I read with great interest Fractl and Moz’s recent study on the SEO impact of PR stunts.
I once worked in PR where clients often pursued publicity for publicity’s sake. Or, as they preferred to say, “brand awareness”. In reality, the best publicity is the kind that gives brands quantifiable long-term benefits. Earning more natural, authoritative links to websites is fine. Not fuzzy goals like "brand awareness".
In other digital news: Airbnb unveiled its secret to success; rethinking the war on ads; Google’s new Analytics 360 Suite; and why A/B testing is not as effective as you might think. Happy reading!
1) Measuring the SEO Impact of PR Wins and Fails
Is it true that “any press is good press”? The folks at Moz and Fractl measured the SEO impact major media coverage had on seven companies to find out. These included Roman Originals of #TheDress fame and the 2015 Miss Universe brouhaha.
It turned out that not any press is good. Company reputations risk irreparable damage if the brand itself is the source of conflict. While conflict is a key part of good stories, you need to make sure that:
“(Y)our brand is the hero, not the villain. Look for opportunities to weave the “bad guys” your company is fighting into your pitches.”
>> Originally from Moz
Image source: Pexels
Shared by Ying Yi, Content Marketer
Related Blog Post: Local SEO tips to drive up your Google Ranking by our resident SEO ninja.
2) The Secret to Airbnb’s Success: It Designs for Trust
Joe Gebbia, one half of Airbnb’s founders, has revealed the secret to Airbnb’s success.
It’s a well-designed reputation system for building trust among strangers. Airbnb encourages guests to leave reviews and guides them to disclose just the right amount of personal information.
“Design is much more than the look and feel of something -- it's the whole experience”
Now that’s a lesson for brands. Design should be more than looking pretty and “branding”. Impactful designs aim to deliver experiences. If these experiences involve forging serendipitous personal connections, even better!
>> Originally from TED
Image source: Airbnb Facebook
Shared by Bernard, Project Executive
3) War On Ads? Read This First
We hate ads. Pop-ups, YouTube pre-rolls, webpage takeovers, banners etc. And we use ad blockers to block ‘em all. We really hate ads because they interrupt our experience of watching kittens explode or reading the latest news.
There’s a problem.
Publications are funded by advertising money. Blocking ads mean blocking their funding. This leads to a knock-on effect: no more content that we love and want. So how can publications deal with users who block ads?
A solution could be to integrate ads into editorial content like how BuzzFeed and Time are doing. What say you?
>> Originally from Marketing Profs
Image source: Marketing Land
Shared by Krystal, Digital Marketing Executive
4) Google’s New Analytics 360 Suite
Enterprise marketers! Google’s new Analytics 360 Suite is for you.
Noteworthy tools that are part of the Analytics 360 package include:
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A/B testing for websites
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Data visualisation and analysis
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Data management
The best part? Simplicity is the guiding principle behind this new service. Its tools are easy to use, even as they crunch massive amounts of data to yield actionable insights.
>> Originally from Tech Crunch
Image source: Tech Crunch
Shared by Edwin, Digital Strategist
5) A/B Tests are Crap Most of the Time
It is a common belief among marketers that A/B testing can have a big impact on campaign results. We think we can A/B test just about anything from landing pages to ad copies to email subject lines and CTAs.
Well, AppSumo found that just one out of eight A/B tests produce results. The rest were inconclusive. So is it worth it for marketers to run simultaneous experiments in campaigns to see which performs or converts the best?
We believe that there’s still value in running A/B experiments. It takes time, thought and research to construct tests that produce meaningful results.
>> Originally from VentureBeat
Image source: Vendo
Shared by An, Technical Director
Want more digital news? Check out the rest of our 5 Digital Bites b/f Breakfast series!
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