The Found Gen

Marketing That Works.

Robyn Saunders

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Content Marketing is Not New Age PR. Here’s Why.

With all the hype around content marketing in our ever-more digital worlds, it can be easy to make the assumption that content marketing is just PR of the future – hey, we’re all out there just trying to spread the word, right?

But, that’s where we’re going to stop you.

Content marketing and PR have two very different (albeit similar) objectives, and if we start treating them as one in the same, we risk diluting the effectiveness of both strategies.

Traditional PR, according to the Public Relations Society of America, is really focused on the perception and relationships formed between an organization and its public. Getting it right can be a herculean task. Getting it wrong can potentially damage a brand forever.

Content marketing is also focused on brand perception, but it goes about building brand recognition and trust in a much more specific way. According to the Content Marketing Institute, content marketing’s objective is to effectively reach an audience by providing “valuable, relevant, and consistent content… and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.”

Whereas PR is concerned with “reach,” content marketing is driven by “action and conversions.”

Here at The Found Gen, when we partner with clients, our goal is not only to get more eyes on your message, product and services, but also to encourage readers and potential clients to go one step further and take action. Our content marketing objectives look a little something like this:

  • Consistently engage your audience with timely and useful content that answers their questions or helps them solve a problem.
  • Build your brand narrative by sharing stories and helping readers hear your authentic voice.
  • Establish trust between your audience and you by providing authoritative content.
  • Generate leads by writing click-worthy content and sharing them via a variety of channels and platforms (both digital and print).

Spreading the word about your awesome products or services is definitely a team effort and requires a multi-pronged approach, but when your goals are focused on conversions, a strategic content marketing plan will go a long ways towards helping you achieve them in a way PR just can’t do. Give us a call when you’re ready take your brand to the next level.

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Should You or Shouldn’t You Use Facebook Ad Manager To Distribute Content?

Whether you’re a novice marketer or have been doing this for your whole career, the basic principles of promoting and growing your business remain the same – you have to create the right message for the right people at the right time. If you can’t do that, you may as well be throwing your ad dollars out the window.

So, in a world of hyper social activity, short attention spans and even more ad clutter filling our screens, how is this even possible?

Enter Facebook Ad Manager.

Facebook can make it incredibly easy to target relevant content to the right audience and give you valuable reporting data, too. But before you go all in, let us help you break a few things down:

  • Cost –Facebook Ads can be very cost-effective. You are 100% in control of your budget, and you can run an effective ad campaign for less than you what you spend on your daily cup of joe.
  • Content –the number one thing you can do to ensure success with your Facebook ads is create relevant and engaging content that stops scrollers in their tracks. Even better, it should make them want to take action (e.g., learn more, take a quiz, buy your product, etc.).
  • Promotion –For the biggest bang for your buck, you have to be smart with what you choose to promote. Otherwise, what’s the point? Boosting your most popular content will put your best assets in front of the right audience.
  • Retargeting –If someone engages with your content, the best thing you can do to reward their interaction is serve them up additional content that provides even more information on the same or similar topic. With Facebook Ad Manager, you set the parameters for retargeting and then get ready to watch the leads roll in.

Bottom line: If done right, Facebook ads can be an effective tool in your marketing arsenal. If done poorly, well, we already talked about that…

When you’re ready to take the plunge into Facebook ads, give us a call. This stuff is right in our sweet spot.

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Facebook, Hackers and Your Data: What You Need to Know

The fragility and accessibility of our digital lives has been a concern ever since the inception of Facebook more than a decade ago – and even earlier than that on other web platforms, but privacy and data concerns have only seemed to escalate in recent years. Specifically, news of the Cambridge Analytica data breach in March 2018 put many social users on digital lockdown.

As you explore all the ways in which your life, Facebook (and other social channels), and your digital footprint intersect, it’s helpful to take a good look at what data is actually out there, what you need to know going forward to prevent hackers from getting into your account, and how to minimize any damage in the event of another breach.

What to know about your data
Facebook allows you to download your data from your account via Account Settings or the Download Your Information tool. While reviewing all of your data can be interesting in and of itself, the important take-away here is to learn what you want to delete from your history.

Once you’ve decided what you want to get rid of, you can start deleting those contacts, messages, old activity, etc. by clicking around in the settings area. Tip: it’s easiest to do this from a desktop computer.

How to prevent future hacks attacks

Knowing you’re susceptible to a hack is the first step in taking control of your data, but how do you go about more securely locking down your digital life? Being proactive is the answer. This article in Wired provides some useful tips for preventing a hack. Namely, take advantage of your device lockscreen and set up two-factor authentication on any all accounts that offer it, of which Facebook and Twitter both do.

Another tip – self-censor. While it can be fun to share all the exciting tid-bits of your life, do you really want the whole world knowing about it? Just something to keep in mind…

So, off with you now. Go secure your digital world.

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Our Summer Reading List (Okay – What We Read This Summer and Loved)

Summer is a great time for catching up on books (unless you have kids, that is. Then you’re just busy all the time). But whether at the park or beach, on a road trip, or in the comfort of your own living room, nothing beats relaxing with a good book. We took to that activity this summer and came away with some great reads. Here are a few of our faves, in no particular order:

Homegoingby Yaa Gyasi– Gyasi’s debut novel tells a powerful tale of love, loss, fear, strength, courage, despair, and every emotion in between. It traces the story of two half-sisters from the Gold Coast of Africa – one who is sold into slavery and the other who remains in Africa.

Floridaby Lauren Groff– We’re fans of short stories and we’re fans of Florida, so naturally we had to be fans of this new collection of stories. Dark and moody, yet captivating all the same – worth a read.

Born a Crimeby Trevor Noah– We’re a little late to the game on this one, but if you haven’t read it yet, definitely do. Not only is this book a wonderful tribute to his mother, it offers an important, first-hand lesson in history as well. Noah details what it was like growing up in South Africa during apartheid and demonstrates how being born to a white Swiss father and black Xhosa mother shaped his life during a period of extreme tyranny.

There Thereby Tommy Orange– Another powerful novel about identity, isolation, belonging, pain and devastation. Orange questions what it means to be Native American in America today. To say it’s complex would be an understatement.

What good books have you read lately? Let us know!

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Why Blogging is Good for Business

If you’re sitting out there twiddling your thumbs and waiting for the phone to ring, all we can say is – good luck! Consumers today are smart and savvy, and they don’t have time or interest in seeking you out.

While blogging isn’t the magic bullet to growing your business, it’s still an important part of an overall marketing and brand strategy. Maintaining an active blog keeps you front and center with customers, and so much more. Here are just a few of the many reasons why blogging is good for business.

Blogging helps bring you closer to the top of Google search results

While Google’s algorithms are sophisticated and always changing, the one thing that isn’t changing is the importance of delivering fresh and useful content. Maintaining an active blog is imperative for helping keep you at or near the top of search results. Your website’s SEO is dependent upon it.

Blogging establishes you as a thought leader in the industry

You know your stuff. Your team knows its stuff. Let the world know that you know your stuff! The majority of prospective customers do a lot of homework online before ever reaching out to a company for help. They may visit your site 5, 10, 20 or more times before ever making contact with you. Your blog plays a key role in introducing yourself to them and establishing that trust and authority. Customers want to buy from someone they feel knows their stuff – and that someone is you!

Blogging is the anchor for your other marketing initiatives

Effectively reaching new and existing customers means communicating with them in a variety of channels. Your blog serves at the anchor for these initiatives by providing relevant content to share via social media, include in newsletters, and cross-reference within your site.

So what are you waiting for? Get your blog in gear today – we’re ready to help.

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The Case for Quality Content

The internet is awash with content – terrible cat memes, never-ending diatribes in response to the latest this or that, political posturing, and more. So where have all the good things gone?

Well, it’s there, and it’s now more important than ever. As consumers wade through the clutter, they want informative and valuable content that’s going to help them solve a problem or make a decision that matters. Why not be the person to help them out?

By providing relevant and quality content, you’ll be hitting the mark in more ways than one.

Words are your gateway to the world

Imagine meeting a potential customer for the first time. You’d want to make a good impression, right? You’d want to tell them useful information that demonstrates your authority, right?

Well, it’s the same thing when they find you online. Whether you’re there or not, your content speaks volumes about you and your business. You should be putting your best foot (i.e., content) forward in this virtual meet-and-greet with any and all prospective customers.

 The right words boost SEO

Customers won’t know about you if they can’t find you. Page 2 of Google? Forget about it! Boost your search rankings by providing consistent, valuable content that answers questions and demonstrates credibility. It’s more than just keywords on a page.

Quality content converts leads

If only we all had the golden ticket… Oh wait, we do. The most powerful thing about quality content is that it takes prospective buyers and turns them into customers – again and again. Continue giving your leads what they need and want, and undoubtedly they will come back for more. Your trusted content becomes their anchor, and for you that anchor is sales.

Now it’s your turn. Take your content up a notch with our expert help. Give us a call today.