5 Digital Bites b/f Breakfast: Content Ideas, Content Sharing, & More

For this week’s 5 Digital Bites, we focus on content.

We hear from entrepreneur Myk Pono, who argues against a common tactic for finding content ideas: looking at popular keywords and trending phrases in Google search. We also feature an awesome listicle of 190 tools for sharing fun, educational, and informative content.

In other digital news: 2016 internet trends; 14 hard truths about users; Why Britain banned mobile apps

1) Where NOT to Find Content Ideas

Many marketers seek content ideas by looking at the popular keywords and trending phrases in Google search. 

Myk Pono disagrees. By getting content ideas from the most trending keywords, you will compete with other companies who want to jump the bandwagon too. How can you be sure that your content won’t become another piece of “me-too” content in a junk pile?

The best content ideas, Pono argues, often lie in the heads of your target audience. That’s where you should start looking. Other good sources of information: looking at FAQs, as well as interviewing product leaders and industry leaders. 

>> Originally from: Medium
Image source: Skitterphoto
Shared by Andrea Koh, Digital Associate

2) 190 Tools for Sharing Fun and Useful Content

Effective content marketing does one or more of the following:

1. Entertain readers

2. Teach readers something new

3. Provide useful information 

Unfortunately, many companies share content that is all about them. If you are guilty of this, it’s time to change your content strategy to a customer-centric one. Aim to create content that is informative, educational, and fun for your readers.

Need help creating informative/educational/fun content that your readers want to share? Check out Maqtoob’s useful list of 190 tools for creating and sharing fun and useful content.

>> Originally from: Maqtoob
Image source: Generated by us
Shared by Jack Chan, Digital Project Manager

3) 2016 Internet Trends

Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB) recently published its internet report for 2016. This massive report (213 PowerPoint slides!) covers various global internet trends, from advertising to video to data.

Some findings that would interest digital marketers: 

• The most commonly used mobile apps in the world are: Facebook, WhatsApp, and Chrome.

• India has passed USA to become the number two global internet user market after China.

• E-commerce in China is becoming more social: 31% of WeChat users purchase via WeChat. That’s more than double the proportion of WeChat users who made such purchases last year.

• Messaging platforms are evolving from enabling simple social conversations to business-related conversations e.g. the facilitation of customer service. In China, 80% of WeChat users follow official business WeChat accounts. 

Digital marketing plays a huge role in these global internet trends. To find out why you should continue to invest in digital marketing, check out our FAQs on digital marketing!

>> Originally from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB)
Image source: FirmBee @ Pixabay
Shared by Chng Nai Yun, Digital Producer

4) 14 Hard Truths About Users

Want to design great experiences for your users?

First, you must understand how they think. Fastcodesign has a useful list of 14 things you should know about the people who use your websites and applications, such as:

• People “satisfice”. People are often have neither the time nor inclination to figure out how to master your product. So they learn just enough about using your product to get by.

• People rely on patterns to guide themselves on how to use an app or a website. They learn from experiences using similar digital products and form expectations about these products should work.

>> Originally from Fastcodesign.com
Image source: Pexels
Shared by Kendrick Leow, Digital Designer

5) Why Britain Banned Mobile Apps

Mobile apps are banned at UK’s Government Digital Service (GDS).

According to former head of design at GDS, Ben Terrett, cost was the main reason. Mobile apps are both expensive to produce and maintain, requiring a huge team and lots of money whenever software updates need to be made. In contrast, responsive websites that work on mobile are much cheaper to maintain and can be adapted to any screen size for everyone’s usage.

 As Terrett advised:

If you build the thing that people want, all the worrying about engagement and driving traffic all goes away because people find it and they come there.”

So, advocate user needs over organisational requirements, then you’ll win customers. 

>> Originally from: GovInsider Asia
Image source: GovInsider Asia
Shared by Nai Chng, Digital Producer

Want more digital news? Check out the rest of our 5 Digital Bites b/f Breakfast series!

Image Credits & Sources 

Header image: Mike Kenneally @ Unsplash