Bob’s Weekly Reading Picks

2019.3.31 volume 12

Content

1.How to Find Publishers for Merchants Starting Affiliate Programs
2.How Much Martech Should PPC Marketers Actually Use
3.Performance Partnerships 101: Technology
4.An Unpopular List of Marketing Trends for 2019
5.How to Write a Press Release That Journalists Won’t Ignore
6.Pop-Up Shops 101: Everything You Need to Know to Try Temporary Retail
7.BrandZ Top 50 Chinese Brands

1.How to Find Publishers for Merchants Starting Affiliate Programs

Choosing an affiliate network
Incentives you are offering
Provide creatives (logo, banners, coupons)
Finding Influencers on Instagram/ Youtube…
Recruitment Tools and Services
Conferences and Trade Shows (e.g. Affiliate Summit, Affiliate World)
Affiliate Marketing Conferences 2019
Consider an OPM or Agency

2.How Much Martech Should PPC Marketers Actually Use

A. Technology is only as good as the user. So people first.
B. Technology should help you get things done (faster, better, cheaper) or solve a pain point. So process second.

a.How much should we spend on technology?
The 10 / 90 rule, by Avinash Kaushik
You should invest 10 percent in technology and 90 percent in the people that extract value from that technology.

b.How many tools should we be using?
It depends on how specialized you are.
If you’re a PPC or SEO professional, you’re very likely to use 10 to 20 different tools regularly.

c.Which tools should we be using?
Analyze (partial) Martech landscapes that have been published, such as the Martech 5000, Smart Insight’s Essential Digital Marketing Tools, the LUMAscapes, and my own modest contribution like the PPC StackScapes.

d.Should we build our own technology?
If building software isn’t your core business, you should probably just pay third parties for the technology you need to get your core business done.

3.Performance Partnerships 101: Technology

Affiliate Network (Full Service & Self-service) VS SaaS
Companies want to know about strategy, innovation, incrementality, attribution and account management, whereas previously they were more interested in tracking and payment details.

4.An Unpopular List of Marketing Trends for 2019

Things RAND FISHKIN Doesn’t Think Deserve to Be Web Marketing Trend

AI
Voice Search
Chatbots
Beacons
Virtual and/or Augmented Reality
Blockchain
Native ads, video, emphemeral content, micro-influencers,mobilefirst indexing, mobile payments

5.How to Write a Press Release That Journalists Won’t Ignore

Definition
A press release is a document that announces a newsworthy story about your brand that the media might want to cover and provides all of the pertinent information a reporter or editor would need.

Announcements include

Launching a new business, product, or service
Holding a large contest or competition
Partnering with a charity, community organization, or celebrity
Hosting an event
Winning an award
Sharing a customer success story
Announcing a merger or acquisition
Rebranding your business
Promoting or hiring a new executive

7 steps to write an effective press release

Find a newsworthy angle
Craft an appealing headline
Summarize your story in your subtitle
Introduce essential information
Provide supporting information and context
Lead into the reader’s next steps
End with your boilerplate

Template

[Headline that announces story and captures attention]

[Subtitle that quickly summarizes story].

[CITY, Month Day, Year]—[Company Name, Company Description], announced today [The who, what, when, where, and, why of your story].

[Share past milestones, events, stats, research, and additional context a journalist might want. Use multiple paragraphs and bullet points if you need to].

[Incorporate quotes from the main subjects/experts involved in your story].

[Emphasize once more what makes this story newsworthy].

[End with boilerplate that includes more general information about your company, how to learn more, and get in touch for more information].

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Examples

PR Service Providers

6.Pop-Up Shops 101: Everything You Need to Know to Try Temporary Retail

Definition
A pop-up shop is a short-term, temporary retail space where brands—usually ones without a physical presence—can interact in person with current customers and communicate their message to potential new ones.

Why run a pop-up shop?

Create an in-person connection with customers
Build buzz and awareness
Test offline selling as a sales channel
Drive more sales during busy seasons
Test new markets and gain traction in existing ones
Unload older inventory

How to pick the perfect pop-up shop location?

Vacant storefront
Shopping center or mall
Pop-ins
Gallery/event space
Mobile

Legal Documents

Lease
Licenses
Permits
Insurance

How to market your pop-up shop

Getting PR for your event
Leveraging influencer marketing
Pitching your pop-up to local bloggers
Pre-During-Post pop-up

Bobz Notes

Weekly Reading Picks| Volume 12