7 Content Marketing Tips to Map Your Way to Success

Posted on January 22, 2013 by admin

In an era where content occupies the driver’s seat of most marketing strategies, you can’t afford to forget your map. Are you driving aimlessly down the road, or do you have a plan of how to reach your destination?

According to an article found at Social Media Examiner, nearly 100 percent of marketers are using content marketing in some capacity, yet few have a plan in place to manage it. Here a few content marketing tips to get you moving in the right direction:

  1. Create a mission statement. Content marketing tips from experts advocate defining who the target audience is, what information they’ll receive from you (tips, advice, insight, tools), and what they stand to gain. Remember: focus on the reader instead of trying to “sell.”
  2. Align your content marketing and email strategies. Relevant campaigns that build on an expressed interest will be most effective – i.e. someone clicks on a product link, you shoot a follow-up email with related information. Incorporating buying guides or short white papers into blogs and social media can also be a method to boost email’s effectiveness.
  3. Construct content that is appealing to customers. Address pain points in a fresh way that adds value or helps them see issues in new light. Content marketing tips from gurus remind us how important it is to be personal, relational, and understood.
  4. Use Interviews. Interviews are personal, free, and provide a never-ending supply of fresh content. They offer an opportunity to reach others who are respected in the field and build credibility through association.
  5. Use Verbal Tweets. By verbally asking followers to visit certain sites that directly filter to your Twitter feed, you’ve made it easy for them to tweet and retweet.
  6. Don’t Forget about Business Blogging. It’s much more effective than cold calling, and can help you drive new leads and convert them to sales.
  7. Include a Call to Action. These propel the reader into action without being overt or annoying.


If these content marketing tips have inspired you to kick your content into high gear, contact Susan J. Campbell Copywriting Solutions for more tools to prepare you for your journey.

Posted in Blog Writing, Consistent Customer Communications, Content Marketing, Email Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Mobile Content Marketing, Social Media Marketing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Monday Morning Coffee with Northwest Missouri Enterprise Facilitation

Posted on January 21, 2013 by admin

NWHave You Heard This Story about Six Small Counties with Big Business Ideas? Introducing Northwest Missouri Enterprise Facilitation

Like a great story that just keeps unfolding, the numbers toward business growth are impressive: To date, more than 495 entrepreneurs have been assisted with business facilitation, touching six northwest Missouri counties. Nearly 1,500 personal introductions to the initiative have been created for people in the community and by word of mouth.

The main character here is Northwest Missouri Enterprise Facilitation (NWMEF), a nonprofit organization based in Savannah, Mo., that brings the knowledge, connections and expertise of more than 60 volunteers from the region to budding entrepreneurs and existing area businesses. The goal is to help businesses in six rural counties to launch or expand their business ventures, akin to an old-fashioned “barn raising” that helps strengthen and sustain the region, according to NWMEF.

The Plot:  A Critical Need in an Idyllic Setting
The desire to see the lush, gentle hills and neighborly feel of the region also serve as a vibrant hub for economic growth has been present for decades, although actual economic strength was on a gradual decline. Drawing on this challenge, Dr. Ernesto Sirolli, economist, helped create this unique neighbor-to-neighbor philosophy toward revitalizing the region through economic development strategies that are officially named Enterprise Facilitation.

The Supporting Cast:  50+ Board Members in a Team-Based Formula
The goals and efforts of NWMEF are directed by a large and experienced board of more than 50 business and community leaders across six counties, and since 2006, have followed the ideas and direction of the Sirolli Institute through an apprenticeship program. Extensive training is offered to board members as the group continues to grow.
Businesses who have worked with NWMEF have been encouraged by the Enterprise Facilitator to create a specific team to help the organization reach its goals. The Facilitator is trained in ways to evaluate each client’s skill level, strengths and weaknesses as business next-steps unfold. Services are available at no cost to the businesses who participate.

The Applause:  True Growth in Multiple Sectors
The list of businesses who have tapped into the unique philosophy and format of the Enterprise Facilitation initiative are diverse, ranging from audio visual installation services, local eateries and a bakery, a counseling center, a childcare center, a photography studio and air conditioning service – among many others.

Special groups, such as a restaurant group, allow local organizations to connect with peers and talk about challenges and successes first-hand. Using social media tools and news updates, NWMEF is capturing and promoting the entrepreneurial spirit of organizations across the six-county region, and turning this energy into economic growth.

Today, we say thank you to Northwest Missouri Enterprise Facilitation for creating a stronger region, based upon what’s unique, inviting and amazing about the people and businesses in the area. Although it’s much more modern than Mayberry, this is bound to be a classic tale of small-town success meets big-city knowledge for years to come.

Posted in Consistent Customer Communications, Content Marketing, Copywriting, Monday Morning Coffee, Nonprofit Marketing, Success Stories, Support Local, Teamwork | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Understand the ROI of Social Media – People Aren’t Just Talking to their neighbors and the folks they run into around town; They’re Talking to the World via Social Media.

Posted on January 18, 2013 by admin

Understand the ROI of Social Media – People Aren’t Just Talking to their neighbors and the folks they run into around town; They’re Talking to the World via Social Media..

Posted in Social Media Marketing | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Think Outside the Content Marketing Box

Posted on January 18, 2013 by admin

13282806_mWho would have thought that simply taking care of your current customers would generate new ones? It’s an interesting concept. One that’s been around forever but is clearly masked by all the technology and content marketing campaigns out there.

To be honest, nothing beats old fashioned word of mouth. Consider this: if your business is focused on delivering the highest quality of goods and services wouldn’t it be nice to just do what you do best and let it work for you. That’s how word of mouth works. There is no social media marketing, no content marketing and no big investments. The biggest investment will be the ones you make in your company, your employees and your customers.

Companies like Starbucks, for example, don’t spend a lot of money on advertising. Sure they have a presence in the social media but they are more focused on having the best baristas and quality drinks. That’s been enough for them.

While there’s nothing more satisfying than positive customer referrals, the reality is you shouldn’t depend on it. Instead, take that initial business recognition and turn it into brand loyalty. A recent Social Media Today post highlighted the content marketing things companies aren’t doing to promote their business.

Think about the most popular chains in the market. Ever wonder why a company that is already on the map continues to invest significant dollars into their advertising? Everyone knows that McDonald’s serves a tasty Big Mac and Red Lobster serves shrimp. But what you’re not realizing is that this is just reinforcing their position among competitors and increasing brand awareness.

Couple that with the fact that Google pretty much dominates any sort of online marketing techniques and what are you left with? You have superior customer service, investing in brand awareness and a different content marketing. Think video marketing, billboard advertising and banner advertising. Take advantage of the opportunity to promote, proactively, on your company’s website. Your customers want to hear from you, especially at a time when your competitors are quiet.

Now is the time to focus on content marketing, creating those new, quality ideas and sharing them with your readers. Believe it or not, potential customers are searching for this valuable information – it’s your job to make it readily available.

Posted in Consistent Customer Communications, Content Marketing, Copywriting, Marketing Strategy, Social Media, Social Media Marketing, Uncategorized, Website | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A White Paper, A Powerful Marketing Tool

Posted on January 17, 2013 by admin

White papers — at one time they were technical, dry and frankly rather boring to read. Today, a new trend has emerged. Companies are increasingly using the white paper to function as a more interesting marketing piece. Should you be using this tool in your copywriting efforts to create great content?

Posted in Consistent Customer Communications, Content Marketing, Copywriting, Mobile Content Marketing, Social Media, Social Media Marketing, Video Marketing, White Paper Marketing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Neglecting Customers on Social Networks Hurts Your Bottom Line

Posted on January 16, 2013 by admin

9748109_mAt some point in our lives, we’ve all had “that” friend who didn’t make the effort to return our phone calls or initiate conversation. Of course, the feeling isn’t nice – leaves you feeling a little slighted and unimportant, regardless of their intention. Just as communication breakdowns can lead to the dissolutions of friendships, so a one-sided exchange can mean the loss of business for companies who ignore what their customers have to say.

Per recent study results from the Acquity Group found at internetretailer.com, though close to 100 percent of 50 major retailers utilize Twitter for marketing purposes, less than a third actually use the social media platform to truly engage with their patrons. Hold the phone …isn’t that what social networks are all about? Worse, over 70 percent of these companies are not even responding to their followers’ tweets. If your goal is to make the next movie “How to Lose a Customer in 10 Days,” keep up the good work. Otherwise, it may be time to adopt a new strategy.

We’ve all heard the familiar phrase “doing too many things at once.” Usually the end result is that nothing gets done well. When leveraging social media, you don’t need to make your presence known on every single platform out there. Pick only those that you are really going to commit to and invest in so as to secure the biggest return on investment.

Jay Dettling, Executive VP for Acquity says that although major brands are utilizing social media, many still don’t fully grasp how their use connects with the company’s overall business strategy. According to Acquity’s research, more than three-fourths of the brands studied use at least one of these major social media networks – Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pintrest, or Instagram. Interestingly, only a majority of companies with a presence on Pinterest or Instagram actually used the sites to interact with consumers.

Don’t let your social media efforts go to waste, or worse, drive loyal supporters away. Contact SJC to find out how to use social networks to build lasting profitable relationships with your followers.

Posted in Consistent Customer Communications, Pinterest Content Marketing, Social Media, Social Media Marketing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Four Ways to Improve Blog SEO Rankings

Posted on January 15, 2013 by admin

9822877_mThe hype of Christmas is now over, and every retailer out there has currently focused its efforts on convincing customers why they should spend their Christmas cash with them. It’s all about keeping the momentum going, and online marketing is much the same. Great! You have a fabulous website available for customers to access, but now what? How do you get them to keep coming back for more?

Adding a blog to your webpage is an easy way to increase traffic by providing followers with something of value. Offering customers “news they can use” is a way to peak interest and keep your brand relevant. A blog can also benefit SEO efforts since it contributes fresh content to be ranked by search engines. A Business 2 Community article offers a few tips to improve blog SEO rankings:

Use Headings with H Tags. Break up your blog with headings, which will allow your reader to easily skim the content. Your web designer can incorporate H tags within the coding for the headings to improve blog SEO efforts. This is more effective than using bullets or numbers to separate points because these tags grab the attention of webcrawlers that forward pages to search engines.

Add Links. An easy way to improve blog SEO rankings is to add links which will direct consumers to other relevant parts of your website. Use links sparingly to avoid the appearance of spam, but if your blog relates to a product or service you provide, by all means, call it out.

Keep the URL Concise. URLs often match the content’s entire title. Since titles can get lengthy, it’s a good idea to leave out words in the URL which are not keywords, and this will improve blog SEO visibility.

Incorporate Keywords – Naturally. Of course, weaving in keywords that target what your visitors are searching for is important, but don’t overdue. Use of keywords should be strategic yet flow well within the text.

To improve a blog’s SEO position is as much a science as it is an art. Need some assistance with creating content that doesn’t disappoint? Give SJC a call.

Posted in Blog Writing, Content Marketing, Creating Links, Marketing Strategy, SEO, Social Media, Social Media Marketing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Join My Forest, Change Your Life: Meet Mosaic Life Care

Posted on January 14, 2013 by admin

mosaicWant to be part of my forest?

This is a meaningful – albeit quirky – question you may see in 2013 across your social media networks, and it has little to do with going for a hike. Instead, it has everything to do with considering your total health and wellness from a fresh new perspective.

“Want to be part of my forest?” refers to a request to get involved with a friend or coworker’s Mindbloom Life Game, an interactive, online resource that is one of the tools offered by Mosaic Life Care. Mindbloom and Mosaic Life Care encourage participants to look at managing their physical health, emotional wellness and total well-being (called life care) based around a set of aspirations or goals they create. Similar to popular online farming activities, the technology allows participants to input steps toward reaching their goals by logging in and adding water or sunlight to their forest, while visibly seeing their goals take shape as the tree grows.  Inviting others to participate in the step-by-step actions that create a Mindbloom forest helps build a sense of community and inspiration.

Mindbloom

Mosaic Life Care is affiliated with Heartland Health, a 2009 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Ceremony winner and a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network. A series of Mosaic Life Care clinics have been recently opened across the Kansas City, Mo., metro region and the St. Joseph Mo., metro region. From the first step into a Mosaic Life Care center, the total experience says something different is going to happen here.  You’ll be greeted with an abundance of natural light, perhaps a soothing centerpiece fountain, and an undeniably refreshing atmosphere.

Mosaic Life Care reflects national trends in total healthcare that combine aspects like physical health, career goals, financial wellness, relationship strength and spirituality for a customized, unique life plan that helps people take steps toward total and lasting life change. The results are aimed at putting in place the steps and systems that will create a healthy, vibrant future for participants – which in turn, can help prevent chronic physical and mental health challenges that could occur later.

A Mosaic Life Care visit connects you with a Life Guide or a Life Coach, and you begin to set your own wellness goals across core areas. Primary care is certainly a strong and professional element, but is tied closely to the other areas of health. Through innovative videos, community pop-up events at Mosaic Life Care centers and the ability to join Mindbloom online, the philosophy behind Mosaic Life Care is spreading with a creative sense of outreach that aligns well with its mission.

For businesses, this philosophy can be extended to complete wellness programs, life coaching, disease and care management and more. According to Harvard Business Review, employee wellness programs are paying off, especially when they connect the dots between primary health, emotional health and areas like social/relational health and well-being.

So, want to join my forest?  Act now, and live a better life tomorrow.

Posted in Consistent Customer Communications, Monday Morning Coffee, Social Media, Social Media Marketing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Are You Breaking the Facebook Posting Rules?

Posted on January 11, 2013 by admin

16604612_mIn the quest to reach more of the prospective and current customer base, companies are posting to Facebook. They may include latest product updates, new technology innovations and fun contests that interested parties can join. At the same time, they may also be posting things that break Facebook posting rules. These rules aren’t put in place by Facebook. Instead, they are rules that apply to any company hoping to use Facebook to drive brand awareness and create leads – not drive people away.

A recent post on PR Daily highlighted a list of 12 things that should not be included in a Facebook post. (We’ll focus on just 9 of them below.) While a number of different articles have been written about the annoying habits of social media users, it appears that only those who write such articles are actually reading the expert advice of others. In other words, the poor posting habits of those known to break Facebook posting rules haven’t been corrected.

Let’s take a look at what PR Daily has to say about the posts you need to avoid if you hope to have a successful Facebook experience:

Hard Sales – this should be a given, but it’s hard not to do. If the Facebook page is simply promotional, customers will run the other way. Only the very largest of brands can get away with this and unless you’re Coke, avoid the heavy promotions.

Games – it’s easy to think that because so many people love Farmville and Mafia Wars that they will want to play your game. Chances are, you’re game doesn’t offer the same satisfaction as these market dominators and forcing people to play never works in your favor.

Guilt Trips – this tactic only seems to be used by nonprofits, but guilt-laden promotion never leads to long-term support.

Disturbing Photos – those guilty of these tactics may be taking their cue from the Humane Society commercials, but upsetting people to try and spur action is never a good idea.

Urban Myths – as soon as someone demonstrates you are wrong, your credibility is done for good.

Profanity – while this one should also be a given, the younger generation tends to think that a simple abbreviation negates the negativity associated with the use of profanity. Abbreviated or not, it is never appropriate. It actually demonstrates a lack of intelligence and respect for your audience.

Religion – if your company is a religion-based company, then this one doesn’t apply to you. Otherwise, avoid pushing your faith onto others. Even if you mean well, the results tend to go the opposite way.

Confessions – unless you want to confess that you forgot to offer your clients a discount and you’re ready to make good on it, confessions tend to include too much information.

Information without Links – if you provide information on a great resource, provide the link to that resource – and keep it nice and short. If you don’t, you’ll just create frustration for your audience.

If you want to stop breaking the Facebook posting rules, start treating these interactions as if they were part of a social event at your home. If you wouldn’t do it face to face, don’t do it on Facebook. But, just because you would do it face to face, doesn’t mean you should do it on Facebook – refer back to the list above, please.

Posted in Brand, Consistent Customer Communications, Content Marketing, Creating Links, Marketing Strategy, Nonprofit Marketing, Social Media, Social Media Marketing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Content Marketing – It’s Time to Get in the Game

Posted on January 10, 2013 by admin

12866195_mContent marketing is an exciting field, yet it’s one that few people tend to understand. In fact, those who could benefit the most from rich and original content creation and promotion often shy away from it due to time constraints or they simply didn’t work it into the budget.

A recent examination of content marketing trends, however, demonstrates that the practice is more than just marketers and writers vying for a line item in the corporate budget. Instead, it’s a proven tool to push out quality information that customers want to read. And, it positions the company as the expert in the industry – something that’s critical in a world of over saturation of promotional materials.

Which brings up the next point – the content created shouldn’t be overly promotional. In fact, promotions should only be included when absolutely necessary and relevant. If the content created is nothing more than a commercial for the company, readers will tire of the information rather quickly.

Creating enough quality content, however, is often a key challenge. A recent Social Media Examiner article highlighted this challenge as a top trend in business to business content marketing. This obstacle is enhanced when trying to avoid heavily promotional content. After all, spouting the attributes of the company is easy; focusing on the industry without promotion is not.

To that end, it’s critical to determine exactly what is to be accomplished with a content marketing strategy. For most, the goal is to increase brand awareness, not website traffic. This finding is interesting as the assumption would be that companies produce more content to receive more traffic. But, unless that traffic is relevant, it’s meaningless. Brand awareness has the potential to create leads and opportunities, working toward higher revenue goals.

When developing the content marketing strategy, companies must decide whether they will create their content in-house or outsource it. According to the Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs, 56 percent of companies are keeping the creation of their content in-house. Only 1 percent are relying on outsourced content completely and 43 percent have a nice balance of both in-house and outsourced content.

That balance is critical for the development and execution of an effective content marketing strategy. When the company has a hand in the creation of the content, the core message stays true to the brand. When outsourced talent is engaged to supplement the volume of content, a well-rounded base of quality information is created.

Regardless of the approach taken to create quality content, the important point is to create the content. For companies wanting to dominate their respective industries, a failure to get in the game could mean the ultimate loss.

Posted in Consistent Customer Communications, Content Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Website | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments