MARKETING
Look Through These 4 Windows To Right Your Content Marketing Ship
![Look Through These 4 Windows To Right Your Content Marketing Ship Look Through These 4 Windows To Right Your Content Marketing Ship](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/1656674206_Look-Through-These-4-Windows-To-Right-Your-Content-Marketing.png)
“This ship is just so hard to turn.”
That phrase might sound familiar. I often hear it from clients, usually regarding some suggested change to existing processes. People lament the difficulty of doing something new because it requires changing or stopping something old.
Institutional momentum resists stopping (or changing). That’s true even when the answer to the question “Why not just stop doing the old thing?” is “I don’t know.”
Sometimes, you don’t know that you know.
Want an example? I worked with a B2B healthcare client who shared the balance of their content output by type for the last three years.
Each colored line represents the number of assets produced by content type – blog posts, analyst research, case studies, brochures, content hub, infographics, webinars, podcasts, how-to videos, and white papers – each year from 2017 to 2021.
The dramatic growth in webinars stands out. In 2017, the team produced less than 10. In 2018, the company got webinar fever and never looked back. The number of webinars grew substantially each year, while nearly all other content types declined. Webinars made up almost 60% of their total content output in 2021.
Your first reaction might be, “Webinars must really work for them.”
Nope. In fact, each year following 2018, webinars contributed less to lead generation (the primary goal) than the average contributed by all other content types.
Why did they continue to focus on webinars? Because. That’s why.
A B2B brand escalated its webinar count year after year even though the results were worse than other content types. Why? Just because, says @Robert_Rose via @CMIContent. #ContentStrategy Click To Tweet
In 2018, the team got good at producing them. In 2019, a new content person joined and got the message to focus on webinars, so she doubled down.
In 2020, the team saw webinars as a safe way to continue their content program during the pandemic shutdowns. And, in 2021, they wanted to get back to the basics of what they had done for so many years. You guessed it: webinars.
They didn’t know what they knew.
Which window are you looking through?
A Johari window is a model for self-awareness and communication development based on two simple ideas: You learn by revealing information you know to be true and comparing that to the information you seek outside of yourself.
You can look through four windows:
- Things you know you know
- Things you know you don’t know
- Things you don’t know you don’t know
- Things you don’t know that you know
The fourth window probably represents the most insidious risk to success. It is the unknown known. Or, as it’s called in the Johari window, the façade.
Philosopher Slavoj Žižek categorized the unknown known as when people “intentionally refuse to acknowledge that we know.” In companies, you see this all the time. You all know the ship is moving in the wrong direction, but no one says it out loud.
But why?
Myriad business reasons explain why someone might not acknowledge something they know or believe. One researcher found the cause can be as simple as a team’s blind faith that a project could still have a chance at success.
In many cases, business leaders know they continue to do things with institutional momentum even though the programs aren’t productive or useful.
I worked with one team whose email newsletter subscriptions dropped from 10,000 to fewer than 100 over 18 months. Yet, they still spent thousands of dollars to develop the content and send that newsletter every quarter.
Stopping it, they thought, could signal to the C-suite that investment in that enterprise email system wasn’t worth funding.
Institutional momentum propels businesses to do things they know aren’t productive or useful, says @Robert_Rose via @CMIContent. #ContentStrategy Click To Tweet
My healthcare client had a gut feeling that they produced sub-optimal webinars to the detriment of other types of content. But acknowledging the imbalance would mean addressing the fact that they had no strategy.
In other words, acknowledging the need to course-correct would imply that the team knew how many webinars they should produce and how to rebalance the mix of content types.
Look through all the windows
It’s tempting to look at the performance of content and campaigns and let the data inform how much to produce for any part of the journey, persona type, or format.
But let’s be honest, rebalancing any content or marketing strategy is never that simple.
First, you may not have easy access to all that information. Second, you may not agree on what those numbers mean, or you may not have developed common definitions across the company or even the team.
How does a video differ from a webinar? How does an e-book differ from a white paper? Do you know?
What new things haven’t you tried because you’re pressed for time? Where have you stuck with old patterns and habits because you believe your ship just won’t turn?
Do you know what you don’t know?
I find this version of a Johari window exercise a great place to start when reviewing a content and marketing strategy:
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1. What old things are you confident you should continue doing? (You know what you know)
Pull together all that information and see what truly works.
At the healthcare company, white papers performed extraordinarily well for lead generation. Repurposing some webinars into white papers and integrating white papers into webinars helped a lot.
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2. What new things should you add or change? (You know what you don’t know)
Can you identify new activities you should do but don’t because you lack skills, technology, content, or other capabilities?
The healthcare company tried launching a branded content hub but lacked the skills to do it properly. Instead, they identified a useful topic and devised a plan to execute it in a realistic time frame with outsourced resources.
3. What areas should you explore? (You don’t know what you don’t know)
You may have heard about or seen opportunities or options that would create efficiencies. If you feel you don’t understand much about those areas, consider how you can explore them.
The healthcare company heard its competitors had gained tremendous traction with a print magazine for healthcare providers. But no one on the existing team had experience with print. So they committed to exploring the intricacies and costs of setting it up and created a business case for it.
4. What things should you acknowledge that you know need to stop or change? (You don’t know what you know)
This window may be the most important for exploring your strategy.
Everyone on the healthcare company’s team acknowledged they produced too many webinars and didn’t get the results they wanted. Once they admitted this, they could rebalance their content strategy. They also committed to codifying a production measurement strategy to track how much they produced of any one kind of asset.
In sum, they turned the ship effectively.
Turning a strategy takes confidence
Setting a new course in content and marketing requires belief. Every winning approach succeeds partly because of a collective belief that it will succeed.
Your challenge is to make sure your can-do attitude doesn’t turn into a can’t-undo culture.
Make sure that can-do attitude doesn’t turn into a can’t-undo culture, says @Robert_Rose via @CMIContent. #ContentStrategy Click To Tweet
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Get Robert’s take on content marketing industry news in just three minutes:
Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute
MARKETING
YouTube Ad Specs, Sizes, and Examples [2024 Update]
![YouTube Ad Specs, Sizes, and Examples [2024 Update] YouTube Ad Specs, Sizes, and Examples](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/YouTube-Ad-Specs-Sizes-and-Examples.jpg)
Introduction
With billions of users each month, YouTube is the world’s second largest search engine and top website for video content. This makes it a great place for advertising. To succeed, advertisers need to follow the correct YouTube ad specifications. These rules help your ad reach more viewers, increasing the chance of gaining new customers and boosting brand awareness.
Types of YouTube Ads
Video Ads
- Description: These play before, during, or after a YouTube video on computers or mobile devices.
- Types:
- In-stream ads: Can be skippable or non-skippable.
- Bumper ads: Non-skippable, short ads that play before, during, or after a video.
Display Ads
- Description: These appear in different spots on YouTube and usually use text or static images.
- Note: YouTube does not support display image ads directly on its app, but these can be targeted to YouTube.com through Google Display Network (GDN).
Companion Banners
- Description: Appears to the right of the YouTube player on desktop.
- Requirement: Must be purchased alongside In-stream ads, Bumper ads, or In-feed ads.
In-feed Ads
- Description: Resemble videos with images, headlines, and text. They link to a public or unlisted YouTube video.
Outstream Ads
- Description: Mobile-only video ads that play outside of YouTube, on websites and apps within the Google video partner network.
Masthead Ads
- Description: Premium, high-visibility banner ads displayed at the top of the YouTube homepage for both desktop and mobile users.
YouTube Ad Specs by Type
Skippable In-stream Video Ads
- Placement: Before, during, or after a YouTube video.
- Resolution:
- Horizontal: 1920 x 1080px
- Vertical: 1080 x 1920px
- Square: 1080 x 1080px
- Aspect Ratio:
- Horizontal: 16:9
- Vertical: 9:16
- Square: 1:1
- Length:
- Awareness: 15-20 seconds
- Consideration: 2-3 minutes
- Action: 15-20 seconds
Non-skippable In-stream Video Ads
- Description: Must be watched completely before the main video.
- Length: 15 seconds (or 20 seconds in certain markets).
- Resolution:
- Horizontal: 1920 x 1080px
- Vertical: 1080 x 1920px
- Square: 1080 x 1080px
- Aspect Ratio:
- Horizontal: 16:9
- Vertical: 9:16
- Square: 1:1
Bumper Ads
- Length: Maximum 6 seconds.
- File Format: MP4, Quicktime, AVI, ASF, Windows Media, or MPEG.
- Resolution:
- Horizontal: 640 x 360px
- Vertical: 480 x 360px
In-feed Ads
- Description: Show alongside YouTube content, like search results or the Home feed.
- Resolution:
- Horizontal: 1920 x 1080px
- Vertical: 1080 x 1920px
- Square: 1080 x 1080px
- Aspect Ratio:
- Horizontal: 16:9
- Square: 1:1
- Length:
- Awareness: 15-20 seconds
- Consideration: 2-3 minutes
- Headline/Description:
- Headline: Up to 2 lines, 40 characters per line
- Description: Up to 2 lines, 35 characters per line
Display Ads
- Description: Static images or animated media that appear on YouTube next to video suggestions, in search results, or on the homepage.
- Image Size: 300×60 pixels.
- File Type: GIF, JPG, PNG.
- File Size: Max 150KB.
- Max Animation Length: 30 seconds.
Outstream Ads
- Description: Mobile-only video ads that appear on websites and apps within the Google video partner network, not on YouTube itself.
- Logo Specs:
- Square: 1:1 (200 x 200px).
- File Type: JPG, GIF, PNG.
- Max Size: 200KB.
Masthead Ads
- Description: High-visibility ads at the top of the YouTube homepage.
- Resolution: 1920 x 1080 or higher.
- File Type: JPG or PNG (without transparency).
Conclusion
YouTube offers a variety of ad formats to reach audiences effectively in 2024. Whether you want to build brand awareness, drive conversions, or target specific demographics, YouTube provides a dynamic platform for your advertising needs. Always follow Google’s advertising policies and the technical ad specs to ensure your ads perform their best. Ready to start using YouTube ads? Contact us today to get started!
MARKETING
Why We Are Always ‘Clicking to Buy’, According to Psychologists
![Why We Are Always 'Clicking to Buy', According to Psychologists Why We Are Always 'Clicking to Buy', According to Psychologists](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Why-We-Are-Always-Clicking-to-Buy-According-to-Psychologists.pngkeepProtocol.png)
Amazon pillows.
MARKETING
A deeper dive into data, personalization and Copilots
![A deeper dive into data, personalization and Copilots A deeper dive into data, personalization and Copilots](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/A-deeper-dive-into-data-personalization-and-Copilots.jpg)
Salesforce launched a collection of new, generative AI-related products at Connections in Chicago this week. They included new Einstein Copilots for marketers and merchants and Einstein Personalization.
To better understand, not only the potential impact of the new products, but the evolving Salesforce architecture, we sat down with Bobby Jania, CMO, Marketing Cloud.
Dig deeper: Salesforce piles on the Einstein Copilots
Salesforce’s evolving architecture
It’s hard to deny that Salesforce likes coming up with new names for platforms and products (what happened to Customer 360?) and this can sometimes make the observer wonder if something is brand new, or old but with a brand new name. In particular, what exactly is Einstein 1 and how is it related to Salesforce Data Cloud?
“Data Cloud is built on the Einstein 1 platform,” Jania explained. “The Einstein 1 platform is our entire Salesforce platform and that includes products like Sales Cloud, Service Cloud — that it includes the original idea of Salesforce not just being in the cloud, but being multi-tenancy.”
Data Cloud — not an acquisition, of course — was built natively on that platform. It was the first product built on Hyperforce, Salesforce’s new cloud infrastructure architecture. “Since Data Cloud was on what we now call the Einstein 1 platform from Day One, it has always natively connected to, and been able to read anything in Sales Cloud, Service Cloud [and so on]. On top of that, we can now bring in, not only structured but unstructured data.”
That’s a significant progression from the position, several years ago, when Salesforce had stitched together a platform around various acquisitions (ExactTarget, for example) that didn’t necessarily talk to each other.
“At times, what we would do is have a kind of behind-the-scenes flow where data from one product could be moved into another product,” said Jania, “but in many of those cases the data would then be in both, whereas now the data is in Data Cloud. Tableau will run natively off Data Cloud; Commerce Cloud, Service Cloud, Marketing Cloud — they’re all going to the same operational customer profile.” They’re not copying the data from Data Cloud, Jania confirmed.
Another thing to know is tit’s possible for Salesforce customers to import their own datasets into Data Cloud. “We wanted to create a federated data model,” said Jania. “If you’re using Snowflake, for example, we more or less virtually sit on your data lake. The value we add is that we will look at all your data and help you form these operational customer profiles.”
Let’s learn more about Einstein Copilot
“Copilot means that I have an assistant with me in the tool where I need to be working that contextually knows what I am trying to do and helps me at every step of the process,” Jania said.
For marketers, this might begin with a campaign brief developed with Copilot’s assistance, the identification of an audience based on the brief, and then the development of email or other content. “What’s really cool is the idea of Einstein Studio where our customers will create actions [for Copilot] that we hadn’t even thought about.”
Here’s a key insight (back to nomenclature). We reported on Copilot for markets, Copilot for merchants, Copilot for shoppers. It turns out, however, that there is just one Copilot, Einstein Copilot, and these are use cases. “There’s just one Copilot, we just add these for a little clarity; we’re going to talk about marketing use cases, about shoppers’ use cases. These are actions for the marketing use cases we built out of the box; you can build your own.”
It’s surely going to take a little time for marketers to learn to work easily with Copilot. “There’s always time for adoption,” Jania agreed. “What is directly connected with this is, this is my ninth Connections and this one has the most hands-on training that I’ve seen since 2014 — and a lot of that is getting people using Data Cloud, using these tools rather than just being given a demo.”
What’s new about Einstein Personalization
Salesforce Einstein has been around since 2016 and many of the use cases seem to have involved personalization in various forms. What’s new?
“Einstein Personalization is a real-time decision engine and it’s going to choose next-best-action, next-best-offer. What is new is that it’s a service now that runs natively on top of Data Cloud.” A lot of real-time decision engines need their own set of data that might actually be a subset of data. “Einstein Personalization is going to look holistically at a customer and recommend a next-best-action that could be natively surfaced in Service Cloud, Sales Cloud or Marketing Cloud.”
Finally, trust
One feature of the presentations at Connections was the reassurance that, although public LLMs like ChatGPT could be selected for application to customer data, none of that data would be retained by the LLMs. Is this just a matter of written agreements? No, not just that, said Jania.
“In the Einstein Trust Layer, all of the data, when it connects to an LLM, runs through our gateway. If there was a prompt that had personally identifiable information — a credit card number, an email address — at a mimum, all that is stripped out. The LLMs do not store the output; we store the output for auditing back in Salesforce. Any output that comes back through our gateway is logged in our system; it runs through a toxicity model; and only at the end do we put PII data back into the answer. There are real pieces beyond a handshake that this data is safe.”
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