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Posts Tagged ‘content’

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5 Keys to Creating Valuable Content

February 7th, 2013 ::

KeysBy now you’ve heard that content is king, and indeed, for many reasons it is: search engines reward fresh content on your website, valuable blog posts will generate traffic and interaction on your site – which search engines also like – and, most importantly, content will position you as a thought leader in your industry, which has numerous benefits.

So the question is, What makes content valuable?

Here are the 5 keys to creating valuable content:

1. Valuable content answers questions

What questions do your customers ask of you most often? How do you solve their problems and meet their needs? Answer these questions in-depth with how-to advice so your audience can do it themselves – just like this blog post!

As you answer questions, keep in mind the level of knowledge your audience has on the topic. Tailor your content to those who are beginners, well-versed, or experts, rather than trying to meet everyone’s needs at once.

2. Valuable content is written in plain English

If you want to engage your audience, write all of your content in plain English. It’s also a good idea to write in the first person and address your audience as “you,” so it sound like you are talking to your readers, not at them.

3. Valuable content is written clearly

Just because you are writing something in plain English doesn’t mean you will get your point across quickly and clearly. At the very beginning of your blog post, ebook, or email, explain the point of your message – and then back it up with further information. Finish with a conclusion that ties the information you just shared back to your original point.

4. Valuable content is backed up with data and examples

Add credibility to your statements and information by backing it up with data or examples. You can use data from your own analytics or major research companies like Forrester, or examples from your own experience or the experience of your customers.

5. Valuable content is actionable

While your insights and predictions around a certain topic or trend is useful information, I find that my blog posts that do the best and the ones that I enjoy reading are actionable, that is, they teach me how to do something new or better. How can you help people improve their skills and get better results, or just learn how to do something on their own rather than always relying on a professional?

What other elements make content worthwhile for you to spend time reading?

Image courtesy of Tumblr.com

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Posted in Marketing | 9 Comments »

5 Types of Marketing Content That Will Fuel Your Sales

January 23rd, 2013 ::

MoneyWhether your company offers a product or a service, having content on hand that you or your sales team can share with prospective customers is incredibly important. You’ll be able to showcase your capabilities and the value and benefits of working with you over someone else.

Here are 5 types of marketing content you should keep at the ready:

Explainer videos

An explainer video tells a visual story of how your product or service works. While these are especially handy for physical products you can see, they can also be used for virtual products/services, like an app or cloud-based service (check out Dropbox’s video).

If you are a professional service provider, like a real estate agent, consultant or attorney, you can use a video to quickly explain the value you bring to your clients while letting them get to know you a little bit.

Blog posts

Yes, it is OK to mention your products and services in your blog posts – on occasion. You could write about how you use your own product or service in your company, how-to guides, or a list of quick tips. You can also publish news, in which you announce important new partnerships, new products or services, or new features or updates, just like Modus Create did here.

Case studies

These are one of the best ways to market your company and convert prospective clients into new clients. Case studies give you the chance to show the value of your products and services. When I write them, I keep them pretty structured, like these that I wrote for Brighter Strategies. The first paragraph explains the problem, the second paragraph talks about the solution and how it was implemented, and the third paragraph concludes with the outcome or results.

Presentations

If you ever give presentations on your products, services, or company, whether it’s a seminar or at a conference, save them in Slideshare so you can easily share them later – and others can easily find them with a quick search. If you have a sales team, definitely create presentations for them to ensure your products and services are discussed the way you think is best.

Data sheets

Data sheets are full of information – they’re not sexy, but they are important if you sell a product. You can list product features, hardware, software, or other types of  requirements, competitive comparisons, charts and graphs that demonstrate product value, and even return on investment data.  Here’s a really comprehensive one for the Audi A3 (my car!).

What marketing content do you share with prospective clients?

Image courtesy of gurusoftware.com

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Posted in Marketing | No Comments »

5 Content Ideas That Never Grow Old – and 5 That Grow Old Fast

December 28th, 2012 ::

Evergreen treesHubSpot published a blog post earlier this year about “evergreen content” – that is, content that never grows old, is highly valuable, and is definitive. Evergreen content can be marketing gold, as it boosts search engine optimization, traffic, and leads.

Of course, you don’t want to publish only one kind of content – that would be boring. To ensure your blog is full of variety, here are 5 kinds of evergreen content, followed by 5 kinds of timely content:

Evergreen content

1. Curated lists: Think about your industry – what are your favorite blogs, productivity tools, books, product sources (like stores and manufacturers), etc.?

2. Your take on an industry topic: List your areas of expertise, and write blog posts about the right ways to do those things – and why.

3. FAQs: As your products and services evolve, you’ll add to your list of frequently asked questions (FAQs), but your answers to each question will not likely change.

4. History: While history can be interpreted differently, basic facts don’t change. A history of your industry or a product or service might sound dry, but it is likely filled with funny stories and colorful characters.

5. Tutorials: Basic guides are evergreen. Instructions on how to boil water, code in HTML5, and knit a hat will never change.

Timely content

1. Seasonal: Blog posts that focus on holidays, seasons, or specific dates have a short shelf life. Who wants to read about top trends for 2012 two years later?

2. News: Whether you’re announcing a new product or service or major industry news, no one will be conducting a search on that topic in a few months’ time.

3. Data: Because so much new data is generated every day, statistics around anything – sports teams, the richest people in the world, most visited websites – change quickly.

4. Opinions: It’s fun to read expert opinions on the news … once … when the news is still new.

5. Event-specific: You’ll generate views for event-specific content (industry conferences, the Super Bowl, the Olympics) immediately before and during the event, but not after.

Which of your blog posts have generated the most traffic for your website?

Image courtesy of dreamtimes.com

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Posted in Marketing | No Comments »

How to Increase Your Influence – and Klout Score

August 23rd, 2012 ::

Klout

Influence.  Everyone wants it, but not everyone can get it – especially online, where there is an impossible amount of noise to cut through.

But it can be done! I just watched a really interesting video interview on Social Media Examiner on how to improve your online influence.  Mark Schaefer is a marketing consultant, teacher at Rutgers University, speaker and author of  Return on Influence and The Tao of Twitter.  In other words, he’s an expert in his field.  Here is what I learned while watching the video:

Schaefer’s new book, Return on Influence, is about the power of your content.  As he points out, no matter who you are, where you live, or what you do, your message can be shared and heard thanks to the Internet, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, etc.

Of course, if you don’t have social influence, no one will hear your message – so it’s really a Catch-22.  However, you can accrue influence online by being authentic and connecting with your audience.

One of the best ways to measure your online influence is with Klout, and companies are figuring out creative ways to influence their Klout scores with great content. Companies are also leveraging word-of-mouth influencers, as it is incredibly powerful to have someone share how great you are with the rest of the world.

Here are 3 things you can do to improve your Klout influence scores:

  1. Surround yourself with people who care about you and who want to share your content.
  2. Create or aggregrate meaningful content that is RITE – Relevant, Interesting, Timely and Entertaining.
  3. Use social media to engage, not just talk.  Social media is social and person-to-person.

Schaefer says that if you do those 3 things, you will increase your social influence – and thus your Klout score.

This next point is only marginally about online influence, but it’s really interesting:

For the first time, Twitter, aka business networking on steroids, is being adopted by young people, one of whom said to Williams, “We enjoy using Twitter now, because mom and grandmom are on Facebook.  They’re not on Twitter, and Twitter is where the action is.”

Twitter is also picking up traction internationally, and Schaefer said that is because Twitter is simple, easy, and you can fit it into your day whenever you want to.

Who do you follow on Facebook, Twitter or elsewhere who is influential in their field?  Why do you follow them?  Share your comments below!

Image courtesy of socialfresh.com

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Posted in Marketing, Social Media, Thought Leadership | No Comments »

3 Easy Ways to Improve Your Search Rankings

July 19th, 2012 ::

SEO

SEOMoz is a company that provides SEO and social monitoring software, and they publish a lot of interesting information based on their own research.  Use the following tips – all based on their research – to easily improve your search rankings:

1. Add fresh content.

Google rewards new content on your site.  If you publish a really useful blog post on a subject that is valuable to your readers, it will get shared via social media and receive some ranking love from Google.

Along those same lines, frequently updating your website is also viewed favorably – that could mean adding new case studies, media mentions, or a video to your homepage.

2. Focus on content titles.

Instead of focusing on clever titles for your blog posts, white papers, ebooks, and other content, focus on including all relevant keywords. By relevant, I mean keywords that people actually use in search, not what you think they use.

To find those keywords, simply use a keyword discovery tool like Wordtracker.  You will learn which keywords and phrases are competitive, meaning popular but not so popular everyone uses them.

3. Get social.

Google judges your content on more than 200 signals, all of which affect ranking.  Four of them are link-related: quantity, diversity, quality, and relevance. Quantity is lowered by quality, meaning relevant links are extremely important to your rankings.

To get relevant links, it is important for thought leaders to share your content and link back to it.  Start by following influential people on Twitter.  If you are engaged, retweet others’ tweets, mention people and companies, and publish interesting content, they will likely follow you back – and see and share your content.

***

Have you used any of the above tips to improve your own rankings?  What other tips have worked for you?  Share your ideas in the comments below!

Image courtesy of bradfordbarker.com

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Posted in Marketing, Search Marketing, Social Media | No Comments »

7 Keys to Growing Your Blog Readership

November 22nd, 2011 ::

If you have been blogging for a while and wondering why no one is reading your articles, it can be super frustrating.  I wish I could say there are only one or two things you need to do to grow your blog readership overnight, but unfortunately, as with many things in life, you must consistently do a number of things to see results.

Think about what it takes to lose weight, which will be a huge topic for most of us in about a month and a half – right after the holidays.  Losing weight doesn’t happen overnight.  Advice does not just focus on eating healthy and exercising; it also includes eating less, tips on portion control, mixing up your exercise routine, getting enough sleep, drinking more water and so on.

Blogging is the same.  Do the following 7 things, be persistent, and you will certainly see the results.

1. Write good content

Good content always means useful content.  Don’t be vague or give advice in an overview-type way.  Include details and examples of what you are describing to prove your point.  Use your own experiences to teach others.

2. Write in plain English

The simpler the words and phrases you use when writing, the better.  Write like you talk, not as if you are writing a 243-page dissertation for your Ph.D.  Think People Magazine, not The Economist.

3. Talk directly to the reader

Freely use “you” and “me” in your blog posts. Your blog posts should be conversational in tone to help you better connect with your readers.  You are talking to them, after all, just with words on paper rather than spoken words.

4. Include calls to action

As a small business owner, one of the reasons you are blogging is to generate leads.  Ask your readers to do something at the end of your blog post – subscribe to your newsletter, download an eBook, sign up for a free trial or consultation, or anything else you can give them of value that will also give you their contact information, thus enabling you to start the sales process.

5. Promote it

Promote and distribute your blog posts on all the social media channels you and your audience use, from Facebook to Twitter to LinkedIn to Reddit to StumbleUpon.  Use a social media dashboard (like Hootsuite) to make this a bit easier.

6. Build relationships

Reach out to other bloggers, as well as editors of digital publications, and start building relationships with them.  Introduce yourself and your blog.  Ask to guest blog for them and in the case of other bloggers, vice versa.  Offer to repurpose blog posts for their sites.  Comment on their blogs. If you can get a backlink to your site from a high-profile blogger or publication, your readership will spike.

7. Submit guest posts to major blogs

If you write valuable content, any editor –of even major blogs – will be happy to use your guest blog posts.  As Editor at Tech Cocktail, I speak from experience here.  I regularly get guest posts from a handful of fabulous writers that I know our thousands of readers will enjoy.  Don’t be shy – just ask.  Editors are people too!

Image Courtesy: Karen Axelton

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Posted in Marketing | 3 Comments »

Email Marketing Is Not Dead, Part 3: Creating Content

November 10th, 2011 ::
This entry is part 6 of 6 in the series email marketing

Email marketing part 3

Nope, email marketing is not dead; in fact it is still quite relevant, as it is the only way to get in front of your current and prospective clients on a regular basis.

The reason: Your messages on social media platforms can easily get lost in the noise.  Will your target market see your tweet, status update in their Facebook news feed, or latest blog post in whatever eReader program they use to keep their reading organized?  The great thing about an email boils down to this: Your prospects and customers will have to at least glance at the subject line before deciding whether to read or delete it.

In this three-part series on email marketing, we have looked at putting together a strategy (that was part 1) and building and maintaining a list (part 2).  In this final post, we are looking at how to create engaging content that your target market will read and appreciate.  Some of the information in this series is courtesy of the HubSpot eBook 7 Steps to Jump Start Your Email Marketing Strategy.

Here are four ways to create emails that will get opened:

1. Focus on the Subject Line

The only way anyone will open your email is if it has an eye-catching subject line that stands out from everything else in the inbox.  It needs to be a bit of a teaser and include a hint of what is in your email. Clever, cheeky and funny subject lines are always welcome, no matter what your industry.  After all, we all like to laugh.

If you’re in a fun industry – say, event planning – it is easy to come up with fun subject lines.  Let’s choose a rather dry industry – accounting – and see what we can come up with.  You are a CPA and your email contains an article on tax planning.  How about “5 Easy Ways to Boost Your Income” or “5 IRS-Approved Ways to Save on Taxes”?  While they are not funny, they are attention-getting.

Keep your subject line short, include your company name in the subject line, and make sure the same person sends out the email every time so your audience recognizes it as being from you.

2. Write Valuable Content

That’s easy to say – but really, it’s not so hard to do, either.  Your enewsletter can contain short case studies, surveys, industry reports, your take on industry trends, information from webinars, excerpts from white papers, ebooks, guides and blog posts – the list is really endless.

Valuable content can be defined by two characteristics: it has to be 1) useful and 2) interesting for your target market.  Keep your tone friendly and conversational, keep the content short and to the point, and include images to break up text and add visual interest.

3. Link Back to Your Website

Remember to link back to your website whenever possible.  If you reference a product or service, pricing, someone on your team, a blog post, marketing collateral – link to it.  You probably want people to end up on your website anyway, where they can fill out that contact form or buy from your ecommerce site.

4. Include a Strong Call to Action

A call to action should be included in your email, and this goes back to the goals of your email marketing campaign that we discussed in part 1.

What do you want your audience to do – download a white paper, subscribe to your blog, like you on Facebook, follow you on Twitter, try out a demo, sign up for a new product’s beta testing,  buy something?

Don’t just tell them what you want them to do, though – stress why it is beneficial for them to do that.

If you missed the previous two posts in this series, you can find part 1 on strategy here and part 2 on building your email list here.

Image courtesy of creative design agency Arrae

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Posted in Email Marketing, Marketing | 3 Comments »

5 Website Mistakes to Avoid – and How to Fix Them

October 11th, 2011 ::

Because I write and edit website content on a regular basis, I am constantly running into common mistakes that everyone – small businesses, high-tech startups and well-established mid-sized companies – regularly makes.  Here are the top five I see most often, along with how to fix them:

1. Keywords mushed into the content

When I write website content, I add the keywords a company wants to use for SEO once the content has been approved.  I simply replace words and terms that are already there with the ones that the search engines will reward, but I always, always, always focus on readability.

If you just mush as many keywords as you can into the content with no thought about keeping the flow natural and sentences readable, you will make the content so hard to read that it’ll actually end up sounding fake and forced.

2. The “About Us” page is not about you

The About Us page should delve deeply into your company and go beyond what you do, rather than regurgitating the benefits and features of your products and services.  What is your philosophy? How do you do what you do?  How are you different from competitors?

You also want to briefly introduce the people who matter – the founders, the company leadership, your advisors.  Their bios should be short and friendly.  List their role at the company and a brief background that illustrates their expertise and experience.  I also like to include some personal stuff to make them more approachable and “real.”

3. Auto-play audio or video

When you arrive at a website for the first time, do you like to be accosted by auto-play audio and video?  Me neither.  The worst is when you can’t even find the “stop” button and you have to scramble to turn down the volume.

Think carefully about adding an auto-play feature, as it is basically the equivalent of a salesperson who won’t shut up glomming onto you as soon as you walk through the door.  No one likes to have something forced on them. Add your audio or video, but give your site visitors the option of listening to or watching it.

4. Hard-to-find contact info

There is no reason your contact information should be hidden.  If you have a home office, get a post office box, but you should have your mailing address, phone number and email visibly displayed on your site.

5. Confusing site navigation

It should be super easy for your website visitors to not only find what they are looking for on you site, but also find their way back to where they started.  Leave breadcrumbs scattered around by hyperlinking your logo to the home page and adding a home page button on each page.  But also make sure that when they enter your services or products sections, it is easy for them to start their search over again.

Image by Flickr user Paul Downey (Creative Commons)

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Posted in Marketing, Web Design | 2 Comments »

3 Mistakes to Avoid When Using Your Email List

September 28th, 2011 ::

Inbox

So you gather emails through networking, attending conferences, your newsletter sign-up and contact forms your Web visitors must fill out before they download that ebook.  Now you have a comprehensive list, but it’s just sitting there.

Using that email list to stay in touch with your clients, reach prospective clients, convert sales, and spread thought leadership – in other words, using your email list to grow your business – should be easy, right?  After all, you already have the upper hand – all of those people willingly gave you their email address!

Just avoid the following three mistakes to keep that email list intact – and growing:

1. Don’t push your products or services.

If you turn your emails and newsletters into advertisements for your company’s products and services, you’ll lose subscribers at a fast clip.  Yes, you can mention a product or service in the sidebar as a highlighted item, or maybe illustrate how you helped a client with a mini case study.  You can also offer a special promotion; just be sure that the focus is not always on you.

2. Don’t discuss irrelevant topics.

While every waking minute of yours may be consumed with building your brand and company, your email list is not interested in the tiny matters that keep you up all night. Keep them interested by offering them industry news and trends that could affect them, tips and tricks, and other helpful advice that is relevant, interesting, and useful.

3. Don’t be boring.

Provide something interactive or engaging in your emails and newsletters, whether it’s a link to a video, a new webinar, a podcast, a game, or something else that is fun.  In this technology age, when we are constantly bombarded by a zillion things trying to grab our attention, make the extra effort to bring something fun to your subscribers’ inbox.

Image by Flickr user Jason Rogers (Creative Commons)

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Posted in Email Marketing, Marketing | 2 Comments »

B2B Social Media Beats B2C: Let Us Count the Ways

August 22nd, 2011 ::

Twitter bird chirping

I’ve written about the differences between B2B and B2C companies before, so I decided to do a little more research into how they’re different when it comes to social media marketing. From what I can tell, B2B companies have the edge over B2C’s when it comes to effectively reaching customers through social media.

1.  You can bet on it

Because B2B product lines change less frequently, you can bet that the social media content you’re producing today will be around a lot longer. The longer shelf life of B2B products means your marketing efforts will continue to create value longer, making them more effective and less expensive than their B2C counterparts.

B2B social media marketing is more reliable in another way, too. In general, fewer people are talking about B2B companies online than B2C’s, so you have more control over what is being said about your brand. It follows that B2B’s generate less negativity online as well, so you have less negative content to handle. Sure, buzz is great, but only if it is enhancing the value of your brand, rather than keeping you running in circles trying to put the lid on any negative vibes.

2.  You can’t beat the relationships

While B2C relationships are rife with impulsive or emotional buying decisions, B2B purchasing decisions are more relationship-driven. Businesses tend to interact directly with customers many times to educate prospects about their products and services. They can engage prospects throughout the entire sales cycle and can continue after a sale is finalized, through support, upgrades and continuing education.

The B2B buying process usually involves multiple colleagues and is reliant on recommendations, so it evolves over time, helping to solidify relationships. This emphasis on building relationships suits social media to a tee.

3.  The community is smaller and tighter

The B2B market is a smaller, more focused market, compared to the B2C. As a result, you can use social media to connect with prospects and start building relationships faster and easier. B2B buyers also tend to rely on recommendations and feedback from this smaller community. You can use social media to generate product feedback, helping to influence purchasing decisions.

B2B social media practices also create an opportunity for you to demonstrate your business value. Show the community you are reliable, responsive, and knowledgeable, and watch your sales grow!

In your experience, does B2B or B2C social media win? How have you found them to be different?

Image by Flickr user ivanpw (Creative Commons)

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Posted in Marketing, Social Media | No Comments »

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