Less Stressful Travel Helps Convert Consumers to Shop Early

News on Social Marketing, according to Brafton: marketers in the traveling industry must try to quickly attract value-conscious travelers as the Travel Leaders Group recently reported that Americans are traveling more in 2012 than they did in 2011. Travel Leaders Group report shows that Thanksgiving-related travel is on the rise with 76.7% of travel businesses saying their sales increases and 72.3% said the same for the December holidays.

While more Americans travel in 2012, it isn’t just the low price that attracts shoppers. It is important for travel companies to develop a new media marketing strategies that offers best value for consumers to drive sales on these busy periods. The study shows that to ensure a better seat during their flights or take advantage of promotional offers, 75.9% of shoppers conduct their travel planning early.

Marketers must try to adjust their content marketing strategies to focus on moving quickly to allow for flexibility on travel dates and times, because of the stress of traveling during these busy times. Consumers are more likely to shop early once they feel less stress during travel.

Read more at Holiday travel plans on the rise, marketers must move quickly

Google Algorithm Updates Forces Companies to Adjust Organic Search Strategies

News on Google Marketing, according to Brafton: a study by Econsultancy shows that changes to Google’s search algorithms have affected 87% of marketers’ campaigns, forcing 39% of companies to do significant adjustments to organic search strategies. Other company reports suggest that because of the fast decreases in search traffic due to algorithm updates, many have turned to content marketing to drive their websites.

IDG Enterprise found that the key metric in measuring the success of SEO and content marketing strategies is search traffic. A quick drop in traffic on a site is a sign that it has been impacted with algorithm update.

The growth of the mobile web, local search technology and personalization has impacted the marketing campaigns of companies. Each trend having different search results for users, dependent on the device they use to search or when sending a query.

As high-quality website content is developed by more companies, they find more achievement to deserve more investment. Eighty-six percent of companies plan to spend more on digital marketing, according to Econsultancy’s report. This reflects IDG’s finding that content production is on the rise for 84% of respondents.

A growth of more than 10 for 16% of responding businesses was seen on the number of employees dedicated to search and other forms of web marketing. This is an increase from 2010’s 5%. However, less than five employees are tasked by 58% of businesses with search responsibilities.

Read more at Google algorithm updates affect 87 percent of marketers’ plans

Study Shows Relevant Site Content Pushes a Brand’s Authority

News on Content Marketing, according to Brafton: to improve visibility and place authority for their companies, successful B2B marketers focus more on the creation of website content, Optify reported. Businesses increase sales and drive conversions by aggressively developing articles, white papers and other kinds of content to attract prospects or keeping existing customers and clients engaged.

According to the Optify report, 30% of marketers said content marketing creation and management is their most time-consuming activity as relevant site content pushes a brand’s authority. Seventeen percent pointed to different lead generation tasks, which help engage prospects and convert them effectively, while 16% identified managing their websites to ensure site pages are in line with SEO standards, as occupying the most time.

Rob Eleveld, CEO of Optify said that “The study confirms our many discussions and prospects. [Successful marketers] work across multiple channels to achieve their aggressive goals.”

To make it easy for prospects to find the information then convert, inbound marketing strategy must direct users back to the company’s homepage. Whether its social media marketing or content for search.

The most popular method to increase web presence and generating leads for companies is through social marketing. Optify found that 91% of respondents see themselves as “social media experts”, showing their confidence with Facebook, Twitter and other platforms.

Read more at Content marketing a primary task for successful B2B marketers

Other Social Marketing Articles of Interest

Travel Leaders Group survey reveals trends for Holiday Travel

Most Customer Service Tweets Go Unanswered Within 24 Hours

Tags: Brafton, Travel Leaders Group, Google, Econsultancy, IDG Enterprise, SEO, Google algorithm, B2B marketers, Optify, content marketing, Rob Eleveld