Need a mini-marketing lesson? Google’s got you covered.
Just yesterday, Google rolled out a new iOS app called Primer, a sleek-looking mobile app aimed at teaching startups the fundamentals of online marketing without them having to read thousands of blog posts just to learn the basics.
The app offers mini-lessons on Content Marketing, PR & Media, and Search Advertising, complete with definitions, examples, mini-tactics, and a quiz at the end of each lesson. But don’t worry – the lessons are not at all like your high school Algebra class.
The lessons are designed to be quick: minimal content but maximum value. Each lesson is interactive, visually appealing, and provides useful and actionable tips to help you better understand the basics.
Oh, and it’s pretty snarky too. Just take a look at this screenshot when you first open the app.
Right now, the app is still in its pilot phases, so it only has one lesson in each section. However, the lessons thus far are pretty engaging. Here are the three lessons you can view on Primer so far:
The Content Marketing lesson is all about providing quality.
You follow Esther's story and find out how she uses content marketing to get more customers.
Although creating quality content has always been a thing, it’s one of the biggest buzzwords this year as the thing to do. This lesson defines what content marketing is, the difference between creating content and sharing content, and its value for your business.
I guess Google is pretty tired of spammy content by now, which is probably why the main takeaway for this lesson is how quality content will help you improve your search rankings. It teaches you that creating the right content will help you get found on Google.
And what’s the right content, you ask? Well, it’s whatever your audience wants to read. No longer is content solely about sprinkling your keywords throughout your content like they’re fertilizer meant to help your business grow. It’s about understanding your audience. It’s about knowing what they’re searching for on Google and aligning your content strategy based on what you’re your customers want to read and share online.
The PR & Media lesson is all about branding.
This lesson pushes businesses to figure out their story. Similar to my blog on the importance of storytelling to branding, this Primer lesson emphasizes that good branding is all about conveying a certain emotion in your audience. This requires understanding why you started your business in the first place (hint: the answer is not to make money).
Your unique value proposition is not about what services you provide or how much you cost. It’s about your purpose and your value. How does your business add value to your customers’ lives? Who can your customers become and what can they achieve after purchasing your product? It’s your brand that matters, and ultimately, it’s what will sell your product.
The Search Advertising lesson is all about, well…search advertising
This lesson teaches you the basics of advertising on Google. Often referred to as PPC (pay-per-click), this search engine marketing lesson explains the basics of creating an ad on Google, like how you can target your ad based on your customer demographics, where your ads are served, and when you’ll be charged.
It also explains the benefits of SEM. Let's look at Connor's story:
Once you pull this lever, you'll see how SEM helps him get his karaoke supplies found on Google at the moment his customers are searching for his products. If it works for Connor, it'll work for you.
So there you have it folks. Google’s Primer app is pretty cool, although my team has found it ironic that Google made the iOS app first before Android. However, if you have an iPhone and are interested in seeing what Primer is all about or just learning (or re-learning) the basics, download it while it’s still hot.