Get Your Seattle Exploration on at MozCon 2016!

Posted by EricaMcGillivray

MozCon is fast approaching us! On September 12-14—just two weeks away—1,400 online marketers will descend on Seattle, ready to learn about SEO, content, Google Tag Manager, conversion rate optimization, and so much more. We've got fewer than 60 tickets left, so grab yours now.

Buy your MozCon 2016 ticket!

If you haven't done so, check out all the learning! This post is geared toward the things you can do when MozCon sessions aren't happening.

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Places you'll want to go as recommended by Mozzers

While you're in Seattle, we want to make sure you have a fabulous time. Seattle in September is beautiful. It's still sunny outside, and it's the time of year people come to Seattle and then want to move here. So we've complied a list of great activities and restaurants:

Sights

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Gasworks Park

"Incredible views of the city, float planes landing overhead, Space Needle in the background, Ivar's Clam Chowder down the street, bikes all over the place."

— Brian Childs

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Volunteer Park

"This is my favorite place in all of Seattle! Stroll around the park and stop in the Seattle Asian Art Museum and the conservatory, then climb to the top of the water tower for an incredible view. You can also walk through the graveyard and see Bruce Lee and Brandon Lee's grave. After all that walking, hop over to the adorable and delicious Volunteer Park Cafe."

— Megan Singley

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Elliott Bay Trail

"Amazing views, has a mini gravel beach, and lots of park space. Great for running and cycling. I ride my bike along EBT nearly everyday to Moz, and I fall in love with city over and over again."

— James Daugherty

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Alki Beach

"Alki is a beautiful walk with a spectacular view of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains. It's got some good restaurants, and even a little history as the site of the original settlement."

— Maura Hubbell

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Discovery Park

"If you've never been to the Pacific Northwest (or even if you have!), Discovery Park on a clear day is a great place to see the Olympic Mountains, Puget Sound, Mt. Rainier, and to get some quality forest walking done all in one fell swoop. Plus, it's 20 minutes from downtown! (Pro tip: For the easiest view access, park in the lot on W Emerson just before 43rd Ave W.)"

— Rachel Moore

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Green Lake

"People of every ilk converge to exercise, feed ducks, play with dogs, and covet the dogs of others."

— Felicia Crawford

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Activities, tours, and museums

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The Underground Tour

"What a great way to hear about and experience early-Seattle's history!"

— Emily Smollen

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Ferry to Bainbridge Island

"Seattle is surrounded by water and mountains. The ferry is the easiest way to experience that scenery. The view of the city is amazing too!"

— Alyson Murphy

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The Pinball Museum

"It is special to me because I've only been to Seattle once, as I work remotely in the UK. It was a joy the see how strong the love for pinball is in Seattle. The Pinball Museum houses the world's biggest pinball machine, and it is really something to behold; it's like hugging a dining room table."

— Jo Cameron

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Restaurants and bars

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Linda's

"Laid back, good music, cheap food, and nice people."

— Nicelle Herron

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Cyclops

"If you are a vegetarian (or love vegetarian food), the Happy Hippy Burger is a must. It is not only the best veggie burger in Seattle, but it's the best I have ever had. Cyclops also has great drinks and food for the omnivores, too."

— Chiaryn Miranda

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Pie Bar

"This hole in the wall has it all! Pie Bar serves up warm, freshly baked slices of heaven with a pint of bliss. Savory pies, sweet pies, pietinis, craft spirits, and beer...all nestled in an elegant, cozy venue where you won't have to shout over a crowd 3-hipsters-deep to order. And if you're done with your pie and ready for some pinball and arcade games, John John's Game Room is directly next door!"

— Jess Stipe

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Oddfellows Cafe

"This hip little eatery has some awesomely tasty foods, a sweet little private back patio, a laidback atmosphere, and awesome drinks. Plus, it's right in the heart of Capitol Hill, one of my favorite 'hoods in the city."

— Tawny Case

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Bonus! Lightning suggestions:

• The Fat Hen
• Smith
• Bottega Italiana
• Cafe Turko
• Shorty's
• Omega Ouzeri
• Sushi Kashiba
• Métier Seattle
• General Porpoise Doughnuts
• Sizzle Pie
• Holy Mountain Brewing
• Herb and Bitter
• Lionhead
• Optimism Brewery
• Meet the Moon
• Bar Melusine

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Brian Childs' recommendation corner

"I put this Google map together for friends visiting the city. Includes lots of breweries, bars, restaurants, and things to do: Get the info!"

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Official MozCon evening events

For all our evening events, make sure to bring your conference badge AND your US ID or your passport.

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Monday Night MozCrawl

From 7:00pm - 10:00pm, you can head to all the stops at your own pace and in any order. Visit all the stops, fill out your punch card, and return it to the swag store on Tuesday morning to enter to win a golden Roger!

• Barca hosted by Unbounce
• Capitol Cider hosted by Buffer
• Comet Tavern hosted by SimilarWeb
• Linda’s Tavern hosted by WordStream
• Still Liquor hosted by Whitespark
• Unicorn hosted by BuzzStream

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Tuesday MozCon Ignite

If you're looking for networking, this is event for you! Join us at from 7:00-10:00pm at McCaw Hall for a night of networking and five-minute, Ignite-style passion talks from your fellow attendees. This year, our talks will range from information and unique to heartwarming and life changing. You don't want to miss this MozCon night.

• 7:00-8:00pm Networking
• 8:00-8:05pm Introduction with Geraldine DeRuiter
• 8:05-8:10pm Help! I Can't Stop Sweating - Hyperhidrosis with Adam Melson at Seer Interactive
• 8:10-8:15pm A Plane Hacker's Guide to Cheap *Luxury* Travel with Ed Fry at Hull.io
• 8:15-8:20pm Life Lessons Learned as a Special Needs Parent with Adrian Vender at Internet Marketing Inc
• 8:20-8:25pm How to Start an Underground Restaurant in Your Home with Nadya Khoja at Venngage Inc.
• 8:25-8:30pm Embracing Fear, Potential Failure, and Plain Ol' Discomfort with Daisy Quaker at AMSOIL INC.
• 8:30-8:35pm How Pieces of Paper Can Change Lives with Anneke Kurt Godlewski at Charles E. Boyk Law Offices, LLC
• 8:35-8:40pm Is Your Family Time for Sale? with Michael Cottam at Visual Itineraries
• 8:40-9:20pm Networking with desserts and refreshments
• 9:20-9:25pm Prison and a Girl that Loves Puppies with Caitlin Boroden at DragonSearch
• 9:25-9:30pm Embracing Awkward: The Tale of a 5' 10" 6th Grader with Hannah Cooley at Seer Interactive
• 9:35-9:40pm Finding Myself in Fiction: LGBTQUIA Stories with Lisa Hunt at Moz
• 9:40-9:45pm Wooly Bits: Exploring the Binary of Yarn with Lindsay Dayton LaShell at Diamond + Branch Marketing Group
• 9:45-9:50pm How a Cartoon Saved My Life with Steve Hammer at RankHammer
• 9:50-9:55pm Flood Survival: Lessons from the Streets of ATL with Sarah Lively at Nebo Agency
• 9:55-10:00pm Hornets, Soba, & Friends: A Race in Japan with Kevin Smythe at Moz

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Wednesday Night Bash!

From 7:00-12:00 midnight: Bowling, pool, Jenga, a slow-motion booth, a photo booth, karaoke, cupcakes, food, drinks, and more! You don't want to miss our annual bash.

Rent some bowling shoes and go for a turkey. Sing your heart out just like you recently joined Journey. Snap photos with your friends while wearing silly hats. Show off how much of a ringer you are at pool. Get into a chicken strip-eating contest. Hang out with your new MozCon friends one last time, and celebrate all the learning!

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Birds of a Feather lunch tables

If you want to spend your lunchtime getting great advice from your fellow attendees about online marketing or meet people in your specialty, check out our birds of a feather lunch tables:

Monday, September 12

• Women in Digital hosted by Heather Physioc at Tentacle Inbound, LLC
• Search Marketing for Nonprofit Organizations hosted by Sheena Schleicher at Schleicher Marketing
• Content MArketing for E-Commerce hosted by Kane Jamison at Content Harmony
• Local SEO hosted by Kristina Kledzik at Rover
• Topical Analysis hosted by Michael Cottam at Visual Itineraries
• In-house SEO hosted by Andy Odom at Santander Consumer USA
• Making CRO Work for Your SEO hosted by Patrick Delehanty at Marcel Digital

Tuesday, September 13

• Local Search hosted by George Freitag at Moz
• Growth Hacking hosted by Brittanie MacLean at Realty Austin
• Continuing Marketing Education hosted by Rachel Goodman Moore at Moz
• Marketing Automation hosted by Ed Fry at Hull.io
• How to Smartly Mix Search and Content to Aid Overall Business Strategy by Ronell Smith at Ronell Smith Consulting
• E-Commerce SEO hosted by Everett Sizemore at Inflow
• SERP Features hosted by Jon White at Moz
• Technical SEO hosted by Bill Sebald at Greenlane Search Marketing

Wednesday, September 14

• Google Penalties hosted by Michael Cottam at Visual Itineraries
• Advanced SEO hosted by Britney Muller at Moz
• Marketing for USA Manufacturing Companies hosted by Crystal Hunt at Grassroots Fabric Pots
• Work-Life Balance hosted by Keri Morgret at Inbound.org
• Local Search hosted by George Freitag at Moz
• Marketing Automation hosted by Ed Fry at Hull.io
• Content Marketing hosted by Trevor Klein at Moz

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Join the Fitbit Group

Track your steps while networking and cheer on your fellow attendees!

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Play Roger Patrol!

Ready for some friendly competition between your fellow attendees? We’ve built a special MozCon game just for you. You'll play as starship, part of Roger Patrol! Try and beat the top score on Roger Patrol video game by zapping asteroids, destroying evil spaceships, and protecting Roger Mozbot's universe. We’ll provide a download link for attendees, and you’ll also find three arcade-style boxes of the game throughout the MozCon venue.

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Visit our Partner Hub, get your photo taken with Roger, and more arcade-style fun

As you head up to registration, entering MozCon, you won't want to miss all the activities around you and happening when the conference isn't in active session.

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Say hello to our Partners

Every sulk through an exhibitor hall with your head down like you're in middle school again? Us too. Which is why at MozCon, we wanted to do something different. Our invite-only partners are not only respectful, but we've vetted their activities and their products to make sure they are useful to you. So say hello, and we promise you might instead get a postcard to send home, a t-shirt, or a special MozCon coin.

Our great partners:

• Buffer
• BuzzStream
• SimilarWeb
• Slope
• STAT
• Tagboard
• Unbounce
• Whitespark
• Wistia
• Wordstream

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Stop each day at the Swag Store!

After the first day, Registration will be transformed into a swag store. You don't want to miss out on these goodies. On Tuesday, you'll be able to pick up your official MozCon 2016 t-shirt. On Wednesday, you'll get your own Lego Roger.

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Meet Mozzers to give feedback or Ask an SEO

Make sure to stop by the Moz Hub. We'll be there to answer your questions about Moz Pro and Moz Local. Learn about our latest offerings and updates. Get insights into how best to use the tools.

And by popular demand, we've added Ask an SEO. Mozzers and Associates with expertise in SEO will be there to answer your burning search questions and kickstart you with new ideas for your search campaigns.

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Play the Roger claw machine

We're bringing back the plushie claw machine! If you missed out getting one of our plushie Roger Mozbots, or you just need another as a small child or pet decided Roger was their best friend, now's your chance. In order to play, you must visit one of our Partners or the Moz Hub for a special shiny coin. Then take that coin to the claw machine!

Don't worry, we've put a TAGFEE spell on this machine, so you may find it a little easier than the ones in the malls of your childhood. ;)

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Take a photo with Roger Mozbot

A MozCon tradition you won't want to miss. Get your annual photo (or maybe it's your first!) taken with the cuddliest robot in the galaxy, Roger Mozbot.

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Donate to charity, on us!

Open up your Monday swag kit and inside you'll find $5 Roger bucks. You get to donate this to one of three charities (charities selected by Mozzers):

• PAWS - people helping animals
• International Justice Mission - a global organization that protects the poor from violence in the developing world
• Seattle Children’s Hospital - to prevent, treat, and eliminate pediatric disease

Roger Mozbot will then count the bucks and write a check to each charity.

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Push pin world map

Ever play pin the tail on the donkey? Well, this is like that, but pin the spot where you are from, minus the blindfold.

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In Seattle on Thursday post-MozCon? We have MozPlex tours.

Every wonder where Roger Mozbot lives? Or heard of the stories of cereal bars and rooms named after starships and robots? Is is true that Mozzers have sit/stand desks? Don't miss out on our Office Tours on Thursday 9/15. Sign up for your time slot.

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Even more fun in Seattle

Don't miss our posts from years past, which are full of restaurant, activity, and more recommendations: 2015, 2014, 2013, and 2012.

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Activities happening around Seattle from Saturday, September 10 - Sunday, September 18

• September 9-11, San Gennaro Festival in Georgetown
• September 10, Thai Festival Seattle
• September 11, Live Aloha Hawaiian Cultural Festival
• September 11, Second Saturday Art Walks
  
  • Ballard Art Walk
  • Central District Art Walk
  • Madrona Art Walk
  • Georgetown Art Walk
  • Wallingford Art Walk
• September 11, Historic Tour of the Moore Theater
• September 15, Columbia City Art Walk
• September 15, Seattle Center's “Best Damn Happy Hour”
• September 16, University District Art Walk
• September 17-18, Fiestas Patrias – Latin American Independence Festival
• September 17-18, Seattle Mini Maker Faire
• September 17, Ballard Civic Orchestra's “Celebrating Hispanic Cultural Heritage”
• September 17, White Center Art Walk
• September 17, Historic Tour of the Neptune Theater

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If you're looking to connect with fellow attendees, please join our MozCon Facebook Group.

Buy your MozCon 2016 ticket!

Sign up for The Moz Top 10, a semimonthly mailer updating you on the top ten hottest pieces of SEO news, tips, and rad links uncovered by the Moz team. Think of it as your exclusive digest of stuff you don't have time to hunt down but want to read!

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5 Strategies to Entice Consumers to Binge-Watch Your Product Videos

Continue watching.

These two words are infamous in the world of video streaming. When consumers are hooked, they want more to watch.

“Content marketers should consider the binging trend a sort of case study. All of the elements that make us binge are lessons,” says Kari Matthews, a content writer for technology companies.

“We can do what these [television] shows do, in our own way, in our own industries, to make the most of our content and build our brands.”

Work with your team to engage customers with binge-worthy product videos. Get them excited about your brand and ecommerce services.

Try these five strategies below to entice your consumers.

1. Cater to Diverse Audiences

Normally, experts suggest creating content to serve a select group of people. But when it comes to product videos, you may want to take a different approach.

You want your content to be shareable. So, it must serve several different audiences. And that includes people who will never purchase your product.

“Remember that not everybody who buys, buys today, not everybody who consumes content shares it, and not everybody who shares content buys,” states Scott Allan, chief marketing officer at AddThis.

“Instead of focusing on capturing leads, create memorable content that customers will draw on when they or their friends are ready to make a purchase.”

So, produce content that people can share with their family and friends. Focus on moments that everyone can relate to, like laughing with friends, hosting a summer barbeque, or attending a college football game.

Below is the noteworthy Dollar Shave Club product video. Not everyone who shared this content bought the shavers, but it did go viral and reached their target audience.

If your company wants avoid vulgar language, think of your product video like a PG-rated film. For instance, most Disney movies are meant for kids to enjoy, but they have enough common themes to engage the parent.

Don’t be afraid to serve more people with your videos. The goal is to spread the word.

2. Develop A Backstory

For product videos to gain your audience’s attention, the content must discuss more than the product. Yes, content must go beyond talking about your company.

In other words: Tell a story that emotionally attaches people. It’s all about showing your audience a new perspective. And giving them a different insight that humanizes your brand.

Studies show that “Americans alone consume over 100,000 digital words every single day, but 92% say they want brands to tell stories amongst all those words.”

The same holds true in the world of video. A written product description isn’t good enough. And a video regurgitating similar information is just awful.

According to For Dummies, a “backstory refers to everything that occurred in your story’s past. A character’s backstory may include family background, job history, psychological condition, and any memories you create for that person from childhood on.”

Instead, bring your videos to life with characters and a plot. Give the actors names and set up an environment where the product is being used, not displayed.

That’s what Amazon did when they introduced its Echo. Rather than giving consumers a run down of the product features, the eCommerce giant showcased the product’s value in a simulated setting.

Get creative. Show, don’t just tell consumers about your products.

3. Create Episodic Content

According to Netflix, the network’s 83 million members watch more than 125 million hours of TV shows and movies every day. That’s a lot of time in front of a screen.

But what keeps viewers coming back for more?

One reason is access to uninterrupted content. Consumers don’t need to worry about commercials. Advertisement don’t get in the way of their favorite shows. Therefore, they can focus on viewing what they love the most.

Another reason is the addicting show plots. A great television show contains episodes that leave the audience wanting more. People are constantly wanting to know what’s going to happen next.

Will the main character finally locate the killer? Or will the antagonist prevail and destroy his enemies?

Image Source

Episodic content has people on the edge of their seats. And that’s how your team should set up product videos.

Shoot multiple videos with cliffhangers. Get consumers intrigued about your brand culture and latest product benefits.

“Episodic content enhances the credibility of your brand as people become more and more familiar with you and what you are about. This builds trust and value with your target audience,” says Kerri Ponder, a writer at Crowd Content.

One product video is fine. But a bunch can get customers hooked on your ecommerce brand.

4. Notify Customers of Updates

Your customers are busy. They have to manage both their work and home schedules.

So, sometimes certain things get forgotten. And that’s perfectly fine.

That’s where are your team steps in. Remind your customers of your new product videos.

There’s an old marketing adage: The Rule of Seven. It says that a “prospect needs to see or hear your marketing message at least seven times before they take action and buy from you.”

Create a special website pop-up telling them about new videos. Keep customers informed by sending notification emails leading up to the launch.

Your business already sends updates about new terms and conditions. Mimic the technique for product videos.

“Getting people excited about content that is perhaps not yet fully done whets their appetite and keeps them talking about you and your brand, days ahead of when your campaign or content actually is released,” writes Shanna Cook, senior social media manager at Nokia.

Like any marketing tactic, don’t over do it. Reminders can become nuisances if they are sent every single day. Take a look at your internal data and set times best suited for your target audience.

Ask customers to sign up for your email list for product video announcements. There’s power in notifications.

5. Offer an Instant Reward

Everyone enjoys special gifts for their efforts. Reward customers for taking the time to watch or share your video.

Customers want to be delighted. They desire instant rewards that help them today, not tomorrow. So, stay away from mail-in rebates or points that can’t be redeemed today.

For example, at the end of a product video, offer a 10% promo code. And think beyond discounts. Giveaway exclusive access to a webinar or a free ebook.

Christian Karasiewicz, a social media marketing professional, suggests the following:

“Develop a video to showcase your expertise or further educate your viewers, then include a YouTube card that leads your audience to related material. This can be a transcription, checklist, infographic, SlideShare or downloadable PDF…”

YouTube cards are notifications that appear in your video. It’s a small rectangular box at the top right corner. It give your viewers a preview of the message. Check out the video below on how to add cards to YouTube videos.

Analyze which rewards consumers like the most. Then, start offering instant rewards for watching your product videos.

Binge-Worthy Content

On-demand video is attracting consumers to brands. The best ones hold the audience’s attention and keep them engaged.

Aim to create product videos for a diverse audience. Give your videos a backstory. And notify customers of new releases.

Produce captivating product videos. Let consumers continue watching.

About the Author: Shayla Price lives at the intersection of digital marketing, technology and social responsibility. Connect with her on Twitter @shaylaprice.

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9 Ways to Grow Your Email List With Twitter

So your email list is starting to grow, but you really want to really get the ball rolling.

Have you considered Twitter as an opportunity to get even more email subscribers?

Today, forty-two percent of people learn about products and services via Twitter, and forty-one percent provide their opinions. According to Convince and Convert, Twitter is ubiquitous. You’re already using it but are you getting the most out of your efforts?

There’s no better way to make an impression on your followers than giving them a sneak peek at the engaging and relevant content you’re creating for them.

At least thirty-four percent of marketers use Twitter as a lead acquisition tool – which makes this the perfect channel for promoting your content, email list and business. With some practice, and a few choice tips from yours truly, growing your email list on Twitter will be easier than ever.

Here are the nine ways you can optimize your Twitter content:

1. Add images to your posts

With every tweet you send, make sure you’re optimizing them for engagement. What is one way to improve them? By including an image.

In fact, thirty-four percent of followers are more likely to retweet your content when there’s a visual to accompany the text.

Shareable images should be attention-grabbing, but make sure you keep it relevant to your branding. Check out this tweet we shared for our What to Write in Your Emails course:

We created an image that speaks to our audience with the intent of inspiring action. You can see in our tweet that the text is present but not the focus, it shows more than it tells. And there are stories being told: an amateur photographer sits down at the end of the day to write up a newsletter on the day’s shoot, or maybe a professional photographer works on the best way to present a course on what type of cameras to use in different shots.

As you craft your image, keep a few things in mind:

• Keep the text to a minimum (or include none at all).
• Make it bold. Strong composition and clean lines spur followers to take action.
• Size your images to be a minimum of 440 pixels long x 220 pixels wide. (According to Sprout Social, images should be a 2:1 ratio for optimization.)

You might also find that certain colors or elements resonate better with your audience. Feel free to test different variations to see what works best.

Pro Tip: To learn more about what makes an amazing sharable image, check out our step-by-step checklist!

2. Optimize your content for Twitter shares

Including a Click to Tweet option in your blog posts, ebooks or on a web page is a great way to get people to interact with your content. Plus, it allows your content to get in front of new audiences. (maybe include one of those quote tweet things here?) Not only will they be able to participate in the act of sharing, you can include a prominent form for their audience to sign up.

This works especially well for email-gated content. If you create an email course, for example, you can include a Click to Tweet on the Thank You page after someone signs up. This way, when they share it with their networks, others will have to subscribe to your email list to sign up for the course as well.

Here’s an example from one of our own Thank You pages, which the AWeber team created as part of our What to Write in Your Emails course:

Beneath the call-to-action button, you’ll notice a line of copy with the Twitter logo next to it – that’s our Click to Tweet. When someone clicks it, a new window will open up allowing the user to share the course as well:

While we added pre-selected text (which you can do, too), the user can adjust the copy as needed.

This allows your followers to ultimately help promote your list and help boost the overall engagement with your landing pages and lead magnets.

Pro Tip: Consider liking or retweeting these posts – it’s a great way to give them a shout out and say thank you!

3. Make your posts more noticeable with Twitter Cards

At first glance, a Twitter card is like an extra special, souped-up tweet. In addition to the standard 140-characters, cards include a multimedia element (image, video, content preview) and a link to a web page. And there are a ton of options for you to chose from.

For example, you can promote your blog posts with a summary card. It displays the title, description, image and a direct link to the content. This is a great way to show off your content to followers, and and it gives a little bit more information on what you have to offer on your blog. (And from your blog, you can set up sign up forms to join your email list!)

While different cards can be used for any number of campaigns, if you really want to drive list growth, you’ll want to check out the lead generation card.

With this type of Twitter card, you get the benefit of a larger Tweet (which includes an image), plus a stand-out CTA button.

Just take a look at this card from Really Good Emails:

Not only is it fun and aligns with their brand, you as the reader are 100% sure of what action you should take. The card stands out, there is a clear CTA that inspires followers to take action, and let’s be honest, who wouldn’t want to make their Mama proud?

Pro Tip: Your CTA should be as direct and engaging as possible, you want this tweet to empower your followers to sign up. Just remember to let people know what they’re signing up for.

4. Pin important tweets

Twitter gives you the option to keep (or “pin”) a tweet at the top of your feed. This ensures that new and returning immediately see that post first when they go to your business page. While you can pin any tweet, like an upcoming event or content, this is a great opportunity to feature your email list or a lead magnet that requires an email address.

Think about pinning the lead magnet, or Twitter card you’ve created too. To keep your page fresh and up-to-date, be sure to change the tweet with a new one every once in awhile. This could be as simple as tweaking the content a tiny bit or switching out the whole tweet for a new one. Just keep track of the changes you’ve made to help see what converts better for your followers.

Pro Tip: If you plan on pinning a Tweet that leads to a piece of content, try optimizing email sign ups by including a more prominent form to help increase conversion, such as a banner sign up form that spans the top of your page or a lightbox form.

5. Make a strong profile

Your Twitter profile is an extension of yourself; whatever you choose to include speaks volumes about who you are and how your followers will see you. While this static profile element doesn’t need to be changed often, it can be used to drive followers to a landing page that includes an opportunity to sign up to your email list.

When asked about what link you’d like to include in your bio, why not direct people to your About Me page? If you run a regular email newsletter, you can include a sign up form on this page to allow people to get to know you and your brand better.

Check out this profile for Henneke Duistermaat, who’s a copywriter, coach, and contributor to Copyblogger:

You know everything you need to know about her and get a sense of her personality right off the bat. And  when you click on the link on her profile, it takes you to a page where you can sign up to her email list. Good move, Henneke!

6. Question everything

What do you think is a great way to entice your followers to sign up for a mailing list?

See what I did there? When you solicit direct feedback from your followers, they’ll be charged to engage with your content on a more personal level. Use this personal connection to direct your followers to a specific landing page based on their feedback. What better way to learn more about them and how they think about your brand?

Questions are a great way to open up a conversation with your followers and learn more about them. If you’re not sure how to collect this feedback, try a survey provider like SurveyMonkey or Google Forms. Frame your questions to out more about what your followers want to learn. You can even provide the answer in the same tweet, like this tweet from Movable Ink.

Ask who your followers go to for inspiration and what kind of content they like to read the most. Is it long or short, flashy or utilitarian whatever it is you can use this feedback to tailor your content and attract the right kind of audience.

When you speak directly to your follower’s needs you can create more actionable copy that drives them to sign up.

7. Keep yourself on schedule

We’re all busy, and growing your mailing list on top of everything else you need to do may sound overwhelming. But with a little help and planning, it’s easy to promote effectively on Twitter. Plus, when you using a service like Hootsuite or Buffer to help manage your social media activity, you can leverage automation to help you save valuable time.

By using a service to schedule and track your outgoing tweets in advance, you gain the benefit of letting your social posts operate on autopilot. This allows more time for crafting the content of your posts without worrying about when and how you’re going to send them.

You can also use their built in analytics to review the performance of every post, which can give you insight into what content resonates best with your audience. This can go a long way in creating content that encourages people to sign up for your email list.

8. Optimize your landing pages

As you direct your followers to landing pages that promote your email list, you’ll want to make sure they’re optimized for conversions.

We all know that landing page design is important, but optimizing for mobile is essential considering close to 80% of users access Twitter through their mobile device.

Additionally, pay close attention to your CTA. Actionable language like “Don’t miss out!” or “Let’s get started!” will increase clicks and help drive conversions from your followers. By keeping the page content clear and concise, your followers will know exactly what to do to move the process forward.

Any landing pages you have should be targeted to these followers, relevant content will always convert higher. Think about what your followers really need. If you’re not quite sure who they are Twitter has a great built-in tool that will help you identify what content resonates best with your audience.

9. Repurpose your newsletters

If you send a regular newsletter, try tweeting out a link to an archived version. By offering some exclusive content for free, you can give your followers a taste of what kind of emails they can receive upon signing up. We’ve recently given the AWeber Broadcast Archive a facelift, so it’s easier than ever to manage the content you want your followers to see.

For even better results, try a message that has performed really well in the past. And as always, include a sign up form so your followers can sign up to receive additional updates.

Ready to start sharing?

Twitter is a great channel for growing an engaged email list because it allows you to target an audience that already follows you, while still giving you the chance to get in front of new eyes.

Now that you’re ready to expand your list building strategy to Twitter, it’s time to get started. What do you plan on doing first? Tell us about it in the comments!

The post 9 Ways to Grow Your Email List With Twitter appeared first on Email Marketing Tips.

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Content Amplification: The Tools & Strategies You Need to Drive Growth

You’ve slaved away at your beloved content for what seems like weeks. Bleary eyed, exhausted, and borderline delusional, you finally publish your latest blog post with a trembling, caffeinated hand and breathe a ragged sigh of relief. It is done. You have breathed life into the world (kinda) and unleashed your labors upon the internet (sorta, I guess).

Except nobody reads your post. The social share count hovers just a little above zero, like a vulture hungrily eyeing its prey, waiting patiently for it to die. What kind of cruel god could allow such a tragedy to unfold? What went wrong? What unseen, malevolent hand caused your post to fail?

You didn’t amplify your content.

Content amplification is an amazingly powerful technique that, if done correctly, can deliver incredible results – and the kind of traffic that your web servers may struggle to cope with. It can expand your audience immensely, establish your brand firmly at top-of-mind among consumers in your industry, and create new opportunities to drive leads and sales.

In this post, we’re going to take an exhaustive look at content amplification. First, we’ll define what content amplification actually is, before taking a look at several reasons why it’s such an essential part of your wider digital marketing strategy. Finally, we’ll talk about how to actually do content amplification in a series of highly actionable strategies you can implement right away, as well as the tools you’ll need to get the job done. There’s a lot to cover, so let’s get started.

What Is Content Amplification?

Content amplification is the process of helping your content reach a significantly wider audience – hence, “amplifying” the signal of your content. Another way to think of it is in the classic signal vs. noise metaphor often used in content marketing. Your content is the signal, and everything else is the noise. When you put it in these terms, the concept of content amplification becomes a lot clearer.

 

The Grateful Dead’s now-legendary on-stage amplification system, “The Wall of Sound,” in 1974. Image copyright Richard Pechner / via Motherboard

It’s important to note that content amplification isn’t a single strategy or technique. The practice of content amplification encompasses many individual techniques, strategies, and methods of amplifying the reach of your content, making “content amplification” an umbrella term for several unique strategies.

Using paid search to drive awareness of your latest white paper? You’re amplifying your content. Running Facebook ads to generate buzz about your latest eBook? You’re amplifying your content. Leveraging influencers and their large networks to get the word out about your latest infographic?

You got it – you’re amplifying your content.

Now that we know what content amplification actually is, let’s take a look at why it’s so crucial to the success of your content marketing strategy.

Why Is Content Amplification So Important?

If you have even modest experience with the content marketing landscape, you’ll know it can be absolutely brutal out there. With almost three million blog posts published every single day (yes, really), there’s plenty of noise out there – and your signal is competing with all of it.

Granted, there aren’t almost three million blog posts published in your specific niche every single day, but the sheer, terrifying volume of worthless, poorly written garbage on the Web is absolutely amazing.

Aside from the nightmarish levels of competition and the intensity of maintaining daily (or even more frequent) publishing schedules, content amplification is crucial to today’s content marketing professionals because social media channels and, to a large extent, search giants like Google itself, are heavily prioritizing paid content over organic results.

This phenomenon has hit social media marketers particularly hard, with Facebook’s organic reach declining sharply over a relatively short period of time.

 

Image via social@Ogilvy

The figure above, originally published by Ogilvy, shows the shocking decline of organic content on Facebook between October 2013 and February 2014 – a period of just four months. Today, organic reach on Facebook is even lower, with some publishers’ fans seeing an average of just 2% of organic posts published in certain cases.

However, the bad news doesn’t stop there. Last year, BuzzSumo analyzed one million blog posts (yes, really) to see how people interacted with content online. The results showed just how competitive the content marketing landscape really is:

• 50% of randomly selected posts received fewer than eight social shares in total
• 75% received fewer than 39 social shares in total
• 75% received ZERO referring domain links

 

Image via BuzzSumo

These figures are a sobering reminder that, despite our best efforts, most content fails – hard. Other studies have yielded similarly depressing results. According to data from Trackmaven, 42% of professionally marketed blog posts receive fewer than 10 interactions.

If experienced professionals face these kind of odds, it may be tempting for small businesses and new blogs to think that the content ship has sailed; that you’re too late to the party, or can’t compete with larger companies and teams. Although solid organic traffic is certainly possible with patience, a commitment to publishing quality content, and a keen awareness of on-page SEO elements, relying upon organic traffic solely is a one-way ticket to crisis. In today’s digital media landscape, the reality is that you have to pay to play.

Of course, the better you know the game, the more likely you are to win – and that’s what makes content amplification so powerful.

Content Amplification Strategies (or How to Stop Gigging in Bars and Start Playing Stadiums)

Is your blog more like the scrappy (possibly crappy) indie band you’d expect to see droning on stage at your local dive bar, or more like the Rolling Stones? While it’s true that Mick and friends got their start at a humble pub – The Bricklayer’s Arms on Broadwick Street in London, a reputedly fine establishment which eventually became one of the greatest record stores in the world, Sounds of the Universe – they had lofty ambitions of rock stardom from the very beginning.

 

7 Broadwick Street, London, where The Rolling Stones played their first performance,
as it is today. Image via Rock & Roll London.

Don’t settle for a career spent gigging in pubs. Be like Jagger and aim for the crowd of 1.5 million people he and his bandmates played for in Rio in 2006 (but definitely not like the Stones’ infamous concert at the Altamont Speedway Free Festival in 1969). Identify bold, ambitious goals and implement actionable strategies to help you get there – strategies like the ones below.

The following content amplification strategies can help you reach a wider audience, get the right content to the right people at the right time, and firmly establish your blog as an authority in your niche. Follow these highly actionable strategies to amplify your content and reach a whole new level of readership and conversion opportunities.

Content Amplification Strategy #1: Only Amplify Your Very Best Content

Remember how we described the content creation process as a cruel, wicked mistress that seeks to chain us to our desks for all time and torture us with her mocking laughter? Well, after enduring a trial as arduous as writing an awesome blog post, it’s tempting to think of everything you produce as excellent – a unicorn, as Larry would say.

 

However, as even the youngest of children could tell you, unicorns are so prized because of their rarity. If every blog post or white paper were a unicorn, then we’d have to find another equally graceful and elusive mythological beast after which to chase.

The harsh reality is that, sadly, most content is more like a donkey than a unicorn. And, as Larry has warned us in the past, you shouldn’t send donkeys into space as, “They can’t withstand the rigors of space travel” (a limitation that unicorns presumably lack).

 

“WHAT NOW LARRY”

Paying to promote your content (a strategy sometimes referred to as content advertising) can be extraordinarily cost effective. However, with competitive pricing comes the temptation to promote everything. After all, the more people that see it, the more effectively you’re amplifying your content, right?

Wrong.

Content amplification is useless unless you’re promoting the very best content you have – the top 1-2% of your most exceptional content. Even paid social’s comparably competitive ROI doesn’t mean you should pay to promote all your content – only the very best.

Let me give you an example of what amplifying “unicorn” content looks like. A while back, we published a blog post about the slow, agonizing death of Google+, the search giant’s ailing social network. We were among the first to break the story – including even dedicated news teams at large media companies – and we paid to promote the post via Twitter.

 

Twitter.com screenshot of the Promoted Tweet shortly after publication

We knew this story was going to be huge, so we spent a little money to promote it – just $250, to be precise. That initial investment not only netted Larry almost 1,500 retweets, but earned the site more than 100,000 visitors in direct referral traffic – an absolutely insane (as Larry might say) ROI for such a meagre advertising spend.

This post remains one of WordStream’s most-shared and most-read articles, and smart content amplification helped this happen.

Content Amplification Strategy #2: Leverage the Power of Influencer Marketing

You already know that your content needs to be as good as it possibly can be if it’s to have any chance of succeeding. You also know that you should only be paying to amplify your very best content. But what about who should be reading – and sharing – it?

 

Getting influential people to help spread the word about your content (commonly known as influencer marketing) can be extraordinarily powerful, but it’s tricky to get right and there’s no exact science to it; more like a bit of planning and a little luck. Think of it like trying to get your mixtape into the hands of the right producer – it’s tough, but if you somehow pull it off, you might just have a shot at the big-time.

There are several ways to try and encourage influential people in your niche to share and amplify your content. Further below, in the Tools section, you’ll also find a software tool that will make influencer marketing a whole lot easier.

Send Influencers Brief Emails

One of the most straightforward ways to try and get influencers to share your content is by emailing them. However, email is a very real burden for many influencers, and as such it might not be suitable for time-sensitive content such as breaking news or industry-first infographics or original data.

 

It’s also worth considering that most influencers probably receive dozens, if not hundreds, of such emails every day. If you do decide to email an influencer, don’t be pushy, keep it short, and be polite. Oh, and don’t copy/paste the same email to everyone – there are few things more professionally damaging (and embarrassing) as forgetting to change someone’s name in an email. It’s a bad look.

Engage Influencers on Social Media

This approach can also be highly effective. Tweeting at an influencer to let them know about a new blog post or guide might result in them clicking, reading, and sharing your article. Sure, it’s a long shot, but all it takes is for one key influencer in your niche to share a post for it to potentially go viral, so be sure to regularly engage with influencers in your industry, and not merely in a self-promotional context.

 

However, when engaging with influencers on social media, it’s important to remember that influencers’ mentions are likely full of links to articles, news stories and the like. By all means be proactive on social media, but don’t overdo it and don’t spam people relentlessly with links to your stuff.

Use Influencers’ Content as a Starting Point

One of the most effective ways to leverage the power of influencer marketing is to use what influencers say as a starting point for a larger discussion. For example, you could use a blog post written by an influencer as either the basis for a post offering a counterargument (a potential use of contrarian content, if there is a valid counterargument), or as inspiration for a more detailed post.

This type of content is much more likely to pique influencers’ interest, as it responds directly to something that the influencer said. You can then frame this content in a more organic way i.e. “Hey, I loved your post about [topic], but I disagreed with some of your points” or something similar.

Content Amplification Strategy #3: Use ‘Super Remarketing’

Before you ask, no, “super remarketing” is not a new AdWords or Facebook Ads feature, but rather a content amplification strategy masterminded by WordStream’s own unicorn hunter, Larry Kim.

Super remarketing is essentially using highly granular targeting parameters and combining these parameters with certain behaviors. Let’s see how this works in action.

 

Say you want to remarket your content more effectively. For the sake of example, let’s say you’re promoting an eBook about enterprise-level IT solutions. You’re already remarketing to everyone who has visited your site – the very essence of remarketing – but your conversion rates are still low.

Rather than throwing good money after bad, you rethink your remarketing strategy to cater more exclusively to your ideal customer. You accomplish this by only remarketing to users who share similar characteristics, such as:

• Works at a Fortune 500 company
• Bachelor’s degree or higher educational attainment
• Mid/senior management-level role, or specific job title
• Involved in purchasing decisions
• Familiar with your brand/content

 

If you’re new to remarketing (super or otherwise), this approach might seem counterintuitive. Isn’t it better to remarket to wider audience segments in the hope of improving conversion rates? Not necessarily. It’s pointless remarketing to people who don’t have any influence in the purchasing process, for example, or to people who are still too junior in their careers to make use of the information your content offers.

By being purposefully selective in your targeting parameters, you’re doing everything you can to ensure that your remarketing ads appear to the right people, at the right time, with the right offer. Also, don’t forget that this highly granular approach applies only to your remarketing strategy, not your initial PPC or paid social campaigns, so don’t be afraid to delve into the data and be “super” specific about your remarketing options.

Content Amplification Strategy #4: Get Involved in Niche Communities

It always makes me laugh seeing “guides” on how to market effectively on community sites like Reddit. Not because it’s impossible to market on Reddit and the like (though such communities are notoriously, vehemently anti-marketing), but because it reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of how Reddit and similar sites work.

Sure, Reddit has ads and sponsored links, but its real value isn’t as an ad platform, but rather because it’s a place where people can gather to share their passions, whether that be Libertarian politics or .gifs of startled cats.

 

Marketing on Reddit – it’s not impossible, it’s just really difficult.

Rather than focusing on “get rich quick” schemes and guides telling you how to really market on Reddit, focus on becoming a trusted, valued member of the niche communities that are relevant to your business. Don’t just post links to your content every day on Reddit (or Inbound.org, or Growth Hackers, or YCombinator, etc.), but instead get involved in the conversation.

Remember – Mick and the lads didn’t become rock gods overnight.

 

A typical day’s discussion at Inbound.org

Post relevant, useful links that people will genuinely find useful. Answer questions better than anyone else and start discussions. The more valued a community member you are, the more likely other members are to share your content organically, without resorting to the kind of sleazy tactics that will tarnish your reputation in the community.

Content Amplification Tools

So, now that we’ve covered several ways you can amplify your content, it’s time to take a look at the tools you’ll need to get the job done. Some are free, others are subscription-based, but I’ve tried to list the most cost-effective tools where possible.

Content Amplification Tool #1: BuzzSumo

BuzzSumo isn’t a promotional tool per se, but it’s absolutely invaluable for identifying what’s hot in your industry – a great place to start when producing content.

 

Image via BuzzSumo

Priced at $99 per month for the most affordable package, BuzzSumo analyzes all major social media channels to see which content is resonating with readers in real time. For example, you could enter “PPC” as a keyword or subject of interest, and BuzzSumo will display the most-shared content across all major networks. This allows you to see at-a-glance which topics are being shared the most and identify topic areas that are either timely or very popular.

This approach is perfect for using other content as a starting point (as in the influencer and contrarian marketing examples above) and for capitalizing on trending topics to kick-start your content amplification efforts. Essential.

Content Amplification Tool #2: Facebook Opportunity Calculator

Facebook Ads are perfect for content amplification. They’re cheap, offer amazing potential ROI, and boast targeting options that give even AdWords a run for its money. Of course, determining the best course of action can be a considerable challenge, even for experienced advertisers. That’s why we created the Facebook Opportunity Calculator.

 

The Facebook Opportunity Calculator evaluates your Business Page on Facebook and determines how well your content is performing, as well as areas in which immediate improvements can be made.

It also reveals how limited Facebook organic reach really is (caution: this may shock and/or depress you), along with a helpful cost-to-reach calculator that shows you how much you can expect to spend on Facebook Ads to reach your most valuable audiences.

 

The tool also offers a Facebook remarketing simulator, which accurately simulates how well a remarketing campaign on Facebook may perform – vital insights that could have a dramatic impact on your campaigns.

The Facebook Opportunity Calculator is completely free to use, so give it a shot!

Content Amplification Tool #3: Buffer

It’s no secret that we’re all huge fans of Buffer at WordStream. Not only do the folks at Buffer run one of the best blogs in the business, they also make an awesome product of the same name trusted by social media managers everywhere.

 

Image via Buffer

At first glance, Buffer is just another social media scheduling tool. Although scheduling is a crucial part of Buffer’s functionality, there’s way more to it than that. For one, users have the option of scheduling tweets at optimal times depending on the social network in question. As Buffer’s own data shows, not every social network is similar in terms of when the most people are active at any given time.

 

Image via Buffer

Another excellent content amplification feature within Buffer is the ability for users to “re-Buffer” old content from their dashboard. This can be done manually or automatically, but however you choose to do it, being able to quickly and easily share old content again is a major boost to any content amplification project.

Buffer is free for individual use, with paid plans ranging from $10 to $399.

Content Amplification Tool #4: Little Bird

Remember how we talked about influencer marketing earlier? Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a sleek software tool that made influencer marketing easier? Well, there is, and it’s called Little Bird.

 

Image via TechCrunch

Little Bird is a software tool that makes identifying, connecting with, and sharing content with influencers easy. The software boasts an extensive feature set, including robust social media monitoring and graphing tools to help visualize connections between your business and influencers in your industry. It also features content monitoring and sharing tools (similar to those offered by BuzzSumo), making it easy to see what influential people are talking about.

Finally, Little Bird has a diverse advertising toolset, including social graph analysis functionality, relationship mapping tools, and contextual connection insights that can drive more effective content advertising and social campaigns.

Unfortunately, there is no current pricing information available anywhere on Little Bird’s website. Three years ago, Little Bird plans began at $50 for individuals (limited to five reports per month), ranging up to $250 per month for small businesses, $500 for mid-sized businesses, and bespoke pricing plans for enterprise-level clients. These figures may no longer be accurate, so be sure to thoroughly discuss Little Bird’s pricing plans with a company representative before making a commitment.

Content Amplification Tool #5: BuzzStream

Many content amplification tools share much of the same functionality, which can make choosing between them a challenge. Fortunately, some tools distinguish themselves by offering functionality that few or no other tools can, which is why BuzzStream is definitely worth a look.

 

Image via BuzzStream

Describing BuzzStream in a few words is pretty difficult. The software boasts a wide range of features, from outreach tracking to team and project management. You can track every stage of your editorial, PR, and outreach workflows, assign stages of projects to specific individuals, and track everything from an intuitive centralized dashboard.

BuzzStream also offers several tools that similar software does not, such as link building and SEO tools. This diversity of functionality combined with the simple, cross-platform project management tools makes BuzzStream a potentially deadly weapon in your content amplification arsenal. BuzzStream plans range from $24 per month for the Starter level, up to $299 per month for the Professional plan. Custom pricing is also available for larger teams.

One More Time: A Content Amplification TL;DR

If you’ve made it this far (and you haven’t been deafened by the sound of all this awesomeness), you’ve learned everything you need to get started with content amplification. We’ve covered a lot of ground, so here’s a quick TL;DR (“too long; didn’t read” for those of you scratching your head) to recap the essentials:

• Content amplification is the process of helping your content reach a significantly wider audience
• Content amplification is crucial in today’s content marketing landscape due to the increasing volume of content being published, heightened competition for increasingly niche audiences, and overall declining organic reach
• Only amplify your very best content
• Leverage the power – and reach – of influencers as a content amplification strategy
• Use “super remarketing” to tighten your focus on only the most valuable audiences
• Get involved in niche online community sites and develop brand authority and trust by contributing valuable resources to the community
• Use tools such as BuzzSumo, the Facebook Opportunity Calculator, Buffer, Little Bird, and BuzzStream to organize, implement, and track your content amplification initiatives

Nigel Tufnel, living rock and roll legend

The tips, techniques, and tools mentioned in this post are far from the only such ways to approach and work with content amplification, but hopefully you’ve got a much better idea of how to start amplifying your content and expanding your reach. If you have any tips and tricks of your own when it comes to amplifying content, get at me in the comments.

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