Category: Content Marketing Glossary

Insights on Business and Community from Two Intense Days in Denver

Hey there — welcome back to the Copyblogger Weekly!
I’m writing this the night before I fly back home from Denver, Colorado, where we held our live Digital Commerce Summit last week. I had the pleasure of teaching a small workshop on Wednesday and then switching gears to give a conference keynote on Thursday.
Every time we hold a live event, big or small, I’m struck by the sense of community that comes together around Copyblogger and Rainmaker. Whether we were hollering our heads off singing together (just a few feet from the stage) at the CAKE concert or feverishly taking notes at 8:30 in the morning during Brian Clark’s talk on “what comes next” in digital commerce, the Summit brought us together to take the next step.

This week, I had fun listening to our own Brian Gardner and Lauren Mancke talk with Matt Mullenweg — the founder of WordPress — about the evolution of that community. It’s a fascinating conversation — and interesting to hear what Matt thinks about the WordPress community nurturing such a thriving economic ecosystem.
And if you’re interested in some other ways togetherness can play a part in business, you might take a look at my post from Tuesday, where I dig into the Unity principle from Robert Cialdini’s new book.
Heads up: Digital Commerce Academy will be closing to new students
One thing I want to make sure you see is that Digital Commerce Academy (DCA) is going to close to new students

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The Two Sides of the Persuasion Coin

Remember the classic Saturday Night Live sketch?
Is it a dessert topping? Is it a floor wax? It’s both!
This week, we’ll look at two seemingly very different sides of the marketing and persuasion coin.
One side features traditional sales and marketing techniques; the other shows a more educational, audience-building angle — sometimes called a “soft” marketing approach.
They seem like opposites, but in fact, each side benefits and supports the other. Smart marketers will use both … hopefully with a little more grace than a combination dessert topping/floor wax.
Asking for what you want
One of the cornerstones of traditional sales and marketing is making the “ask” — sometimes known as the call to action.
On Monday, Pamela Wilson shared an excerpt with us from her new book, all about the nuts and bolts of crafting effective calls to action. This is a technique you can pick up fairly quickly, and it will make a major difference in how your audience responds to your offers.
(Also, I was lucky enough to get an advance review copy of Pamela’s new book, and it’s insanely useful. You can pre-order now at Amazon, iBooks, Barnes & Noble, and independent bookstores.)
On the audio side of the house, Sean Jackson and Jessica Frick of Members Only talk with Chris Voss, best-selling author of Never Split the Difference, about a more advanced way to ask for what you need — the art of negotiation.
Voss was an FBI hostage negotiator … and has some counterintuitive

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Unique Selling Proposition (USP) Defined in 60 Seconds [Animated Video]

Like David Ogilvy, mid-20th-century ad man Rosser Reeves promoted a hard-sell approach and thought advertising should do one thing: sell.
And sell he did.
Campaigns for Viceroy cigarettes, Carter’s Little Liver Pills, Listerine mouthwash, and Colgate toothpaste boosted sales and put these brands on the map.
His goal was to get customers to recognize a specific brand proposition — what has become known as a unique selling proposition (USP).
But what exactly is a unique selling proposition? And why is it so important?
Watch our 60-second video about unique selling propositions
With help from our friends at The Draw Shop, we whipped up 12 definitions from our new Content Marketing Glossary into short, fun whiteboard animated videos.
Check out our video for the definition of USP:
Animation by The Draw Shop
And for those of you who would prefer to read, here’s the transcript:
In essence, a unique selling proposition (USP) is something that you offer customers or clients that your competitors do not offer.
It’s also known as a “remarkable benefit.”
In the late 1970s, FedEx effectively branded itself as the fastest, most reliable shipping service with its tagline: “When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight.”
That was the remarkable benefit no other company could claim.
And once you identify that unique element for your business, you’ll know exactly what the theme of your content marketing should be, which will eventually become the big story of your business.
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SEO Defined in 60 Seconds [Animated Video]

How do people find what they’re looking for on the web?
Search engines.
And in order for business owners to ensure that their content appears as the most relevant resource for prospective customers, they must optimize web pages to show up in search engine results for specific keywords.
But let’s say you’re a beginner when it comes to search engine optimization (SEO).
What exactly is SEO?
Watch our short, fun video about SEO
With help from our friends at The Draw Shop, we whipped up 12 definitions from our new Content Marketing Glossary into short, fun whiteboard animated videos.
Check out our video for the definition of SEO:
Animation by The Draw Shop
And for those of you who would prefer to read, here’s the transcript:
SEO stands for “search engine optimization.” It’s a process of getting traffic from the “free,” “organic,” or “natural” search results generated by search engines.
Google and Bing are the biggest search engines, and they use algorithms to examine the content on a given page in order to decide what that page is about. Then, based upon more than 200 factors, they decide how relevant that page is to certain keywords.
The job of a search engine, like Google, is to find content that matches your query — or, the basic question you’re asking, like:

How far is the earth from the sun?
Who is the lead singer of Led Zeppelin?
What is a freemason?

Those questions contain keywords. The more your content matches those questions, the better the experience for the user.

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Podcasting Defined in 60 Seconds [Animated Video]

Perhaps you’ve reached a stage in your business where you are ready to do something new.
You have a story to tell or education to share, but you’d like to do more than just writing. Or, you may feel that your audience isn’t growing as quickly anymore.
If you relate to any of those scenarios, then you might want to consider launching a podcast.
But what exactly is podcasting?
Watch our short, fun video about podcasting
With help from our friends at The Draw Shop, we whipped up 12 definitions from our new Content Marketing Glossary into short, fun whiteboard animated videos.
Check out our video for the definition of podcasting:
Animation by The Draw Shop
And for those of you who would prefer to read, here’s the transcript:
A podcast is audio content you can subscribe to and listen to on demand. This American Life is a podcast. The incredibly popular crime-investigation show Serial is a podcast.
In fact, you can think of a podcast as portable radio. Once you’ve downloaded the episode, or subscribed to the show, you can listen to your favorites anytime, anywhere — as long as you have a smart device like a phone or tablet.
Some podcasts follow an interview format, like Marc Maron’s WTF. The podcast Stuff You Should Know uses a rotating panel of experts to discuss different topics. Some are sheer entertainment, like The Truth, which is essentially a movie for your ears. And then there are long-form monologues like Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History.
Rainmaker

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Membership Sites Defined in 60 Seconds [Animated Video]

Let’s imagine you’ve published more than 100 articles on your website and you have 500 subscribers.
Many of those articles drive substantial traffic to your site, and you’ve published 12 guest blog posts on other websites. Those guest posts also drive traffic and help you gain subscribers.
About once a month, you get an invitation to be interviewed or sit on a panel. Due to the authority you’ve established, people in your industry look to you for advice, direction, and education.
Launching a membership site might be an ideal way to monetize your authority.
But what exactly is a membership site?
Watch our short, fun video about membership sites
With help from our friends at The Draw Shop, we whipped up 12 definitions from our new Content Marketing Glossary into short, fun whiteboard animated videos.
Here’s our video for the definition of a membership site:
Animation by The Draw Shop
For those of you who would prefer to read, here’s the transcript:
A membership site is a private, password-protected website that offers exclusive content and training and (often) the ability for members to interact with one another.
These members pay you either a one-time or a recurring monthly fee for access to the site. You can also build a free membership site, giving access to exclusive content or products in exchange for a prospect’s free registration.
Or, you can offer a combination of free and paid levels within the same site, allowing your customers to upgrade their subscriptions according to their needs.
You’ve probably

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The Secret to Powerful Products that Sell: Meet Tara Gentile, Creator of ‘Quiet Power’

Tara Gentile is known for helping people grow terrific businesses — without sacrificing ethics or heart.
Tara works with “idea people” — people who have an idea that they want to turn into a product, program, or service, but who may not always see themselves as business owners or marketers. She helps her audience and clients find the right business models, craft marketing that resonates, and structure their businesses for profit.
She calls her approach the Quiet Power Strategy — and it’s a complete reversal of a lot of the “cookie cutter” advice you sometimes see around digital business.
Listen and observe
A while back, Tara spoke with Rainmaker Digital CEO Brian Clark about how to thoughtfully observe your audience in order to strengthen your business.
Listen to Win: How Actionable Observation Provides Profitable Answers
Brian and Tara share a deep focus on listening in order to uncover audience interests, fears, and desires. When you master this, everything about your business starts to work better.
It’s also the key to marketing that doesn’t feel pushy or creepy — because you’re speaking directly to the problems and concerns of your audience, using their own language. Marketing becomes a direct expression of audience empathy.
Listening is the key to building a business based on service rather than selfishness.
“I see [listening] as probably the biggest thing that’s keeping people from creating marketing that works and products that sell easily … and sales processes that don’t feel slimy.” – Tara Gentile
What do they care deeply

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Marketing Automation Defined in 60 Seconds [Animated Video]

Ever find yourself in a conversation with your boss or a client and she mentions implementing marketing automation?
Did you understand her request, or did the conversation grind to a halt because you’re not familiar with the term?
If you fall into the second category, you’re not alone.
Marketing automation is a hot topic these days, and its popularity has grown rapidly since 2013, but it can be tricky to define.
What exactly is marketing automation?
Watch our 60-second video about marketing automation
With help from our friends at The Draw Shop, we whipped up 12 definitions from our new Content Marketing Glossary into short, fun whiteboard animated videos.
Here’s our video for the definition of marketing automation:
Animation by The Draw Shop
And for those of you who would prefer to read, here’s the transcript:
Marketing automation refers to software used by people and companies to streamline, automate, and measure marketing workflows by automating repetitive marketing tasks.
In other words, it performs certain manual marketing tasks for you. Night and day. Rain or shine.
Here’s an example of how it works:
Imagine someone downloads one of your ebooks. Marketing automation software will capture the contact information from the form, segment that lead based upon the information it gathered, and then send them an appropriate series of emails over a prescribed time.
Share this video
Click here to check out this definition on YouTube and share it with your audience. You’ll also find 11 additional Content Marketing Glossary videos.
Learn more from the Content Marketing Glossary
We’ll feature the rest of

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How to Implement Kinder, Gentler Marketing: 4 All-Natural Truths

I have a love/hate relationship with a soap company.
About five years ago, I stumbled across their products online. They boasted rare and unique scents and naturally-sourced ingredients. They were irresistible (to me, anyway). And their prices seemed reasonable.
So, I placed an order. And that’s when my troubles began.
I had to share my email address to complete my transaction. You know, to “receive an order confirmation.”
Within days, I found myself receiving marketing email after marketing email. Coupons. Special sales. New soaps. New scents. Free shipping.
I imagined their marketing department high-fiving one other and saying, “We’ve got one on the line. Quick! Reel her in!”
And you know what? The products I received were exceptional. They smelled amazing (I’m a sucker for a unique scent). So, I stuck it out for a while. But not forever.
Because I knew how wrong my experience was. I knew there was a better way to market your business. A kinder, gentler way — one that doesn’t alienate the very people you want to nurture.
Time went on.
I sent dozens of their catalogs to the landfill — a new one came in the mail every few weeks.
Finally, I gave up. After placing a few orders, I contacted the company and asked them to please — for the Love of All that Is Holy — stop sending me catalogs. I clicked the unsubscribe link in one of their many emails and used the form on their site to let them know

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Landing Pages Defined in 60 Seconds [Animated Video]

You’ve probably heard us talk about landing pages a lot around here.
There is a good reason for that.
When executed correctly, a landing page is a powerful tool that helps you gain new subscribers, sell your products, and more.
But what exactly is a landing page?
Watch our short, fun video about landing pages
With help from our friends at The Draw Shop, we whipped up 12 definitions from our new Content Marketing Glossary into short, fun whiteboard animated videos.
Here’s our video for the definition of a landing page:
Animation by The Draw Shop
And for those of you who would prefer to read, here’s the transcript:
A landing page is any page on a website where traffic is sent specifically to prompt a certain action or result. Think of a golf course … a landing page is the putting green that you drive the ball, or prospect, to.
Once on the green, the goal is to put the little white ball in the hole in the grass. Likewise, the goal of the copy and design of a landing page is to get the prospect to take your desired action.
The goal could be to sell a product. It could be to get email newsletter sign-ups. It could be to download an ebook. Watch a video. Sign a petition.
The variety of landing page goals is endless, but the important thing to remember is to have one goal per landing page.
One page, one goal. Nothing more.
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