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How To Appear in Google Featured Snippets: 5 Tips for B2B Marketers

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“Google it.” If your friends, families, or colleagues are anything like mine, there’s a good chance you hear this phrase on a daily or at the very least, weekly basis. While it’s sometimes used in jest, the reality is, we can count on Google to help us answer all types of questions.

 

Much of this thanks can be given to Google’s “Hummingbird” algorithm update, which focused on improving “conversational search” at its core. At the time of the announcement, Google said that Hummingbird would be paying closer attention to every word in a query, to better understand the true meaning behind the user’s intent.

Since Hummingbird, featured snippets have become much more prominent in search as Google has become smarter and aims to provide information quicker and more effectively than before.

Google’s featured snippets have been a welcomed addition to the SEO community as well. As a content marketer, I see these as empty plots of prime real estate calling my name. If you’re unfamiliar with what I’m referring to, let’s take a look at what appears when we search “what is B2B content marketing?” in Google.

The image below is an example of a featured snippet:

b2b content marketing snippet

What are Google Featured Snippets?

Google says “featured snippets are special boxes where the format of regular listings is reversed, showing the descriptive snippet first.” Content for featured snippets is automatically pulled by Google from indexed webpages that Google believes matches the user’s intent.

For SEOs looking for ways to simply mark a page to be featured, Google says, “You can’t.” Not surprisingly, they aren’t offering up much more detail than that.

In translation: If you want to appear in Google featured snippets, you have to get out there, do some research of your own, put on your content marketing hardhat, and get to work.

That’s exactly what we have done here at KoMarketing for a number of our clients, and we can proudly say that we have had success.

Why Featured Snippets are Important for SEO

There are a few difference-makers when thinking about how featured snippet listings can impact SEO performance and results.

First, let’s go back to our above-mentioned definition of featured snippets, where we say “content for featured snippets is automatically pulled by Google from indexed webpages.” It’s important to note that your page does not have to be in the top position of organic results to be displayed in featured snippets. We have seen many client examples where blog pages or other educational site content that ranks further down page one begins to rank for featured snippet results.

Why is this so important? Well, oftentimes, the top few spots of organic rankings, especially for competitive terms, are taken up by websites with a massive business (and domain authority) behind them. Featured snippets allow smaller websites and organizations to compete for that essential search real estate.

The second primary benefit of featured snippets to SEO is simply the clicks and traffic that come from organic search when appearing in a listing. Industry research shows that about 9% of clicks go to featured snippets when there is a listing present.

At KoMarketing, we have been able to validate this research with several case examples. In fact, we recently landed a client’s webpage in featured snippets for a competitive question-based result, and have seen click-through-rates average between 10-25% for a variety of queries.

Here’s a snapshot of organic traffic to this page since it was picked up by featured snippets.

faq organic traffic chart

And finally, once you have pulled visitors to your site via featured snippets, you should capitalize by adding CTAs where they naturally fit. Since most of the queries that serve up featured snippets are considered to be “top of the sales funnel,” we often suggest adding banners to related whitepapers or other more buyer-centric content. Doing so allows us to push the site visitor further down the sales funnel, and will hopefully get them more interested in the organization’s offerings.

What are the Different Types of Featured Snippets?

To date, we have seen three primary types of featured snippets. These include:

1. Definitions: These snippets provide the user with a clear and concise explanation, specifically relating to the search term(s). We often see definitions appear for “what is” queries.

definition featured snippet

2. Tables: Google also commonly serves up tables as featured snippet results. Users are most likely to find these types of results when searching for dimensions of a certain item.

table featured snippet

3. Lists: When information can be easily presented in a series of data points, or steps to explain a process, Google will use lists in featured snippets. You will find both ordered (numbered) or unordered (non-numbered) lists depending on the result.
ordered list featured snippet

Google Featured Snippets: SEO Best Practices

Here are the steps we have learned to be critical (content marketing-specific), regardless of the query being searched.

  1. Select a Relevant Query
  2. Create Relevant Content
  3. Focus on Structure
  4. Remember SEO Best Practices
  5. Be Patient

Step 1: Select a Relevant Query

Before anything else is done, you must first identify a query to target. Since questions are very common featured snippets results, one place to start is working across the organization (sales, marketing, customer service) to identify a handful of frequently asked customer questions.

From there, look for long-tail search queries that have volume (Keyword Planner is a helpful tool) and can be included in the question itself. Make sure this is a question that requires an answer with some depth, as Google is starting to bake answers to questions like “what time is it in California?” directly into its results, with no SEO value.

time featured snippet

If you’re looking for some other ways to identify common customer questions, type a keyword associated with your business into Google and look for the “People also ask” results (see below) or use this tool, which is one of our favorites here at KoMarketing.

people also ask

Step 2: Create Relevant Content

When creating content for featured snippets, you must first and foremost focus on the query at hand. Make sure the piece of content (whether it’s a blog post or a landing page) is created with only the most relevant material and supporting detail specific to that query in mind.

Sprinkling bits and pieces of an answer throughout a less-targeted post will cause Google to work harder to decipher your content and will reduce your chances of appearing in the featured snippet for the query.

The “quality over quantity” rule also comes into play here. Your piece of content does not have to be thousands of words long for it to appear. We’ve had content with less than 500 words appear and drive an abundance of traffic to our clients’ websites.

Step 3: Focus on Structure

In addition to the overall quality of the content, we believe the format of the post is just as critical.

Before creating your content, research your query and see what formats (if any) are appearing in the featured snippet. Regardless of the query you’re targeting, make sure you include it in the title of the content. Ideally, the title of the content (including the H1 tag) will be the target query itself.

If you decide it’s best to use a list-style post, be sure to include the list towards the beginning of the post. If you think the answer to the question is best suited to be presented in a paragraph format, make sure the answer is offered as early in the post as possible and in the most concise manner possible. ‘

To summarize:

  • Include the question in the URL, title, and appropriate SEO tags
  • Present the most critical information at the start (no fluff!)
  • Think about using lists when answering “How” queries
  • Think about using paragraph format when answering “What” queries

Step 4: Remember SEO Best Practices

While Google suggests they are simply looking for the best content with this initiative, SEO best practices should not be forgotten. Include things like links to reputable sources, well-optimized titles and tags, and Schema markup. Schema markup is code that’s put on a website to help search engines return more informative results. (For more information on Schema, give Derek’s post a read).

Most of the results we see appearing in featured snippets come from a result on the first page of SERPs. However, as we mentioned, you don’t have to be in the first organic spot to get the answer box result:

what is digital marketing

With this in mind, broader SEO factors like mobile-friendliness, link profiles, and domain authority also play a factor in the bigger picture.

Step 5: Be Patient

As is the case with most things related to SEO and content marketing, patience is critical. One of our clients was recently placed in featured snippets for a competitive query a full year after the content went live. If you consider these above steps and do the work to identify an opportunity that can be attained, there’s a good chance your content will be featured in what some now are calling “position zero,” and the benefits can be substantial.

Final Thoughts

There are many other posts on the web that speak to the best ways to be featured in Google’s featured snippets, and we encourage you to check those out as well. But, from our experience in the field, the steps listed in this post are essential to success.

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Sourced from KM KOMARKETING

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Learn how to grow your business on Instagram the same way influencers do

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By Alex McGeeney, StackCommerce

Instagram has come a long way in the past decade. No longer is it just a tool to make your sub-par iPhone pictures look better; the platform allows users to live-stream, share photos and enjoy a variety of dynamic face-recognition filters. But, perhaps more important than all this is the fact that it has become a huge advertising and money-making tool for brands and influencers.

Want to harness that power for your business? The 10 Instagram Growth Secrets From Celebrities & Influencers Course breaks down what it takes to grow a business on the social media platform, and it’ll only run you $13.99 right now.
The online boot camp is led by entrepreneur and marketing expert, Benjamin Wilson, who taps into the knowledge of big-name influencers and tastemakers on the platform.

Armed with expert advice and practical applications in hand, Wilson breaks down how to exponentially increase your following, generate profit, use hashtags to your advantage, and ultimately build an engaged audience that continues to come back to your content day after day.

So far, over 200,000 students have already taken this specific course, rating it an impressive 4.4 out of 5 stars. As one past customer notes, the step-by-step guide was “Amazing. The course is up to date and at the edge of what is happening now. I am enjoying the easy natural presentation and the logical step by step guides and procedures.”

If you’re ready to get serious about the ‘gram, consider enrolling in the 10 Instagram Growth Secrets from Celebrities and Influencers Course. Currently, the digital course is on sale for $13.99 — a total savings of over 90% off its normal retail price.

By Alex McGeeney, StackCommerce

Sourced from New York Post

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How to Write in a Conversational Tone and Increase Blog Engagement

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When you’re having a conversation with your friend, you’re usually relaxed. You’re not trying to impress them with your vocabulary or pretending to be someone else.

But did you know that you can have conversations with your audience on your blog? You can speak to them the same way you talk to your friends over a beer on Friday night.

People are overwhelmed with information from social media, ads, and email. Content is everywhere. There’s only one type of content that filters through the noise. It’s genuine, easy to digest, and personalized to feel like it was written for you.

But before we dig in, let’s cover the basics.

Why should you write in a conversational tone?

According to veteran copywriter, Valerio Puggioni, most articles never get read because they’re a bore. The longer someone spends on your web page, the higher you will rank it. If no one reads your boring content, it won’t rank.

Conversational writing is breaking all grammar rules. You write the way you talk, use slang that is familiar to your audience and words that are easy to understand.

Think of all the marketing messages that make you cringe. It sounds like a robot wrote it. The copy is great and they’ve dotted every I and crossed every T but it doesn’t connect with you. You didn’t feel inspired to take action or share the email after reading.

With conversational writing, there’s an instant connection from the first word where the writer describes themselves as “I” and the reader as “You.”

When I started blogging in 2019, I barely got any bites from my content. I would share it on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. But no one was commenting or sharing my posts.

I decided to try a different approach in 2020 and the results have been amazing. As a test, I built out a topic cluster for the keyword “website copywriting service.”

Now, keep in mind that when you share links on Facebook and LinkedIn, your content won’t reach a wider audience because these platforms don’t want readers to leave their sites.

But I’ve enjoyed a ton of engagement since I started writing in a conversational tone. More people are reading my content, sharing it across social media and my ranking increased for the keyword.

Let’s look at the last two blog posts I shared in 2019. Check the engagement metrics at the bottom of the pages.

10 landing page copywriting mistake that hurt conversion conversational tone
10 landing page examples to increase convertion rate conversational tone

22 likes in total. LinkedIn is where my target audience hangs out, so the metrics really matter. Fast forward to February 2020 and the numbers are better.

Chima Mmeje everything I did to make money conversational tone
Website copy writing rates how much should you pay conversational tone

I wasn’t just using a conversational tone on my blog. I was adopting a similar tone when describing the content on social media.

Now that you’ve seen the difference in engagement levels, how do you write conversational copy?

7 Tips for writing in a conversational tone

#1. Speak to one person

Personalization is the most important rule of writing conversational copy. You want the reader to feel like they’re in your head, hearing your thoughts, and feeling your emotions. You can’t do that if you’re talking to the crowd.

When I’m writing, I usually create a persona in my mind. I give the reader a name, a job, a face, and a problem. I imagine the jokes that make them laugh and slang they reference during a conversation at lunch.

Nicole Bianchi explains that the first rule of conversational writing is to imagine that you’re writing to a single reader who is a close friend. It sounds so simple, but it’s a game-changer that makes your copy friendlier and personal.

Compare these two sentences:

There’s a 20% discount for users who spend over $500

I’ll give you a 20% discount if you spend over $500

The change from “users” to “you” is subtle, yet powerful.

#2. Open with a story

The most shared article on my website is a piece I wrote on website copywriting rates. I opened with a story about how clients come to me and complain about copywriters who’ve burned them in the past.

Website copy writing rates open with a story for conversational tone

Many copywriters reading this piece can relate to this story because they’ve experienced it first-hand. Storytelling is the fastest way to form an emotional connection with your audience.

Here are some tips to include storytelling in your writing:

  • Be the main character in your story. Personal experiences help you connect with your readers.
  • Describe feelings and emotions. They encourage your reader to live through your story.
  • Align your story with a message. Think of it as the aha! moment when everything clicks.
  • Make it easily relatable and fun.

#3. Break grammar rules

Writers know big words. Our grammar training is ingrained in us. Henneke Duistermaat calls it “writerliness.” Writing posh words and complicated sentences that makes your reader yawn.

Tools like Grammarly and the Hemmingway App can help you cut out passive sentences in favor of an active voice.

Rather than saying:

John White was disliked by many celebrities.

Write:

Many celebrities disliked John White.

Don’t worry about the right words to start your sentences. Begin with words like Or, Maybe, And or Because. They make your sentences short and easy to read.

Is there a word that makes the reader stop and think about the meaning? Replace it with a simpler word.

I can only cook fried rice. I’ve tried my hands at other dishes but failed. Maybe I didn’t inherit my mother’s cooking skills. Or I’m too lazy to learn.

Read your copy out loud. Does it sound like writing or a conversation? It’s time to hack those long sentences into tighter writing.

#4. Ask questions

Imagine that I was writing a blog post on “common mistakes freelance copywriters make.” And I opened with the question; What is your biggest fear as a freelance copywriter?

The goal of the question above is to make them think of a common fear many freelance copywriters face. It could be finding new clients or clients who don’t pay after you’ve completed a project.

Marketing Consultant, Pete Boyle explains that questions breaks up your prose and encourages the reader to think about what you’ve said.

They’ll be looking for specific answers to the question I asked in the copy. Subheadings in the blog post will include mistakes freelancers make when searching for new clients and getting paid for work done.

#5. Use examples

You’ve probably noticed that I’ve used screenshots and examples to make complex ideas easy to understand.

I read a blog post where the author was telling readers to use contractions when writing. But I didn’t know the meaning of “contractions,” and there was no example to explain what it meant. Using examples in your blog posts carries the reader along and strengthens your message.

#6. Don’t try to impress

Remember what I said about talking to your buddy on the phone and how you weren’t trying to impress them? No matter how technical your niche is, there’s always an easier way to make your content relatable.

Compare these sentences

An innovative tool from an award-winning company that helps marketers extricate Google Console data.

or

Save time pouring through Google Console data. Get all the information you need in one place.

Which message is easier to understand?

You’re not in a classroom or writing a thesis for an MBA program. Skip jargon words. Take time to understand the problems your reader’s face and empathize with them. Showing empathy is at the heart of a good conversation.

Write to help your reader solve a problem. They should come away feeling better for the new knowledge, not more frustrated.

#7. Infuse your writing with personality

No one can imitate you. They might try, but they’ll never be able to replicate your unique essence. In a world where over 4 million blog posts are released daily, personality helps you stand out from the crowd.

Fair warning, you might have a few more enemies who don’t agree with your message, but the high levels of engagement make it all worth it.

Think about your favorite TV personalities, podcasters, and YouTubers. These are saturated markets. But you have a few whom you love and adore.

What makes them special?

It’s their back story, the jokes, life experiences, and the passion they bring to each piece of content. I love sharing stories about the mistakes I made in my early days as a freelance copywriter. It shows readers that I’m human and I’ve been in a similar situation they’ve faced.

Content marketing becomes magic when you sprinkle bits of yourself throughout your copy.

Conclusion

Learning how to write in a conversational tone takes time. The key is to have fun while writing and not to overthink your sentences or grammar.

Hang out with your audience to get a feel for the writing style they prefer. Read your copy out loud. Does it sound like something you would say to your friend if they were seated in front of you? If not, change it.

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Guest author: Chima is a freelance copywriter and SEO Content Strategist. She specializes in creating SEO-optimized web copy that drives traffic and increases conversions for your online businesses. She has published on top blogs such as Search Engine Watch and Hacker Noon. You can find her at Zenith Copy.

Sourced from Jeff Bullas

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Can’t Imagine Going Back to the Mall? Maybe You’ll Shop at Your Best Friend’s House Instead

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By Emily Farra

Most of the retail headlines we’ve seen have focused on two types of shopping: brick-and-mortar and e-commerce. But that myopic view leaves out the various other ways people engage with fashion, like trunk shows and home shopping events. Consider Sarah Easley’s two-year-old endeavour, Maison Marché, which essentially creates a pop-up shop in your living room—and introduces you and your friends to a few dozen independent or emerging designers in the process. Most of her events, or “fêtes,” as she calls them, take place in New York and throughout the tri-state area, but she’s brought her “fashion circus” as far as Aspen and Mexico City. Wherever she goes, the takeaway is the same: “There’s an authenticity to it, and it’s completely based in reality,” Easley says. “It’s wonderful designers in pretty spaces, surrounded by your friends.”

That sounds particularly nice right about now, since most of us haven’t seen our friends in months (let alone gone shopping with them). But Maison Marché has been affected by the coronavirus just like any “store”; Easley’s last event took place in early March, and she swiftly cancelled everything she’d booked for April, May, and June. “I hit a full pause,” she says. “But slowly and surely, brands started reaching out to me, and my clients were reaching out too.” Designers who had just received their spring collections had nowhere to sell them and hoped Easley might be able to help, while clients were coming to her for a mood-boosting pair of earrings or a fun blouse to wear on Zoom calls. So she began experimenting with a virtual fête through Instagram, sharing one independent designer a week and taking orders directly from her followers. “It’s a very engaged group of women,” she says. “I’ve sold about 25 units a week, which is typically what we sell before lunch at an event. But I’m so happy to support these designers in a small way, and my clients are super happy.”

Easley also has a team of freelance stylists who are staying in touch with clients and facilitating sales when necessary. That personal connectivity is no doubt a huge part of Maison Marché’s success. But Easley’s edit of brands is also key: She’s passionate about supporting small-batch, artisanal, and sustainable designers, and is careful to avoid “mood overlap” between brands. There might be a casual, utilitarian label like Nili Lotan next to a more bohemian one, like Warm or Isla & White; the goal is to avoid redundancies and the frustration caused by the choice overload of e-comm sites with their daily new arrivals. With most of her customers at home, Easley is promoting items with relaxed silhouettes, joyful prints, easy care—i.e., no dry cleaning—and friendly price points, mostly in the $300 range. “My team and I are posting on Instagram, sending photos [via text], and trying to tell the brand’s story digitally,” she says. “It’s been working really well for us.”

Sarah Easley
Sarah EasleyPhoto: Courtesy of Maison Marché

Easley doesn’t have a website, but is working on building one so more people can participate in future fêtes. She’ll continue her virtual sales throughout the next few weeks and is tentatively planning home events for July—with plenty of new protocols and social distancing measures in place. “I’m going to use a lot of outdoor space, so we can set up racks by the pool or on the lawn, and we’ll stagger appointments throughout the day so you really can be six feet apart,” she explains. “In most cases, these homes are pretty spread out. So I think it’s going to be more about keeping your distance than using tons of Purell and masks and not touching. But ultimately, the tone will be set by the host, because it’s her home and her community. I don’t ask hosts to do this—they ask me, and they invite their friends. So anyone who isn’t ready [to meet in person again] can wait until our next event in the fall.”

Still, most of us would probably rather shop at a friend’s house than at the local mall. That goes back to Easley’s initial inspiration for Maison Marché: After years of working as a buyer and retailer—she cofounded Kirna Zabete and sold her half of the company in 2016—she became acutely aware of how our shopping habits were changing. “So many people I knew were not going into stores anymore, and they were just having this lonely experience of shopping online,” she says. “But they also weren’t taking a risk on a new brand, because they didn’t know if the fabric was good, or what size they should get. And no one was shopping with a sister or friend anymore, because everyone is just too busy. But no one tells you the truth like your best friend! So my idea was to bring all of those things together.”

With the fate of department stores and physical stores in the balance, Easley’s nimble, ephemeral business model is primed for what comes next. “I feel really good about the Maison Marché model on the other side of this new world,” she says. “Unfortunately, I don’t think a lot of stores will be able to reopen, and I don’t think people are going to be jumping on planes to go shop in big cities soon. But they’ll be happy to go to a neighbour’s house down the street and shop globally there.”

Feature Image Credit: A recent “fête” by Maison Marché in a client’s home.Photo: Andrea Ceraso / Courtesy of Maison Marché

By Emily Farra

Sourced from VOGUE

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How This Design Entrepreneur’s ‘Pandemic Pivot’ Led to a 250% Increase in Sales

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By Alisa Gumbs

As an entrepreneur, Dionna Dorsey is more than a little familiar with riding out a rough patch of slower sales.

“I have been a full-time entrepreneur now for a little over 10 years. Entrepreneurship is a calling. As a creative entrepreneur you learn how to ride the waves—the highs and the lows, the comings and goings of clients and business, and you just have to stick close to that middle ground and keep forging ahead, thinking positive and working as hard as you possibly can,” she says.

But as it has done with many areas of the economy, the coronavirus pandemic took a significant toll on her business, Dionna Dorsey Design, which offers creative direction, graphic design, and brand strategy.

“By the third or fourth week of March, I probably noticed a 75% decrease in client requests,” Dorsey says. “I was still working, but the workload was not as frequent. And I was not hearing as consistently from my prime clients.”

So Dorsey went into action mode, in what she calls her “pandemic pivot,” and shifted much of her time and attention to her side hustle, a fashion company called District of Clothing she started four years ago during another lull in her main design work:

“My prime client went on a spending freeze and I was like, now what the heck do I do? I kept hearing folks talking about passive income. I could hear my parents reminding me about multiple streams of income. And it made total sense to me to start a ‘side hustle,’ that I could start on my own, with minimal overhead, using the skills that I already had.”

From the beginning, the side hustle filled more than an economic need. “The message behind District of Clothing is very simple. We want to encourage self love, we want to encourage empowerment. And we also want to encourage progression.”

“I think that when you have a, I don’t like to use the word customer, but when you have a community base and you have customers that are belief driven, you all can come together around a similar purpose. Positivity is energetic and it is binding,” she continues. “I’ve been very blessed, and I just want to put more positivity out and hopefully be a reflection of what is given to me. And I couldn’t be more grateful that our community has been so so supportive.”

True to its uplifting nature, the pivot to District of Clothing was good not only for Dorsey’s bottom line, but for her spirits.
“I knew that I needed to do something that would be not just productive but also profitable. And I also needed a positive distraction from COVID-19 and the news at that time,” she says.
What she didn’t know is how much the business would flourish once she implemented the kind of creative strategic plan she’s been developing for her clients for years.

“April is when I saw the incredible boost in sales. We had what 170 orders for the month of April, and that is just insane. On an average April, we’re probably seeing like between 45 and 55 orders.”
Part of the the increase can be attributed to the launch of a new collection, called Common Purpose, which was originally planned for August or September as a way to encourage people to vote.
“I kept thinking about it and I said I can’t wait until August. There is no time like right now,” Dorsey says. “Ultimately, we’re fully dependent on other people to get through this time in a healthy and safe manner. This is very much a common purpose—we all have a common purpose of flattening the curve, staying home, staying safe, praying for others, or for just being helpful to mankind.”

There were tactical things, such as streamlining fulfillment and maximizing social marketing, that Dorsey did to boost sales.
“I use printful for my online fulfillment. And that’s on demand, on my phone. So, using printful helps me out tremendously. That’s number one. Number two, I upped my Facebook ad buys 500%. Number three, I removed the hero image from my website.” She explains: “When you first come to the website, typically you’ll see my logo and then an image that’s some model wearing a T shirt or sweatshirt. I removed that hero image and probably saved .7 seconds load time. Everyone’s on their phones, everyone was kind of nervous about the internet exploding, so let me help make this load faster.”

Dorsey also shares the following tips for how show achieved her remarkable increase in sales:

Master your messaging

“I put the Common Purpose collection first on the website with some marketing language, letting folks know that the only way we’ll get through is together, and that your purchase will support COVID-19 relief. I also changed my marketing language for our sales. I’ve changed it to our ‘work from home’ sale. And it’s specifically the items that I have seen people time and time again, either in zoom meetings, grocery shopping, or binging on the couch, as well as what I thought was most comfortable.”

Engage your community

“On social media, I was responding to people much faster. I also changed the design and the layout of our posts. Initially, my posts were very responsive to COVID-19 and then sometime later I switched the messaging. Honestly I began posting what I needed to see and read from a content perspective. I also wasn’t posting the items as much anymore. Now it’s much less on the apparel and much more on the memes and encouraging messaging.”

Communicate honestly

“At the very top of my website I noted that as a result of COVID-19, the items will be delayed. Just again being very honest and direct and letting people know I can’t promise you you’ll receive your items in a timely fashion like you normally would. My next step is probably to send a thank you note, letting folks know that we are so grateful for all the support and we just want to thank them for their patience during this time.”

Feature Image Credit: Dionna Dorsey

By Alisa Gumbs

Sourced from Black Enterprise

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Zuckerberg vs. His Staff: Facebook Employees Livid Over Refusal to Censor Trump

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By Scott Nover.

Key Insights:

Tensions are escalating inside Facebook over the social platform’s laissez-faire approach to the president’s posts.

While Twitter took an active approach to Donald Trump’s account last week—including flagging a tweet that encouraged shooting unarmed protesters—Facebook chose to interpret Trump’s message differently and has not modified the same post.

Some Facebook employees are upset over the policy—and tweeted about it.

“I work at Facebook and I am not proud of how we’re showing up,” Jason Toff, director of product management, tweeted early Monday morning. “The majority of coworkers I’ve spoken to feel the same way. We are making our voice heard.”

Design manager Jason Stirman tweeted that he “completely disagrees” with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s decision to “do nothing about Trump’s recent posts, which clearly incite violence.”

“I’m not alone inside of FB,” he added. “There isn’t a neutral position on racism.”

The New York Times reported today that dozens of Facebook employees are also staging a virtual “walkout” to call out the social network’s inaction over Trump’s post encouraging violence against protesters.

“We recognize the pain many of our people are feeling right now, especially our Black community,” a Facebook spokesperson told Adweek. “We encourage employees to speak openly when they disagree with leadership. As we face additional difficult decisions around content ahead, we’ll continue seeking their honest feedback.”

Zuckerberg authored a lengthy Facebook post Friday, saying he had a “visceral negative reaction to this kind of divisive and inflammatory rhetoric,” but said he is responsible for reacting “as the leader of an institution committed to free expression.”

Last Tuesday, after years of pressure, Twitter took unprecedented action against Trump’s account, placing a fact-check label on two of his tweets about mail-in ballots. Trump responded by lashing out, accusing Twitter of interfering with the election and promising retribution.

He took it a step further Thursday when he signed an executive order that, while legally fraught, threatens social media companies like Twitter and Facebook by attempting to curb liability protections afforded by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

By the end of the week, Trump had not cooled his rhetoric and Twitter didn’t back down. With protests raging in Minneapolis and elsewhere in the country over the police killing of George Floyd early Friday morning, Trump sent a tweet with the quote “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.”

Twitter promptly blurred out the tweet with a “public interest notice,” defending the move by claiming it breaks site rules by “glorying violence.” Still, the platform did not remove the tweet, and users can click to see it—because, it claimed, Trump’s tweets are newsworthy as president.

Meanwhile, Facebook allowed the same post to stand unaltered on its site.

On Friday, The Verge’s Casey Newton reported on internal posts on Workplace, Facebook’s collaboration tool for workers, critical of Zuckerberg’s policy and response. Kate Klonick, a St. John’s University law professor who researches online speech, tweeted, “Sources tell me that Facebook employees are changing their internal employee-Facebook profile images to the Twitter logo in protest.”

But it wasn’t long before the internal pressure moved to Twitter—and employees took the rare step of tweeting about their frustrations with Facebook.

“Censoring information that might help people see the complete picture *is* wrong,” Andrew Crow, head of design for Facebook’s Portal, tweeted today. “But giving a platform to incite violence and spread disinformation is unacceptable, regardless who you are or if it’s newsworthy.”

“Mark is wrong, and I will endeavor in the loudest possible way to change his mind,” tweeted Ryan Freitas, head of product design for Facebook’s news feed.

For Monday’s walkout, employees took a day off and left automated messages saying they were off in protest. A company spokesperson did not have any additional comment on the walkout and referred Adweek to its original statement.

“More than a dozen current and former employees” took part in the protest, according to The New York Times, describing it as “the most serious challenge to Mr. Zuckerberg’s leadership since the company was founded 15 years ago.”

Feature Image Credit: Mark Zuckerberg is under fire from his own employees over Facebook’s stance on content moderation. Getty Images

By Scott Nover

 Sourced from  ADWEEK

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Want Your Content to Succeed? Make it Resonate with the Right Audience (no, not that one).

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By Rand Fishkin

You know the stats. 75% of content gets no links. 91% of content earns no Google traffic. 85%+ of content earns fewer than ten social shares. And we’re not even talking about all web content — just those pieces creators produced specifically to earn shares, links, rankings, and traffic. Tragically, much like the US economy, content marketing is a winner-take-all world.

IMO, when high-quality, well-produced content fails, three big forces are to blame:

1) There’s more competition than ever before: literally hundreds of millions of publishers, brands, and individuals are creating and amplifying content in attempts to earn attention. Simultaneously, the content bar has been massively raised: what stood out from the crowd in 2010 would be lucky to get 1/10th the attention 10 years later.

2) A tiny handful of monopolies control most web traffic (Facebook, Google, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Reddit, Instagram, etc) and they are working hard to keep visitors on their platforms rather than sending them out. Less than half of Google searches result in a click. The median Facebook page post reaches <0.1% of followers. On Instagram it’s <1.6%, on Twitter <0.05%.

3) Most content creators target the wrong audience.

There isn’t much marketers and creators can do about #1 or #2, but we can do something about that third force: shift our efforts to reach the people and publications able to amplify our work and send real traffic.

At the core of the problem is how so many companies establish the wrong incentives for content creators:

Exec: “We need more customers, but we’ve exhausted our advertising opportunities, so I want you to invest in content marketing.”

Marketer: “Got it. Content’s a slow, flywheel-based investment, but over time we can create a great channel if we earn awareness, trust, and amplification from a broad community.”

Exec: “Let me be more specific. I want you to write blog posts that will convert visitors into customers. You’ll be measured by the expense of your team’s time vs. the conversions we can directly attribute to your posts. If it’s better than the dollars we put into Google & Facebook ads, you can keep the program going.”

Marketer: “Wait… but that’s not… you can’t compare content against the built-in, designed-for-attribution-so-you’ll-buy-more measurability of ads when they intentionally obfuscate organic…”

Exec: “Good talk! Look forward to seeing your progress.”

Ugh. We’ve all been there.

But let’s assume you have some buy-in. Perhaps the nightmarish economic picture presented by a global pandemic has opened your organization’s eyes to the value of building future demand and reducing dependency on expensive advertising? If so, you’ve still got a strategic beast to slay.

Most content, right from conception, still adheres to a vastly over-simplified notion: reach potential customers with content so we can convert them into paying customers. In a zoomed-out view of marketing, this is technically accurate (the worst kind of accurate). But, the zoomed-in view looks way different.

Content can nudge some people who see it to check out your products or services. It might even nudge some of those people to buy. Usually, it does those things as part of a long, complex journey that starts with discovery around a space, moves to awareness of your brand, then into realization-of-a-problem and, finally, evolves into seeking out your solution. Try to rush that process, and you’ll turn most of the audience off. Create content exclusively for those who already know they need your solution, and you’re cutting off your best chance to make content a valuable channel.

In the graphic above, the “Discovery” and “Awareness” groups will always be 10-1,000X larger than the “Problem-Experiencing” or “Solution-Seeking” groups. So, if your content continually targets bottom-of-the-funnel audiences, you’ll quickly run out of newcomers, and often be perceived as a brand outlet that’s merely pounding a limited attention-span begging for sales.

But, it’s not just the funnel; it’s the individuals in that funnel.

Content Audience: The Four Groups -- current customers, potential customers, potential amplifiers, and the broader community.

Your content audience is and should be fundamentally different from your product or sales audience. You’re not (and shouldn’t be) trying to sell everyone who consumes your content. You should, however, be trying to earn amplification and engagement from everyone who consumes your content.

That doesn’t always mean links or social shares. It could mean a private reference, an email, a “hey what was that great cartoon show you told me about last time we hung out?“

But, if you want to earn amplification, the kind you’ll need to build a true content flywheel, you need to appeal to an audience that has both the ability to amplify and channels on which to spread the word. Years ago, these people were called “influencers,” but that noun’s come to mostly refer to a specific kind of Instagram or YouTube creator that’s far too narrow and often irrelevant to what most brands outside swimwear, fitness gear, travel, and a few other often-superficial consumer product companies care about. So, instead, let’s call them “potential amplifiers.”

These potential amplifiers are one of several audiences you should be targeting content toward in the creation and conception phase. They’re the group with the greatest ability to help build your content flywheel, and thus, I often recommend making them the biggest target for your content efforts. If you’re writing or making videos or podcasts for your existing audience or fans, the rate of new-fan attraction will naturally be lower than if you’re also making those things for potential amplifiers.

Maybe you’ll get lucky. Maybe some of the things you create for your existing audience or even for potential customers will end up being things that also appeal to potential amplifiers. But why risk it? The far wiser move is to recognize this reality, and intentionally create content meant to get industry publications, potential niche evangelists, customer evangelists you already have, and mainstream press interested.

The most successful content — the stuff that earns amplification, builds your brand in content, gets you subscribers and followers, and eventually leads to future conversions — that stuff sits at the intersection of appealing to both potential amplifiers and potential customers.

But, honestly, if I could only choose one… I’d take the amplifiers. Because once people know, like, and trust you, the path to conversion is wide open.

By Rand Fishkin

Sourced from SparkToro

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Top 7 AI-Based Chatbots To Choose For Your Business

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With its promise of limitless possibilities, artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming more pervasive in business circles. Its capabilities to augment human abilities has been demonstrated across functions, and AI-driven chatbots have played a critical role here.

Integrated with a company’s key messaging applications, AI bots are programmed to automate customer support by simulating a conversation with a user. When they interact with these bots, they get the experience of interacting with real people. Not only can such a service be made available to them 24/7, but it can also provide business’ critical data on customer behaviour to inform future decision making.

There are many AI chatbots in the market today, and while some may come with similar features, they are largely different and offer varying levels of capabilities. While some businesses can adapt to basic bots for their use cases, others may need more advanced software to run their operations effectively. With many options to choose from, organisations will do well to understand which will suit their business needs the best.

Here is a list of seven AI chatbots that can help you make this decision. Listed in no particular order, these are likely to improve your overall service, increase engagement, boost sales and enable you to stay competitive in the market.

Botsify

With Botsify, companies can easily develop chatbots without the need for excessive coding and decoding. Combining the support of both AI and human agents, it allows businesses’ to nimbly switch to the latter in case of emergencies. What is more, it can conduct conversations in multiple languages. Additionally, the platform promises a faster response rate, better customer retention, and more qualified leads. Although it charges $50 (onwards), it does provide a two-week trial period for businesses.

Click here for more.

Mobile Monkey

Emerging as one of the more popular platforms to build AI chatbots for Facebook Messenger and SMS, Mobile Monkey offers businesses an interactive interface to interact with their customers more effectively. Free to use, it has become a regular fixture in many company’s social media marketing strategies. It enables them to automate responses, maintain a long contact list, send periodic notifications, and more.

Click here for more.

ChatterOn

This platform enables businesses to build a bot in under five minutes! What is more, they are given the option of choosing between 20 pre-developed bots, or even customise it without any coding requirements. While its key features remain its ability to support a wide range of content — from images to gifs to videos — other reasons to make this your choice of chatbot is its capability to allow users to meet their end-to-end solutions. Although it is free to use (for a limited period), businesses will have to pay $0.0010 per message after that.

Click here for more.

Pandorabots

Although Pandorabots provides a range of services to meet various businesses demands, it requires some coding skills to get started. Businesses can use this for customer service, voice interfaces, B2B messaging, among others. The platform claims to have over 2,75,000 registered developers, with almost 3,25,000 chatbots already developed. Although there is a free version available for a limited range of features, a more comprehensive package starts at $19 per month including a two-week free trial.

Click here for more.

Hubspot

HubSpot offers a full stack of software for content, sales and marketing services, as well as free CRM to organise better and build better relationships. Its primary feature is its content marketing flow that enables businesses to effectively respond to a large client base. Although some features are available for free, proper packages start at $35 a month.

Click here for more.

Rulai

Driven by NLU and deep learning, Rulai enables businesses to track non-linear conversations and engage with customers effectively using virtual assistants. Its multitasking capabilities allow users to understand the context of the conversation and take actions accordingly. Targeted at companies across various industries, Rulai claims to deliver over 80% satisfaction for customers.

Click here for more.

Watson Assistant

This allows businesses to build advanced conversational interfaces into any device, website, apps or cloud. Developed by IBM, it does not require users to have any prior coding experience. Watson Assistant is pre-trained with content from specific industries and allows businesses to build and deploy conversational interactions. Although the Lite versions with limited features come for free, packages start from $120 for 1,000 users per month along with a free 30-day trial.
Click here for more.

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Sourced from https://analyticsindiamag.com

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Freelance Videographers

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Balls Media, Station Mews, Lindsay Grove, Glasnevin, Dublin 9

WANTED: Ace Freelance Videographer

Balls Media are looking to add to their panel of top notch videographers to assist its fast moving team into the ever changing world of video production

The perfect candidate will have a showreel that rolls into our office on its own and signs off on the contract for its owner, but others with a rake of experience planning, producing, shooting, editing and promoting their own content will be placed firmly at the top of the queue.
Balls Media are the publishers of Balls.ie and Collegetimes.com where we regularly entertain more than 2m people each and every month. As well as written and digital content, Balls Media have an extensive footprint in the world of audio and video.
This is a unique opportunity for a talented self-starter with an eye for entertaining consumable content that delivers. Freelance roles may become permanent for right candidate

Requirements-

Vast experience with Adobe Suite
Storyboard and strong planning experience
Shooting and editing expert – experience of audio equipment
Live and recorded output experience
TV/Film/Online production experience preferred
A sense of humour definitely key
Familiarity with online video channels
An understanding of how to digitally market content
Interest in Irish sport an advantage

Click HERE to apply for this job.

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How Smaller Brands Can Use Influencer Marketing to Connect With Consumers

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By Madeleine Streets

Marketers came roaring into 2020 with plans to spend heavily on in-store experiences and brand activations such as pop-ups and parties. But with a large number of Americans still facing stay-at-home orders, industry experts are observing a shift to a different marketing approach: influencers on video platforms.

“Many small- to mid-size apparel brands are focusing in on three platforms: TikTok, YouTube and Instagram,” said Clayton Durant, founder and managing partner at consulting firm CAD Management. “Quarantine has bumped up the amount of time spent on these platforms.”

Influencer marketing is not new, but the financial strain felt by many consumers is changing the way brands approach it. Durant said traditional advertising campaigns are no longer deemed tasteful nor are they driving the meaningful engagement required to convert sales. Instead of glamorous, aspirational images, consumers want meaningful, authentic content from sources they trust. Increasingly, that means social media micro-influencers.

For many brands, partnering with a series of micro-influencers is becoming a more reliable source of marketing than traditional campaigns. These influencers usually have 50,000 to 2 million followers on social media, but speak to an engaged audience with more followers than many top celebrities. They are also less expensive to partner with.

“Many of these influencer deals give the brand the most amount of leverage in the transaction, allowing the brand to get a better ROI,” said Durant. “If you handle micro-influencer campaigns right there is more of a ‘partnership’ feel to these transactions; many micro-influencers are going above and beyond their deal points.”

Finding the most cost-effective marketing approach is more critical than ever, with many brands suffering from sales drops. But the disappearance of live marketing has also allowed for the redistribution of resources to social media, SEO and influencer campaigns. Durant believes that investing in these partnerships now could also pay off in the long term, as brands and consumers adjust to the new retail landscape.

“I expect brick-and-mortar foot traffic to take at least a year to get back to ‘normal,’” said Durant. “To make up for the loss of foot traffic, brands are going to turn to platforms like YouTube, TikTok or Twitch to create one-of-a-kind virtual shopping experiences that mimic walking in the store. That is where partnering with influencers to host digital store experiences could be quite powerful.”

TikTok, one of the pandemic’s success stories with 315 million app downloads this quarter, has also observed this shift. The platform has recently launched an ad format for influencers, enabling its more prominent users to include “shop now” links in their videos. For brands to capitalize on this feature, though, they will need to partner with that select group.

Feature Image Credit: Shutterstock

By Madeleine Streets

Sourced from FN

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