Not Blogging for Your Business? Why This Content Marketing Tool is Worth Your Time

Posted on October 15, 2013 by admin

If you’ve heard of blogging for your business, but you’re not doing it, you’re not alone. Many businesses know blogs are important for building a strong base of loyal customers and for getting found in online searches – yet many aren’t fully aware of this content marketing tool as a powerful way to help audiences view them as the expert in their industry.

A recent post describes this scenario with the numbers: Businesses that regularly blog as a part of their content marketing strategy see about 55 percent increased website traffic than businesses who don’t include regular high-value blogs in their strategy. Even more, about 60 percent of organizations aren’t using blogs at all for marketing – this means you likely have an opportunity to start using blogs now to help edge out your industry competitors.

Blogs for business isn’t an arena for sharing your personal reflections about your day, about recent political events or great pet stories. Instead, they’re used for letting audiences know you really know your stuff when it comes to industry trends and insights. They’re also used to help your audience learn more about topics they are interested in, so they can’t be too “salesy” or they won’t be effective. Instead, focus on high-value, quality information in a concise and easy-to-read format. 13378900_s

Keep this in mind too: good blogs can stay online and be shared and re-shared for months or even years, so they have some staying power. Feel free to archive and refer back to blogs for your business that are a year or 18 months old; if it’s good information, people will click and open them.

Blogs are also used to help index and rank your website for higher search engine optimization. They can make a big difference in your search engine results; as long as keywords are used appropriately and you’re following an overall marketing strategy that includes consistent social media posts with some traditional marketing tools. Blogs for your business are a very important part of your content marketing, but they can’t stand alone.

One last point about blogs: they aren’t meant to be sporadic. Committing to a schedule of well-planned and well-written blogs is one piece of the formula for success. The work, however, is worth it when business blogging helps generate the results you’re looking for. Contact us to help you get your business blog going.

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Monday Morning Coffee With Adrian Gray of Principal Financial Group

Posted on October 14, 2013 by admin

Principal Financial Group 1We all know that with financial security, there comes a choice. Sometimes it can be difficult to achieve that security on your own. That’s where someone like Adrian Gray steps in. Adrian is a financial advisor with Principal Financial Group. Principal Financial Group is a nationwide company with their home office in Des Moines, IA. Principal is the nation’s leading provider in 401k plans, but they offer a number of services for individuals, families, and business owners.

While he has a connection with Principal, Adrian is still an independent business owner. He has his own practice and is able to tailor solutions to each client’s individual needs. Simply saying that Adrian is a “financial advisor” leaves quite a bit of guessing and wondering. Adrian understands that finances can seem complicated and stressful. Adrian says, “I help alleviate that stress by first listening to my clients to find out what their needs and goals are, then I help balance those needs with their future financial goals by providing feedback and education. This makes sure they know all the options that are available to help them achieve those goals. I’m a facilitator of choice!”

Adrian found his way to this industry through his dad, who has been in the game for over 26 years. His father never pushed him toward this career, but his passion to help people in need generated a passion to help people become debt free and financially. This is what really drew him toward this path. At just 30 years old, Adrian has been able to achieve a financial security that is typical of someone much older. His ability to be disciplined and diligent has given him several amazing opportunities in his life. Adrian desires to share this experience and knowledge with others, so they too can reach financial security as quickly as possible.

Adrian has built his business on three promises that he shares with each individual even before the first meeting.

1. I’m not going to try and sell you anything
2. I won’t take more than 30 minutes of your time during the initial meeting
3. If you don’t like anything I say, or you don’t see any value in working with me, I won’t call or      bother you again.

This is how he has had the opportunity to see his business grow. The outstanding service he provides his clients is then passed on to client’s friends and family. Creating referable experiences is what Adrian does best!

Facebook, LinkedIn, and the St. Joseph Metro Chamber have also been instrumental in the growth of his business. And what does Adrian love most about his business? “The opportunity to truly help people plan and prepare for their future; notice I said ‘their future.’ It’s not about me or what I can get out of it, but I believe if you help people for the right reasons, they are blessed and happy. As a result, I am blessed and happy as well!”

We want to congratulate Adrian Gray on being our Helping Hands Contest winner! He actively participated and it was fun to get to know him better through that. Susan J. Campbell also wants to recognize his willingness to work hard toward the goals he has in place. Adrian has the desire for his business to grow, as most business owners do, and he is doing his part in ensuring the opportunity for growth!

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Do You Know the Best Time to Post to Facebook?

Posted on October 11, 2013 by admin

This question is probably the ultimate question when it comes to social media. It is facebook pica really tough question to answer because it really does depend on the target audience. In a lot of ways, you have to find out for yourself.

The information that you find out about your audience is going to serve you much better than data from a variety of sources. Here are some tips on how to generate your own report:

  1. Create Exploding Content:
    You need to create something to post to Facebook that is bigger and better than anything you would normally post. This will help you have confidence that you will get good information when you look at the variations during different hours of the day. Funny pictures, videos, and different content is going to be your best bet here.
  2. Monitor:
    Sadly, Facebook Insights do not offer an hourly breakdown (we can hope that they will soon offer this), so for now, it comes down to you. You need to check what times people commented, when people liked the post the most, and so on.
  3. Cross Reference:
    Grab another source of data, if possible. Maybe the link you posted had a link back to your site as well, check out those analytics. If there’s any way to grab another bit of information, do it and then compare.
  4. Evaluate:
    Look at the information that you do have and learn from it. When does your audience engage the most on Facebook? Do they like videos more in the afternoon or maybe right before bed? Would they rather have an informative post bright and early in the morning or maybe during lunch time?

There are several ways that you can go about finding the best time to post on all the different channels of social media. Don’t be shy though. Be sure to ask Susan J. Campbell about it. We are happy to help with a social media strategy for your organization!

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Four Branding Strategies That Work

Posted on October 10, 2013 by admin

Branding Strategies 3We’re all familiar with the phrase “Jack of all trades, master of none.” As a business owner, you must wear many hats, particularly if you run a small business. But when it comes to online branding strategies, it’s not simply enough to have a hand out there. Branding strategies should be specific, detailed, and deliberate to make the biggest impact.

1. Get involved.
Focus your attention on the “watering holes” where your consumers congregate. Dig into what your competitors are doing and what’s going on in the industry. It’s also good to immerse yourself in what the online community is saying within your particular niche. Have a look at both personal and professional blogs on the subject and search for an opportunity to make your own unique contribution.

2. Invest in a good website.
Like it or not, a book does get judged by its cover. You may have an amazing business, but if consumers find that your website is outdated, lacks functioning, or is overly basic, that’s not going to translate well to your brand. While a website may require an initial investment, as the old saying goes – you get what you pay for. If your goal is to create branding strategies that work, don’t waste your time on cheap, cookie-cutter websites.

3. Stream fresh content.
Once you have a killer website, you need something to keep your customers continually coming back. That something is regular, fresh material that provides your core customers with something compelling, useful, or interesting.

4. Be the best at something.
Whether it’s providing some sort of valuable insight through a blog or offering a great incentive to customers, successful online branding strategies seek to differentiate the brand from the competition. How do you measure that? Look at what your customers have to say – they are the final judge on whether or not you are adding unique value.

If you’re looking to improve the effectiveness of your branding strategies, the experts at Susan J. Campbell Copywriting Solutions can propel you in the right direction.

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Are You Pinterest-Ready For The Holidays?

Posted on October 9, 2013 by admin

Pinterest was made for retail. It has been mentioned before, but the orders that are Pinterest 4funneled through Pinterest result in a larger purchase and there are a significantly higher number of purchases through Pinterest than any other social media. As a result, now is the time to get organized and ramp up for this holiday campaign.

There are 4 different ways you can get Pinterest-Ready for the holiday season:

  1. Rich Pins Are The Way To Go:

There’s an option on Pinterest to use Rich Pins. These are the pins that would have the price information included when you pin a certain image. According to Pinterest, Rich Pins receive higher click-through rates, which is the result you want!

  1. Content Strategy For Pins:

Do you have certain products that you would like to sell the most? Your content strategy should be built around that. Another thing that will help is promoted pins, getting a few blogs to promote that product might help too. Engagement on other social media platforms that is more focused on these particular products can only help too. This is why a strategy will benefit you the most, it will help keep your messages consistent.

  1. Website: Ready?

Your website should be your number one priority. Is it organized? Do you have rich pins? Do you have share buttons on your website? Take advantage of the increased Pinterest traffic. Check your site analytics, are people looking at products that you still have or are they going after out-of-stock products? You might want to think about redirecting traffic to similar items so that you don’t lose that potential customer.

  1. Blog Strategy:

Much like a content strategy, blogs are content and they are incredibly important (that’s why they have their own point). Typically, consumers are going to look at several pieces of content before they commit to a purchase. Obviously, it would be much better if they came to you first and made that decision right then and there. A blog can be the way to do that. Great content can get them interested and then maybe even get them to buy from you.

Are you preparing for the holidays? Do you need a holiday campaign? Talk to Susan J. Campbell today about how to create a campaign that will take you through the holidays and use that momentum to continue helping your business.

Posted in Pinterest Content Marketing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Three Lessons For Content Marketing That Captivates

Posted on October 8, 2013 by admin

Content Marketing 7In the content race it seems as though many companies are throwing out new material just for content’s sake without fully understanding how to make that content work for their brand. In fact, some brands are pushing out multiple content pieces daily over a variety of platforms such as blogs to the main website, Twitter tweets, Pinterest pins, Facebook status updates, Instagram pics, and more. But true content marketing involves more finesse; otherwise, all that hard work may be wasted.

Effective content marketing should actively engage your audience and help to achieve overall business goals. Marketers are pushing out so much information that they are actually bombarding consumers and are taking the risk of having their content marketing being grouped with all the rest of the junk mail out there – straight into the virtual trash bin. Lesson #1 – more content doesn’t equal better content.

We need to go back to the days where conversations were simpler…and more meaningful. Content marketing should add unique value, help consumers tackle an issue of interest, or nurture deeper relationships. With today’s technology, we possess the necessary tools to initiate more meaningful conversations that won’t simply fall on deaf ears. Instead of trying to achieve the most views, the goal should be to scale down and market to those individuals who will actually benefit from the content or find it useful or informative in some way. Lesson #2 – conversations need to be more tailored to customers who care.

And, finally, Lesson # 3 – content should be optimized to provide the best results through Google. Certainly search engine rankings cannot be ignored and can become a powerful tool for success when paired with more customized marketing efforts aimed to build stronger customer relationships.

To learn more about how to create content marketing that captivates and breaks through the cycle of virtual noise, visit our website.

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Has Your Current Brand Marketing Plan Kept You Out of Google’s Rankings?

Posted on October 3, 2013 by admin

Brand Marketing 1When it comes to rankings, Google is King. And in order to make it in the Royal Court, good content is a must.

The problem is figuring out how to get on top when it comes to search results. A recent report highlighted in Social Media Today reveals some data that might help us get there in terms of brand marketing.

The report, which is based on 10,000 of Google’s top search keywords, found that websites getting tweets, shares, likes and “+1”s on Google do well. It’s the social impact portion of brand marketing that is making strides. Garnering Google+ links looks to create a high ranking as well.

Another interesting topic was that of how speedy website performance translates to high search rankings. The findings show that not having an intelligent on-page coding alone could lower your rankings. The apparent standards of using the basic H1 and H2 tags or a simple description, don’t really improve anything.

But at the end of the day, it’s all about the content. Are you delivering solid quality content? Is it unique? Is it the best? Content has got to be the driving force behind your brand marketing goals. Rankings depend on it.

Consider the basic approach to increasing your ranking with a few basic principles:

• Have a clear and precise message through your URL
• More text
• Creative internal link structure
• More integrated audio and visual files

And don’t forget about your keywords. These will still make an impact with Google. You should place the keywords within the title as close to the beginning of your text as possible. As far as using those same keywords throughout your text, they should be done naturally. Forcing a keyword will take away from the quality of the content.

Another thing to consider with any brand marketing strategy would be that Google looks at brand websites and other domains very differently, according to the report.

If you are struggling to find your way to the top of Google rankings let us help. Our team of experts at Susan J Campbell Copywriting Solutions can create a brand marketing strategy that will deliver the quality content search engines enjoy. Contact us today!

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Are Your Search Engine Optimization Tactics Landing You in Hot Water?

Posted on October 2, 2013 by admin

11359623_sIf you want your search engine optimization to be successful you’re going to have to invest in it. Small to medium-sized businesses are on a tight budget, we know that, but what you may not know is that lowering your standards could cost you. Google has made some big changes this year which has created more fear among webmasters. Yet budgets remain traditional with little wiggle room.

Her are four key reasons you should reconsider investing in quality search engine optimization services.

Because Google Said So. Yes. That’s right. Google is not the same machine it was five years ago. The search engine giant is openly putting its foot down on tactics like keyword stuffing, reborn domains, article spinning, duplicate content, excessive bookmarks, and paid links to name a few. You can read the writing on the wall: Quality Content Only.

Updates Are Costly. You’ll find that straying from the now “outlawed” search engine optimization tactics will not only be new but expensive. Recovering from Google’s updates won’t be easy but it will give you an added value as far as content marketing is concerned.

Start by addressing the easiest fixes such as on-site technical problems followed by duplicate content, thin content, and really poor link building. Embracing quality content such as news jacking can help you along your way to creative search engine optimization.

Each of these options will take some investment but if you take advantage of quality search engine optimization services now you can avoid big penalties and more headache down the road.

Marketing and Search Engine Optimization Together at Last. Don’t be that small business that can fit their SEO strategy into a mold. While there are the basic rules for webmasters, they shouldn’t go against the principles of business process outsourcing. You should always maintain a precise level of performance monitoring and accountability while outsourcing your processes and execution.

Public relations and marketing departments are no longer down the hall from search engine optimization creators, rather they are all intertwined and working together. Each has a unique way of helping the other.

More Investment Equates More Profitability. Companies that are taking the advice and investing in their search engine optimization goals are seeing ROI very high. Avoiding vendors that fit your current budget, instead, broaden your budget and spend your money wisely on a search engine optimization firm that will give you the greatest ROI.

If you are struggling to find a vendor that meets your budget, let us help. The experts at Susan J. Campbell Copywriting Solutions have mastered the art of converging public relations, marketing, and search engine optimization while delivering quality content. Contact us to go over your concerns and develop a plan that works for you.

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Do You Know All Your Options When It Comes to Content Marketing?

Posted on October 1, 2013 by admin

Content Marketing 6All companies know the importance of content marketing but more than half of those same companies find it challenging. According to a recent survey, 64 percent of those businesses asked, felt creating content was a major hurdle.

A recent article discussed what Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs’ survey found to be the best tricks to have a successful marketing plan.

Here is the good, the bad, and the ugly of how you can make your content marketing more efficient and productive:

Employ a Dedicated Creator for Your Content. This is a no brainer. Having someone on staff, full-time, to manage your content marketing means consistent fluid content. This person is an obvious resource for the company. The only down fall is this person could come at a hefty price tag. The important thing to remember is your ROI. Content marketing is worth this investment.

Think Outside the Box: Crowdsourcing. In this case, outside the box really means outside the marketing department. Sometimes content marketing comes from other areas of the company.
No one knows your customers like your customer service department, right? So why not make them regular contributors to your company’s blog. The only trouble will be streamlining your content and ensuring each piece, from varying departments within your company, have the same tone. You need to maintain a similar style and tone.

Crowdsourcing can also be done outside your company with agencies that specialize in delivering content. This can be a great idea as you move back and forth with how you grow your content marketing strategy but can be costly and impact the overall voice of your brand.

Get Consumer Content. This can be a great tool to actively engage customer by allowing them to share their own stories of your products and services. The only downfall may be that this particular aspect of content marketing can be very time consuming. After all, tracking down customers willing to tell their story, write their story, and then share it on a regular basis may be difficult to mainstream.

Pay For Content. If you are short on time but can afford it, paying for quality content using various licensed media properties could be an option. While this gives you a quick way to deliver content to your targeted audience it falls short on results as far as SEO is concerned. These licensed content articles aren’t indexed.

Curate Other Content. This won’t cost you as much as licensed content and could be equally as time saving. However, the process is difficult to automate. It takes time to develop quality content and make it fit your current format.

Content marketing is great if you can find some sort of consistency. Let us help you find what works for you. The team at Susan J. Campbell Copywriting Solutions can help develop a long-term strategy with the commitment to product the quality content you need to get your brand up and going.

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Monday Morning Coffee with Farmer’s House Market

Posted on September 30, 2013 by admin

farmerslogoIt’s orchard and pumpkin patch season across northwest Missouri, but one stands out for having a truly unique mission: The Farmer’s House Market in Weston, Mo.

Recently I had the opportunity to visit this new addition to the agri-tourism entities scattered across the rolling hills of historic Weston. Pulling into the drive, raised bed plantings, greenhouses and interactive displays tell guests there’s definitely something good growing here. The rustic porch of the main building was scattered with bright mums and other cozy fall items. The smell of fresh apple fritters greeted us as soon as we left our car.

What makes this business unique is that it’s actually a vocational program geared at helping individuals with disabilities get involved in an agricultural experience. The Farmer’s House Market offers locally-grown cheese, vegetables, fruit and craft items that allow area youth and adults the chance to participate in the process. Participants, called special farmers, can help in almost every aspect of the operation, from tending to the garden beds to baking items sold on-site and wrapping up or packaging items. Volunteers can work alongside the farmers in a true community setting.

Because vocational skills are part of the goal of Farmer’s House Market, participants can also learn how to operate a cash register, sock inventory and interact with shoppers. Coordinators say there’s more than the basic tasks going on here; the individuals who work at Farmer’s Market also see many lasting, personal benefits to performing the tasks.

Volunteers at the store extended a warm welcome and invited us to enjoy product samples while roaming the grounds and store. They are quick to share the story and mission of the business, which operates as a non-profit organization. Profits from sales of the produce, flowers or food/craft items help the program to expand its vocational offerings to individuals with disabilities. marketa

Like many great ideas, the Farmer’s House Market concept came from families who had a similar desire: to offer new opportunities to loved ones with disabilities in a nurturing environment. It’s also a project that draws in the local community, including the nearby Weston Red Barn Farm, the local high school and the Platte County Board of Services day rehabilitation program. In fact, a “Seeds of Change Produce Garden” was established at the Weston Red Barn Farm, with the harvest sold at the Farmer’s House Market.

The market is successfully combining classic agriculture with modern-day tools, having a large Facebook following and an interactive website. Fans of the Facebook page receive valuable updates about the Farmer’s House, but also interesting agricultural facts and information that helps connect them to the community. Photos of the special farmers and volunteers are fun and inviting, while connecting audiences to the inspiring mission of the non-profit business.

Today SJC celebrates the good things growing at Farmer’s House Market, and the efforts of a group of individuals to see their vision become an outstanding reality. What new idea can you get growing today?

Posted in Monday Morning Coffee, Nonprofit Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment