CHECKlist for creating NEW CONTENT

Marketers are working hard to create great content that can be used to create sales leads, drive website traffic, promote brand, and educate customers and prospects.  Unfortunately, not all content is created equal.  To ensure you get the most out of your content marketing efforts, you must follow these six rules:

1. It is not promotional – promotional materials will neither excite nor inspire, both critical com­ponents of content marketing.
2. It is relevant – generic materials that are not highly relevant to a reader will not result in increased success. When writing content you must make sure it will be useful to the reader, regardless of whether it supports your company message.
3. It closes a gap – content marketing should answer a business question or problem. Giving people information about topics where there is no need for information will be a wasted effort by the organization.  An added benefit of this useful information is it’s ability to be used in lead nurturing. 
4. It is well written – poorly written thought leader­ship may not only provide poor results, but may also hurt the company’s reputation. Take time to ensure content is presented in a thoughtful man­ner and is free of errors.
5. It is relevant to your company – if the content you create does not support business objectives in any way, it is a waste of resources to produce. Keep business goals in mind when creating content.
6. It gives proof  – since you write to support a business goal, your content may seem biased. Make sure that content you create gives proof either through quotes and testimonials or through actual metrics and statistics.

Keep this as a check list when you are creating new content, and review again for it goes live.  And this checklist isn’t just for white papers, content includes everything from webinars to articles to videos.

Source: Marketo

Think Like a News Editor for Content Marketing Success

Blogging and social media offer marketers the opportunity to publish their own content to attract customer attention, as well as pitch the media.

This strategy requires a balance of content that provides fresh news while also covering ‘evergreen’ topics.

For best results, think like a news editor. Create a regular mix of current events, original research and timely commentary for all-round reader engagement.

Here are three key elements you need.

Monitor and anticipate trends

Use social media to participate in larger conversations beyond just pushing out your company news. The more your brand interacts with timely content, the more people will see the brand, and its digital offerings.

Monitor trends in the news, pop culture, and the lives of your customers. Map out how your brand can participate in these conversations, via social media, blog posts, or other appropriate media. Don’t get involved in every conversation. Instead, focus on stories that relate to your overall brand strategy and messaging.

Create evergreen content that your customers need

Know your customers’ pain points, busy seasons, challenges and strengths. Create ‘evergreen’ content and address long-term issues that don’t go out of date.

When your customers search topics that regularly impact their lives, you already have relevant content out there. Customers and reporters alike will come to rely on your brand as a resource for their research, they’ll become more engaged with your timely content as well.

Leave room for real-time

24-hour news is your brand’s opportunity to offer instantaneous commentary. Remember the Super Bowl blackout? Oreo’s social media team was on standby and capitalized with timely humor. No one could have anticipated the blackout, but they seized the opportunity as it happened.

For maximum effectiveness, create an editorial calendar. Consistency is key: by regularly publishing quality content, you can drive more traffic, more leads, and more revenue as you nurture those leads into customers.

How many online reviews does your business have?

You probably need more. When choosing a business to buy from, customers search for reviews by other customers. If you haven't got any, you're in danger of being overlooked.
 

Don't fear the added attention of online reviews. While you can't control what consumers say about your brand, there are ways to foster positive reviews among your customers. Here are four steps to achieving them:

Expand your social horizons.

We know who the heavy hitters are when it comes to social networks: Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. When it comes to referrals, though, several other networks are worth your attention. Yelp!, OpenTable, and Foursquare are huge for customers leaving tips and reviews. Be sure to log in and see what's being said about your business. Then…

Spend some time there.

While it's absolutely necessary for your business to have a presence on multiple social channels, you can't stop there. To get the full value of social media, you need to maintain an active, up-to-date presence on all of your business's social outlets. If your customers see a Facebook page that isn't updated, or see that other customers' comments and reviews haven't been acknowledged, they will see no value in leaving a review themselves—unless it's negative.

This also goes for networks like Yelp! and Foursquare. Take the time to interact with customers who leave reviews. Acknowledge positive reviews and address negative reviews. You'll encourage feedback and responses, which in turn will lead to positive referrals.

Ask!

Encourage your customers to leave referrals and make it easy for them to do so. This can be as simple as having a call to action on receipts, in emails, or on other marketing materials such as: "We want to hear what you think! Leave your feedback online at (insert link)." Sometimes, a simple request is all it takes.

Incentivize and reward.

It's no secret that people are more apt to do something when they get rewarded for doing it. Some ideas to consider for encouraging customers to leave reviews include: awarding points toward future purchases, entering reviewers into a contest or giveaway, or recognizing them as a "brand expert" for other customers to rely on after they've left a number of credible reviews.

You might encounter some negative reviews. However, the positive effect of having an active, involved presence online will outweigh the risks. It will provide a perfect platform for addressing complaints when they do occur, giving you a public opportunity to turn negative into positive. That's what effective PR and marketing is all about.

THE THREE C's Of Facebook

THE THREE C's Of Facebook 
No online marketing strategy is complete without Facebook. The world's largest social network can give your campaigns enormous reach, especially when you integrate it with your other marketing tools. According to the latest stats, 96 percent of small businesses now have a company Facebook page. If you're in that 96%, fantastic – but are you getting the most out of it?

Effective Facebook marketing comes down to three key points: Customer Service, Content and Connections. 

Customer Service
Having a Facebook page where customers can post reviews, comments and even complaints is essential to building a rapport. Over time, that rapport will turn into brand loyalty. It also inspires word of mouth, as customers/fans encourage their friends to "like" your page, and try your product/service. Try to monitor your company page for a few minutes a day and respond to customer comments within 24 hours or less. You can also sign up to receive an email alert whenever someone posts to your page. 

Content
Your Facebook page is a face for your business. Keep it fresh. Share news, offer promotions, link to outside content and thank customers for their feedback. They're all great ways to keep customers engaged. Think for a second about how you use Facebook to check out your friends' news and click through their photo galleries. Customers want to check out your business the same way. Facebook is an ideal platform to share product photos and for customers to post their own photos of your products in action. 

It's not just about engagement. There are several apps available that let you add "buy now" buttons to photos, taking customers straight to your website. Other apps let you create customized coupons for your fans, and host customer sweepstakes on your Facebook page. Whether you use apps or not, aim for one update, post or promotion per day. 

Connections
Social media is a vital publicity tool, which makes it an integral part of effective marketing. Getting "likes" and fans is how companies build connections on Facebook. Got a special event happening? Send a message to your fans. Need feedback on a new product? Create a quick survey using a Facebook survey app. The more you connect with your current fans, the more likely their friends are to see your page and become fans (and customers) themselves.

Remember that growing a fanbase on Facebook isn't a popularity contest. It's about building loyalty for the long-term, one interaction at a time.

Visual Online Marketing: Are You Looking Good?

Images have never mattered more to marketers, brands, social media managers, and customers alike.

Facebook now owns photo sharing app Instagram. Twitter has beefed up its own photo sharing features. Sites like Buzzfeed that collect images from around the Web are surging in popularity. Pinterest, the network devoted entirely to sharing images, is the new social media darling that also drives sales with users buying the products they pin.

Visual online marketing is here to stay and it has big implications for your business. Here are three steps to implementing a solid visual marketing strategy.

1          Turn your website into a lookbook

When designing your website to showcase your products or services online, use hi-res images and think about what you want customers to feel as they browse.

How can you use images to create an emotional connection? One strategy is to give context to your images. Show people using or display your product in its natural habitat – a home, café, at the office – as opposed to cold, static product shots. This helps people envision themselves using your product and may inspire them to make a purchase.

If your business offers a service, you can still incorporate images into your web design. Own a spa? Try using a rotating backdrop of serene, peaceful places intermixed with high-quality images of your space. Scale back on the text and let images do the talking for you.  

2          Incorporate social for sharing

Another benefit of using context-rich, hi-res images is that these are the visuals most shared on Pinterest. Pinterest users collect images that speak to the greater theme of the board they’re creating. This means that visually pleasing images within a context are easier to incorporate and more likely to get re-pinned.

Instagram is a social network where users share their own photographs. Twitter also has photo-sharing capabilities. Think about creating promotional campaigns that encourage customers to post to Instagram or tweet photos of themselves using your product or service, at your location, or enjoying the service you provide. Capitalize on the popularity of these apps to drive sales and reach new customers! 

3          Remember the big picture

As with all marketing strategies, keep in mind your long-term, big-picture goals. Using images and visual social media strategies should be just one part of a comprehensive, integrated marketing strategy. The key to marketing success on social channels and beyond is all about producing engaging content—and your visual strategy should be no different.

Growing business online – “Keyword Strategy”

Business owners and marketers are challenged with more pressure than ever but with less time and resources to grow their business. Let us explore a strategy that can help them overcome the challenges.

A “Keyword” is a word or phrase that is relevant to your business and can help a customer/consumer find you through search engines like “Google.”

While it is difficult to ascertain which keywords are most relevant for people to find your business, the popularity and competitiveness of some keywords vis-à-vis your business can be determined. The same can be used as an yardstick in measuring the number of visitors to your website.

Create a list of 4-6 keywords relevant to your business. The keywords you choose should be “out-of-the-box” and yet be relevant. Usual words such as ‘marketing’ or ‘business’ are very competitive, making it harder to rank well for them. The greater the volume of searches on a keyword, the more competitive it is.

You should find a balance between relevance and difficulty. Choose 2-3 keywords that match your business well. Note that these keywords do not have to be perfect at first. You can try out different ones to see which work the best.

Design and optimize your website around your keywords.

Now that you’ve picked your keywords, you should incorporate them into your website. My next post above will talk more about this.