Monthly Archives: January 2012
Social Proof: What is It and Why Do Educational Publishers Want It?
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Wikipedia defines social proof as a psychological phenomenon where the actions of others are indications of correct behavior around a particular situation.
In social media, social proof is reflected in the number of Twitter followers you have; the number of fans on your Facebook page; the number of RSS readers your blog has; the number of views for your YouTube videos, etc.
Why is this important? It’s a clear indication to your prospects that you have content worth reading – that your opinions will be important to them. Continue reading
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You Only Get 9 Seconds to Make an Impression (Sally Hogshead video)
It used to be that you had 1 minute to grab your prospect's attention. Then it dropped to 30 seconds. Now, because of our fractured attention span, it's dropped to only 9 seconds. Obviously this has huge implications for our… Continue reading
Does the New 80/20 Content Rule Apply to Educational Publishers?
Yesterday I read that companies should plan to give up to 80% of their content away for free and generate sales and profits from the remaining 20%. As publishers, that seems an unrealistic metric.
Content is our stock and trade. We've invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in developing the best-of-category, and now we should give it away for free?
How is that a viable business model?
Yet more and more companies are allocating larger amounts of their resources each year to this effort as reported by the Content Marketing Institute. Continue reading
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What exactly IS an attraction strategy?
Now we know that the role of marketing has shifted from broadcast mode to networking mode. We can see this playing out all around us both in publishing and in other industries.
The way we communicate with customers and prospects is now more interactive and multidimensional.
Marketing has shifted from interruption mode (broadcast) to invitational (attraction).
But what does this mean to K-12 marketers in a practical way?
ATTRACTION STRATEGY = INBOUND MARKETING = CONTENT MARKETING
No matter what we call it, this new way to market products and services is about providing value and earning customer loyalty. Continue reading
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3 Reasons to be Hopeful for Better Business in 2012
For me 2011 was a tumultuous year and I am happy to move on. As I thought about why I was more optimistic about 2012, three things came to mind that have nothing to do with whether or not the economy improves (although we all hope it does).
- A fresh perspective. Most of us have had some down time during the holidays, and whenever we spend time away from the day to day, we can examine what we’re doing in new ways. Even if the only change for you is the New Year itself, take this opportunity to evaluate your work for an opportunity to bring a fresh perspective or to try a new strategy or tactic. If you’ve been dreaming of something different, this could be the time to activate that dream. Continue reading
