Mediaboss Marketing

by Charlie Mathews & Morgan Botha. Transformation, at its essence, is an expansive movement; its about reaching out, listening, learning and challenging yourself to be and do better, whatever better means to you. It takes hard work, and part of that is finding the right role models and mentors or education to propel you forward.

In business, Im a beast. Like, I will always be successful in business. I was, from six years old, and I am now. This self-confidence juggernaut is the marketing machine-cum-internet personality and best-selling author, Gary Vaynerchuk. Speaking on The Garyvee Audio Experience, he talks about looking at himself in the mirror when he was 30 [hes now 44] and realising that he was losing his edge. I revisited my hustle on my 30th birthday, and Ive never worked harder since. And it [the hard work] has been compounded. I am working harder this second than I have ever my entire life.

But this confidence doesnt just materialise; it takes a real toll. In a 13-minute piece called Hard Work Is the ONLY Thing You Can Control, the marketing master talks about a time he wasnt on top. I lost my hustle around 29, he confesses. There was a six-to-nine month period where it was clear to me that I was complacent. He recalls when his reckoning came: I remember riding to the store on my 30th birthday, looking in the rear-view mirror and saying: Youre full of shit. Your mouth is ahead of your actions.

Vaynerchuk is hard on himself but hes right. Transformation isnt achieved with cruise control. Striving and toil is how Garyvee moved forward, and work is one of his highest defining values. He is relentlessly hard-working but he works smart, too. A case in point is the recent 270-page deck he put out on how to create huge volumes of marketing material quickly. At the core of this thinking is what he calls pillar content. The idea is this: make meaningful long-form content and then slice and dice it cleverly so that one piece creates enough content for all your channels for a month. This helps to build vast libraries of content, which, if you iterate and understand SEO, gets better the more you make it.

Before we go any further, here are seven clever content tips from him that you can start using straight away to boost your social marketing:

Always relevant, the Garyvee Audio experience offers marketing advice that fits the now, whether hes speaking about how to market to Gen Z or offering insight on how TikTok may be used as part of a marketing strategy. Whats valuable about the podcast is that hes also created a space that acknowledges what a terrible time human beings are experiencing currently, and he offers pragmatic advice on how to deal with it. Vaynerchuk addresses people who, in his words, feel stuck in life, and its refreshing to see how plainly and authentically he counsels people not to feel overwhelmed.

Podcast consumption has soared in recent times, thanks to the pervasive growth of smartphones, the device most preferred by people for listening to this kind of digital audio. Reuters Institutes Digital News Report for 2020 interviewed 80000 online news consumers in 40 markets, and half of those under the age of 35 had consumed at least one podcast over the last month. Across countries, half of all respondents (50%) say that podcasts provide more depth and understanding than other types of media, the institute for the study of journalism reports.

Today, Spotify is the worlds biggest destination for podcasts, which is why Joe Rogans move to the Swedish-born streaming company has been such big news. In May 2020, The Wall Street Journal announced that Rogan and Spotify had inked an exclusive deal, valued at over US$100m, to move the comedian-turned-podcaster and his massive audience to the digital service. This means that he will now earn much more money than most of the musicians currently on Spotify.

Ted Gioia, music historian and critic, put this into perspective with his tweet: A musician would need to generate 23 billion streams on Spotify to earn what theyre paying Joe Rogan for his podcast rights (assuming a typical $.00437 payout per stream). In other words, Spotify values Rogan more than any musician in the history of the world. Sound fair to you?

This deal is likely to make the MMA commentator the wealthiest broadcaster in the world.

Does this mean that you, too, are likely to become rich and famous by starting a podcast? The BBC addresses hopefuls head-on by saying: It is generally difficult to make large amounts of money in the crowded world of podcasts. As most podcasts are free to download, many presenters and producers attempt to make money from endorsements and advertising. A platform-exclusive deal such as this is very rare.

However, podcasting has been used exceptionally well by news brands to build loyalty. The New York Times has a podcast, The Daily, which currently has some 2m listeners a day and which attracts substantial advertising revenues. Plus covid-19 has produced its own breakthroughs, such as a podcast created in Germany by one of that countrys top virologists, Das Coronavirus-Update, which is top of the podcast charts in that country.

Given that there are over a million podcasts to choose from, you will need to curate your podcast list to ensure you get extreme value. To get you on your way, MarkLives.com has selected the most-inspiring and -useful transformative business, life and marketing podcasts for you to enjoy.

South African celebrity, DJ Sbu, has created a podcast that is informative, authentic, and laid-back. With episodes such as How to Take Advantage of Lockdown, he encourages self-improvement and staying accountable to yourself. Sbu doesnt shy away from the tough, gritty issues such as HIV or dealing with the difficult parts of working and parenting. His focus is on the authentic genuine people, something big agencies sometimes lose sight of. The Hustlers Corner can be the wake-up call for creatives because it peels back the layer on the very humans that agencies create campaigns for.

South African best-selling author and entrepreneur, Matt Brown, has transformed his message into one of accepting the new world for what it is. Suffering only happens when you have a problem with reality, he says, opening his show. When you dont accept the fact that this is whats happening to you, that this is the reality now, its not what you planned for, its not what you hoped for, it certainly wasnt in your control, but yet youre the one suffering the consequences. This podcaster doesnt pull any punches, and Brown uses his platform to inspire, to expand minds, and share experiences. Each episode features an entrepreneur and, in the discussion, he talks about the hard stuff such as marketing in a recession, and the certainty of uncertainty. He doesnt avoid difficult topics such as race and poverty, and his conversations are well-researched.

With short episodes of 10 minutes or less, Neil Patel and Eric Siu break down easy-to-understand marketing advice. These episodes air daily and offer actionable steps for everyone, from a beginner with a small online store to a CMO of a massive corporation. Benefit from new perspectives Patel and Siu have those by the bucketload. This dynamic duo teaches how to adapt to the times, and how to ensure your business survives the novel coronavirus.

Patel and Siu are transformers whove found a smart way to help a busy audience thrown into the deep end of unfamiliar marketing waters with intelligent insights. This podcast is great for anyone who wants to reevaluate their tactics or marketing spend. In short: bite-sized insights that are easy to understand and that cover everything you need to know about content and how to become an ace marketer.

This is a very real and raw show, in which Courtland Allen hosts people whove started and grown businesses online, both large and small. These are usually developers, but the show is fascinating because it digs deep into how to grow digital products and projects, the fundamentals of how to start a business, how to test your ideas, where to find a market, how to hunt for your first customers and how to grow, grow, grow.

Right up there with Joe Rogan, The Tim Ferriss Show is the top business podcast on Apple and was selected by readers of Fortune in 2016 as their favourite podcast. Guests have included the likes of Tony Robbins, Maria Sharapova, Malcolm Gladwell, LinkedIns Reid Hoffman, and many more of the most-successful thinkers, intellectuals and business icons of our time.

If youve never listened to Ferris before, dive right into #124: Jamie Foxx on Workout Routines, Success Habits, and Untold Hollywood Stories, where the American actor, singer, comedian, songwriter, television host and producer tells Ferriss how he used US$400 to match a US$1m party thrown by Puff Daddy, and how he built up his network with Pharell, Kanye, and Jay-Z. You get to hear Foxx do impersonations of Ed Sheeran, Kermit the Frog, Sammy Davis Jr, LeBron James, and Mike Tyson. You also find out what he learnt from his grandma, and what his workout routine is.

Transformers Transform 2020 is a special series produced by MarkLives and HumanInsight and sponsored by the Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA), running JunSep 2020. Our objective is to explore and map new paths for brands and marketers to transform, adapt and build resilience while the world adapts to covid-19 and its resultant social, political and economic toll. This is an independently managed, journalism-driven research project.

As founder and CEO of HumanInsight, Charlie Mathews (@CharlesLeeZA) leads research on #HopePunk, #Transformation #DigitalEcosystems, and works with the worlds most-transformative technology brands. Morgan Botha is a columnist for MarkLives.com, where she co-writes #AdChamps. At work, she is a content strategist for Newlytics, a digital marketing platform that makes understanding online analytics easy and simple.

Sign up now for the MarkLives newsletter, including Ramify.biz headlines and become a MarkLives Member, too, to ensure continued coverage.

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#Transformers: Smart podcasts that could change you, and your business - MarkLives.com

JonNock(second from left) with senior members of the iDIS team

With retail shops across the majority of the UK now back open, the focus for retailers will be on driving footfall and reaching out to customers to rebuild consumer confidence and generate much-needed sales revenue.

Key to achieving this will be having an effective communication strategy and at the heart of it, securing valuable PR amongst trusted, local media sources.

Mobility marketing specialist Jon Nock, Managing Director of iDIS Creative Marketing Partnership, shares his top tips on how mobility retailers can get their companies featured in local newspapers, websites and more.

By Jon Nock

As mobility retailers open their doors once more, raising positive PR is crucial for bringing back sales. Communication to market needs to instil confidence that shopping and services are safe and products are the solution for assured independence inside and out. This can be done through a variety of PR ways including press coverage in local and online newspapers, social media and company website information.

The power of press PR is reliant on good quality photography that clearly explains the message and promotes a feel-good factor. Customers or staff with smiles, in context and with a decent pixel resolution will always produce more results.

Human interest stories tend to provide greater traction along with angles that demonstrate how dealers help local communities. The press is generally only interested in people, not products.

The quality of writing is also vital to hook in journalists, particularly with considered press release headlines. This is also true with social media eye-catching and interesting content with attractive images will always generate more engagement and sharing.

The value and purpose of each organic social post needs to be carefully considered and the effectiveness of Facebook advertising should never be underestimated in this sector. As Facebook ads become more sophisticated, my agency is achieving greater ROI for clients through our specialist management services.

Social media continues to evolve at a rapid pace with basic posts and likes achieving very little now. Try shooting short videos where you talk to your customers about what youre doing to help them this format is always the most effective.

However, aside from through-the-line media, the most important PR to generate as ever will be word of mouth. Getting the message out that you are open, here to help and offering safe services is critical.

Promotions will help, however, explaining these are for paid-for media, not PR. Actively calling customers to see if they are ok, cultivating contacts and networking will all help build business momentum once more.

Make sure your PR is straightforward, concise and targeted correctly and the sales will follow.

To contactJon Nock, email jon@idiscreativemarketing.co.uk or call 07786 245896

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Marketing knowledge: Positive public relations the key to post lockdown recovery THIIS Magazine - THIIS

Creating an effective content marketing strategy is easier said than done. In surveying content marketers for their joint 2020 report, the Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs found that the majority of respondents believed their strategies were at least moderately successful at driving business results. As for the marketers who called their efforts extreme successes, well, that only amounted to five percent of respondents. In other words: Its easy to be good, but its hard to be great.

If you believe your content strategy has room to improve, it helps to look to industry leaders who are setting the standard for modern-day success. In Skywords recent white paper, Content Marketing Excellence: How to Jumpstart, Evaluate, and Accelerate Your Program, it compiled several key insights it gained from working on more than 1,000 brand marketing strategies. Skyword found that in order to land in the five percent clubjoining those marketers with extremely successful strategiesyou need to foster and reinforce quality in your content production.

To help you join this prestigious class of marketers, were breaking down the top four characteristics of highly successful content marketing programs. Consider these as you assess the quality of your projects and identify areas that may need calibration.

Audience-driven content marketing prioritizes assets that directly speak to the needs of target audiences. Given the amount of content the average consumer or B2B buyer encounters on a daily basis, your assets must promote audience connections, speak to their pain points, and earn their trust in order to be successful.

To target content effectively to these audiences, top-performing content marketers depend on data-driven audience personasthis is especially true for organizations managing multiple audience segments. In many cases, content is targeted specifically to one audience persona, or a limited number of personas, to increase its relevance, elicit engagement, and accurately address a core set of user needs and values.

Highly successful content strategies also use audience journey maps to build content that addresses every stage in the consumer journey, from brand awareness to brand advocacy. Below, Skywords graphic details some of the key considerations to bear in mind when building an audience journey map. Among the factors youll want to address with each persona, how theyre feeling and what they need should be represented in the content you serve to them.

Photo attribution: Skyword.

Other important elements of an audience-driven strategy are keyword pillars. These match content to each users search intent and deliver personalized content experiences, using prior audience engagement to guide future content interactions through email, social media, and other channels.

Given the integral role digital channels play in an effective content marketing program, its no surprise that performance data supports all the strategic decision-making of top-performing strategies.

However, as Skywords Data Triad illustrates below, landing in the five percent club requires more than simply using analytics to measure performance and identify potential optimizations. You also need to use data as a tool for contextualizing your contents performance alongside the efforts of your closest competition, and as a method of expanding your understanding of how to deliver new value to audiences over time.

Photo attribution: Skyword.

To leverage the benefits of content data to the fullest, your brand needs more than an analytics tool to measure performance. Seek out a more robust infrastructure that includes marketing attribution, social listening, and tools that can help you better analyze your competitors. This allows you to identify new content marketing opportunities your business may be overlooking.

Keep in mind, 70 percent to 80 percent of your total organic traffic will be driven by the top 10 percent of your contentthis is still true for top-performing brands. The key to success is using these top-performing assets to identify trends and strategies that can be used to elevate your entire content strategy. A commitment to data-driven analysis will help you leverage this performance for greater gains over time.

As Googles search algorithm has improved its ability to assess content quality over time, marketers have had to adapt their strategies to focus on delivering content that provides value to audiences. While SEO remains an important consideration in modern marketing, quality content isnt achieved through keyword stuffing or chasing trending topics.

There are several hallmarks of quality content, but the one thats always found in todays best content is an audience-centric approach. Top-performing content marketing programs prioritize content that connects with audiences and drives engagement. Additionally, quality content must have a distinct brand tone and point of view.

Achieving greater quality requires due diligence. Youll need to put quality assurance controls in place to ensure your content meets high editorial standards and isnt being produced just to hit a monthly quota.

As content marketing programs evolve, they can be more challenging to manage. Effective content marketing programs lean on a disciplined infrastructure that supports collaboration and the overall creative process to build efficient, streamlined content strategies.

Discipline is enforced through business solutions such as editorial calendars, workflow solutions such as videoconferencing platforms, and project management platforms such as versatile content management systems that facilitate better collaboration and consistency in publication cadence. These tech-driven solutions also enable greater transparency in the content creation process and allow individual workers to own projects, all while advancing the goals of the marketing department as a whole.

To accommodate evolving content marketing needs and preserve agility for the marketing department, your content creation process also needs to be scalable and adaptable to satisfy on-demand needs. Disciplined content marketing doesnt result in rigid operations; in fact, its the opposite. A good infrastructure helps your team identify possible bottlenecks and anticipate roadblocks in time to enlist additional resources to retain production. Not to mention, it helps prepare your team to easily take on any new challenges.

Improving your content strategy is an incremental processbut it can be done. To claim your rightful spot in the five percent club, start by combining your own internal insights with the best practices and examples of industry-leading content marketing programs. Then, draft a flexible and streamlined blueprint to steer your content performance toward greater success.

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Effective Content Marketing's Five Percent Club: How to Rank Alongside Today's Top Programs - The Content Standard by Skyword

Within six weeks of announcing a successful method to fabricate custom-fit mask frames to optimize protection from the spread of COVID-19, UConn has a licensing deal with a Connecticut manufacturer to produce them.

Connecticut Biotech, a startup company headquartered in South Windsor, aims to start marketing, manufacturing, and distributing 3D-printed mask frames under the brand Secure Fit this month.

This is an important technology that can help a lot of people by providing a specific way to make regular surgical masks more protective, says Dr. Cato T. Laurencin, CEO of the Connecticut Convergence Institute for Translation in Regenerative Engineering. Its wonderful to see technology that started here in the state of Connecticut being developed by a Connecticut company.

Laurencin and his scientists came up with a way to create add-ons for masks that enhance their effectiveness by improving their fit.

The novel aspect is using 3D facial recognition technology on two-dimensional images to decipher the topography of the face and create a 3D mask frame, says Amit Kumar, director of licensing and business development in UConns Office of the Vice President for Research.

We are excited about this public-private partnership with UConn and the opportunity to use and build upon our vast experience to rapidly commercialize this much-needed device, says Connecticut Biotech CEO Donald J. Vacarro. We applaud Dr. Cato Laurencins team for developing a custom mask frame that secures filtration and positioning of most mask types.

Consumers will be able to order Secure Fit mask frames directly at http://www.connecticutbiotech.com. The custom fit will require submitted photos of their face, one from the front and one from the side, using any camera phone. The mask frames will retail for around $40.

I am thrilled to see our Connecticut Convergence Institutes innovative approach to customizing protective masks taking the next step toward commercialization and societal impact, says UConn President Tom Katsouleas. This is a shining example of UConns ability to innovate and provide solutions for global problems.

The concept of using facial-recognition software to pinpoint 3D printing specifications for custom fitting, for which UConn submitted a patent application in mid-April, is among a series of recent efforts by the Convergence Institute to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

I think that the work that weve done shows the range of activities that weve created in terms of answering the call to provide solutions for COVID-19, Laurencin says. First is the understanding of the level of the complexity of the issue involved with our papers published on COVID-19 in the Black community, second, by creating a physical solution for COVID-19 in terms of our new masks systems that create a better, more comprehensive fit for individuals using them, and third is the creation of this new method for greeting that takes into account our new era of social distancing.

Connecticut Biotech was founded earlier this year, seeking to use domestic and international marketing capacity to provide high-quality biotech solutions, reduce COVID-19s impact on society, and create jobs in Connecticut.

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UConn-made COVID-19 Mask Solution Coming to Market - UConn Today

General observation

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected the whole world in terms of development velocity, economic standing and human lives. Yet, it seems the crisis is here to stay longer and affect us deeper than what we were ready to accept. Therefore, the world communities are compelled to rethink. After this pandemic has started to broaden, it carries on economic and social infections farther than the morbidity and mortality itself. Especially, economic activities have been restrained to enforce physical distancing.

A United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) report titled The Covid-19 Shock to Developing Countries pleaded the governments to adopt whatever it takes to stop economic contractions becoming a recession or worse, a prolonged depression and to protect the poorest. The United Nation Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a large-scale, coordinated, comprehensive and multilateral response based on solidarity and shared responsibility. He also floated a proposal for a double-digit percentage of global GDP investment, massively increasing resources to developing countries by augmenting IMF capacity including through Special Drawing Rights issuance.

Developing countries including Nepal face big economic challenges. These include instability in market prices, troubles in the tourism industry, and weakening foreign exchange income and reservation. Nepal could face a remittance crisis due to these epidemic-related concerns in major labour-import markets. It is believed that the labour-importing countries will start to send back workers to their own countries, the non-skilled ones in the first phase. Nepals major migrant workers are unskilled and either they have to depend on menial works or return home. In this situation, it is very necessary to engage these people in possible tangible and productive activities which benefit the country as well as individual families.

Nepals economic dependence on its neighbours is very high. Now, in this situation, Nepal has to start rethinking and revising necessary policies to convert challenges into opportunities to resist the problems and regulate the economy. It is important to encourage entrepreneurs to be makers rather than traders. They must work to meet domestic demands first. The current crisis has given a big lesson globally that sustainability should be a key component of economic recovery.

Nepal must consider and give priority to the following areas as a support to boost up the countrys socio-economy status of the nation. First of all, the government and related agencies need to step up their role and provide facilities like flexible and comfortable schemes to the private sector. There need to be stringent actions from the government and non-government sectors in providing support programmes such as training, required technology, and research activities in related fields. It is equally important for the concerned organisations to ensure regularity of social marketing to inform and show the impact of the ongoing activities.

Here are some ways through which Nepal can look into its economic recovery:

Large portions of local communities as well as the returning migrant workers can be engaged in integrated farming development activities including herbal medicinal and aromatic plants, fauna/flora exploration, fruits and timber tree plantation etc. Now, the time has come to encourage and support them in organic farming to provide healthy, nutrient and quality food. A proper plan is also essential to ensure people can receive good prices for their products. Various schemes on organic production and marketing will provide people to have a quick financial return. Now, many economists are emphasising on creating a regenerative economy, which is sustainable in nature. It is safe to say that investing in greener economics is going to be a big part of recovery efforts. Whether it is cleaner energy or greener cities, sustainability is going to be a necessary part of building a better future.

The country should train people to impart technical knowledge, especially on digital expertise and IT. Such types of training will help youth who are interested to go aboard for better jobs or may be able to create a job culture within Nepal with international collaboration opportunities.

Nepal has a high potential for tourism. Foremost, tourists come for adventure, and they have always enjoyed the countrys nature. Many tourists love spending time while trekking to rural areas. With this regard, we must develop and endorse additional trekking routes and new mountain climbing areas. Additional trekking sites and routes may help tourists to stay longer, which, in a long run, will help boost rural socio-economic conditions and foreign currency income.

Now, Nepal needs to prioritise developing creative minds via institutions that emphasise on scientific research, academic knowledge, constructive thinking, and brainstorming activities. It will help the country actively participate in national and international intellectual communities.

Although it could take time, Nepal has a huge potential in the promotion and distribution of homemade and handmade handicraft. Nepal needs to focus on small-scale cottage industries as they can prove beneficial if the country could tap the international market and customers, who are interested in manually developed ornaments, traditional arts and artefacts.

The mentioned areas are only a few options that can assist Nepals economic growth in standard and sustainable terms. To face the possibility of huge economic disruption, several governments are offering support to large, small and medium-sized entrepreneurs and families. All of these can help, but it is not going to be enough if it does not start imagining a new corridor to recovery. Nepal needs to start working on investment and necessary support in new areas of growth, which includes ensuring that grassroots level communities and small and medium-sized entrepreneurs continue to exist and are functional when their economies restart.

Let us discuss.

Aryal is associated with Research and Development Institute Nepal (R-DIN).

Published on July 2nd, Thursday, 2020 3:56 PM

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Here are a few opportunities for economic recovery in post-Covid-19 Nepal - Online Khabar (English)