You Created a Blog Post, Now What?

Posted on January 9, 2013 by admin

14571013_mYou were moved with an inspiring idea to share with your readers, so you created a blog post. Now what? Start sending out your blog post.

Here are a few reminder tips for sending out your blog post, but before you begin sending, make sure you’re linking in the text to a pertinent previous blog you’ve written and of course your website and social media. Also take a look at your content – the purpose for creating a blog post is to drive people to your website to learn more about you, and to share valuable information that builds their trust in you. Have you met those goals?

Send it out via email:  You may likely be sending out your blog post out across Twitter or Facebook, but don’t forget to send readers a link via email. Email marketing tools like Constant Contact or Mailchimp will allow you to create a separate email list for sending out blog posts. Some email marketing tools let you arrange for an automatic send to certain lists once you post a blog.

Add your blog to Pinterest:  Each blog should contain an image with appropriate image tags. This allows you to have a visual piece that can be shared on Pinterest. Don’t overlook Pinterest as a hobby site anymore… experts believe it drives more site traffic than the other social media platforms. A tip: Take a moment to morph you blog image a bit by placing words or catchy phrases over the top of it, and then posting that image so that viewers know there’s more to the story than just an image.

Look at the hashtag you’re using on Twitter. Consider adding a few descriptive, audience-specific letters to the hashtag so that you increase your chances of your post being enjoyed and shared. Sounds simple, but many overlook it.

Archive it for recycling content later. You can reuse blog content across online articles, as video content or in an enewsletter, for starters. Consider turning it into a series. Use it as material for a social media list, poll or question.

Creating a blog is a rewarding task; sending out your blog post is another. They’re both tools in your content marketing strategy, and they work best when integrated within keyword optimization, social media strategy and web content that truly gives the reader something valuable and consistent.


Posted in Blog Writing, Consistent Customer Communications, Content Marketing, Email Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Pinterest Content Marketing, Social Media, Social Media Marketing, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Simple Steps to Create Blogging Success

Posted on January 8, 2013 by admin

10365862_mWhether you’re trying to improve communications with your employees or reach new customers, blogging is an important part of the marketing team.

Blogging success has to start with putting yourself on the other side of the computer. At the very core, we all want to know what’s in it for us. Keep this particular viewpoint in mind when structuring your writings. Don’t be afraid to really tap into what other people see as hopes, frustrations and obstacles are. And assume not everyone knows what you are talking about.

The best bloggers have blogging success using a lot of “how-to” articles. Finding out what the reader needs and documenting the entire process will drive traffic.

As busy as we all are, you only have a few seconds to get someone’s attention. You want to make it worth their while to read your blogs. If it’s done well, they will continue to read your blogs after that initial posting.

That’s why blogging success has to start with a catchy headline. This is what draws the reader in. It’s the creative content of the blog that keeps them reading. But if you skip that initial step with a strong and interesting headline, you won’t have blogging success and increase your traffic.

Another way to bring readers in is photography. What better imagery than images themselves. Slick-covered magazines use them all the time and strategically placing them where it is relevant in your blog posts will get the same affect.

Bringing on experts in the field of your topic are also a great idea. This adds not only a new angle but credibility to something readers may be passionate about. But probably the most important aspect of blogging success is to keep your work alive. Don’t forget to keep traffic steady by making even older blogs obtainable. There are several ways to do this. SocialOomph is a great way to upload your posts in bulk and schedule when you can tweet even your oldest articles.

Blogging is an innovative way to incorporate your personal and professional sides without the boring newsletter or email chain. But don’t under estimate the power of email, simply harmonize the two. Many successful blog experts see their email subscribers as a valuable tool. One that can be used for other aspects of their business.

Posted in Blog Writing, Content Marketing, Copywriting, Email Marketing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Monday Morning Coffee with AFL-CIO Community Services

Posted on January 7, 2013 by admin

AFL-CIO-Community-Services-St.-Joseph-MO1One of the most exciting things about our Monday Morning Coffee posts is that we have an opportunity to introduce our readers to a new site we just launched for a company or organization. One of the latest to add to our portfolio is that of the AFL-CIO Community Services. In partnership with our developer, Nate Arnold, we built the agency a new website with a clean look, greater focus on programs and the ability to make changes from within.

For those of you unfamiliar with the agency, AFL-CIO Community Services is the organization behind programs like Cinderella’s Closet, Souls for Christ and the Adopt-A-Family program in St. Joseph, MO. The staff is made up of a talented group of individuals whose main concern is fulfilling the needs of those in the Northwest Missouri area who don’t have access to all the food they need, new shoes for the school year or the means to provide Christmas presents for their children.

The AFL-CIO also works in Partnership with the United Way, providing information on logo full color.inddlocal organizations that can provide food for the hungry, a place to rent for the homeless, assistance with electricity bills for those too tight in their budget, free furniture for those unable to furnish a home and so much more. The AFL-CIO office is often the first point of contact for those who don’t know where else to turn.

In completing this project, it was our privilege to learn more about the impact this organization has on our community and see firsthand the sacrifices made by those employed by this organization so they can meet their mission. In fact, many gave up their Christmas Eve plans to make sure more families could have a Christmas for their children.

If you want to learn more about this amazing organization and what they do for thousands of individuals in our area, I encourage you to visit their new site: http://www.helpmenow.org and browse around, especially their programs. You just might learn something new or stumble upon an opportunity to get involved.

For more information on how we might help you update your online look or market more effectively to your target audience, contact Susan J. Campbell Copywriting Solutions today.

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Content Ideas Should be Implemented Into Marketing Campaigns

Posted on January 4, 2013 by admin

12832528_mTechnology coupled with social media has made it possible for everyone to become an author. In 2010, Facebook had 30 billion images that were published by these authors. That could be you. The invention of blogging software and social networks has allowed writers to become more creative and share their content for marketing purposes.

And it’s not just blogging. Companies use technology to publish their content ideas in every media format effectively. Around 5 billion photos were published on Flickr in 2010 and nearly 48 hours of videos are uploaded to YouTube every minute as of May 2011.

It’s the content that drives traffic to those sites. This is particularly true for blogs where there are an estimated 330 million or more blog posts that get published each year. The key is to understand how content ideas drive supply and demand. With information being at our fingertips 24-7, it is important to feed readers with the content they are looking for. And it needs to be pieces that educate, inform, solve a problem or entertains them.

Of course you can’t accomplish all five of these points but try to do at least one. There are 20 different types of content ideas and formats that can capture an audience. Video, presentation, images, text content and audio are among the top five.

Because our smart phones are capable of recording quality video and taking high-quality pictures, it is easier now to publish that content and start sharing. Technology also allows us to do this anytime and anywhere. It’s important to take advantage of this and include these content ideas into daily marketing campaigns.

Posted in Blog Writing, Content Marketing, Copywriting, Mobile Content Marketing, Social Media Marketing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Your Content Marketing Snow Day

Posted on January 3, 2013 by admin

Right now, a competing organization is reaching the “52 points principle” and capturing leads you could have for your business, while seeing their marketing costs decrease. Many organizations ask themselves “can I afford content marketing? And should I?” and the answer, more than ever, is yes. In fact, in today’s environment, organizations can’t afford not to invest in content marketing. In less than six months time, the price of creating a lead using content marketing drops by around 80%.

 

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Happy New Year!

Posted on January 1, 2013 by admin

This is the time to reflect on the past year and think about what the New Year has to offer.  The SJC Team wants to wish you a prosperous and Happy New Year full of endless possibilities!

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Monday Morning Coffee with Susan

Posted on December 31, 2012 by admin

BlogA Storm is Coming – Why Not Write a Blog?

During the holiday weeks, it’s easy to sit back, enjoy all the wonderful food, procrastinate on determining New Year’s resolutions (especially those that address all the good food you’ve been eating), visit with friends and family and simply enjoy the time off. Now that a storm is settling across the Midwest, business is slowing down for the day. While I am all for putting the computer or tablet down and enjoying the non-screen time, the slower time is a great time to write a blog.

You know you have information to share with others regarding your industry. You know that you lead the pack when it comes to expertise and qualifications – but do your prospective customers know that? Yes, you can spend a lot of time and money telling them these things through traditional advertising, but today’s consumer is much more savvy than just a few years ago. It’s not enough to promise the world – today you have to deliver. It’s time to put your money where your mouth is and show them what you know.

A blog is the perfect opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge in your respective industry, without telling people that’s what you are doing. In other words, this isn’t a platform to list out your credentials and fill a page with why an individual or a company should hire you. Instead, it’s your opportunity to share your knowledge and provide value to the reader. The blog should be about helping your target audience accomplish a goal, not touting the virtues you bring to the table.

If writing is not your strength, there are plenty of professionals who can accomplish the goal for you. Simply set aside the time to jot down your ideas, put your thoughts on paper. If you fill a couple of pages, you’ve just written the outline for a series – something that will bring readers back for more. If you only have an outline, provide your writer with access to additional information so he or she can fill in the gaps. Don’t worry – it’s what they do best.

The important point here is not so much the topic at hand, but instead the mindset. Put your valuable knowledge into digestible nuggets your audience will enjoy. You may even find that you like the process. When you start to hear potential clients refer to your blog as a source of valuable insight, you know you’ve done your job well and you’ll start to see the effort pay off.

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Content Consumption: Eat, Drink, and Be Merry, but in Moderation

Posted on December 28, 2012 by admin

16655153_mAs we prepare for the New Year’s dinner, we are all too familiar with that feeling of gluttony – eating too many sweets, rolls, treats, and snacks that didn’t add anything to our lives except inches on our waistlines. Why do we do it – time and time again? We get suckered-in because those tantalizing treats are right under our noses, enticing and readily available even though we know we should just walk away.

Per an article found at brandingpersonality.com, content consumption is much the same. There are so many people out there vying for a slice of our attention that it’s hard to decide which guilty pleasure to consume. However, not everyone’s motives are pure, and sifting through the junk food to get to the meat takes some pause and consideration.

If we signed up for every 30-day trial, free download, or gratis gift we were offered, our email and phone inboxes would freeze from all the spam. Unfortunately, not all that glitters is gold. Content consumption might give you a stomachache if it is an overt attempt to sell something, leads to 100 additional offers and endless junk mail, or doesn’t at all align with your goals or field of business.

Nobody has time to sift through a sea of chocolates and promises that don’t deliver. If the offer doesn’t supply you with an obvious value proposition then it’s time to ask yourself if the content consumption is worth the calories.

When searching for palatable sweets, it may be wise to eat from the plates of known experts who indeed have something worth sharing, and only partake with those who are humble enough to elevate the information being shared rather than the company delivering the message. And, content consumption should always be preceded by an evident learning objective – something valuable to be gained.

If you’re ready to walk away from the empty calories and sink your teeth into something more substantial, it may be time to give the copywriters at Susan J. Campbell Copywriting Solutions a call. Reserve your content consumption for only the tastiest of treats. For a full menu of services, contact us today.

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

Put the Fruitcake Down: Creating a New Website Shouldn’t Overwhelm

Posted on December 27, 2012 by admin

8256222_mNew year, new website, fresh new message to your audience. If the thought makes you want to get up and go find some stale fruitcake as an avoidance strategy, stay seated.

A recent post from the Nonprofit Marketing Guide describes how, like writing a book, creating a new website is not a daunting task when you carry it out in small pieces.

Here are some tips for creating a new website:

1. Stop thinking about the entire, huge thing and all its possible pages. Think instead about one page, and where it fits into one section. Then go forward from there.

2. As you’re focusing on a list of small pages/sections at a time, post somewhere very visibly what are the three core questions the website should answer. Websites exist to answer questions.

3. If you can, make someone accountable as the manager for the website project and/or someone who keeps tabs on the progress and gives reports weekly.

4. Keep your site map simple. Show main tabs and subpages below those. Keep several copies of it for your team to view frequently. Don’t let this piece get lost under a pile of documents.

5. Keywords are critical. They’re essential. They’re completely necessary. Take the time in the beginning to research and identify 30 or so keyword phrases that will allow you to optimize your search engine rankings. It’s well worth the time.

6. When you have web update meetings, keep the team on the topic at hand – is it content? Is it design? Is it navigation? Stay on the present task to avoid the feeling that this thing may never get done and may be passed down to your grandchildren to complete. (Pass down the fruitcake, instead. It has an astounding shelf-life.)

When creating a new website, also remember that a website is only one piece of the content marketing strategy that will achieve your goals. It’s very important, but a website is not the end-all be-all of your marketing efforts. So let yourself relax and enjoy the creation process.

Posted in Content Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Website | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments