Election 2016 Snapshot: Medicare

(MedPage Today) -- Trump and Clinton offer different visions for Medicare

Marketing Day: Twitter awards, Google's new map ads & the social executive

Here's our recap of what happened in online marketing today, as reported on Marketing Land and other places across the web.



Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

You've Spoken and We've Listened: Topliners Upgrades Released

You've spoken. We've listened.

You can't find content. The search function isn't consistent. You scroll through content that is irrelevant until you find what you're really after. It doesn't have to be that way anymore.

Today Is the Day

We have now released exciting updates and fixes to enhance Topliners.

In case you might be wondering; 'What is Topliners?'; I am here to get you up to speed:

This is the most personal released platform to date. This release now offers a personalized experience and access to the content matters the most.

Want to Learn More?

We're glad some of you attended the briefing session offered on July 27, 2016. If you want a refresher or weren't able to join the webinar, you can find a detailed list of the upgrades below. If you still have questions regarding these upgrades please let us know.

Or for the 30,000 foot view, you can watch this quick video on YouTube:

If you still have questions regarding these upgrades please let us know.

Topliners Updates

The following updates were made with you in mind!

1. The Editor Toolbar Is Now "Sticky"

The editor toolbar now "sticks" when you create long, multi-paragraph content!

2. Your View Was Created

You now have a personal homepage that you can customize using Tiles. To access Your View, click on your Inbox and then "Your View" in the left column.

3. Improved Searches With Search Spotlight

When you search, you will find an improved presentation of search results and improved search logic. The system now automatically searches by keywords and wildcards.

Note that you can now control which communities are included in your searches. You can limit your search to just Topliners!

4. Search In the Search Pane

You can now search not just a space, but its subspaces as well - either its child spaces (one level down) or all subspaces (all the way down the hierarchy). This request came from the community: Restrict search results by more than 1 forum.

5. Points and Reputation Information Now Appear Near Global Header

You can click on your points to see your current level, and points to get to the next level.

6. Follow a Tag

You now have the ability to follow people, places and tags in any custom stream. To access this feature, go to News and create or edit a custom stream. You can get emails when posts with new tags have been created!

7. The Helpful Button Has Moved

You can now mark an answer as "Helpful" with one click - the Helpful button has moved to the bottom right of all question responses.

8. Direct Links to Your Content and Your Places Have Been Added

Direct links to "Your Content" and "Your Places" have been added in the drop-down under your display name. Your Content shows you all the content you've created; Your Places shows you a view of all the Places you follow.

9. The Text Breadcrumb Has Changed

The text breadcrumb has been replaced with a drop-down breadcrumb.

10. Activity Is Now News

The "Activity" page has been replaced with a "News" page. This is where you can create and manage custom streams and start following tags. More relevant news and trending content will appear over time on this page!

11. "I have the same question" Is Now an Option

You can indicate that you have the same question and follow the thread and the responses. You can also un-mark this with "I don't have this question anymore."

Have Some Fun!

Modern Marketing is often stressful, so we created this fun exercise to help break up your day and to help you keep on top of the new features!

Modern Marketing requires innovative technology. But there are so many options that picking the right ones and getting them to work together is no picnic. Modern Marketers want to spend more time innovating and less time integrating.

Download The Guide to Building Your Marketing Technology Stack and learn how to build a solid foundation for your marketing technology stack.

The Proven Method to Ranking on the First Page of Google For Any Long-tail Keyword

So you want to write an article that ranks on the first page of Google for a long-tail keyword?

Fine. So does everyone else.

Ranking on the first page of Google for well-selected long-tail keywords remains one of the fastest ways to get your content in front of thousands of people.

But how do you do this?

One option is to sign up with one of the shady SEO agencies that promises “first-page ranking in two weeks!”

I think we can all agree, you don't want to do that. The days of fly-by-night-snake-oil-salesmen SEO agencies are long gone. If anyone promises first-position rankings, run the other way. There are no guarantees in the world of SEO.

Unfortunately, as a result of these con artists, some people think that first-page ranking is still a myth. I can't say I blame them.

Maybe you've wondered too: is first-page ranking even possible today?

With the search algorithm changing so frequently and millions of pieces of new content being released on a daily basis, it could seem like a fool's errand to try to create top-ranked content in Google.

But it's not impossible.

To be completely transparent, you won't rank for the term “Apple” or “Google” anytime soon. Those are head terms, not long-tail keywords. They are also trademarked, talked about, and dominated by large and established businesses.

But we're not talking about head terms. We're talking about long-tail keywords-the kind of terms you want to rank for in order to get more eyeballs, clicks, and sales.

After all, someone has to rank on the first page of Google. The sites that are ranking on the first page of Google right now had to do something in order to earn that rank.

What did they do to get it?

Today, I'll show you the simple and proven method for ranking on the first page for any long-tail keyword.

This isn't some shady trick, hack, tweak, black magic, or programming voodoo. In fact, this requires quite a bit of hard work, time, and effort. If you're expecting “one sneaky trick that Google doesn't want you to know about,” you've come to the wrong site.

This is the honest, no-BS method for truly outranking your competition, authentically gaining rank, and staking your claim in the most valuable digital real estate on the planet-the first page of Google. 

1. Do your research

While many people believe that keyword research doesn't matter anymore, it's just as important now as it's ever been.

In fact, the only way you can hope to rank highly for a keyword is to make sure you do your research.

And that's where we need to start with this whole effort-researching the correct keyword.

What should you look for when researching the right keyword?

Length

The first thing you should always do whenever you are trying to rank for a long-tail keyword is to make sure the keyword is long enough.

I always suggest a minimum of four words.

Take a look at the type and length of searches that constitute a long-tail keyword.

Don't go overboard and write content for a 10-word phrase, but anything fewer than four words, and you'll likely face too much competition to get your article ranked.

Competition

Whenever you are trying to find a great keyword to rank for, you want to look for something that's not highly competitive but still has a respectable number of monthly searches.

Long-tails don't have a lot of search volume. But you shouldn't worry about this. You're not going for high volume-you are going for focused intention.

It's better to have a few searches and rank high than to have tons of searches and not rank at all.

Run your selected long-tail keywords through Google's Keyword Planner tool to find out how much competition you're facing:

The good thing about long-tail keywords is that there are many of them. In fact, 70% of all search traffic today comes from the long-tail.

The key to this is to look for more descriptive keywords, ideally keywords that will convert well.

User Intent

Something that's more important than the keyword itself is the intent behind the keyword.

For example, when someone searches the keyword you are trying to rank for, are they searching because they want to browse, shop, or buy?

The good thing about long-tail keywords is that it's fairly obvious to figure out what the user is searching for.

Take a look at these queries:

The head terms-”camera” and “digital camera”-aren't very descriptive. You might not be able to get a focused understanding of what the user is searching for.

But the long-tail keywords are valuable. Someone searching for “sony digital camera 7.1MP with 3x optical zoom” is looking for a specific product.

With a few additional variables, you can create and deliver precisely the kind of content the user is seeking:

• Buy sony digital camera 7.1MP with 3x optical zoom


• Compare sony digital camera 7.1MP with 3x optical zoom


• Research sony digital camera 7.1MP with 3x optical zoom


• sony digital camera 7.1MP with 3x optical zoom features


• sony digital camera 7.1MP with 3x optical zoom accessories

If you can figure out the long-tail intent-and it's not that difficult-you can masterfully craft content that will match that intent. As a result, your content will quickly rise to the first page.

2. Write keyword-rich headlines

One of the keys to ranking in Google is to ensure you write keyword-rich headlines.

Headlines matter. They matter to people, and, therefore, they matter to SEO.

Most people will only pay attention to the first two words of their search phrases to decide whether or not you have the content they are looking for.

So make sure you play with variations of your headlines to include the necessary keywords and grab the reader's attention as quickly as possible.

For example, let's take the search phrase “make money online.”

Here are a few headline variations you could use to rank for that keyword:

1. How to Make Money Online in 3 Simple Steps


2. The Proven Method to Make Money Online in Any Niche


3. The No B.S. Guide to Make Money Online This Weekend


4. How to Make Money Online TODAY Using Skills You Already Have


5. How to Make Money Online Without Any Marketable Skills

These headlines include the keyword, are clear in their purpose, and let readers know what they are in for right from the start.

When you use your selected long-tail keyword in the title of your article, you make the keyword stand out in the SERPs.

Remember, Google is smart. It can figure out what people are trying to search for even if that person isn't doing a very good job of actually searching for it.

3. Pay attention to user intent

I mentioned this in the first section: align your content with user intent.

In other words, focus on the why behind a user's search query.

For example, if someone types in “Buy 43” Panasonic TV,” you can safely assume the user intent is to make a purchase.

However, if the keyword is “43” Panasonic TV Reviews,” you can assume the user intent is to gain information.

You can think of these various types of intentions as concentric circles that correspond to the stages in a marketing funnel:

You can take this a step further on your quest for keyword domination by looking for key phrases that have top-ranking, highly-shared articles you could improve.

Here's what I mean.

Let's say you are trying to rank for the keyword phrase “content marketing strategies for your blog.”

You plug this keyword phrase into Buzzsumo and get these top three results:

“The Worst Content Marketing Strategy Mistakes You Don't Know You Are Making”

“How to Do an Audit of Your Content Marketing Strategy for Your Blog”

and

“Advanced Content Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Blog 10X”

Here's the thing.

Most people who are looking up the phrase “content marketing for your blog” are probably content marketing newbies, not looking for mistakes, audits, or advanced strategies.

This gives you a fantastic opportunity to write content that better addresses the user intent for that keyword and will, therefore, rank higher in Google.

For example, using the above long-tail keyword, you could write articles titled:

“The Best Content Marketing Strategies to Rapidly Grow Your New Blog”

“Simple Content Marketing Strategies for Your Blog to Double Your Traffic”

Or

“Proven Content Marketing Strategies to Double Your Blog Traffic in 90 Days.”

These titles are much more focused on the user intent behind this keyword search and will quickly rise to the front page of Google.

Why will they quickly rise to the front page of Google?

Because they meet the user's intention.

Google's algorithm is focused on providing the best possible search result for user queries. If you can successfully meet those intentions, you'll be rewarded.

4. Write, write, write

I always tell people that if they want to rank in Google, they'd better get used to writing-and writing a lot.

Let's face it. If you're blogging once a month, you're not generating enough content to get ranked.

Articles that rank in Google are typically 2,000+ words and filled with pictures, embedded videos, and internal links.

Whenever you write an article you want to rank, you should treat it as more of an “Ultimate Guide” than just a normal post.

Make the content so good that you could sell it as a standalone product if you wanted to.

Also, be wary of stuffing your article with keywords. Instead, focus on providing massive value to your audience, not pulling one over on Google…because you can't pull one over on Google.

5. Market your new article like crazy

Now that you've written your article, it's time to market the living crap out of it.

Ramit Sethi sums it up in his unscientific graph:

Putting it on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn is a given, but there is a lot more to it than that.

What really matters is telling the right people about it.

Reach out to influencers to see if they'd be willing to link to your content; create a YouTube audio version of your content with a link back to the article in the description; or even create a podcast with a summary of your article.

Use every possible avenue to get your article in front of as many eyes as possible.

The more times your article is seen, shared, and commented on, the better your odds of higher ranking on Google.

Conclusion

Most people think that ranking on the first page of Google for a long-tail keyword is impossible, but most people are wrong.

If you put in the effort, write quality content that offers real value, and market your content effectively, you can expect to see your article on the first page of Google in no time.

I'm going to say it one more time: You can't trick Google.

Instead, you've got to put in the long hours. You have to feel the sore fingers and the exhausted brain. This is hard work. There are no shortcuts.

Delivering real solutions to real people is the key to success. Your content must be better than everyone else's. That's all there is to it.

By following this process, you are guaranteed a spot on the traffic-scoring, conversion-boosting A-list of marketing power: the first page of Google.

Do you have any Google first-page success stories? How did you do it?

FDA-Approved Knock-Offs Of Biotech Drugs Could Safely Save Big Bucks

Drugs that consist of proteins and antibodies typically made by living organisms represent the new frontier in drug industry competition.

Content Marketing World Keynote Interview: Kathy Sterio, GE

Content Marketing within large, complex organizations is not for the faint of heart. Many big companies are legacy brands with years of history behind marketing status quo. Today's business environment calls for constant innovation and for marketers that can champion the necessary change, there can be significant impact.

In that context, I introduce you to Kathy Sterio from General Electric. Her time with GE has spanned several decades and undoubtedly, she has observed and championed her share share of marketing innovation.

With our agency's client mix, this is something we are often involved with navigating and that's why I'm really looking forward to Kathy's keynote panel at Content Marketing World: “Content Marketing and Change Management – Making It Real“. Despite being on vacation, Kathy was kind enough to make time to answer questions about her role as a marketing innovator at GE, overcoming strategic obstacles, facilitating organizational change, predictions and the role of gamification in marketing. Yes, I asked about Pokemon Go!

Your career at GE has spanned 23 years in a mix of roles. What are some of the lessons that have best prepared you for your current role as General Manager for Product Management & Marketing for GE Lighting? What do you like best about your role?

I learned the most by taking a variety of roles in order to deeply learn about our customers and our business. I have had roles in operations as well as commercial functions and appreciate that I was able to gain new skills or deepen my understanding of our customers' problems to solve in each one. I've learned that in a dynamic industry that you need to understand the market environment in order to lead through change.

I've learned that in a dynamic industry that you need to understand the market environment in order to lead through change.

I am thrilled about my new role leading Product Management & Marketing for GE Lighting as the industry is in the midst of a technology change to LED lighting as well as a move to “smart” products that will ultimately change buying behavior for our product. Navigating that change successfully for our customers and our business is an exciting challenge.

Congrats! You have been instrumental in repositioning GE Lighting as a software infrastructure business which is impressive given the 140 year-old, traditional light bulb history of the company. What role did content marketing play in that transformation?

Content marketing played a large role in helping us to tell the story of the transformation of our business. Lighting is often taken for granted and we needed to have our customers understand the value of their lighting fixtures as an existing infrastructure poised to be the data collection point to help them learn more about their operations.

Content marketing played a large role in helping us to tell the story of the transformation of our business

Lighting is in the perfect position for sensors, is everywhere, and is powered – a great story to tell, but one that changes the value proposition of LED lighting from just energy savings to productivity outcomes for our customers. Content marketing helped us to get that message across to our customers.

What do you think are some of the fundamental obstacles companies face when trying to execute a global content strategy? What are some possible solutions to those challenges?

Global content strategy can be tricky as many of the topics need to be executed locally. The content needs to be relevant to the specific market and meaningful to those customers. However, the tools and processes we use are the same around the globe. The way we work through this is to have a consistent set of messages that are relevant for our business and then tailor the story as needed to meet the local requirements.

A recent study by Forrester Research cites culture as the biggest barrier to CMOs' success which dovetails nicely with the topic of your keynote panel at Content Marketing World, “Content Marketing and Change Management – Making it Real”. What broad advice can you share when it comes to inspiring organizational change needed for a strategic approach to content marketing strategy?

This is a big topic and I am looking forward to the discussion at Content Marketing World. For me it boils down to talent, proof points and making it easy for everyone to participate.

Having the right talent on the team helps to inspire change quickly.

Having the right talent on the team helps to inspire change quickly. We have opted to hire from outside of the company to ensure that we get experts to helps us on this journey rather than to develop talent from within the company. This has accelerated our learning and success.

Additionally, in order to get other functional teams bought in to our strategy, we are tracking the impact of our work and publishing success stories of how marketing influenced an order.

Finally, we are utilizing LinkedIn Elevate to make sharing our stories easy for employees and to engage their networks in our storytelling.

What are you looking forward to most at this year's Content Marketing World conference?

I'm excited to learn about what's next. This space is evolving so quickly that there is plenty to learn daily and I know that I will gain insights from the event that I can apply right away.

What advice would you have for a brand that is on the cusp of committing to a more content and customer centric approach to communications and marketing? Any suggestions on what role their first hire should be?

For a content strategy to be successful, it has to be relevant and meaningful to your audience.

I would advise everyone to start with the customer. Identifying the problem the customer is trying to solve is job one. For a content strategy to be successful, it has to be relevant and meaningful to your audience. Additionally, I would advise to hire the right talent that will help you come up to speed as quickly as possible and to invest into tools / infrastructure to execute.

There's no shortage of content marketing advice in the industry right now from the importance of mobile experiences and predictive analytics to working with influencers on co-creation and truly measuring content marketing ROI. What sources (types) of information do you rely on to help with prioritization of approach and tactics within your marketing organization?

The key for us is to look at typical “vanity” metrics (views, downloads, forms filled…) PLUS tie them to revenue. We measure marketing effectiveness in terms of 'marketing influenced' revenue and deals in the pipeline. Content Marketing is one part of the story of the sale and we have worked to tie that to our lead management process.

We leverage tools like Google Analytics to help us understand which topics and keywords are resonating and to try to identify why certain pieces are more effective than others.

Any predictions about what the state of content marketing will be in 5 years? Does text still have a future?

Wow – 5 years is a long time in an area like this that is transforming rapidly. I think that the future is a blank slate and that storytelling will still be critically important as the amount of available content will be dramatically increased. It will be interesting to see how companies navigate the ability to deliver messages directly to their customers and balance their sales channels.

Eventually, I see everything being personalized and customized.

Eventually, I see everything being personalized and customized due to increased machine learning capabilities. I believe that text will still be relevant – there will be a customer who prefers text over video / graphics and those preferences will be enhanced, not lost.

What do you think about Pokemon Go? Do you see any applications for GE when it comes gamification and virtual reality for consumer marketing?

I'm completely intrigued by Pokemon Go – my son and his friends have logged a lot of miles on their bikes this summer to play at various locations around town. I think gamification has an application in our space to help customer find the proper product at the shelf. Also, virtual reality could be helpful for customers to see the impact of lighting on their environment – something a package alone cannot convey.

Now let's play a little social network word association. After each platform, share the first word or short reaction that comes to mind.

• Facebook – Friends


• Vine – short


• LinkedIn – network


• Periscope – broadcast


• Twitter – soundbite


• Google+ – not on my radar


• Snapchat – ?


• YouTube – carpool karaoke


• Instagram – engagement


• Pinterest – homey


• My Space – done

Kathy Sterio is General Manager for Product Management & Marketing for GE Lighting where she is responsible for setting and executing a growth strategy in a transforming industry within the retail channel of distribution. Prior to this role, Kathy was the Chief Marketing Officer for GE Lighting & Marketing Leader for current, powered by GE where she led global B2B global marketing efforts. Kathy's experience includes roles in: Sourcing, Supply Chain, Pricing, Customer Service, Sales and Marketing.

Kathy is also an active member GE's Women's Network serving as a sponsor, mentor and advocate. She is a recipient of the Diversity MBA Award and serves on the Board of Directors for the Lake County YMCA.

Whether your business is Fortune 500 or Inc 5000, be sure you check out Content Marketing World in Cleveland, which is happening September 6-9. Over 4,000 attendees from 60 plus countries will be there right along with you – a great networking and learning opportunity!

Content Marketing World provides a cornucopia of opportunities to find answers to all the questions you might have about content marketing and is probably the highest concentration of content marketing experts, vendors and practitioners than you'll find anywhere else in the world. It's a must-attend event!

Be sure to watch for the next in our series of CMWorld keynote speaker interviews coming next week!

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CardioBrief: Eminence-Based Medicine and Cardiac Surgery

(MedPage Today) -- Did a top surgeon do a nonrandomized trial without consulting IRB or patients?