Sports are back, and people are talking about them
Most of us are still in various states of lockdown, but sports have returned all around the world: the NBA’s doing its best to keep players in a bubble, soccer balls are flying in mostly-empty stadiums, and NFL training camps are fully underway.
A lift in sports talk can open up new marketing opportunities, and Twitter just released some stats that provide more insight into what people are talking about. Here’s the breakdown:
- People love using Twitter for sports videos. On both the NBA and MLB opening day games, Twitter had the most views of any competitive platform – for Twitter, that’s a great marketing statistic; for marketers, it’s valuable information. Fans turn to Twitter for their sports content!
- It was Christmas in July. Fans’ tweets when the NBA resumed play eclipsed Christmas Day NBA tweets by 73%, a sign that people are ready to start talking sports again.
It seems everyone’s just happy sports are back – even though, for most people, that means a significant uptick in yelling at the TV (and, apparently, tweeting about it).
But, as we head towards the NBA playoffs and some soccer leagues resume play in a couple of weeks, it wouldn’t hurt to start thinking of some ways your marketing can capitalize on an uptick in sports talk.
SEO
The great title tag debate
Run a quick Google search, and you’ll probably come across two types of title tags – those with a pipe, and those with a dash. For context, the difference looks like this:
Stacked Marketer – The marketer’s #1 daily newsletter!
Stacked Marketer | The marketer’s #1 daily newsletter!
Everyone does it differently, and the informative debate recently resurfaced with a tweet from Bill Hartzer, asking whether a pipe or dash is better for SEO. If you’re in marketing, you’ve probably had to write a title tag at some point – it’s time for some answers.
Plenty of experts weighed in on Bill’s question, and this was the consensus:
- Your choice may depend on whether you’ve got an attribute or an entity in your title. Are you referring to a product attribute, such as a material or a color? A dash works well. Are you referring to a specific website or brand? Consider using a pipe. We’re using a dash currently… Nobody’s perfect.
- If you have a long title, use a pipe. This was probably the most common advice in the Twitter thread – if you need some extra space in your title tag, a pipe will help you conserve space for what matters.
- Also, it probably doesn’t even matter. The general consensus, both in this thread and in the SEO community, is that the use of a dash or a pipe in your title tags won’t affect your SEO in any measurable way.
Although the dash versus pipe debate might not mean much for your site rankings, it’s a good idea to review your usage of them on your site to see what fits your content. Some sites and titles may see a higher CTR with dashes, while others might see more engagement with pipes!
If there’s one thing that’s consistent across all types of marketing, it’s that experimentation is key.
SPONSORED BY GLOCKAPPS
The secret weapon we use to achieve a 47.6% open rate after sending over 3M emails
It’s not about the subject lines, it’s not even really a secret… If you read our email deliverability guide, you probably know it already… GlockApps!
To cut a long story short – if you send emails, GlockApps will directly influence your revenue.
How? On average, 51% of emails do not hit your readers’ inbox. So you’re missing out on quite the reach. Talk about leaving money on the table…
GlockApps helps increase your deliverability by showing you where your email is likely to be delivered and what you can do to hit that inbox.
Here’s a rundown of the vast info from every test:
- A placement breakdown for all popular email inboxes, so you know if your email will hit the inbox, the promotion tab or the spam folder.
- Scores for some of the most important filters: SpamAssassin, Barracuda, and Google Spam Filter.
- IP reputation and sender score check.
- Content analysis to identify possible spam phrases: Sometimes, the most innocent words are flagged by filters. Identify and get rid of them!
- Domain reputation analysis: Get it right, and you could hit inboxes, no matter what.
GlockApp isn’t for marketers who don’t have an email strategy. But if you have your content on point, maximize your deliverability – try GlockApps!
PS: Our deliverability guide might be a good read for you as well.
CONTENT MARKETING
Writing lessons from analyzing over 100 blog posts in a year
Everybody can start a blog or a newsletter. After all, launching your own website is a little bit easier than flying a Boeing 737 – but writing may not be.
The devil is in the details, and indeed, not every blog that gets started takes off like a Boeing 737, and not every newsletter is Stacked Marketer (excuse the shameless self-promotion, please).
When it comes to putting the proverbial pen to the page, there’s plenty of room for errors. In this thread, Stew Fortier highlighted five common writing mistakes he identified after editing over 100 blog posts.
Ready for some error-free writing?
- Long, throat-clearing introductions. Stew’s example makes it super clear: “Don’t be the food blogger who starts off a fried chicken recipe with a 2,000-word backstory on their grandma.”
- Using overly abstract language: Does it sound smart when you use words like irregardless (correctly)? Yes, it definitely does. But writing isn’t about looking smart, it’s about connecting with the person on the other side of the screen.
The Crew’s tip: When you write, think like you’re hosting a radio show, or think about the Joe Rogan Experience. You’re not teaching a lesson at university, you’re having a chat with your pals. Keep it simple!
Here are a couple more errors to watch out for:
- Not having clear intentions: What is your piece’s ultimate goal? Get a sale? Inject a new idea? Entertain people? Get clear on what you want to do when writing.
- Overly using caveats and qualifiers: “I am not saying…” or “Don’t think that I am that kind of….”. Keep the caveats for deeper in the piece, when they actually apply. It’s better to be misunderstood than boring!
- Don’t lose momentum: You’re probably excited about what you write. Think about your writing like it’s a rollercoaster. If you’re coasting along a flat stretch for too long, pick up the pace!
That’s all folks! And, please, let us know when we make mistakes – just because we’re writing this doesn’t mean we’re immune to errors!
ROUNDING UP THE STACK
INSTAGRAM: Finally! Instagram is working on a recently deleted section, which would let you restore your photos for up to 30 days after deleting them.
TIKTOK: Most Americans are ready for a TikTok ban (but we’re guessing these Americans are very different from the ones using TikTok). TikTok’s launching a new ad campaign to help boost their image.
INSTAGRAM: QR functionality for businesses and personal use has arrived on Instagram. Businesses can display items for sale, store hours, and more once a user has scanned their QR code.
TIKTOK: Competition is heating up and a clear frontrunner in the TikTok alternative war hasn’t yet emerged, leaving an unclear future for what might happen if the app is banned.
GOOGLE: Ready to leave four-year degrees in the dust? Google has announced three initial 6-month certificate courses meant to replace college degrees, but whether businesses will look favorably on them is yet to be determined.
BING: Take notes, Google. Bing announced that it implements user engagement metrics in their search rankings (again, Google, please take notes).
BRAIN TEASER
This five-letter word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it. What’s the word?
You can find the solution here.
POOLSIDE CHAT
Cool tech, (funny) business, lifestyle and all the other things marketers like to chat about while sipping cocktails by the pool.
It snows chocolate in Switzerland now
Switzerland has a knack for making the entire world jealous. It’s one of those countries where everything looks, basically, perfect – and this week, chocolate ‘snow’ floated down from the sky. Classic Switzerland.
What really happened? Even though we might be able to believe that it legitimately snows chocolate in Switzerland, that wasn’t quite the case here. A ventilation defect at a Lindt factory nearby the town of Olten caused small chocolate particles to be released into the air.
The particles, combined with strong winds, ended up coating some of the surrounding area in powdered chocolate. And that’s pretty much the story! Powdered chocolate, strong winds, and a delicious coating of ‘snow’ to wake up to for residents of Olten.
As if we needed another reason to take a trip to Switzerland…