Angie Pedersen Writes

Content Marketing: What is It, and Why You Need It

I'm passionate about Content Marketing, the practice of offering information to put yourself in front of your target audience so you can be seen as an expert resource. And I'm not the only one abuzz about this hot marketing trend.

Wikipedia defines content marketing as, "an umbrella term encompassing all marketing formats that involve the creation and sharing of content in order to engage current and potential consumer bases. Content marketing subscribes to the notion that delivering high-quality, relevant and valuable information to prospects and customers drives profitable consumer action. Content marketing has benefits in terms of retaining reader attention and improving brand loyalty."

The Content Marketing Institute says that, "Content marketing is a marketing technique of creating and distributing relevant and valuable content to attract, acquire, and engage a clearly defined and understood target audience - with the objective of driving profitable customer action."

According to "Copyblogger" Brian Clark, "Content Marketing means creating and freely sharing informative content as a means of converting prospects into customers and customers into repeat buyers."

No matter who you ask, or how they define it, content, and the marketing thereof, is what sets you apart from your competitors. Say you and theotherguy both sell the same widget. If you post a PDF tutorial on how to use the widget, plus a video of 10 different ways to use the widget, and theotherguy doesn't...chances are good that customers will give you their business, because you helped them do something they already wanted to do.

More than likely, you're in whatever business or industry because you love it, and know a lot about it. Now is not a time to be stingy with that information. Share it. Offer it freely. Dole it out in great heaping mounds. Because when you do, your audience will start to see you as an expert resource. They'll know they can come to you with questions about how to use your products or services, and trust that you'll be able to respond knowledgeably, and with a fair amount of insider insight thrown in. When you can shorten someone's learning curve with your been-there-tried-that counsel, you've just saved them TIME, which is often worth more than price of the object.

The types of content marketing you can offer are limited only by your imagination and technology. This series of posts will highlight some ways to distribute content, including:

• Videos
• Blogs
• White papers/"special reports"
• Podcasts
• Webinars/teleseminars
• Social media: Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, et. al.

Be sure to chime in on the Comments section below with any questions you have about content marketing, and I'll try to cover them in future posts.

Creative Retailer article: Boost Your Search Engine Mojo

As published in Creative Retailer magazine, October 2011 issue, pp 40-43.

 

"If you build it, he will come."

While Ray Liotta’s words to Kevin Costner may have worked in "The Field of Dreams", a lot has changed since 1989. The "if you build it" philosophy cannot be applied to a website since people can’t visit your site if they don’t know about it.

One of the best ways to entice visitors to your site is to become more attractive to the search engines. This process is called Search Engine Optimization (SEO) which involves a variety of tools and techniques, but it all begins with keyword research.

Think of how you find websites. Most likely, you begin at a search engine, like Google, Yahoo!, or Bing, where you enter a keyword or phrase to start your search. If you are looking for a plumber, you might enter the name of your city and the word “plumber”. Then the search engine compares those keywords to online web content, and returns links to websites that are the most likely to contain them.

Your ideal customer will use the same process. She might search for the name of her city and her hobby, such as “Houston yarn” or “Kansas City beading classes”, or maybe an occasion like “graduation scrapbook”. The search engine gives her a list of sites that contain those keywords. Will yours be on it?

Target Keywords – Get Familiar with Yours

In order to make the most of your web real estate, you need to think about how your customers might search for a business like yours. Ask yourself what keywords your customers might use to find you. Also ask yourself for which keywords you want to be found. Perhaps it is for something your business specializes in? Jot down a list of possible keywords to add to your site.

You can also take advantage of online keyword research tools to identify what people actually use as search terms within your market. Play around with Google's AdWords Keyword Tool. Just type in one of your potential keywords, and you'll get a list of keyword variations to consider. For example, type in "Chicago knitting", and you'll see keywords like "knitting supplies" and "knitting workshop Chicago". Note the frequency of the searches to determine which keywords will bring the most traffic.

Remember that the goal of a website is to act as online ambassador to encourage visitors to come into your store. When brainstorming potential target keywords, it’s best to use more than two words. Be specific. It is an obvious choice to use very broad terms like "scrapbooking" or "quilts". But your target audience is probably looking for something more specific -- and more local. Location specific keywords like "Kansas City scrapbooking" or "Portland quilting classes" are more likely to draw your ideal customer.

A side benefit of keyword research
When you discover the top keywords on related topics, you’ll get instant insight into your target market’s interests. You can turn around and use those ideas for inspiration for classes or blog posts. For instance, when you do keyword research for “knitting chicago”, you see a related search for “chicago blackhawks knit hat”, which could inspire a specific class topic. Once you know what people are searching for, you can create the resources to give it to them.

Use your target keywords

Once you determine your target keywords, it's time to put that knowledge to use. Your goal now is to post valuable content and become more attractive to search engines. According to Google’s Webmaster Tools, “Original content provides useful information to users, and can help your site's visibility in our search results. Consider adding video product demos or other rich content, such as user reviews, to your site. The more unique and compelling your content, the more likely it is to perform well in our search results.”

Step 1: Use target keywords in your website HTML tags, meta description, and webpage URLs.

This takes a little technical know-how, but online tutorials abound, as well as knowledgeable web designers. Consult one of those resources and update your website with your keywords. If you’re a local retailer, make sure to include the name of your city or closest metro area.

Step 2: Use target keywords in blog subject lines and blog posts.

Let’s say you just got back from the CHA tradeshow and you want to let your customers know about the new product you ordered. Soon shipments will be arriving from the latest hottest designers, and you have make-and-take examples from the show. You want your customers to stop by your store next weekend for a CHA Show-and-Tell. Should your blog subject line be:

• A) Sooooo excited!
• B) Fun stuff from CHA
• C) Scrapbooking Make & Takes with new Tim Holtz products – Next Weekend!

If you answered C, you’ve done your keyword homework! Mentioning your hobby market and specific designers in your website content makes you more likely to show up in related searches. Plus that headline is generally more appealing and enticing to your audience.

What Search Engines Mean to Your Business

Remember, people can't do business with you if they can't find you, and in today’s marketplace, they will try to find you online. Effective online marketing means you need to do some background research and legwork. Knowledge is definitely power – the more you know about what your customers are searching for, the more you can offer them.

NOTE: Read the full digital version of the magazine in the Creative Retailer online archive.

Web Content & Banner Ad Copywriting Portfolio

Search Engine Optimization for Beginners

"If you build it, they will come."

This may have worked for Kevin Costner in "The Field of Dreams", but a lot has changed since 1989.  Unfortunately, the "if you build it" philosophy cannot be applied to a website – whether traditional, or a blog.  Putting together a few HTML pages and posting them to the Internet doesn't automatically create a line of customers waiting outside your door.  It takes a bit more than just hoping for the best.  What it takes, my friend, is some Search Engine Optimization.

Search Engine Optimization (or SEO, as online marketers frequently refer to it) basically means making your site more "attractive" to search engines like Google, Yahoo!, and MSN.  Wikipedia.org defines SEO more specifically: "search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the volume and quality of traffic to a web site from search engines via 'natural' ('organic' or 'algorithmic') search results for targeted keywords."  "Organic search results"?  "Targeted keywords"?  Don't worry - we'll get to those in a moment.  Search engine optimization can be a bit of a beast to wrap your brain around - it involves several factors, all of them ongoing.  Read on to learn how to make your website hit a "home run" with search engines.

The Basics – How Search Engines Work

When you start a search on a search engine, like Google, you're asking it to go find sites that are related to the terms you're searching for.  Generally, search engines determine a site's relevancy to a search term or phrase through two factors – the location and frequency of the keywords in the site's content, and the number and types of other sites linking to it related to those keywords (sometimes referred to as link analysis).  Blog or website, it doesn't matter – search engines use the same processes to return search results.

Search engines like it when keywords (another word for "search term") appear in the HTML <Title> tag, and near the top of a website (such as in a headline, or in the first few paragraphs of text.)  Search engines assume that webpages with the search terms in the Title tag are more relevant than pages that don't optimize the Title tag. 

What Search Engines Mean to Your Business

If your site is ranked well, and shows up on the first page for a specific search term, more people will find your site, which often leads to more people doing business with you.  Remember, people can't do business with you if they can't find you.

Target Keywords – Get Familiar with Yours

Where you show up in search engine results depends heavily on what terms or phrases people use to search. The first step to optimizing your website for more effective search engine results is to determine your search terms/keywords for your business.  Ask yourself what keywords your customers might use to find a business like yours.  With what keywords do you want to be found?  Create a list of possible search terms.

When brainstorming potential target keywords, be specific.  Use more than two words.  Many sites use very broad terms like "scrapbooking" or "quilts".  But if you think about it, people who search for those keywords aren't really your target audience – they're probably searching for basic information on the hobby in general.  Think in terms of specific keywords like "Kansas City scrapbooking" or "Dallas quilting classes" to draw your ideal customer.  The purpose of your website is to allow people to find you online, and then encourage them to do business with you. Think about how you search for other businesses, and jot down your own search terms (particularly if they yield the results you want.)

The next step is to use an online search tool to identify what people actually use as search terms within your field.  You can do some basic research with Google's AdWords Keyword Tool: http://snipurl.com/adwordskeywordtool.  Just type in one of your potential keyword(s), and you'll get a list of keywords related to that term, as well as some additional keyword variations to consider.  For example, type in "Dallas quilting classes", and you'll also see keywords like "quilting supplies", "quilting fabric" and "Dallas sewing classes".  Also check out http://tools.seobook.com/keyword-tools/ to find other search tools.

Also periodically review your website logs to see what search terms bring visitors to your site. This research can help reveal new keywords to target.

A Side Benefit of Keyword Research:
Researching the top keywords on related topics also gives you insight into what your target market is looking for, which gives you ideas for related article/blog post possibilities. For instance, when you do keyword research for “scrapbooking”, you see related topics of scrapbooking idea, digital scrapbooking, scrapbooking kit, free scrapbooking idea, scrapbooking paper, scrapbooking layout, and digital scrapbooking design.  When you know what people are searching for, you can make plans to give it to them.

Target Keywords – Use Them

1. Use target keywords in the webpage's HTML <Title> tag. Says Christine Churchill of KeyRelevance.com, "If you have time to do only one SEO action on your site, take the time to create good titles."  Make it descriptive to the page content.  Just search for "HTML title tag" for how to do this on your website.
2. Incorporate target keywords "behind-the-scenes" in the website or blog meta tags (description and keywords).  If you’re a local retailer, remember to include the name of your city.
3. Display your target keywords (and most of your site copy) as actual text.  Graphics and flash images look great, but search engines can't "read" them.
4. If you have a blog, include target keywords in subject lines and posts.  Let's say you just got back from CHA and you want to tell your customers about the new product you ordered.  In a blog post, mention those products by brand name, and what kind of specific projects your customers can make, like "altered tins" or "knitting patterns for beginners".   Then use the blog post subject line to entice readers with specifics: "Altered Make & Takes with My Minds' Eye, Technique Tuesday, and Rusty Pickle – Next Weekend!"
5. To attract search engines for specific keywords, highlight those keywords in the text on your site, and hyperlink them to a relevant page on your site.  For instance, if you want to be found by people searching for "craft storage", write an article or blog post including craft supply organization tips, and make a point to use the phrase "craft storage" several times throughout the piece.   Then highlight that phrase, and link it to a webpage on your site that lists the craft organization supplies you stock, or organizational classes you offer.  That tells Google that information on "craft storage" can be found at *this* URL (the underlying URL, hyperlinked to that anchor text).

Add More Content to Entice Search Engines (and customers!)
Don't settle for just a page with your store hours and a class schedule.  Add more content to give search engines more opportunity to display your site in results pages – and increase your customers' comfort level.

• Write an appealing “About” page – include the essentials: name/business name, photo, links to/examples of your work, and how to contact you. Use target keywords to attract search engine spiders.  Include a section about what your business offers, and visitors will find on your website and in your store. Write another section about yourself, establishing your background and expertise.  Also describe benefits/results of working with you.
• Link to your main website(s) – search engines like hierarchical navigation links.
• Create a post/page about your unique products/services – tell visitors how you can make their lives easier.
• Compile glowing customer/client testimonials, especially if they specifically mention your company name and/or services.
• Create an online Press Room of media coverage, recent press releases, tip sheets, talking points, magazine articles you've written and corporate history.

Bottom line - in order to market your business effectively online, you need to do some research and legwork.  Check out some of the resources used to write this article to get started.  Knowledge is definitely power -- you should get yourself some.  Then the next thing you know, your website will be bringing your customers sliding into home plate.

Originally published in (now defunct) Craftrends Magazine, March/April 2008 issue

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© Angie Pedersen