If you are in a marketing, communications, digital media, or any other role within the marketing mix, I can recommend downloading this eBook entitled “The New Media Rat Pack – 52 Tips on Content & Community From the Top New Media Experts.”
Launched by Top Rank Marketing in advance of NMX 2013 (formerly BlogWorld) – an event that was held in Vegas early January 2013 – it’s a worthwhile read. Essentially it’s a top level overview of all of the new (and some old) marketing solutions available today, and includes commentary from 52 of the world’s experts in this field. It’s not deep content, and the focus (including the research) tends to be focused on the US, however by reviewing each of the sections, it gives you the opportunity to assess what is of interest to you, and then you can dig deep.
I think a lot of marketing folk in Asia Pacific could benefit from this eBook and the ideas shared, as in many areas, we remain in our infancy in regards to embracing the real business opportunities these solutions offer. B2B or B2C – it is relevant for both.
The topics covered include:
- Branding
- Blogging
- Social Media
- New Media Law – everyone needs to understand this!
- Mobile
- Content Marketing
- Video
- Podcasting
- Websites
One of the great aspects of the book is the research shared. As I said, much is US focused, but here are the highlights that stood out for me.
Branding
Highlights
- 95% of consumers now use at least one social network
- 44% more likely to purchase based on positive brand exposure
- 44% consumers more likely to recommend the brand to a friend
Source IDG Group
Blogging
Highlights
- 92% of companies who blog several times per day have acquired a customer from their blog
- The average budget spent on company blogs and social media increased from 9% in 2009, to 21% in 2012
Source HubSpot
- Over 65% of business blogs haven’t been updated in a year or more
- 81% of businesses agree having a blog is useful or critical to their business
- But less than 35% blog more frequently than once per month
Source Jeffbulla.com
Social Media
“Social media is helping brands build trust, loyalty, and brand recognition.”
Highlights
- 92% of global consumers say they trust earned media above all other forms of advertising
- 58% of [respondents] trust [the] message on company Websites
- 50% find content in emails they consented to receive to be credible
Source Nielsen
Mobile
In Asia Pacific, mobile penetration is significantly higher than the rest of the world, so this is a core focus area for marketers moving forward in this region – a mobile marketing strategy must be a top priority. Check out this blog “Tablet Strategies for Content Marketing” based on the IDG Connect white paper entitled “iPad for Business Survey 2012” I published last year to get an idea of the figures in AP.
Highlights
- The average response time to an email is 90 minutes. The average response time to a text message is 90 seconds
- 61% of people said that if they tried to access a website that wasn’t optimized for mobile, they would visit the website of a competitor
- 1 out of every 8 smartphone users will search for better pricing on a product or service while at the store
Source Social Media Tips
Content Marketing
A subject after my own heart, this chapter covers four key areas:
- Blogs
- Social channels
- Press Releases
- Email marketing
However it also extends to mobile apps, events, gamification and more.
Top quote – “92% of US adults read content online, spending more than seven hours per week looking for content.”
Highlights
Top B2B Content Marketing Tactics:
- 87% – social media
- 83% – articles
- 78% – eNewsletters
- 77% – blogs
- 71% – case studies
Source Content Marketing Institute
Top Goals for Content Marketing:
- 51% – lead generation
- 38% – brand awareness
- 34% – thought leadership
- 77% – sales
- 71% – customer acquisition
Source BtoB Research Highlights 2012
And an important point to remember
“83% of all learning is visual,” John Meyer, Lemon.ly
Video
“Americans viewed nearly 11 billion video ads in October 2012”
Highlights
- 70% of B2B content marketers use videos
- Use of video has risen from 52% in 2011 to 70% in 2012
- 58% rate videos as the most effective content marketing tactic
Source Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs
Podcasting
Highlights
- The podcasting audience has migrated from early adopters to more mainstream media consumers
- Podcast consumers prefer content on their desktop, but mobile phone media consumption is surging
- Those consuming podcasts index [was] very high for social networking
Source Edison Research
Websites
The only statistic worth noting here is this:
“97% of websites fail at user experience, according to Forrester Research.”
97%!
“A great website design must cater to the needs of the user.”
Further Highlights
9 common ecommerce Website usability issues:
- No cost estimate before checkout
- Too much info for registration
- Missing auto-fill on forms
- Absent left rail filter
- No instruction for input format
- Poorly optimized search
- Messy top navigation
- No user reviews
- Registration required to purchase
Source measuringusability.com
There you go. If nothing else and you don’t read the eBook, the stats could provide useful information if you need to sell the advantages of any of these ideas to your bosses.
Like I said, this book doesn’t go into great depth – as that is not its goal. Its goal was to tantalize the reader into attending an event, and if I was in the US, it would have worked. But it does give a broad-view of the new marketing solutions available today and the core focus areas for anyone in marketing. Furthermore, I enjoyed another aspect of the book – it consistently linked the story back to the original Rat Pack of the 1960s – a group of entertainers most of us know and love to this day – which made it a delightful read as well.
I thought my peers in Asia Pacific would appreciate being aware this book is available and hope the above homework I’ve done helps as well. Let me know what you think if you read it?
Cheers
Andrea