Now that everything is digital, marketing has evolved. Now, marketers can clearly understand the data they have, they know what data they have access to, and they have strategies for organizing their data and procedures for activating their data.

Marketing teams that are performing at the highest levels have learned to leverage customer data in a way that gives them a full picture of who their customers are. By creating focused campaigns, marketers can produce phenomenal results.

Customers are happy to get personalized experiences when they shop online. However, there have been several data breaches in recent years and scandals where organizations that were trusted with personal data used it in a less than ethical way.

There have been several accounts of businesses and state actors illegally gathering data from people. As a result, customers are looking for ways to maintain a personalized experience while getting more control over who has access to their data.

Keeping in mind that on average only 5% of companies’ folders are properly protected (according to Varonis report), individuals must take some extra steps to protect their own data, since not all of the companies are implementing required cybersecurity measures as well as following basic data security protocols.

Cybersecurity solutions like VPN services with a strict no-logging policy, which create a secure tunnel and encrypt data, have become more and more popular ‘because they’re able to protect customers’ privacy and sensitive data without costing a fortune. But not all VPN services offer the same level of protection. Ludovic Rembert of Privacy Canada tested over 20 Canadian VPNs and found that not all VPN providers guarantee no-logging policy.

No-logging policy defines what kind of details your VPN provider collects about you and your online activity. VPNs with strict no-logging policies collect only your payment information and email address, which means that all of your online activities are private and protected. With the cybercrime growing stronger each day, online security must never be taken lightly.

The Marketer’s Responsibility to Manage and Safeguard Customer Data

It is common for marketing teams to use data management platforms. They use these platforms when they collect and manage the data of their customers. The data can be gathered from online or off-line systems.

Data management platforms allow marketing teams to analyze data, create profiles, and target online customers. In the current cybersecurity climate where customers are worried that their data is going to be used improperly, any hint of data security vulnerability can damage a marketing firm’s reputation. That’s why it is imperative that they securely manage their databases.

If an organization does not secure their database, they will become the victim of a data breach. Many companies have opted to use autonomous databases. These automatically encrypt all the data stored and perform security updates with the goal of protecting the data. Since this work is done automatically, people need not spend time and effort securing data. Marketing teams can keep their customer’s data secure while focusing on marketing to their customers.

Marketers Should Care about Cybersecurity

Not too long ago, cybersecurity was viewed by marketers to be primarily an IEP issue. Even as data breaches continued to grow, companies didn’t grasp how interconnected their IT and their marketing departments were.

For example, if a large swath of customer data gets stolen, it’s going to be the marketing department’s job to rebrand their company with the goal of rebuilding relationships that are undermined by the data breach. And the increased use of marketing tools increases the number of cybersecurity vulnerabilities the organization has. Therefore, it is imperative that marketing professionals familiarize themselves with the basic principles of cybersecurity.

As technology makes different departments in a business interconnected, no department, including marketing, can consider itself to be an island. If they compromise a single device, the damage can affect every device connected to the network.

Weakness in a tool that is deployed by a marketing department can create a cascading series of negative events that can affect every department and every employee in an organization. This could spread and affect customers and suppliers.

The potential damage that could be caused by breaches to devices used by marketers has a greater impact because of the Internet of things. Now, there are more potentially vulnerable points that hackers can use.

Key Facets of Cybersecurity Marketers Should Know

1. Exploitation

Hackers are interested in finding the most vulnerable and valuable data. They are looking for the weakest administrative passwords that will grant them full access to the data they want – creating strong passwords is a must.

2. Reconnaissance

Hackers are savvy. They have no problem taking time to research the organization they are going to target. They may target marketing employees who have little familiarity with cybersecurity.

3. Exfiltration

Hackers are not picky. They are data hungry. They want information about employees, financial information, personal information, proprietary product formulas, and intellectual property.

4. Infiltration

This is where employee training is important. Hackers can gain access primarily when users download malware or when a user clicks on a link in a phishing message. Employees need to know the signs of questionable downloads and questionable emails if they are going to protect their organization.

Why Marketing Departments Are Cybersecurity Targets

It boils down to what marketing departments do. Marketing departments are visible on social media. Hackers use social engineering to get marketers and those that work with them to open a fake email, download a fake application, or engage in some other dangerous activity that allows hackers to infect a victim’s device with malware.

Marketing departments are especially vulnerable to phishing campaigns because it’s their job to respond to what appears to be a business leader. If hackers can make their emails look legitimate and if the marketers are not sufficiently educated, they are going to be introducing cybersecurity dangers into the organizations they work for.

Marketing professionals should work to strengthen cybersecurity efforts. They need to exercise extreme caution in the following scenarios.

•  Be cautious when working with vendors or software programs that require exchanging confidential and delicate information with people outside of the organization.
• The marketing department should collaborate with the IT department when installing new marketing tools. It is especially important for those who are responsible for cybersecurity to be included in the process to make sure that the company’s private information remains secure.
• Caution should be used when acquiring or merging with other organizations. This can create unique vulnerabilities, especially for the marketing department.

People are more aware of and concerned about cybersecurity now than in any other time in modern history. Marketing and advertising teams must consistently reevaluate their approach to cybersecurity. They need to work with the IT department. Security programs should be a part of everything that digital marketers do.

The post What Marketing Professionals Need to Know About Today’s Cybersecurity Climate appeared first on Relevance.

However, most people are unaware that there is an easier way to link building. You can do it with Google Alerts. Surprised?

Don’t be because it’s a fact.

Google is the most popular search engine and one with billions of webpages in its database can crawl web pages more frequently than any SEO tool available. By using Google Alerts, you can access this monstrous database to find link building opportunities. The best part is that you don’t have to peer through thousands of pages when you use Google Alerts.

Still wondering how to go about it?

Google Alerts can be used to create notifications on any topic, keyword, or subject. You will get a notification through an email whenever a new webpage with a potential link building opportunity is detected.

This step-by-step guide can help you understand the process better.

Go to https://www.google.com/alerts. You will see this image:

Type your domain name but don’t add the http or the www part of the address. Something like this:

You will see an alert preview that reads:

‘There are no recent results for your search query. Below are the existing results that match your search query.’

This will be followed by several links associated with the query. If your site is a recently launched one, you are unlikely to see any results.

You can explore options with the ‘Show Options’ link placed near the ‘Create Alert’ button. This will provide you with several options.

When you keep the settings as mentioned below, you can expect the desired results.

How Often

Once a Day

Sources

The automatic option will create alerts every time the topic or keyword comes up on the web. Choosing two – Blogs, Web is recommended. These two options will ensure that you get the results that best suit your needs. If you choose news, the chances of getting a flood of irrelevant results are more. Besides, the chances of news sites linking to your website are slim.

Language

English is apt unless you are targeting any other language.

Region

You can choose the country you want to target although ‘any region’ is the recommended option.

How Many

The best results will create the best list. You can choose ‘All Results’ because you want access to all possible link building opportunities.

Deliver to

Provide your email address here to receive the alerts.

When you are done with this, click on the ‘Create Alert’ button.  You will receive an email with a list of all the pages that mention your website. This list will be sent to your inbox once daily.

You can also create alerts for the following items using the same process.

• Your domain
• Brand name
• Product names
• Email Address
• Industry Terms

Getting In Touch

When you receive the alerts, you will have to contact the site owner through their email. For this, simply visit the contact page and check if the email address is provided. You can also use the contact form to send a message if there is one provided on the site. The Service or Privacy Policy page may also have the contact details of the site owner. There are tools also available that can help you find a contact by simply typing in a domain name.

So, as you have seen and understood by now, Google Alerts provides an easy way of building links.

Unlike other link building options, this one is a time-saver and free of any hassles. You don’t have to go searching for link building opportunities. You will get notified when an opportunity presents itself. That’s the beauty of using Google Alerts.

The post How To Build Links Using Google Alerts appeared first on Relevance.

Just staring at a blank page, your deadline fast approaching, and not having a topic can be terrifying. The challenge is to have a topic you can write in detail about that’s also interesting enough to convince the webmasters and editors to approach you for publishing it on their websites.

1. Understanding your audience profile

To zero in on a perfect topic for a guest blog, you must be familiar with your target audience. Knowing them will give you an idea of the topics they prefer and allow you to make a strong case for your article to the editor at large.

It’s important to know the proficiency level of your reader on the platform you contribute for. Writing entry-level, basic content for a blog that will be read by industry experts serves no purpose, and the editor will expect you to provide some pro-level insights.

On the other hand, beginner-topics will give help your content index on Google, and it’s also easier to produce. Let’s not forget that blogs which include entry-level posts are generally subscribed to by enthusiasts and new readers alike who want to acquaint themselves with the topic for any number of reasons. Considering this large base will continue reading your blog in the long-term, and that there will always be new, inexperienced minds entering the field, why not focus on them?

The key to being a successful blogger is defining your audience and catering to their needs. It’ll be a cakewalk for you once you get into your reader’s head.

2. Explore niches

A cursory search might throw up common topics like content marketing, content creation, SEO optimization, social media marketing, etc. Digging deeper would give you an insight into subtopics that can be explored for your readers.

Instead of contributing yet-another-article on these broad topics, you can tunnel in further and write about action-based research for content marketing, measurement and ROI, latest trends in content creation and more.

3. Check your competitors

To avoid overlapping of topics, take time to read what your blogging competitors are writing about.

Research the posts that are already ranking on their homepages to get an idea, then think of how you can enrich this content or make a blog that will rank higher. The intention should be to shortlist a topic that will attract new readers and engage the existing ones.

There might be topics that rehash the same content that has been discussed before, but you can give them a new spin by adding your unique perspective or own data points that will make it personal.

Try not to forget the importance of multimedia in a post. Adding videos, infographics, and images will not only make your post more relevant but also more likely to be shared, making it socially viral.

4. Finding trending, relevant topics

When you are a guest blogger, you’re actually competing with other bloggers in whatever space you operate in. You don’t want to end up writing on a topic that gets a few readers and ends up buried inside a website somewhere.

The key is searching relevant, trending topics that readers are looking for. You can utilize content tools like BuzzSumo, AllTop.com, and Ubersuggest that allow you to see most trending topics among recently published blogs.

You can use these tools to find the most-read articles in your niche that received social virality. Exploring these may give you a blog topic that will get you top rankings and more shares on social media. You can also use the trending articles to backlink your own, adding credibility, or as an inspiration to write your own pieces.

5. Breaking a topic into subtopics

A good trick to help you come up with subtopics is analyzing and further breaking your main articles up by sub-headers. This might help you generate multiple ideas that you can explore later as individual articles. Who knows, you might end up with three more topics that can be explained in detail for your readers, in different formats and lengths.

There are many tools available online to flush out this content further. A platform like Mooz.com can help you find keywords that can help you increase traffic and visibility in search results.

Head to platforms like AnswerThePublic to find out the conversations readers are having around your topics. Tapping into social media platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Reddit forums could give you an insight into the pain points of customers. What are they curious about, what information are they seeking, can you provide your expert opinion on these topics? The web can be a rich source for these kind of ideas

Never ignore the comments section as it can throw some solid topics your way. You may want to read the discussions that readers engage in on your social media pages too. These sister topics below your main post can be a treasure trove for future articles.

6. Write for the long run

The goal of contributing to a blog shouldn’t be only about getting subscribers and traffic flow for that week. You must aim for something broader like t a several-year strategy.

Write on topics that might stay evergreen for a while. It’s important that your guest post matures overtime. You can make this decision by checking these four boxes:

1. Will the article create discussion on the post or any other forum?
2. Will it help establish my credibility in the niche?
3. Will it rank well on Google for keyword search and send traffic to my site later?
4. Will I be able to make more industry contacts?

Once you have a strong topic, you must aim to write an original, resource-rich  that covers the theme and is a timeless resource for your readers. It could be a blog post on which future posts could be based on or linked back to for deeper understanding – even after several years.

7. Toss it to your support group

How often do you run the copy you write through a bunch of experts from the niche to get their opinion? If you haven’t been doing this already, it’s never too late to start.

Getting their honest opinion can help you better your outlook and maybe follow lines thinking you haven’t before. They might toss across research that you hadn’t read before and could use as a reference.

Geared with the tips above, it’s time to enter your desired topic on Google search to check its ranking. Research competitor blogs, or other writers and you can decide if you want to build on existing topics or spin it differently altogether. And remember to write for the long term. Never underestimate the power of communicating with your readers on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, discussion forums, via newsletters, and comment sections to understand what their pain points are. Writing for them will make them feel more valued and encouraged to share their opinions with you. After all, it is they who will make your blog viral.

The post How To Write On A Topic That Will Get Maximum Clicks appeared first on Relevance.

Why is IoT becoming indispensable for content marketing?

The consumption of huge volumes of data and the increased dependence on data are responsible for IoT’s dominance over content creation. When more things can be interconnected, there is an increase in the volume of data being generated everyday by people using these things. This increased data leads to smarter data, and this in turn leads to enhanced audience engagement.

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Custom campaigns are only possible with improved targeting, and improved targeting is possible only by using Big Data. When a specific product is web-connected, the marketers not only get relevant information about who is using it and buyer-behavioral trends; they are also equipped to provide solutions to problems that product may have.

How IoT Affects Content Marketing

Environment Data

It is possible to send buyers useful messages concerning the product based on factors such as weather, location, or product interactions. For instance, content creators of retail websites can send messages to their buyers on what they can wear to stay warm. Environment and location are perhaps the most relevant data for marketers which allow them to send targeted messages that can help shoppers locate and buy things that they really need.

Location Data

The best way to make use of this information is to find out the buyer’s proximity to your product. So, content marketers of businesses can help shoppers locate products which are close to them and choose the right products in a retail store that they may be shopping in. It helps to improve customer engagement with the website, loyalty, and even sales in that area. This is undoubtedly one of the biggest uses of the IoT as far as content marketing goes.

Data Monitoring

The device may also be able to transmit useful data for content marketers. For instance, any health device which belongs to the IoT can send health related information like current heart rate or pulse rate to users.

Send Alerts

Businesses may use IoT devices for alerting their users about important announcements in real time. These alerts about emergencies and other significant announcements can be highly beneficial for the user and may even be used for providing public service.

[bctt tweet=”You get to see reports from the IoT devices round-the-clock while systems are monitoring and tracking KPIs.” username=”relevance”]

Since marketers spend much time on campaigns, a huge benefit from IoT applications is getting such alerts on status of these marketing campaigns so that they can adjust these accordingly.

Contextual Targeting

Since these smart devices are connected to the Internet, it means that content marketing must be focused more on contextual targeting. This has been the case with mobile marketing which has adapted to the context which buyers may be browsing on the go.

Smart content is capable of automating conversations and dealing with common buyer queries, thereby successfully delivering real-time responses and updates which are important for the buyers.

Experiential Marketing

IoT devices are extremely popular and this has brought about experiential marketing where buyers are keener to use content depending on how they “feel” it rather than by reading about it. So, more and more companies are using this tactic to promote their products instead of marketing them in a traditional way.

[bctt tweet=”IoT data lets content marketers personalize customer engagement so that engaging experiences can be easily shared.” username=”relevance”]

In this way, the IoT is expected to bring forth myriad opportunities for content marketers. In the near future, content marketing is expected to travel beyond social media and blog posts. And this is why it becomes necessary to examine the existing content marketing strategies. Companies must understand the value of creating smart content which is formatted and correctly adapted, regardless of the device in use.

How IoT is expected to make it easier for content marketers to create valuable content

It may be possible for content marketers to deliver exactly the content their audience is searching for because of the IoT generated data. Whether it is smart refrigerators which are collecting data about what kind of foods people wish to buy and eat, or smart watches which can track the user’s exercise habits and vitals, these content creators are now going to have access to much more data than they could earlier. This means they can now use this information to generate much more customized content for their clients.

With growth of the IoT technology, companies can see a huge change in the kind of content which they must now create to stay connected to their audiences. In short, today’s brands have to come up with smart and meaningful content and personalized content which is possible only when they can properly utilize the huge volumes of data generated by IoT devices. This shows how deep an impact the IoT can have on content marketing. It not only offers content marketers incredible opportunities to create unique and relevant content; it also poses a challenge to them in doing so. This is exactly why it is imperative to stay abreast with this emerging technology and pursue innovative strategies to create better and smarter content for audiences.

The post How the Internet of Things (IoT) is Impacting Content Marketing appeared first on Relevance.

The biggest challenge content creators face today is getting their readers’ attention. Being able to hold onto this is not as easy as you think.

[bctt tweet=”Content is undeniably “king”, but simply producing content cannot guarantee conversions.” username=”relevance”]

If you cannot get your customers to engage with this content, your products are not going to sell and your business is not going to move forward. In producing the content, therefore, you only end up wasting a lot of time and valuable resources. The result is redundant content in an already-crowded web.

At the same time, content marketing is not dead. Almost 20% of entrepreneurs all over the globe firmly believe that this will still have a huge impact on their businesses. If your site content is unable to attract new customers, that clearly suggests you are making mistakes.

To be able to expand your business and market your products, it is essential for you to identify the errors and revamp the content to get the desirable conversion rate.

Possible reasons why nobody is reading your content and how to get your viewers to read it:

1. Absence of Strategy

One of the possible reasons why people may be avoiding your site content is because you lack a proper strategy. For instance, there are many content marketers out there who keep posting what they want to at any time they want to. In short, they do not follow a proper plan for posting content. Interestingly, only about 37% marketers actually conform to a documented strategy in marketing.

But a documented strategy is exactly what you require to catch the attention of those coming to your site. This plan will help you understand what your content goals are and how you can use content for attaining these goals. The strategy, according to Moz, is like a bridge between content strategy and content marketing. When you have no strategy, there is a clear disconnect, and your audience fails to understand what they are supposed to do with the content.

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A plan helps to put an intention or purpose behind the content. It will outline all the goals, metrics, and strategies. Once a plan is in place, you can move onto the editorial calendar. The calendar will decide what you will publish on your site, its title and content, and target keywords. You can create this calendar using QuickBooks or Trello.

2. Limited Publishing

Another possible cause for low interest in content amongst viewers can be explained by the fact that you rarely publish posts. While the quality of content is definitely important, it is also necessary to keep posting content from time to time. If you publish only once a month, your audience is not going to be interested. When you post consistently, you slowly gain your viewers’ trust. Search engines are also likely to give value to this plan. The greater the number of blogs posted, the higher will be the traffic to the site.

When traffic increases, Google is convinced that you are posting content that interests people. So, it ensures that your website gets better rankings which will drive more traffic to it.

To get this done, you cannot simply post information for the sake of posting. The content has to be superior in quality. For instance, The Writing Cooperative realized that posting too often affected the quality of their posts and their readers left. It is important to find the perfect balance between quantity and quality. Another trick to grab reader attention is to think out of the box and go beyond simple blogs.

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Viewers are keener on watching videos and more and more online viewers have started to depend on smart speakers and voice search. Blogging is no more the only effective medium for delivering good quality content. For instance, Red Bull has been using YouTube videos for showing off all the events and sports that they sponsor. Red Bull’s YouTube channel has more than 7 million subscribers and their content is getting the attention it seeks. Some companies are using infographics for getting viewers interested. For instance, nearly 41% marketers agree that this is perhaps the best form of visual content as far as customer engagement goes. Podcasts are also working well to reach out to your target audience. Millions of listeners listen to these podcasts every day.

3. Using a Sales Pitch in Content

The content you create should not sound like it is trying to sell aggressively; rather, its purpose should be to drive viewers to your site and convert them into customers. So, you should make sure your content does not have a sales pitch. Customers are not impressed when they feel that you are forcing them to buy something. The Internet has given them ample freedom and convenience to look for what they want without any kind of help from sales personnel.

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It is interesting to note that almost 60% buyers do not even interact with sales people till they have made a list of their potential buys. When they are out to buy something, they already know what they need. So, you must create content which can teach them on what is good for buying even before you get a chance to interact with them personally. This means that the site content must be formatted for catering to a buyer’s unique needs.

• To do so, the buyer must be first made aware that your brand exists. Your content should make it easy for the buyer to spot you even in a pile of information. The best way to achieve this is by making videos & educational webinars and creating engaging social media posts.
• In the next phase, the buyer should be made to realize that you can be a solution to his problems. Your content should try to reinforce this point by using case studies, videos showing product comparisons, and podcasts.
• The third stage is where the customer will take a decision. By this time, the lead knows which product is right for him. The best you can do is use the content to support his decision through product reviews, testimonials, and demonstration videos. When a customer has made up his mind to buy a certain product, the journey has come to an end. However, your work is not done yet because now your content must encourage them to keep buying from you. This can be achieved through newsletters, customer satisfaction surveys, and webinars. If you can make your target audience feel that you can help them, you can be sure they will engage more with your content.

4. Lack of Knowledge of Audience

Usually a key reason that may be responsible for your content losing its appeal to customers is when you are unable to understand the pulse of the audience. Every time you create content you have to think who this content is going to cater to. You always tend to think that it is the “customers” who are your targets. But the truth is that you should not seek to attract just anyone simply because he can buy.

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Today, finding information online is easy for everyone. Your job is to find just the right people who will buy your product and then generate content meant for them. If you can make the content more focused, you narrow down the audience too. But you get the benefit of making deep connections through this exercise. For instance, Modernweb shared stories from businesses that had changed to new frameworks. In doing so, they first identified their target audience, understood their problems, and then offered them meaningful content to show how others had dealt with similar problems. Automatically, traffic to the site skyrocketed.

• To get this done, it is important to make a buyer persona who will show you who the real customer is. It will tell you what kind of problems he faces and what the desirable solutions are. The more elaborate the buyer persona, the more target-oriented your content becomes.
• When you have more than a single product or service, you can create multiple personas. For instance, if two people have similar needs but different problems and goals, they must be targeted differently.
• You must also monitor the audience’s social activity to get an idea of the problems they face and the solutions they desire. Using such inputs, you may revamp the content to make it more meaningful which they can use to their advantage. A great way to get inputs is by scanning the type of questions they ask on Twitter or Facebook.
• Finally, you must take part in conversations with real clients. So, you can be involved in Facebook Groups and Twitter Chats where these users are active.

5. Lack of Genuineness

Finally, a prime cause for content losing its appeal is when your voice does not sound genuine at all. Buyers will always buy from companies which they can trust. Unless you can offer credibility and helpfulness, a buyer will not go to you. So, if you simply put on a persona to get more sales you are not going to succeed.

• To do this, you need a proper genuine brand voice which must be able to connect your audience with your brand. For instance, Wendy’s attitude managed to get it many engagements. It is sarcastic and witty which reflects its true persona. That is why it appeals to its customers; it does not try to grab their attention by faking a persona. The brand voice must be more than bland business language or industry jargon. It should resonate with customer needs.
• You can observe how your customers speak on social media platforms. You should also check for brands they most engage with. When you know how they interact with brands, you can create a storyboard. You can move onto stating what your brand likes and how it wishes to be seen by others. Today’s clients want brands to be much more than simply businesses; as many as 65% buyers feel brands should take stands on political or social issues too. So, if you can become involved in important social and political debates you can refine your voice.

This shows that you cannot afford to come up with content which can be conveniently bypassed and disregarded if you want to get higher sales. At the same time, you need to understand that crafting messages which can increase customer engagement is also no cakewalk.

The post 5 Reasons Why Nobody Is Reading Your Content appeared first on Relevance.

Let’s take a look at native marketing and see if we can’t make sense of what it actually is.

Native marketing is a new digital media traffic strategy to drive customers to your door

It’s all about click through rates, or rather, trying to reverse the downward, death-spiral click through rates that have been heading for the tank in recent years. They just aren’t what they used to be. Sorry! Hate to tell you, but nobody’s buying traditional advertising anymore. In fact, one study suggested that millennials actually dissect traditional ads to determine how you’re trying to trick them into buying your product/service. And they sure as hell aren’t buying it!

Traditional ads vs. native ads

Traditional ad heads and copy basically center around a simple concept: Buy our product/service, buy it right now, and if you’re buying something else, switch immediately (click here now!) It relies on tried and true sales pitches. And you know something? It worked for decades. First in print, then radio, then TV. But the internet came along and set traditional advertising on its tail in a big way. As Marshall McLuhan famously said, “The medium is the message.” The new medium is the internet, and native marketing has been developed to reach a totally new generation of consumers.

How?

Glad you asked.

Okay, so David Ogilvy is turning over in his grave

Actually, maybe not. Since he was one of the greatest innovators in marketing/advertising history, he’d probably be one of the first to latch on to this new marketing tool. And what is the foundation of native marketing? Behold:

• Sponsored content … Articles and videos that tell a story. They’re clever, often heartwarming, poignant, and, if done right, hook and reel you in. You don’t look at them, you get involved with them. They hold your attention, and when the sales pitch comes, it flows naturally. They’re selling you something, but you won’t mind it.
• In-feed ads … Take your Facebook home page as an example. You’ve got your basic information on there, but how about an inset directing viewers directly to a video site. If you’re an Italian restaurant, it could lead to a site on “Food in Southern Italy”. Think you customers will spend some extra time on your site? You bet!
• Tie-ins/piggy-backs … Let’s say you’re a seller of automobile parts, and want to get added exposure from a reputable on-line car magazine. And let’s say that on their home page, the car magazine has a section for click-through articles on car care. Wouldn’t it be great if one of those click-throughs brought readers to an article you’d written about car maintenance … prominently mentioning your own company? You bet it would, and there are firms out there that specialize in doing just that.

It comes down to involvement

That’s the real difference between native marketing and traditional marketing. Native marketing gets your customers involved on a higher level than traditional marketing. It keeps your customers looking and listening to your message far longer than a traditional ad ever could. It’s here now, and you’d better take advantage of it before your competitors do!

The post Native Marketing/Advertising Decoded appeared first on Relevance.