Don't make these common influencer marketing mistakes or else you risk scandal and negative brand awareness

Named one of the hottest marketing trends in 2017, working with influencers can do wonders for a brand. But, if done incorrectly, can also destroy them. Collaborating with an influencer is essentially picking a business partner; choosing the right one can bring great success, but a poor choice can cause great damage.

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Before approaching the tactic, you must be sure you understand the risks of influencer marketing, and not just the rewards. Here are four of the major ones to consider.

1. They may only be in it for a paycheck

What started off as some extra cash on the…

Social media is more popular but less effective than PPC for B2B companies

If you're a B2B marketer wondering how to get ahead in the digital arena, you might be frustrated with the lack of statistics available about B2B marketing. While the web is rife with stats on the latest B2C trends, B2B marketers often struggle to find data which can influence their digital strategies. Bubblegum Search have created an infographic that highlights some of the most vital B2B statistics in 2017 and has some fantastic insights which can translate into actionable strategies for B2B marketers. Let's look at three important takeaways that demonstrate key gaps and opportunities in B2B marketing.

1. Twitter is an effective platform for 55% of B2B marketers

51% also report that they have great success with YouTube, and even Instagram is proving effective in generating B2B interactions. LinkedIn just takes the lead with 66% reporting success, which isn't…

A well-planned newsletter makes sure your customers always remember you

Enewsletter writing is hard – particularly as you don’t really get a great deal of feedback as to what works and what doesn't. The only guidelines email marketers can work off are engagements and clicks - but this metric varies depending on what vendor you use and how they measure engagement. So how do you know you're writing engaging copy?

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Go out there and subscribe to some of your competitor's newsletters to see what works and what doesn’t. Don’t stop there. Check out newsletters in other businesses and areas. Look at some of your near-competitors (those who have products that are close to yours but not the same) and see what they do. They might have good ideas you can apply. You…

Chart of the Day: Drivers and barriers for online purchase

When I first got involved in digital marketing in the mid-1990s, online shopping via e-commerce was in its infancy. It's hard to believe now, but many consumers were reluctant to buy online, so it was important for retailers to understand the drivers and barriers to online purchase. Then tactics, messaging and incentives could be developed to encourage online purchase. Today, purchasing online is accepted by many, but if you look across categories of purchase, there are some sectors where there is still reluctance to buy online, so online retailers still need to work on their tactics to encourage online conversion and multichannel tactics to encourage offline purchase in-store. [si_blog_banner_cta] A new report from KPMG has some of the most detailed research evaluating the consumer psychology of purchase, broken down by different countries, so I'm showcasing some of the main findings here. I hope it…

Social Media Essentials: Find out how you can start book marking tweets, watching official Snapchat stories and why you will need to dig out your CV with Facebook

Snapchat tests official stories

Snapchat is stepping up its games again by testing a dedicated section of Official Stories from verified accounts. Mashable reported that they are testing a dedicated section of its app to "Official Stories" from verified accounts. They have launched this feature in an effort to create more value for its verified accounts.

Twitter launches 'Happening Now' feature

Twitter has released a new feature called 'Happening Now'. This aims to make its service more accessible to newcomers by highlighting groups of tweets about a topic, beginning with sports, before expanding to other areas like entertainment and news. This might sound pretty similar to Twitter moments but Techcrunch explains 'Twitter Moments are a curated selection of…

Interview: Roberto Abbondio, Managing Director of Eurostar

We spoke to Roberto Abbondio, MD New Digital Business of Eurostar, to find out how they plan, optimize and manage their digital transformation and long-term marketing strategy. Roberto is one of many senior keynote speakers at Digistrategy 2017, London on December 14th.  Roberto joined Eurostar in 2017. As MD New Digital Business, he is in charge of strategic projects aimed at engaging the customer with innovative and relevant ancillary propositions. Roberto joined from Cathay Pacific where he served as Managing Director Cathay Pacific Holidays in Hong Kong, leading its transition to a modern digitalised one-stop shop for the airline. Prior to that he was part of the start-up of Hostelbookers.com and he worked for Expedia as Business Development Director for their b2b division, based in Paris. In his early career, after his Political Economics degree at Bocconi in Milan, Roberto covered various roles at British Airways,…

Psychology research that will help you subtly convince your leads

Ever wanted to get into the minds of your customers and figure out how they think? Ever wanted to know the best methods to convince someone to do something? As the study of the human mind and behavior, psychology has answers to what you're looking for. Psychology is applicable to a wide range of fields, from daily life to counseling to human resources. But what you're probably more concerned about is the intersection of psychology and marketing

1. Relate to your customer

Goldstein, Cialdini, and Griskevicius (2008) conducted a study on Using Social Norms to Motivate Environmental Conservation in Hotels. In particular, they tried to determine what kind of message would get hotel guests to reuse their towels. They used three variations, paraphrased below: Standard message: 'help save the environment' 75% of hotel guests in this hotel reuse their towels 75% of hotel guests…

Find the most effective ways to increase social ROI

So, you know that social media is a critical part of your customers’ lives. You’ve got a social media plan going, but you’re not seeing great results just yet. Perhaps you are still figuring out the best channels for reaching your target audience, or maybe you’re still learning about what content is most engaging. [si_guide_block id="82119" title="Download FREE Resource – 10 common social media marketing mistakes" description="Our actionable guide to avoiding common social media marketing mistakes to help you avoid the pitfalls that limit engagement with your target audience."/] If you’re looking to improve the effectiveness of your social media operations and increase your ROI, here are the things you must pay attention to.

1. You can't improve what you don't measure

Virtually all businesses are using social media these days, but most companies aren’t getting a great ROI. A major reason why ROI for social…

New research shows that web users do not always know when they are viewing a paid ad

With growing concern over the authenticity of online news, a study carried out by content marketing agency Ad-Rank Media revealed some interesting insights into users’ understanding and trust of the internet. [caption id="attachment_98079" align="aligncenter" width="550"] Source: Internet Live Stats[/caption] Out of the 2,000 surveyed, 1 in 10 admitted to browsing upwards of 50 websites a day, tying in with the rising trend of worldwide internet usage. Yet it would seem that the technology doesn’t result in a particularly deep understanding of it. Of those surveyed, a surprising 60% of respondents said they don’t know the difference between Google sponsored ads and organic results - a higher than expected figure considering the regulation where paid-for listings must be marked accordingly.

Do you know which search…

Chart of the day: AB testing is the most popular method of improving conversion rate optimization (CRO) - personalization is the least used technique

Feedback and insights from surveys and usability testing are also popular methods of improving conversions.

Are CRO and UX becoming one entity?

Over the years there have been two distinct ways of improving conversions, the testing approach of trying different methods (like AB testing) and the insight approach (getting feedback from surveys and doing user testing). Now the two are coming together more than ever, UX practitioners and CRO specialists are slowly becoming one, as they realise AB testing isn't enough. But it still is the most popular technique. Copy Optimization is also a very popular technique - but marketers realise that copy is so incredibility important. Marketers have really bought into the value of copywriting and content marketing, so ultimately copy optimization being a popular method, does make…