Content marketers are constantly on the lookout for data that will grab readers' attention and support their claims. It's wonderful when the employer is the data source. You might be able to hit the content jackpot if you work for a SaaS company by turning customer usage data in an annual report that attracts media attention and leads, such as Zuora's Subscription Economy Index, or Marketing Insider Group blog post frequency research.
What if your company is unable to be a source? You might say "That's easy," but the internet is full of statistics.
Perhaps you weren't burned by the first number you found. However, you later discovered it was from a blog post which links to an article from three years ago. This then links to a whitepaper from 2012 which references the 1998 university study that provided the original statistic. This is exactly what happened during the 2015 "humans have less time than a goldfish" scandal.
This is a bad practice. Journalistic protocol requires that you cite an authoritative source and be transparent about the methodology. (For example, see page 41 of CMI's annual B2C Content Marketing Report. It is also a good idea to only use data that your industry considers new. Data collected prior to 2020, for example, is no longer relevant due to the rapid changes in digital media consumption over the past three years.
This is a list containing nine reliable sources for data that are backed up by rigorous and professional methodologies. Some organizations offer information free of charge, but please check their citation policies.
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Management consulting firms
These firms have been helping businesses improve their performance and solve complex problems since the late 19th-century. While many of these firms are specialized in specific industries and processes, others can tackle any business problem. Management consulting firms do research to assist executives in understanding business trends.
Examples:
- McKinsey & Company
- BCG (Boston Consulting Group)
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Technology consulting firms
These companies focus on technology and help users and providers understand it. Technology consulting firms can help you find timely and complete research if your content marketing strategy includes writing about data, software or hardware, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, or other topics.
Examples:
- Accenture
- TCS (Tata Consultancy Services).
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Companies that do market research and analysis
There are many types of market research firms. While some focus on certain industries or technologies, others cover all. Market research companies are known for producing reliable and accurate data due to their business model. Their business model is built on the sale of data and insights. They may also offer advisory services to executives to help them understand the implications of the data. These firms are often mentioned in the media.
Examples:
- Aberdeen Group
- Frost & Sullivan
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Companies that conduct consumer research and analysis
These companies study the opinions, attitudes, behavior, preferences, and habits of individuals. Companies that sell consumer research services make money selling data and advice to them. Trusted research is used to understand and engage consumers by consumer-centered businesses.
Examples:
- Ipsos
- Pew Research
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Premium media for business
Public relations professionals want to be covered in business magazines with a long-standing reputation as the authoritative news source executives turn to. These prestigious names can only be accessed by paying subscription. In recent years, they have expanded to offer native advertising sponsorships and custom research for brands that want to reach business leaders.
Examples:
- Forbes
- The Economist
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Government agencies
Government workers in every major country, state, nation, and continent study all sorts of issues and are often required to make their findings public. Data can be found on everything from traffic patterns and natural resources to commercial development. It's difficult to choose just a few examples among the many agencies on this list. So, check out this useful site from The Journalist's Resource. Although it was published in 2014 it is still an excellent starting point for US government research data.
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Standard bodies and trade associations
Each industry has at minimum one trade association that supports its members and advances the profession. These associations bring together large groups of professionals to exchange knowledge, update certifications and create standards of practice. Because associations are dependent on their membership fees and maintain credibility in the industry they must follow strict data collection protocols to ensure accuracy. They also have access to proprietary data which makes their research more appealing as a source.
Exemples
- American Association of Advertising Agencies (4As).
- Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
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University presses and academic journals
Students and journalists can trust educational institutions as the OG of research. Because of their rigorous peer review process and high scholarly standards, they are considered reliable sources. Expert editors ensure that published research is accurate and reliable. This helps advance knowledge in the field. Jstor.org has a list with a selection of academic journals.
Exemples
- Oxford University Press
- MIT Press
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Non-profit organizations and charities
These institutions rely on accurate data to support and show their impact to stakeholders. Many of these institutions partner with universities, government agencies, or other research organizations to ensure accurate data collection, analysis, and objective reporting. To ensure transparency and integrity, many charities and non-profits are regularly audited by outside observers.
Exemples
- United Way
- Habitat for Humanity
These trusted organizations are a great place to start if you need a striking statistic that will impress your readers or prove your point. Follow their citation policies, and credit where credit is due.
Marketing Insider Group published the post 9 Places to Get Authoritative Statistics for Your Content Marketing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is eCommerce marketing?
Ecommerce marketing refers to online shopping. It is the act of selling products online. This can include buying products from companies and then selling them online. If you are an individual seller, selling on eBay is possible. It is possible to also start a business and sell goods for profit. The key point here is to make money by selling items online.
Here are more details on eCommerce marketing
A successful eCommerce website requires you to decide what products you want. First, determine whether you are going to sell one item (a book), or several items (such as DVDs and books).
Once you know what your product is, you need to find suppliers. A supplier is a company which makes or sells the product that you are looking to sell. If you wanted to start selling greeting card, you would first need to find suppliers that make and sell them.
Once you've identified a supplier to work with, you'll need a website created to show the products to buyers and make it easy for them to order. You can either use templates provided by suppliers or you have to create your own template. Once you have a website up and running, you'll need to market it to attract visitors. This can include posting articles to forums and blogs, advertising via websites such as Google Adwords, or sending emails directly to relevant contacts.
When it comes to marketing your eCommerce company, there are many channels. These channels include email, social media, search engines, and mobile apps.
- Email marketing is a smart choice for most companies. It is cost-effective, straightforward to implement, as well as delivering results. But, it takes a lot of time and effort to generate quality leads.
- Search engine optimization (SEO) is a technique used to improve the ranking of a webpage for specific keywords. Link building is a common method to improve pages' rankings in search engines.
- Promoting businesses is becoming more important through social networking sites such LinkedIn and Facebook. These sites are used by many people every day to connect with their family and friends. Posting interesting articles on these sites can help you reach thousands of potential customers.
- E-commerce marketers can also use mobile apps to their advantage. People love using their smartphones and tablets to shop. An app allows you to reach customers wherever they are.
eCommerce is a rapidly growing industry. There are many methods to promote your business. Make sure you choose wisely to reap the rewards of eCommerce marketing.
What are some of the best digital marketing techniques I can do from my home?
Digital marketing allows you to reach customers who spend most their time online. It is also an excellent way to generate leads that will help your business.
You can use social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to promote your brand. To send emails out to potential clients or prospects, you can also use email marketing tools.
You can also market your product and service in digital media in many other ways.
If you're able to use these channels effectively, it shouldn't be a problem getting started.
What are some examples of indirect marketing?
Consider indirect marketing options that could be used to promote your business. One example is a social media campaign that encourages people to upload pictures of their products. This could help spread word about your brand.
Advertise in local papers if you are an auto shop owner.
Sending coupons to customers' E-mail Inboxes and posting ads on bulletin board in public places are two other examples.
Because it isn't expensive, indirect marketing works well.
Building trust takes time, so patience is a must when promoting your company.
Keep track of the effectiveness of your campaigns. Try measuring the number of leads generated from each method.
This will give you a better idea of which methods work best for your business.
What are the 5 Marketing Concepts?
These are the five marketing concepts:
- Branding – A brand is what people think of when they hear your name. It's the first thing people associate with your name. You need to create a brand identity that is consistent across all media.
- Positioning: Your market positioning is what you do. How can you best describe who you really are?
- Message: This is the message. What is your point? Why should someone purchase from you?
- Marketing mix: This combination of channels and pricing to get your message across to your target market.
- How do you measure success?
Statistics
- In 2017, 34% of marketers cited co-branding as the most effective way to increase the number of email subscribers. (influencermarketinghub.com)
- 81% of brands employ affiliate marketing, and eCommerce sites are particularly good candidates. (blog.hubspot.com)
- Meanwhile, a PartnerPath poll found that co-marketed ads help 68% of consumers arrive at a buying decision before even speaking to a salesperson. (influencermarketinghub.com)
- Today, 81% of brands around the world have affiliate programs. (influencermarketinghub.com)
- A poll earlier this year found that 14% of older Gen Z's had bought an item in the previous six months based on an influencer's recommendation. (influencermarketinghub.com)
External Links
hubspot.com
blog.hubspot.com
influencermarketinghub.com
neilpatel.com
How To
How do I know whether or not my branding efforts are working?
The best way to measure your success is to ask your customers directly. Ask them to rate your brand. What are they most impressed with about your company? What do they dislike? What can you do to improve?
You can also do surveys on social media websites like Facebook and Twitter. You can simply ask your followers how they rate your brand. You can then analyze the results and determine which aspects are most successful.
Review sites are another option. People love to voice their opinions when they're happy or disappointed with a business. You can learn a lot from these comments about your brand.
Here are some suggestions to help improve your brand.
- Be consistent. Don't change your marketing materials every time you release a new product. Keep your message the same across all channels.
- Multiple channels are a good thing. Promoting your brand should be done via email, social media and websites.
- You must ensure that you give your customers exactly what they need. You must deliver on your promises of free shipping if it is offered. Customers who expect quick delivery may be disappointed.
- Remember that your brand is more than just a logo. Your brand represents everything you have to offer. You should take the time and create a comprehensive image.
- Get feedback from your customers. You will be better off if you respond to customers' feedback sooner.
- Test different messages. One message may work better than the other. You might have two messages that are very similar, but one receives more responses. You can monitor your stats to determine which message is performing the best.
- Seek out ways to improve the brand. Do you think there are areas that could use improvement? Perhaps you could add more videos on your website. Perhaps you could add more customer testimonials to your blog posts.
- Make a plan. Once you've decided on your goals and objectives, you'll need to develop a strategy for achieving those goals. You will need to create a timeline that will help you reach each objective. This also includes setting up milestones that will help you track your progress.
- Measuring your results is important. Stop measuring once you have reached your goal. Instead, create a system that will track your progress over time. That way, you'll always know if you're making steady progress towards your ultimate goal.
- Repeat! Now that you've established a solid foundation for your brand, you'll want to continue to build upon it. Consider hiring someone to help you if your marketing efforts aren't keeping up.
- Remain positive. While you should never ignore negative feedback, you shouldn't dwell on it either. Instead, look at how you can improve your brand using this information.
- Utilize technology. The technology has given us many tools we couldn't have imagined. So, why not use them to your advantage? For example, you might create a mobile App for your brand.
- Be creative. There's nothing wrong with trying something new. Don't try it without first thinking about it.
- Have fun. Marketing shouldn't be stressful. Marketing can be described as “fun marketing.” Enjoy your work.
- Know when to quit. When you feel like you've done all you can, it's okay to call it quits. However, don't lose heart too soon. Sometimes, you must stick with something until you get the desired result.
- Consistency is key to success. Consistency is the key to success. It is worth taking the time to create a schedule.
- Be patient. Building a successful brand takes time. It won't happen overnight.
- Keep learning. Marketing is ever-changing. Stay informed by attending webinars or reading blogs.
- Never stop improving. You can still learn new things even after reaching your goal.
- Enjoy the journey. Marketing is fun. Marketing is fun.
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By: Ann Smith
Title: 9 Places to Source Authoritative Stats for Your Content Marketing
Sourced From: marketinginsidergroup.com/content-marketing/9-places-to-source-authoritative-stats-for-your-content-marketing/
Published Date: Thu, 09 Mar 2023 11:40:32 +0000