by Fronetics | Nov 20, 2014 | Blog, Marketing, Social Media, Strategy
Last month when Flipboard launched the third version of its mobile news app, Mashable called it “the most personal and magazine-like experience the platform has offered yet”. Compared to previous versions, Flipboard 3.0 seems more adept in curating relevant and individualized content for users – a function that can be traced to Flipboard’s newly acquired, topics-based technology.
Earlier this year when Flipboard acquired Zite from CNN, it announced plans to integrate Zite’s technology into Flipboard’s product, improving its capability to personalize news feeds for users. The company reports that once the full integration is in place, they’ll sun-set the nine year old Zite app. First debuting as an iPad-only application, Zite quickly expanded its reach into the smartphone applications market while concurrently navigating acquisitions by CNN then eventually landing at the giant media aggregation app Flipboard. So what is it, exactly, that CNN and Flipboard found so appealing about Zite? Quite simply, it’s personalization.
What the founders of Zite realized early on, and then successfully developed, was that users wanted an individualized news feed that served up topics-specific content. Not only did Zite deliver on that functionality, but it took news feed generation a step further by introducing an element of fluidity. Over time, the application learned what type of content and topics the user found valuable and used that information to curate highly-relevant material. Setting Zite further apart from competitors was its expertise in culling articles from sources other than what users would typically find on social media or search engine results. Flipboard has positioned themselves well to leverage the Zite technology given their similar user bases and platforms. Indeed, Flipboard 3.0 is both more personal and less personal – striking a balance of topic specific, uniquely-sourced content and trending, staff-curated content.
4 Flipboard Uses for Content Marketers
-
Use it to Promote
If your content strategy includes blog writing and the distribution of your content, you should be using Flipboard. It naturally lends itself to the social promotion of your brand and content. Extending your brand beyond your website is as simple as creating a Flipboard magazine of your products and/or services.
-
Use it to Learn:
Flipboard’s 100 million active readers have already amassed a sizable collection of insightful content about specific topics. No matter what industry you work in, it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll find unique content either generated or curated by industry peers.
-
Use it for Productivity:
You’ve already created great content. Flipboard makes it easy to share content across your existing social networks. Want to send a prospect a product or service listing? Tweet them a link to your Flipboard magazine showcasing your products and services.
-
Use it to Unwind:
Miss the last episode of your favorite show? Catch up by reading show-related content. Want to plan a trip to the beach in February? Browse Flipboard’s travel magazines to find the best hotel deals and insider information about resorts.
You can download Flipboard for free. It is available for iOS, Android, Windows, Blackberry, Kindle Fire & NOOK.
by Fronetics | Nov 20, 2014 | Blog, Marketing, Social Media, Strategy
Last month when Flipboard launched the third version of its mobile news app, Mashable called it “the most personal and magazine-like experience the platform has offered yet”. Compared to previous versions, Flipboard 3.0 seems more adept in curating relevant and individualized content for users – a function that can be traced to Flipboard’s newly acquired, topics-based technology.
Earlier this year when Flipboard acquired Zite from CNN, it announced plans to integrate Zite’s technology into Flipboard’s product, improving its capability to personalize news feeds for users. The company reports that once the full integration is in place, they’ll sun-set the nine year old Zite app. First debuting as an iPad-only application, Zite quickly expanded its reach into the smartphone applications market while concurrently navigating acquisitions by CNN then eventually landing at the giant media aggregation app Flipboard. So what is it, exactly, that CNN and Flipboard found so appealing about Zite? Quite simply, it’s personalization.
What the founders of Zite realized early on, and then successfully developed, was that users wanted an individualized news feed that served up topics-specific content. Not only did Zite deliver on that functionality, but it took news feed generation a step further by introducing an element of fluidity. Over time, the application learned what type of content and topics the user found valuable and used that information to curate highly-relevant material. Setting Zite further apart from competitors was its expertise in culling articles from sources other than what users would typically find on social media or search engine results. Flipboard has positioned themselves well to leverage the Zite technology given their similar user bases and platforms. Indeed, Flipboard 3.0 is both more personal and less personal – striking a balance of topic specific, uniquely-sourced content and trending, staff-curated content.
4 Flipboard Uses for Content Marketers
-
Use it to Promote
If your content strategy includes blog writing and the distribution of your content, you should be using Flipboard. It naturally lends itself to the social promotion of your brand and content. Extending your brand beyond your website is as simple as creating a Flipboard magazine of your products and/or services.
-
Use it to Learn:
Flipboard’s 100 million active readers have already amassed a sizable collection of insightful content about specific topics. No matter what industry you work in, it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll find unique content either generated or curated by industry peers.
-
Use it for Productivity:
You’ve already created great content. Flipboard makes it easy to share content across your existing social networks. Want to send a prospect a product or service listing? Tweet them a link to your Flipboard magazine showcasing your products and services.
-
Use it to Unwind:
Miss the last episode of your favorite show? Catch up by reading show-related content. Want to plan a trip to the beach in February? Browse Flipboard’s travel magazines to find the best hotel deals and insider information about resorts.
You can download Flipboard for free. It is available for iOS, Android, Windows, Blackberry, Kindle Fire & NOOK.
by Fronetics | Oct 30, 2014 | Blog, Marketing, Social Media, Strategy, Supply Chain
The use of third-party logistics providers are on the rise. As many as nine out of ten 3PLs surveyed by Inbound Logistics reported their client base grew by 5 percent this year, continuing the unabated expansion of recent years.
And there’s good reason for it.
In an interesting article on SupplyChain 24/7, Adam Robinson, the marketing guru at Cerasis, lists seven reasons companies should outsource non-core transportation management functions to 3PL providers. Surprisingly, perhaps, many of the same arguments can be applied to companies debating who should be in charge of their content creation.
As the number one reason to outsource, Robinson cites “Time and Money.”
He writes:
“3PL providers are able to reduce the amount of infrastructure investments in equipment, software, facilities and personnel… These 3PLs are like having non-paid employees on your staff and allow shippers to focus resources on areas where they are the expert (i.e. manufacturing, product sales).”
Time and money – or lack thereof – are similarly common issues among companies with respect to social media. In a new Fronetics report on social media use in the supply chain and logistics industries, nearly half of the respondents cited time and budgetary constraints as their top two challenges. Such companies may, as a result, participate only sporadically or not at all.
Since consistency is crucial to online lead generation, anything but a fulltime commitment to the company blog, content curation, and social media outreach is doomed to fail. An outside provider can, just like a 3PL, take these tasks off your hands, allowing you to focus on your core competencies.
Robinson also argues:
“As shippers rely on 3PL partners to provide more strategic oversight, and help catalyze business process change within the organization, the relationship is growing more fluid, and less analytical. Service providers are becoming an extension of the enterprise.”
In short, 3PL providers should not be perceived as outsiders but as partners who know their stuff. They contract with thousands of carriers and know the fastest and most reliable routes to move product from point A to point B.
A marketing company, especially one specialized in content creation for the logistics, transportation and supply chain industries, works the same way, drawing on a wealth of industry knowledge. In essence, you hire experts equipped with the right strategic tools to leverage their market expertise to your advantage.
Finally, Robinson writes visibility of loads gives 3PLs a leg up on the competition:
“Many 3PLs are able to integrate tracking into shipper IT systems, provide integration into ERP and WMS automated notices or even real-time delivery notifications by e-mail.”
Losing track of a shipment equals chaos. 3PL providers are there to ensure it never happens. In the same vein, companies need to track the metrics of their content strategy or risk wasting resources on something that yields no results. They need to know which social media outlets work for their business and what types of content draw traffic to their site. It takes time and resources – and as our survey revealed, both tend to be in short supply.
Your content marketing partner, on the other hand, knows metrics is as important as a shipment is to a 3PL provider.
Outsourcing content creation may be your strategic advantage over your competition.
by Fronetics | Oct 30, 2014 | Blog, Marketing, Social Media, Strategy, Supply Chain
The use of third-party logistics providers are on the rise. As many as nine out of ten 3PLs surveyed by Inbound Logistics reported their client base grew by 5 percent this year, continuing the unabated expansion of recent years.
And there’s good reason for it.
In an interesting article on SupplyChain 24/7, Adam Robinson, the marketing guru at Cerasis, lists seven reasons companies should outsource non-core transportation management functions to 3PL providers. Surprisingly, perhaps, many of the same arguments can be applied to companies debating who should be in charge of their content creation.
As the number one reason to outsource, Robinson cites “Time and Money.”
He writes:
“3PL providers are able to reduce the amount of infrastructure investments in equipment, software, facilities and personnel… These 3PLs are like having non-paid employees on your staff and allow shippers to focus resources on areas where they are the expert (i.e. manufacturing, product sales).”
Time and money – or lack thereof – are similarly common issues among companies with respect to social media. In a new Fronetics report on social media use in the supply chain and logistics industries, nearly half of the respondents cited time and budgetary constraints as their top two challenges. Such companies may, as a result, participate only sporadically or not at all.
Since consistency is crucial to online lead generation, anything but a fulltime commitment to the company blog, content curation, and social media outreach is doomed to fail. An outside provider can, just like a 3PL, take these tasks off your hands, allowing you to focus on your core competencies.
Robinson also argues:
“As shippers rely on 3PL partners to provide more strategic oversight, and help catalyze business process change within the organization, the relationship is growing more fluid, and less analytical. Service providers are becoming an extension of the enterprise.”
In short, 3PL providers should not be perceived as outsiders but as partners who know their stuff. They contract with thousands of carriers and know the fastest and most reliable routes to move product from point A to point B.
A marketing company, especially one specialized in content creation for the logistics, transportation and supply chain industries, works the same way, drawing on a wealth of industry knowledge. In essence, you hire experts equipped with the right strategic tools to leverage their market expertise to your advantage.
Finally, Robinson writes visibility of loads gives 3PLs a leg up on the competition:
“Many 3PLs are able to integrate tracking into shipper IT systems, provide integration into ERP and WMS automated notices or even real-time delivery notifications by e-mail.”
Losing track of a shipment equals chaos. 3PL providers are there to ensure it never happens. In the same vein, companies need to track the metrics of their content strategy or risk wasting resources on something that yields no results. They need to know which social media outlets work for their business and what types of content draw traffic to their site. It takes time and resources – and as our survey revealed, both tend to be in short supply.
Your content marketing partner, on the other hand, knows metrics is as important as a shipment is to a 3PL provider.
Outsourcing content creation may be your strategic advantage over your competition.
by Fronetics | Sep 17, 2014 | Blog, Marketing, Strategy, Supply Chain
At Fronetics we work with companies within the supply chain and logistics industries to reach their business and marketing goals. We work with our clients to identify and execute strategies that produce results.
As discussed in a previous post, too often I see companies who have invested time and money into developing a B2B inbound marketing strategy and have fallen flat. Reasons include: a lack of strategy and commitment; not targeting the ideal customer; not publishing content consistently; not creating quality content; and being too focused on sales.
Is your current marketing strategy working? Does your website attract and engage? Does your website generate leads? Does your company generate leads via social media?
How many times did you answer “I don’t know,” or “no?” Be honest.
We are offering a free marketing assessment. The assessment includes a discussion focused on your current goals and challenges, an evaluation of the competitive landscape, and actionable strategies to help you grow your business.
Don’t worry, there is no fine print and there are no obligations.
