Joey Armstrong

Joey Armstrong

Content Marketing vs Social Media Marketing

Content marketing and social media marketing are often used interchangeably, and there are areas where they overlap. However, there is one big difference between them: content marketing tells a brand story, while social media marketing starts a conversation.

Joey Armstrong explains that this difference affects all aspects of content marketing and social media marketing: the overall strategy, tools and activities, and metrics for success. While the two will often overlap and even be integrated in a marketing campaign, they can never substitute for the other.

Joey Armstrong content vs social

Scope of the campaign

Content marketing uses different kinds of content, depending on the audience and communication goal, it can use different types of content: ads, infographics, blogs, webinars, websites, landing pages, videos, podcasts, ebooks, newsletters…and yes, social media.

So, social media marketing can be one component of a larger content marketing plan. For example, a beauty brand that is launching a new makeup line can ask influencers to talk about their product, run a giveaway, or ask social media followers to share pictures of the makeup looks they created.

Goals of the content

Content marketing provides more information about a product, service and the company. It determines the target audiences, key messages, and the specific action desired (download the ebook, sign up for the class, claim the voucher, etc).

Social media marketing can inform consumers, but its most important role is to engage. In fact, one of the biggest mistakes that brands make is that they just post content that “sells” the product, and neglect posts that spark conversations or build communities.

Also, instead of telling people about the product, social media should get people to talk about the product. It’s a platform where customers can share testimonials, ask questions, give thoughts and opinions, or raise concerns and complaints.

Acceptable formats

Social media content has to be short, bite-sized, and easy to digest. So, long form-content should reside on other platforms – not just because of length or size restrictions, but most people use social media to escape, not hunker down to read something serious.

However, brands can certainly repurpose their content marketing collaterals for social media: breaking down a blog posts into tips for posts or creating a teaser video that pushes readers to the full version on the website.

In fact, social media marketing goals often include generating traffic to a website or building enough curiosity for people to research more about the brand and consume its other content.

Joey Armstrong value to brands

Value to brand

Let’s look at how social media marketing and content marketing will be experienced by the target audience.

A person who is shopping for a new cellphone may initially hear about a brand because a tech vlogger talked about it on his channel. Then, he will look at user reviews on different chatrooms and forums, then go to the brand website to look at the specific features. From there, he may go to the brand’s social media page to read comments on posts, or direct message them to ask a question.

This rather circular journey of gathering information shows how content marketing and social media marketing is experienced by the target market—and the different strengths they have. Content marketing can give knowledge (such as demos and FAQs); social media marketing can build social credibility (testimonials, influencer endorsements).

Thus, social media marketing and content marketing serve different but equally important roles in building sales and reputation.

Joey Armstrong

Intro to Google SEO Penalties

Google SEO penalties are a type of action applied to a website that has violated one or more of Google’s Webmaster Guidelines. Joey Armstrong explains that there are several types of Google SEO penalties, each of but the two most common applications are manual and algorithmic penalties.

No content creator or webmaster wants to be smacked with an SEO penalty. These limit a site’s ability to pick up traction and essential leaves to page dead in the water. Let’s take a closer look at what these penalties do, learn how sites can avoid them, and explore the available options for webmasters dealing with SEO penalties.

What are Google SEO Penalties?

Google SEO penalties are a type of penalty issued to protect the integrity of Google’s search results. They’re designed to ensure that web users are given the most relevant and highest quality content, regardless of what they search. By issuing penalties for black-hat SEO tactics, such as keyword stuffing, spamming links, or creating sites with duplicate copy, Google is able to discourage improper and ineffective SEO marketing strategies.

If a site is hit with an SEO penalty, it may not appear as high up in the search results as it once did. Sometimes, sites may no longer appear in the search results at all. This is, of course, detrimental to content creators’ platforms as their webpages will cease to gain traction and slowly loose viewership.

Most Common Occurrences

Although there are a handful of different penalties, the two most common Google SEO penalties are manual and algorithmic:

  • Manual actions – These penalties are directly handed down by the Google spam team when they detect improper SEO practices, such as spamming keywords or duplicate links.
  • Algorithmic penalties – These penalties aren’t issued as much as they are inherently embedded within Google’s search algorithm. Algorithmic penalties usually come down to ineffective or outdated SEO that should be revamped to better fit the Google algorithm.

Depending on which type of penalty a site’s facing, webmasters may be able to fix the issues to restore their pages’ rankings.

How Webmasters Can Tell if Their Sites are Penalized

It’s not always easy for webmasters to tell if their sites are affected by SEO penalties, especially if a site’s been crippled by algorithmic penalties. Generally speaking, though, if a site’s been handed a manual penalty, Google will issue a statement along with the action.

To pick up on algorithmic penalties, webmasters must actively track their user engagements as well as regularly upload new content. The higher the quality of the content, the more likely it is to rise to the top of the search results.

What Webmasters Can Do to Resolve a Penalized Page or Domain

If hit with Google SEO penalties, webmasters can take the following actions to resolve the issues:

  • Manual actions – Webmasters must first resolve the issues claimed within Google’s statement. After fixing any problems with their sites, they can then ask Google to reassess the webpage and remove the penalty.
  • Algorithmic penalties – If content is struggling to overcome algorithmic penalties, the webmaster can implement more effective SEO keywords and work with a digital marketing firm to master Google’s algorithm.

It can take a few months to overcome SEO penalties but, once a site has done so, it can continue to attract new viewers.

Final Thoughts

Google’s SEO penalties are effectively in place to maintain the quality of the Internet. If a site has been issued a penalty, it can be reinstated by simply resolving the problems inherent to the page.

Joey Armstrong

What’s Trending in Advertising Right Now?

Joey Armstrong Times Square

As it’s a new year with some of the world’s largest sporting events just around the corner, advertisers are gearing up to release new campaigns, new messaging, and even a rebrand or two. Stay up to date on all the latest advertising news as it comes out. This blog will keep you in the know and if you’re a marketer, help you track the latest trends.

Today, Joey Armstrong of California will share three of the hottest advertising news stories trending at the moment, including a marketing rebrand from M&M, Superbowl ad shakeups, and new advertising features from Pinterest. If you’re ready to learn more, let’s get started!

M&M Mascot Rebrand Scoffed on Social Media

Say goodbye to the old M&M mascots and welcome in the exact same mascots rebranded to be more ‘woke’. As of January 2022, M&M has changed the personalities of its iconic personified candy pieces to do away with outdated gender stereotypes and reach a more modern, more progressive audience.

The two female M&M’s (Green and Brown) will no longer be sexualized or depicted wearing excessive makeup and high heels. Instead, they’ll wear sneakers and take on boss-like traits. The traditionally aggressive Red M&M will no longer be as forceful, and the Orange M&M will now be portrayed as more anxious to reach the younger Gen-Z generation which is plagued with existential dread.

Despite their more progressive approach, M&M’s rebrand has largely been met with the ire of social media by both the left and the right. Millennials and Gen-Z have scoffed at the rebrand, deriding it as a self-serving marketing ploy to earn points with progressives. Meanwhile, the right has decried it as a prime example of companies once again abandoning tradition and pandering to extremist trends.

Whichever side you fall on, the new M&Ms are here to stay.

Budweiser, Hyundai, and Others Opt-Out of Superbowl Advertising

South Korean carmaker Hyundai has decided to skip out the Superbowl this year, abandoning some of the most sought-after screen time in advertising. They will be joined by some of the most iconic Superbowl advertisers, including Budweiser and Audi, marking a major shift in corporate marketing strategy.

Unlike in previous years, many major brands simply don’t see the cost-to-benefit payoff of spending millions of dollars on a 30-second time slot. With widespread societal, political, and public health instability, some of the world’s largest companies have decided it’s no longer worth it to advertise at the Superbowl.

Budweiser, Hyundai, and Audi will be joined by Coca-Cola and Planters Peanuts. However, Hyundai will still be airing a high-profile ad during the playoffs, hoping to cash in on lower-priced time slots with equally high viewership.

Pinterest Adds ‘Try-On’ Advertising Feature

Pinterest is home to countless home design ideas, yet many homeowners struggle to visualize how a product might look in their home. That will soon change now that Pinterest has introduced a try-on feature that allows you to virtually display products in your home.

Their new feature allows you to digitally visualize what a home décor item will look like in your home by displaying it on your phone. Simply hold your camera up to the room and the app will display the item in the open space. Pinterest notes that home décor is its most popular category and hopes to transform more leads into sales with its new feature.  

Final Thoughts

Check-in with this blog again as the Olympics come closer to find out more about upcoming ads and advertising strategies. We’ll have all the information you need!

Joey Armstrong

Social Media News This Week

Here are the top social media news stories to ring in the new year brought to you by Joey Armstrong.

Instagram Third-Party Embedding Feature

Instagram has added a new way to embed your profile onto a third-party site. This mini-version of your IG profile will link directly to your overall profile.

Instead of focusing on a specific product or picture, this allows your entire profile to be seen, giving clients or viewers insight into your brand as a whole.

For those whose brands encourage interaction with their Instagram account, this feature will be useful for getting your audience onto your IG page with the hopes of increasing your follower count.

Another way to utilize this feature is to reference influencers or customers who use your products on their IG posts.

Twitter 2022 Planning Guide

If your tweeting game wasn’t top-notch in 2021, 2022 is your year. Twitter is helping those who need it with its 2022 Planning Guide.

This guide includes templates, prompts, and tips to better approach and improve your tweeting strategy in the new year.

Twitter is an excellent way to extend your reach. This guide gives marketers the ability to plan ahead, using month-by-month templates to map out their tweeting strategy. It even helps you outline emojis, keywords, and visuals that will help grow your brand.

Finally, the guide’s tips and tricks are great for those getting started with their tweeting strategy. They lay out how to create a strong tweet, including approaches for images and videos.

Even for those who consider themselves Twitter-savvy, the guide is worth browsing, as it has over 65 pages of information and guidance.

Joey Armstrong Twitter

TikTok’s Re-Post Option

TikTok is testing a new feature that is sure to raise some excited eyebrows. The “re-post” feature allows some users to re-share their previously-posted clips with followers. The re-shared clip will appear on their connection feeds, both the “Following” and “For You” feeds.

This feature is still in the testing phase and hasn’t been rolled out for all users but, if it is, you’ll be able to expand your post’s visibility across your followers.

TikTok’s Live-Stream Intros

Slowly but surely, live-streamers don’t have to worry about smoothing out their introductions – TikTok is finally helping them do it!

This new feature, called the “LIVE intro” option, allows you to add a text description that welcomes your viewers as they join your live stream. This short intro/explanation will show to all new viewers on your stream.

You can use this feature to welcome new viewers, explain what you’re going to discuss, encourage them with a call to action, and more.

For those who aim to monetize their brand off of TikTok’s live streaming, this is a small yet powerful addition to their marketing tool belt.

YouTube Shorts Fund Expands to 70+ Regions

YouTube Shorts are videos that are generally one minute long or less. In the spring of 2020, YouTube announced that it would pay over $100 million to top Shorts creators between 2021-2022 to creators in the U.S. It has recently added another 70 markets that are eligible to receive the funds, allowing creators from many other countries and regions to take part.

Payouts for well-performing shorts range from $100-$10,000 per month, which is an enticing offer for many Shorts creators across the globe.

Conclusion

Effective marketing takes time, skill, and dedication. By combining marketing techniques and staying up to date on new integrations and marketing tools across top platforms, you’ll be able to grow your brand and business beyond what you envisioned.

Joey Armstrong

It Pays to Go Green

Joey Armstrong Eco-Friendly Stamp

As a marketing expert, Joey Armstrong is always looking at new and innovative ways to help the businesses he markets for. A great marketer doesn’t just look to gain a customer, they look to gain customer loyalty. Joey Armstrong believes that one of the strongest ways to conjure up brand loyalty is through environmentally friendly practices. Consumers care very deeply about the state of our planet. When a company can show that they give back or that a portion of the proceeds of their business goes towards positive causes, it makes shoppers much more willing to work with that brand time and time again.

Companies Must Be Genuine

There are few bigger marketing blunders than talking the talk without walking the walk. While there is incredible opportunities for all businesses to market their company as a sustainable brand, they have to back it up through their actions. Transparency is essential. Showing is better than telling. Whether it’s a running calculation of funds donated to a cause or pictures of a company out at a charitable event, consumers will need to see that a business truly is looking to better the environment. As businesses have grown aware of the benefits of sustainable marketing, more companies have fallen flat on their face due to a lack of follow-through. If a business can’t prove that they are helping the less fortunate, it creates a storm of negative backlash across review platforms, social media profiles and more. Before launching any sustainable marketing campaign, Joey Armstrong suggests having a thought-out plan in place.

Support What You Love

Fortunately for businesses, there is no shortage of great causes to support. With consumers showing a real passion for contributing to the health of our planet, organizations that plant trees or help with disaster relief offer great opportunities for partnerships. Companies should feel as passionate about the organization they support as their customers feel about supporting them. With so many organizations to choose from, ownership groups should take the time to find an organization that speaks to their personal experience. When in doubt, companies can even look for organizations that help businesses offset their carbon footprint through the planting of trees. These types of organizations make it possible for businesses in any industry to make a positive impact. Knowing that any business in any industry can make a difference means consumers understand there’s no excuse not to give back.  

Joey Armstrong

Write Better Email Subject Lines

Success in marketing often comes down to the ability to garner attention. In the digital age, it’s never been more difficult to get people to stop and pay attention to your marketing materials. Joey Armstrong believes that the best way to gather attention is to take the time to measure every word. This is certainly the case in email subject lines. A boring email subject line means a deleted email. No matter how spectacular the body of the email may be, a poor subject line means it was all for naught. Today, Joey Armstrong will look at how people can write better subject lines.

The first step to a strong subject headline is to choose the methodology behind the subject line. For instance, one of the greatest methods to entice readers is to elicit urgency. By letting readers know that they are going to miss out on something special if they don’t jump in on the email, it makes them more likely to click through. This only works when the offer or subject of the content inside the email is truly a limited time offer. Lying for the sake of a click will end up doing more damage than good. 

Another great methodology is creating a sense of curiosity. A tagline that leaves the person intrigued because they don’t know what the body of the email holds can be very effective. This usually works when the person who is receiving the email understands your brand or why they are receiving the email. A foreign email that comes off like spam will not be opened. It’s all a balancing act. 

Letting people know that a special offer is inside the email is a tried-and-true trick. People want to take advantage of deals and new experiences. Offers can unlock those doors. Alluding to discounts or free stuff is great but be careful with using the word free as it will often lead to the email heading to the spam folder.  In addition to free things, people like to be spoken to directly. When an email list is acquired, subject lines can be formatted to call on the recipient by name in the subject line. This is a great idea when available as seeing your name is sure to spark interest. 

Speaking of names, people like their own name and they like seeing names of other people they know. This is why celebrity sponsors work so well. If applicable,  a subject line that references that a celebrity or a local star also utilizes the service can get the interest of the reader.

Joey Armstrong

How to Make the Most Out of Instagram

Every social media profile provides different marketing opportunities for businesses. Joey Armstrong is here to help marketers looking to make sure they are getting the most out of their Instagram profiles. Most businesses starting out know that they need a profile on Instagram, but they don’t know much more than that. Let’s get into some basic tips from Joey Armstrong that can instantly help marketers establish a presence on Instagram for their small business.

Make Sure You Have a Business Profile

Much like all websites now need to be mobile responsive in order to rank in the Google search engines, Instagram accounts need to be set to business accounts to perform well for a small business. The good news is that making the switch is simple. It all starts by heading to the settings in the Instagram account and clicking on the switch to business profile button. This opens up features that are critical for a business. For instance, followers will now be able to click a contact button and get your business on the phone.

Take Advantage of Free Tools

Facebook owns Instagram and has incorporated a lot of the same tools to the profile. Facebook insights can show statistics and help marketers track the success of their posts in real-time. The only way to get better when creating posts is to do some trial and error. Notice the similarities between posts that perform well and try to replicate those attributes moving forward.

Post with Intent

The biggest mistake marketers make on Instagram is oversaturating their page with posts. People who are constantly subjected to posts from a brand are likely to have a negative response to the brand. Every post should be created with a purpose. The image should reflect the quality associated with the brand and entice the user to learn more or anticipate the next post. Not all posts should be promotional. The more value a brand can lend to a social user’s experience, the better off the page will be. 

Create Great Ads

Much like Facebook, Instagram offers the ability to run ads that are cost-effective and easy to track. Brands can target specific audiences and find out if there’s room for growth within particular demographics. Ads can be directed towards current followers or can be utilized to reach a brand-newaudience. Taking advantage of Instagram ads is a great option for posts that have performed well organically. They can be transferred to sponsored posts and marketers can take advantage of formulas that have proven effective already.

Joey Armstrong

How to Make the Most Out of Facebook

Most marketers understand the different digital marketing platforms they can leverage to help their business or the business of their clients. However, not everyone understands how to take full advantage of every area. Social media can be extremely difficult to stay current with. Joey Armstrong is here to help marketers looking to make sure they are making the most out of their Facebook marketing.

1. Optimize Your Page

Every facet of your page should be optimized to match your branding. Facebook is a platform that is most likely going to rank highly in the search engines for your company name. It’s important that marketers ensure that happens by optimizing the profile. Everything from ensuring the proper URL is acquired to adding a summary and company images is critical. Facebook can sometimes be the first impression of your business for a potential customer. Everything on the Facebook profile should represent the brand in a way you are proud to share with others.

2. Make Every Post Count

Joey Armstrong believes too many marketers look at Facebook as something they need to have a presence on as opposed to a platform that can help increase their following and sales. Instead of looking at Facebook posts as something you need a large quantity of, consider Facebook as something that you can utilize to connect with your audience. If you don’t believe in the quality of the post, don’t post it. People will always be more impressed by quality as opposed to quantity.

3. Use Facebook for Customer Service

Facebook messages can be a great place to connect with individuals. It’s also a great way to take negative comments offline. If someone responds negatively to you in a post, be sure to quickly direct them to a private message. Be sure to acknowledge their comment for all to see and show that you care and are willing to make things right as quickly and as efficiently as possible. 

4. Run Ads with Purpose

Facebook allows for ads to be run with great targeting at very little cost. This allows small businesses the opportunity to test out different boosted posts and direct more funds to the posts that are performing well. Keep in mind that not all boosted posts should be created simply to drive business. Sometimes, it’s just about garnering brand recognition and ensuring that when the time comes to make a purchase, your target audience knows your business is out there.

Joey Armstrong

Joey Armstrong Offers Brainstorming Tips for Blog Content

As a marketing expert, Joey Armstrong knows how difficult it can be to manage a quality blog. Blogs are awesome tools for businesses when they are run the right way. When a company can turn their blog into a destination that their target audience come back to time and time again, they develop brand loyalty with their essential customers. Today, Joey Armstrong will offer some tips that can help anyone brainstorm topics that will lead to a content calendar filled with great ideas!

Consider How Your Hobbies Relate to Your Business

One of the best ways to draw in an audience is to bring in people who share similar interests. No matter your industry, people who follow your industry will also be interested in things like hiking, pop culture, etc. Writing about things you are interested in will also make the writing that much more enjoyable. Consider titles like Five Things I Learned About My Industry from Breaking Bad. This type of title instantly attracts anyone who loves this popular show.

Word Association

One of the most popular ways to come up with topics is to look at top terms within your industry and list out five words that come out to mind when you hear those words. Word association will often lead to unique angles that can be utilized in different blog posts.

Google Autosuggest 

Joey Armstrong believes that you should always look to write blog post titles that may be searched in the Google search engine. One great way to ensure this is to start to type a question or title in Google and allow the autosuggest filter to fill in the blank. The autosuggest helps show what other people are searching and may just inspire a blog post. 

Check social media

Social media can help in several different ways. If you have a well-established profile on social media, you can look at what your audience is saying on your profile and find topics that way. If you are just starting out, simply turn to trends on Twitter. By taking advantage of what is popular in the public discourse, you should be able to create fresh topics that readers care about.

Update Old Posts

In the digital age, almost every industry evolves at an exceptional pace. It’s always a great idea to look at older blog posts and see what has changed since it was written. Updating old blog posts can even breathe life into older content as readers look back to compare and contrast.

Joey Armstrong

Get More YouTube Views

YouTube presentation by Joey Armstrong

YouTube is the world’s second largest search engine. Creating a strong presence on YouTube with your niche audience is one of the best things a brand can do, according to Joey Armstrong. Joey Armstrong is a seasoned marketing professional who has been helping grow brands in a variety of industries. They often need to be advised on how they can grow their YouTube views. Today, Joey Armstrong will provide some advice that can help brands looking to increase views on their YouTube page.

Optimize Your YouTube Page

A homepage on YouTube is equivalent to the homepage of a traditional website. It needs to be optimized to fit the brand and include all relevant keywords and information. Just like in SEO for a website, a lot of companies make the mistake of trying to optimize the page for keywords that are incredibly broad and incredibly competitive. A wise brand takes the time to research relevant search terms for their business that will bring in the proper audience without proving to be too difficult to rank for.

Optimize Individual Videos

The title of the video will often determine whether a video is able to bring in organic search results in the YouTube search field. One great way to come up with relevant video titles is to take advantage of the autosuggest tool within the YouTube search bar. This will allow your brand to understand what people are looking for. Matching the title of a video to a trending search term is going to bring more traffic with it as long as the video fits the bill of the autosuggest result. If the video doesn’t match the title, it will have a tough time ranking as it is unlikely anyone will stick around to watch the entire video and the bounce rate will skyrocket.

Know Your Audience

The YouTube audience typically falls into three categories. The first category is the searcher who is looking to either learn more about a specific subject or is looking to understand how to complete a task. This group will flock towards explainer videos. Joey Armstrong suggests appealing to these searchers with product or service tutorials that explain how the product or service can remedy a common or specific problem.  The next group is aspirational. They want to do something and are looking for videos that will provide actionable tips to make it happen. The third group is simply looking for information on what to purchase. Sometimes the best YouTube videos simply breakdown how and where to make a purchase.