Well, isn’t this fabulous? It’s Friday and time for the Friday Fix, our weekly curating of the week in content marketing, storytelling, and all other related glory. This week, we get emotional. No, we don’t cry, but we as well as other respected pundits do dish on why it’s important for your content marketing to have emotional appeal. We also focus on storytelling strategies, why bandwagon marketing isn’t the way to go, subject-matter ethics, and a few other things. Take it from us…it’s a great week to get your Fix on, so get caffeinated and get Fixed.
For Content Marketing, Use History
If your goal is to attract, engage, and retain customers, then listen to experienced pundit Armando Roggio. Stories, says Armando, will enable you to do just that (we agree, Armando). After detailing the way stories accomplish the above-listed goals, Armando explains that one of his most recent post series, “5 Content Marketing Ideas for August 2016” (which we curated in last week’s Fix), he suggested looking at history for storytelling inspiration. For example, check out a “this day in history” service (or other website like History.com or others) to get ideas from the past to present on your own blog or podcast.
Mark Ritson: The Real Lesson of Pokémon Go is that Today’s Marketers Will Jump on Any Bandwagon
In this engaging piece, Mark Ritson zeroes in on the latest cultural crack, which is apparently more addictive than actual crack, Pokémon Go. Of course, unlike crack, everyone’s doing it (or so it seems), which is why, as Mark points out, many have abandoned their advertising strategy to try to get on the Pokémon Go bandwagon. Mark says that in Germany, Mercedes-Benz dealers have issued a manual on how to use Pokémon Go to drive traffic. The absurdity, Mark notes, is that unemployed, prepubescent Pokémon Go players are the least likely to be new Benz clientele, which just goes to show the folly of following a fad.
Marketing Female Empowerment is Lucrative—But Is It Ethical?
dmnews.com
Speaking of bandwagons, always savvy pundit Taylor Mallory Holland takes on the apparent (successful) trend of structuring campaigns around the concept of female empowerment. Certainly, there are undeniable merits (such as a younger generation of girls seeing women portrayed in an empowered light); however, some campaigns have received criticism due to the ultimate goal being to sell products. It’s complicated, but Taylor Mallory Holland sums it up nicely answering the question of whether or not it is ethical with a question of her own, the answer to which reveals whether or not using women as the platform for your content marketing campaign is ethical or not.
Dos and Don’ts in the Era of Mobile Storytelling
More and more media is being consumed on mobile devices; however, as you surely know, mobile devices have certain limitations that can seriously hinder how your content story is consumed by your audience, which if there are enough complications, this basically means your content might not be consumed at all. In this piece, Rakhee Jogia provides important advice on how to ensure your content is successfully integrated such as: be attentive to native formats, don’t disregard device restrictions, and invest in speed.
5 Tips to Use Storytelling to Engage Your Audience
We totally agree with Karen Repoli in that emotional marketing is, as she says, “an essential tool in your marketing toolbox.” She backs this up with this handy statistic from the London School of Business, which is that 65-70% of folks share information via story compared to 5-10% of people who share information through statistics. So, what’s the message? The point is stories are where it’s at; stories deliver emotional content. Of course, not everyone has a knack for storytelling, which is why Karen shares her top five tips for storytelling such as be relatable and stay focused.
Podcasting – Radio’s Clever Offspring Works
gocamp.pro
Well, at least someone’s offspring works, right? Kidding. In addition to an article title one can have fun with, Andy Milne’s assertion that podcasting is a great content marketing tool is spot on. Why is podcasting so great? As Andy points out, it’s an excellent vehicle for storytelling.
For Original Content, Get Lost
Throughout this piece, Danielle Joyce uses the analogy to “get lost in the German forest” for becoming wanderers in a sense in order to invoke a sense of curiosity in audiences. While this analogy is fantastic, one must also make sure to not amble into the German forest where one runs afoul of an enraged lumberjack or similar Grimm’s-type character. Thankfully, Danielle’s article provides some useful insight as to how to get lost but with curiosity-evoking focus.
Confessions of a Content Marketer: Admitting Where We Sit on the Content Marketing Continuum
If you deal in content marketing, then you’ve probably heard or experienced at least one of Patricia Travaline’s woes. In this piece, Patricia starts with a story about a client who was enthralled with Patricia’s company until…the client abashedly revealed that her company wouldn’t allow tracking tags on their website making it nearly impossible to prove ROI for the program, which meant the program might be cut. Per Patricia, this isn’t uncommon, which is why it’s important for brands to recognize where they sit on the content marketing continuum.
If You Want to Move from Content Marketing Strategy Novice to Expert, Let Go of Complexity
Content marketing…it can get very, very complex. There is a lot of strategy, planning, timing, raw honesty, measuring, and many other things involved in getting it right. In this piece, Ruben Sanchez tells a detailed story about the process and procedure, the essence of putting the audience first, and of merging art and science in content marketing with a central conclusion that emphasizes the merits of long-form content and of storytelling.
All about Those Leads: Crafting Content for Conversion
After a riff on a Meghan Trainor song (“I’m all about those leads, ‘bout those leads (no bounces)”) Ashley Taylor Anderson reveals that lead generation ranks in the top 60-68% of top marketing challenges for B2B marketers. What’s a B2B business to do? Here, Ashley gives five techniques for improving content conversion including: create standout content, personalize to your advantage, experiment with lead capture tactics, try different pathways for lead gen, and capture and analyze content performance metrics.
Human Emotion and Quality Marketing: Why You Can’t Have One Without the Other
thestorytelleragency.com
Even though humans are both logical and emotional, they tend to connect and relate most powerfully via the emotions. Memories that have emotional contexts are most easily recalled, which is why if your content marketing strategy appeals to your audience’s emotions, they’re not only more inclined to remember the campaign but also you. In this post, the connection between human emotion and quality marketing is explored. The main point is whether you make your audience laugh or cry, what’s important is that you’ve made them feel.
Need help discovering your story or finding a way to put a little heart into the tale you want to tell? Contact us at The Storyteller Agency and let us handle all of your content marketing needs.