Tuesday, May 31, 2016
CardioBrief: Women With Migraine Face Increased CV Risk
Few PCI Patients Who Shouldn't Get Antiplatelets Still Do (CME/CE)
Doctor Outlines Plan To Battle Antibiotic Resistance In 'The Washington Post'
NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Ezekiel Emanuel, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and chair of the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the University of Pennsylvania, about his opinion piece in the Washington Post that argues the cheap price of antibiotics has led to their overuse and has also discouraged drug companies from developing new antibiotics.
From the Editor's Desk: The not-so-instant setup for Facebook's Instant Articles
Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.
Copywriting in the Content Era: A Guide for Writers Starting Out
4 Post-Conversion Autoresponder Tactics to Keep Your Leads Alive
There's no shortage of top-notch online content aimed at optimizing your landing pages. Ultimate Guides, Best Practices and Perfect Anatomies abound.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of all that amazing content ignores what happens immediately after your visitor converts… and that, ladies and gentlemen, is where your landing pages go to die.
In other words, unless you have a plan for what happens after someone signs up or says “Yes,” all the conversion momentum you bled to create - not to mention the ripest opportunity you have to engage - might be for nothing.
This means crafting an authentic, engaging autoresponder - whether that's a confirmation email, download link, or even just a friendly “Thanks for signing up” - in a way that bonds you to your prospects right from the jump.
To do that, let's take a look at four proven tactics guaranteed to keep your landing page alive… after a lead opts in.
1. Give 'em what they asked for
Here's the brutal truth: people don't sign up to your list because they like you nor because they want to hear more about you and your company's awesome products.
No, they sign up because they want something you're offering… to them, for them, to benefit them. That offer can run the gamut from an ebook to an industry report to a free coaching session to a simple ecommerce discount.
Whatever your offer is … the worst thing you can do after someone signs up is get in the way of letting them have it.
That sounds obvious, but even enterprise-level organizations can make an absolute trainwreck of the confirmation process.
Take, for example, investment platform Seeking Alpha.
Two weeks ago, I registered for a free account at Seeking Alpha. I'd been researching Lowe's Home Improvement recent use of Facebook ads and found what looked to be a primary-source goldmine: Lowe's Companies' (LOW) CEO Robert Niblock on Q3 2015 Results – Earnings Call Transcript.
I tore through the first two pages of the transcript. But when I tried to move ahead to page three this pop up appeared:
Naturally, I'd already invested myself in the first two pages of the article, so I filled out the form and hit “Register.”
And that's when the nightmare began.
First, Seeking Alpha served up this pretty standard “Thank You” page:
Thinking that I'd already created an account by giving them my email and a password, I clicked “log in,” was redirect to the “Member sign in page” and filled out the fields.
To my surprise - despite using the same email and password I just entered - this error message appeared:
A bit discouraged but still hungry for page three, I jumped over to my inbox where this confirmation email waiting for me:
“Good,” I thought, “Just need to confirm my registration and then … page three here I come.”
Instead, when I clicked “Confirm Your Registration,” I was sent to an additional three-step form:
After being forced to answer a series of segmentation questions, opt in to an additional list and supply four or more stocks to continue, I was sure clicking “Save & Continue” would finally send me to page three.
But once again … no.
In lieu of page three, a previously-unannounced fourth step appeared that now required me to enter my phone number in order to “Get the App,” something I had shown zero interest in during my previous responses. I wasn't even on a mobile device at the time:
But oh! How I wanted page three. So I plugged in my phone number, clicked “Text me a link” earnestly hoping that finally I'd be given what I'd asked for.
Tragically - and you probably saw this coming - what I got next was … nothing.
No redirect, no thank you page, no article, no link, no page three. Nothing. Just a dead end screen with nowhere to go next. In order to ultimately reach page three, I had to go back to the login page and walk through the entire search process.
All told, it took ten separate screens to go from page two to page three of the piece I'd originally asked for.
What's the moral of the story?
People value one thing above all others: time. What's more… people respect people who respect their time. When someone signs up for your email list, all they want is to get what they asked for.
You can do this in one of two ways.
Ensure that your initial autoresponder includes a direct link to whatever offer your new lead signed up for
For instance, whenever someone signs up for my Ultimate Content Creating Checklist, I use GetResponse' autoresponder workflow to send them a simple, stripped-down email with just one link to the resource itself:
If a new lead doesn't click that link within 24 hours, they get a even more stripped down email with a friendly reminder:
Create a redirect or popup after your form page that gives new subscribers direct access
That's how Unbounce and Onboardly's new ebook The Growth Marketer's Guide to Landing Page Optimization does it. Immediately after completing the form comes this popup:
Boom - just like that, I'm in.
Bottom line?
Do not waste your prospects' valuable time with useless emails, additional questions, or by making them jump through hoops.
Just give 'em what they asked for.
Optimize Your Email Automation & Boost Your Conversions!
2. Start a conversation
Just like the first tactic, our second tactic should be obvious.
Sadly, it isn't.
Often confirmation emails and autoresponders are brutally humdrum. If someone takes the time to customize their autoresponder at all, the conversations are blatantly one sided. Why? Because we've forgotten that behind every computer screen is a real, live human being.
As a result, you and I can differentiate a personal email from an autoresponder a thousand miles away.
That, however, shouldn't be the case. Done right, you can not only make someone feel like they're talking to another person… you can even get them to respond.
Think that's impossible? It's not.
In fact, that's exactly what happened to Oli Gardner when he signed up for Sujan Patel's ebook.
As Oli admitted on Unbounce's podcast:
“Two days ago I downloaded an ebook by Sujan Patel. … And that's when the trickery began, because I got an email, an automated email that was so well crafted that I thought it was real.
He made it sound like he recognized me.
So I responded.
And then I was like, 'Mother [expletive]!' I looked at it again and realized, 'He didn't write this to me. He put it as an autoresponder.'”
Sujan's autoresponder is the living proof that you can start a conversation from the jump:
On top of that, starting these real human conversations drives bottom-line results. In my own massive Landing Page Optimization Guide, I asked Sujan about how well his conversational approach works:
“First, of the people who subscribe to the blog, 6.6% click on a link to one of my two software products - Narrow.io or ContentMarketer.io - or on one of my two books. And 39% of those clicks eventually convert into either a product trial or a book purchase.
Second, of those who preview my ebook, 12% purchase the full book and an additional 3% start a trial of either Narrow.io or ContentMarketer.io.
Third, of the people who buy my ebook, 1.9% end up buying the other book and another 15% start a trial of Narrow.io or ContentMarketer.io.”
Bear in mind, those big numbers are all generated by simple and conversational emails like the one above.
To start your own real human conversations, keep these two principles in mind.
Write the way you talk
Don't make the mistake of trying to impress your new contact by using jargon-heavy language, formal introductions, or corporate mumbo-jumbo.
Simply read your emails out loud to yourself and if they don't sound like one human talking to another, go back to the drawing board until they do.
Most notably, use short words, short sentences, short paragraphs and (of course) short emails.
Take Henneke Duistermaat's initial email when you sign up for her Snackable Writing Course as a model:
Personalize your emails
Deep personalization - especially for ecommerce - includes a host of advanced segmentation features, customer and lead tagging, product-offer coordination, upselling, cart-abandonment emails and even off-site strategies like retargeting. All that can easily make your head spin.
For your first email, don't over think it.
While it's not techncially a confirmation email, Inbound.org nails truly human personalization. By keeping the format plain, adding an *FName* field, and by only sending emails on topics their users have already shown interest in, I'm constantly tempted to write back to Ed directly:
3. Ask a question
Do not underestimate the power of a good question.
Why?
Because the human brain is hardwired to automatically engage with a question.
Neurologically speaking, this is called “The Zeigarnik Effect,” named for the Russian psychologist who discovered it.
The power of a good question lies in its ability to entice, seduce and above all demand a response. That's why some of the most successful advertisements in history start with a question:
John Caples' uber classic Tested Advertising Methods lists “Have your headline ask a question” as one of the proven methods for writing “headlines and direct mail teasers.”
Of course, the theory and that example are more than a generation old. So do questions still work?
Absolutely.
Late last year, Retention Science reported that “punctuation [in an email subject line] impacts email open rates” significantly:
The presence of any type of punctuation mark increased open rates by 9 percent.
And can you guess the most conversion-generating piece of punctuation?
Question marks:
Question marks are particularly effective at engaging recipients. In fact, the study found subject lines with question marks have open rates 44 percent greater than those with exclamation points.
The application of this principle to your autoresponder should be clear: add a question.
Of course, you can easily scatter questions - rhetorical or otherwise - within your emails. For instance, Neil Patel of Quick Sprout asks two questions and encourages you to reply:
However, a better application of this tactic is to build your very first email around a single, driving question that matters to your audience … not you.
This is precisely what Ann Handley does. Sign up for Ann's list and here's the very first email you'll receive:
At the risk of getting a bit meta, I replied to that question email with a question of my own:
And do you know what Ann did?
She actually wrote back:
“When I first launched AnnHandley.com's email subscription option, I used to thank new signups, as I do now. But the question was different: I used to ask them to share with me the most innovative or interesting bit of content they'd seen lately. I was looking for something that engaged them… or that they found surprising. Because, I explained, I was always looking for stellar content examples.
About 10% of those who subscribed actually responded with a content example.
Over time I realized that the response rate was pitifully low, especially given my approachable vibe and voice.
It dawned on me that maybe that was because my note was essentially about ME - tell me what you like, because I am always looking for good example. It was not about the subscriber. It was not about what I could do for them.
So I rewrote the Welcome email to be about the subscriber and not about me.
I asked very basic questions: What are you doing here? What do you hope to learn?
Now, roughly 60% of those who subscribe actually write me back. And when they do respond… I always try to respond BACK. (I may have missed a few here or there… but I try not to.) I don't write a book - but I do acknowledge their response. People always appreciate that I'm actually monitoring responses. I get a lot of 'wow I can't believe you wrote back….'
It's funny how a little time and care goes a long way.”
Yep… it sure is. And it all starts with a question.
4. Provide unexpected value
Admit it. You love surprises. After all, who doesn't?
Surprise parties, unexpected gifts, out-of-the-blue good news. We all love that feeling of getting extra value in our lives, especially when we don't see it coming.
The only secret to success - regardless of the industry - isn't really a secret at all: don't just add value… add more value than anyone else.
The great Tony Robbins enshrined this bed-rock principle in his recent book MONEY: Master the Game:
Money is nothing more than a reflection of your creativity, your capacity to focus and your ability to add value and receive back.
If you can find a way to create value - that is, add value for a massive number of people - you will have an opportunity to have a massive amount of economic abundance in your life.
What's true for the world at large is also true of your subscribers.
This fourth tactic - provide unexpected value - increases the loyalty of your new leads, builds rapport and trust and leans hard on the persuasive principle of reciprocity all by exceeding their expectations.
For instance, if people signed up to download a free SEO report, you could easily offer a free one-page checklist or website audit as a way of showing your gratitude.
On the other hand, if they signed up to learn more about your nutrition coaching business, you could surprise them by giving away a detailed list of easy recipes to help them lose weight.
The point is: they didn't expect those things and because of that element of surprise, what might otherwise be just another lead magnet provides far more value.
For example, when you sign up for one of the Robbie Richard's case studies, he surprises you by giving away an extra case study:
Likewise, Derek Halpern – author of Social Triggers – applies the same principle. After you sign up to download one of his worksheets, he gives you a “surprise gift”:
Remember Sujan Patel's conversational emails? After signing up for his blog, he provides readers with “a few of my best posts while you wait for my next newsletter”:
Brian Dean from Backlinko? Yep, he does it to:
Even Blog Tyrant Ramsay Taplin uses this tactic. Notice that not only does he provide an unexpected resource, he also offers a conversational tip and an invitation to connect with him directly:
What do all these first-contact autoresponders have in common?
They all provide unexpected value… and you should do the same.
Don't let your landing page die
Sure, Ultimate Guides, Best Practices and Perfect Anatomies abound. And it's wise to optimize your on-page elements for maximum conversions.
But, that doesn't mean you can overlook what's next: after the page.
To ensure that your landing pages live on, follow these four proven tactics:
- Give 'em what they asked for
- Start a conversation
- Ask a question
- Provide unexpected value
Got a favorite autoresponder tip? Be sure to share it in the comments… especially if it tricked you into writing back.
Report: Social Media Examiner 2016 State of Social Media Marketing
It can be easy to get caught up in the buzz of new social media marketing platforms and content types (live video ring a bell?). But what are today's marketers implementing the most and experiencing the most success with? The answers might surprise you.
Social Media Examiner recently released their 2016 State of Social Media Marketing Industry Report which dives into the responses of over 5,000 marketers who share their top priorities, successes, failures and outlooks for social media marketing. This post will dive into a few of the highlights that I found most interesting from this year's report.
#1 – Not All Marketers Implementing Social Media Analyze Success & Measure ROI
Social media marketing still seems to hold a mystery for a lot of marketers. Of those surveyed in this report, only 19% strongly agree that they regularly analyze their social media activities. Additionally, only 41% say that they are able to measure the ROI for their social media activities.
In order for marketers to be effective with any aspect of their digital marketing approach, a close eye to the data is essential. By closely watching this information, marketers are better able to adapt and evolve their strategies to meet customer need.
#2 – Some Marketers Are Facing Declines in Website Traffic via Facebook
Social media can be a great source for referring traffic to a brand's website. But just like those above that are not measuring the ROI of their social media, many aren't sure if referral traffic from Facebook has declined or not. However, 23% have noticed a decline in traffic in the past 12 months.
#3 – Social Media Marketing is Becoming More Difficult
Social media is a quickly evolving beast. Platforms are constantly changing algorithms, releasing new features and “changing the rules”. That requires marketers to think on their feet and quickly adapt their approach at the drop of a hat. According to this survey, 40% of marketers believe that social media has become increasingly difficult in the past 12 months.
#4 – Many Marketers Are Spending Under 6 Hours a Week on Social Media
A successful social media marketing strategy requires commitment. Building an audience in general, let alone one that is engaged and interacts with your brand takes time, and an ongoing investment of both time and often budget.
However, 37% of marketers are spending a maximum of five hours per week on their social media efforts. That means, at most they are spending 1 hour a day managing their social media accounts.
Today's customers expect swift responses from the brands they follow and interact with online which would be extremely difficult to master in only 5 hours a week.
#5 – The Top Reported Benefits of Social Media Marketing Might Surprise You
Increased exposure for the business is listed as the top benefit of social media marketing by an 89% of respondents. The other benefits that made the top of the list include:
- Increased Traffic 75%
- Developed Loyal Fans 68%
- Provided Marketplace Insight 666
- Generated Leads 66%
#6 – The Super 3 Still Reign Supreme
Even with the increasingly popular use of platforms like Snapchat and vine for brands across the globe, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are still the most commonly used social media platforms by marketers. From 2015 to 2016, both Twitter and LinkedIn faced a slight decline while Instagram gained a few points.
#7 – The Outlook for Paid Social Media
Many social networks are increasingly making it more difficult for brands to maintain the organic reach that they used to. That change has required an investment in paid social media to become more of a necessity than a luxury.
An overwhelming 87% of marketers invest their budgets in Facebook ads versus the next platforms coming in at 39% (Google ads), 18% (Twitter ads) and 17% (LinkedIn ads).
#8 – The Difference Between B2B & B2C
One of the biggest contrasts within this report is the importance of different social networks for B2B and B2C marketers. The top three social networks (Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn) both rank high for both types of marketers, but the order of importance is vastly different.
What Does the Future Hold for Social Media Marketing?
Next year, we may begin to see some of these responses shift as more and more marketers begin adopting the use of platforms like Snapchat and SlideShare. We cannot be certain what the future will hold for social media marketing, but we do know that marketers are finding it to be a value tool for interacting with and engaging their audience. Social media marketing is here to stay.
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© Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®, 2016. |
Report: Social Media Examiner 2016 State of Social Media Marketing | http://www.toprankblog.com
The post Report: Social Media Examiner 2016 State of Social Media Marketing appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.
Monday, May 30, 2016
Report: Ad blocking users more than double in a year to almost 420 million globally
Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.
4 Tasty Content Marketing Recipes to Grill Up on Your Day Off
If you're like most business professionals, you are likely enjoying today off, spending time with friends and family and celebrating the lives of those that have served our country. Memorial Day marks one of the first holiday's of the summer that give busy professionals a chance to take an extra day to unwind and enjoy the warm summer months.
If you're taking the time to read this on your day off, the least I can do is offer you some helpful content marketing recipes for a successful holiday BBQ. A successful meal and content marketing plan both require a full range of elements to meet the needs of your audience, whoever they may be. The four recipes below will help you get started.
#1 – Something Substantial: Content Mission
Most good BBQ's include a protein such as a burger or steak that the grill master puts most of their energy into creating. Similarly, your content plan should center around a consistent content mission. Your content mission should describe your purpose for creating content and how you intend to use that content to help your customers solve their business problems.
Just like the difference between purchasing stew meat and filet mignon to throw on the grill, you need to invest your time in developing a content mission that will help you develop a “best answer” approach for your customers.
Use the following recipe to develop a content mission:
- Determine who your content mission is for.
- Identify your message and determine how you will deliver the content to your audience.
- Set benchmarks for your desired outcome.
#2 – Something Starchy: Content Calendar
Carbohydrates provide your body with energy and let's face it, they're delicious. No grill out is complete without some tasty potato salad or [insert your favorite starch here]. Sometimes it can be difficult to find a good way to plan your content appropriately, without overdoing it (just like when you find yourself facing down an enormous bread basket).
A well-developed (but flexible) content calendar will help keep you on track and aligned with the content mission that has been developed. If you need help creating a content calendar of your own, check out this awesome list from Curata.
Use the following recipe to develop a content calendar:
- Always identify who each piece of content is for.
- Create a consistent experience across all digital marketing channels to build confidence with your audience.
- Do your research to ensure that content is optimized for customers and search engines.
#3 – Something Healthy: Content Measurement
In the frenzy of planning all the staples needed for grilling, a very important element is often overlooked, fruit and vegetables (no, corn is not a vegetable). To balance the fat and calories in some of the other dishes, it's nice to accompany a grilled meal with a healthy vegetable or fruit.
Another often overlooked element of marketing programs is the importance of tying content to business objective and then measuring their impact.
Use the following recipe for content measurement:
- Identify benchmarks and set performance goals prior to launching content campaigns or assets.
- Utilize unique tracking urls and tracking codes to properly identify sources for conversions.
- Review your metrics, see what is working and what is not and use that information to evolve your content strategy.
#4 – Something Unexpected: Unique Content Types
Every once in awhile, you might bring something new into the mix and find that you're pleasantly satisfied with the outcome. For example, last week we decided to try our hand at grilling my favorite food, the artichoke. The results? Amazing!
Like the unexpected success and simplicity of a grilled artichoke, it's important to provide your audience with something new from time to time that captures their attention. Testing new content types can help break marketers out of a content rut and create more stickiness with your audience.
Use the following recipe for developing unique content types:
- Collect information from your audience to determine which content types resonate with them the most.
- Go outside of your comfort zone and try something new such as video interviews, infographics, interactive content, motion graphics, live-streaming video and more.
- Both successes and failures will teach you an incredible amount about how to delight your audience with unexpected content they are not getting from other sources.
What Are You Cooking Up Today?
These four content marketing recipes should be the basics that you need to have a successful holiday BBQ. While each marketer will add their own flair or have some secret recipes of their own, these will help you get started. Always remember that both grilling and marketing are a process that may seem frustrating at times, but often create many rewards when it comes time to enjoy the fruits of your labor.
Have a safe and happy holiday!
Gain a competitive advantage by subscribing to the
TopRank® Online Marketing Newsletter.
© Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®, 2016. |
4 Tasty Content Marketing Recipes to Grill Up on Your Day Off | http://www.toprankblog.com
The post 4 Tasty Content Marketing Recipes to Grill Up on Your Day Off appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.
Study Suggests Cutting Some Vaccine Boosters For Rare Diseases
People are supposed to get vaccine boosters for tetanus and diphtheria once every 10 years. But researchers in Oregon say that's overkill: For adults, one booster every 30 years might be good enough.
Demystifying the display advertising landscape
Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Parental Advice App Works With Amazon Echo
Secret OR Cameras: Not Such a Great Idea
Vets Lack Vitamin D, Follow-up Testing
The Perils of 'Affordable' Health Insurance Plans
Exercise Appears to Improve Sleep Apnea Symptoms (CME/CE)
Death Talk Is Cool At This Festival
How to make thinking about death less somber? Hold a festival! Indianapolis did. Through art, film and book talks, residents explored everything from bucket lists to advance directives and cremation.
Saturday, May 28, 2016
Win a Free Trip to CTAConf 2016 [Prize Package Valued at $6,000]
For the past two years, we've hosted an epic contest to send deserving marketers to our Call to Action Conference in Vancouver.
We received some pretty remarkable landing pages entries. Hilarious videos were created. Retargeting happened. Directional cues were used. A ton of personality, memes, dancing, creativity, blood, sweat and tears went into these pages.
In short, we were pretty blown away. So we're doing it again.
But this time it's going to be a little bit different.
The challenge
Listen closely.
We've created a new landing page template all about CTA Conf 2016 (hosted by Unbounce this upcoming June 19 – 21) and why we think every marketer should attend. It's 95% complete…
But we think it could use your help.
The challenge is simple:
- Check out what makes the Call to Action Conference so special.
- Log in to Unbounce (or create a free account) and head to our templates library.
- Create a new landing page using our Call to Action Conference Contest template, and add your own finishing touches to persuade people to click that call to action! Make the copy more persuasive, the color palette prettier - whatever you think will result in more conversions.
- Publish and share your landing page with all your marketing friends through email, social, remarketing or any other creative idea you come up with.
The honorable judge
Last year we had a mix of Unbouncers and speakers as judges. But this time, there is only one judge: data. #micdrop
Whoever's page drives the most conversions (form submissions to our Call to Action Conference Agenda page) will win a free trip to Vancouver to attend Call to Action Conference. Tickets, flights, accommodation, fun touristy activities - the whole shebang!
What does the Ultimate CTAConf Package Include?
In other words, why should you put your blood, sweat, tears and conversion chops into this?
Check out our prize packages:
First place
The first place prize package includes:
- One CTAConf ticket for you and one for a friend
- One flight to Vancouver (up to $1,000)
- Three nights at the Delta Vancouver Suites from June 19 – 21
- Your choice of Sunday Funday activity before the conference
Second place
If you're next best, you'll get two free tickets to CTAConf 2016, an invitation to the private speaker dinner on June 19 (think of all the unlimited mingling you'll get to do with marketing experts!) and your choice of Sunday Funday tourist activity before the conference.
Third place
And if you come in third, you'll still get to come to the conference for free - Sunday Funday included! And you'll walk away with an Unbounce swag back.
Up for the challenge? Read the rules, download the template and get crackin'.
The contest ends June 9, 2016 at 5:00pm PST.
Happy converting!
P.S. If you don't want to make a landing page but still wanna come to the conference, we've got a special discount for our blog readers. Get an extra $200 off your ticket at the checkout by using the promocode “UnbounceBlog” until the landing page contest submissions end on June 9, 2016 at 5:00pm PST.
