“Show don’t tell” isn’t just a principle for writers. It’s for marketers, too. In creative writing, “show don’t tell” challenges you to make readers experience what characters think and feel, instead of saying it. In marketing (especially content marketing), “show don’t tell” means helping your audience see the value of [...]
Anyone can create content. But if you want your blog, newsletter, YouTube channel, podcast, magazine, or social media accounts to be effective, you need to start with a content strategy. And that’s not so easy. Your strategy gives every piece of content a job, so you’ll always have a thoughtful [...]
A lot of people have been asking us: can you embed videos in email? Unfortunately, it’s a yes-or-no question without a yes-or-no answer. Technically the answer is yes . . . but more accurately: sort of. You can use an HTML 5 code to add a video to your email, [...]
Personas help you reach the right people with the right message. Also referred to as buyer personas, audience personas, marketing personas, and customer personas, these are fictional representations of the actual people you serve. While personas are “made up,” they only work if they’re grounded in research. You need to [...]
You defined your audience. You created your ad, landing page, and lead magnet. But for some reason, your ad impressions just aren't leading to conversions. Or your leads aren't turning into customers. If you aren't seeing the click-through rate (CTR) you want, it doesn't mean you have to go back [...]
What if the holiday season was more known for generosity than commercialism? That's the heart behind the #GivingTuesday movement, and it's why it intentionally comes right after Black Friday and Cyber Monday. GivingTuesday isn't about any one organization or cause, and it was launched on the hope that generosity could [...]
Sometimes having a clear, well-defined brand message makes a bigger impact on sales than the price or even the quality of your products. Donald Miller puts it this way: “People don't buy the best products and services. They buy the ones they can understand the fastest.” With any given ad, [...]
A good sales funnel runs like a well-oiled machine. Leads go in, and customers come out. At the top of your funnel (TOFU), eye-catching content makes people aware of your brand. Mid-funnel (MOFU), your lead nurture campaigns help your audience develop a relationship with you and see your brand as [...]
“Know your audience” is a classic adage of sales and marketing. It’s key to crafting persuasive sales pitches and relevant content. The better you understand who you’re talking to, the better you can appeal to their interests, aspirations, and struggles. But what happens if you don’t know your audience? Maybe [...]
Email used to be the Wild West of the Internet. Email lists were rivers, just waiting to be exploited in the search for gold, and the inbox was a lawless place—a free-for-all where anything was fair game. But people didn’t like being treated that way. So now we have spam [...]