But it was about Obama.

With only 174 days remaining until the election and just a slim margin separating the POTUS from Mitt Romney, every minute of Obama’s waking life has to be spent directly or indirectly marketing his 2012 campaign.

Commencement speeches are a mainstay of every President’s reelection bid, and with press from every major NYC media company in attendance, Obama’s performance on stage would be much more important than 600 elite Barnard graduates receiving their diplomas.

From a marketing perspective, Barnard College was the perfect choice for Obama to deliver a commencement speech.

Its location on Manhattan’s Upper West Side ensured maximum media exposure, its student body was sure to be enthusiastic and receptive, and the gender of its graduates — female — would strengthen Obama’s push to dominate amongst female voters amidst the GOP’s “War on Women.”

First came the 3,000-strong crowd, snaking through the security line down 114th Street and into the tents on the Columbia University lawn on Monday. Hours later, the graduates appeared, most frantically waving, some fist-pumping, all wondering when Obama would emerge.

Once he did, commencement transformed into a raucous explosion, blasting everyone back to 2008.

Addressing a group of 600 women likely to secure positions of power in society, Obama stressed the role powerful women have had in shaping his life and urged the graduates to “fight for your place at the head of the table.”

“It’s up to you to hold the system accountable and sometimes upend it entirely,” he told the crowdsaid later. “It’s up to you to stand up and be heard, to write, and to lobby, to march, to organize, to vote. Don’t be content just to sit back and watch.”

Inspiring women to do just that remains one of the keys to Obama’s reelection campaign.

That evening and the following day, Obama’s speech flashed on nightly newscasts and headlined on publications across the country, playing a soundtrack of the the nation’s top-tier female graduates cheering him on.

It wasn’t a groundbreaking speech, but it was the perfect example of positioning content in the ideal context to generate maximum positive media exposure.

We’ll discover if the speech truly was a win in 174 days. After all, in Presidential branding, there’s only one ROI metric that counts.

Content strategy via Contently

Tuesday’s announcement from General Motors, which said that its Facebook ads were underperforming, is awkward timing for the social media giant, which is seeking to alleviate doubt in its business model in preparation for its IPO, expected for Friday.

Analysts note Facebook’s dependence on ads may be a risk – even more so now that usage of Facebook’s mobile application is rising, one place that does not serve ads at all.

The concern is that GM, third largest spender in advertising in the country, could lead a diaspora of advertisers away from Facebook. Or just as easily, this may be a fluke, a case of a major company not understanding how to best market itself on the leading social network. In other words, is the problem GM’s cars or Facebook’s ads?

Content marketers often look to big, well-tooled companies for guidance on best practices, but in this case, most industry sentiment suggests GM is merely “doing it wrong.”

A comparison of Facebook ads with Google’s suggests GM’s move may have some merit. A study from Wordstream shows the average click-through rate of a Google ad is almost 10 times as high as the typical Facebook ad.

Other advertisers on the fence will be happy to know they are not the only ones disappointed with results from Facebook ads, Melissa Parrish, Forrester analyst told the New York Times. But the result may be that Facebook just steps up its game in catering to marketers’ needs.

Just over two weeks ago, the sentiment from marketers was a desire for more Facebook ads. “They’re very focused on the consumer experience, and less focused on revenue and working with advertisers,” Mike Parker of global ad agency Tribal DDB told CNET. Although he noted a need for better analytics, as Facebook is less willing to share user activity and ad metrics than Google or Yahoo, something Facebook said it plans to improve.

Other automakers note that measuring success in Facebook ads is different than for a traditional media buy. When companies simply “throw money” at social networking sites, they’re not likely to get the results they want, explained Jason Beckerman, chief strategy officer for United, who has worked for Facebook.

Big companies can get value out of social networks, but looking at brand penetration or recognition for ROI rather than straight sales is a better measure.

After the GM announcement, Ford very publicly proclaimed its continued support for both paid and inbound Facebook marketing.

“We’ve found Facebook ads to be very effective when strategically combined with engagement, great content and innovative ways of storytelling, rather than treating them as a straight media buy,” Ford said in a statement.

GM does plan to continue marketing efforts on its Facebook pages, which made up $30 million of its $40 million annual Facebook marketing spending.

But as Michael Scissons, president-CEO of Syncapse points out on AdAge, great content spreads faster with paid advertising.

Facebook’s own skepticism in banner-style ads is clear by its recent experiments with new paid ad products, including sponsored stories and Reach Generator. The latter assists brands with exposure to posts — increasing reach to 75 percent of fans, and capitalizes on what Facebook does best: mini-narratives and interaction with top customers.

“You need to have a credible presence and be doing innovative things.” Ford spokesman Scott Monty told Reuters, emphasizing the need to make use of paid and non-paid opportunities.

More than 20 percent of Ford’s marketing budget is spent on digital and social media.

In keeping with its “move fast and break things” mantra, marketers can expect Facebook to continue iterating on paid advertising offerings. Facebook will keep marketers on their toes with new products, but GM’s lead may prove marketers have power to keep Facebook on its toes, too.

Content strategy via Contently

A study by Jamy Li and Mark Chignell of the University of Toronto reveals how readers are more attracted to authors they judge to be similar to themselves. The language you use and how it is delivered are your strongest cues to personality, but what if you want to attract an audience you don’t necessarily fit in?

As identity designer David Airey puts it, “Your website opens doors to contacts you’d never imagine you’d meet. Now more than ever, millions of people have access to your online presence, and whether you like it or not, they’ll immediately judge you upon your site design.”

To a designer, this states the obvious, but it is too easy for a blog to give a different impression than intended. Rather than striving to appeal to everyone, understanding the audience and fusing their point of view with a solid design aethetic is the best way to attract the right people and build that core readership.

Li and Chignell concluded that readers were able to judge an author’s personality with a high rate of accuracy, and were the most attracted to blogs they felt fit their own world views, ‘niche’ or cultural preferences. This is not all that surprising, really.

The Eye Makes Snap Judgements

The brain can make judgements almost as fast as visual information hits the back of the eye. In a study by Carleton University in Canada, viewers shown a variety of websites were able to rate the site’s visual appeal in under 50 milliseconds. This initial impression occurs before a single word is read, demonstrating just how – even on the internet – looks come before personality.

If your blog went to a party, how would it dress? What kind of people would be there?  What do they do for a living? Consider how these blogs at left translate.

Design Should Match Tone

Because your ideal reader shares a similar point of view, often your own perceptions are enough to drive this aspect of your blog’s design. Where you don’t want to go overboard is with imagery or graphics. Discerning web users prefer a minimal approach, if not necessarily in the overall design, in the way content is presented.

Color is Key

Color is typically the first thing about your website that affects viewer perception, and it does so on a subconscious level. There are many interpretations of color depending on a viewer’s cultural background, personal preferences and state of mind.

The Right Type of Type

Typography is another critical factor. At the Software Usability Research Lab at Wichita State University, common fonts were matched with various personality traits by participants. The study discovered that each font-face embodies prominent factors that affect how visitors attribute personality and voice to your content.

While employing design theory and balance to a design’s typography is important, the font you choose for your logo and presentation conveys the voice of your website as much as the content itself, and factors largely into your blog’s overall style.

If your blog can charm a viewer with an attractive design, one that immediately delivers ques as to the personality within, not only will they stay long enough to read what you have to say, they may overlook other factors such as functionality or ad quantity and approve of the content at a higher rate.

This is thanks to cognative bias. People want to be right in their judgements, therefore using a website that gave a favorable first impression “proves” they made a good decision. In terms of web design, this impression is based first on visual impact, second on content and third on other factors such as usability and credibility.

In the end, personality is about interpretation. People want to connect with someone familiar, influential, intriguing and relevant.

By determining what factors make up your own persona, you are better equipped to put the best face forward to your visitors to build stronger brand trust, subscription rates and social recognition.

Image Credits:

MadebyTim, Pelicanfly, Illustratorslounge, &  Colors of the Web by Colourlovers

Content strategy via Contently

Now that the site is becoming a staple in peoples’ lives around the world, companies are branching out to reach new audiences.

In America, there are 157 million people on Facebook, while globally, 901 million use it, according to a new infographic by SocialBakers.

The infographic shows that some of the most popular brands on the site in the U.S. are Starbucks, Coca Cola, Disneyland, and Oreo.

In the United Kingdom, iTunes and Cadbury are the top brands, and in Mexico it’s Starbucks, Blackberry and XBox. In France, Disneyland also has a big fan base, as well as M&M’s.

Globally, the fan pages with the highest growth rates are Halls, Trident, L’Oreal Paris, and Axe, among many others.

Content strategy via Contently

Marketers, if they hope to keep up with the competition, should focus on creating videos and maintaining companies’ YouTube pages, according to industry experts.

To increase brand awareness on YouTube, marketers should include call to actions in their videos, writes Social Media Examiner‘s James Wedmore. He suggests telling users what to do, how to do it, and why they should subscribe.

For example, the video could say, “To stay up to date with my latest videos and cool marketing tips, make sure to subscribe to this YouTube channel by clicking the button above this video.”

Incorporating a YouTube widget onto a company blog or website is always recommended. Wedmore writes,”This is a great opportunity to leverage those visitors and get them to become subscribers to your channel.”

Interaction with other YouTube users or customers will help with increasing page views, says Wedmore. Finding channels in the same niche is a wise move for marketers, since they have an audience that is likely to enjoy similar content.

It’s also important to leave comments, likes, or subscribe to these channels and reply to commenters on the company’s videos.

After uploading a video on YouTube, marketers should be as descriptive as possible and fill in related keywords. To stand out among dull YouTube pages, the company’s channel should be customized, with logos and colors that people can associate with it, says Mashable‘s Michael Jaindl.

Since online video marketing is growing, marketers need to pursue strategies that will separate their company from all the noise. Building YouTube channels and finding more subscribers is a huge step in this direction.

Image courtesy of Dusit/shutterstock

Content strategy via Contently

If so, take heart, because you’re hardly alone. Attracting a readership is a tough task in any medium, and these days no one “place” is as busy with writers struggling for an attention-deficit addled readership than the blogosphere.

But the ways to attract eyeballs aren’t magic tricks. They’re commons sense. From frequency, to format, to content, here are five reasons your blog might be losing readers:

1. You Don’t Post Regularly

A day without new content is a day readers are likely skip your blog. Granted it can be tough to keep your words flowing, so here are some tips to maximize your efforts:

Divide: If you’ve got a post that tops 700–800 words, think about breaking it into two parts. Presto! You’ve just solved your posting problems for the next couple of days.

Recycle: If you’ve been at it long enough, go back through your older postings. A good idea in 2009 is a good idea today, too. Rewrite the top to freshen it for the present, revisit a challenge in a new context.

2. Your Posts Are Too Long/Dense

If your posts are lengthy dense considerations of your subject, your readers may leave even your best efforts for some other time.

Remember that many online visitors are dropping in during ‘tween times: before work, lunch breaks, etc . . . Use lists and bullets to emphasize the scan-ability of your work. Get the main ideas into low word-count structures.

3. You Present Instead of Discuss Your Subject

Frequency and format are one thing. Content is another. For example, say you’re writing a blog tied to your freelance photographry business:

Explore: Create a conversation around the technique you used in a shot or assignment. Invite reactions and contradictions from your audience.

Invert: A great way to get discussion going is to invert your listeners’ expectations. Our photo-blogger could post a mistake instead of a stellar shot, and then get the ball rolling with readers by inviting analysis of what happened to cause such an epic fail.

4. You’re Putting on a Character

Honesty is the best policy. Be vulnerable and be real. If you’re not the world’s most recognized expert at what you do, trying to pretend that you are isn’t going to work. Instead, make your journey part of the experience. Comfort in company is a compelling reason to read (and to share).

5. Your Readers Can’t Share Your Work

Finally, even if you’re doing all of the above things right, if you don’t give your readers the tools to connect to friends and family — Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, an “e-mail this” button — they can’t share your work and your readership won’t grow.

Work on these five tips and you’re bound to move the numbers you want in the right direction. Keep coming back to The Content Strategist for more how-to’s and case studies in blogging strategies.

Image courtesy of futureshape/flickr, jm3/flickr

Content strategy via Contently

An effective way to combine television and social media efforts is by encouraging customers to chat about television programs on Twitter, writes Business 2 Community‘s Chris Heffer.

He points to “Britain’s Got Talent,” a UK-based show that “is actively using hash tags to group conversations around the different acts and to encourage social conversations.”

By asking viewers to tweet, the show is involving them in the dialogue, and getting valuable feedback. It’s also finding out who the customers are and what they care about, which is helpful for advertising purposes.

“With the use of hash tags, you can find out exactly who is watching your programs,” says Heffer. “You could then figure out who the person is and what their interests are. Based on this information you could transmit adverts based upon the interests of the people watching, rather than selling adverts based upon the people they think are watching.”

In addition, evening news producers, writes Heffer, could promote a news feed “which includes the various daily headlines going along the bottom of the screen. You could tweet which stories you want to hear more about. Depending on the social feedback [producers] receive, they could dynamically change the content of the program to reflect the most relevant content to the audience.”

Social media and content marketing are all about connecting with the customer. Making television a more active experience will help the consumer care more about what they’re watching and reveal which advertisements they favor.

Since people tend to view television and use Internet-connected devices at the same time, marketers can impact consumer engagement by taking advantage both devices.

Image courtesy of brizzle born and bred/flickr

Content strategy via Contently

Most journalists know that when they have a personal conflict, be it financial or social, with a source in a story they are covering, they are obligated to reveal it to the reader.

In the emerging field of content marketing, where the line between journalism and content for marketing purposes can be murky and a writer’s relationship to sources are often complicated, what are the rules for disclosure? Are there any?

Last week, a disclosure by Henry Blodget of Business Insider took the genre to the extreme.

In an article about Facebook’s road to its IPO offering, he writes of a Goldman banker in his end of article disclosure:

“If I did know him I might like him. … I don’t like to write things that make people I like not like me … doing this will make them less likely to tell me cool things.”

When does ground-breaking honesty cross over to insignificant navel-gazing? Every writer wrestles with the need to keep avenues of information open to them with the imperative to report accurate and important information. Should writers really be expected to indicate each source they feel an affinity for?

It’s fair to say that every journalist-source relationship spans beyond transactional. Heck, keeping that line of communication open can even mean faux-friendship, which, at best, might result in real friendship. But do these non-financial ties influence a writer like Blodget as much as owning stock or being a member of a board?

Before we start disclosing things like, ”I once walked by Mark Zuckerberg’s dog walker on the street and liked his shoes,” let’s look for a sense of reason, perhaps somewhere between Mike Arrington, controversial VC-turned-reporter-turned-VC, and Kara Swisher of AllThingsD.

Swisher points out that VCs will always be motivated by money and a blanket disclosure doesn’t change that. But since the lines are blurred between blogging on behalf of a brand, where there are clear incentives beyond objective truth, and writing as an independent news source, often disclosure is the best one can do.

The first piece to include is anything involving money. If you write about finance for a business audience, you’ve likely been told to not buy stock in the companies you cover. But, if you’re writing about French wine, the best way to gain the necessary knowledge to write an informative piece might be to visit France with all expenses paid by a winery. Disclose this.

When it comes to relationships, the romantic ones are tricky. If a reporter begins dating a staff member at the police department, he or she will need to drop the police beat. If a writer’s significant other works in the industry they cover, it is best to write a succinct but transparent disclosure. Sometimes conflicts of interest are unavoidable, and that’s where a well-worded disclosure comes in.

Readers are not limited in terms of finding information – they can read five blogs as easily as just one, and any biases will become clear. Experts on a topic are often the people who have the strongest financial or relational interests.

And maybe, if there is any doubt about how much to reveal, it might be best to just pull a Blodget and disclose everything.

Here is Blodget’s full disclosure:

Content strategy via Contently

The elements of a strong content marketing effort include insight and meaningful analysis, interesting and original information, proper editing, and the right tracking, according to a new infographic by NewsReach.

In 2012, “3 in 5 marketers are spending more on content marketing” and that daily, “27 million pieces of content are shared via social media,” according to NewsReach.

By using the proper methods when it comes to generating content and promoting it, marketers will find that their efforts are highly effective. People are willing to share great content, but marketers have to deliver the goods.

Content strategy via Contently

Pringles, the chip that stacks, are apparently just as appealing on Facebook as they are in a can. The company boasts 19.2 million likes and is the sixth-biggest food and beverage brand on the site.

The brand has done a tremendous job of building and retaining its social media popularity.

The Voice Matches the Brand

Pringles aims to seem like a fun brand, full of splashy logos and colorful advertising. Its fan page, updated once a day, contains posts that are designed to elicit responses.

On April 30, it posted, “Anything can be adapted to greatness: rename a song to Pringlefy it!” An update that received 862 likes and 2,181 comments stated, “Pringles & ____ are the perfect combo!”

Its statuses aren’t just Pringles-focused–they tap into the theme of particular days. On a recent Friday, it said, “Like if you’ve waited all week for this weekend!!” and got 4,336 likes, and on May 4, it stated, “May the Fourth Be With You,” receiving 3,146 likes.

Use of Videos

Pringles loves videos, which are a proven way to grab consumers’ attention. Last year, 52% of marketers used video in their content marketing strategies — a number that is expected to rise to 76% in 2012 — and Pringles is a great example of how to use video well.

Pringles’ amusing videos, posted a few times per month, receive thousands of likes and hundreds of thousands hits on YouTube. A video posted on April 10, for example, garnered over 474,000 YouTube hits, 1,196 likes, and 324 comments on Facebook.

Pringles North American Brand Manager Sam Minardi says the company looks “for tools we can use to create a good experience for consumers. So whether it’s through music or video, everything we do is tied back to giving consumers experiences that show the flavor and fun of Pringles. This is always the primary goal. We use video because we are focused on bringing to life fun Pringles experiences.”

Mashable’s Callan Green writes that Pringles “has recognized that its audience on Facebook reacts well to comedy and have used their fan page to catalyze the spread of a set of videos that certainly have the potential for virality.”

By distributing videos on their fan page, Pringles has propelled users to spread the brand to their friends without resorting to paid ad placements.

Targeting Spanish Speakers

Hispanics are the fastest growing minority in the United States, and in 2011, their purchasing power was over $1 trillion.

According to The Content Lab, “Hispanics’ consumer spending has recently led U.S. market growth in the food business, education and entertainment segments during recent years of a stagnant economy.” They are also early adopters of new technology and “have a higher engagement in social media.”

Scrolling down Pringles’ Facebook fan page wall, it’s evident that the company has a large Spanish-speaking following.

By sticking to its message and expanding its reach, Pringles has found success on the site. According to Minardi, that won’t be changing any time soon.

“We will continue to invest into our social media strategy and building the Pringles fan base,” he says. “We are less focused on hard metrics and more focused on unique experiences that are fun and engaging.”

Content strategy via Contently