The Found Gen

Marketing That Works.

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What’s Up With That, “Yo”?

“Yo.”

That’s it.

If you were one of the thousands who recently downloaded this flavor of the week app, you, like the rest of us, were somewhat disappointed, and probably because you expected something more from an app that has in a very short time rocketed to the top of the download charts and raised more than $1 million in investments.

But no. All it literally lets you do is send and receive the word “Yo.” Awesome…

So where does this leave us? Are we, as some text experts describe it, witnessing the “decline of civilization” when apps this “stupid” can hijack so much of our time and attention?

Not at all. To the contrary, we can all learn a few things about reaching our goals in marketing by looking a little closer at Yo’s obscure rise to fame.

Be Self-Aware

What are your goals in marketing? As dumb as Yo seems on the surface, its co-creators, Moshe Hogeg and Or Arbel, knew exactly what they wanted from the app when they set out to make it: a simple way to get in touch with people close to them. Finally, after several weeks of Hogeg pestering Arbel–and 8 hours of coding—Yo was born.

When you know what you hope to achieve before you begin your work—an increase in sales, brand awareness, whatever—that knowledge influences how you build your product. It’s also easier to step back and analyze its results and how successful what you have created is when you have expectations for it from the start.

Know Your Audience

Yo wasn’t that much of a stretch for Hogeg and Arbel to dream up. They already regularly communicated to their colleagues using single letter texts back and forth, such as “!” or “?” So consolidating that economy of language into an app that has no icon, doesn’t require you to login and essentially just taps the recipient on the shoulder was a perfect fit for their office—and, as it turns out, offices everywhere.

The more you know about your audience, the greater the chance you can deliver a product or service that hits the target and resonates with them.

Get Social

Yo was launched on April Fool’s Day (of course it was), but its timing really couldn’t have been more perfect. No one took it seriously—partly due to the calendar and partly due to its childish functionality– which is part of the reason why it stood out in a sea of other, more serious apps. It was different, and maybe most importantly, it was built entirely around communication and socializing. The creators even tried to keep Yo from spreading outside of their office, asking employees not to share it with friends. But some fires prove impossible to put out.

In this interconnected global economy, you have to get social to give your business a fighting chance. When you market your wares via social media you give people the option to share what you have to say. Once people start sharing your information, it has the opportunity to catch a break and go viral.

Of course not all your ideas will be as inexplicably successful as Yo, but the more clearly you understand what your goals in marketing are, your audience, and the value of sharing your content across multiple platforms, the better your business’s chances are to succeed.

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What the World Cup Can Teach Us About Marketing Strategy

As one witty person at ESPN said, ‘Every Four Years, The World Has One Time Zone.’

The kind of rapt attention the World Cup generates, where the world grinds to a halt and billions of people become glued to their phones, tablets and TVs, is a marketers dream. This is why so many of the largest companies spend millions to become corporate sponsors of the Cup to get their logo front and center. But this doesn’t mean small and medium sized businesses are relegated to the sidelines without any recourse. In fact, the World Cup has quite a few lessons it can teach even the smallest businesses about marketing strategy. Here’s where to start:

Follow the Crowd

There are few things that are like watching a game with 80,000 of your closest friends. Everyone is on the same wavelength and has the same goal in mind.

With your marketing strategy, do some research and see what your clients are paying attention to. Is it a specific website or trade publication? If so, find a way to become a guest blogger on that site. If it’s a trade show, make sure you are front and center: get involved and make sure you’re part of the executive committee to put on their next event.

Getting that exposure not only cements your status as an expert in front of your current clients, but it also puts you in front their entire industry.

Pull their heartstrings

Very few things can bring nations of grown men to tears or spark generations to remember where they were for 90 minutes decades later.

Go beyond identifying pain points and your solutions to them. Focus your marketing on getting an emotional response from your target audience.

Be Willing to Shift Your Marketing Strategy

From tough draws and injuries to missteps and howlers, there are always hiccups to the plan. To win, you have to roll with the punches and improvise on the fly.

Marketing, and online marketing in particular, is an ever-changing industry. What was a brilliant white-hat SEO strategy in 2010 will get you delisted today. To stay on top, you need to not only keep your long-term goals in mind but also be willing to change your strategy based on the data you have available. For example, if you’ve stopped getting returns on your Facebook marketing, shift your resources to another platform.

Most importantly, keep at it. The team that is going to win this cup isn’t thinking about hoisting the trophy today; they’re thinking of their next match. Marketing is the same. It can feel like a slog at times (everyone has had the thought, ‘is this blog post really going to bring someone in the door?’) but focusing on doing the best job today is the best way to ensure success over the long-term.

 

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The Resurgence of Email Newsletters

Check your e-mail. Find anything out of the ordinary (that is, apart from the requisite stream of service providers showing their gratitude towards your timely payments by relentlessly spamming your inbox)? If your inbox is anything like most people’s, then you have probably noticed a trend in the way businesses are shaking up the way they market their products and services.

They are turning (back) to email marketing.

More and more companies are cutting back on their convoluted, one-to-many approach to marketing and renewing their interest in newsletters, a nod to the effectiveness of this seemingly age-old marketing tool. Falling back on the idea that simpler is usually better—especially when it comes to marketing—newsletters have a way of getting the message out loud and clear.

Newsletters Press All the Right Buttons

If you’re in the business of saving money (and what business isn’t?), there really doesn’t exist a more cost-effective medium for establishing and maintaining positive eye contact with your target audience. Email Marketing makes reaching who you want to reach easier. They are delivered by request upon subscription, so their very foundation is centered around the bedrock of interest, making inherent in them the interest that every other marketing tool strives to engage.

Also, being well-lettered in your industry, newsletters conveniently give you the opportunity (nay, excuse) to flex your expertise, which supports your brand by building confidence in your readership. You know what you are talking about, and communicating your up-to-date understanding of important issues in your corner of the market authorizes you as both trustworthy and a leader in your industry.

Newsletters Do the Work for You

Newsletters are back in fashion because people actually read them. They read them because newsletters—unlike flyers, postcards or other similar publications—are friendly. Too often business publications focus solely on their business and read like the technical manual you throw out when you make an important purchase. Newsletters, however, are drafted with the reader in mind, appealing to their interests, attempting to be both fun and informative, short and sweet.

Newsletters account for the shrinking of the collective attention span, and are well-suited to accommodate the 140-character-or-less direction things seem to be going in. The message is pithy yet light, with plenty of pictures to hold the attention just long enough to admit retention. What’s more, good newsletters are peppered with links to encourage the reader to research the topic themselves or to contact the company for more information, empowering the reader to choose for themselves rather than forcing a glut of information down their throats they’re more likely to click away from.

Email Marketing Builds Trust

Not only perfect for promoting your products or introducing new ones, newsletters also help you maintain contact with customers between sales. Whether you publish weekly, bi-weekly or monthly, this low-cost method of communication keeps you in touch with your customer base, even if some of those customers tend to purchase infrequently. And who is better positioned than your loyal customers to recommend your product or service to others?

Newsletters are back because they are an effective, personal way to reach out to the people you want to reach. If you have any questions about how to use newsletters to your advantage, or want help coming up with a marketing strategy that fits your needs, feel free to give us a call.

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Three Ways to Distinguish Yourself in Content Marketing

In business, you know what differentiates you from the competition: a targeted service, a niche market, a responsive audience, excellent customer service, or a unique product offering. And those should be key components of your content marketing strategy.

Increasingly, businesses set themselves apart by their character or mission. The USA-made clothing movement, for example, has emerged in cities across the country. Many of these companies are popularized by their dedication to locally sourced and crafted goods. It’s clear their mission and product differentiates them from, say, big box clothing stores or brands.

But how do you differentiate your content marketing strategy? We took these tips from watching a few of our favorite brands and companies and paired them with The Found Gen’s best content practices.

1. Be authentic. This is pretty basic. Don’t try to represent your company as something it is not. If you offer pottery lessons and sell handmade pots, you don’t necessarily cater to the paint-a-pot movement, even if it seems easier to write about or focus on. Let your content showcase the attributes you most care about and that best define your business. If customer service is important, your website should be easy to use and simple. If you’re a designer, let your work shine in an elegant format.

2. Get creative. No matter which media you choose—and choose it wisely—be creative with the way you present information. True, traditional sales copy or pitches have merit. But creative presentation and formatting, as well as catchy copy or imagery, carry content marketing to the next level. Woo your audience with something they’re not expecting. Make them laugh. Pull them in with the unusual.

3. Tell a story. We’ve said it a million times and we’ll say it a million more: valuable relationships are built when people connect emotionally. They connect emotionally when they connect with a story—a HUMAN story. You’re not just selling the final product, pottery lesson or handmade mug. You’re selling the background and history of where the pots are made, who makes the pots and why these stories are meaningful.

Authenticity and creativity, when woven into a story, connects your brand, your business and your content with a real, live human audience. Let your company’s voice sound loud and clear above the noise of flashy articles and quick fixes, and your content marketing strategy will shine.

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The Underbelly of Online Marketing

Yes, online marketing has a seedy underbelly. Much like the crass, dank and moral-less version of Gotham city portrayed in Batman Begins, the world of SEO is (for better or for worse) becoming swiftly overrun by greedy businessmen looking to pull one over on the next unassuming business-owner.

We’ve talked about the changes in SEO before; touching on the algorithmic changes to Google and the movement towards quality content as the driving force for any brand’s success plan. And until recently, I’ve been content to talk about what you should be doing as opposed to what you should be avoiding. But after a string of run-ins with the aforementioned SEO-mobsters, I thought it was high time we addressed how to avoid being scammed with online marketing.

A Scam Artist’s Tell:

Online marketing has been a quick-evolving industry. From Google AdWords to Link-Building to SEO to Content Marketing, there are so many fast-paced changes and so much terminology that it’s easy for someone not familiar with the marketing industry at large to keep up. That’s precisely why business owners turn to outside experts to help share their brand’s story and generate new business online. The downside is online marketing has become the equivalent of a Wild West frontier complete with all sorts of people eager to grab some land and dig for gold.

While this frontier is large enough to embrace all types of marketers, it’s important that you know the signs of when someone is out to take advantage of you or, worse, when they actually don’t have a clue what they’re talking about. So far in my experience, every ‘scam artist’ I’ve come across have key things in common. I’ve compiled a few quick tips & tricks to help you find out if someone is legit.

Call Their Bluff:

1. Ask Them What They Do: Most legitimate marketing companies will be able to provide you with a direct answer. The fastest way to know when someone is bluffing is when they dance around this question. If it becomes a long-winded, fast-paced pitch full of “industry” jargon–it’s time to walk away. A real marketer will speak with you, not at you.

If you hear the same words repeated over and over, it’s probably because they don’t know what else to say or even how else to say it. And if a marketer can’t explain themselves with ease, how will they be able to convey your business’ story and practice to others?

2. Ask Them How They Do It: When it comes to SEO the only question you need to ask is HOW this company plans on executing your strategy. If they won’t reveal their tactics or if they can’t provide you with an easy, translatable answer (see #1), then they’re not doing it legitimately. Many SEO companies still use outdated tactics and even black-hat tactics, both of which can land your business a big red mark from Google. You know, the kind you can’t bounce back from. Your site could end up removed entirely from Google’s search results and no amount of money can bring you back from that.

3. Fad Terms are Just That: Stay away from anyone who says “Reputation Management.” I can’t emphasize this enough. Why does your reputation need to be managed? Unless you’ve pulled a Madoff-like stunt, your business’ reputation doesn’t need an entire company dedicated to its salvation. And if it does, go to a well-respected PR company–never a “Reputation Management” marketing company. The term alone makes my skin crawl. Most R.M. companies base their online marketing strategies around soliciting positive reviews from your client and pointing them towards online sources such as Yelp!. The thing is, that’s actually a big n0-no for those online sources and you’ll end up being worse off than you would be by not doing anything…ever. And to top that off, why would you want to pay a company to harass your clients? You’re better off just asking your clients in casual conversation if they’d be willing to provide a testimonial.

4. Do Your Homework: The internet exists for a reason. When you hire a team to handle your marketing, don’t you think they should look reputable themselves? Check their website–is it well-written? Is it decently designed? How do they showcase their services? Take a look at their portfolio and if they don’t have one online, ask for case studies and samples of their work. Check their reviews and see what they have going on via social media. Read their blog. Are they providing valuable information across these platforms or are they scattered and seemingly just posting for the sake of filling up space? While this may take an hour or two of your time, it’s worth it when it comes to your business.

5. “Consultants” Don’t Look Out For You: While consultants are a big help in many industries, when it comes to marketing–you really don’t need a consultant, you need a company who will go the extra mile and will be responsible for your brand’s success. A consultant-only marketing professional or company doesn’t have to answer for a bad idea or a failed strategy. In fact, they charge more money than most turn-key marketing companies and don’t lift a finger to do any of the work. Why bog yourself down with the hard labor? Instead, build a lasting, trust-based relationship with a company that has your best interests in mind because when you look good, they look good.

In the end, it’s really about education. Keep yourself well-informed and be aware that not everyone is an expert in this industry. Take your time and select the RIGHT fit for your brand.

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Lay Down Your Ctrl+C: Stopping Plagiarism One Webpage at a Time

As a content marketer and writer, creating original, unique (and occasionally fun) content lies at the heart of my mission. Just as no two clients are alike, no two clients’ websites, e-newsletters or blogs are alike, either. So let’s turn back time to revisit English 101…surprisingly, it overlaps quite a bit with content marketing 101. Especially when it comes to plagiarizing.

No Shades Of Gray

Plagiarizing is copying or reusing another publication or person’s text, content or writing as your own. With the rise of the internet, users increasingly copy + paste text and claim it as theirs with zero citation, attribution or recognition of the original content creator. This is a content cardinal sin. Similar structure, themes or concepts, as well as “rewritten” paragraphs, can be considered plagiarism, too.

Now, whereas in school plagiarism resulted in a flunking grade, a call home to your parents, or even suspension in the internet world, copied text could, at best, result in a major drop in SEO (while the worst could leave you stuck in a messy lawsuit). Whether content is copied from another page on your site (internally) or from another page on another site (externally), these redundancies can heavily affect your rankings. (Moz’s Rand Fishkin goes more into those subtleties about unique content here, and we think it’s worth the read.)

All SEO and English-class references aside, copied content = boring content = less click-throughs = less engagement = potentially fewer online customers. Fortunately, we have a fix for that.

How To Avoid Plagiarizing

Let’s be real here. A huge percentage of the internet today consists of crappy, duplicate content. Facebook’s viral posts of cute puppy videos, freakishly large animals that wash up on West Coast beaches or 25 Smells You Remember from the 90s (yes, really) aren’t making us any smarter—or realistically selling us anything.

Here are three ways to avoid plagiarism and promote great content at the same time:

  1. Attribute where necessary & cite your sources.
  2. Take TIME to do your research and gather the sources you want to use. Don’t try to write a new article while you have a similar article in front of you.
  3. Create something original with a fresh take in your own (or your company’s) voice. Your customers—and the internet world—will thank you.

If you’re looking to spruce up your website with great content, look no further. At The Found Gen, we specialize in creating top-notch content that’s sure to woo your audience.