Bob’s Weekly Reading Picks
2019.9.8 volume 35
Content
1.Understand Content Commerce with Sarah Bundy at CJU19
2.How to work with influencers: Disclosure
3.Inside the complicated world of the travel influencer
4.How Does the Local Algorithm Work? – Whiteboard Friday
5.Brand Monitoring: A Complete Field Guide to Owning Your Brand Online
6.Which Types of Ads Annoy Consumers Most
7.Technology firms vie for billions in data-analytics contracts
1.Understand Content Commerce with Sarah Bundy at CJU19
CJ: There’s been a lot of talk lately about the need for diversity in digital marketing. Can you share your thoughts on this topic?
SB: There is the need for diversity in the types of partners within our ecosystem, and then there is the need for diversity in expertise and personnel in the work force within our sector.
As affiliate marketing becomes more mainstream, it creates a whole world of additional opportunities for everyone, both on the supply and the demand side.
CJ: What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
SB: I have found that the saying “seek first to understand, then be understood” has been a powerful guiding force for me in this industry. You should understand what they need before you try to get them to understand your side.
Learn to ask the right people the right questions at the right time, in an open-ended format. Draw out context and background into why people do the things they do, or why they need the things they need.
CJ: What’s your smartest work-related shortcut or productivity hack?
SB: In one word: Discipline.
There is no hack that’s good enough if you don’t have the discipline to focus on the most essential tasks at hand. You have to stay focused, learn to stay no, and prioritize and power through obstacles when things get tough.
2.How to work with influencers: Disclosure
Regional references on latest laws and standards
UK:
US:
- www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2017/04/ftc-staff-reminds-influencers-brands-clearly-disclose
- www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/plain-language/bus41-dot-com-disclosures-information-about-online-advertising.pdf
Germany
Australia:
Benelux:
France:
- www.arpp.org/nous-consulter/regles/regles-de-deontologie/digital-advertising-and-marketing-communications-code/#toc_1_3
- www.arpp.org/actualite/marketing-influence-marques-regles-de-transparence/
Italy:
- www.codicedelconsumo.it/english-version/
- www.iap.it/codice-e-altre-fonti/il-codice/
- http://en.agcm.it/en/media/press-releases/2018/12/ICA-closes-second-moral-suasion-on-influencers-and-brands-yet-opens-investigation-into-possible-hidden-advertising
- www.iap.it/social-network-e-content-sharing/
Poland:
Spain:
Additional tipsforinfluencers:
- Make sure your website has a Privacy Policy and Advertising Disclosure page that explains how you work with your sponsors. You may want to ask a legal expert to assess the wording on these pages to ensure the correct wording is in place. It should be clear to people of all ages, especially young audiences
- Ensure advertising links and associated content are labeled as advertising
- Use the ‘paid partnership’ label on Instagram and on Twitter use #ad
- A disclosure sentence to the footer of a website will make it present on every page of the site. Also make sure each individual sponsored post is disclosed as such so that audiences can differentiate this among other non-commercial posts
3.Inside the complicated world of the travel influencer
Inspirational or loathsome?
While travel blogging is a relatively young phenomenon, it has already evolved into a mature and sophisticated business model, with participants on both sides working hard to protect and promote their brands.
A working relationship
For some tourism outlets, bloggers offer a way to promote products that might be overlooked by more conventional channels. Even those with just 40,000 followers can make a difference.
All expenses paid
One challenge is weeding out genuine influencers from the fake, a job that’s typically done by manually scrutinizing audience feedback for responses that betray automated followers. Bogus bloggers are another reason the market is becoming increasingly wary.
Posts are typically valued — depending on audience location — at about $1,000 for every 100,000 followers.
Value proposition
This is where things can get tricky. Not all influencers are necessarily interested in what value their posts lend their audience.
Many luxury properties in the Maldives have terminated their influencer marketing programs after getting countless requests from fraudulent influencers.
4.How Does the Local Algorithm Work? – Whiteboard Friday
Categories e.g. Google My Business
Review Content e.g. Yelp
Local algorithm vs organic algorithm
Moz whitepaper found that only 8% of local pack listings had their website also appearing in the organic search results below.
5.Brand Monitoring: A Complete Field Guide to Owning Your Brand Online
The Importance of Brand Monitoring
- Improve Customer Service and Retention
- Create a Better Product (collect feedback about your product)
- Boost Your Sales
- Source Relevant Content
- Measure Your Marketing Impact (Hashtag)
- Monitor the Competition
What to Monitor
- Branded Keywords and Common Variations
- Product Names (xxx issue/problem)
- Campaign Names
- Industry-Specific Keywords
- Product Features and Functions
- Competitor Keywords
- C-Suite and Brand Public Figures
Tools to Conduct Brand Monitoring
Best Practices for Successful Brand Monitoring
- Set Up Alerts for Negative Mentions
- Have a Game Plan for What to Do Next
- Know When to Engage and When to Be Silent
- Learn from Your Competition
6.Which Types of Ads Annoy Consumers Most
The survey found that about two-thirds of US digital buyers thought autoplay video ads with sound were annoying, making them the most annoying type of online ad. Autoplay videos without sound, which irked 55.0% of respondents, was No. 2. Perhaps surprisingly, the third-leading response was audio ads on music streaming services or podcasts. Almost half of respondents said they found them annoying.