MackCollier.com

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Join me today at Marketing Profs’ Content Marketing Crash Course!

As many of you know, Marketing Profs has been conducting its Content Marketing Crash Course for the last week or so.  Tomorrow I am finally up, and at 1:30-2:30pm CT, I’ll be teaching my class, Think Like a Rockstar: How to Build Fans and Engagement Around Your Blog.  This is the blogging version of my Think Like a Rockstar presentation that’s my most popular session.  Here’s what we’ll cover:

Engagement and interaction are key to a successful blog. So many companies want more participation on their blogs, but so few truly get it. What lessons can we learn from rock stars about how they convert customers into fans? How to rock stars ignite passion? And more to the point, can you take these lessons and use them to build a community around YOUR business blogging efforts?

In this session you’ll learn:

  • The four reasons why rock stars have fans instead of just customers
  • How you can apply each of these lessons to your existing business blogging efforts in order to increase interaction and engagement with your readers
  • Examples of blogging companies that are adopting these lessons to build fans and community on their own blogs

If you’ve ever seen me speak or train then you know the drill:  I’ll show you what works, explain why it works, then give you real-world examples of blogging companies that are using these same concepts to improve their own blogging efforts.  I’ll also walk you through what Rockstars do to attract fans and show you exactly how to work these same concepts into your blogging efforts to build excitement and engagement.  So as soon as you log-off, you’ll have the advice and instructions you need to start improving your blogging engagement efforts!

Now here is the BEST part.  If you register for this class via this link, and are a basic Marketing Profs member or even if you AREN’T a member of Marketing Profs, you’ll save $200 off the course price.  So you’ll get the entire 17-part course for just $395.00.  That’s a flat bargain to get a full 17 hours of expert content, for less than $400.  But again, to get this discount you have to be a Marketing Profs basic member or if you aren’t a Marketing Profs member, you can also click here to register for the $395 rate.

You can see exactly what courses are provided, and who the instructors are by clicking here.  For tomorrow’s classes, CK will be covering 10 Tips, Tools and To-Do’s to Mobilize Your Marketing at 11:00am CT, then Jay Baer will present on Rapid-Fire Ways to Atomize Your Content at 12:30pm CT, and my Rockstar class will close out the day at 1:30pm CT.

But remember if you want the special discount you need to make sure you register via this link.  That will add the special ROCKSTAR code to your registration.  That gets you a nice discount, and I get a cut from it as well, so it’s a win-win!

And if you do register, THANK YOU!  Hope to see you at the session!

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How does search engine traffic affect your blog?

I am definitely not an SEO expert, but after a couple of years of studying up on how search engines work, I think I have at least a 101-level understanding of the topic.  Still, as with most other things, I can learn something better if I can figure out for myself why it works.

Earlier this year I started paying closer attention to the percentage of this site’s traffic that came from search engines.  I noticed that at the first of the year, less than 10% of the traffic came from search engines.  This seemed really low to me, and the most common answer I was given for increasing search traffic was to post consistently to the blog.  The idea was that over time, search traffic should rise as more content from the site was indexed.

And here’s the graph for the weekly search traffic here:

In February, search accounted for just 6.53% of the traffic here, but through last week, search was responsible for 34% of the traffic here for this month.  And the nice steady growth in search traffic you see in the above graph backs that up.

But I noticed something pretty interesting when I was reading my site’s stats.  For the year, 73.84% of the people that visited this site were here for the first time.  Yet when I look at just the search traffic for the year it was even higher, the percentage was 78.25%.  So that means that almost 80% of the search traffic here were people visiting this site for the first time.

I think this is pretty significant because many of us that blog want to avoid covering topics we have already previously discussed.  But at least for this site, roughly 75% of the people that see every post, are seeing this site as a whole for the 1st time.

This leads to some interesting questions, such as…

1 – Should we as bloggers be attempting to more narrowly focus our content?  For example, instead of covering 5 complimentary topics, focusing on just 1 or 2 areas, and creating content that often covers the same ground?

2 – Or should we instead be looking for ways to get more visits from return visitors?

3 – What IS the ideal percentage of new visitors?  Very little in social media is ‘one size fits all’, so how can bloggers decide what that percentage should look like, based on what they want to accomplish with their blogging?

Would be interested to hear what y’all think, and also how my stats compare with what you are seeing on your blog.  I used Google Analytics to find mine, and I don’t think there is a ‘right’ answer here.  If your percentages are higher, that could be good, and if they are lower, that could be good as well.

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Get over it, your blog IS a selling tool

No matter what reason you have for blogging, your blog IS a selling tool.  You are creating content that’s a selling tool for….something.  The key is to make sure you are selling what your customers want to buy.

Most companies create blog content that directly promotes its products, because that’s what it wants to sell.  But for the most part, the content we WANT to see is content that shows us how the product will fit into our lives, or solve a problem for us.

Case in point, earlier this year I started doing research looking for a new carryon.  The one I had provided very basic functionality, and was starting to break down.  Additionally, if I attended an event for more than 2 days, it was tough to pack everything I’d need in it, especially considering any materials/books/swag I might pick up during the trip that I’d like to bring back home.

So while I was technically looking for a new carryon, what I really wanted was a product that would make the travel experience easier for me.  Then I found this post from Chris where he reviewed the Eagle Creek Tarmac 22 carryon.  I bought it recently and I. Am. In. Love.  The bag does exactly what I need it to do, it perfectly organizes all the clothes I’d need for any trip, and as a result, now makes it possible to pack clothing for at least 2-3 additional days over my previous carryon.  For a recent business trip to Atlanta I packed a full wardrobe for 3 days plus a sports coat and jacket, and had room for at least 2 more days worth of clothing.  And that’s without using the extender, which gives you 15% more room.

But notice that this content was created by an Eagle Creek customer (Chris), and the FOCUS of the content was on how the bag helped him as a busy traveler.  That was a big selling point for me, because Chris does more traveling than I do, so I knew if it worked for him, that it would probably work for me.  Chris wasn’t trying to sell the product literally, he was trying to sell us on why the product worked for him.  And as such, he was sharing his experiences with us, in the hope that it might help us as well if we are considering a new carryon.

And it’s interesting that apparently Eagle Creek does NOT have a blog.  So I had to get ‘sold’ on the Eagle Creek Tarmac 22 by Chris, not the company.  Which approach do you think would do a better job of selling this product:

1 – Explaining the product itself, how it’s constructed, the materials used, and any guarantees it has.

2 – Explaining how this product will help a busy traveler better stay organized and save time and effort.

I lean toward #2, but there is some importance in #1.  I think the problem is, most companies understand their product better than they do how their customers will USE their product.

IMO if you want to use your blog as an effective selling tool, sell me how the WHY and HOW I use your product, and create content around that.  Look at the above picture, do I want you to sell me on why I should buy your basketball, or do I want you to sell you on how you can make me a better basketball player?

Your blog IS a selling tool.  The key is to create content that promotes the product by being customer-centric, not product-centric.

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Setting the record straight on online reviews: An interview with Bazaarvoice’s Ian Greenleigh

A few months ago Ian Greenleigh gave me some great stats and case studies from some of Bazaarvoice‘s clients on how they were benefiting from online ratings and reviews.  I published those findings in a post that proved to be one of the most popular here so far this year.  So I wanted to bring Ian back to let him talk more about the power of online ratings, reviews and comments:

Mack:  Tell us what you do and why you are awesome.

Ian: I manage social media for Bazaarvoice. This includes oversight and content creation for all of your “usual suspect” channels, but I focus most on making sure we have a leading corporate blog that adds value and contributes to our thought leadership. Personally, I’m most active on Twitter (be3d).

Bazaarvoice: We help our clients build revenue by building customer conversations into their businesses. This takes the form of hosted & moderated solutions like Ratings & Reviews, Ask & Answer and Stories.

Mack: What’s the biggest misconception you think most companies have about online reviews?

Ian: Many companies don’t understand that negative reviews are normally a net benefit if they’re open to them. Here are a couple of ways they help:

  • They help the company appear more authentic and credible
  • Negative reviews are better than no reviews at all—products/services with more reviews (even if they’re negative) get more clicks than products with fewer or no reviews
  • Negative reviews often alert companies to product flaws that can then be addressed to lead to increased sales in the next product release
  • Negative reviews provide a more realistic view of the product to customers. They return this product less often, because they know what they’re getting and aren’t surprised by shortcomings.
  • Companies might think that if they don’t invite reviews, they simply won’t have to deal with them. Instead, they end up having to address these reviews outside of their “home turf”, in the social web where they have far less control and influence. Letting the conversations take place on company websites makes more sense because conversations are more easily tracked, complaints are easier to address and results are far more instantaneous.

Mack: Do you have any stats on how Bazaarvoice’s clients have seen an increase or decrease in sales after adding Ratings and Reviews to their site?

Ian:  Sure, from our stats page:

  • Products with syndicated reviews convert 26% higher. (Bazaarvoice Case Study, 2009)
  • MarketingExperiments tested product conversion with and without product ratings by customers. Conversion nearly doubled, going from .44% to 1.04% after the same product displayed its five-star rating. (MarketingExperiments Journal, July 2007)
  • Giving shoppers the ability to sort products within a category by customer rating led to a sales increase of 41% per unique visitor. (PETCO, June 2007)
  • 11% of retailers reported a 20% or more overall increase in conversions as a result of adding reviews to their sites, 21% reported an 11% to 20% increase and 5% reported a 1% to 10% increase. (eTailing Group, June 2008)

Mack:  If a company encounters a ‘negative’ blog post or comment from a customer, how should they handle it?

Ian: As long as the content is not ad-hominem of offensive, concerns should be addressed head on. When this doesn’t happen, you see things like the famous United Breaks Guitars video. Keep in mind that others are watching to see what is done about the complaint, so a public response is usually warranted. One of the best ways to take the conversation in a better direction is to leave a follow up comment saying that someone is going to call, email, etc., and then take the conversation offline toward resolution. This at least tells all the people watching the post that you’re taking action.

Mack: When a company encounters a comment they want to address online, should they have a ‘chain of command’ in place so certain employees handle certain comments based on topic/tone/etc, or should the employee that finds the comment always be the one to respond?

Ian: Responses should be assigned out to employees by role/expertise, but locating and cataloguing negative comments should be a centralized task. Employees that happen upon them should know who to ping in order to resolve the complaint. Alternatively, companies can adopt a “respond if it’s in your wheelhouse” policy, telling employees to pass along anything they don’t feel comfortable responding to (or don’t have the knowledge for). Either way, centralized records should be kept and incident data trended over time.

Great information once again from Ian, and really helpful advice on handling negative blog comments and the power of online reviews and rankings.  As Ian shows above, clients that use ratings actually benefit, as do companies that handle negative comments correctly.  Thanks again Ian, and please follow Mr. Greenleigh on Twitter at @be3d.

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Death by a thousand crappy blog posts

As 2010 comes to a close, it’s a good time to take a long, hard look at your blog.  That’s exactly what I am doing now, and I’m seeing a lot of areas that can and will be improved upon in 2011.

A good place to start is by first seeing what worked, and that means jumping into your site’s analytics.  Which posts were the most popular this year?  Which search terms sent the most traffic here?  Which topics were covered in your most popular posts?  Which month had the highest traffic?  Why?  Did one post do well, or did you have several that did better?

Here’s some problem areas I have found here, and what I want to do to improve in 2011:

1 – Get back on a regular posting pattern.  The goal I always have is to have at least 2 new posts a week, sometimes 3.  But the problem I keep running into is that when I am swamped with work, I get behind and let the blog go to pot.  My solution will be to start writing posts ahead of time and have a few ‘in the bullpen’ that I can publish when I get too busy with work.

2 – Create more compelling content.  Focus less on tools, focus more on HOW the tools are being used.  Post less about what’s happening NOW, and more about what could be happening tomorrow.

3 – Don’t post as much about social media, post more about how social media impacts OTHER areas of marketing and communications, and vice versa. The usage of these tools shouldn’t be siloed, and smart companies are amplifying their existing social media efforts by working with their existing communication efforts.

4 – Put myself in timeout if I write a single post about how another blogger is doing social media wrong, or a ‘I call bullshit’ post. Seriously, these almost always suck, and have been done to death anyway.  Focus the content on ideas, not people.

5 – Do more interviews with companies and people that are pushing the edges as far what’s possible with new media.  Better leverage my Twitter network for contacts (good tip for all of you, do you actually know what most of your followers do and who they work for?).

6 – Focus more on how mobile marketing is impacting social media.  CK was ahead of the curve here.

Those are some ideas I have for improving this blog.  How do you self-critique your blog?  Or do you?

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Register for Marketing Profs’ Content Marketing Crash Course and Save $200!

As many of you know, I am a huge fan of Marketing Profs and their conferences and virtual events.  I’ve been lucky enough to speak at several of their events, and I’ll be working with them on their latest effort, the Content Marketing Crash Course.  What Marketing Profs has done is bring together over 20 Social Media and Content Marketing experts to teach 17 classes over a 2-week period.  People like Ann Handley, Brian Solis, CC Chapman, Jason Falls, CK, David Merriman Scott, Jay Baer, Joe Pulizzi, Lee Odden and Steve Garfield.

And they also let me join this group.  My class will be on December 15th, entitled Think Like a Rockstar: How to Build Fans and Engagement Around Your Blog.  This is the blogging version of my Think Like a Rockstar presentation that’s my most popular session.  Here’s what we’ll cover:

Engagement and interaction are key to a successful blog. So many companies want more participation on their blogs, but so few truly get it. What lessons can we learn from rock stars about how they convert customers into fans? How to rock stars ignite passion? And more to the point, can you take these lessons and use them to build a community around YOUR business blogging efforts?

In this session you’ll learn:

  • The four reasons why rock stars have fans instead of just customers
  • How you can apply each of these lessons to your existing business blogging efforts in order to increase interaction and engagement with your readers
  • Examples of blogging companies that are adopting these lessons to build fans and community on their own blogs

If you’ve ever seen me speak or train then you know the drill:  I’ll show you what works, explain why it works, then give you real-world examples of blogging companies that are using these same concepts to improve their own blogging efforts.  I’ll also walk you through what Rockstars do to attract fans and show you exactly how to work these same concepts into your blogging efforts to build excitement and engagement.  So as soon as you log-off, you’ll have the advice and instructions you need to start improving your blogging engagement efforts!

Now here is the BEST part.  If you register for this class via this link, and are a basic Marketing Profs member or even if you AREN’T a member of Marketing Profs, you’ll save $200 off the course price.  So you’ll get the entire 17-part course for just $395.00.  That’s a flat bargain to get a full 17 hours of expert content, for less than $400.  But again, to get this discount you have to be a Marketing Profs basic member or if you aren’t a Marketing Profs member, you can also click here to register for the $395 rate.

Now if you are a Marketing Profs PRO member, then clicking that link will get you in at $297 instead of $595.  Or if you are a PRO member that has taken a MPU class previously, you’ll get in for only $237.

You can see exactly what courses are provided, and who the instructors are by clicking here.  But remember if you want the special discount you need to make sure you register via this link.  That will add the special ROCKSTAR code to your registration.  That gets you a nice discount, and I get a cut from it as well, so it’s a win-win!

And if you do register, THANK YOU!  Hope to see you at the session!

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#Blogchat will be co-hosted by Becky McCray tonite!

Tonite’s #Blogchat will have a special co-host, the amazing Becky McCray!  Becky is the expert when it comes to everything small and local business, so it only makes sense that she would be perfect to co-host tonite’s #Blogchat focused on how small businesses can use blogs!  Here’s tonite’s schedule:

1 – At 8:00 PM Central, we’ll kick the party off and Becky will help us decide if a blog can help a small business or not.  So if you have a small biz and are interested in learning if a blog is right for you, then you’ll definitely want to check out this portion of the conversation.

2 – At 8:30 PM Central, we’ll move to talking about how small businesses can use a blog to grow their business.  Should it be used as a channel to build awareness, or to increase sales, or….what?  And Becky will also walk use through some of the many benefits to blogging for small businesses besides generating sales.

And as you can imagine, this #Blogchat will be extremely fast, and Becky will get to as many questions as she can.  If you find that your questions aren’t getting through, you might want to try asking again at 9pm, Central, when the volume of #Blogchat slows down a bit.

So to prep for tonite’s #Blogchat, please follow Becky on Twitter, and check out her site, SmallBizSurvival.  I know it’s going to be an amazing discussion and thanks so much to Becky for joining us!

BTW if you have never joined #Blogchat before, here’s what it’s all about.

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Is your opinion of the value of a Call to Action dead wrong?

The term ‘Call to Action’ has somewhat negative connotations to many bloggers.  A ‘Call to Action’ is often seen as being ‘salesy’ or ‘self-promotional’, and as such, many bloggers see it as something to avoid.

I think we should instead look at a Call to Action as a way to add VALUE to a post.

That’s right, I’m saying to stop looking at Calls to Action as being ‘salesy’ but instead as a value-add.  As something that your readers WANT to see.

But you create that desire for a call to action by first creating VALUABLE content for the reader.  Give them a reason to want to take some next action.  It can be a comment, subscribing to your blog, or contacting you about a product or service.

Here’s a couple of examples:

1 – I am on Twitter and someone links to a new study that shows the social media adoption rate for small businesses in different industries.  It’s a study conducted BY this site, which I had never heard of previously.  The information is valuable, so I would WANT to see a link for subscribing at the END of the post.

2 – I am Googling looking for a local business that offers satellite internet services and what type of installation fees I should expect to pay.  I land on a local installer that clearly explains what the fees involved are.  If this installer was CURRENTLY offering a 20% discount on services, I would WANT to know about that, and would want them to give me a way to contact them about possibly purchasing their service.

The point is, don’t think of adding a Call to Action as being ‘salesy’.  Think of it as a way to add VALUE to the post.  Look at the post you have created, and think about which call to action would add value to that post.

A post where you are discussing a popular or hot-button topic, could use a call to action asking for a comment.

A post that is a detailed How-To could use a call to action asking for subscribers or adding a link where you can learn more about the individual or company behind the blog.

A post that details a great new way to use Twitter, could use a call to action asking the readers to follow that person on Twitter.

A phrase I use with my clients when I am training them on content creation is this: If you have created a post that is valuable to your readers, then you have earned the right to add a relevant call to action to that post.

What do you think?

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Music Marketing Madness: An Interview With @REBlogGirl

Here’s a tip for getting more content on your blog: Interview smart people.  Case in point, I was checking the profiles of some of the people I follow on Twitter, and I clicked on @REBlogGirl’s profile, which says she does “Something Something at a Major Record Label.”  I had to learn more, so I DMed Mary and she told she works with artists on reputation management as well as social media and mobile marketing.  As we all know, I am a big music marketing nerd, so I begged Mary to let me interview her, and she was gracious enough to share the following with us:

Mack:  Tell us what you do and why you are awesome.

Mary: I work with both the music and fashion industries mostly on online marketing (PPC/SEO/Email list marketing/Social Networking) and reputation management campaigns. Most of the artists I work with are from the major artist catalogues of EMI, Capitol and Interscope and my fashion clients hail from mostly luxury denim and sportswear designers.  I monitor their overall influence level, the reach of their music and merchandise and then work with them and their teams to achieve the best possible results. Results for me are 1. sales, 2. brand equity 3. fan base growth and measurement. There are other metrics we track and evaluate but these are the primary 3.
Mack – One of my BIG themes is how rockstars have ‘fans’ while companies have ‘customers’.  For example, we self-identify as being ‘fans’ of certain artists, but how often do we say we are a ‘fan’ of a particular company?  Why does this happen, do rockstars simply do a better job of connecting with their customers and turning them into fans?  What’s the secret?

Mary: You know this is such a great question because we self identify in different ways with different brands and even with different personalities and most of that is due to the ways in which those things reach us through media channels.

For example: Justin Beiber had a huge following on YouTube long before he signed with label and produced his first album. He was his own marketing machine. He marketed himself as a human being and as a talent through mostly cover songs. It wasn’t really his music he was showcasing at the time, it was his talent and himself. We identified with Justin himself and his talent. That made it easier for us to start identifying with his original music once he was signed and had a produced album and singles. His brand is authentic, delivered in his own words through a very personal Youtube channel.

On the other hand take someone like Britney Spears that has had the full media power and protection of labels, studios and PR teams since she was a child. She reached us through the mass media and the PR machine of a major record label.  Her brand is wholly different from Justin’s we identify with her and her talent but she never really spoke to us one on one and pushed her own talent, music brand. When we think of Britney we think of her videos, her songs, her album, not her personality. We see her as a parent company to her endorsed products/merchandise (perfumes and Candies clothing lines), her albums and songs and her tours. We see her life played out through tabloids and magazines in the words of others. Her brand is very produced and managed. That’s not to say we don’t love her any less than Justin, but we see her as slightly more mysterious and question the authenticity more.

Why did I wax on about the difference between the fame machines of Justin and Britney – because they really aren’t any different from the marketing behind brands like Virgin or Pepsi. Both companies that have done great jobs at marketing themselves through personalities… When we think Virgin, we think Richard Branson. When we think Pepsi we think their long line of famous spokespeople from Michael Jackson to Britney Spears. And in those ways, we are fans of brands. We have loyalties to brands. You could never get me to switch from Coke to Pepsi or trade my Mac in for a PC. I identify those brands with personalities and ideals I cling to in the same ways I cling to the traits of artists I identify with.

We find connection and authenticity where it is presented to us. It’s the quality of marketing behind any brand that personalizes it, gives it a face and an ideal we can relate to. When you think Ford, do you think American values? When you think Disney, do you think smiling kids? When you think Jessica Simpson, do you think adorably dumb? All these brands have coupled themselves to a concept or value that resonates with people on personal levels. Good brands and good celebrities do this. There are rock stars out there that fail to differentiate themselves just like there are brands that fail at this. Consider how many pop stars you have to occasional wonder “What ever happened to?” about. Those are brands that failed to differentiate and maintain their markets.

So, in answer to the question, no, rockstars as a group are not better at authentically engaging fans. Some rockstars just know how to market better than others. Britney Spears is the Pepsi of Rockstars – she has a good product, a recognizable brand and cash in the coiffeurs to spend on the marketing necessary to launch an album or a perfume successfully.

Mack: Social Media Marketing or Mobile Marketing.  Which will be bigger for artists in 2011?

Mary: Mobile’s big year is still a few years out by all accounts, but with more smart phones in the market than ever before, it shouldn’t be long before social and mobile meet to offer artists something unique. The idea of the social entertainment checkin is what everyone is talking about. Imagine being able to checkin in at a not just a location but a concert itself, or to check in on Vevo or Hulu when you watch a video or movie.  The value that offers marketers, viewers (who can engage with other fans virtually and online) and simultaneously share is really very interesting. That day is not too far off, not with Facebook and Google both trying to leverage their place based applications on mobile devices.

However, the key for artists right now is to leverage their fan base with exclusive content they drip through channels like Facebook, Twitter, Vevo, mobile ads on Pandora and in app advertising that allow the distribution of exclusive content that drives sales through to their itunes, endorsement and tour properties. Mobile, at least for now, can be best leveraged for download and concert sales. Social on the other hand needs to be leveraged for engagement and the building of personal and brand equity.  Small to mid sized artists need to use their social channels to engage with fans in controlled ways – over engagements creates a false sense of connectivity one cannot maintain over times, but real occasional question and answer format or thanks for retweeting are really valuable. You never want to create a false expectation that you will answer all your fans – that would be impossible but by creating a standardized format for regular engagement you can manage the expectation of your fan base. Contests and Q&A sessions are the easiest and most effective engagement tools.

Example: Katy Perry Fire Work Contest

Mack: So do you get to go touring with an artists?  What are your days like?

Mary: I don’t tour with artists – I just help them manage their reputation online so fans can be engaged in positive events in their lives, their endorsed products and tour rather than on negativity. For example, should someone (not mentioning any names here) think it might be edgy to post a photo of themselves half or wholly naked on Twitter, I work to make sure those images get dispatched quickly. I also help artists and their PR teams build engaged social presences on Facebook, Myspace, YouTube and Twitter and make sure these channels work together for a common goal – to sell merchandise, tickets, downloads and albums. The real key here is to manage the expectation of the fan when it comes to engagement. Making sure an artist can communicate effectively and authentically with their fans is important and making sure the fans understand how the artist shares and how they like to engage is really critical to the success of their social profiles.

Example: Lady GaGa’s Facebook page is booming with activity. She personally shares exclusive insight into her thoughts and life and wants to truly engage with her fan base, but her page makes it clear through the content she shares she is an unbelievably busy woman. That is what manages the expectation for the fan.

Mack: What’s the next ‘big thing’ in music marketing?

Mary: While everyone has had their eye on Spotify, I think the smartest thing the music industry has done is really build out Vevo. Based on the Hulu model, Vevo has really taken off. It serves exclusive content, hosts all the artists videos in one unified label owned place and is driving in more people than Hulu! What Universal CEO, Doug Morris said last yeat at launch, still rings true today, “What we’re really doing is taking back control of everything…this is really like MTV on steroids. We’re starting with that kind of audience. But now we’re in control of it. We don’t have to go through a middleman anymore.” The premium content model is leveraging fan base against both artist brand and artist product to deliver exactly what the fan wants – the ON DEMAND ALL ACCESS PASS to their favorite artist. It’s a simple model and it is working on Vevo. I see this as the way labels and artist can survive in the face of piracy, faltering 360 Deals and crumbling recorded music sales infrastructure.

Yowza! Thanks again to @REBlogGirl (who’s secret identity is Mary McKnight) for dropping that music marketing smartitude on us.  Do me a big favor and please follow Mary on Twitter, and subscribe to her blog.

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The one sure-fire way to get more clicks and RTs for your blog posts

Write better headlines.

That’s no big relevation, and there’s a lot that goes into writing better headlines.  I’ll refer you to someone like @Copyblogger who has written a great series on writing better headlines.

But there’s one area I wanted to focus on when it comes to headlines.  I share a lot of links on Twitter because I am trying to find helpful information for my followers.  Therefore, I read a LOT of blog posts from my feed reader.  And honestly, a lot of time I am simply scanning the post very quickly to determine if the content could be useful for others.

One source that consistently provides excellent content is EMarketer.  But EMarketer often ‘buries the lead’ when it comes to writing their headlines.  The key facts or figures are often overlooked when it comes to their headlines.

Case in point, this morning I shared a link to a recent blog post the site wrote, titled “What are the benefits of email-social media integration?“.  But here is what I tweeted: “54% of email marketers say adding social media improved their efforts according to @emarketer”.

Which title would you be more likely to click on:

1 – “What are the benefits of email-social media integration?”

or

2 – “54% of email marketers say adding social media improved their efforts”

And that post also included this graph:

Just looking at that graph, think of some of the headlines you could create for that post.  Here’s a couple I can see:

“Facebook tops all other forms of social media for email marketing, new study finds”

“Over 70% of email marketers are using Facebook and Twitter”

“71% of email marketers use Twitter, only 10% say it provides best results”

What else do you see?

The point is, make sure you are hitting on the key takeaway from the post, in your headline.  What too many bloggers do (and I am guilty of this as well sometimes) is we simply summarize the post, in a few words.  In 4 years, this is the most popular post I have ever written at The Viral Garden.  The post is about the importance of building a community around your blogging efforts, and how that can improve the quality of the content you create there.  I had the post nailed, but I couldn’t figure out what I wanted the headline to be for the life of me.  I could only come up with a bland one, “Why building community is important for your blog”.  I realized that this title completely SUCKED.  I loved the post, but the headline was horrible.  I was even considering scrapping the post completely, then I decided on this headline for the post:

“The idea that ‘content is king’ in blogging is total bullshit”.

And there you go.  No punches pulled, that title tells you EXACTLY what you can expect.  And as a result, this post got HUNDREDS of RTs, simply because the headline grabbed your attention and made you WANT to read it.  Because if you read that headline, you probably think “Amen!” or “Wait, that’s not right!”.  So it’s straight, to the point, and polarizing.

But the key is, it isn’t boring.  Think about this when you are writing your post headlines.  Your post title is going to be competing with a TON of other content.  You only have a few seconds to sell your post, and you do that with the title.

Does this work for you?  If you are active on Twitter and promoting your content there or on LinkedIn or Facebook, you MUST improve your headline writing.  You’ll get far more clicks and RTs, which will get you more referral traffic, and will help you expand your networks on those sites.

UPDATE:  We discussed testing different titles as you tweet links to your posts on Twitter, and DJ Waldow made a great point: “Mack – You mention this in one of the comments, but not in the actual blog post: Test. I think that is critical. What may be a good/better headline for you doesn’t necessarily work for your followers, right? Again – I know you agree with this point, but thought it may be worth touching on in the actual post as some folks may not read the comments. It’s the same advice we give in writing subject lines for email marketing. Often – surprisingly – the “boring” subject lines get the most opens/clicks/conversions.”