Best of the Week: Issue 6

The rapidly changing landscape of marketing and PR is reflected in this edition of our “Best of the Week” series. It includes an article that attempts to define omni-channel marketing — and how it’s changing the way we look at marketing communications — as well an article that shares ways marketing and PR can better coordinate their efforts. It also includes branding advice for authenticity, content design tips, and our most popular tweets from the week.

4 Rules For Making Authentic Brand Claims

In the wake of the Rob Lowe/DirecTV advertising debacle, brand claims need to be more accurate and authentic than ever. Trying to decide what qualifies as “accurate” can leave some marketers in an unnavigable gray area. Branding Strategy shares four rules to live by.
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Quick Tips Video: Using Design to Enhance Your Content

Meaty content with useful knowledge and information always trumps design.

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Re-Imagining the Financial Services Industry, the Millennial Disruption Index, Lender Concerns, and Two UX Optimization Solutions

A lot was written this week about the challenges the financial industry faces, along with insights into how that same troubled industry can be saved with innovative technology and thoughtful design. This week’s “Best of” includes a research study — with more than 10,000 data points — on Millennial perception toward the financial industry, and an article that highlights one major growth problem lenders are dealing with. It also includes two links with useful UX solutions entrepreneurs and innovators in FinTech should understand that will impact acquisition and conversions. Here are our 5 most popular articles for the week:

Why It’s Time To Re-Imagine the Financial Services Industry

Max Levchin brings an interesting perspective to the seemingly archaic approach most major banks have toward technology and innovation.

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B2C Payments 10x Cheaper, the Golden Rules of Objective Product Testing, Paid Traffic Optimization

With more and more B2C payment startups getting traction, Bank Innovation shares their (safe) prediction that the increase in competition and better technologies will drive costs down. Also this week we have a variety of optimization resources, including an article on the 3 key metrics for optimizing paid traffic, an article on the 6 rules of staying objective while analyzing product test results, and more. Here are our 5 most popular articles and resources for the week:

Fintech 1,000: B2C Payments will be 10x cheaper but volumes will increase 10x

B2C eCommerce sales are expected to grow nearly 20%, and B2C payment companies (i.e. Stripe, Square, etc.) are starting to gain serious traction. The reality of these two statements means B2C payment fees will quickly decline. Bank Innovation gives us an inside look at the firms positioned to take advantage of the disruption,

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FinTech Fundings, Tyranny of the MVP, and Google’s Life Saving Tool

The first quarter closed with a flood of funding to the FinTech sector, while intelligent online companies prepare for Google’s April 21st algorithm update by taking advantage of a convenient tool. Also, Jon H. Pittman shares a unique view on the pitfalls of the minimum viable product (MVP!), and Social Media Today gives us an inside look at why video for social media is growing like a weed. Here are our 5 most popular articles and resources of the week:

FinTech Fundings: 14 Companies Raise $133 Million as Q1 Closes

The last week of the quarter closed with $133 million in funding and two acquisitions. Toopher was acquired by Salesforce and ReadyForZero by Avant. The sector remains red hot as deal flow seems to be as healthy as ever.
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The Tyranny of the Minimum Viable Product

It’s normal for trends to get overblown,

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Meerkat v. Periscope, FinTech Sandbox Free Data, and Community Bank Decline

While the twitter-verse got into a heated Meerkat v. Periscope debate, we wonder if mobile live streaming is just another social novelty we’ll soon forget, or a peek into the future of social content? Also, the FinTech Sandbox in Boston officially launched it’s free data for startups program this week, and Bank Innovation pondered the future of community banks. Here are our 5 most popular articles and resources of the week:

Meerkat vs. Periscope Pits Hollywood Against Silicon Valley

Just hours after Meerkat announced the close of its latest funding round, Twitter announced its own live streaming app, Periscope. The news sparked a frenzy of debates, along with an abundance of experimental live-stream sessions. Whether it’s a flash in the pan or not, the two apps have the attention of social media this week.

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FB payments, great UX tools, and the bubble

FinTech dominated the news this week with Facebook’s new peer-to-peer payment app and a proposition from Visa to the startup marketing community. Venture Beat also shed light on the current state of the sector by pondering the question, “Are we in a FinTech Bubble?” Here are our top 5 most popular articles and resources of the week:

Facebook Messenger Rolling Out Mobile Payments. Venmo Scared?

Facebook is one of the first “Big Players’ to enter the peer-to-peer payment space, and many are taking notice. With 500 million Facebook messenger users, the social Goliath is in a good position to dominate peer-to-peer payments.
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Visa Everywhere Aims to Harness the Startup Community

Visa is looking for new ways to drive digital commerce, reach millennials, and increase loyalty rewards.

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