'Apple News' Updates Loom For Publishers In 2019 http://bit.ly/2BJQycX A year ago, many publishers weren’t prepared for the havoc that Facebook was about to wreak on their web traffic. Moving into 2019, digital publishers will see the marketplace for distribution evolve in several ways, including the growing prominence of Apple News. The tech giant seeks to create a “Netflix of magazines” that urges subscribers to pay a flat monthly fee for access to hundreds of digital publications. From there, publishers will determine what kind of value they’ll get from Apple’s global audience of more than 1.3 billion mobile devices. Of course, only a fraction of that installed base will be willing to pay for digital magazine content, if Apple’s experience with music is any indication. advertisement advertisement After stumbling in the rollout of Apple Music, the company’s music streaming service aimed at Spotify, Apple has gotten more aggressive about growing its subscription base. It has 56 million subscribers worldwide and overtook Spotify in the key markets of the United States, Japan and Canada. Spotify has 87 million paid subscribers and 109 million people who use its free, ad-supported service. Apple is said to be in talks with iHeartRadio to boost its offering of terrestrial radio programming in order to grow its content business and strengthen the ties with iPhone users. As for news and magazine content, Apple News has about 90 million regular readers. This year, it acquired Texture as part of a plan to create that digital newsstand. Texture had about 200,000 subscribers when Apple bought the company in March, according to Bloomberg News. If Apple can get the marketing formula right, it could rapidly expand that paid reader base to a much bigger audience. But publishers still want as much control as possible in supporting direct relationships with their readership. Separately, proprietary content-management systems, such as Vox Media’s Chorus and The Washington Post’s Arc, will likely offer additional ways for publishers to withstand the ongoing competitive pressures from Facebook and Google. The next rendition of Apple News, including the integration with Texture, is expected this spring as the company preps for its annual developer conference in June. The company usually has a wave of platform announcements and is expected to drop hints about coming updates to iOS 13, the next mobile operating system. Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile http://bit.ly/2oB2PsH December 27, 2018 at 08:15AM
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Snapchat's Offers Augmented Reality Filters For Dogs http://bit.ly/2VdGfH6 With its stock in the dumps and its CEO in the hot seat, Snap is going to the dogs. The struggling social network is adding augmented reality “lenses” for users’ four-legged friends. Unveiled on Christmas Eve, the company is calling the offering “a new treat for you and your best friend.” The lenses include ornament-adorned reindeer antlers (for dogs), a blue butterfly that rests on a dog’s nose, oversized wire-rimmed eyeglasses (for dogs), super-chunky coke-bottle glasses (for dogs), and, of course, a pepperoni pizza that wraps around a dog's face. Positioning the effort partly as a philanthropic endeavor, Snap launched the new lenses in partnership with Wags & Walks, a Los Angeles-bases animal advocacy and rights group. advertisement advertisement Charity aside, Snap is hoping the new lenses can provide its service with a much-needed boost. In terms of usership, Snap seems to be holding its own. From October 2017 to October 2018, Snapchat saw digital consumption increase by 35%, while new user adoption was up 13%, per Nielsen. Yet, the growth isn’t satisfying investors and analysts, many seem to believe that Snap’s best days are behind it. Once valued at more than $30 billion, the company’s market cap recently sunk below $7 billion, while analysts worry the worst is yet to come. Current and former Snap employers are increasingly pointing the finger at founder-CEO Even Spiegel, recently detailed by The Wall Street Journal. Among other missteps, Spiegel is being blamed for over investing in Spectacles -- Snap’s video-capturing sunglasses. A billion cute dog pics aren’t going to solve Snap’s underlining management problems. However, Spiegel continues experiments with new revenue-generating features. Perhaps the most ambitious play involves Amazon and what Snap hopes is its own burgeoning commerce strategy. The partners recently started testing a visual product search feature, which lets users search for products simply by snapping their photo -- or their barcode -- with a smartphone. Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile http://bit.ly/2oB2PsH December 27, 2018 at 07:09AM
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Our Top 10 Influencer Marketing Posts of 2018 http://bit.ly/2SprdfI The post Our Top 10 Influencer Marketing Posts of 2018 appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®. Mobile Marketing via Hubspot http://bit.ly/2V5eKQ7 December 27, 2018 at 05:31AM Xiaomi Releases Mint Browser For Android To Compete With Google Chrome http://bit.ly/2CALhGk The Chinese consumer electronics company Xiaomi has launched the Android web-based Mint browser. Some reports suggest it’s a direct spinoff from Google's Chrome browser. And it’s available for free from the Google Play Store. The Mint browser is touted to offer an ad-free experience, but there is no add-on or ad blocker in the browser. The browser originally shipped as part of MIUI, a popular Android read-only memory ROM, on the company’s smartphones, but now can be downloaded on any Android phone. IDC ranks Xiaomi at No. 4 in the third quarter of 2018, with 34.3 million devices shipped. The biggest draw, the small browser has data compression and low storage requirements and better aids in supplying entry level low-end phones. advertisement advertisement The download size is about 11 MB, whereas Google’s Chrome browser requires about 45 MB and Microsoft’s Edge requires about 76 MB. Mint supports tabbed browsing, incognito, reading mode and voice search. There’s also a feature that disables images on mobile sites to save bandwidth. The browser also offers dark mode, a feature that is reportedly better for reading dark text on a bright background, which is intended to reduce eyestrain during nighttime browsing by turning browser elements and webpages dark. Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile http://bit.ly/2oB2PsH December 26, 2018 at 12:58PM Awaiting The Promise of 5G http://bit.ly/2EPqErE With CES just around the corner, a wave of new technology and gadgetry is getting set to hit the market. One of the most talked-about, marketed and promoted will be 5G, the new mega-speed services coming from companies including Verizon and AT&T. There will be the announcements and then there will be the actual delivery of the services, two separate occurrences. The majority (66%) of businesses plan to deploy 5G by 2020, according to a new study conducted by Gartner, which surveyed 185 Gartner Research Circle members. Businesses expect 5G networks to be used primarily for Internet of Things communications and video, pushed along by the idea of increasing operational efficiency, according to Gartner. However, there are additional uses expected for 5G. Besides businesses, the higher speed is coming to phones, with Samsung and LG both expected to introduce 5G smartphone models at the 2019 Mobile world Congress in February. advertisement advertisement Verizon and AT&T both have said they will be marketing Samsung 5G phones during the first half of 2019. The availability of 5G phones is likely to be ahead of the availability of full 5G services, which are generally are being rolled out city by city in the U.S. Home connectivity also is expected to receive a boost from 5G, with the ultimate promise of the higher speeds coming into the home via wireless signal, eliminating the need for all those wires coming in and of connected TVs. The 5G speeds are promising, as in downloading a movie in a few seconds, and latency improvements can be dramatic, as in instant communications between and among devices. IoT reality is that it takes time to fully roll out a new, mass-market technological innovation. For the short-term future, the market will have to adapt for the promise of 5G.
Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile http://bit.ly/2oB2PsH December 26, 2018 at 12:03PM 5 Marketing Strategies To Start 2019 Right http://bit.ly/2SgXiGs To stay ahead of your competition and maintain trust and engagement with your growing customer base, it’s important to keep reinventing your marketing strategy. New and innovative formats are allowing brands to tell more compelling stories and create stronger connections with their audiences. Here are five ways to use those formats in the new year. Bring connected TV into the mix. Although CTV is regarded by few to be in its infancy when compared to widely known marketing channels, advancements in OTT technology have delivered advertisers with the attribution that exists in programmatic media. The value of CTV advertising is increasingly apparent as brands realize they can reach their customers in a laid-back setting with insights into their consumer’s behavior. Expand your search advertising. Most brands are now familiar with Google search engine marketing and its effectiveness, but a largely untapped audience lies outside of Google search users. Bing Ads present an opportunity for companies to reach a unique segment of their customer base. The Bing network accounts for 27% of the search impression market share, with 145 million unique searchers in the U.S. alone, according to an iProspect study. Bing Ads also incorporate powerful advertising features such as location targeting, Sitelink extensions, call extensions, product ads, and app install formats. advertisement advertisement Use programmatic audio advertising. The online streaming audio market is expanding every year. Programmatic audio takes radio advertising to a new level, offering in-depth attribution and diverse ad formats. Advertising with programmatic audio allows you to create additional touch points with your customer base even while their eyes are off the screen. Major retail brands and advertising technology platforms are shifting their focus toward this new marketing channel, including large media publishers building in-house audio streaming services. Test new social ad formats. Advertisers now have a plethora of social advertising formats to connect with their consumers. Platforms such as Instagram and Facebook have rolled out Stories Ads, providing an immersive experience for end users. Native messaging ads are also on the rise, with Facebook’s Messenger Ads providing more organic ways to create real conversations. Certain ad formats such as carousel ads and lead-gen ads have been adopted by both Facebook and LinkedIn, allowing brands to showcase more content in a single ad with multiple images and call-to-actions. Focus on hyper-local marketing. It’s no secret that “near me” searches have continued to rise as the preferred search inquiry among local buyers. The trend continues to grow, with supporting terms included alongside the popular phrase. A study by Google showed a 500%+ growth in mobile searches containing “Can I buy” or “to buy” in the last two years. Local buyers are no longer looking for places to shop, but instead searching for a specific item and its location. By creating a focused radius around targeted locations, brands use display, product listing, and search ads to reach the customers most likely to make an in-store visit. Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile http://bit.ly/2oB2PsH December 26, 2018 at 11:30AM Industry Insiders Make Their 2019 Predictions http://bit.ly/2BRuUDV Publishers Daily asked a few leaders across digital media and technology to share with their 2019 predictions, ranging from data privacy to 5G to AI. Here’s what they had to say. Adam Singolda, founder and CEO, Taboola: The emergence of 5G will be key to helping brands establish meaningful, personalized connections with mobile consumers and improving overall user experiences in ways we can’t even fully perceive. Brands will be more creative and innovative with their storytelling, including AR and VR, to engage users throughout the entire consumer journey. They will take advantage of the fast speed to create two-way connectivity between the user and the brand. This will enable the consumer to revisit a brand message from a different angle, all while using a faster infrastructure. There is a major opportunity for 5G infrastructure to drive more positive consumer attitudes toward advertising, as well. advertisement advertisement Similarly to how the switch from 3G to 4G prompted more video consumption on-the-go, the shift to 5G will also help publishers increase traffic to their mobile sites. As we’ve seen from projects like AMP, fast is good. Ad load times will decrease, and people will stay on their phones browsing publishers’ sites for longer during their ‘moments of next’ when they’re looking to engage with new information. Patrick Hogan, Director of Legal Affairs, Digital Remedy:Get ahead of the looming U.S. data privacy reforms by thinking forward to what the new laws will emphasize. Many have suggested, and I agree, that U.S. laws will most likely mirror many of the principles of GDPR. So it would be prudent to prepare for things such as consent requirement, data accessibility, and the right to be forgotten. With an aggressive increase in spending in the U.S. throughout the holidays, it will be a huge opportunity for marketers to get ahead of the looming U.S. data privacy reforms. There will be so much information to gather, both in terms of user data, and the way in which we collect, store and move that data. Going through this process in rough draft now will give significant lead time to develop a streamlined process for when the laws go into effect. (Which is likely to be 2020.) Guillaume Clement, Chief Product Officer and Chief Technology Office, Dailymotion: Every industry needs to be extremely careful about how they use AI. Let’s not pretend AI is going to solve all of our problems without any supervision. We need to have supervision, so we don’t have a bias. We have to be very careful when we let the machine make 100% of the decision. It also depends on the critique of the algorithm and what we’re trying to do. That’s the next thing for the industry: Let’s be careful about the bias AI introduces. Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile http://bit.ly/2oB2PsH December 26, 2018 at 11:19AM The Importance Of Closing The MarTech Gap http://bit.ly/2rUta7Z According to recent reports from Accenture and Gartner, 63% of CMOs plan to increase their innovation budgets in 2019, and one-third of companies plan to boost innovation spending by more than 50%. Both add to the growth of worldwide spending on the technology and services that enable digital transformation, which is expected to approach $2 trillion by 2022. That sounds like great progress, until you consider the executives Gartner surveyed agree “marketers’ innovation intent isn’t matched by their innovation capabilities.” In short, we’re spending exponentially more on MarTech to get only incrementally better at marketing. And the gap is growing. Why? Despite years of focus, we still can’t establish a user’s identity across an ever-increasing array of channels, devices and data sources. What good is the escalation in MarTech if we don’t really know who we are marketing to? Virtually none. If we can’t establish user identity, we can’t reliably track their journey across channels and sites. And there’s no magic that IoT, BlockChain and AI can unfurl to overcome the deficiency. advertisement advertisement Forrester recently concluded that understanding users across data sources will remain an obstacle as long as customer data remains locked in many disparate systems. When marketers can access data across sources, they can see new paths. For example, one big shoe manufacturer was able to see its customers weren’t 20-something men but women buying for their husbands and sons. Mostly, though, we’re still like the growing digital commerce electronics company that struggles to identify what its consumers are doing just before landing on its website. Are they searching in Google and then commenting in Facebook? Are they using mobile checkout? What payment systems and banks are processing their transactions? While the internet bulges with more data than ever, the walled gardens of FAANG keep users elusive. And they will stay that way until we can create a universal user ID system. The user data provided by these platforms amounts to a pinhole vision; typically, small cohorts of users specific to channels rather than a 360-degree spectrum of behavior across digital, offline and real-world action. DSPs, CRMs and DMPs all provide value, but none deliver a unified user view in a cross-media, cross-channel, cross-device, online and offline arena. Many third-party sources readily offer you a list, but it takes weeks to segment, join and optimize the data for user identity. By then, the prospect has vanished from the radar. That’s especially true for companies that have numerous distinct brands with offline presences. They can’t maximize consumer experiences or marketing, so they can’t gain a competitive edge from data. What we need is a blockchain-based, universal user profile and journey data consortium to unify user profiles across online and offline data platforms, incorporating first- and third-party sources. Such a system could track user markers across new and existing IoT or device technologies, so user identity is consistent across sources and over time. This can be done, even within the rising standards of privacy. As a marketing community, we need to come together to close the gap between intent and capability in marketing. There is no room for walled gardens when commerce depends on data synthesis, and the MarTech economy hinges on ROI that conspicuously eludes marketers. True marketing innovation depends on accessing user identity reliably in real-time, so we can market as smartly as we plan and generate marketplace results. Until then, we’re wasting our money and time on the latest MarTech. Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile http://bit.ly/2oB2PsH December 26, 2018 at 09:26AM
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TopRank Marketing’s Top 6 B2B Influencer Marketing Predictions & Trends to Watch in 2019 http://bit.ly/2EOWpld How many of you can count the number of times you’ve purchased a product or made a decision based on a recommendation from a friend, acquaintance, review on the web or a celebrity endorsement? I’d venture to guess that most of you would say: "Too many to count." That’s because we all rely on advice from others to help us make sense of a complex world where we don’t always have all of the information we need to make a decision. Influencer marketing has been around for ages (literally), but it’s only begun to build steam within the B2B world over the past few years. The good news is that for many, B2B influencer marketing is still in its infancy—which means there are plenty of opportunities to begin implementing influencer marketing today. Interestingly, a report from Twitter found that recommendations from influencers are quickly gaining momentum and are nearly equal to receiving recommendations from actual friends. To help you navigate the future of B2B influencer marketing and guide your approach, we’ve put together six trends and predictions to watch for in 2019. #1 - Increasing Data Privacy Concerns Will Impact the Role of InfluencersThis year new GDPR regulations took effect across the EU, which left many global brands scrambling to make sure that they were appropriately handling personal identifying information. What many brands didn’t consider, was how it will impact influencer marketing programs. Some big brands have already begun evolving how they handle influencer information and what is needed in terms of documentation to properly meet new requirements. And that will only continue to increase. As Ursula Ringham, Head of Global Influencer Marketing for SAP*, told us earlier this year: “GDPR is going to be the stake in the ground for all data privacy—bar none. As GDPR kicks off, we’ll start to see lawsuits and controversies in the news and people will become increasingly aware and engaged. In the U.S., we’re already becoming more aware of data privacy issues, especially after Cambridge Analytica." She added: “But bottom line, GDPR will be really important. And as a result, our influencers will become even more important and valuable. They’re going to be our trusted brand ambassadors; our trusted voices. They’ll be a huge asset because people don’t trust brands outright—they trust people.” [bctt tweet="Bottom line, #GDPR will be really important. And as a result, our #influencers will become even more important and valuable. @usularingham #InfluencerMarketing #B2B" username="toprank"]#2 - Capturing Influencer Attention Will Become Increasingly DifficultAs the demand for working with influencers increases, it will become more and more difficult to capture and hold their attention. As a result, before reaching out to influencers to collaborate, it will be even more important to first determine and communicate what's in it for them. Showing influencers value and displaying that you understand what they’re interested in will help you begin building a relationship of mutual value. As Rani Mani, Head of Influencer Social Enablement at Adobe, told us in a recent interview: "We at Adobe pride ourselves on cultivating and nurturing long term relationships with our influencers. We look at it as dating with an eye towards long term commitment which means we are always looking to establish a 'give to get' exchange where all parties come out ahead." The key that Rani touches on? Building lasting relationships, which will require more effort than simply reaching out when you need something. As Lee Odden, TopRank Marketing's CEO, recently wrote: "Brands that use a shotgun approach to invite influencers only when they need them won’t see very high recruitment rates. The same goes for non-personalized, ego-centric messages from brands that are only concerned with what the brand wants to get out of the collaboration." And while we advise placing a lot of emphasis on building these relationships organically, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t pay your influencers where appropriate. Think about what you’re asking of your influencers and make sure that you understand their expectations as well. Onalytica’s recent survey of brand and influencer relationships found that influencers have varying objectives, but many are most interested in building thought leadership and gaining exposure on specific topics followed by expanding their networks to reach new audiences. [bctt tweet="Brands that use a shotgun approach to invite influencers only when they need them won’t see very high recruitment rates. @leeodden #InfluencerMarketing #B2B" username="toprank"]#3 - Emphasis on Specific Influencer Qualities Will EvolveWhen you consider what makes for a good B2C influencer, the most sought-after quality is that they have an extensive network. For many B2B marketers, the emphasis has followed that same path. However, influence is not solely based on the number of followers that an expert has, something that is becoming more clear in the wake of fake social media accounts and inflated follower counts. True, social reach should be a consideration for your B2B influencer marketing program, but not the only one. Sometimes the influencers with the largest reach may not be engaging their audience in a meaningful way that leads to more users connecting with your content. As a result, if you aren't already, you need to be looking at a variety of influencer qualities (each of which are important) when identifying influencers to work with in 2019 and beyond. As you can see in the chart below, different types of experts can positively impact your program in several different ways. As your influencer program continues to mature, begin determining what the right mix of influencers to include for maximum impact. [bctt tweet="If you aren't already, you need to be looking at a variety of influencer qualities (each of which are important) when identifying influencers to work with in 2019 and beyond. - @azeckman #InfluencerMarketing #B2B" username="toprank"]#4 - The Call for Tighter Topical AlignmentWhen many brands first start dipping their toes in the influencer marketing waters, it can be difficult to suss out exactly who to co-create content with. Unfortunately, one of the mistakes many brands make is working with influencers that don’t quite align with the topics they want to share with their target audience. As a result, in 2019 and beyond, you need to commit to meaningful influencer identification and collaboration if you want to co-create content that informs, engages, and resonates with your audiences. For example, if you want to collaborate with an influencer on the topic of “Account Based Marketing” it’s important to conduct critical research to determine what their take is on the topic, and if it’s a topic they publish content on frequently. Otherwise, you may not end up with the level of content that your audience is anticipating. Additionally, the influencer audience may not be a fit for the content topic which will not lead to the level of engagement you’re seeking. Part of TopRank Marketing’s process with our clients is to conduct research internally and externally to determine which topics should be included in influencer co-creation programs to best target the audience. Below is an example of how these topics could be priorities: But marketer beware. The goal is not to control the opinion of influencers. Instead, focus on finding the RIGHT influencers that already align with the message you’d like to create content around.#5 - Influencer Video Content Will Reign SupremeVideo has been a rising content marketing star over the past couple years. But in 2018, video is officially dominating social media news feeds, search results, and the minds of our target audience. It's everyhere, and the launch and refinement of native video and Stories features on top social platforms has heightened this demand. Both live and pre-recorded video that can be uploaded natively on social platforms presents an opportunity for brands and influencers alike. Everything from talking head videos to interviews and motion graphics are all content co-creation moments that can be captured and shared again and again. So, as the overall demand for video increases, so will the demand for increased quality. If you plan on co-creating video with influencers, you need to plan for the unexpected. If recording remotely, be sure to prep your influencers beforehand and run a test before you begin recording. If you’re recording onsite (at somewhere like their office or event) be sure to create a contingency plan in case your original setup is not conducive to capturing great video. [bctt tweet="Both live and pre-recorded video that can be uploaded natively on social platforms presents an opportunity for brands and influencers alike. @azeckman #Influencer Marketing #B2B" username="toprank"]#6 - The Battle Between ROI & Awareness Will ContinueEvery B2B marketer wants to enhance brand awareness, recognition, and advocacy. But they also want to drive a high volume of qualified leads. But to get from one end of the spectrum to the other, you need to deploy tactics and strategies that are tailored to your audience where they actually are in their buyer's journey. The same goes for influencer marketing programs. Not all are created equal. For example, if your goal in working with influencers is to build awareness, you’ll need to deploy a specific strategy and mix of tactics that are vastly different than if your goal is demand or lead gen. In fact, the most recent Influence 2.0 Report from Traackr and Brian Solis found that the two top influencer priorities for marketers are to increase brand awareness followed closely by determining attribution and ROI. Influencer marketing can absolutely have an impact on both lead gen and awareness programs. However, in 2019 and beyond, it will be essential that you build an approach that aligns with your objectives. And as influencer marketing programs continue to mature, it will be essential that brands nail down exactly what they need to measure and how they’ll measure.Ready. Set. Connect2019 stands to be a big year for B2B influencer marketing. Consumers and influencers alike will expect more from the brands they work with, which means that one of the most important steps you can take as a brand is to build your influencer marketing program on a solid foundation. Instead of just throwing money at a program and expecting results, it’ll take time, effort and people to build meaningful relationships that will have a lasting impact. Want to know what’s on tap for social media marketing in 2019? Check out our top social media trends and predictions to watch in 2019.The post TopRank Marketing’s Top 6 B2B Influencer Marketing Predictions & Trends to Watch in 2019 appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®. Mobile Marketing via Hubspot http://bit.ly/2V5eKQ7 December 26, 2018 at 05:32AM
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From Our Marketing Family to Yours, Happy Holidays, Marketers! http://bit.ly/2ELvZ2Q The post From Our Marketing Family to Yours, Happy Holidays, Marketers! appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®. Mobile Marketing via Hubspot http://bit.ly/2V5eKQ7 December 25, 2018 at 05:32AM |
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