Archive for the ‘Content Marketing’ Category
Five Expert Copywriting Tips
Friday, February 11th, 2011Writing has always been a demanding vocation, but the challenge of producing copy that stands out and compels people to action in today’s environment of sensory overload is uniquely daunting. Sentences must be short. Ideas must be explicit. Prose must be lucid. Benefits must be explained in a clear and compelling manner using the language of the reader. Flowery copy and “corporate speak” are definitely out the window. Attention is a scarce commodity; you won’t get much of it, so use what you get as well as you can.
Below are five posts from outstanding writers that will help you write copy that gets found, read, and acted upon.
7 steps to writing killer sales copy by Mike Consol
In this guest post, Patrick Schwerdtfeger outlines the “Motivating Sales Sequence” sales process and how it relates to copy writing, starting with getting their attention (“The opening sentences need to jolt your readers to attention.”) and concluding with a call to action (“Be specific. Explain exactly what you want the reader to do.”).
How to Create Remarkable B2B Content by Savvy B2B Marketing
Stephanie Tilton shares a half-dozen ideas for developing content that stands out from the online clutter, such as showing how your product or service stacks up against the competition: “a majority of tech buyers want content comparing a vendor’s offering to the competition as they get further along in the buying cycle. Yet few companies put out competitive comparisons for public consumption…(many) organizations are averse to taking this step, but the problem is that your prospects are looking for this information. And if you don’t offer it but your competitors do, guess who’ll make the short list of potential vendors.”
SEO As a Copywriting Tool by iMedia Connection
Daniel Flamberg argues that far from being a straitjacket on the competitive process, incorporating SEO keyword research and knowledge into web copyrighting is essential and an opportunity missed if not employed; “Effective key words and phrases can be creative cues for other forms of branded customer engaging messaging. But too few creatives mine the insights from SEO analytics.”
25 SEO copywriting tips and content ideas you can implement today by Success Works
Heather Lloyd-Martin offers an excellent list of tips to keep handy when crafting search-optimized web copy.
How to write for the web: 23 useful rules by eConsultancy
Conceding that “rules are always there to be broken,” Chris Lake nevertheless proceeds to provide 23 rules—or guidelines if you prefer—for successful web writing, including writing the opening paragraph last, keeping sentences short, limiting yourself to one comma per sentence (helps you stick to the previous rule), and following the “wiggly left margin” rule.
Best Content Marketing Guides, Tips and Tactics of 2010
Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011How many times have you heard the expression “content is king?” That’s the case because, in an increasingly competitive and noisy market, buyers care not so much about what you sell as about what you know, and what you are passionate about. Great content accomplishes at least two of the following objectives:
- • It helps get you “found” online.
- • It enhances your organization’s image (e.g., by demonstrating how smart and helpful you are).
- • It sets you apart (it’s not just a rehash of common knowledge).
- • It helps move a prospect along the buying cycle.
Great content fills a need for both the consumer and the producer. It helps the consumer solve a problem or improve their life in some way, and it helps the producer sell goods or services that accomplish that task. So how do you produce great content? How do you maximize your return on valuable content? How much content is “enough?” How can you optimize your content for search? What different types of content should you develop for different types of buyers and the various stages of the buying process? Where can you spread your content to maximize exposure?
Get the answers to these questions and more here in some of the best guides to content marketing of the past year.
Content Marketing Strategy and Tactics
10 Tips For Content Marketing Success by TopRank Online Marketing Blog
Adam Singer notes that with 6 in 10 marketers spending more on content marketing in the coming year, it’s getting more difficult to stand out; shares some statistics on the results that can be achieved with quality content, e.g. “56% (of corporate bloggers) say that their blog has helped their company establish a positioning as a thought leader within the industry”; and offers 10 tips to maximize the impact of content marketing, from “personality is essential” to tone is more important than perfection.
11 steps toward a content strategy by Econsultancy
Reporting that “80 percent of those who begin a corporate blog never post more than five entries…In the rush to adopt social media as a tactic, too many marketers leave strategy in the dust,” delightful author Rebecca Lieb presents 11 steps to help marketers think more like editors and develop an effective, consistent content strategy, among them defining key themes and messages, creating an editorial calendar, and utilizing multiple forms of media.
Social Media Leads Content Marketing: New Survey Reveals by Jeff Bullas
Jeff Bullas shares several interesting content marketing stats from recent research, such as: content now accounts for 33% of marketing budgets on average, up from 11% just a couple of years ago. 59% of marketers increased spending on content last year, while just 7% cut that area. E-newsletters, blogs and white papers are among the most popular types of content. While social media, mobile and online video are increasing in importance, traditional email newsletters remain among the most popular delivery vehicles.
7 “Rs” for B2B Marketing Content Planning by Customer Think
Lead nurturing content expert Ardath Albee writes that “Designing content for 1X use is wasteful. Marketers need to create a process for content planning that helps them maximize the return from their investments in developing content resources,” then provides seven tips (such as re-purposing content for different audiences) to help accomplish that goal.
How Much B2B Content is Enough? by Savvy B2B Marketing
Stephanie Tilton says a company has developed enough content “when it has created content that answers prospects’ questions at each stage of the buying cycle,” then outlines a process for determining exactly what that means in any given organization.
The 10 commandments of content marketing by iMedia Connection
Declaring that “all marketing is content,” Eric Anderson hands down his 10 commandments for content marketing, beginning with dictates that content shall be sharable, malleable and collaborative.
10 Steps to Optimize Your Content Marketing Strategy by TopRank Online Marketing Blog
Lee Odden explains the digital asset optimization (DAO) model (“what can be searched on can be optimized”), outlines a 10-step process for optimizing content for ever-changing search results pages, and concludes with “The good news is that by following these 10 steps, a significant impact can be achieved in overall authority for the topics and keyword concepts focused on as well as the ability to attract new business, media coverage and employees. The bad news is that it’s not easy.”
Lead Nurturing by Find New Customers
Pointing out that lead nurturing is a critical process because “9 out of 10 visitors to your website are not ready to buy now,” this post presents seven keys to creating and maintaining a successful lead nurturing program, beginning with research and content mapping and progressing through continuous measurement and refinement.
Ramping Up For a Bigger Content Publishing Strategy by MediaPost Search Insider
Rob Garner recommends eight tactics for optimizing content marketing results, starting with in-depth keyword and market research and working through strategic planning, metrics and resource allocation.
Most Valuable Content and Offers for IT Buyers by High-Tech Communicator
Cheryl Goldberg reports and comments on recent research identifying the types of content that IT buyers most useful as news and articles (84%) and competitive comparisons / buying guides (73%), while b2b technology marketers often sub-optimally focus on other types of content.
How to Take Advantage of the New B2B Buying Behavior by Fast Company
Wendy Marx contends that b2b “buying decisions ultimately aren’t completely rational, much as we would like them to be…you may have the best product or service in the world but if people don’t understand its value or find you credible you might as well post your ‘going out of business’ sign,” and therefore it’s critical to build relationships, nuture leads, and write content that captures the needs of your prospects.
How Tech Buyers Consume Content: New Findings from TechTarget by Savvy B2B Marketing
In another noteworthy post, Stephanie Tilton shares results from TechTarget research which details the behaviors of “hyper-active IT researchers,” the most engaged 30% of technology buyers. Among the findings: these hyper-active researchers are constantly hunting for and gathering information, often conduct research on behalf of others, and “are most receptive to completing a registration form in exchange for content during the consideration and decision stages.”
White Paper Marketing: 5 White Paper Types and When to Use Them by SmartBug Media
Brittany Brouse defines the characteristics and key purposes of five types of white papers, including the business benefits white paper, the technology benefits white paper, and the product comparison white paper.
6 Ways to Cast a Wider Net Using a Whitepaper by Zmags Blog
***** 5 Stars
White papers are a popular b2b marketing tool, but good ones are expensive to produce. Companies can better capitalize on these investments by reworking, repackaging and re-using white paper content in different formats. Christina Pappas presents six ideas for extending the life and value of white paper content such as turning a white paper into a podcast, video, or webinar.
Measuring ROI on Content Marketing and Creation by Social Marketing Forum
Though acknowledging that “Measuring ROI on content marketing is not straightforward; that is why most firms put measurement on the back burner,” Ambal Balakrishnan presents two sets of recommendations for and examples of content marketing ROI measurement from Ardath Albee and Maria Pergolino.
2011 Trends: Content Marketing Is Critical by eMarketer
Geoff Ramsey shares research revealing that “nearly three-quarters of US companies with a social media strategy use (branded) content—also referred to as ‘earned media’—in their campaigns, making it the most common type of content used.” He then lists five questions marketers should ask themselves to determine whether or not their content is truly “magnetic” and likely to attract targeted buyers.
Developing A B2B Content Promotional Strategy In 7 Steps by Social Marketing Forum
Michele Linn recommends seven questions to ask when developing strategy for promoting your content, starting with “What is your objective?” (e.g., lead generation content is often promoted differently than thought-leadership content).
Article Submission Sites
A list of the best sites to submit articles to by Internet Marketing for Business Owners
The site is a tad spammy, but this list of seven of the most popular article submission sites is helpful.
Article Directory Sites sorted by Importance
Huge list of nearly 300 article submission sites sorted by page rank and Alexa ranking.
The 10 Websites To Get Your Articles Discovered! by Ink Rebels
Misty Belardo recommends promoting your online content using these 10 (mostly) popular social networking and bookmarking sites.
Top 21: The Best Article Directory List by Friday Traffic Report
Another slightly spammy site with a nevertheless useful list of 21 article directories with page rank.
How to Use Article Marketing as Part of Your Social Media Strategy
Wednesday, March 24th, 2010Guest post by Beth Hrusch
As you may know by now, article marketing is an effective way to gain credibility and establish yourself as an expert in your field. By writing articles about topics of interest to your readers, and distributing them on article directories, you can give your content the kind of exposure that would be hard to get anywhere else. But, what many people don’t realize is that article marketing isn’t just for directories anymore.
Social media has become an effective vehicle for content distribution, and articles are no exception. According to the Small Business Success Index, sponsored by Network Solutions (2010), one in five small businesses are now actively using social media. About 75% of those surveyed have a company page on a social networking site. What makes social media so effective for marketing purposes? The simple answer is that it gives your content massive exposure across a wide range of platforms.
Articles can easily be distributed using social media news and bookmarking sites, for example. Each of these sites has strengths and weaknesses, and some will suit certain goals better than others. Here are 5 of the most popular:
1. Facebook- With over 250 million members, it’s got tremendous reach. Generate interest with fans and friends by talking about topics related to your industry then link to your articles on your fan page. Ping articles and blogs automatically, so your groups can see your latest posts.
2. Twitter- Similar to Facebook, Twitter allows you to market your articles automatically and in real time. As a micro-blogging service, it allows businesses to communicate and share the latest information with customers, and link to articles and other content using a url shortener.
3. LinkedIn- For professional networking, setting up a profile in LinkedIn allows you to share your expertise with others in your group. Market your articles by sending them to your account or have them pulled from another social media account, to show up under your updates.
4. Digg- A really popular news/bookmarking site that can bring your articles massive exposure. Submitting your article to Digg takes interested readers directly to your article and your site, where they can also browse archived articles and check you out.
5. YouTube- What do videos have to do with article marketing? Both are content, just in different formats. Turn your articles into videos, using your text as a script. This can be done inexpensively, so almost any budget can handle it. YouTube is the 4th most popular website in the world, and videos consistently rank high in the search engines, so the potential to go viral is huge.
There are many more social media sites that lend themselves to article marketing. Check out the handy chart put together by the folks at Seomoz.com for more tips on how to use each site to market your business.
Article marketing has the power to establish you as an authority and give interested consumers a way to access your business through links to your site. Social media supercharges your articles by giving them wide and deep distribution throughout the web. Together, they help you reach a large, targeted audience without the need for an expensive marketing campaign. Be sure, though, that you research the social media sites- how they work and what their terms of service are. Some will work better for you than others.
Also, remember that article marketing is only effective if you commit to creating and distributing fresh content every week or so. Maintain both aspects of your marketing strategy and you’ll see results.
Beth Hrusch is Senior Editor at Interact Media, a content marketing software company.
6 Ways To Spread Thought Leadership Content (Without Blogging)
Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010Many social media experts believe a blog should be the core of a social media strategy, as the key vehicle for sharing thought leadership content which can then be promoted using Twitter, social networking and other tools. No question, there are many compelling reasons why blogs are important for business. But what if you simply don’t have the time or resources to commit to maintaining a blog with regular posts, or at least you’re not ready to make the commitment yet? Here are six other ways to share your thought leadership content without committing to the demands of regular blog posting.
Your Website
Create an area for articles on your website. This allows you to write and post articles as time permits, rather than committing to a regular once, twice or more per week posting schedule. This also allows you to write fewer but more in-depth articles less suited to the blogging format. You can still promote this articles using social media and SEO just as you would with blog posts, and even add an RSS feed (yes, it’s possible to add an RSS feed to any web page, though it is likely to attract fewer readers than regular blog posting).
Industry Publications
Many online trade publications will accept (and are actually hungry for) bylined articles, as long as they are true thought leadership pieces that address industry issues rather than blatant product or service promotion. Most will permit one or more links back to your site as part of the “about the author” section, which is helpful for both direct traffic and SEO.
Article Publication Sites
For a little more creative freedom (including the ability to add text links within the article to specific pages on your site), try publishing an article through article publication sites. Many of these articles appear well in search on their own (particularly EzineArticles) as well as being great sources of links for SEO.
Guest Blogging
If you have an article that’s most suitable as a blog post, try contacting influential bloggers in your industry about providing a guest post for their blog. Again, as long as the post is suitable for their readers and focused on thought leadership rather than promotion, many bloggers will appreciate getting a “day off” from writing their own content, and will permit a link or two back to your site, at least in the “about the author” section and possibly within the content as well. Be sure to link to other authoritative sources within your copy as well to maximize value to the readers as well as appearing truly helpful, not just self serving.
Google Knol
Google Knol unfortunately uses the insidious no-follow tag, so you won’t get any SEO benefit from posting there, but the articles themselves often show up well in search. So, you can still include links to your site from your article; while these won’t supply any SEO link juice, they often provide relevant direct traffic.
Directory Sites
Many industry-focused and general web directory sites, such as Qondio, allow you to post articles as well as standard directory listings. Requirements tend to be similar to those for article publication sites. These are sort of the reverse of Google Knol; while articles on these sites may not show up highly in search listings themselves, they do pass link juice and so are helpful for the SEO on your own website.
A regularly updated and properly promoted blog is still the best way to socially share thought leadership content. But if you’ve got some content, but not enough for regular blog posting, these alternative avenues can still be helpful and supportive for content marketing, social media and SEO objectives.
Content Marketing Trends and Predictions for 2010
Wednesday, January 20th, 2010What does 2010 hold for content marketing? ClickPredictions: Key Content Marketing Trends and Predictions for 2010, an intriguing ebook just released by Marketo and ClickDocuments, attempts to provide some answers. To compile the ebook, the sponsors asked 38 of the world’s top b2b marketers (and me) to offer insights on key marketing trends and predictions for the coming year.
Content marketing is, in many ways, the new advertising. Prospects, particularly for complex b2b products, don’t care about marketing copy, they care about solving their problems. A carefully crafted content marketing strategy begins with positioning your company as the helpful and knowledgeable experts in your industry, and flows through content that illustrates why your product or service is uniquely the best choice to fix a critical issue for a particular type of company.
The ClickPredictions ebook includes prescient commentary from an impressive array of experts, including Mike Stelzner, Rebel Brown, Ian Lurie, Patsi Krakoff, Michele Linn, Steve Woods, Galen De Young, Jon Miller, Stephanie Tilton and more. Each author also provides a list of their favorite resources for further reading.
If your company is using content to attract prospects and help guide them through the buying process to ultimately select your offering, check out what these very smart b2b marketing pros view as the Key Content Marketing Trends and Predictions for 2010.
