How to create a successful digital marketing campaign

In MARKETING
5 August 2021
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Many marketing campaigns today are entirely digital, but not all of them are successful. Companies should put thought and intention into their digital marketing campaigns so that they reflect the brand and reach the right audience. Here we have compiled the top tips for creating a successful digital marketing campaign.

What is digital marketing?

Before we dive into how to create a successful digital marketing campaign, let’s first define digital marketing. More people than ever are using the Internet for almost everything in their lives. So it’s no wonder that companies are doing less traditional marketing (printed media, billboards, television, etc.). They are now embracing digital marketing, which comprises all marketing that uses the Internet or an electronic device. Due to widespread use of the Internet, digital marketing can of course reach a much larger audience via these digital channels than traditional marketing. So how exactly should your brand approach these potential customers?  

Take advantage of key moments

There are several factors to take into consideration for your digital marketing campaign, timing being one of them. You need to know when consumers will be open to your campaign.

ZMOT

According to Google’s ZMOT model, the Zero Moment of Truth is the stage in the purchasing cycle when consumers research a brand or product online before making their purchase. The Zero Moment of Truth arrives between the stimulus (needing a product) and the First Moment of Truth (buying a product). Consumers make their decisions based on Internet research, consulting several sources. Your brand needs to make a good first impression during this preliminary research stage.

Micro-Moment Marketing

The ubiquity of smartphones has changed digital marketing over the past few years. The ZMOT concept has evolved to now encompass micro-moments. Rather than one moment in which consumers sit down to research (ZMOT), their research is broken up into many (micro) moments throughout the day. These are the small increments of time during the day that consumers are on their mobile devices researching or considering a product or brand. Now, digital marketers have opportunities all day long to grab consumers’ attention and the possibility of engaging directly with them. 

💡 TIP: Read our suggestions for getting started with digital content marketing

Personalize your content

Consumers encounter a plethora of digital campaigns every day because they are constantly connected. Differentiate your brand by personalizing your content to make it unique. Make sure that your brand is recognizable (and that your content is mobile-friendly).

No matter the medium or the channel you decide to use, any material that you put online should reflect your brand ethos and be well-constructed. Otherwise, consumers won’t get a true sense of your brand and will favor another brand that feels more authentic. Consumers consult several sources before making their final decision. There is a lot of competition to vie for consumers’ attention, so make sure your digital presence is strong.

A successful digital presence can be the key factor in consumers deciding to go with your brand over another. Ensure that your content is engaging and the customer journey or path to purchasing is clear. 

💡 TIP: To personalize your digital publications, enrich your content with the Calaméo “Editor” tool!

Make it easy to navigate 

An arduous and time-consuming search or buying process can turn potential customers off. Enrich your content but make sure there is a path for the customer journey. Create an effective and clear Call to Action (CTA) to give consumers some direction. Calaméo users can put links directly in the publication so potential customers can be easily redirected to the website to make a purchase. 

Make it shareable

We all remember digital marketing campaigns that have gone viral. You can instantly recall the brand and exactly what they were promoting. Viral campaigns often include video elements or an eye-catching graphic. Sometimes they are social media campaigns that encourage users to upload their own content, or user-generated content. Not every digital marketing campaign should have the goal of going viral, but it should at least be easy to share! Make sure that your campaign is shareable and optimized for social networks. 

💡 TIP: Don’t miss our Guide to Social Strategy for digital publishers!

Don’t forget about SEO

Remember the ZMOT and Micro-Moment Marketing concepts? Consumers have to start their search somewhere once they realize they need a new item. In fact, 89% of customers begin their research with a search engine. SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is a valuable tool that will help you nab the right audience at the right time. You do this by using key words and phrases in your campaign that your target audience is searching for. Want to know more about SEO? Read our SEO trends for 2021. 

Analyze your results

You won’t know if your campaign is successful unless you are analyzing all the associated metrics and data. Are you looking at your leads, sales, page views, clicks, “dark social” shares? All of these (and more!) add up to give you a full picture of your digital marketing campaign’s success. If you are publishing with Calaméo, you can easily track your publication’s statistics. This feature is integrated in Calaméo and intuitive to use. Another option is Google Analytics. It’s a great tool for tracking how consumers are engaging with your content.

💡 TIP: Read our article on KPIs to watch for your digital publications 

A successful digital marketing campaign depends on several factors. Make sure you are taking advantage of key moments, creating content that reflects your brand, targeting the right audience, and analyzing your results. With these tools in hand, you will be well on your way to creating a successful digital marketing campaign.

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Measuring “dark social” shares on Calaméo

In MARKETING
1 April 2021

Do you know the term “dark social”? Although a lot has changed about social media since the idea was first described in 2012, dark social sharing is as important as ever. In fact, this type of sharing might be even more key to understanding your content’s success today. Read on to learn why dark social matters in 2021 and how to track it for your digital publications on Calaméo.

Dark social sharing basics

All the way back in 2012, people were beginning to wonder how much content was being shared to social media networks. Or how much content was being shared in other ways. Because networks like Facebook and Twitter were growing fast, share buttons popped up all around the web to make reposting to your own feed easy—and trackable.

But while the number of shares ticked up, this new behavior couldn’t be the only way users were passing along videos, publications and posts. Despite the buzz around social feeds, research showed that plenty of people were sharing in a simple way: copying and pasting the content’s URL into email and messages. Unlike regular social shares, this kind of social activity wasn’t tracked.

As a result, it was easy to miss dark social sharing’s value. However, over the past several years sharing to social media platforms has declined. There are several reasons to explain this trend, including algorithm changes, rising interest in digital privacy and concerns about how information spreads online. Since more than a third of businesses say that “social shares” are a goal for their content, these harder-to-see forms of social sharing must be taken into account.

💡 TIP: Not sure whether social shares are a priority for your publications? Our quick checklist will help you brush up on your digital publishing strategy in no time.

How to track shares on Calaméo

So, how should you track the “dark social” sharing of your content? When it comes to your digital publications, Calaméo’s advanced statistics are a great place to start. That’s because our publication viewer’s own share button was designed with lots of different uses in mind. Take a closer look and you’ll see some options beyond the usual social networks.

Even better, the Shares section of your Calaméo statistics will show you just how many times your publication was emailed, embedded or its URL copied. And the results might surprise you. For example, we were checking the stats for our most recent issue of CALAMEO Magazine and noticed this breakdown:

  • 30% shares to social media platforms
  • 70% “dark social” shares to email, embed or copying URL

To access your publications’ Shares data, go to the Statistics section of your Calaméo account. Click on the “Shares” tab and scroll down to find the full statistics.

Also, be sure to note that these numbers only reflect “dark social” shares coming from inside the publication viewer. You can almost certainly be sure that other readers have, for instance, copied and pasted the publication URL directly from their browsers to share with their networks. Or to put it another way, public social shares may only be telling you a small part of the story.

💡 TIP: To keep digging deeper into the impact of dark social sharing for your content, consider using tracked links and Google Analytics to reveal more data.

In short, social media metrics don’t give you the whole picture when you want to measure how your content is shared online. If you’d like to start looking at complete Shares statistics for your publications on Calaméo, request your free, two-week PLATINUM demo today.

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MARKETING

Brand awareness : 3 ways to use storytelling on your social media

In MARKETING
27 July 2023

Storytelling is an effective marketing strategy for brands seeking to establish an emotional connection with their target audience. On social networks, storytelling can be particularly powerful, as it allows brands to tell their story in a visual and engaging way. In this article, we’ll discuss three ways you can use storytelling on social networks to build brand awareness.

Creating authentic content

Storytelling on social networks must be authentic to be effective. Today’s consumers are highly aware of advertising, and can quickly spot content that isn’t sincere. Brands can use storytelling to tell authentic stories about their company, culture and employees. By sharing this type of content, brands can humanize their brand image and build trust with their audience.

Using images and videos

Images and videos are powerful tools for telling a story on social networks. Brands can use images to tell visual stories that capture the essence of their business and culture. Videos can also be used to tell longer, more complex stories. Brands can use videos to tell stories about their products, history or mission. Videos can also be used to tell stories about the brand’s customers and their experience with products or services.

Sharing inspiring stories

Inspirational stories are a great way to capture your audience’s attention on social networks. Brands can share inspiring stories about people or organizations who have been positively affected by their product or service. Brands can also share inspiring stories about their employees and their community involvement. By sharing inspiring stories, brands can reinforce their credibility and reputation with their audience.

Conclusion

Storytelling is a key element of any successful social network marketing strategy. Brands that use storytelling can strengthen the emotional connection with their audience and boost their brand awareness and credibility. Using these methods, brands can create a strong, lasting brand image that resonates with their audience.