This week, Robert and I talk about the latest Facebook algorithm change, which pretty much ensures we will have to pay Facebook to get our content marketing noticed. At the same time, Google goes out to hunt guest blogging spammers. And, after a nice dialog on transparency, Robert covers the bases of this week’s This Old Marketing example: baseball cards.
This week’s show
(Recorded live on March 24, 2014; Length: 53:39)
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Show overview
1. Content Marketing in the News
Facebook Slashes the Organic Reach of Pages (Again!) (3:10): The organic reach of Facebook pages has been reduced to only 1 to 2 percent, according to an article in Adweek. Robert and I agree that this effectively negates its value as an earned media platform.
Google Goes to War Against Guest Blogging (10:16): Google appears to be signaling the end of guest blogging as an SEO strategy, as it penalizes a major guest blogging network, MyBlogGuest. We offer our thoughts on how content marketers should react to this latest move by the search engine giant.
New eBook Focuses on “Unteaching” Customers as a Means to Drive Change (18:50): Most thought leadership content is focused on helping customers understand future trends in an industry or market. The CEB’s alternative approach is to challenge what customers think they know about their business. Robert and I discuss why we are intrigued, yet skeptical.
4 Myths You Might Believe About the Web (25:30): A recent article in Time magazine claims that popular metrics, such as ad banner click-throughs and social media shares, aren’t good indicators of digital media efficacy. Robert and I share our own opinions on the metrics that matter most.
Take Credit for Great Branded Content (37:00): An AdvertisingAge article by Shane Snow recommends that marketers clearly identify themselves in sponsored content, rather than trying to “sneak it by” readers as if it’s original content. We review a few great examples of brands that toe this line, including The Lego Movie, American Express Open Forum, and Chipotle.
2. Rants and Raves (39:45)
The Branded Content Conference: Robert recently spoke at this excellent conference in Toronto, where he discovered that many marketers and agencies are stuck in a campaign mindset, rather than creating authentic, engaging, crazy-cool content. One of the problems this causes is a lack of consistency across all of a company’s channels as marketers become obsessed with “the next big thing.”
The Glut of Free Advice Emails: I’ve been getting inundated with messages from agency people asking for free advice. These requests make it clear that they don’t yet have a deep enough understanding of what content marketing is — or why they should be using it to demonstrate its value to prospective clients.
3. This Old Marketing Example of the Week (48:45)
Baseball cards: The true originator of baseball cards, Peck & Snyder Sporting Goods created them in 1866 to support a fledgling professional sport, as well as to drive business to its stores. Its strategy worked like a charm and eventually spawned many imitators, including tobacco and chewing gum producers, who included baseball cards in their product packaging.
For a full list of the PNR archives, go to the main This Old Marketing page.
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