Dec 1, 2017
Entertainment as a Differentiator, Warby Parker’s Storytelling, Etch A Sketch, & Why Things Catch On
Marketing Trends 12/1/17
“You are competing with every piece of content ever made for every person’s attention. You need to be entertaining. Don’t outsmart. Out entertain.” — Dolf van den Brink, President & CEO — Heineken USA
Marketing News
- Snap is separating news and people by splitting its app in half. One side for social, the other side for news in hopes that users don’t get confused on what’s real and what’s not.
- Kevin Roe is the new SVP Branded Content at Fullscreen
- Buzzfeed isn’t hitting their revenue targets, so they are going through more layoffs.
- The 50 most influential people who impacted the global business landscape, as compiled by Bloomberg.
Lessons Learned
- Cool marketing idea that creates nostalgia and engagement: an Etch A Sketch in your web browser.
- [143-Page PDF]: Atomico put out their 3rd annual State of European Tech report. Tons of data. Everyone talks about the US and the Valley, but lest you forget about EMEA (and Asia-Pac), you’re missing out on great talent and innovative new tools.
Storytelling
Have you included a History section in your own website, telling the story about how your company came to be and why it exists in the first place? If not, take a page from Warby Parker’s History page:
Original Content, Series and Shows
Elizabeth Banks is helping launch YouTube’s new ‘Women in Comedy’ programming with her media company WhoHaHa. Over 100 creators were selected for the program and are filming at one of YouTube’s 9 spaces.
Elizabeth Banks had a few things to say on content creation, which I find especially relevant for marketers looking to entertain their customers:
“There’s an old adage in comedy that we all poop, pee, are born, die, and there are just things that tie us together as human beings across cultures. Most of the things I find sticky ideas on the internet are comedic. Right now we’re in a moment that people have a lot to say and want their truth out and if I can help put those ideas into the big marketplace, then let’s do it.” — Elizabeth Banks
Spotlights
Forbes interviews CMOs at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity over the summer. Here is a 4 minute watch:
Book
This is for those of us who have ever been instructed to accomplish the seemingly-impossible task: “Make it go viral.” Contagious is a guide by the New York Times Best Selling author, Jonah Berger - who knows a thing or two about virality. He’s a marketing professor at Wharton, and has spent the last decade studying what makes certain things more contagious than others. Check out the book if you want to add a few new tools to the tool belt.
Marketing Q&A
Q: How do I use Quora to my advantage as a Marketer?
A: SEO is critical, whether you’re a growth hacker, content marketer, or inside sales rep. You need to find an unpaid way to get in front of people searching for things your brand offers. A great place to do this as as a thought leader on Quora. The site ranks highly for knowledgeable content and can be used to great effect if done properly. Here’s an excerpt from a good Quora guide by Nate Shivar:
Content gaps are important because:
- You’re missing out on potential organic traffic
- The additional content helps Google understand what your site is about
- It helps to add relevance to other pages helps
The trouble is that a Content Gap is hard to identify because if you knew that it existed then you would have probably already filled it.
Since Quora covers so many topics, if you’re in the right industry, it can be a perfect way to find your content gap.
You’ll need to use either a premium tool like Ahrefs’ Content Gap tool or manually work this out (via spreadsheet & Keyword Planner) by entering a competitor and Quora. Then see what keywords both of those websites rank for but you do not rank for.
Opportunities
- Etsy is hiring a VP Head of Marketing.
- Lucasfilms (yes, that one) is hiring a Director Marketing. Dream job, much?
Marketing Trends is written and curated by Ian Faison, Chief Content Officer of The Mission. The Mission creates original content, shows, and series for brands and distributes them to our audience of millions. To learn more, connect with us here. Or you can connect with me @ianfaison or email ian [at] themission [dot] co.
