Posts Tagged "influencer marketing"
Video: Six Digital Marketing Trends for the Supply Chain 2019
Digital marketing has become essential to creating brand awareness, educating audiences and building credibility with customers. Here are the latest trends for 2019.
Highlights:
- Digital marketing has become essential to creating brand awareness, educating audiences and building credibility and trust with customers.
- Video is currently the most popular form of content being consumed online today.
- Peers and colleagues are the third most influential source of information for business to business (B2B) purchasing, right behind online searches and your website.
Video transcript:
Hi I’m Stacia Pathiakis. I’m an account manager at Fronetics and today I’m going to be talking to you about six trends in digital marketing for the supply chain in 2019.
Digital marketing has become essential for creating brand awareness, educating audiences and building trust and credibility with your customers. Supply chain and logistics companies increasingly see the value in digital marketing. They’re increasing their budgets and it’s important to understand what the trends are for the upcoming year.
Here are six trends to consider when planning your 2019 strategy.
First, video. Video is currently the most popular form of content being consumed online today, and video marketing will continue to add substantial value in the upcoming year. Use video to teach your audience something that’s worthwhile for them to know.
2. Chatbots. Chatbots are automated messaging apps that simulate human conversation. They’ve become more popular in the past year than social networks.
3. Voice search. Voice search is becoming an increasingly prevalent. It’s a means for people to search for the content that they’re looking for using voice recognition. A good content marketing strategy should consider how your customers will be using voice search to search for information about in your industry.
Next is long-form content. Long form content includes such things as white papers, case studies, and longer form blog posts. Many industries, including supply chain and logistics industries, are saturated with tons of short form content. Long form content provides a means of getting more in-depth information to your customers.
5. Brand ambassadors. Peers and colleagues are the third most influential source of information for business to business (B2B) purchasing. And there’s nothing more credible than a friend who speaks highly of your company’s services and products.
6. Market influencers. Market influencers is a form of marketing that focuses on individuals rather than the market as a whole. Basically, marketers identify individuals who would have influence over a larger group and target them specifically in their digital marketing campaigns.
The beginning of the year is a great time to review your marketing strategy to make any changes for the upcoming year. For more tips on boosting your digital marketing strategy in 2019, visit us at fronetics.com.
Related posts:
- B2B Digital Marketing Trends, Budgets, and Benchmarks: Highlights for 2019
- Supply Chain Marketing Trends To Watch For In 2019
- Digital Marketing for the Supply Chain and Logistics Industries
Posts Tagged "influencer marketing"
6 Content Marketing Trends for the Supply Chain in 2019
As content marketing continues to increase in popularity, here are six trends to consider when planning your 2019 strategy.
A recent article by Forbes on content marketing notes: “As recently as a few years ago, marketers handled content mostly as a side project. It was more of a bonus than an essential role — something you did when you had time because it took a backseat to more traditional marketing projects and responsibilities. That’s changed.”
Boy, has that changed. The content marketing industry is expected to be worth more than $400 billion by 2021.
The 2018 report from the Content Marketing Institute shows just how prevalent content marketing is, and how essential it has become to creating brand awareness, educating your audience, and building credibility and trust with your customers.
Supply chain & logistics marketers: Trends to watch
So, where is content marketing headed in 2019? Content marketing budgets are still on the rise, and supply chain and logistics companies are increasingly seeing the value in moving to an inbound marketing strategy driven by original content.
These are the six notable trends to consider when planning your 2019 content marketing strategy.
1. Video
Video is currently the most popular form of content being consumed online today, and video marketing will continue to have substantial value in 2019.
Smart supply chain marketers should start the new year by developing a visual storytelling strategy that offers consistent delivery of valuable content.
What’s your best bet? Be helpful and teach your audience something worthwhile to them.
2. Chatbots
The rise of chatbots – automated computer programs that simulate human conversation in messaging apps – is expected to continue in 2019. Business Insider recently reported that the number of people on messaging apps surpassed the number of users on social networks!
Business Insider recently reported that the number of people on messaging apps surpassed the number of users on social networks! Click To TweetChatbots are just one of the ways artificial intelligence will shape the content marketing landscape in 2019, but their ability to drastically increase customer engagement puts them on the short list for a major trend to watch in the coming year.
3. Voice search
Voice search is becoming an increasingly prevalent means of attaining information. Statistics vary, but it’s expected that anywhere between 30-50% of all searches will be voice searches by 2020. A recent report by NPR and Edison Research found that the rise of smart speakers is substantially changing consumer routines and purchasing behavior.
A good content marketing strategy for 2019 should consider how your customers might use voice search in your industry, and what you can do to maximize your content’s ability to respond.
4. Long-form content
I love this one, because it harkens back to humble beginnings of content marketing and the desire to put informative, quality content in front of a targeted interested audience.
Long form content – white papers, case studies, and lengthier blog posts e.g. – will have a resurgence of renewed appreciation in 2019. Why? Because many industries, including supply chain and logistics industries, are saturated with tons of mediocre short form content. People are increasingly looking to weed through it all for substantial quality posts from trusted sources. In addition, search engines will favor longer posts in results rankings.
Cheers to 2019 being the year of quality over quantity!
5. Brand ambassadors
We wrote about brand ambassadors as we headed into 2018, but they are worth mentioning again as we look forward to 2019. Brand ambassadors are employees that influence the B2B buying decisions of others, and they are an often-overlooked resource with more traditional marketing tactics.
Peers and colleagues are the third most influential source of information for business to business (B2B) purchasing, right behind online searches and your website! And there’s nothing more credible than a friend who speaks highly of their company’s product or service.
Definitely consider how you can help make brand ambassadors out of your employees in 2019.
6. Market Influencers
The final trend to watch in 2019 is influencer marketing, a form of marketing which focuses on influential people rather than the market as a whole.
Basically, marketers identify individuals who might have influence over potential buyers and create marketing campaigns and activities around these influencers. In many ways, this works similarly to a brand ambassador, where a single person influences their network of friends; in this case, however, the market influencer has a large network and a lot of “friends” who listen.
Influencer marketing will be a huge trend in marketing for 2019, and it would be worth considering who might be an influencer in your industry in the coming year and what your company might do reach them.
So, there you have it. As we head into 2019, these are the trends to watch and plan for in content marketing space.
The B2B buying climate is growing longer and more complex, and content marketing is so effective throughout the entire sales cycle if it’s done well. The end of the year is a great time to revisit your marketing strategy and make any necessary changes for the coming year.
Best wishes in the year ahead!
This post originally appeared on EBN Online.
Related posts:
- Top 5 Trends to Know to Compete with Amazon’s Supply Chain
- Content Marketing Trends for 2018 Supply Chain & Logistics Marketers Need to Know
- Video: Social Media Trends for 2018
Posts Tagged "influencer marketing"
Top 10 Supply Chain and Logistics Blog Posts of 2018 (Thus Far)
Here are our most-viewed supply chain and logistics blog posts from this year as of July 1, 2018.
Throughout the year, we regularly write blog posts to help our readers stay on top of the latest news and happenings in the supply chain and logistics industries, particularly in regards to content marketing. We hope these posts provide insight, tips, and insider information on how to stay head of your competitors with the consistent publication of quality content.
We’ve covered some great stuff this year, from new trends (like chatbots) to questions that clients ask year after year (like how is the industry using social media?). Here’s a look at our most popular posts so far this year.
Top supply chain and logistics blog posts from 2018 (so far)
1. 10 Must-Follow Supply Chain and Logistics Blogs in 2018
These 10 blogs are all rich with industry news and the latest trends to keep you in the know. They cover a wide range of topics, from research to strategy, and feature some of the top thought leaders in the field. Read more.
2. 5 Must-Read Books for Supply Chain Leaders
One of the best ways to sharpen your leadership skills is by learning from other leaders’ experiences. Leadership books, especially those focused on the supply chain and logistics industries, give valuable insight into the trials and triumphs of your industry peers’ encounters. Read more.
3. Top 3 Logistics and Supply Chain Blogs of 2018
You voted, and the results are in! LTX Solution is your number one favorite blog of the year, with “Ellen’s Blog” of Women In Trucking and Apex Capital Blog coming in second and third. What remained consistent from previous years is the quality of the content and the consistency of posting by the three winners. Read more.
4. 7 Supply Chain & Logistics Professionals to Follow on LinkedIn
LinkedIn, with almost 500 million users, is the #1 networking site for professionals. Following LinkedIn members gives you access to their profiles, as well as any original or third-party posts they publish on their newsfeeds. Here are 7 supply chain and logistics professionals to follow for top posts and articles in your industry. Read more.
5. B2B Marketing Trend 2018: Influencer Marketing
One of 2018’s fastest growing marketing trends is influencer marketing. Companies will increase their influencer marketing budget to keep up with the competition. 86% of B2C marketers used influencer marketing in 2017, and 92% of marketers that tried it found it to be effective. B2B marketers, on the other hand, have been slower to adopt this new marketing trend. Read more.
6. 6 Reasons Your Supply Chain Employees Are Looking for New Jobs
With the rising demand for professionals in Supply Chain Management and Procurement, there’s a lot of employment activity, especially in short-term contracts. This guest post from Argentus covers the subtler reasons that star performers in these functions get the desire to make a move. It’s not out of a desire for more money as often as you might think. Read more.
7. Drawing Lessons from Tesla’s Supply Chain Issues
A great article last month from CIPS’ industry magazine Supply Management dove into some of Tesla’s Supply Chain woes, discussing how the company, still considered a visionary in the industry, has gotten into some challenges, as well as some optimistic scenarios for how it can get out of it. Read more.
8. Top 10 Social Media Analytics Tools
Analyzing your social media performance is critical to a successful marketing effort, especially in light of recent changes to Facebook’s News Feed. You need the tools to determine what’s working and what isn’t, as well as the best time to post your content for your target audience. Read more.
9. KFC Ran Out of Chicken in the UK: What Supply Chain Lessons Can We Learn?
More than half of the UK’s Kentucky Fried Chicken stores recently closed because they ran out of chicken. A few weeks later, reports are that a number of stores are still closed, with front-line workers being encouraged to take holidays as the company sorts out its deliveries and tries to account for the failures. This guest post from Argentus provides a look at what caused the issues and what supply chain lessons can be learned. Read more.
10. Writing for SEO: Topic Clusters and Pillar Content (NOT Keywords)
I’ve been hinting — more like, emphasizing — in our recent Writing for SEO series that trying to rank for certain keywords in each blog post you publish is a practice on the way out. You may have been wondering what you’re supposed to do instead. This post on topic clusters and pillar content is your answer. Read more.
What supply chain and logistics blog posts have you most enjoyed this year? Are there any topics you’d like us to cover? Please reach out to us and let us know!
Related posts:
- Top 10 Supply Chain and Logistics Posts of 2017
- Content Marketing Trends for 2018 Supply Chain & Logistics Marketers Need to Know
- Top 10 Social Media Posts of 2017
Posts Tagged "influencer marketing"
Twitter Bots: Why You Don’t Always Get What You Want When You Pay to Play
Twitter bots may get you more followers and retweets, but artificial influence isn’t a healthy indicator of marketing performance.
In this age of influencer marketing, in which followers and retweets are all-important indicators of marketing success, a new phenomenon is emerging: Twitter bots.
According to a recent New York Times article, these computer programs are generally run by “shadowy companies that sell Twitter followers and retweets to celebrities, businesses, and anyone who wants to appear more popular or exert influence online.”
These bots essentially constitute large-scale identity theft, as they use the personal data — including names, profile pictures, and hometowns — of real twitter users. According to recent research from the University of Southern California and Indiana University, “as many as 48 million of Twitter’s reported active users — nearly 15% — are automated accounts designed to simulate real people.” Bot producers count on the economy of online influence, with businesses desperate to monetize a mass audience.
Why are Twitter bots around?
The temptation for businesses to buy followers is strong. Amplification bots, the specific type of Twitter bot most often favored by businesses, promise follows, retweets, and likes for those who buy them, boosting the visibility and “amplifying” the influence of buyers.
“This virtual status is a real-world currency,” say the New York Times writers, as follower counts play a role in determining “how potential customers evaluate businesses or products.”
But as tempting as it may be, paying for followers can get you a lot more — or less — than you bargained for.
The bad news
For one thing, Twitter and other social media sites explicitly forbid buying or selling followers or retweets. While social media companies are more apt to penalize sellers than buyers, if you’re paying for followers, your business is engaging in what can best be described as shady practices.
While companies that sell bots describe their services as legitimate, these claims are shaky at best. They often promise “discretion,” but there’s no guarantee that their client records will remain private.
“It’s fraud,” says British rower and Olympic gold medalist James Cracknell, who regrets purchasing 50,000 followers. “People who judge by how many likes or how many followers, it’s not a healthy thing.”
The bottom line
Cracknell’s statement points to an important, though often overlooked truth about influencer marketing: While quantity of followers and amplification may be fruitful in the short-term, artificial influence isn’t a healthy indicator of market performance. It will ultimately be detrimental to your reputation, a far more important and illusive currency than followers.
“I tell anyone and everyone who ever asks that it’s a total scam,” says Marcus Holmlund, a freelance writer formerly tasked with buying followers for an international modeling agency. “It won’t boost their engagement.”
And there’s the bottom line: While businesses are under constant pressure to increase their social media presence, and bots carry a powerful lure, they are ultimately an ineffective scam.
Related posts:
- Twitter for B2B
- Tweet This: Ideas for Twitter Content for the Supply Chain
- 7 Must-Follow Twitter Accounts thfore Supply Chain Professional in 2017
Posts Tagged "influencer marketing"
Why Supply Chain and Logistics Executives Should Be Active on Social Media (as Themselves)
Supply chain and logistics executives should be using their celebrity on social media to be the public face of their businesses and an extension of their brands.
Here at Fronetics, we talk a lot about the importance of a social media presence for supply chain and logistics businesses. Most companies use social media to build brand awareness, communicate with a target audience, and, of course, attract new leads and customers. It’s highly effective.
But I am a strong believer that executives should also be on social media, as themselves, representing their brands and establishing themselves as thought leaders in the industry.
With their relative celebrity, supply chain and logistics executives are uniquely positioned to attract a following of customers, prospects, potential talent, industry peers, and admirers. They can use social media to connect with these people, share their ideas and industry news, and become the human face of their brands. It amplifies the company’s social media efforts in a way brands can’t do themselves. After all, social media is about connecting with people.
It makes sense, right? But in reality, 61 percent of fortune 500 CEOs have no social presence whatsoever. It’s an enormous missed opportunity.
Think of what these 3 CEOs’ social media presence has done for their brands.
1) Richard Branson
With almost 12 million Twitter followers, the founder and owner of Virgin Group was named the top CEO on social media. Branson insists on creating his authentic content — from funny, personal stories to pictures — himself, and his commitment to posting daily keeps followers engaged. The resulting dialogue and relationship with followers has helped elevate his personal brand and Virgin as well.
2) Arianna Huffington
Co-founder, president and former chief editor of the Huffington Post, Huffington was an early adopter of social media as a marketing tool. She has used her success at Huff Post and her personal social media presence to increase visibility to her newer projects, including Thrive Global.
3) Elon Musk
Musk has committed to being authentic and open about the ups and downs of his business ventures, and his followers have responded favorably with an almost cult-like following. His personal account’s audience is more than double the number of followers combined for his three companies. Taking a page from Apple’s play book, Musk has used the reveal of new Tesla models and Space X rockets to stir up a buzz about projects. These live stream reveals are flashy, yet cool and casual, and have garnered over a million views.
Supply chain and logistics executives killing social media
This is not to say that there are not some supply chain and logistics executives who are capitalizing on using their personal brands on social media. Here are some as an example:
- Kelli Saunders, Morai Logistics
- Peter Tirschwell, IHS Markit
- Hailey McKeefrey, EBN
Which executives do you follow on social media?
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