Blog Posted In Marketing

Content Marketing vs. Native Advertising: What’s the Difference?


By | source: Jun 12th, 2018

The world of digital marketing is rapidly changing. If you’re a performance marketer, you may sometimes feel as if you’re drowning in an alphabet soup of buzzwords, marketing speak, and confusing acronyms.

If you’ve ever tripped your tongue on the differences between content marketing and native advertising, well, you’re not the only one. Content marketing and native advertising have certain characteristics in common – but they are not the same. As digital marketing becomes more advanced, and new tools and platforms unfold, it’s important to stay on top of your game. To do that, let’s take a separate look at content marketing and native advertising, and see exactly how – and why – they’re different.

Content Marketing – The Entire Kit and Caboodle, Plus the Kitchen Sink

If content marketing seems to be a modern, internet-based phenomenon, think again. Content marketing has a long and impressive history. The earliest content marketing had the same goal as it does today – to drive brand awareness and customer engagement by promoting informative or entertaining content that gives value to existing and potential customers.

You’ve probably heard of John Deere, the farming equipment company, but you may not know that John Deere is actually regarded by many as the grandfather of content marketing. This is because, in the late 1800s, the company began producing a magazine called The Furrow. The magazine provided farmers with information and advice from the world of agriculture. It was also a great way to get the John Deere brand out there to customers, not via advertising, but by marketing through relevant, valuable content. Over a century later, the magazine is still in circulation – in 14 languages!

Image courtesy of eBay

Much later, in the internet age, content marketing entered a whole new world of possibility. The ability to produce and publish content digitally and cost effectively, in a wide range of forms, has massively expanded the content marketing industry. So has the proliferation of computers, and especially mobile devices, which means that customers can access online content anywhere, anytime. Blogs, ebooks, videos, infographics, and interactive content, such as quizzes, surveys and more, are leveraged by brands to strengthen their image and message.

A classic example is the famous “Will It Blend?” YouTube video series by Blendtec, which has been ongoing since 2006. With over 200,000,000 views to date, the Blendtec video series is an ingenious piece of content marketing. The company founder stars in quirky short videos in which he attempts to blend objects in the Blendtec blender, demonstrating the product’s incredible power. Items such as iPads, marbles, diamonds and magnets have all been thrown in the Blendtec blender to answer the question, “will it blend?” The fascinating video series incorporates some of the most important aspects of content marketing, such as customer engagement. Many of the ideas about which objects to test in the blender come from popular requests sent in by the audience.

Screenshot from “Will It Blend?” video. Courtesy of YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pnonj_84Ju4

Check out this infographic that gives a visual summary of the story of content marketing, from John Deere, to “Will It Blend?”, to today.

To sum up, content marketing is the entire strategy of content-based promotional activities via the creation and publication of educational or entertaining content to drive customer engagement. It’s not one item in the performance marketer’s repertoire; it’s the whole kit and caboodle – and the kitchen sink!

Native Advertising – Half the Content Marketing Cake

Native ads are paid advertisements that blend in with the format and feel of the channel or publication in which they appear. The beauty and power of native ads are that they are nonintrusive; they don’t engage in hard selling, such as a TV commercial or magazine ad might. Rather, native ads intend to inform, educate or entertain the reader, providing them with a value-added experience that creates a positive and memorable association with the brand.

Native advertising, like content marketing, has a long and illustrious history, dating back to the 1800s. Then and now, native ads work on the same principles:

  1. Not to stand out as an ad
  2. Not obviously selling a specific product
  3. Has the look and feel of editorial content

Here’s an early example of a native ad, for Quaker puffed wheat. Answer this question: does it look like a comic strip, or an ad?

It definitely looks and feel like a comic strip, and that’s what makes it a native ad, rather than just a regular advertisement. Native ads are usually marked as such, so readers are aware they are viewing an ad, not an editorial piece. Notice how the word “Advertisement” appears at the top of the Quaker native ad.

Another type of native advertising is the advertorial, which first appeared in the early 20th century. Advertorials are paid ads designed to look like an article, rather than an ad, based on editorial-style content that informs or entertains the audience.

Here’s an oft-cited example of one of the best advertorials ever published. In 1915, the Cadillac car company, which was facing tough times, published an advertorial about “The Penalty of Leadership”. The native ad, which was only published once, is widely credited for turning around the company’s fortunes, as it so successfully associated the notions of prestige and quality with the Cadillac brand.

Today, native ads are published in a few different ways – on social media platforms, in search results of search engines such as Google or Bing, and on content recommendation platforms.

In the pre-computer age, native ads were just ads. They stood on their own feet.

In today’s internet-based world, native ads are in fact, a means to an end – to get the reader to complete an online action (download an ebook, request a demo, watch a video, etc) that will take them down the sales and marketing funnel, with the intention of getting them to convert to a customer further down the road. Native ads are not just a form of advertising. They are a vital link in the chain of content marketing – but they are not content marketing itself.

Think of it this way: native advertising is a few slices of the larger content marketing pie. In fact, it may surprise you to know that native advertising already accounts for over half of online advertising. In 2017, native ads overtook display ads in terms of dollar spend. And, some 43% of content marketers are using native advertising as part of their marketing strategy.

Here’s an infographic to give you a visual overview of how native advertising has evolved over time.

 

 

So, what’s the difference?

If you cut back on all the performance marketing noise, you’ll notice a key differentiator between content marketing and native advertising – and it comes down to cost.

The content marketing examples cited above revolve around ‘owned media’ – that is, content created and distributed by the brand itself, on its own media channels and platforms, such as the company website and social media pages. The “Will It Blend?” videos are produced by Blendtec and promoted on their own YouTube channel. The Furrow magazine is produced, published and distributed by the John Deere company. Content marketing generally doesn’t include paid media, although a well-rounded content marketing strategy may also include paid advertising (such as PPC ads).

Native advertising, on the other hand, is always paid for. The advertiser (or brand) pays a third-party publisher to feature its native ads on the publisher’s site or channel. Quaker paid the newspaper to publish its native cartoon ad. And Cadillac bought the advertising space in the Saturday Evening Post for its native advertorial. In the online space, advertisers typically pay the host website for every click-through of their native ad.

Let’s conclude with an analogy that gives a nicely rounded overview of the difference between content marketing and native advertising, in a comfortably digestible morsel:

“If native advertising is on the menu, then content marketing is the whole kitchen.”

That’s right – native advertising is one method that you can implement into your whole content marketing strategy. But it’s also much more than just a method. Native advertising is perhaps an entire world of content marketing all its own because it works to drive customer engagement along the entire sales funnel. But remember, if you’re a performance marketer, native advertising – no matter how effective – can never be content marketing. So get back to the kitchen and start cooking your full course content marketing strategy!

 

Written by Guest Author Liraz Postan, from Outbrain

Blog Posted In Lifestyle, Recreation

The Ways that Slot Sites Improve a Player’s Experience


By | source: Mar 17th, 2023

The online gaming sector is enjoying a seemingly endless cycle of growth. It is already worth billions and is forecast to grow by a further 11% each year between now and 2027.  That would take its global value to more than £100 billion and a big part of that comes from online slots. These games are the favourite of the majority of people who play online casino due to their simple, fast and fun game-play. There is no doubt that both slots and the wider iGaming market are highly competitive. They are close to saturation point and the providers must keep coming up with ways of making the experience better, to retain player interest. In this article, we will look more closely at just how they go about doing that.

The Example of Rainbow Riches

We can begin by examining one of the most successful providers of online slots: Rainbow Riches Casino. This site hit the crowded virtual casino market four years ago and instantly differentiated itself from the many others out there. That was achieved through the brand name, which comes from one of the most popular slot games ever produced. The Irish-themed Rainbow Riches debuted in 2006 and was such a smash that it led to multiple follow up slot games. The Rainbow Riches Casino was presented from the beginning as a place where fans of the franchise could find all of the games in one place. It has subsequently branched out to offer many other slot titles, but the name links it in the minds of casino gamers with a pretty legendary slot series.

There are a number of steps that the company behind this casino has taken in the four years since it launched to make it better for players. They include the following:

  • Diversifying into other game areas
  • Creating exciting bonuses and promotions
  • Providing opportunities for new slot players
  • Establishing a secure and pleasant environment

The first of these has seen the site add bingo, slingo (a popular blend of bingo and slots) and poker games to its offer, in addition to live dealer casino games. This has enabled it to become more of an all-round casino while still focusing its branding on that beloved Rainbow Riches series of slots.

By giving slots fans additional gaming options, the site has retained their interest for longer. The bonuses and promotions also help to stop customers from leaving and are a standard industry strategy to keep players logging in.  When it comes to new visitors, the site provides free slot games to encourage them to play. These let such players try slots out without betting any money, so that they can get used to them first. It is part of creating that secure and pleasing overall environment. Other examples of this that have been adopted by Rainbow Riches include multiple customer service options, session reminders and deposit limits to ensure responsible gaming.

How Casino Sites Seek to Improve the Customer Experience

That is just one example of what casino sites do to make visiting them more fun for players. Now we will look at some of the general methods being adopted by the industry.

Gamification

This can best be described as a collision of online casino and video games. Slot games that deploy it are usually downloadable mobile apps and they utilise in-game strategies to improve player engagement. Those include virtual items such as gems or other icons that players must find during the game to activate bonus features. Essentially it is about making the slot storylines more complex and involving.

New Technology

Slot games have come a long way from the mechanical fruit machines of the past, but improving them through tech is an ongoing process. The next stage in that is widely expected to be virtual reality slot games that make the stories and graphics totally immersive for the player. Another example of casino sites deploying technology to enhance the experience of players is artificial intelligence (AI). This is being used in two ways: customer service and profile personalisation. The former sees AI chat-bots dealing with simple customer enquiries, so that players can get quicker responses. They are then passed to a human being if necessary. The latter involves AI tracking the behaviour of players when on a casino site. This data is then used to recommend games that an individual is likely to enjoy based on their previous choices.

Safer Transaction Options

The really big online casinos all invest in cutting edge encryption software to protect the financial data of their users. Even with that though, people can still be nervous about sending and receiving money over the internet. That has led casino sites to add ever more options for deposits and withdrawals. This started with e-wallets such as PayPal and Neteller, but is now expanding to include cryptocurrencies. They have the advantage of not requiring customers to submit any bank details. Enhanced payment security helps to ensure that players feel safer when they are using the site. Keeping a high level of customer engagement and seeking ways to improve it is essential to the success of any business, including online slot ones. Rainbow Riches and its rivals are well aware of that and have adopted strategies ranging from tech investment to ever-better bonuses and prizes to achieve it.

 

Blog Posted In Education, Internet, Tech

The Ultimate Guide to Help with School Assignments: Tools, Tips, and Techniques


By | source: Mar 16th, 2023

Assignments have always been incorporated into the academic system since people started learning. While they might seem complex and irrelevant, college students should not overlook them. Assignments have a lot of benefits for both tutors and students. Since tutors are not always there to help students, they usually use assignments as an effective way to help learners understand key concepts. Students can easily understand topics and prepare for their upcoming tests. If you want to get good grades and achieve your biggest academic goals, you have to do your assignments well. In this article, we are going to share with you some of the most effective tips, tools, and techniques that you can use when doing your assignments.

https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-woman-tutoring-young-boy-4145354/

How to do Assignment – Understanding the Task

When a tutor hands over a college assignment, some Canadian students start working on it immediately without reading the instructions carefully. Others procrastinate until the last minute only to end up doing everything hurriedly and making mistakes. Before you start working on an assignment, you have to understand it. The best way to understand it is by going through the instructions carefully. Read them multiple times and underline the key terms. Common key terms include “Describe”, “Analyze”, and “Discuss” to name a few. Finding out what these key terms mean will help you discover what you are supposed to do. 

Another great way to understand the assignment is by reading college assignment papers online. You can easily access a wide range of papers at Canadian AssignmentBro especially if you are looking for someone to do my assignment in Canada. Don’t wait till the last minute to do all this. Poor time management will cost you good grades.

Tools for Success: Digital and Analog Resources to Enhance Your Productivity

As you focus on assignment preparation, you’ll need to use a wide range of tools to boost your productivity and performance. In our modern world, there are lots of digital and analog tools that you can easily access. Let’s start with analog tools:

Study schedule: This is a timetable that helps you know when and what you should study. This eliminates time wastage and boosts productivity. When working on a complex assignment such as an essay, you need to come up with a schedule to complete it before the deadline. Breaking down this complex task into small manageable tasks that you can handle every day will eliminate stress and boost productivity.

Class notes: One of the most effective ways to learn in class is by taking notes. Apart from grasping key concepts, you can use your notes when you are working on your assignments. You can save a lot of research time and energy by simply taking notes and using them when writing assignments.

Digital tools

  •       Homework assistant service: Thanks to modern technology, students can easily access writing services online and get the help they need to get good grades. Most of the reputable sites are easy to navigate. All you have to do is read customer and expert reviews of the site, go through the terms and conditions, and choose your preferred writer. By having an expert do my assignment, you’ll get ample time to do other important things.
  •       Time management apps: There are a lot of time management apps available on the market. All you need is a digital device such as a smartphone, tablet, or computer. These apps will remind you about your assignment and take you through the process until you complete your paper. Some of the best time management apps include Evernote, Time Doctor, and Trello to name a few.

Tips for Effective Time Management and Task Prioritization

As a student, you have to manage your time effectively to make your days purposeful. You need to make the most out of the time you have in a day. Some of the most effective tips for time management and task prioritization include:

1.     Coming up with a daily schedule

You have to master your schedule to stay on top of things in college. Coming up with a daily schedule will not only help you manage your time but also stay organized and focus on the most important tasks. This is an effective method of overcoming procrastination.

2.     Break big projects into small tasks

Working on a big project can be overwhelming. To avoid slow progress and procrastination, you need to break big projects into small manageable tasks that you can handle every day.

3.     Take breaks regularly

You need not push yourself too hard to complete your assignments on time. Your body and mind need rest to recover energy and operate at an optimum level. If you fail to rest, you’ll end up breaking your body.

4.     Proofread and edit your assignments

You should never submit a paper without proofreading it. Why? The first draft usually contains a lot of mistakes. Proofreading helps you spot and eliminate these mistakes to boost your performance. If you cannot proofread your paper, consider handing it over to a friend or an expert online.

Conclusion

These are some of the best tips that you can use to finish your assignments on time and get good grades. Don’t be afraid of getting academic assignment help whenever you need it. As the popular saying goes, two heads are better than one.

 

Blog Posted In Business, Education, Social Media

Creating Shareable Content: Using Infographics to Drive Traffic and Engagement for Your Software Brand


By | source: Mar 14th, 2023

Infographics are an incredibly effective way to create visually appealing and shareable content that helps brands drive traffic and engagement for their software. By combining data, images, and text into a single visual representation, infographics have the power to help companies stand out from the competition and draw attention to their products. And the best part is that when you’re working with a heavy application, going from code to cluster with the kubernetes registry, you can use an infographic to explain the process in an easy-to-understand way.

 

Infographics are an excellent tool for sharing knowledge quickly. With the right approach and design, they can convey complex information in a straightforward way that is easy to understand at a glance. Not only do they present information visually engagingly, but they also make it easier for readers to find the specific pieces of information they’re looking for. This makes them perfect for showcasing data-driven insights or step-by-step instructions, such as tutorials or product instructions. 

 

In addition to informing readers about your product or offering helpful advice on its use, infographics can also be used as promotional tools. They are highly shareable on social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook due to their visual appeal and brevity; an infographic’s visual nature makes it more likely that people will remember its contents over time. Brands can use infographics to showcase their products compared to competitors’ offerings or highlight customer reviews to make their software more attractive to potential buyers.

 

Creating effective infographics doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming either. Many online tools available today allow users to quickly assemble stunning visuals without any prior graphic design experience required. All you need is some basic knowledge of design principles and composition rules to create eye-catching visuals that will stand out from the crowd. Once you have designed the infographic, you can easily share it with followers across multiple social networks (Twitter, Facebook, etc.), maximizing your reach and generating more engagement with your brand’s software offering.

When It Comes To Creating Engaging Infographics For Your Software Brand, There Are Several Vital Factors You Need To Consider: 

  • The overall design should be visually appealing while still conveying a clear message
  • Use informative charts, graphs, images, and illustrations wherever possible
  • Invest in well-researched data points, so readers get reliable insights
  • Be sure that the data is organized clearly with the logical flow
  • Use colors or backgrounds sparingly (too much will make the infographic look cluttered)
  • And last but not least – include a CTA (call-to-action) at the end so that viewers know how to take advantage of what you’re offering!

The Benefits Of Using Infographics To Drive Traffic And Engagement Are:

  • Infographics are visually appealing, making them highly shareable on social media channels
  • They provide a quick way to present complex data in an easy-to-understand way
  • They can be used as promotional tools to showcase products in comparison with competitors’ offerings
  • They can help readers find the specific pieces of information they’re looking for quickly and easily
  • And by including a CTA (call-to-action) at the end, viewers know how to take advantage of what you’re offering.

The Types Of Content That Work Best With Infographics

  • How-to guides and tutorials
  • Detailed product information
  • Customer reviews or testimonials
  • Comparisons with competitors’ offerings
  • Data-driven insights and trends
  • Step-by-step instructions such as registration processes, etc.

Examples of effective infographics

Infographics can be used to cover a range of topics, and there are several examples of effective infographics that you can use as inspiration. 

  1. If your product has various applications, you can create an infographic highlighting those different uses. For instance, an infographic about your software product could focus on its key features or benefits, highlighting them with visual elements like charts and graphs. You could also put together an informative infographic about how to use the product, showcasing graphical user interfaces (GUIs) to explain each step in the process. 
  2. Additionally, if you have customers that are particularly passionate about your product, consider featuring them in an infographic. This could be done through interviews or quotes from these users and incorporating screenshots of their experiences using the product. This will help to draw attention and build trust between potential customers and your brand. 
  3. Finally, if there is a particular industry or sector your software product serves, you can create infographics highlighting trends and statistics that would interest this audience.

Blog Posted In Education, Health, Lifestyle

The Complete Guide To THC: Benefits, Product Types, And Use Cases


By | source: Mar 10th, 2023

Looking to explore the natural healing benefits of cannabinoids? You’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll cover the therapeutic benefits of cannabis-derived THC, different product types, and some common use cases for using the products containing. From THC and HHC gummies to CBD oils, hemp-based products are getting more widely available as you can now get them from reputable online stores such as hometownherocbd.com/collections/hhc-gummies and the like. With this in mind, it seems to be high time for you to discover all the ways cannabinoids can be used to help you get the needed relief. So, let’s get started on this exciting journey into the world of hemp-derived remedies!Read More

Blog Posted In Business, Lifestyle, Recreation

Why bingo slots are a game to play in 2023


By | source: Mar 8th, 2023

Slot machines have been around for many years and in recent decades the concept has been reimagined on the web, making the game easy to play on your computer, smartphone or tablet online.

 

Fast, reliable internet connections and improved technology has enabled game developers to create high quality, immersive slots that are accessible to wide audiences. Online slots were one of the most played casino games on the internet in 2022.

 

Fun, simple to understand and there’s plenty of variety – that is why slots always come out on top. Slot games have been adapted and improved significantly over the years to create new, exciting experiences for players.

 

One recent development is the hybrid game bingo slots, this combines slots with the popular game bingo. Bingo has been around for centuries and is enjoyed by millions of people in bingo halls, casinos, private venues and online.

 

Part of the appeal of bingo is that it is a relatively easy and simple game to follow, you do not need to have any special skills or experience to enjoy or succeed in the game and the results are completely down to chance.

 

Bingo can also be a highly sociable game, players and bingo halls will often play while enjoying food and drinks with friends and online games almost always have chat rooms you can join while you play. In comparison, table casino games like poker require high amounts of concentration, strategy development and skills such as the ability to bluff in order to be successful.

 

For those looking for a less serious game that can still win you exciting cash prizes, bingo slots can be a thrilling and a non-intimidating option.You can play bingo slots games on top quality casino sites such as Jackpotjoy.

 

If you are not familiar with the game and how it works, here is a guide to bingo slots, including the basic features of the game and why it is the game to play in 2023:

 

What are bingo slots?

 

Bingo slots, also referred to as ‘slingo’ are a combination of bingo and slots. To win at this game the player must complete lines on a board that looks similar to a normal bingo card. They mark off numbers each time they spin the slot reel and will come across symbols along the way.

 

Most often the game is laid out on a 5 x 5 grid with the slot reel you are used to seeing in normal slot games directly below it. There are typically 25 numbers and you are given a series of spins to complete a horizontal or vertical line on the grid. If you manage to do this then you will win a cash prize.

 

The more lines you complete, the bigger the cash prize. You are likely to get the biggest prize by marking off a full house, which is when every number on the grid is called out. Special symbols when found may have bonuses or reward you with an instant cash prize.

 

Bingo slots come in a huge variety of themes

 

One reason that slot games have always been a top performing game for casino sites is that their fun themes and vibrant colours appeal to a large audience. Bingo slots also come in a great range of themes, from circus and horror bingo slots to Egyptian and Ancient Greek themed bingo slots, the amount of choice is impressive.

 

These are just some examples, there are hundreds more to choose from and we can expect new games to be released regularly throughout 2023. Many of the top game development companies in the industry have an interest in or are working on bingo slot games.

 

Wagering is similar to slots

 

Just like typical online slots, minimum bet sizes for bingo slots are low. This makes the game accessible to new players and those that want to test out a new game without parting with a significant amount of cash. The Return To Player (RTP) percentages for bingo slots are also similar, the RTP figure illustrates the average amount wagered that is returned to players. over a significant number of games played.

 

Many sites offering bingo slots have welcome bonuses and other incentive offers, with most of these aimed at new players. Utilising these can be a great way to try out this hybrid game, just be sure to check out any rules and wagering requirements before you sign up so you know what to expect.

 

Online casino sites continue to expand their game offerings with options such as live streamed games, virtual reality and exciting new hybrid games. Bingo slots combine two tried and tested popular games that appeal to very similar audiences.

 

If you are looking for easy to play yet still thrilling online games to enjoy in your free time, bingo slots ticks all the boxes.