Last week, some members of our team went to the Unbounce Call To Action Conference. It was definitely an eye-opening experience and ‘the highlight of my year’ said Chaney. We want to share some important takeaways from this conference with you and we hope it will get you excited about the future of marketing:
SEO Gentrification: Breaking the Silo Between CRO and SEO To Make BIG Wins – Will Reynolds
While customers and consumers are searching for answers, we, on the other hand, are searching for ways to sell – to get them into the funnel. His message – Winning the search race is about solving problems and building a trusted brand. It’s not about putting your brand ahead of your customers.
So what does this mean for us? It means an opportunity for us to help our clients become problem solvers. Suggest creating website content that addresses questions they regularly receive. It’s a great way to address pain points and provide information on what their customers want to know, as opposed to what the company thinks they want to know. Structuring content that answers the “what,” “how” and “is” will not only help position them as reliable resource but will also get them noticed by Google’s algorithms.
After all, who doesn’t want to be liked by Google?
The Irresistible Power of Strategic Storytelling – Kindra Hall
As master storyteller, Kindra Hall, recalls the time she passed a physics paper with storytelling, she boils it down to an illuminating point, “As I tell you a story, you recreate it in your own mind. By delivering information in the form of a story, you meet me halfway and create images that matter to you.”
Lightbulbs go off. The audience leans in. This is the power of story.
As for how storytelling can be applied to a business’ marketing message, Kindra gives us a practical tip: rather than thinking of a story as having a Beginning/Middle/End, reframe it as Normal/Explosion/New Normal. Tell a story about how a business helps customers find their new normal.
Kindra’s keynote speech inspired us to tell the story of our own brand. Read about it here.
Winning Facebook Advertising Strategies: 5 Powerful Ways to Leverage Your Results & ROI- Mari Smith
Videos, videos, videos! Video in digital marketing was mentioned over and over again in this year’s conference. Mari Smith, the Queen of Facebook, also stressed the effectiveness of using engaging videos in Facebook advertising. According to Nicola Mendelsohn, VP EMEA at Facebook, “Facebook will definitely be mobile and probably all video in 5 years.” Businesses should really start creating video content, as it is 3x more engaging than a regular post. Right now, of 7 posts/ week: 80% links, 19% photos and less than 1% is video.
Main takeaway: create more visual and video content and make people (client & audience) happy
Super Advanced Content Marketing– Andy Crestodina
Andy maximizes productivity by archiving his e-mails and later publishing the content online. As he handles more emails, he is essentially creating a library of resources on various topics. He suggests marketers to update existing content and repurpose them for rankings and traffic. “Never waste a good conversation by having it private,” said Andy. Collaborate on content effectively because an ally in creation is an ally in promotion.
Main takeaway: Be organized and think strategically about your creation. Become the master of your own craft.
The future is digital and the future is now. Here’s the official conference notes, if you’re interested in other talks. Happy reading!