Have you been feeling the need to stop and take stock? Would this be a good time to stop and fill in the gaps, maybe go back over the fundamentals of digital marketing?
If so, you’re in luck. This month’s issue of Stukent’s News You Can Use can be a major resource for helping you do that.
From honing your AdWords skills, to learning more about Twitter Analytics, to some surprising predictions from SEO kingpin, Bruce Clay, we’re going to cut a wide swath through the world of digital marketing.
Are you ready? Let’s do it!
1. GET MORE OUT OF ADWORDS
Topic: [highlight type=”dark”]Online Advertising[/highlight]
Key Point: Got an AdWords question you’re struggling with? Wish there was a place to find answers on everything from keywords, bidding, account management, mobile, and more… all in one place?
Google’s Best Practices Series consistently gets updated and enlarged. If you’ve yet to bookmark the location and use it as a ready reference to AdWords, then stop waiting and save the link. These tips are central to sound paid search strategy.
Here you go: Google Best Practices
[line]2. HOW TO CRAFT A REMARKABLE SEO STRATEGY!
Topic: [highlight type=”dark”]SEO[/highlight]
Key Point: While you’re getting tuned up on Google Search and Analytics, why not throw some SEO fine-tuning into the mix? Rand Fishkin recently took to the whiteboard to lay out a three-step SEO strategy for 2017.
Rand begins with the big picture, ties it into organizational goals, then gets down to nuts and bolts. Watch the video, read the transcript, then put the tactics into practice.
Start here: A Remarkable SEO Strategy.
[line]3. FACEBOOK MAY GIVE THE NOD TO MID-RILL ADS
Topic: [highlight type=”dark”]Online Advertising[/highlight]
Key Point: Saying it’s time for Mark Zuckerberg to turn the video empire he crafted “into a business,” Recode senior editor, Peter Kafka, rolled out a story Facebook advertisers loved to hear: mid-roll ads may soon be showing up on videos in your timeline.
Most of us are used to pre-roll ads. Think YouTube and the “You can skip this ad in 7 seconds” messages. They run before the video plays. You can watch or skip.
Mid-roll ads, though, play after you’re already committed to viewing the video. Think television’s frequent suggestion to “stay tuned, we’ll be back after a break for our sponsor.”
Why should you care? Recode does a good job of going over the basics here: Facebook Ads Share the Money.
[line]4. TWITTER ANALYTICS GUIDE FOR MARKETERS
Topic: [highlight type=”dark”]Analytics[/highlight]
Key Point:
We’ve suggested resources for AdWords and SEO, here’s a guide that’ll get you up-to-speed on Twitter analytics. This Hootsuite publication by Kaylynn Chong is aimed at helping you figure out whether or not your Twitter strategy is paying off.
Find out more about your audience, check the effectiveness of your post timing, determine what’s working and replicate it. Excellent info and a list of tools – check it out here: Twitter Analytics.
[line]5. FACEBOOK MARKETING PREDICTIONS FOR 2017
Topics: [highlight type=”dark”]Social Media Marketing[/highlight]
Key Point: Will Facebook groups begin allowing paid ads? Will Messenger get an end-to-end sales tool? Is it even possible we’ll see Facebook launch a cable television network this year?
Social Media Examiner asked pro marketers to go out on a limb and predict the developments we’ll see from Facebook in 2017. It’s a fun read, and – who knows – some of it may even come true.
Get the scoop: Facebook in 2017, According to the Pros
[line]6. SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING PLANNING GUIDE – FREE
Topic: [highlight type=”dark”]Social Media Marketing[/highlight]
Key Point: On a more tangible level, everybody needs a plan, and Simply Measured has a social planning guide to help you create and manage yours. Yes, you’ll need to opt-in for the download, but it’s well worth the effort.
Get trends to consider, a checklist for planning, a primer on KPIs and more. Here’s where to get started: 2017 Social Media Planning Guide.
[line]7. DRIVING SALES WITH GMAIL ADS
Topic: [highlight type=”dark”]Email Marketing[/highlight]
Key Point: It’s part of Google’s Official Guide to Gmail Ads. It’s new, though, and it’s right on target. If you’ve yet to try inbox advertising, this is an excellent place to begin.
Learn about purchase intent targeting, using email for re-engagement, how to get clicks, ads that work like landing pages, and email ad optimization. It’s all straight from the horse’s mouth, and it’s free.
Get it here: Driving Sales with Gmail Ads.
[line]8. BRUCE CLAY’S 2017 DIGITAL MARKETING PREDICTIONS
Topic: [highlight type=”dark”]Digital Marketing[/highlight]
Key Point: Bruce Clay is a heavy hitter; he’s the SEO master guru. When Bruce Clay speaks, it’s a good idea to listen… especially this year.
His 10-point list of 2017 digital marketing predictions begins with something Clay says will shock the SEO world – organic search will become less relevant, while PPC and Local Paid Inclusion take center stage.
That’s just for starters.
Check out the other nine predictions, and find out why PPC experts stand to be in even greater demand by reading the rest of the story on the Bruce Clay, Inc. website: Digital Marketing Predictions for 2017.
[line]8. HOW TO AVOID THE MOBILE SIGN-UP FORM PENALTY
Topic: [highlight type=”dark”]SEO[/highlight]
Key Point: It’s called the “mobile intrusive interstitial penalty,” and it could give you a major headache soon. We’re hoping that’s not the case, and so far things look okay, but better to be forewarned and forearmed.
Google says the move is aimed at “pages where content is not easily accessible to a user on the transition from the mobile search results.” In other words, they don’t want anything to stand in the way of the mobile user and the content that user seeks.
Get the scoop on which forms are particularly at risk, find out more about the penalty’s intent, and learn what to do to minimize the risk to you and your clients.
Here’s that link: 4 Ways to Avoid Google’s Mobile Sign Up Form Penalty.
[line]Congratulations! You’re all caught up on your digital marketing news and updates for the month! Tweet your excitement!
That’s it for this month’s edition. When you see digital marketing news you think we should cover, give us a shout-out.
Hit us up on Twitter @StukentApp!
