard work is done, expect to do more hard work. Get up after you fail. Don’t dwell on your failures; dwell on what you’ve learned from them. Your three best friends in success are Self-Discipline, Hard Work and Perseverance. This means not letting a failure stop you. Get back up and try again! 3. People Aren’t Unicorns I hate to break it to you…but all humans make mistakes. It’s just a human thing. So, never put your faith in a single human. This means both your clients AND best team leader. Be ready and anticipate change, hold your people accountable no matter what, never blindly treat someone like a unicorn, a cash cow–ditch all that thinking now. It’s up to … Read more

Facebook Ad ROA Has Plummeted From 11.88x to .66x (The Ad Strategist’s Latest Report)

June 19, 2024January 11, 2019 by Adam Oakley

If you’ve been following the Write Blog at all in the past few months, you know how I feel about anti-customer sales funnels. For example: Don’t Treat Your Buyers Like It’s 1999: Why The Blood-Thirsty Sales Era is Reaching Tipping Point & Why Content Marketing Works 5 Selling Skills That Actually Work Today, & Sales Tactics That Need to Die (Quit Cold Pitching!) Goodbye, Sales Funnel & Hello, Marketing Lifecycle: 5 Hot Content Marketing Trends You Need to Know for 2019 Now when I say anti-customer sales funnels – I mean a very specific type of “funnel.” You know these very well. They’re the ones that start out with a Facebook ad, featuring an “expert” sitting in a flashy Lamborghini, or ostensibly walking around and showing you his pool and/or house in some exotic location, promising you with eagerness that his genius online money-making methods can make you millions of dollars, too — and when you click, you end up watching a pushy webinar and you’re funneled into a timed-out sales sequence page connected to a hard sales pitch via email that goes on for days on end. It’s the opposite of valuable, relevant content marketing that serves the audience. Well, times are ‘a changing. Sales funnels may be dying, and we have proof. You may have heard of Amanda Bond (A.K.A. The Ad Strategist). (I sat down with her in a recent episode of The Write Podcast. She’s a marketer I really respect.) Amanda isn’t just a commanding online presence – she has the chops to back it up. She has personally served over 73 million ad impressions on Facebook, and her ads have generated over $10 million in revenue. She recently published an incredible report full of so much gold, I had to share it with you all, here on The Write Blog. It’s called The Real Reason Facebook Ads Have Stopped Working. This report speaks to me not just because of the staggering results inside (more on those coming up). Amanda has a mantra after my own heart, which she eloquently brings up in her disclaimer at the beginning of the piece. “No one wants to attack their own industry. No business owner wants to ‘bite the hand that feeds them.’ But this level of corruption is wrecking people’s lives. Good people’s lives. And it’s time you heard the truth from someone on the inside.” This is just the beginning of a fantastic report that is full of MAJOR takeaways for any marketer. One of the biggest findings in her report? Facebook ad ROA has gone from 11.88x to .66x, in just two years. Amanda estimates that the total return on ad spend (ROAS) in 2016 was 11.88x. That means whatever you spent on ads, you got back 11-12 times over. In 2018, that number has plummeted to 0.66x. Let’s take a look. Facebook Ad ROA Has Plummeted From 11.88x to .66x: 3 Major Takeaways from the Latest Facebook Ad Study 1. Facebook Ad Funnels (and Funnels in General) Aren’t Working Anymore… But It’s Not Your Fault According to Amanda, Facebook ads used to work like gangbusters. The years 2014-2016 were a heyday if you wanted to create profitable ads. Today, that scenario is a distant memory. Amanda estimates that the total return on ad spend (ROAS) in 2016 was 11.88x. That means whatever you spent on ads, you got back 11-12 times over. In 2018, that number has plummeted to 0.66x. Why that huge plunge? The initial success of FB ads was built on a broken system to begin with. Internet marketing was exploding, and a key subgroup was at the helm, shaping the way people approach ads to this day. Amanda calls this “The Rise of Bro-Marketing.” “A digital marketing subculture dominated by money-hungry, funnel-hacking, win-at-all-costs business owners. A business ethos that’s publicly client-centric, but privately egocentric.” These types of people were not just pioneers in the Facebook ad industry, but also some of the loudest. They built sleazy lead generation tactics and funnel hacking, and swore by the mentality of “sales first, clients second.” An industry built on these principles was sure to fall at some point… Especially as the market became saturated and people started wising up to the aggressive ad funnel game. That leads us to our next major takeaway: 2. Self-Centered, Seller-First Marketing (Bro-Marketing) and Sales Funnels Are Dying Of course, bro-marketing tactics and “force-driven funnels” are both dying, as Amanda reveals in her study. These are the main reasons she mentions: Bro-marketers compete on volume. That means they’re ultra-focused on getting people into their sales funnel, whether they’re quality leads or not. That ALSO means 99% of those leads fall out of the bottom of the funnel. To turn a profit using this system, you have to keep generating more and more leads just to get to the one or two that eventually stick and make a purchase. And THAT is how bro-marketers normalized abysmally low conversion rates – as low as 1-2% – which are unsustainable for most people. Amanda puts it like this: “They’re paying for one hundred (expensive) leads and only ever converting one of them.” HOWEVER, bro-marketers trick people into buying into this type of marketing by using their own vanity metrics to create a false sense of security, i.e. “YOU CAN GET THESE RESULTS, TOO.” But, the truth is, the results are a sham. What I love here is how Amanda explains you are NOT a bad marketer if you bought into this. As she says, the ad funnel industry was built on these principles, and “we’re all drinking from the same polluted pond. The saddest part: “Standard funnels (the vehicles designed to generate sales) are often the very thing keeping people from purchasing.” This screenshot of slimy funnel ads drives that point home. (Are these types of ads the newest form of the cliché “used car salesman”?) 3. The Secret to Profitable FB Ads: Connect, Commit, Close So, what’s the opposite of manipulative funnels and sleazy sales tactics? … Read more

Work-Life Balance Strategies: What 24 Marketing Experts Say About Work-Life Balance

June 19, 2024December 18, 2018 by Danielle N.

We often glorify the idea of non-stop hustling. We see these images of influencers on social media who all seem to have it all put together, at the peak of their success while grinding 24/7. And we, too, try to find ways to become productive every single day, hoping to reach that point where we become satisfyingly successful. No wonder that the average productivity rate for every American worker has gone all the way up to 400% since 1950. It’s not even a surprise that the average American works for 44 hours per week — that’s more than eight hours per day. Crazy, isn’t it? You may already know this, but then again, overworking isn’t the key to success. And continuing to do so means damaging your health, relationships, and your self-worth. So, why not ditch the hustle and focus on achieving a better work-life balance? We know. It sounds easy, but hard to do especially when you love your job. That’s why we’ve asked the marketing experts about their own work-life balance strategies. We hope these points will inspire you to find your own balance. Work-Life Balance Strategies: What 24 Marketing Experts Say About Work-Life Balance Thinking work-life balance is impossible to do? Read what the marketing pros do, and you’ll find the best tips that may work for you. 1. Mark Schaefer “I’m probably at a different stage in my life than other readers. I’m in my 50s. At this point, I do what I love. There really is not much difference between work and home because I choose to do things that bring me joy, so there really is no struggle. Of course, you always run into bumps in the road. But you just have to recognize that as a normal part of life and keep moving ahead.” Mark Schaefer is a globally recognized social media expert, speaker, executive branding coach, marketing strategist, podcaster and writer. He’s the Executive Director of Schaefer Marketing Solutions, blogger of {grow}, and author of six marketing books including the best-selling “The Content Code” and “The Tao of Twitter.” Listen to his appearance on The Write Podcast. 2. Andy Crestodina “Go to bed. It sounds simple. But it’s very powerful. If you can get to bed and fall asleep 90 minutes sooner, you can wake up that much earlier and use that time for something far more important than whatever you were going to watch on Netflix at 10:30 PM. Imagine what would happen to your content, your brand, your knowledge, your network. Here’s a quick list of things you could do with that time over the next year: Write a book Launch a video series Write 50 guest posts Becoming a columnist for a major publication Or even crush a non-marketing goal… Have six-pack abs Learn to speak Italian What are the main differences between high and low performers? It’s not knowledge. Most people know HOW to do the things on that list. The difference is willpower, persistence and focus. So, get to bed! Then get up at 4:30 AM every day for two months no matter what. Then you will have formed the habit and it will come automatically. Use the time to invest in yourself. 99% of you will not take this advice. The other 1% will be so successful, I almost feel bad for their competitors.” Andy Crestodina is the co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Orbit Media, an award-winning 38-person web design and development firm in Chicago. He’s also a top-rated marketing speaker and the author of “Content Chemistry.” 3. Glen Gilmore “For the last two years, I’ve spent more time out of the country than in the country on consultations, speaking engagements, and brand ambassadorships. Whether I’m at home or on the road, I always do my best to work in a moment for meditation, a healthy breakfast, and a half-hour walk. Even a few pages of a good book a night helps. And though I always work on long flights, I do indulge in a movie or two. And when it’s time with family, it’s time away from looking at a phone for anything that’s non-emergent. And, just as I always have a long list of work-related projects to complete, I keep an equally long list of personal projects and goals to accomplish. I work at advancing them both.” Glen Gilmore is a Forbes Top 20 “Social Media Influencer” who provides Digital Marketing strategy and training to some of the Fortune 500 companies like Amazon, Huawei, and Verizon. He’s also a practicing lawyer and author of “Social Media Law for Business.” 4. Ryan Robinson “For me, work-life balance is a constant game of course correction. I’m rarely in perfect sync between work and personal life for long intervals of time. However, over the years I’ve pushed myself to regularly zoom out and take a look at whether work or fun are getting too much of my attention – and identify which one needs more attention. Some weeks, I force myself to only work 20 to 30 hours and enjoy going on a mid-week hike to clear my head and reset my priorities when things are getting a little stressful. Yet during other weeks if I’m preparing for a course launch or recording a lot of interviews for my podcast, it can easily turn into 50 to 60 hours of staring at a screen. That’s draining and unsustainable for me. So, what I’ve really come to learn, is that work-life balance (at least for me) is more about being hyper-aware of my mental state, and feeling empowered to take corrective action to avoid burning out when I need to. My advice is to always thoughtfully plan your week out ahead of time, so that you first schedule blocks of time for the most important activities – like getting physical activity every day, going on date nights with your significant other, or putting the kids to bed. Work should fit in around the greater purpose of your life, … Read more

How to Find Your Brand’s Unique Content Differentiation Factor and Use It to Your Advantage

February 7, 2024November 13, 2018 by Adam Oakley

Every brand has at least one unique “thing” that sets them apart. The “it” factor. If you’re involved in building your own brand or a business, you absolutely need to make sure you’ve identified that “one thing” that individualizes your message and your content. That factor that differentiates you from your competitors. The one essential element everybody else is missing. Without it, you’ll risk blending into the masses. You’ll turn into another blip in the content sea. Seen and heard today, forgotten tomorrow. A scary, but true, reality. So, my question for you today is: What is your content differentiation factor in your industry? First, let’s define. What do I mean by “content differentiation factor?” This is a concept I teach in my Content Strategy & Marketing course and have written about in my book. Your content differentiation factor (or CDF) is that one, unique thing – the it-factor – that separates you from the billions of other content pages on the web. It’s the angle you present that provides a slightly different, new spin on topics your readers have seen before. Joe Pulizzi of CMI calls this your pivot in the industry – more specifically, your content tilt. Joe talks about this concept in his book, Content Inc., which I highly recommend reading. He says: When you have a solid differentiator, you stand out in a great way. Your voice rises to the top and gets heard. People want to hear what you have to say because it’s unique, useful, and valuable. It’s how you not only reach your audience but reach them powerfully. For today’s topic, let’s start by looking at a few perfect examples of brands that have it and use it to their advantage, and then get into how to find YOUR content differentiation factor. Two Examples of Brands Killing It With a Solid Content Differentiation Factor (CDF) Here are two amazing brands that are doing a killer job at using a CDF that aligns them with their audience. 1. Society6 First up, a brand with a solid CDF that perfectly caters to their audience – Society6. This is essentially a printing service where you can get custom-designed items such as wall art, mugs, notebooks, t-shirts, phone cases, and even bedding, shower curtains, and furniture. The differentiator which sets Society6 apart from similar printing services is the artist community that serves as their foundation. Instead of offering pre-designed patterns and templates, Society6 sources designs from independent artists all over the world who receive a cut of the profits. Their content ties into their CDF perfectly. They regularly feature original pieces from artists selling designs on Society6. View this post on Instagram “Message from the Sea” by Christian Schloe / Link in bio @Society6 A post shared by Society6 (@society6) on Oct 25, 2018 at 5:58pm PDT They also have a blog with more artist features, tips for creatives selling their designs on the platform, and home décor tips using their custom-printed goods. Finally, Society6’s huge following and high content engagement speak to how well tapping into their content differentiation factor has played out. On Instagram alone, they have over half a million followers, and each post averages thousands of likes and comments. Society6’s unique artists are their greatest asset, and they use this CDF to reach out to both consumers who want to support small businesses as well as creators looking to support themselves with their art. [bctt tweet=”How are you differentiating yourself from others in your niche? What makes you stand out? @JuliaEMcCoy’s guide talks about content differentiation factor, plus examples, and how to do it. #contentmarketing #cdf ” username=”ExpWriters”] 2. Taste of Home Another brand nailing their content differentiation factor: Taste of Home. Originally a magazine dedicated to showcasing favorite recipes from home cooks, Taste of Home now has an online presence chock-full of content catered to their readers. For example, their website serves as an extension of their printed compilations of reader-submitted recipes. However, what sets the brand apart is the fact that only the best of the best get featured because each is tested by the Taste of Home kitchen beforehand. Every recipe comes with tips, anecdotes, or secrets from the cook who submitted it. Taste of Home leans into their CDF online and carries over the main mission from their print magazine: “foster[ing] a strong and loyal sense of community among like-minded home cooks of all ages.” Along with user-submitted recipes and food-related blog posts, Taste of Home also populates their social media feeds with eye-catching video content. Manicotti, simplified. > Get the recipe for Easy-to-Stuff Manicotti: https://t.co/chpdYg1myp pic.twitter.com/MOZv3UMiYc — Taste of Home (@tasteofhome) October 31, 2018 Finally, their engaged community speaks to how well Taste of Home has used their CDF to their advantage. They essentially tap into the heart and warmth of home cooking. How to Find Your Content Differentiation Factor (and Why It’s Different from Your Unique Selling Proposition) It’s easy to mistake your content differentiation factor for your unique selling proposition, and vice-versa. [bctt tweet=”Your unique selling proposition is NOT the same as your content differentiation factor. What makes you stand out in your industry? ” username=”ExpWriters”] But, remember: They’re not one and the same. Your unique selling proposition (USP) is the factor that makes your products or services better or more valuable than your competitors. Your content differentiation factor is the unique angle you present as a brand/business. It’s how you approach industry topics and write about them from your individual perspective. In short, your CDF is more akin to your motto, your mission, or your mantra. It’s how you approach connecting to your audience. To do it, you need to present them with an angle they haven’t seen before: your angle. Here’s how to find it: 1. Don’t Over-Focus on Your Products/Services This great blog from Jay Baer represents the pitfalls of what can happen when brands only focus on their … Read more

Why Focusing On Your Competitor Could Be Killing Your Business

June 19, 2024September 11, 2018 by Adam Oakley

“Comparison is the thief of joy.” This well-known quote from Theodore Roosevelt is often repeated, but not necessarily heeded. We live in a technological age that breeds comparison, whether we fight it or not. Your social media feeds are full of your peers and colleagues showing off the very best of their professional lives. You know what I’m talking about… “How I Increased My Facebook Followers by 124871 Zillion” “How I got 3123095 Bajillion Page Views and Increased Conversions by Eleventy-Gajillion%” “112049 Awesome Templates That Worked for Me and WILL WORK FOR YOU” It’s easy to get caught up in this “success stream.” When we see others’ success, we want that for ourselves. If the uber-successful offer us a way in, we’re likely to take the bait. Unfortunately, that quote we talked about earlier is as true as any truth that’s ever been told. However, we might phrase it this way: Comparison is the thief of joy and creative, success-driving innovation for your business. If you’re constantly comparing your success to the influencers, thought leaders, and gurus, if you’re constantly buying into what they’re selling and eschewing your own creative ideas to do it… Something is wrong. If you’re only focusing on your competitor and not your original ideas, you could be missing out on truly standing out. Take it from me; I learned this the hard way. [bctt tweet=”If you’re only focusing on your competitor and not your original ideas, you could be missing out on truly standing out. @JuliaEMcCoy ” username=”ExpWriters”] Personal Case Study: How Focusing on Your Competitor Can Kill Your Creativity and Conversions Fact: To help my launch follow more “proven” techniques, and thus, be more successful (or so I thought), I used to copy “email formulas” and bounce off “successful templates” to create emails to market The Content Strategy & Marketing Course. I’d use a pasted “proven template” to send infrequent coupons and updates to my list. The formulas that industry gurus touted seemed to be so set-in-stone and guaranteed — and as a “launch newbie,” I was so worried about not using “the correct formula.” In doing so, I made a mistake. I left my own ideas behind. These emails, however, were not converting. Then, one afternoon when I was exercising, I came home and had a “lightbulb moment.” Inspired by nothing but a spark in my own brain, I came up with this email: Guess what. We had a 4x conversion rate on this email, whereas my past emails that relied on the experts converted zero people. [bctt tweet=”Read about @JuliaEMcCoy’s #emailmarketing story: she left proven templates and examples behind and focused on 100% original content… and had a 4x growth in ROI” username=”ExpWriters”] My single email, written straight from my heart with no inspiration from competitors and no templates, converted 4 readers into course enrollees. Meanwhile, the other templated/competitor-inspired emails converted nobody. Take this as a hard-earned lesson: Make sure you’re tapping into your own brain for creative ideas! And don’t doubt yourself. Don’t let fear of the unknown slow you down. You’re in the marketing game for a reason – you’ve got smart, creative ideas in that head of yours. My new writing course is open TODAY and enrolling beta students! Don’t miss this 10-day opportunity to improve your writing skills. Enroll and save $100 with code BETALAUNCH2018. I recommend that you start finding more “me-time” so you can get out of the day-to-day rut you’re stuck in, and tap into the power of using your own creativity! [bctt tweet=”Julia’s #1 tip: find more ‘me-time’, quit getting stuck in a daily rut, and tap into your own creativity to see more success from your content endeavors. @JuliaEMcCoy” username=”ExpWriters”] Here are some tips that might help. 3 Tips to Stop Comparing and Let Your Creativity Breathe 1. Unglue Yourself from Social Media With your eyeballs constantly taking in other people’s thoughts, opinions, and ideas, you’re crowding out your own. Step away from your social feeds. For instance, if you usually wake up every morning and check Twitter first-thing, stop. Leave your phone on the nightstand and go make your coffee, instead. Or, read a little bit, take a walk, make breakfast… anything else! Maybe don’t do this, though. You’d be surprised at how refreshing it can be to skip even one scroll session during your day. [bctt tweet=”Unglue yourself from social media to find more inspiration, says @JuliaEMcCoy” username=”ExpWriters”] 2. Get Some Fresh Air and Exercise According to a neuroscientist, exercise could give your brain the creative boost it needs. According to this Quartz article, “Exercise could make students more imaginative at school and adults more creative at work.” Refresh your body and mind and get moving. If you can, go outside and drink in some fresh air to clear your head. [bctt tweet=”Exercise is key to more creativity, says @JuliaEMcCoy” username=”ExpWriters”] 3. Indulge Your Creativity Constantly comparing yourself to others, and constantly following by rote, can stifle your creativity. To help loosen the stranglehold these voices have on your brain, do a simple creative activity. Doodle something on whatever spare paper you have lying around (according to Harvard Health, spontaneous drawing has tons of brain benefits, like easing stress and improving your focus). Color with markers. Write a 300-word short story. Go outside and experiment with phone photography. Don’t focus on perfection, but rather the act of creation itself. Nobody will ever see your efforts, so go wild. [bctt tweet=”Constantly comparing yourself to others, and constantly following by rote, can stifle your creativity, says @JuliaEMcCoy” username=”ExpWriters”] Everyone Has a Unique Story – Let Yours Unfold A key thing to remember is everyone’s path is different. Your success will not look like anyone else’s, because it will be uniquely yours – a result of YOUR hard work, personality, skills, and goals. Is a carbon-copy of success from following an expert’s advice or system nearly as satisfying as straying from the beaten path and forging your own story? I don’t think so. “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead … Read more

The Future of the Web: HTTPS, Voice Search, & AMP for Email

June 19, 2024June 19, 2018 by Adam Oakley

If you stay current on technology trends, you’ve probably heard of a few that are defining the future of the web, email marketing, and search. These Big Three are HTTPS, voice search, and AMP for email. Here are some wow-worthy facts about each: In 2017, 50% of first-page Google results used HTTPS, according to Moz. Research from ComScore reveals that 50% of all internet searches will be voice-based by 2020. Google’s AMP technology (accelerated mobile pages) powers over 2 billion mobile web pages and 900,000 domains – and those numbers are growing. If this is all news to you, or you haven’t been keeping tabs on tech trends, you probably have some questions. What are these technologies, and/or where are they headed? What might “the future of the web” mean for your online marketing? Let’s take a peek at the implications as all three gain ground in the industry. HTTPS: Secure Browsing as a Google Ranking Factor “HTTPS” stands for “Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure.” It probably looks familiar; you’ll see this acronym at the beginning of URLs. Just take a gander at your browser bar and see if the web address starts with HTTP or HTTPS. Here’s what a secured site looks like (yes, that’s ours ;-)): What’s the Difference Between HTTP and HTTPS? HTTPS is the secure version of HTTP. It simply means that all data sent between your browser and the website you’re surfing is encrypted. This encrypted data is unintelligible to anyone who may try to intercept it and steal it. A great example: The personal data you send when you make transactions online (like a purchase or a bank transfer) could be stolen by hackers if it wasn’t encrypted. Image via Instant SSL Why You Should Care: HTTPS Is a Google Ranking Factor That Will Increase in Importance Going Forward Google has adopted the mantra of “HTTPS everywhere” regarding web browsing. This means sites that use HTTPS/secure browsing will be prioritized in the rankings over sites that remain unsecured. And, according to Google, this will hold true into the future as sites continue to make the switch from HTTP to HTTPS: Bottom line: If your website doesn’t use HTTPS yet, it’s time to get on that – yesterday. Voice Search: The Future of Internet Search In 2018 and beyond, voice search is bigger than ever – and growing. The factors influencing this trend include: Better technology, getting better all the time (voice assistants understand what you want and provide more accurate results) New products make jumping into using voice searches easier for us humans, like integration with TVs and smart speakers On-the-go voice search is becoming normalized, as it’s an easier alternative to fumbling with your smartphone’s keyboard and browser Here’s a crazy fact related to just how good voice search technology is getting: According to the Internet Trends Report for 2018, Google’s speech recognition accuracy is on par with that of a human. [bctt tweet=”The Internet Trends Report for 2018 says that Google’s speech recognition accuracy is on par with that of a human. @JuliaEMcCoy” via=”@ExpWriters”] Crazy, right? Still more incredible: This technology is going to keep getting better. Why You Should Care: Targeting Voice Search Is Different from Text-Based Search So, what does the advent of accurate, easy-to-use voice search mean for you as a digital marketer or business owner? First off, Google says that voice search users frame their queries differently than text search users. This means using long tail keywords in your content, framed in natural language, will be more important as we head into the future. Bottom line: If you want to grab traffic coming from voice search, you have to target the keywords people are using to ask their voice assistants for information. Search Engine Journal has some other good ideas to help you prepare for the advent of voice search: AMP for Email: Complete Basic Web Tasks Inside Your Email Messages Another technology getting a lot of buzz is AMP (accelerated mobile pages) for email. Whoa, Back Up – What Is AMP? AMP is an open-source initiative that helps web pages load much, much faster across all devices. It helps you browse the web on your phone as fast as if you were using a desktop computer. Essentially, it helps your device bypass information and code you don’t need for mobile browsing. That way, you’re not stuck waiting for unwieldy pages to load. In short, AMP helps create better mobile web experiences for everybody. Accelerated Mobile Pages + Email = ??? So, what happens when you mash up AMP technology with email? Something pretty darn amazing. According to Google, AMP has evolved from its original purpose. Now, developers are starting to use it to create rich web pages – ones that are more interactive, easier to use, AND faster. Enter email. Google and other entities like Pinterest, Doodle, and Booking.com are experimenting with providing a web-like experience within email messages. Check out the gifs below to see it in action: Via Google Needless to say, in the email experience you’re used to, things look a lot different. Right now, you have to click a link inside your emails to do any of this. Those links may or may not: Take you to an in-app browser, which gets confusing (I have regularly forgotten which app I’m using because I’m stuck inside an in-app browser – cue frustration) Open an outside app, taking you away from the app you were originally using (which can also be super annoying) In contrast to these possibilities, AMP for email lets you stay inside your email message while carrying out common actions you would normally need a browser to complete. Photo from Google Really cool, right? Why You Should Care: With This Tech, Email Marketing Could Get Even Better Email marketing is still one of the most powerful ways to connect with your audience. It’s one of the only avenues left where your organic reach is virtually untouched. According to a 2016 study from eMarketer, the … Read more