Plus, they’re easy to create if you have a plan and the right tips. Lucky for you, we have all the tips you need right here in this article.
Let’s get started.
Start With A Story
When designing an Instagram carousel, starting with a clear theme or story is crucial in helping you select images or videos that create a cohesive post.
Like any social media content, think about the message you want to convey and the content you want to showcase.
What content would resonate with your followers and align with your brand message? This could be a theme based on your industry, your brand values, or a particular aspect of your products or services.
For instance, if you’re a food blogger, you could create an Instagram carousel featuring a step-by-step recipe, with the first image being a shot of the finished dish.
Then, follow it up with images of each ingredient and each step in the cooking process. This way, your carousel tells a story while providing followers with value.
You can also showcase your products or services in action.
For example, if you run a fitness brand, create a carousel of exercises or workout routines featuring your products – like this apartment and travel-friendly workout routine from fitness influencer Kayla Itsines.
A fashion brand, on the other hand, might create a carousel showcasing different ways to style a particular item of clothing.
Another effective carousel format is to share behind-the-scenes content or personal stories, such as photos of your team at work, personal stories about your brand journey, or the inspiration behind your products.
Whatever you choose, the key is to pick a theme or story that is both relevant to your brand and interesting to your audience.
Content Order
The order in which you display your content is crucial to creating an effective Instagram carousel.
The first image or video is typically the most important, as it will set the tone for your content, capture your audience’s attention, and encourage them to swipe through the rest of the carousel.
It’s typically the first frame that people see (though occasionally, they may see the second frame first – so bear that in mind when creating your content).
Use subsequent images or videos to tell a story or provide additional context.
How you do this will depend on your carousel’s goal. What is the one thing you want a follower to “leave” with?
No matter what type of content order you choose, it should create a logical flow between slides, making it natural for audiences to swipe through.
Here are some examples of common Instagram carousel structures:
Narrative Structure
What It Is: The images are arranged logically to tell a story or share a message.
When To Use It: This method can be particularly effective for product launches or brand campaigns where you want to build excitement and engagement around a specific theme. It’s great for explaining specific concepts or breaking down stories linearly. This is why list style carousels are so popular.
Why You Use It: Narratives and stories get followers emotionally engaged in the content.
What It Is: The images have no specific narrative or message.
When To Use It: This structure is ideal for showcasing various products or services or sharing behind-the-scenes content that doesn’t necessarily follow a specific sequence.
Why You Use It: Not only can a random structure be fun, but curiosity and spontaneity can be extremely helpful, particularly if you want to build up some buzz around an event.
Still trying to figure out how to present your images? Consider the visual appeal of the images and how they will look when viewed as a group.
You can alternate between different image types, such as close-ups and wide shots, or use consistent color schemes or filters to create a cohesive look and feel.
An engaging Instagram carousel starts with aesthetically appealing, eye-catching, high-quality images or videos. These will help grab your audience’s attention and encourage them to swipe through the entire carousel.
It’s important to choose visuals that have exceptional clarity and decent resolution, though you should also bear in mind that recent trends show audiences value authenticity over perfection.
Here’s an example of a carousel from Airbnb that leverages beautiful imagery to pique the attention of audiences.
You should also consider using consistent color schemes or filters. This will help create a cohesive sense of visual unity across the entire carousel and make sure your brand is present in the content.
In short, you want the carousel to feel like an experience, not just a collection of pictures.
Your Instagram carousel plan should also include the type of visuals you want to showcase in it.
Will you only have product images and videos? Would lifestyle shots, behind-the-scenes footage, or user-generated content (UGC) be more effective?
Another option is to mix up the type of content in each carousel to keep things interesting and varied.
You could alternate between videos and images and try out different approaches, but the key here is to choose visuals that align with your brand message and resonate with your audience.
Once you’ve selected your content, you can think more about the composition of the carousel itself and how you’ll order it. You might want to experiment with different layouts, such as grids or collages, to create a unique and striking post.
Finally, keep the context of your post in mind. Instagram users scroll quickly through their feeds, so you’ll need bold, bright colors or to incorporate text or graphics that interrupt this habit and stop them long enough to swipe and consume the content.
Text Overlays, Captions, And Music
Text, captions, and now even music are important aspects of creating engaging and effective Instagram carousel content.
These components work together to convey your message, build excitement around your products or services, and encourage your audience to take action.
Captions
First, keep your captions concise and engaging. You want to capture attention quickly and communicate your message efficiently, so use short, punchy sentences and clear language. If it makes sense, include some emojis to catch people’s eye.
Second, consider the tone of your captions and how they align with your brand identity.
If your brand is playful and lighthearted, your captions should be the same: fun, humorous language. Use an informative and educational tone if your brand is more serious or professional.
Third, use your captions to contextualize the story or experience you present in your images. This will help bring your audience along for the journey and encourage them to engage with your brand.
Finally, include a call to action (CTA) to increase engagement and drive more traffic to your website or other digital channels.
This could be as simple as encouraging your audience to swipe through the carousel, asking them a question, or prompting them to visit your website for more information.
Text Overlays
Your use of text goes beyond captions. Text overlays can be highly effective in adding context and additional information and can enhance the visual impact of your carousels.
Here are a few tips:
Choose a legible and visually pleasing font that matches your brand aesthetic. Remember that users will be viewing it on small mobile screens.
Keep your text concise and to the point. Instagram users scroll quickly through their feeds, so your text needs to be easy to digest and understand.
Only include essential information and ensure that each overlay only has one job. For example, to provide more information about a product or provide context to a narrative.
Ensure that overlay text doesn’t obscure important parts of your images and is visually balanced with the other elements in your carousel.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking of text overlays as extra ad space, however. Use them strategically to add value to your content.
For example, you may want to use text overlays to provide additional context or details about your products or services or a CTA that encourages your audience to engage with your brand.
Music
A newer feature to the platform, adding music to Instagram carousels has become a dynamic way to enhance engagement with your content.
We know that music can evoke emotions, set the tone, and add another layer of storytelling to your content. However, it bears mentioning that business accounts are typically more restricted in the songs that they can use.
Here are a few tips for effectively adding music to your carousels:
Choose music that aligns with the theme or message of the content within your carousel.
Leverage music that reflects your brand’s personality and tone.
Where possible, utilize music that can enhance the narrative of your carousel.
If you’re (legally) able to, engage your audience by including songs that are trending or popular.
By thoughtfully integrating elements like text, captions, and music, you can take your Instagram carousels to a whole new level and significantly enhance their performance and engagement.
Design Instagram Carousels With Mobile In Mind
Instagram is primarily a mobile app, so you must prep and design your content for mobile users.
If you’re designing an Instagram carousel featuring a long infographic, for example, break it down into several slides so that it’s easier for your audience to view on a mobile screen. You might also need to use larger text or adjust the font size.
But it’s more than that.
You should consider the quality of the images you’re using and how they will appear to a mobile viewer. Make sure that the resolution and specs fit with Instagram’s guidelines and that the details of the image will be viewable on mobile.
You may even want to consider arrows, buttons, ribbons, or other elements that run off the right side of the image to push users from one image to the next.
Conclusion
Once you’ve posted your Instagram carousel, engage with your followers by prompting them to like, comment, or share your post.
Encourage them to leave comments or questions about the product they see or the story you’ve presented.
Just remember to respond to these comments promptly and continue the conversation by answering questions or addressing concerns.
And if you follow the tips we’ve provided for you here, there will be many of them!
Today, many people see generative AI like ChatGPT, Gemini, and others as indispensable tools that streamline their day-to-day workflows and enhance their productivity.
However, with the proliferation of AI assistants comes an uptick in AI-generated content. AI content detectors can help you prioritize content quality and originality.
These tools can help you discern whether a piece of content was written by a human or AI – a task that’s becoming increasingly difficult – and this can help detect plagiarism, and ensure content is original, unique, and high-quality.
In this article, we’ll look at some of the top AI content checkers available in 2024. Let’s dive in.
The 6 Best AI Content Checkers
1. GPTZero
Screenshot from GPTZero.me, July 2024
Launched in 2022, GPTZero was “the first public open AI detector,” according to its website – and it’s a leading choice among the tools out there today.
GPTZero’s advanced detection model comprises seven different components, including an internet text search to identify whether the content already exists in internet archives, a burstiness analysis to see whether the style and tone reflect that of human writing, end-to-end deep learning, and more.
Its Deep Scan feature gives you a detailed report highlighting sentences likely created by AI and tells you why that is, and GPTZero also offers a user-friendly Detection Dashboard as a source of truth for all your reports.
The tool is straightforward, and the company works with partners and researchers from institutions like Princeton, Penn State, and OpenAI to provide top-tier research and benchmarking.
Cost:
The Basic plan is available for free. It includes up to 10,000 words per month.
The Essential plan starts at $10 per month, with up to 150,000 words, plagiarism detection, and advanced writing feedback.
The Premium plan starts at $16 per month and includes up to 300,000 words, everything in the Essential tier, as well as Deep Scan, AI detection in multiple languages, and downloadable reports.
2. Originality.ai
Screenshot from Originality.ai, July 2024
Originality.ai is designed to detect AI-generated content across various language models, including ChatGPT, GPT-4o, Gemini Pro, Claude 3, Llama 3, and others. It bills itself as the “most accurate AI detector,” and targets publishers, agencies, and writers – but not students.
The latter is relevant because, the company says, by leaving academia, research, and other historical text out of its scope, it’s able to better train its model to hone in on published content across the internet, print, etc.
Originality.ai works across multiple languages and offers a free Chrome extension and API integration. It also has a team that works around the clock, testing out new strategies to create AI content that tools can’t detect. Once it finds one, it trains the tool to sniff it out.
The tool is straightforward; users can just paste content directly into Originality.ai, or upload from a file or even a URL. It will then give you a report that flags AI-detected portions as well as the overall originality of the text. You get three free scans initially, with a 300-word limit.
Cost:
Pro membership starts at $12.45 per month and includes 2,000 credits, AI scans, shareable reports, plagiarism and readability scans, and more.
Enterprise membership starts at $179 per month and includes 15,000 credits per month, features in the Pro plan, as well as priority support, API, and a 365-day history of your scans.
Originality.ai also offers a “pay as you go” tier, which consists of a $30 one-time payment to access 3,000 credits and some of the more limited features listed above.
3. Copyleaks
Screenshot from Copyleaks.com, July 2024
While you’ve probably heard of Copyleaks as a plagiarism detection tool, what you might not know is that it also offers a comprehensive AI-checking solution.
The tool covers 30 languages and detects across AI models including ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude – and it automatically updates when new language models are released.
According to Copyleaks, its AI detector “has over 99% overall accuracy and a 0.2% false positive rate, the lowest of any platform.”
It works by using its long history of data and learning to spot the pattern of human-generated writing – and thus, flag anything that doesn’t fit common patterns as potentially AI-generated.
Other notable features of Copyleaks’ AI content detector are the ability to detect AI-generated source code, spot content that might have been paraphrased by AI, as well as browser extension and API offerings.
Cost:
Users with a Copyleaks account can access a limited number of free scans daily.
Paid plans start at $7.99 per month for the AI Detector tool, including up to 1,200 credits, scanning in over 30 languages, two users, and API access.
You can also get access to an AI + Plagiarism Detection tier starting at $13.99 per month.
4. Winston AI
Screenshot from GoWinston.ai, July 2024
Another popular AI content detection tool, Winston AI calls itself “the most trusted AI detector,” and claims to be the only such tool with a 99.98% accuracy rate.
Winston AI is designed for users across the education, SEO, and writing industries, and it’s able to identify content generated by LLMs such as ChatGPT, GPT-4, Google Gemini, Claude, and more.
Using Winston AI is easy; paste or upload your documents into the tool, and it will scan the text (including text from scanned pictures or handwriting) and provide a printable report with your results.
Like other tools in this list, Winston AI offers multilingual support, high-grade security, and can also spot content that’s been paraphrased using tools like Quillbot.
One unique feature of Winston AI is its “AI Prediction Map,” a color-coded visualization that highlights which parts of your content sound inauthentic and may be flagged by AI detectors.
Cost
Free 7-day trial includes 2,000 credits, AI content checking, AI image and deepfake detection, and more.
Paid plans start at $12 per month for 80,000 credits, with additional advanced features based on your membership tier.
5. TraceGPT
Screenshot from plagiarismcheck.org, July 2024
Looking for an extremely accurate AI content detector? Try TraceGPT by PlagiarismCheck.org.
It’s a user-friendly tool that allows you to upload files across a range of formats, including doc, docx, txt, odt, rtf, and pdf. Then, it leverages creativity/predictability ratios and other methods to scan your content for “AI-related breadcrumbs.”
Once it’s done, TraceGPT will provide results that show you what it has flagged as potential AI-generated text, tagging it as “likely” or “highly likely.”
As with many of the options here, TraceGPT offers support in several languages, as well as API and browser extension access. The tool claims to be beneficial for people in academia, SEO, and recruitment.
Cost
You can sign up to use TraceGPT and will be given limited free access.
Paid plans differ based on the type of membership; for businesses, they start at $69 for 1,000 pages, and for individuals, it starts at $5.99 for 20 pages. Paid plans also give you access to 24/7 support and a grammar checker.
6. Hive Moderation
Screenshot from hivemoderation.com, July 2024
Hive Moderation, a company that specializes in content moderation, offers an AI content detector with a unique differentiator. Unlike most of the other examples listed here, it is capable of checking for AI content across several media formats, including text, audio, and image.
Users can simply input their desired media, and Hive’s models will discern whether they believe them to be AI-generated. You’ll get immediate results with a holistic score and more detailed information, such as whether Hive thinks your image was created by Midjourney, DALL-E, or ChatGPT, for example.
Hive Moderation offers a Chrome extension for its AI detector, as well as several levels of customization so that customers can tweak their usage to fit their needs and industry.
Pricing:
You can download the Hive AI Chrome Extension for free, and its browser tool offers at least some free scans.
You’ll need to contact the Hive Moderation team for more extensive use of its tools.
What Is An AI Content Checker?
An AI content checker is a tool for detecting whether a piece of content or writing was generated by artificial intelligence.
An important disclaimer: At this point in time, no AI content detector is perfect. While some are better than others, they all have limitations.
They can make mistakes, from falsely identifying human-written content as AI-generated or failing to spot AI-generated content.
However, they are useful tools for pressure-testing content to spot glaring errors and ensure that it is authentic and not a reproduction or plagiarism.
Why Use An AI Content Detector?
As AI systems become more widespread and sophisticated, it’ll only become harder to tell when AI has produced content – so tools like these could become more important.
Other reasons AI content checkers are beneficial include:
They can help you protect your reputation. Say you’re publishing content on a website or blog. You want to make sure your audience can trust that what they’re reading is authentic and original. AI content checkers can help you ensure just that.
They can ensure you avoid any plagiarism. Yes, generative AI is only getting better, but it’s still known to reproduce other people’s work without citation in the answers it generates. So, by using an AI content detector, you can steer clear of plagiarism and the many risks associated with it.
They can confirm that the content you’re working with is original.Producing unique content isn’t just an SEO best practice – it’s essential to maintaining integrity, whether you’re a business, a content creator, or an academic professional. AI content detectors can help here by weeding out anything that doesn’t meet that standard.
AI content detectors have various use cases, including at the draft stage, during editing, or during the final review of content. They can also be used for ongoing content audits.
AI detectors may produce false positives, so you should scrutinize their results if you’re using them to make a decision. However, false positives can also help identify human-written content that requires a little more work to stand out.
We recommend you use a variety of different tools, cross-check your results, and build trust with your writers. Always remember that these are not a replacement for human editing, fact-checking,or review.
They are merely there as a helping hand and an additional level of scrutiny.
In Summary
While we still have a long way to go before AI detection tools are perfect, they’re useful tools that can help you ensure your content is authentic and of the highest quality.
By making use of AI content checkers, you can maintain trust with your audience and ensure you stay one step ahead of the competition.
Hopefully, this list of the best solutions available today can help you get started. Choose the tool that best fits your resources and requirements, and start integrating AI detection into your content workflow today.
Last week Greg Jarboe wrote an article for SEJ covering insights from the 2024 IAB Digital Video Ad Spend & Strategy Report which was the second part of a two-part report.
The first part reported that overall spending on digital video advertising in the U.S. is projected to grow 16% and that in the last four years, the share of ad spend has shifted to 52% of the total market share in the U.S.
US Digital video ad revenues are expected to reach $63 billion in 2024.
From the second part of the report, what stood out was the shift in measurement metrics for video from reach to business outcomes. According to Cintia Gabilan, IAB’s VP of the Media Center:
“But now business outcomes are the most important metrics to assess success, with reach and frequency coming in second. However, measurement is not yet where it needs to be. Two-thirds of buyers cite issues across nine key areas of measurement.”
Alphabet (Google) has also just announced their quarterly earnings – and out of this was the insight that Brand advertising – rather than direct response is driving YouTube revenue.
To discuss this and to throw insight into why this is important and why he was “shocked” about these changes, I reached out to Greg to get his thoughts.
Greg started out as a director of corporate communications in the 90s when websites were called “new media.”
And, he has worked with video marketing since the mid-2000s. He has followed the development and uptake of video in online marketing and SEO for the last 15 years.
Why Video Advertising Metrics Have Shifted
I asked Greg why he was shocked that brand advertising is driving YouTube revenue and then, why he was shocked about the shift in video advertising metrics.
Greg said,
“I’ve been following this trend for at least 15 years, if not longer, and it was one of those things where I wondered how come nobody else saw this.
Too many American brands and agencies were still hung up on the television era and all the metrics they used were just fine for measuring TV reach and frequency.
They might have occasionally layered in a bit of engagement if they were sophisticated because they knew online video allowed for likes, shares, or comments. But they were mostly using what I would call marketing outputs to measure their success.
Back then, a few of us Pioneers were saying no, focusing on business outcomes. But, that sort of advice wasn’t being taken up very often. Now, suddenly, a majority of brands and agencies are using business outcomes to measure success.
My theory is that a majority are now using the ability in YouTube to set your business goal for your video ad campaign. Amongst the available settings are awareness and consideration, website traffic, leads, or sales.
So, if you let artificial intelligence say ‘okay, if that’s your goal then here’s where we want to display your video ad’, then you are focusing on business outcomes. Not because you have taken advice about making that choice, but because you’re allowing AI to give you the best practice and make that choice for you.
I’m shocked that people are finally doing the right thing, but I’m suspicious that they don’t know they’re doing the right thing or why. They are simply taking advantage of the new AI capabilities that Google is rolling out.”
Why Video Advertising Revenue Is Shifting To Brand Advertising
I then asked Greg to explain why brand advertising is shifting more revenue to YouTube.
Greg said,
“Connected Television (CTV) has basically swept aside linear TV, and more than half of the ad dollars have now moved to CTV. When you’re advertising on CTV, your goal is awareness or consideration. This shift is probably as big as the advent of mobile advertising was 15 or more years ago.
Connected Television is now shifting ad dollars. What this means is that a lot of advertisers, both on the client and agency sides, are now using AI to steer money that used to go from terrestrial TV to YouTube. YouTube has huge reach in the UK as well as the US, and that’s brand advertising.”
The conversation shifted to TikTok, which is now dominant among emerging demographics like Gen Z. If it doesn’t become outright banned in the US, TikTok is going to continue to have a growing influence over audiences.
I asked Greg, how we can start to embrace this shift in measurement metrics for TikTok? How can we apply business outcomes to TikTok?
Greg responded by saying,
“TikTok shared research, that highlighted the buyer journey as a loop rather than a straight line. Everyone knows the customer journey is not a straight line, but TikTok emphasized the looping process, including discovery and consideration phases.
Too many marketers still work with the metaphor of the sales funnel, which was invented in 1924. The customer journey does not travel straight down a funnel; it loops.
SEOs and content marketers must understand where the customer needs to find their content during discovery and evaluation modes.
This means creating content that captures interest and builds a relationship over time until the customer decides to do business with them.”
I asked Greg,
“How can SEOs and content marketers produce the kind of content needed for this process?”
His response was that this was hard. He went on to say that digital marketers need to unlearn what they have learned, and that’s really hard for marketing professionals to do because it’s not how things worked last year.
Greg said,
“But it’s not last year anymore. The really good agencies, brands, marketers, SEOs, and others are constantly adapting.
One of the things I learned when writing my book, “YouTube and Video Marketing,” is that the landscape changes constantly. I had to go back and revise early chapters before I could turn back to writing later chapters.”
Greg’s final advice was to avoid using books as a source of learning:
“The book publishing process is too slow; any book you pick up is probably already outdated. Stick to fresh information from online industry news publishers to stay updated.”
Unlearn Everything You Knew Before And Learn Again
If video advertisers are inadvertently selecting the goals for their campaigns through AI, or if they are actively making that choice, video advertising is finally shifting to be focused on business outcomes.
It appears that the industry might be moving away from the historical influence of television-era metrics and becoming more sophisticated with their measurement.
What marketers need to consider is that everything they have relied on previously is now changing. What worked last year is no longer working.
We are seeing this across the entire spectrum of SEO and online marketing with everything in flux as the influence of AI integrates and becomes established.
The advice is to unlearn what you relied on before and learn again and don’t rely on outdated information.
Everything is changing faster than it can be printed so make sure you turn to sources that are as up-to-date as possible.
Thank you to Greg Jarboe for offering his opinion and being my guest on IMHO.
That’s a good question – and one that I’m frequently asked when teaching a live class about engaging audiences through content.
You might mistakenly assume that instructors are supposed to answer questions like that. But my colleagues and I do something different.
We give our students relevant assignments that provide them with the opportunity to discover the answers to good questions for themselves.
This test-and-learn approach is something that you can also apply within your own company, agency, or team. Want to know which generative AI model to use to create trending content?
Well, conduct a test and compare the output.
Write Concise Descriptions Of The Most Emotionally Engaging Video Ads Of Euros 2024
You already know how to use Google Trends to identify search terms or topics that are trending now. In fact, many journalists use this free tool to get story ideas.
Over the long Fourth of July weekend, I used Google Trends and saw that the topic “Euros 2024” ranked No. 1 in Trending Searches with more than 1 million queries.
Next, I decided to avoid using OpenAI’s ChatGPT 3.5 for my tests. Why? Because it’s the most popular generative AI model, which means that your competitors are probably using it, too.
That means the content that this tool creates is less likely “to provide substantial value when compared to other pages in search results,” as Google’s long-standing advice recommends.
Why? Because it ranked No. 1 in the Writing category. The tool also claimed it would help me “write tailored, engaging content with a focus on quality, relevance and precise word count.”
I want to create better content, not just content that is different from what everyone else is creating. So, I asked Write For Me to “write concise descriptions of the most emotionally engaging video ads of Euros 2024.”
Here’s what this generative AI tool produced:
1. Unity Through Football
“A diverse group of children from different European countries come together on a pristine football pitch. As they play, the camera captures their joy and camaraderie, transcending language and cultural barriers. The ad concludes with a montage of professional players joining the children, emphasizing football's power to unite nations and foster friendship.”
2. Legacy of Legends
“The ad begins with black-and-white footage of iconic moments from past Euros, highlighting legendary players. It transitions to vibrant, modern clips of current stars recreating these moments, symbolizing the passing of the torch. A heartfelt narration speaks to the continuity of dreams and the legacy carried by each generation.”
3. Homecoming
“A montage of fans traveling from various parts of Europe to the host country, capturing their excitement and anticipation. Emotional reunions with fellow fans, old friends, and family members create a sense of belonging and community. The ad closes with a panoramic shot of a stadium filled with cheering supporters, underscoring the tournament's role in bringing people together.”
4. The Dream Begins
“The ad follows a young aspiring footballer practicing tirelessly, inspired by their favorite Euros moments. Interspersed with clips of professional matches, it shows the child's journey from local games to a stadium filled with fans. The message is clear: dreams start small but can lead to greatness, encouraging viewers to pursue their passions.”
5. Heartbeat of the Game
“This ad features a rhythmic sequence of football-related sounds: the thud of a ball, cheers from the crowd, and the whistle of the referee. These sounds build into a symphony, interspersed with clips of players’ intense focus and emotional celebrations. The heartbeat sound underscores the passion and excitement of the Euros, resonating with fans’ own emotions.”
6. From Streets to Stadiums
“Children playing football in urban alleys, rural fields, and makeshift pitches across Europe are showcased. Their raw passion and joy are mirrored by professional players in grand stadiums, blurring the lines between dreams and reality. The ad concludes with a powerful message: football belongs to everyone, from the streets to the grandest arenas.
Now, it’s perfectly clear why video ads with these descriptions would be emotionally engaging, but it is frustratingly unclear which brands are running these ads during Euros 2024.
So, I’d have to do some double-checking to make sure that ChatGPT isn’t hallucinating.
1. Adidas: "Hey Jude" (Most Engaging)
“This ad features rising England star Jude Bellingham alongside football legends like David Beckham and Frank Lampard. It taps into positive emotions by showcasing the passing of the torch and the enduring spirit of the game.”
2. Irn-Bru: "Get to Germany"
“This ad, likely using humor, aims to create positive feelings and excitement around the Euros being held in Germany.”
3. Budweiser: "Bring it Home"
“This ad uses a patriotic theme, likely aiming to inspire viewers and evoke a sense of national pride for their team's chance to win the Euros.”
It’s perfectly clear which brands are running the most emotionally engaging video ads of Euros 2024, but it’s still unclear which methodology Gemini is using to make this selection.
So, I’d still have to do more due diligence to discover that it’s probably recent articles and posts about new research from DAIVID.
Claude Output
I asked Anthropic’s Claude 3.5 Sonnet to “write concise descriptions of the most emotionally engaging video ads of Euros 2024.” Here’s what this generative AI tool replied:
“I apologize, but I don't have access to specific information about video ads from Euro 2024, as my knowledge cutoff is in April 2024, and I can't browse the internet for current information.”
“I can, however, offer some general thoughts on what makes emotionally engaging soccer/football ads:”
“Underdog stories of players or teams overcoming adversity.”
“Nostalgic montages showcasing historic Euro moments.”
“Depictions of passionate fans and their connection to the sport.”
“Inspirational messages about unity and international cooperation.”
“Cinematic recreations of iconic goals or plays.”
“If you'd like me to expand on any of these concepts or discuss emotionally engaging sports ads in general, I'd be happy to do so. For accurate information about Euro 2024 ads, I'd recommend checking official UEFA sources or recent sports media coverage.”
Well, Claude’s honesty is admirable. But its knowledge cutoff means that I shouldn’t use this generative AI model for content about fairly recent trends.
Write Short Captions For The Funniest Photos From The 2024 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest
For my second test, I used the Google autocomplete feature to confirm that the phrase, [Nathan’s hot dog eating contest], was a trending search term.
Then, I asked each of the three generative AI tools to “write short captions for the funniest photos from the 2024 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest.”
ChatGPT Output
Here’s what Write For Me generated:
“Captions for Funniest Photos from the 2024 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest:”
"When you realize you're only halfway through your 50 hot dogs."
"Eyes on the prize: the ketchup bottle!"
"Training for this by swallowing my pride daily."
"When the bun hits you harder than the hot dog."
"Mustard not? I mustered up the courage!"
"New strategy: inhale, don’t chew."
"Hot dogs: 10, Dignity: 0."
"When you think it’s the last dog but it’s not."
"The face you make when you beat your personal best... by 1 dog."
"Calories don’t count if you don’t chew, right?"
Okay, I admit that many of these captions are funny. But it’s difficult to tell if they belong to actual photos or if this custom version of ChatGPT hallucinated the entire list.
And don’t get me started on getting permission to use any photos that exist. Of course, I could always use DALL-E 3 to turn the text above into images.
Gemini Output
Next, I gave Gemini the same assignment. Here’s what it generated:
1. Mustard Mishap: "Someone's about to be redecorated in yellow!" (Photo of a competitor with mustard splattered all over their face).
2. Relish the Moment: "This is what pure competitive joy looks like." (Photo of a competitor mid-devour with a look of intense concentration and relish dripping down their chin).
3. Bun Bungee: "Is that a hot dog or a bungee jumper? Defying the laws of physics, one frankfurter at a time." (Photo of a competitor with a hot dog halfway down their esophagus).
4. Fountain of Fury: "Looks like someone forgot their manners! (But they're probably winning.)" (Photo of a competitor with a spray of water and ketchup erupting from their mouth).
5. Doggy Downtime: "Even champions gotta rest sometimes. (Just don't let Joey Chestnut see this.)" (Photo of a competitor slumped back in their chair with a belly full of hot dogs).”
Um, okay. These are also funny captions.
But it’s hard to know if they go with actual photos that were posted on July 4, 2024, without using Google Images to conduct a series of relevant searches. And that still doesn’t give me permission to use them even if they do exist.
[Note, these responses were generated a few days before Google announced their support for labelling AI-generated images.]
Claude Output
Then, I asked Claude 3.5 Sonnet to “write short captions for the funniest photos from the 2024 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest.” Here’s what it replied:
“I apologize, but I don't have access to specific photos from the 2024 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, as my knowledge cutoff is in April 2024. Additionally, I can't generate, produce, edit, manipulate or create images.”
“However, I can suggest some hypothetical humorous captions that might be appropriate for funny moments at a hot dog eating contest:”
"When the hot dogs fight back"
"Regretting that 50th hot dog"
"Mid-contest nap: Expert level achieved"
"Ketchup everywhere... except on the hot dogs"
"When you realize it's only been 2 minutes"
"The face of a champion... or indigestion"
"Spectators' faces: Equal parts horror and awe"
"When the bun-to-dog ratio is all wrong"
"Competitive eating: Where table manners go to die"
"That moment you question all your life choices"
“Remember, these are fictional captions for imaginary photos. For accurate information about the 2024 contest, you'd need to check official sources or news reports from after the event.”
Once again, Claude gets high marks for being honest about its limitations.
But unless I want to select some of these hypothetical humorous captions and use them as prompts in Adobe Firefly, then I need to use one of the other options.
Write A 400-Word Blog Post About The Top Omni Channel Retailing Trends Of 2024
For my third test, I used SparkToro to research the audience of 5,000 to 6,000 people who search for the keyword [customer retention] each month.
I used SparkToro’s trending keywords feature to analyze the search terms that have risen in popularity among searchers for “customer retention” over the last quarter.
Then, I selected the trending keyword, “omni channel retailing trends,” for this test.
ChatGPT Output
When I asked Write For Me to “write a 400-word blog post about the top omni channel retailing trends of 2024,” here’s what this generative AI tool produced:
Top Omnichannel Retailing Trends of 2024
“As we move into 2024, the landscape of retail continues to evolve rapidly, driven by technological advancements and changing consumer expectations. Omnichannel retailing, which integrates various shopping channels into a seamless customer experience, remains at the forefront of this evolution. Here are the top omnichannel retailing trends to watch out for in 2024.”
1. Enhanced Personalization Through AI and Data Analytics
“In 2024, personalization goes beyond just using the customer’s name in emails. Retailers are leveraging advanced AI and data analytics to offer hyper-personalized shopping experiences. By analyzing consumer behavior, preferences, and purchase history, retailers can tailor recommendations, promotions, and content to individual customers. This level of personalization enhances customer satisfaction and increases conversion rates.”
2. Seamless Integration of Physical and Digital Channels
“The line between online and offline shopping continues to blur. In 2024, more retailers are perfecting the integration of physical and digital channels. Innovations like in-store augmented reality (AR) mirrors, smart fitting rooms, and mobile app functionalities that enhance in-store experiences are becoming standard. Additionally, services like click-and-collect and in-store returns for online purchases are expected to become more streamlined and widespread.”
3. Expansion of Mobile Commerce (M-Commerce)
“Mobile commerce continues to grow as consumers increasingly use their smartphones for shopping. Retailers are optimizing their mobile websites and apps to provide faster, more intuitive, and secure shopping experiences. Features like one-click purchasing, mobile wallets, and personalized push notifications are becoming essential components of mobile strategies.”
4. Social Commerce Revolution
“Social media platforms are transforming into powerful retail channels. In 2024, social commerce, where shopping experiences are embedded within social media, is set to explode. Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok are enhancing their shopping functionalities, allowing users to discover, browse, and purchase products without leaving the app. Influencer marketing and user-generated content continue to drive this trend, making social media a critical part of omnichannel strategies.”
5. Sustainable and Ethical Retailing
“Consumers are increasingly demanding sustainability and transparency from the brands they support. In response, retailers are incorporating sustainable practices and ethical sourcing into their omnichannel strategies. This includes offering eco-friendly products, reducing packaging waste, and providing transparency about product origins and manufacturing processes. Brands that can effectively communicate their sustainability efforts through all channels will gain a competitive edge.”
6. Voice Commerce and Conversational AI
“Voice-activated shopping and conversational AI are becoming more prevalent. With the rise of smart speakers and virtual assistants, consumers are using voice commands to search for products, place orders, and track deliveries. Retailers are integrating voice commerce capabilities into their omnichannel strategies to enhance convenience and improve customer engagement.”
Conclusion
“In 2024, the retail industry is embracing these omnichannel trends to create more cohesive and engaging shopping experiences. By focusing on personalization, integrating physical and digital channels, leveraging mobile and social commerce, prioritizing sustainability, and adopting voice commerce, retailers can stay ahead in a competitive market. These trends highlight the importance of flexibility and innovation in meeting the evolving needs of modern consumers.”
Um, okay. This is 498 words long. This content seems designed for publication at the beginning of the year.
The blog post is missing citations from reliable sources, credible quotes, and relevant statistics, as Roger Montti’s article, “Researchers Discover How To SEO For AI Search,” noted back on Dec. 18, 2023.
So, it’s not as bad as a first draft. But I would hope that writers would learn by using this custom version of ChatGPT that they need to craft something a little bit better.
Gemini Output
Next, I asked Gemini to tackle the same assignment. Here’s what this generative AI tool produced:
The Future of Shopping: Top Omnichannel Retail Trends in 2024
“The retail landscape is ever-evolving, and 2024 is no exception. Consumers today expect a seamless shopping experience, regardless of whether they're browsing online, visiting a physical store, or interacting with a brand on social media. This is where omnichannel retail thrives. By creating a unified experience across all touchpoints, retailers can build stronger customer loyalty and drive sales.”
“Let's delve into the top omnichannel retail trends shaping the industry in 2024:”
1. The Rise of the Data-Driven Experience:
“With the demise of third-party cookies, retailers are focusing on collecting and utilizing first-party customer data. This data allows for real-time personalization across all channels. Imagine receiving targeted email promotions based on your recent in-store purchases, or seeing personalized product recommendations on a brand's app. Advanced analytics will not only personalize marketing efforts but also optimize search functionalities and product merchandising on e-commerce platforms.”
2. AI Takes Center Stage:
“Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the retail experience. AI-powered chatbots can answer customer queries 24/7, recommend products based on browsing history, and even assist with in-store tasks. Generative AI can create personalized marketing content at scale, while AI-driven sales automation streamlines processes for both retailers and customers.”
3. The Blur Between Physical and Digital:
“The lines between online and offline shopping are continuing to blur. We're seeing a rise in ‘phygital’ experiences, such as augmented reality (AR) apps that allow customers to virtually try on clothes or visualize furniture in their homes. In-store kiosks can facilitate online purchases and allow for easy returns or exchanges. Additionally, ‘showrooming,’ where customers browse in-store and then purchase online, necessitates seamless product availability and pricing across channels.”
4. Social Commerce Takes Off:
“Social media platforms are no longer just for browsing; they're becoming powerful shopping destinations. ‘Live shopping’ experiences with influencers showcasing products are gaining traction, while social media platforms are integrating smoother buying functionalities within their apps. User-generated content and social proof will continue to influence purchasing decisions, making social media a crucial touchpoint in the omnichannel journey.”
5. Personalization Beyond Products:
“The future of omnichannel retail goes beyond just product recommendations. Retailers are focusing on creating personalized experiences that cater to individual customer preferences. This could involve offering flexible delivery options, loyalty programs with tiered benefits, or the ability to curate in-store shopping experiences through appointments or personalized product selections.”
Conclusion:
“In today's competitive retail environment, omnichannel isn't just a trend; it's a necessity. By embracing these trends and prioritizing a data-driven, personalized approach, retailers can not only survive but thrive in the ever-evolving landscape of commerce.”
Well, the headline is better and it’s 433 words long, which is closer to what I’d asked for. But this blog post is also missing citations from reliable sources, credible quotes, and relevant statistics.
So, I hope writers would learn the same lesson by using Gemini that they learned using a custom version of ChatGPT: It’s not bad, but a human with experience and expertise can do better.
Claude Output
Finally, I asked Claude 3.5 Sonnet to “write a 400-word blog post about the top omni channel retailing trends of 2024.” Here’s what this generative AI tool produced:
Top Omnichannel Retailing Trends Shaping 2024
“As we navigate through 2024, the retail landscape continues to evolve rapidly. Omnichannel strategies have become more crucial than ever, with consumers expecting seamless experiences across all touchpoints. Let's explore the key trends defining omnichannel retailing this year.”
1. AI-Powered Personalization: “Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing how retailers understand and cater to individual customer preferences. In 2024, we're seeing more sophisticated AI algorithms that analyze customer data across channels to deliver hyper-personalized recommendations, offers, and experiences.”
2. Augmented Reality Integration: “AR is bridging the gap between online and offline shopping. Retailers are leveraging AR technology to allow customers to virtually try on clothes, visualize furniture in their homes, or explore products in detail before making a purchase decision.”
3. Social Commerce Acceleration: “Social media platforms are increasingly becoming direct sales channels. Retailers are optimizing their presence on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest, enabling in-app purchases and creating shoppable content that seamlessly integrates with users' social experiences.”
4. Sustainable and Ethical Omnichannel Practices: “Consumers are more environmentally conscious than ever. Retailers are responding by implementing sustainable practices across their omnichannel operations, from eco-friendly packaging to transparent supply chains and ethical sourcing information available across all channels.”
5. Voice Commerce Integration: “With the growing adoption of smart speakers and voice assistants, retailers are optimizing their digital presence for voice search and enabling voice-activated purchases, adding another dimension to the omnichannel experience.”
6. Phygital Experiences: “The blend of physical and digital experiences, or ‘phygital,’ is gaining traction. Retailers are creating innovative in-store digital touchpoints and bringing elements of the physical store experience to online platforms.”
7. Unified Customer Data Platforms: “Retailers are investing in advanced customer data platforms that consolidate information from all channels, providing a single view of the customer and enabling more cohesive marketing and service strategies.”
8. Flexible Fulfillment Options: “The line between online and offline continues to blur with the expansion of services like buy online, pick up in-store (BOPIS), curbside pickup, and same-day delivery. Retailers are optimizing their logistics to offer customers maximum flexibility.”
9. Subscription-Based Models: “More retailers are incorporating subscription services into their omnichannel strategies, providing regular product deliveries or exclusive access to content and experiences across multiple platforms.”
10. Advanced Analytics for Real-Time Insights: “Retailers are leveraging advanced analytics tools to gain real-time insights into customer behavior across channels, allowing for quick adjustments to inventory, pricing, and marketing strategies.”
“As these trends show, the future of retail lies in creating cohesive, customer-centric experiences that seamlessly blend online and offline touchpoints. Retailers who successfully adapt to these omnichannel trends will be well-positioned to thrive in the dynamic retail environment of 2024 and beyond.”
Claude’s content is 443 words long, which is longer than Gemini’s, but shorter than the custom version of ChatGPT. And Claude generated 10 trends, while ChatGPT generated six, and Gemini generated five.
But just like the other generative AI tools, Claude’s blog post is missing citations from reliable sources, credible quotes, and relevant statistics.
So, Claude is also good at creating a rough draft. But I’d hope that writers would learn by using ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude that they shouldn’t become a tool of their tools.
AI Is Not Going To Take Your Job
A year ago, Jensen Huang, the founder, president, and CEO of Nvidia, said,
“AI is not going to take your job. The person who uses AI is going to take your job.”
Well, a year later, we’ve learned by comparing the content output generated by ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude that it’s still smarter to use generative AI tools to brainstorm or create a good first draft.
Are you certain that the content you’re publishing on your website is 100% original?
Steering clear of plagiarism is a top priority for content creators, educators, businesses, and others in order to maintain credibility and avoid legal issues – among other things.
While Copyscape has long been one of the most well-known and popular options for plagiarism checking, the range of available tools has expanded significantly, with various features designed to meet people’s unique needs.
In this article, we will cover the basics of plagiarism – what it is, why you should check for it, how to check, and what to do if someone plagiarizes your content – before highlighting some of the top alternatives to Copyscape, helping you keep your content unique and valuable.
What Is Plagiarism?
Plagiarism is when you use someone else’s work, whether words or ideas, and present it as your own without proper attribution.
Plagiarism can range from directly copying someone’s work to closely paraphrasing something without acknowledging the source. Sometimes, it’s purposeful, while other times, the perpetrator might not even realize they’re doing it.
Regardless of intent, plagiarism is a widespread problem that is difficult to combat – but the first step is detecting it.
Why It’s Important To Check For Plagiarism
The consequences of plagiarism can be severe – you can lose credibility, harm your reputation, and even face legal repercussions.
Here are a few reasons why it’s essential to check for (and avoid) plagiarism:
Prevent legal problems. Engaging in plagiarism or copyright infringement can expose you to a range of potential legal issues.
Maintain your reputation. Trust is vital. But why should audiences trust you if you’re stealing somebody else’s work? Checking for plagiarism is crucial to preserving your reputation and trust with your audience or customers.
Preserve your SEOefforts. Google and other search engines are actively trying to crack down on plagiarism and will penalize any plagiarized content. This can hurt your website’s ranking and visibility.
How You Can Check For Plagiarism
There are a handful of different ways to check for plagiarism, including:
Manual checks. This is precisely what it sounds like: manually reviewing content for plagiarism by cross-checking text using search engines and academic databases. If you’re examining a small chunk of text, this can work, but it can get unwieldy fast.
Use alerts. It’s possible to create your own plagiarism checker by setting up Google Alerts. Simply enter your content into the search query field and let Google know how frequently you want it to alert you of copied content. While not a totally accurate or complete method, it can be effective at times.
Monitoring services. You can use existing tools that help flag unauthorized use of your content. They do so by scanning the internet and leveraging algorithms to detect plagiarized content.
Online plagiarism checker tools. Software and tools designed specifically to analyze content and run a comprehensive check for plagiarism.
While checking text for direct plagiarism is one thing, identifying paraphrased content or ideas is much more complicated.
And while we will highlight many useful tools in this article, it’s worth remembering that no tool is perfect.
With the sheer amount of content available and more being produced and published every second, it’s nearly impossible to complete a full check. Hence, why plagiarism is an ongoing issue.
What To Do If Someone Plagiarized Your Content
So, what do you do if you discover that somebody else has plagiarized your content? Here are a few steps you can take:
Collect evidence. Take screenshots, make notes, and save any URLs as proof of the offense.
Contact the perpetrator. As we mentioned earlier, sometimes, plagiarism can be an innocent mistake. No matter the situation, we recommend contacting the offending party and requesting that they either remove your content or label it with the proper attribution.
File a complaint. If that doesn’t work, you can file a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown complaint, which will send notice to the service provider (e.g., Google or web hosting companies) to remove the content or face legal liability.
Seek legal advice. If the case is particularly egregious, or the above steps fail, you can consider speaking with a legal professional.
Top 11 Plagiarism-Checking Alternative Tools To Copyscape
1. Grammarly
Screenshot from Grammarly.com, June 2024
While most people know Grammarly for its spelling and grammar check capabilities, it also offers a useful plagiarism checker tool.
Grammarly’s free plagiarism checker will compare your text (up to 10,000 characters) against academic databases and billions of webpages, then give you an immediate report that lets you know whether it found any plagiarized content.
As a helpful bonus, it will also flag if it finds problems with grammar, spelling, punctuation, conciseness, readability, word choice, or other writing issues.
If you want to take it a step further, Grammarly offers a Premium version of the tool with more advanced capabilities. The paid version will highlight specific sentences of concern, include source information, give you deeper writing feedback, and even allocate your text an “overall originality score.”
Cost
Free version available with limited plagiarism detection as well as basic grammar, spelling, etc. checks.
Premium Grammarly membership starts at $12/month and includes advanced plagiarism detection.
2. Plagiarisma
Screenshot from Plagiarisma.net, June 2024
If you’re looking for a plagiarism checker that works in several languages, look no further than Plagiarisma. It supports 190+ languages and offers both free and paid versions.
Users can enter text into Plagiarisma in a variety of ways, including uploading documents, entering URLs, or pasting text directly into the tool. Once you’ve shared your copy, it will check it against sources like books, websites (you can choose between Google and Bing as your search engine of choice), and academic papers.
With the free version, users can run plagiarism checks up to three times in one day. You can also upgrade to a Premium membership for access to more features, including a Synonymizer (which helps you leverage synonyms to recreate sentences), a Similarity Checker (which compares documents for similarity), and unlimited access to plagiarism checks.
Cost
Free version with up to three plagiarism checks per day.
Premium membership starts at $5/month and offers unlimited plagiarism checks and more advanced features.
3. ProWritingAid
Screenshot from ProWritingAid.com, June 2024
Similar to Grammarly, ProWritingAid is an AI-powered writing assistant tool that analyzes your copy and suggests areas for improvement. It also offers a helpful plagiarism checker – and while there is no free version, it’s still reasonably affordable.
According to ProWritingAid, its plagiarism detection tool can compare your text (up to 2,000 words) against billions of sources, both online and offline, including databases, periodicals, and websites.
It will flag directly copied content and give similarity percentages to show areas needing improved paraphrasing or citation.
You can use ProWritingAid’s online editing tool to conduct your check or leverage its Microsoft Word Add-In.
Unlike some other tools, you pay for ProWritingAid based on the number of checks you want to conduct versus a monthly or yearly subscription – so that is worth noting, and might be a benefit if you only have a specific number of documents you need to look at.
Cost
No free version.
Pricing starts at $10 for 10 checks, $40 for 100 checks, $120 for 500 checks, and $200 for 1,000 checks.
4. Plagiarism Checker
Screenshot from Plagiarism-Checker.me, June 2024
Plagiarism Checker is a fairly straightforward plagiarism detection tool that’s both free and easy to use. If you need a quick and simple option, this is worth checking out.
It boasts a simple user interface and allows users to insert their text directly into the web-based editor, share a URL, or upload a document. You can even denote a URL you want it to exclude, which is a helpful feature if there are particular pages on your site that you want to ignore for now.
Plagiarism Checker scans your text against blogs, websites, and academic papers to detect plagiarism, which it delivers as a percentage. It’s compatible with Mac, Windows, and Android, and supports multiple file formats, including .rtf, .pdf., .docx, .odt, and txt.
Note that there is a limit of 1,000 words per check. The tool also includes a grammar checker and word counter, and you can download the reports it gives you.
Cost
5. CopyGator
Screenshot from CopyGator.com, June 2024
CopyGator is a free service designed to help bloggers and content creators monitor and detect duplicate versions of their content on other blogs or websites.
It works by monitoring your website’s RSS feed to see whether content has been republished elsewhere – and automatically notifying you if it finds plagiarism or quotations.
There are two different options for using CopyGator:
Image badge: By copying and pasting some code into your site, you can add a CopyGator image badge to your blog that will monitor your feeds for you. When you want to run a check, simply click the badge. If it turns red, CopyGator has detected plagiarized versions of your content.
RSS feed: Your other option is to input an RSS feed directly into CopyGator’s tool and ask it to watch the feed. It will create your own custom overview page where you can get updates.
Cost
6. PlagScan
Screenshot from PlagScan.com, June 2024
PlagScan is quite a robust plagiarism detection tool most commonly used by academic institutions and professional writers. One thing to note upfront: There is no free version of this tool.
PlagScan compares your text to a massive database of websites, academic resources, and journals to find plagiarism and compiles a report to help you understand the results.
You’ll receive a PlagLevel score, which summarizes the level of duplicate text found within a document, as well as colored highlighting for possible plagiarism:
Red for direct matches.
Blue for potentially altered copy.
Green for correctly cited text.
With PlagScan, you get a list of sources that match your document to help you with proper citation. You can also compare two documents side-by-side to find similarities. It works with most file types, and your data is protected.
Cost
No free version.
PlagScan uses a prepaid pricing model based on the number of words/pages. Pricing starts at $6.5 for 6,000 words/24 pages.
7. CopyLeaks
Screenshot from CopyLeaks.com, June 2024
CopyLeaks is a more sophisticated plagiarism detection tool than many of the options used on this list, making it a popular choice for businesses, educational institutions, and individuals around the world.
According to CopyLeaks, it uses “advanced AI” to detect instances of plagiarism across over 100 languages, including paraphrasing, plagiarism in programming code, and even AI-generated plagiarism. Each scan checks content against 60 trillion websites, more than 16,000 journals, over 1 million internal documents, and 20+ code data repositories.
The tool has a very user-friendly interface, allowing you to choose from different types of files you might want to scan – text, documents, code, URLs, etc. You can also use the “compare” option to compare two documents or URLs to each other.
Another handy feature within CopyLeaks is the ability to schedule recurring scans so that it will automatically check for duplicate content on a regular basis. It also offers easy and flexible API integration,
Cost
Free trial available.
Paid plans start at $8.99/month for up to 1,200 credits (equal to 300,000 words). For $13.99/month, you’ll get access to both the plagiarism detection and AI content detection tools in one.
8. Plagium
Screenshot from Plagium.com, June 2024
Plagium is a good choice if you’re looking for an easy and cost-effective plagiarism checker. It uses a simple web-based text box and offers both “quick search” and “Deep Search” functions, the latter of which is basically a term for a closer check and the ability to scan large documents.
A quick search is free and allows up to 500 characters – though the website appears to indicate that the number of quick searches is capped. In order to use the Deep Search feature, you’ll need to create an account – and these searches start at $0.08/page using Plagium’s credits system.
As a member, you’re able to upload different types of documents – such as PDFs – and Plagium also integrates with Google Drive and offers a Google Docs Add-on.
Cost
Free quick search up to 500 characters.
Paid plans start at $9.99/month for over 143,000 characters, with options for prepaid plans if that is more your speed.
9. Dupli Checker
Screenshot from DupliChecker.com, June 2024
Need a free, easy-to-use plagiarism checker that’s available in up to seven languages and accepts a variety of file formats? Dupli Checker could be for you.
Dupli Checker’s simple interface makes it easy to scan your documents for plagiarism. You can paste directly into the website or upload files from your computer, Dropbox, or Google Drive. Like other tools in this list, you can also share a URL you’d like the tool to check, and up to five URLs you want it to exclude.
The tool promises 100% privacy – meaning it doesn’t save any of your documents – and summarizes your results in a report that highlights duplicate copy, gives you a percentage rating, and offers more features like grammar issues.
Cost
Free version with up to 1,000 words per search.
Paid plans start at $10/month for increased searches, higher word limits, and other advanced features.
10. Quetext
Screenshot from quetext.com, June 2024
Quetext has become a popular plagiarism detection tool, and for good reason. It’s dependable and user-friendly, with some handy little features to help you spot plagiarism in your documents.
How does it work? You just enter your text into the web-based browser box and click “Check for plagiarism.” Quetext then uses its DeepSearch™ Technology (a machine-learning algorithm) to scan your text against billions of internet sources and spot plagiarism.
It provides you with a report that includes a plagiarism score and both exact matches and near matches to other existing text.
It highlights the latter using its ColorGrade™ feedback feature, which uses different colors to highlight exact match copy vs. “fuzzy” matches (or close matches) – a valuable tool for spotting plagiarism that might have otherwise flown under the radar.
It also offers a “Cite Source” feature, which helps you produce citations across Chicago, MLA, and APA formats.
Cost
Free version available, which includes up to 500 words, a website citation generator, and a citation assistant.
Paid tiers start at $8.80/month, which includes 100,000 words per month and a range of other advanced features.
11. PlagTracker
Screenshot from Plagtracker.com, June 2024
PlagTracker is an online, web-based plagiarism detector that bills itself as “the most accurate plagiarism checking service.” The tool lists students, teachers, publishers, and site owners as its intended users, and it checks text against over 14 billion webpages and “more than 20 million academic works.”
Using PlagTracker is pretty straightforward. Users upload a document into the tool, which scans it and then returns a detailed report that shows what percentage of their document is plagiarized and highlights specific sections with sources.
It supports multiple languages –English, German, French, Romanian, Spanish, and Italian – making it a versatile tool. PlagTracker has a 5,000-word limit for free users, though you can pay for a Premium membership for unlimited access.
Cost
Free version is available with a 5,000-word limit.
Premium subscription starts at $7.49/month for unlimited volume and other advanced features.
The Best Plagiarism Detection Tools On The Market
And there you have it: Copyscape is by no means the only option for plagiarism detection tools.
Those listed above are great alternatives that cater to a wide range of use cases, whether you’re looking for a cheap and easy solution or an all-in-one AI-powered writing assistant.
If you’re a content creator of any kind, you must produce work that’s original and unique – and these tools can help you do just that.
Avoiding plagiarism will protect your credibility and reputation and ultimately drive more traffic to your website. Not to mention, it’ll keep you out of trouble.
This post was sponsored by SOCi. The opinions expressed in this article are the sponsor’s own.
As a marketer, you may feel like the ground is shifting under your feet with so many changes in the world of search. From Google’s recent announcement to release AI Overviews to all U.S. users to OpenAI revealing GPT-4o, there’s a lot to keep up with.
How will these changes impact your search efforts? Do you need to shift your search strategy?
We have the answers for you and more!
In this blog, we’ll explain how search marketing has changed, what this means for your brand, and share tactics to improve your online visibility. At the end, we’ll also introduce our new game-changer for local search management.
Let’s get into it!
The Evolution Of Search Marketing
As search evolves, many marketers are worried about their brand remaining visible online. While AI-generated search experiences are so new, we do know that now isn’t the time to make any drastic changes to your search marketing strategies.
You can test how your brand appears in generative AI (genAI) results (what we’ve dubbed GAIRs), but there’s no reason to sound an alarm — at least not yet.
Today, nearly three-quarters of consumers conduct local searches at least once a week. Similarly, in the U.S., over 800 million monthly searches contain some variation of “near me,” and more than 5 million keywords are related to “near me.”
Focusing on conventional local SEO efforts is the best way for your brand to ensure its visibility in traditional and GAIRs.
Local SEO for businesses with multiple locations involves incorporating a local SEO strategy for each business location. A multi-location SEO strategy, when done correctly, will boost your local search rankings, help you gain local customers, and improve brand awareness.
If your business doesn’t have multiple locations, you can still follow the tactics below to ensure your business is visible to your target audience in your specific area.
5 Ways To Improve Your Online Visibility
Now that you understand how search has evolved and the importance of local SEO, let’s dive into five local SEO tactics your brand can leverage to boost online visibility.
1. Claim & Optimize Local Listings
Local listings are online profiles of local businesses. They appear on search engines, local directories, and platforms like Google, Apple Maps, Yelp, Bing, and Facebook.
To increase your visibility on Google and beyond, your brand must claim local listings across all major local directories and remove duplicate listings.
Additionally, you need consistent and accurate information across all listings. At a minimum, your local listings should include the following information:
Name, address, and phone number (NAP) citations.
Business categories. (Example: Sushi restaurant)
Business hours, especially during holidays and major events
Products and services your business offers.
Links to your website and social media profiles.
Attributes. (Example: Curbside pickup or wheelchair-accessible seating)
A local page, sometimes called a local landing page, is a web page you create for an individual store location or franchisee. It’s similar to local listings but lives on your site rather than an external directory like Yelp or Google.
Your multi-location business might have dozens or hundreds of local pages, each containing specific information about that store and the surrounding area.
Local pages should contain most of the business information found on your local listings. However, they’re also high-conversion pages. Therefore, they should also contain calls to action (CTAs) such as “order now” buttons or promotional sales and discounts.
Well-designed and optimized local pages can help your business appear high in local organic search results. As mentioned, these higher rankings often lead to more conversions and business for your stores!
3. Leverage A Store Locator
Store locators are similar to local pages. A store locator is a web page that lists all of your local stores or third-party dealers that sell your products.
Store locators help move website visitors through the customer journey by displaying valuable location information and unique details about each store. They make it easier for customers to purchase online and to contact or visit local stores.
Well-optimized and compatible store locators and local pages will help improve:
Local search rankings.
Website traffic and online conversions.
Analytics, such as where visitors are searching and coming from.
4. Implement An Online Reputation Management Strategy
While reputation management might not be something you’d consider when you think of improving your online visibility, you’d be surprised. According to local SEO experts, high numerical Google ratings are the sixth highest ranking factor in Google’s local pack and finder. At the same time, the quantity of native Google reviews (with text) is the eighth ranking factor.
A high quantity and quality of reviews don’t just affect local search rankings — they also impact conversion rates. According to our State of Google Reviews research report, an increase in one full star on a Google Business Profile (GBP) corresponds with a 44% increase in conversions.
To improve your reputation management strategy and gain more reviews:
Respond to existing reviews in a personalized manner to show customers you value their feedback.
Utilize social media to encourage customer feedback, ratings, and reviews.
Make leaving a review accessible! Include links to your GBP on your website and in emails.
Monitor the feedback that your business receives from reviews and make adjustments accordingly.
5. Create Unique Content
Generating localized content for your local pages, website, and listings is also essential. You want to ensure that your localized content optimizes and targets specific areas.
For instance, if you’re targeting the keyword “sporting goods store Seattle,” you want to update your URL, title tag, meta description, and headings with locally relevant keywords.
You should also leverage local images, including photos of your stores and products. Remember to include geo-targeted meta descriptions, alternative text, and descriptions within your images.
Types of local content your brand can create include but are not limited to:
Now that you understand what goes into creating a solid local search strategy, it’s time to boost your brand’s visibility. As marketers, you get how crucial search marketing is, but let’s be real, coming up with a plan to roll it out on a big scale is easier said than done.
That’s where SOCi comes in! We’ve built SOCi for more than a decade to ensure multi-location businesses rank well on local search and social media platforms, can create engaging content, and have the ability to manage each location’s online reputation.
We’ve enhanced our CoMarketing Cloud with SOCi Genius, an AI automation layer to help automate all of your daily localized marketing tasks. As part of SOCi Genius, we recently released Genius Search, a game-changer in search marketing!
As the newest innovation within the CoMarketing Cloud, Genius Search transcends traditional listings management by offering a dynamic, data-driven local search strategy that aligns with evolving consumer behaviors and market trends.
Genius Search uses the top data signals, such as reviews, search keywords and volume, weather, holidays, and others to deliver monthly AI-powered recommendations that can be accepted with the click of a button. Once accepted, these optimizations instantly improve your business listings’ rankings to directly relate to each location’s community.
It’s time to level up your local search strategy, and SOCi is here to help. Request a personalized demo today for more insight on Genius Search and our other Genius products!
Ready to start optimizing your website? Sign up for SOCi and get the data you need to deliver great user experiences.
Google’s latest update aimed to improve search result quality by reducing unhelpful, unoriginal content by 40%.
So, what kind of content does Google deem high quality these days?
How can you ensure your content performs well on search engines in 2024?
The simple answer is to focus on user experience rather than the search engine itself – in other words: make human connection the priority.
While many businesses are taking advantage of AI tools to populate their sites, those who still see the value in human-created, user-centric content will ultimately win out.
In this guide, we’ll break down the key steps to creating high-quality content that ranks on Google in 2024.
Step 1: Align Your Content Strategy With Campaign & User Journey Goals
Delivering the right content to the right audience at the right time is crucial for SEO success.
And with Google’s latest core update, it’s more important than ever to provide a seamless and personalized experience for your audience throughout their user journey.
Here’s how you can use audience research and user insights to create content that drives results:
Identify Your Target Personas: Start by defining your ideal audience personas. Understand their demographics, preferences, pain points, and behaviors.
Map Out Your User Journey: Visualize the various stages your customers go through, and identify the touchpoints where they interact with your brand.
Tailor Your Content To Each Stage: Meet your audience at each stage of the user journey, and address their specific needs with content that’s relevant, targeted, and effective.
Pro Tip: Don’t have the time or bandwidth to tackle these tasks? You can still move your business forward by hiring a professional SEO strategist to help plan your campaigns and keep you on track.
Image created by Fiverr Pro, April 2024
Step 2: Analyze Real User Data & Identify Content Gaps
As you’re building your content strategy, you’ll need insights into your audience’s behavior, preferences, and engagement patterns.
Utilize analytics tools to gather valuable user data and track key metrics such as website traffic, click-through rates, and conversion rates.
With this information, you can conduct a thorough audit of your existing content and identify gaps and areas for improvement.
Here’s how you can adjust your strategy to a more user-centric approach:
Build credibility by honing in on E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness).
Try leveraging real experts as content creators, elevating their first-hand experience to create truly helpful content from a trustworthy source. (This is particularly helpful for subjects such as finance or medicine.)
Be sure to display the writer as an experienced, authoritative figure in your post, with a link to an author archive page.
Maintain relevance by keeping your content up to date and checking frequently for possible revamps.
Get started by outsourcing your audience research and content auditing needs to a Fiverr Pro freelancer.
Step 3: Plan Content That Matches User Intent
Once you gain a deeper understanding of your customer touchpoints, it’s time to plan your content accordingly.
Start by developing detailed outlines for each piece of content that match user intent and meet their needs and expectations.
“Understanding and aligning content with user intent is crucial for SEO success. With Google’s algorithm updates, it’s essential to create content that is not only helpful but also answers specific questions your target audience has. Focus on crafting content that resonates with your audience, addresses their needs, and communicates your message clearly, while ensuring it’s relevant, engaging, and directly addresses the concerns and interests of your readers.”
It’s also important to establish your own unique voice, as authentic and original content tends to rank higher on SERPS.
And make sure to avoid fluff and keep your content to the point – searchers want to see their questions answered and needs addressed with as little fuss as possible.
If content is not exactly your specialty but you’re ready to start laying out the process, try Fiverr Pro’s professional services to get the help you need.
Image created by Fiverr Pro, April 2024
Step 4: Write Content With Proactive Engagement In Mind
When you create content, the goal is to encourage interaction, discussion, and sharing among users, which boosts your brand awareness organically.
One effective strategy is to craft compelling headlines, introductions, and calls-to-action that prompt users to engage with your content.
You can also use interactive elements such as polls, quizzes, and surveys to encourage participation and feedback.
If you’re looking to maximize user engagement, a multichannel approach is key.
Choose the most appropriate content formats and channels for each stage of the user journey, and consider using blog posts, social media, email campaigns, etc. based on where your audience is most active.
Pro Tip: User Generated Content (UGC) can be beneficial for your overall search strategy. With Google favoring human insights, comment sections and other forms of human interactions are helpful for discoverability.
Ready to start getting the most out of your content and utilizing the multitude of channels available?
Whether you need a social media manager or an email marketer, Fiverr Pro has you covered.
Step 5: Analyze Performance & Pivot
Once you’ve implemented your content strategy, it’s essential to regularly monitor its performance and be prepared to make adjustments as needed.
Keep an eye on key performance indicators (KPIs) to gauge the effectiveness of your content, and pay attention to user feedback and comments to understand how your audience is responding.
Are they finding it helpful and engaging, or are there areas where you could improve?
Take note of any trends or patterns that emerge and use this information to inform future content decisions.
Image created by Fiverr Pro, April 2024
Embracing Human Talent In The AI Era
The human touch is essential to SEO success in today’s landscape, and Google’s latest update supports that.
As it stands, content that’s created for and by humans will outperform generic, AI-generated content every time.
So if you’re looking to set your website apart, it’s best to pivot away from sheer search volume and more towards what will resonate deeply with your target audience.
After all, the more value you provide to users, the more likely you are to beat the algorithm and boost your rankings.
But let’s say you’re a small business owner with a small team and limited hiring capacity.
How do you compete with organizations that have the in-house expertise necessary to implement this kind of content strategy?
How can you access the human talent needed to form genuine connections with your audience?
Whether you’re seeking an SEO professional to help you target your users, or a writer/artist to help you create content, it might help to start bringing on freelancers to fill in any talent gaps.
Fiverr Pro, for example, is a great solution for matching and collaborating with top-tier, pre-vetted freelance talent.
You can use it to find people with the right set of skills to help you execute your projects and add that much-needed human touch to your content.
In the meantime, use these tips to build out your content strategy, so that as you begin to expand your team, you’ll know which tasks to prioritize, moving forward.
Elevate Your Content Strategy With Fiverr Pro
With Google’s updates constantly shaking things up, the key to staying ahead is staying true to your audience and their needs.
While AI may be able to churn out content at lightning speed, it’s the authentic, user-centric content that truly stands out these days.
By creating content that connects with real people on a human level, you can ensure sustained SEO success in 2024 and beyond.
So if you’re looking for the right talent to bring that human touch to your content, Fiverr Pro is the ultimate solution.
Whether you’re a small business owner or a seasoned marketer, this subscription-free service offers a wealth of talented, pre-vetted professionals ready to elevate your content strategy.
Get started with Fiverr Pro today and let their experts find talent, plan, and manage projects for you.
Plus, you can hire with confidence, knowing that you’ll get a full refund if you’re not satisfied with the results.
The information in this article is not intended to and does not constitute legal advice. Only your attorney or your organization’s counsel can provide assurances that the information contained herein – and your interpretation of it – is applicable or appropriate to your particular situation.
Images are an essential component of online content – and it’s obvious why. Images aren’t just pretty—they’re powerful marketing tools that help you stand out.
They pique your audience’s attention, enhance your messaging, and significantly enhance the appeal and effectiveness of your content.
Whether you’re creating a social media post, a webpage, an ebook, a blog post, or something else, adding visuals goes a long way in improving the overall user experience.
However, you can’t just pull images off the internet and use them – and it’s your responsibility to determine if and how you can use the image without breaking the law.
If you violate copyright law – even accidentally – you can face serious consequences. Many online platforms, such as Google and YouTube, have copyright policies that streamline copyright claims and enforcement actions. Often, a minor violation will result in receiving a DMCA notice and the content being removed or demonetized. However, if a violation is egregious or impactful enough, you could face heavier consequences such as hefty fines, court trials, and, in extreme cases, even jail time.
In this article, we’ll explore how you can navigate these murky waters to ensure that you’re using images impactfully and legally online.
What Is Copyright Law?
Copyright law is complex and dynamic, and it requires a careful approach to using images online – especially in the wake of tech advancements like generative AI.
Every image – whether you find it on Google, social media, or a stock photo site – gains copyright as soon as it’s created, and it’s up to you to discern whether or not you have the legal right to use it.
Copyright is designed to protect the creative works of authors, photographers, artists, and other creators. It gives them the exclusive rights to use, distribute, and modify their creations.
Without such laws, creators would have few defenses against individuals and corporations alike simply stealing their work and using it for whatever purposes they desire.
And while the foundational principle of copyright remains unchanged, the landscape around these laws is always evolving.
A recent example of this is the CASE Act of 2020, which created a small claims solution to make it easier for creatives to make copyright complaints without the need for long, expensive legal battles.
This goes to show how important it is to understand and respect copyright law, as its goal is to balance the interests of creators with the need for the public to have access to creative works.
What Is Fair Use?
Another thing you should be familiar with if using images online is the fair use doctrine.
The doctrine of fair use is a legal principle in U.S. copyright law that allows limited use of copyrighted work without requiring permission in certain cases and circumstances. Some of these cases include commentary, criticism, news reporting, or educational purposes.
“Transformative” use of an image can also constitute fair use – which means altering the original visual in such a way that it takes on a new meaning, message, or expression and can include parody.
A search engine showing an image you searched for is an example of fair use.
Teachers and news organizations also have certain protections under fair use for how they use copyrighted material.
Fair use is very nuanced, but the main factors involved in determining whether something is fair use are:
The purpose and character of the use: Do you want to use the image for commercial or non-commercial purposes? Are you a non-profit organization, a customer packaged goods (CPG) brand, or a journalistic organization?
The nature of the copyrighted work: Is it a photograph or an art piece?
The amount and substantiality of the portion used: Are you using a small piece of the work or all of it? Is what you’re using considered the “heart” of the image or whatever it represents?
The effect of the use on the potential market: By using this image, are you potentially negatively impacting the market value of the original?
Given all of these factors, you should carefully consider whether fair use might apply to an image you would like to use online.
Fair use is not guaranteed protection and you may want to consult your general counsel before relying on it. If a policy for using copyrighted works doesn’t already exist in your organization (for example, editorial guidelines for a news organization) and the stakes of using a copyrighted work don’t necessitate the expense of consulting a lawyer, then you should not use content you don’t have explicit rights to.
General Guidelines For Using Images Online
As we’ve already established, anybody using images online has a responsibility to abide by copyright laws in order to avoid legal issues.
As part of this, you should understand that even if images online seem “free,” they might have hidden restrictions based on how they’re used, where they’re shared, and the purpose of using them.
When using images online – especially for commercial/marketing purposes – you should always:
Obtain proper licenses or permissions where required. As part of this, make sure to get signed releases for any images using trademarks, logos, identifiable people, or other private entities.
Respect any terms of use associated with said images.
Be careful when making fair use determinations. If you’re unsure, seek legal advice.
When in doubt, seek permission directly from the copyright owner. This is the safest way to use an image, and we would recommend taking this path whenever possible.
And, of course, ensure you stay informed on the latest developments in copyright law, especially as it pertains to your own activity.
Now, let’s get more specific on the types of images you can use online, and best practices for how to put them to use (or not).
1. Public Domain Images (a.k.a. ‘No Copyright’ Images)
Images in the public domain are free to use without any copyright restrictions.
This is because one of the following things is true:
The copyright has expired.
The work never had a copyright, to begin with.
The copyright holder released the work into the public domain, thereby waiving their right to copyright.
The image is a U.S. work published before January 1, 1929.
That last bullet is why you’ll often hear about certain works “entering the public domain” each year.
Generally, public domain images don’t require citation or permissions, making them a very useful resource when you’re looking for easy-to-use visuals.
But be careful; make sure you verify that the image is indeed in the public domain before using it.
Copyright-free images will have the Public Domain Mark 1.0 or the CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Mark, and you can obtain them on sites like Wikimedia Commons and Flickr Commons.
2. Creative Commons Images
Another great (and free) source of visuals is images with Creative Commons licenses.
Creative Commons is a non-profit organization that provides licenses allowing creators to make their works available to the public while retaining some control over their use.
This means, images under Creative Commons licenses are available for use, but with specific conditions based on the license type.
While some licenses allow for commercial use and even modifications to the original image, others do not – and often, you’re required to provide attribution for the original creator.
There are six different types of Creative Commons licenses that range in terms of how permissive they are and their requirements – but for marketing purposes, they essentially fall into two categories:
Those that allow commercial use.
Those that don’t.
Commercial use is defined as use that is “primarily intended for commercial advantage or monetary compensation.”
That compensation, however, can be direct or indirect. So, if you’re using an image in a blog post or on a webpage affiliated with a for-profit company, the use is considered commercial. This would also apply to social media content.
To that end, we would recommend only using Creative Commons photos that are allowed for commercial use – especially if you work for a for-profit company.
Beyond that, photos with a CC license can have other stipulations you must adhere to, including:
Attribution: This license lets others distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon the creator’s work as long as they credit the creator for the original creation.
Attribution-ShareAlike: This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon the creator’s work as long as they credit the creator and license their new creations under the identical terms.
Attribution-No Derivatives: This license allows for the redistribution of an image as long as the image remains unchanged and is credited to the creator.
As you search through the Creative Commons website, you can filter your search to find images that can be used commercially and/or modified.
3. Stock Photos
Stock photos have long been a favored image resource for marketers, and it’s not hard to see why. They’re a high-quality, convenient solution that often caters to commercial use cases.
Stock photo websites give you access to a massive offering of professional quality images that address almost any need or situation you can think of.
Creators can partner with stock photo companies to license their works to anyone willing to pay their licensing fee.
Buying a license for a stock photo (or paying for a subscription to the stock photo service itself) gives you free rein to use the photo in any way prescribed by the licensing agreement.
That last part is important. Stock photos still come with stipulations, and there are different licenses that apply to different images. These include, among others:
Royalty-Free (RF) – The most common license type, this gives you the ability to use the photo multiple times across different platforms with just one initial purchase.
Rights-Managed (RM) – With this license, you get more specific usage rights based on the duration, geography, and how you’re distributing the image. Typically more expensive than RF, but it can be possible to secure exclusivity, meaning you’re the only one who can use that image in that way for a specific period.
Editorial Use – This license applies to images that are intended solely for journalistic or newsworthy purposes – not commercial use. So, while a writer could use this photo for a newsletter or a blog, a brand could not use it for a Facebook ad, or a corporate homepage. This is typically reserved for images that feature recognizable products or brands, celebrities, events, etc.
Stock photos are a great option for using images online – just be sure to always read the licensing agreement thoroughly.
4. Your Own Images
As far as using images legally online, this is always going to be your best option.
Creating your own images is a straightforward and simple way to avoid copyright infringement and ensure you’re not upsetting any creators out there.
If you’re the photographer, then there’s no danger of violating any copyright – because you own it. You have the flexibility to use the image as you wish, alter it, and distribute it anywhere, for as long as you like.
Plus, the photos will be entirely original, which can go a long way in engaging your audience and setting you apart from the crowd.
Don’t have a fancy camera on hand? Don’t worry. Thanks to advances in smartphone camera technology and accessible photo editing apps and software, you can easily create high-quality photography without spending a bunch of money on a DSLR.
To make your pictures look professional, make sure to consider lighting and background framing.
Alternatively, you could hire outside help like a photographer or designer – just make sure the contract grants you exclusive rights to ownership, use, and distribution of the photos.
And don’t forget to get signed releases from any individuals who might appear in your images.
5. Social Media Images (Only With Permission)
If you’re looking for compelling visual content, chances are you’re looking at social media. With a wealth of imagery to choose from, social media presents tempting opportunities for marketers looking to spiff up their brand messaging.
But beware: Images posted on social media platforms are copyrighted by the original creator who uploaded them – and they require permission from that owner to be legally used.
It’s vital to act responsibly and secure explicit consent from creators if you plan to use their content.
Giving credit to the original owner via a tag or comment is also best practice – and while some consider that to be enough, I recommend always seeking explicit permission first, especially as a brand.
If you use social media content without permission, it could result in legal action – and the legal fees and final judgment could be crippling.
Always err on the side of caution, and research the terms and conditions of the platform you’re using.
Let’s say you have a customer who posted an amazing image of your product on Instagram, and you’d like to use it – sending a simple direct message (or leaving a comment) asking for permission is quick and easy and will protect you – and chances are you’ll get a yes.
It’s worth noting that using native tools to reshare images in-platform is typically okay. That means that you can go ahead and retweet something, or share a photo to your Instagram Story that tagged your brand, just make sure to credit the creator.
Similarly, remixes and duets on platforms like TikTok are more flexible, as the creator implicitly gives permission for their content to be adapted when they enable those features.
But remain mindful of the content itself, the terms of the platform, and the intentions of the original creator.
Now, you can use tools like DALL-E, Midjourney, and ChatGPT to create visual content using only a simple prompt – and this brings up a lot of questions (and debates) around the legality, copyright, and authorship of AI-created content.
There’s no crystal clear answer for you here. This is an issue that is actively evolving, and regulations and policies are certain to keep developing.
[Editor’s note:] SEJ does not recommend publishing content outputs from generative AI models, including images. Some platforms may offer liability protection, such as Shutterstock, which trains a specific model on proprietary images. But always read the fine print, understand how the models are trained, and consult a legal professional.
But while GIFs abound throughout online content, that doesn’t mean their use is legal. In reality, it’s a confusing landscape without clear guidelines.
For one thing, it can be argued that GIFs fall under the doctrine of fair use, which I covered above.
You could claim GIFs are used for commentary, criticism, or parody.
You could also argue that GIFs are a “transformative” use of the original work, as a brief, looping clip of something is not representative of the entire piece of content – and, therefore, doesn’t undermine the value of the work as a whole.
Still, this does not constitute blanket permission.
Technically, if you wanted to be operating entirely without risk, you would need written releases from the copyright holder of the original work and the people who appear in the GIF. That sounds like a lot of effort for something that will probably amount to a dead end.
You could get away with it, but why risk it?
Our official recommendation is to simply avoid using GIFs. That way, you can avoid the possibility of getting slapped with a cease and desist order – or worse.
That said, if you insist on using GIFs, here are a few quick tips:
Create your own GIFs from content you own or have permission to use. With some simple design work, or help from online tools, you can convert your existing content into custom GIFs that you can use to your heart’s content. This is the only way I would confidently recommend leveraging GIFs in your marketing.
Understand copyright law and fair use. Before deciding to use a GIF, consider the four factors of fair use – purpose and character of the use, nature of the copyrighted work, amount and substantiality of the portion used, and the effect of the use on the potential market for the copyrighted work.
Source from reputable platforms. Some platforms like Giphy have existing licensing agreements with content creators and copyright owners, making their GIF libraries generally safe to use. However, you should still review each platform’s terms of use and licensing agreements before making the call.
Proceed at your own risk.
In Summary
Images are an essential part of online content.
As such, marketers will inevitably need to use them in their digital marketing efforts – and it’s important to understand how to do so legally and responsibly.
By keeping yourself informed on the latest legal developments, developing an understanding of copyright licenses, and practicing due diligence before leveraging images online, you can create compelling and engaging visual content without the risk.
If you need a refresher first, let’s look at what a webinar actually is.
What Is a Webinar?
As you may have guessed (or already know), a webinar is an online seminar.
It has all the necessary elements of a seminar: a moderator, a presenter who is an expert on their topic, a slide deck or other visual media, and an audience.
The main difference between webinars and online videos is that webinars offer live interaction between the presenter and the audience through live chats, interactive Q&As, and even video chats with attendees.
Why You Should Use Webinars
So, you’ve never run a webinar before – why should you start now?
Here are five reasons.
Your ideal audience can be found anywhere in the world. No plane tickets, no booking a room. You can engage with new and existing audiences no matter their location.
You can interface with your audience directly and in a more interactive way. You don’t have to wait to catch up with interested audience members after the presentation. You can respond to their questions and see what their focus is live on air, thanks to a moderated chat and Q&A.
You establish yourself as a thought leader in your space. By hosting a free webinar that’s powerful and enticing, your audience will believe your paid content must be even better. (Conversions!)
You gain tons of qualified leads. Registering for a webinar requires email addresses, and since they’re expressing interest in your webinar, you can count on qualified leads.
You gain a huge source of evergreen content. The live webinar is only the beginning. With some extra work after, you can repurpose it into blogs, video content, infographics, and more.
What Do You Need For a Webinar?
To present a webinar, you’ll need a few elements working together:
An online webinar application, like BigMarker or GoToWebinar, to have a place for your audience to watch the hosted webinar.
A compelling slideshow presentation or other visual media designed to educate and entice.
An expert or thought leader in your field to present the information and field questions from the audience.
A good headset or microphone, with a high-quality camera for the presenter.
You also should build a promotional schedule in advance to ensure your audience is aware of your webinar with plenty of lead time before the presentation. This should include:
A landing page detailing what the webinar will present, along with a form for registering.
Social media posts hyping up the upcoming webinar.
A blog post or other similar content pointing to the landing page and elaborating on what the audience can expect.
We’ll go into more detail on these elements below.
Ready to create a webinar that stands out above the rest? Use these 41 tips when crafting your next webinar.
41 Tips Only The Greatest Webinar Hosts Know
Worried about being ignored or abandoned by your audience? Follow these tips to make sure it doesn’t happen.
Webinar Strategy
1. Know Your Attendees
Ask yourself:
Who will be attending?
What challenges/problems are they facing?
What are their goals?
Answering these questions will help you plan a webinar that’s laser-focused on improving your attendees’ lives.
For instance, Teachable does a great job with its webinars because it knows that its audience:
Is composed of people dreaming of creating their own profitable online courses…
…but don’t know where to start.
Screenshot from teachable.com, February 2024
2. Think About Visual Branding
Be consistent and try to align everything with your brand’s visual tone.
For example, be sure to insert your logo where it makes sense, such as the opening animation or the main slides.
You also need to use fonts, colors, and other visual elements that match your brand’s overall style. These small details are essential to creating a cohesive experience for your webinar attendees.
Also, they’ll make your brand more recognizable, especially if you utilize the same visual style in your other content.
For example, check out how Search Engine Journal links its promotional image to its branding style.
Screenshot from searcenginejournal.com, February 2024
3. Keep Mobile In Mind
Not everyone who views your webinar will do so on a desktop computer.
25% of webinar viewers prefer mobile over desktop, so it’s important to ensure they’re taken care of during the webinar.
Choose a webinar platform that supports mobile. A great example is ClickMeeting. (You can download its app if you want to run the webinar on your phone.)
Screenshot from ClickMeeting Webinar app via Google Play Store, February 2024
4. Offer Your Products Or Services As An Add-On
Offering your product in the middle of a webinar won’t turn the whole thing into an ad.
As long as your webinar delivers everything it promises, your audience should be more receptive to whatever you pitch.
There are only two things you need to remember:
The rest of the advice presented in the webinar should still be useful with or without your product.
Make sure to present the product when it makes sense.
5. Consider A Paid Webinar Series
Webinar marketing can be costly. A paid webinar series could pay for itself.
Asking attendees to pay for a webinar raises their expectations that the quality will be top-shelf. Make sure you deliver on that promise.
Once you’re confident in the value and quality you can provide, consider producing a paid webinar series for extra income.
Just remember to wait until you’re absolutely sure your target audience is willing to pay for your webinar content.
Test different price points until you find one that’s right for your audience.
While a paid model might keep your numbers down, you will likely get a more engaged audience.
Webinar Planning & Preparation
6. Get Help
Hosting a webinar by yourself is possible, but it can drive you crazy.
To avoid this, consider getting someone (or a team) to work with you to make sure things go smoothly – from the planning and the promotion to the webinar itself and everything that follows.
They don’t necessarily have to be knowledgeable about the webinar topic, but they should be able to troubleshoot issues and moderate interactions with attendees. (An assistant who knows about webinar equipment and software is great.)
So, you need to make sure you are offering topics they find interesting.
One of your goals is to demonstrate your authority as an information source. You must show that you know your stuff and that you’re in tune with what’s going on in your space.
For a powerful webinar, you need to narrow it down to a specific topic that will be informative to your target audience.
For example, a webinar about content marketing would be a broad and vague topic to discuss in a webinar.
Instead, try to pick one area of content marketing, such as visual content. This will help you plan the webinar more efficiently and stay focused on a topic.
Here are five ways you can find a webinar topic your audience will be interested in:
Search Google Analytics for top traffic pages: You can pick a topic by seeing what content is being discussed and shared the most on your site.
Ask sales or your social team: Ask your team members what topics they discuss with customers daily. These may be areas where more information may be needed.
Poll your audience: You can also ask your audience directly for topics they would find useful.
Competition:Look at your competitors to see if there are any topics or ideas you can adapt and make your own.
8. Write An Attention-Grabbing Title
Your webinar’s title is your first interaction with your audience.
When they see it, they’ll decide whether to sign up.
This means the first step toward crafting a magnetizing title is to know your audience and their pain points.
For instance, you learn that your audience struggles to find share-worthy topics to write about in their blog.
To excite their interest, give your webinar a title like this.
Screenshot from searcenginejournal.com, February 2024
Remember:
Don’t be too fancy. Simply identify your audience’s problem and craft a title that promises to solve it.
Use power-punching words. “Fill” and “ease” spark up your audience’s imagination. Think about how much less engagement you’d get with a title like “Know What to Write About.”
Never be misleading. Your title shouldn’t make promises your webinar content can’t keep.
9. Find A Great Speaker
You can either use speakers from within your company or industry experts or influencers.
Regardless of your route, the key is making sure the speaker has the proper knowledge and experience to talk about the topic of your webinar.
Your speakers should be credible and demonstrate authority.
If your webinar is sponsored, and the sponsor will choose or provide the speaker, make sure to maintain editorial control.
Insist on an executive or subject matter expert who knows the topic well and is a polished presenter.
Work together to define a topic that balances the sponsor’s messaging with the needs of your audience.
Wednesday and Thursday emerge as the strong days for holding webinars; the optimal day ultimately depends on your goals and audience.
10 a.m. GMT is the best time for webinars.
Remember to keep time zones in mind. If you’re based on the West Coast, then starting a webinar at 6 p.m. PT is probably too late for attendees living on the East Coast.
11. Decide On Your Webinar Format
Once you know what topic you want to cover, break it down into more specific topics and plan the webinar formats you will use.
Here are some of the most popular formats you should consider:
Single expert presenter: One expert shares their insights or tips.
Dual presenters: Instead of just one presenter, you have two presenters. This helps engage and educate the audience and may allow you to share more information.
Panel: Like a live panel, you could host a group of experts discussing a specific topic.
Q&A webinar: A Q&A webinar is a great opportunity to maximize the engagement of attendees. An expert (or a panel) simply answers the questions asked by your audience via chat or social media.
Interview webinar: Having a popular influencer as a guest speaker is a great way to boost attendance and build your authority. You just need to be up for the extra work of influencer outreach, which can be time-consuming and tedious.
Product demonstration: If the goal of your webinar is to promote a product, then you can choose the product demonstration or tutorial format.
Test different formats until you find the one that works best for your audience – then stick to it.
You can also do a mix of formats. For example, you could have a mix of a single expert presenter and Q&A.
12. Do A Dry Run
Before the day of the presentation, get everyone together to do a dry run of the webinar, acting as if it were the real thing.
Ensure all the equipment is working properly, the slides are all in order, and the speakers know what they’re doing.
Remember, things will go wrong on a dry run.
Every.
Single.
Time.
(I’m saying this from experience.)
To avoid glitches and embarrassing gaffes during the webinar, conduct a complete “dress rehearsal” a few days before going live.
13. Document Your Webinar Process
You may need to craft dozens or even hundreds of webinars to reap the full benefits of this amazing marketing tool.
That’s why you need to document your entire process.
Doing so will streamline your webinar production in the future.
Create an editorial calendar where topics, speakers, and dates are tracked and planned weeks in advance.
Also, list every task and to-do item for every stage of your webinar so nothing gets forgotten.
Make sure to keep separate records for different webinar formats.
Over time, you’ll be able to identify what works, what doesn’t, and what you can do to fine-tune your process.
Technical Requirements
14. Choose The Right Webinar Platform
Worried that technical problems will lead to poor feedback and ratings?
You don’t have to be – once you pick the right webinar platform.
Here are four questions to ask when selecting one:
Does it fit your budget?
Does it include the features you need, such as the ability to offer surveys?
How many attendees does it allow?
Can you record?
Search Engine Journal uses BigMarker as the webinar platform for its SEJ Webinar series. Its easy interface allows for a seamless user experience.
It is also easy to schedule and configure the settings of each webinar.
BigMarker also provides automated polls, the ability to load supplemental handouts, and follow-up emails to promote attendee engagement.
It also has chat capabilities that allow for more engagement and a live Q&A function that allows the audience to upvote their favorite questions.
The webinar reports generated by BigMarker are segregated by what metrics you wish to see – whether it’s about attendance, registration, performance, a poll, Q&A questions, or just the overall webinar analytics.
It gives a good measure of what you did well and what else you can improve on.
Other webinar platform options include:
Zoom.
Demio.
EasyWebinar.
WebinarNinja.
Webinar Jam.
GoToWebinar.
15. Invest In A Great Headset Or Microphone
You don’t want your audience to be straining just to catch every word you say.
You want them to sit back comfortably as they listen to your crystal-clear voice.
To achieve this, stop using your laptop’s built-in mic for webinars.
Upgrade to a high-quality headset or microphone. You’ll notice the difference in no time.
This doesn’t mean you need to shell out $500. You can get excellent microphones for under a hundred dollars if you know where to look.
Now imagine this: getting kicked out of your own webinar!
Yup, this can happen if you have an unstable internet connection.
To avoid the embarrassment of this webinar gaffe, test your internet connection first.
Remember, this is true for both the host and the presenter.
17. Test Your Gear
Be careful not to overlook the basic stuff.
Make sure you are equipped to deliver a high-quality webinar that people will remember.
The best way is to set up a test webinar including every feature you wish to use, starting with your audio and video recording equipment.
You don’t need to have an elaborate plan. Just record a test clip and ask for someone’s opinion regarding your sound, video quality, or any other elements your audience will notice.
If you use a particular webinar platform, familiarize yourself with all its useful features (e.g., interactive features like polls that can help you improve engagement).
On the day of the webinar, be ready 10 to 15 minutes early to ensure you’re prepared and that all of your gear is working.
Bonus tip: Never use new equipment on the day of the webinar. Use the equipment you’re familiar with so that if there is a problem, you can troubleshoot.
18. Eliminate Any Potential Sources Of Noise
Here’s a short checklist of the things you should do right before the webinar to prevent any distracting noises:
Mute every other device that isn’t necessary for the webinar.
Inspect your room for anything that produces noise.
Make sure your webinar area is inaccessible to pets and children.
Close applications running in the background of your computer.
Marketing Your Webinar
19. Create A Webinar Landing Page
Don’t forget to create a landing page for your webinar.
Use this page to drive registrations and provide important information, including:
The topic.
Speaker information.
Date and time.
What attendees will learn.
Remember, you don’t need to get super fancy.
A simple page like this will work.
Screenshot from searcneginejournal.com, February 2024
20. Write A Blog Post About Your Webinar
Write a blog post to help promote the webinar in advance.
Even if you don’t have a huge blog following, you can share this on social and email.
21. Promote Your Webinar On Social Media
Promoting your webinar on social media is one of the best ways to boost attendance.
Naturally, you need to promote your webinar through your existing social media channels, but you should also leverage the power of hashtags.
A branded hashtag can also work well as an interaction tool during your webinar.
For example, you can have a contest requiring viewers to tweet using a specific hashtag. The winner can then be chosen live by performing a quick hashtag search.
A more straightforward strategy, however, is simply encouraging attendees to use your hashtag when asking questions or discussing the webinar.
Not only will this strategy heighten the audience’s sense of involvement, but it will also further extend your brand’s social reach – introducing more people to your brand as a result.
22. Promote Your Webinar Via Email
If you already have an email database, make sure to promote your webinar to your subscribers.
Keep it concise, and make it easy for people to register.
Also, make sure you send out email reminders to people who have already registered for your webinar.
For example, you can email participants one day before the webinar or perhaps one hour before it starts.
Test what works best for you.
Bonus tip: Keep promoting after the webinar is over through all these channels as well, especially any content you publish based on it. You want to squeeze the most value out of your webinar.
23. Promote Your Webinar Via A Pop-Up
Do you say “ewww” whenever you think of pop-ups?
Those don’t work, right?
Wrong.
The top-performing pop-ups have a conversion rate of 9.3%. (Compare that to the average click-through rate of paid display ads – a meager .35%!)
So, no, pop-ups aren’t dead.
It may be that you’re simply doing them wrong.
To turn things around for your webinar invitation pop-ups:
Be clear about what you’re offering (and ensure your audience desires it).
Don’t show your pop-up immediately (show it when your visitor has been on your page for at least 15 seconds).
Be unique and let your brand’s personality shine through.
Here are examples of pop-ups we’ve used in the past.
Screenshot from searcenginejournal.com, February 2024
Screenshot from searchenginejournal.com, February 2024
Tips For Webinar Hosts
24. Start On Time
Your attendees are busy. Don’t waste their time.
If your webinar is scheduled to start at 1 p.m., then make sure that everyone is all ready to go at 1 p.m.
There’s nothing more frustrating than being kept waiting on a hold screen.
You’ll lose attendees – and potential customers, clients, or subscribers.
25. Preparation, Preparation, Preparation
First impressions matter.
When the webinar starts, you set the tone – so you will need to keep everyone engaged by welcoming them.
Know the bios of your speakers so you can introduce them without shuffling through papers or stumbling.
26. Hook Them Quick
You need to capture your audience’s attention immediately.
Remember, it only takes a couple of clicks to leave a webinar.
To keep your audience around:
Avoid banter. People have better things to do, and if you bore them with your childhood story or your favorite ice cream brand (or any unnecessary, irrelevant details), they won’t stick around.
Get straight to the point as soon as you can.
Outline your audience’s pain points…
…and make it clear you’ll solve them by the end of the webinar.
List everything your audience is going to learn.
Show them your enthusiasm and excitement.
27. Have Questions Ready For Q&A
Although attendees will likely ask plenty of questions, it is always a smart idea to have a list of prepared questions ready, just in case the audience isn’t as engaged as you expected.
28. Accept That Things Might Go Wrong
No matter how prepared you are, always remember that some things are out of your hands.
You could lose electricity.
Your WiFi could go down.
Or, your laptop could choose today to die.
Usually, the problems won’t be that dramatic. They’ll be more like hiccups.
But things can – and will – go wrong.
Tips For Webinar Presenters
29. Write A Great Script
Just like any other type of live event, whether it’s a talk show or podcast, a script can do wonders for your webinar.
Your script is essentially your road map.
These notes will keep you on course.
Do you have to pre-plan every word you’re going to say?
No.
But no matter how knowledgeable or passionate you are about a specified topic, trying to present or conduct an interview for an hour can be extremely challenging if it isn’t (at least slightly) scripted.
30. But Don’t Be Afraid To Go Off Script
Preparing a well-written script may be an essential step in webinar planning, but that doesn’t mean you have to follow it to the letter.
Sometimes, you need to go off script and elaborate to keep your audience engaged and entertained.
Always remember that your goal isn’t to go through everything as fast as possible – rather, it should be to convey your message as comprehensively as possible.
31. Practice Your Presentation
There is no such thing as too much rehearsal.
Some people can just “wing it.”
But these typically result in “OK” presentations, not fantastic or memorable webinars.
Whether you’re reading your script word for word, or following cue cards, you need to rehearse in order to inject proper tonality and personality in your words.
If not for that, at least make sure your sounds and slides are working well.
Sounding like a robot is bad. Sounding like someone confident and personable is good.
Your goal is to be remembered.
People typically only remember great speakers.
The rest is quickly forgotten.
32. Develop Visual Slides
What’s the point of using slides in your webinar if they’re only going to contain bulleted lists or lengthy paragraphs?
This is lazy and a mistake.
Some presenters even make it worse by reading what the viewers can clearly see for themselves.
If that’s been your plan all along, then you might as well forget about it – your webinar is probably going to be boring and fail.
When developing your slides, think of more visuals and fewer words.
Getting more visual isn’t too hard to do, as there are plenty of free and affordable design tools available.
33. Use Different Media Formats
Instead of just relying on slides and video of the presenter speaking, use different forms of media.
For example, you could add a video or animation to illustrate your points further.
If you’re demonstrating how a product works, walk the attendees through the process in real time instead of just showing previously taken images.
It breaks up the monotony of the standard webinar and can keep your audience interested.
34. Plan For Interaction
You may think that holding a webinar, which uses video, text, and audio content, is a surefire way to maintain engagement.
But after listening to someone talk for 20 minutes or longer, your audience may get bored or distracted.
To ensure they pay attention up to the end of your webinar, you need to encourage them to participate.
Ask poll questions, provide challenges, and just try to be conversational as you divulge the contents of your webinar.
Fortunately, most webinar platforms provide a handful of interactive tools – the most common of which is a chat area where attendees can communicate freely.
You should have no problem finding a platform with everything you need to carry out your ideas.
35. Are You Inexperienced?
If this is your first webinar – or your first attempt at public speaking – you can expect to be nervous.
It’s perfectly fine. Just about everyone does.
Cracking a joke and acknowledging your nervousness is acceptable, but just don’t let your nerves affect the flow of the webinar.
If you’re ever in doubt, steer the conversation toward the host or another guest speaker to take the lead.
Also, mind your use of pauses to control the pace and learn to prevent fillers like “ummm,” “err,” and so on.
Ultimately, your speaking abilities can only improve with practice.
36. Teach & Sell
You should teach and sell at the same time.
Most people make the mistake of teaching and then selling.
This mistake leads to a very awkward transition when it’s time to make the offer.
Throughout the webinar, you need to teach your audience what to want.
When you get to the offer, your product or service will be exactly what they want!
After The Webinar
37. Offer A Call To Action
Make sure the audience knows what next step you want them to take.
For example, if you want them to download a whitepaper or sign up for a free trial, let them know and provide links in the webinar and the follow-up email.
If you offer something to attendees, make sure it is:
Clear and easy to understand.
Easy to use and saves them either time or money.
A great deal that they can’t get anywhere else. The price should be a no-brainer.
Solves problems.
Only available during the webinar promotion. If they wait, they’ll miss out completely.
Easy to buy.
38. Ask Attendees To Decide On The Next Webinar Topic
How can you keep attendees coming back for more?
Simple – let them decide what the next webinar will be about.
You can run a poll, ask them on social media, or tell them during the webinar to comment on what they want to see next.
This also makes it easier for you to come up with engaging topics.
Giving your attendees a voice and letting them influence the direction of your webinar strategy also builds brand loyalty.
39. Survey Your Attendees
Want to know whether your attendees loved or hated your webinar?
Ask them!
Ask attendees to take a brief survey so they can provide feedback that will help you improve moving forward.
40. Send People More Content
After the event, follow up with participants by sending them additional content. This includes:
People who registered but didn’t show up.
Attendees who left the webinar early.
People who converted.
For example, you could email the participants a full recap blog post, a SlideShare of the webinar, or a link to the video recording.
Remember: Your audience likes to consume content in many different formats, so repurposing content isn’t about being lazy or rehashing the same old thing. It is about creating strong, standalone pieces of content that your audience will find useful.
41. Track Your Results
Some webinar metrics you can track include:
How many people registered?
What were the top sources of registrations?
How many people actually attended?
How much time did they spend watching the webinar?
Summary
As you can see, webinars are a highly effective way to reach your ideal audience with educational content that lasts.
The first step is deciding what your goals are and then choosing a platform and format that meets those needs.
Creating a webinar takes a lot of planning, coordination, and follow-through – from settling on a specified topic and finding an awesome speaker to preparing for the live event.
The topics, content, and speakers should provide true value to your target audience.
This concise yet powerful guide is full of exclusive insights from high-profile experts, while drawing on our own internal expertise in delivering leads across multiple media types.
Here’s a peek at what you’ll find inside:
Using content innovation for lead generation: The oversaturation of content is a big issue in B2B today – and standing out isn’t just a challenge; it’s an art form. In order to elevate your brand and leave a lasting impression, you need the right combination of innovation and strategy. The key is in surprising your audience with content that feels fresh, speaks directly to their needs, and keeps them eagerly awaiting your next move.
Building sustainable and scalable lead programs: Remember, it’s not just about acquiring leads; it’s about making sure they feel valued and guided, and cultivating long-lasting relationships. To build a strong lead program, you must properly qualify and score your leads to determine how to best engage with and nurture them. Be sure to map out your customer journey, tailor your communication, and provide valuable touchpoints at every step to guide your leads from curiosity to commitment.
Mastering the knowledge exchange: Your goal should be to “add value before you extract value” – as Curtis del Principe, Sr. Marketing Manager at Hubspot, puts it. It’s all about crafting a win-win scenario between you and your audience. When you manage to address their biggest pain points and answer their most pressing questions, they willingly share their information in return. Create the kind of content that can captivate, engage, and inspire your leads to action.
Leveraging consumer psychology to forge meaningful connections: At its core, B2B is about humans connecting with humans. Although interactions can sometimes feel transactional, forging genuine connections and building relationships that go beyond the surface is crucial for success in this space. Try to understand why your audience does what they do so you can adjust your content to their unique needs and preferences. Offer value to them upfront and present solutions in a way that resonates with them personally.
This digital handbook is tailored for the B2B marketing professional, whether you work within a specific brand or with an agency.
