Don’t have the time to read all the marketing news, blog posts, announcements, and other content related to SEO/social media/online marketing published each week?
I’ve got you covered.
I sift through trillions (well, hundreds) of online publications to stay on top of marketing news that might affect your online business.
And I package them neatly in bite-sized chunks in my Weekly Marketing Skinnies right here at Traffic Generation Café every Saturday morning.
Now grab your cup of coffee and let’s catch up on the marketing news that matter to your business.
Let’s start with the news from Traffic Generation Café.
At TrafficGenerationCafe.com
From Zero to Internet Famous: 42 Lessons from 42 Guest Posts and 12,324 Social Shares
Tom Hunt of VirtualValley.io certainly dreams big.
He wants to create a multi-million dollar company. From scratch. And not just ‘some day’. In 3-4 years from now.
How is he getting his brand ‘out there’? Through guest posting.
It has worked for Buffer. It has worked for Firepole Marketing (now Mirasee). So why not for VirtualValley.io?
So Tom set out to write as much as he could. 42 guest posts to date, to be exact. And you bet he’s learned a thing or two (or three) about guest blogging - what to do and what NOT to do.
See what guest blogging has done for his business so far and what Tom’s learned along the way.
Search
SIDE NOTE: all the links in this Weekly Marketing Skinny are to Facebook updates. To stay on top of marketing news as they happen, be sure to follow me on Facebook.
Google: the top three ranking factors are content, links, and (maybe?) RankBrain.
Google on how to improve your local ranking on Google.
Google updated the search quality rating guidelines.
Moz has published the results of its 2016 State of Link Building Survey.
For those of you with Drupal sites, good news: the new updated version of Drupal’s AMP module is now available.
Here’s data-driven aftermath of Google removing right-side ads from SERPs.
Social Media
(SIDE NOTE: would you prefer to see full FB embeds in Weekly Marketing Skinnies (below) or excerpts with links leading to full FB updates? Let me know in comments!)
Here’s how many people are on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other big social networksJustin Kerby from CaveSocial…
Posted by Ana Hoffman on Tuesday, April 5, 2016
New Social Media Inflation Index shows brand audience growth across social media networks in 20152016 Social Media…
Posted by Ana Hoffman on Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Data shows that 93 percent of all Facebook interactions are still likesSocial analytics provider Unmetric ran a little…
Posted by Ana Hoffman on Thursday, March 31, 2016
Facebook launched daily video metrics for publishers.
Facebook overhauls Live Video with support for groups and events, reactions, comments, filters, and a global map.
More Facebook Live: Facebook rolled out two new video metrics to give Page owners a better understanding of when people are watching their live videos.
More, more Facebook Live: Facebook Live gets video search.
Speaking of Facebook Live: Facebook confirms it’s paying media companies to use Live Video. (where’s FTC on that one?…)
Facebook Messenger hits 900M MAUs, adds short URLs and Snapchat-like scannable codes to connect users with brands.
Facebook plans to let people buy products in physical stores using Messenger.
KLM now uses Facebook Messenger for boarding passes, flight info, and customer service. (just the beginning of FB Messenger taking over our lives)
Facebook will allow muted video ads in Instant Articles and one additional ad unit at bottom of articles.
Speaking of Instant Articles: they are coming and here’s what you need to know.
Facebook’s new feature alerts you if someone is impersonating you by using your name and profile photo.
Instagram has upped its video limit to 60 seconds.
Instagram starts showing notifications on the Web for all users.
Twitter makes it easier to share tweets privately with new Message button.
You can now add ALT text as image description to your Twitter images on mobile.
Twitter will live stream the NFL’s Thursday Night Football. (might finally make some money… I am all for that)
Google+ Android update: adds ability to retry sending failed posts.
Google+ iOS updates with inline commenting, quick access to Google Apps, and notification filters.
Google is building YouTube Connect, a livestreaming app to take on Periscope and Facebook Live.
98% of Periscope users are also visiting YouTube. (so no, YouTube is not too late to the live streaming party, imho)
Also, 3 in 4 Periscope users are 16-34.
Periscope launched Reddit subreddit /r/periscopes to curate most ‘compelling’ broadcasts.
Katch, a live video sharing and storage provider for Periscope live video streams, released a search feature.
[finally!] New Blab feature: Unlisted Blabs.
Snapchat released a significant update to its chat function - Chat 2.0. (still don’t get Snapchat…)
THANK YOU.
Marketing This & That
Important for any business to know: how much time is being spent on mobile vs other devices?
[huge!] Google made the entire Nik Software’s photo editing suite completely FREE.
WordPress.com enabled HTTPS for new hosted sites with custom domains (will soon expand it to existing sites using custom domains.)
Do you use commenting service Disqus on your blog? You need to know this: Taboola will now be packaged with Disqus.
Disqus also released an iOS app with support for tracking comments, discussions, and more.
Google will kill its desktop Chrome app launcher for Windows, Mac, and Linux in July.
Medium wants to become a publishing powerhouse (the next WordPress?); here’s its first step.
Emojis are now used in 777% more campaigns than last year.
Google Calendar on Web gets Reminders.
SoundCloud launches SoundCloud Go music subscription service for $9.99/month in US.
Yahoo is officially up for grabs.
[wow] Google has a 360-degree tour of its new data center up on YouTube.
Google Photos launched ‘smarter photo albums’ - curated and created for you based on a trip/event.
Thank You
To all of you who mentioned Traffic Generation Café in any shape or form in the past week, my whole-hearted THANK YOU.
Traffic Generation Café would NOT be what it is today without you.
And I am not the only one who thinks that, by the way.
Take a look at the comment Kurt Frankenberg of Shoestring101.com (one of my favorite blogs, by the way) left on a recent Weekly Marketing Skinny:
Here are just some of the mentions I came across in the past week:
How to Promote Your Website in 2016 — 70 Articles to Take You From Zero to 140,000 Monthly Visits in 12 Months - Michael Karp at copytactics.com
327+ Places to Get Traffic To Your Blog - Kim Roach at buzzblogger.com
Content Curation Grows Up: What You Need To Know - Heidi Cohen at heidicohen.com
How Does A Professional Services Firm Start Blogging? - Craig McBreen at mcbreenmedia.com
7 Proven Lead Generation Techniques That You Are Neglecting - Johnson Emmanuel at koriefusion.com
5 Elements for Crafting a Compelling Story Your Audience Will Love - Will Blunt at writetodone.com
The Best Bits and Bytes from March 2016 - David Hartshorne at byteofdata.com
Lead Generation: 11 Things You Might Be Missing - Uttoran Sen at optinmonster.com
How To Find and Fix Your Broken Links - David Hartshorne at byteofdata.com
Have I missed your mention? Let me know in the comments!
Want to see your name here? Mention Traffic Generation Café in your next blog post!
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Chances are they know it because they are following my updates on social media.
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To an even better next week,
Anil Shahi
Hi Ana,
I appreciate for the marketing skinny. Actually I am new in this profession. I have read you blog there are some points which i cannot understand. And sorry for my english also I am little weak in english. Can I ask you some questions Related to this blog?? I also own a blog site and website which i want to increase PR. But i have no idea so i came across your post. Some points i get it but some i didn’t can you explain in simple language which i can understand… If you don’t have time then it’s okay..
Thanks
We all have to start somewhere, Anil.
And English is not my first language either, so I completely understand how you feel.
If you ask me specific questions, I’ll do my best to respond.
Sabu John
Quite enjoyed “aftermath of Google removing right-side ads”. Will continue to read.
Glad to hear it.
Hi Ana, although facebook ranks #2, but it’s definitely harder for people to gain exposure within it.
I completely agree, Louis.
Twitter, for instance, is fast and noisy, but at least everyone gets a shot at being seen and heard. Facebook… is a different kind of animal for sure. A much harder nut to crack.
Hey Ana,
Thanks for another fantastic Marketing Skinny.
I prefer the full embeds of the FB posts, but that’s just me. Makes it even easier to digest everything 🙂
It surprised me that 93% of FB interactions are still likes. I expected a lot more diversity.
Oh, and I still don’t get Snapchat, either 😉
Medium is a medium (lol) I’m keeping an eye on. I still haven’t reached treshold to publish there, but who knows!
That resource by Kim Roach is also insanely useful, since I’m putting myself out there with guest blogging now.
Gotta come back to check some of the other ones out. So. much. good. stuff!
Enjoy the rest of your week with lots of good coffee 🙂
Cheers, Ana!
- Jasper
Thanks, Jasper.
Are you reading the Skinny on desktop or mobile, by the way?
It is indeed interesting that people were crying for Facebook reactions other than likes, yet here we are - we are barely using the options given.
Medium… I dabbled in it a bit. The problem for someone like me (and most typical marketers) is that it only makes sense to do it if you give it some serious effort. And serious effort takes time most of us simply don’t have.
Thanks for coming by, Jasper; have a great rest of your week.
Hey Ana,
I almost always read blog posts on a desktop because I never know if I am going to have something to say or want to leave a thoughtful comment.
Yep, I thought we’d see at least a 50% total share of the newer options. That’s why I don’t gamble or bet. 😉
Regarding Medium, have you thought of simply republishing there? Chelsea Baldwin says Google won’t slap us for doing it: https://smartblogger.com/republishing-on-medium/.
Have a great week as well, Ana!
- Jasper
🙂 I know Google doesn’t slap for republishing. I just don’t know if there’s much benefit to republishing it on Medium, but doesn’t hurt to try, I suppose. Thanks for the idea, Jasper!
And I am with you - I do most everything on desktop. Reading a good post always leads to a bunch of tabs open, ideas, things to do later, etc. Mobile… just doesn’t cut it.
Thanks, Ana. I always try and read your Marketing Skinny but I don’t often get the chance to thank you. I’ve just come back from a family holiday/vacation and am in my local coffee shop drinking a nice black coffee and reading your article. I know how much hard work it is to put something like this together. I used to do a weekly podcast on the latest social media and marketing news and it took ages! Now, I can just read yours and keep up to date. Thanks!
I really appreciate you taking your time to let me know, Ian. Yes, these Weekly Marketing Skinny are a lot of work, but I am pretty sure I am addicted to being in the know. 😉
Thanks for sharing your cuppa java with me and see you next time! Meanwhile, have a great weekend ahead.
Ana — thanks for all the outstanding articles. I don’t know how you do it. I read several of them which were very helpful.
So very kind of you, Jeannette; always happy to help!
Thanks Ana for another great Marketing Skinny. My cup of tea was finished ages ago but I was so engrossed in your content roundup.
My favorites from above are the Google Ranking Factors (or not), the Facebook Instant Articles piece by Kristi and the news that Disqus is teaming up with Taboola - yuk! (Are you using native WordPress comment system now?)
Thank you for giving me two mentions - feeling doubly blessed!
Have a relaxing weekend and don’t drink too much coffee!
- David
Thanks for spending your morning/afternoon with my Weekly Marketing Skinny, David. 😉 Your mentions are always greatly appreciated!
I’ve experimented with all kinds of commenting systems in the past, just to come back to the native system every single time. The original is (almost) always the best. lol