WDTalk

The Internet is information intensive - with major search engines like Google and Bing assigning priority to content on websites that lend value to the end user.  Gone are the days where SEO experts could simply employ search engine tactics to trick sites onto page one to increase their advertising revenues.  As the Internet attracts more computer savvy enthusiasts, the value of  search engines results pages (SERPS) increases in turn. The greatest content is of little value if no one sees it.

Content is KING - More and more, you’ll see websites on page one and two of search queries with relevant content. I personally hate clicking on a site that tells me nothing – instead just leading me to countless pages of links going nowhere.  While the major search engines do not reveal their search algorithms, they do make recommendations, for instance with Google’s Webmasters Tools.  Relevant content creates value, and value sells products and services – and advertising.

Content should have appeal and uniqueness. If a prospect were searching for a web hosting provider, and clicking between results, why would they be intrigued by your site?

• Do you have products or services that drastically vary from hundreds of competitive providers?
• Do you offer a knowledge base that’ll help with their research?
• Do you offer live chat or 800 phone services for those with questions?
• Does your site appeal to their senses (a tour)?
• Is it graphically pleasing?
• Is the type well written and easy to read?
• Does the information on your site flow, and is it easily navigable?
• Do you have a site map?
• Is your pricing competitive?
• Do you offer the culture of your business – it’s management, history and valued clients?

Content is about supplying answers (and solutions) - If you offer Live Chat on your website, when asked a question you cannot answer off of the top of your head, admit you don’t know the answer, but promise you will find it … or at least give the perception that you have the ability to get the answer. It’s extremely important to get back to the prospect in timely fashion, whether you have the answer they’re looking for or not.  You can’t be everything to everybody, but you can be professional in every contact with every prospect and client.

Under promise and over deliver - is a phrase I’ve heard a lot. Don’t promise what you can’t deliver. This applies to your websites as well. Putting relevant content on your website is so much more than an SEO strategy. It’s a business strategy – one of providing value, and that’s what drives business long term.

I believe that consistently posting quality original content on  your website, on forums, on article submission sites, and so on is absolutely critical to your marketing and SEO strategies. As search engines revamp their algorithms to emphasize relevancy, and as prospects become more computer and Internet savvy, content lays the foundation for every other strategy – from SEO to PPC to social media marketing.

Branding is about consistency in your message, your logo, your mission statement and your site. I search everyday for clues on how other firms have successfully marketed their firms, to emulate what works, or what I perceive to work.

My perception
Publishing great content builds credibility. This is simply common sense. The Internet has grown to become a global resource for information. Why? Because it’s users are there searching for what? Information!! If not yours, then your competitor’s!

I love walking into shops that don’t have computers or Internet connections. They do still exist. Most of them come to agree that having an online presence is like mining for gold online with an offline shovel. See Mining Online Gold with an Offline Shovel by Joel Christopher (Author) and George McKenzie (Author). Add to that, prospects do business with firms or reps they know, like and trust, so building credibility enhances business relationships over the long haul.

Internet Marketing Guru, John Reese, once wrote that content is not king – it’s Kong. Content levels the playing field on the Internet. The web has made it easy for small businesses to reach more people than ever before, opening up a variety of avenues to provide great content, and thus, solidify their business’s success.

Updated Dec 28 2011

Smaller businesses are driving content marketing initiatives – by double that of large businesses. Over two-thirds attribute social media as their primary marketing venue. Why? Because it works and it’s far less expensive than direct mail or print/TV advertising.

Corporate Blogs
Small business blogs can increase website viewership by over 50%.  In today’s business climate of shrinking budgets, blogs have become a low cost viable online marketing strategy. A recent search on Bing for ‘corporate blogs’ returned over 504,000,000 results (up 470 million from last March!). As higher and higher percentages of shoppers search the Internet to research products and services, well designed and maintained corporate blogs frequently add real value to the mix.

The Challenge of Providing Valuable Content
While content has to be relevant to the company, it needs to provide value to the visitor as well. Simply creating posts that promote your products or services will have diminished results. Typically, blog posts should add value to the visitor – offering creative solutions.

The Real Goal?
What are we are looking for on our websites? I’ll venture “recurring traffic.”  Why? Because return visitors are considerably more likely to respond to a call to action. Successful blogs build regular readership that, over time, foster a business relationship of know, like and trust. Prospects don’t buy products or services – they buy from people or businesses they know, like and trust.

Content marketing requires a commitment of time
Posts need to be frequent, and contain a consistent source of useful information. Building a readership takes time – sometimes months before users recognize your blog as worth following, and recommending to others.

Corporate blogs should engage your entire organization
If you’re responsible for your company’s blog, look for ways to engage others within your organization to contribute. The collective knowledge of everyone in your company shapes who you are. Connecting with your visitors on multiple levels leverages and sustains your marketing efforts, and ultimately, your return-on-investment (ROI).