The Power of the White Paper: Try It as Part of a Focused Content Marketing Strategy

Posted on June 12, 2012 by admin

Good news:  If you’re producing great marketing content for your organization, you’re already well on your way to a great quality white paper that can increase site traffic across all your content marketing platforms. Get ready to learn about the power of the white paper.

What exactly is a white paper? Though not as commonly discussed as other types of content – such as blogs, social media posts and website copy – the white paper has been used for years as a special type of educational content that can reach very strategic audiences. It can inform, persuade and motivate your audience, and can also let you know more about the precise topics your quality leads are interested in.

How to start a powerful white paper? Author Michael Stelzner has written hundreds for top-tier organizations, as well as consulted with organizations who are adding white papers to their content.  Stelzner recommends some key points in the beginning phases:

1) Determine what your white paper is designed to do as part of your content marketing strategy. Will it explain a new way you’re handling part of your operation? Will it compare and contrast two types of services or products? And ultimately … will it declare your authority and expertise in a key area?

2) Unleash the power of a white paper by making sure the information is not only relevant and valuable, but that it also matches up with your organization’s call to action. Hone in on the key selling points of your products or services and be sure that these come through loud and clear in the content. Consider your white paper as part of an overall selling strategy.

3) Be sure you know who is reading it. Ideally, it will be pushed out through your website, social media posts or email marketing efforts to people who already know something about your industry and know they’re interested in you. Be careful not to make it too vague – most of the time, it’s a specialized tool for an informed audience.

Like all great content marketing, the white paper is there to answer an audience question. They’re not reading it just to browse; rather they have need of finding some specific answers. Do that, and they’ll be more likely to pass it along to their networks via multiple channels.

Also note: with the rapid rise of YouTube and Pinterest for business marketing, be sure to include photos in your white paper and tag them with keywords. Place these photos inside any blog or other social media snippets you use to promote the white paper. Finally, invite anyone who reads it to share it, Tweet it, email it, blog about it, and you’ll begin to see firsthand the power of the white paper as part of your complete content marketing strategy.

When you’re ready to see the power of content marketing and the power of the white paper, Susan J. Campbell Copywriting Solutions can help. Our motto is, “We Write, You Shine” for a reason; we take your message and blend it with our marketing and content expertise to drive new business for you. To learn more – contact us today.

Posted in Content Marketing, White Paper Marketing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Monday Morning Coffee with Collision Repair Specialists

Posted on June 11, 2012 by admin

Our Monday Morning Coffee focus is now turning outward, focusing on businesses within our community that are capturing our attention. Some of the organizations we will feature in this spotlight are SJC clients, while others are simply demonstrating success on their own accord. For this week, we want to spotlight Collision Repair Specialists (CRS).

Members of our team had the distinct pleasure of interacting with key CRS team members during our May 15th Lunch and Learn – if you missed our Pinterest Marketing session, we have it available for you on a previous blog. Check it out as you may find new information that can help you market your business.

It’s always fun when you have attendees in the audience for any presentation who are already leveraging key tools you promote. They bring real-world experience to the table and can reinforce the value of using these tools. For CRS, those tools include social media platforms such as Twitter and Pinterest.

Valuable interactions on social media platforms can help drive traffic to your website or blog, reinforce a positive brand experience and generate new leads. The important point is to use these platforms as opportunities for engagement, not just blasting out information. Collision Repair Specialists is the perfect example as at least one out of every three tweets on the company’s Twitter feed is a retweet of a local business post.

In taking this interactive approach to Twitter, CRS is steadily growing its follower base and building a valuable brand on this social media platform. They are readily demonstrating their commitment to promoting local businesses and developing lasting relationships.

Likewise, the company is also leveraging the tools available on Pinterest to build out boards their customers and prospects want to follow. If you want to know who might be working on your vehicle when you bring it to Collision Repair Specialists, just check their pinboard “Inside the Shop” and you’ll learn about the professional and his credentials.

Finally, if you’re in Joetown, you know the importance of getting involved, getting your name in front of the people and giving back wherever you can. CRS is making its mark in community service as well, giving back during community-wide events and promoting the efforts of those organizations designed to make our city a better place to live.

When asked to share insight on why CRS has taken so readily to social media, the company replied, “Our industry is a responsive one. Social media is the most direct and engaging way to interact with our customers in their time of need.”

To that end, Collision Repair Specialists is taking its social media efforts one step further, developing its own app for the iPhone and Android devices. For more information on this endeavor and the services soon to be available, check out www.helpicrashedmycar.com.

At Susan J. Campbell Copywriting Solutions, our hats are off to CRS and the success they are having in their social media efforts. We encourage you to check out their website, their store and their social media platforms (@CRSComplex and http://pinterest.com/crscomplex/). And, if you’re looking for quality care where your vehicle is concerned, they’re ready to take care of your needs.

Posted in Consistent Customer Communications, Monday Morning Coffee, Pinterest Content Marketing, Website | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Editorial Calendars Help Manage Online Communities

Posted on June 8, 2012 by admin

Spontaneity is great, but when it comes to successfully managing Internet communications, there’s no such thing as winging it. To keep followers and advertisers engaged, there must be a fresh flow of information continually drawing them back for more.
An editorial calendar can help. With so many components of online media to manage, it’s easy for something to slip through the cracks. Poor planning will cause communication channels to go stagnant, and stress mounts when the business is left scrambling at the last minute to come up with meaningful content. Listing major events is great, but that’s not enough.

By ensuring a steady stream of content to your online community, an editorial calendar will help peak interest and promote continued growth for the future. It can also be a great tool to help plan short and long-term communication goals.

The benefits of having a strong editorial calendar are numerous. Here are a few other reasons to consider implementing one:

1)      Foster collaboration. Because there may be several individuals responsible for updating members of your online community, media managers need to be able to work together to see what tasks have been completed and what is still pending. In addition to helping with this, an editorial calendar can assist team members in delegating responsibilities to close any gaps.

2)      Drive forward thinking. A specific time frame is not necessary, but long-term planning allows extra time needed to properly prepare for special events. Thinking and planning ahead provides the opportunity to build a solid action plan.

3)      Store creative resources. Preparing communications for your online community entails organizing photos, copy and various pieces of related information. An editorial calendar can keep all these in one place. Dependencies can also be scheduled, ensuring that everything is in order when the time comes to publish.

4)      Build themes. An editorial calendar will help with scheduling themes that will appeal to the members of your community. For instance, if you manage communications for an online cooking group, each month could have a holiday themed recipe that your followers come back to try.

If you don’t have an editorial calendar yet, it’s not too late. At Susan J. Campbell Copywriting Solutions we can give you the tools you need to manage your online media. Contact us to get started on your editorial calendar and your organizational goals .

Posted in Consistent Customer Communications, Editorial Calendars | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

You Have a Website – Should Your Refresh Your Online Look?

Posted on June 7, 2012 by admin

If you compete in the market today, chances are you already have a website. If that website was launched in the last 12 months, you can stop reading this post and save it to read in another 2-5 years. The focus of our blog today is whether or not your website needs a few tweaks, a facelift or a complete overhaul. After all, summer is here – should you refresh your online look?

In the process of developing what we wanted to share with our readers, I did a bit of searching and came across a great post by the RT Design Group out of Florida. This company appears to be a wealth of information and experience when it comes to Web design. One of their most important tips to any strategy to refresh your online look – which we completely agree with – is that such an update shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Any changes to your website can affect your readership, as well as your brand. The changes you make to the look and feel of your website should enhance the experience for your current customers, while doing more to attract those who have yet to partner with you. If your site has something of value to offer the base, it’s time to get the word out. That starts with a new and improved look.

To know just how new and improved your site needs to be, consider these RT Design tips:

  • Update your site when new technology is available that can support your stated goals or the user’s experience. This includes the move to a CMS (content management system), integrating your social media platforms, or creating an interactive experience.
  • Launch a new site when something changes with your brand. Perhaps you’ve gone through a name change, a new owner has entered the picture or you’ve expanded into a new market.
  • Implement a whole new strategy to refresh your online look if the current site is old, outdated or too basic to really satisfy the needs of the market and enable effective competition.

Perhaps the most important element when deciding if you should refresh your online look is to understand how it will impact your brand. There’s a reason why you have an online presence and if your current initiatives do not support your market strategy, it’s time to make a change.

If you need help in determining whether it’s time to make some changes to your online presence, we can help. At Susan J. Campbell Copywriting Solutions, our focus is to work directly with our clients to understand their needs and develop solutions that drive results. To learn more, contact us today.

Posted in Brand, Website | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Quality Content Drives Traffic – Look to Experts in Your Field

Posted on June 6, 2012 by admin

As much as we all want to be viewed as the subject expert in our core competency, the reality is that only a handful of people really want to pull from our knowledge base on any given day. Quality content does start with an understanding of your industry and how you can add value for your readers, but it has to include an engaging experience where you point to the expertise of others.

This concept was explored more thoroughly in this Business2Business post on content marketing. As skilled marketing writers, this is one of our favorite topics, but we also understand the value of turning to other experts in our field. It’s one thing if we tell you it works; it’s quite another when you can see it in action across multiple platforms.

When you build quality content by sharing and talking about interesting content you’ve gathered from around the Web, it truly lends to that authoritative persona. At the same time, you have the opportunity to educate yourself on new strategies, innovative platforms to support your efforts and even consumer trends that impact your business.

And, while you may not think you have time to search for interesting content on the Web, there are a number of ways you can streamline this process and have the content you want come to you. Think Google Alerts – if you haven’t tried this service, you’re missing out on one of the easiest ways to receive the content you want on the topics that are of interest to you.

Another nod to Google is the Google Reader, which is great for categorizing and aggregating those blogs, articles and other sites that you frequent, but don’t want to have to go to their sites on a regular basis. When you add blogs to your Google Reader, they already exist for your enjoyment as soon as you open the Reader for the day. If it’s good enough to share with your audience – it’s already there on your screen.

LinkedIn Groups are a great source for content as industry leaders, key players and up-and-comers consistently share valuable content to try and drive traffic. If you leverage their content and help with their viral efforts, chances are they will do the same for you. Be sure you’re adding value to these groups and you’ll be able to take just as much value back out.

Finally, Twitter Lists – I cannot stress enough how powerful a source Twitter can be when it comes to finding quality content. Yes, you will come across the junk that brings little value to your experience. But, you’ll learn quickly who provides the information you want to share and you can start adding these individuals or companies to your lists. It will provide a seemingly endless source of available content.

If all of these tools sound like a great plan, but you still don’t have the time for creating quality content, we can help. At Susan J. Campbell Copywriting Solutions, we keep copywriting in our name as it is truly our first love. Quality content is the most powerful tool for driving traffic and we can show you how. Contact us today to get started.

Posted in Content Marketing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The Personal Touch in Your Content: Nobody Does it Like You

Posted on June 5, 2012 by admin

How to rise to the top in a perpetual list of blog sites, news releases and even social media feeds can be a million dollar question. Chances are, you already have a million dollar answer – all you need to do is add a personal touch to your content and your content marketing strategies.

As you implement keywords and link those phrases to high-ranking articles or sites, you naturally build search engine rank – but so does everyone else who is also linking to those phrases and sites. A recent article highlights a few tips for helping your content provide a personal touch to your reader, and encourage them to take action.

Use local angles. Even though you want your content marketing to result in articles and posts that are sent out via multiple platforms, it’s OK to include some local angles. What’s working well with a customer or client in your region? What’s great about some local businesses in your area who have used your services or products? These types of content can help build a stronger and more loyal following.

Seeing is believing. Integrate photos and videos, and tag them. Photos and videos can add a personal touch to your content in a very effective way. It is critical to add tags based on keywords to your photos and videos, every time, so that search engines can find them and use them to build your rankings. If you’re low on high quality photos, use a subscription service online to build up a library of exciting images without the expensive photographer fees. Try a photo library service like www.123rf.com, because it allows you to build a gallery ahead of time so it’s easy and fast to drop images into your content.

Let your users do the talking. Implementing UGC, or user-generated content, can go a long way toward making your content creative and interesting. Pull customer comments and quotes from your social media posts and emails and integrate them into blogs. Even the less than positive comments, with the appropriate and respectful response from you, can really boost your online readership. Use Pinterest to create a Pinboard just for highlighting customer responses and reactions to your product or service, or create a Thank You Pinboard. (Don’t have images? Get that subscription service).

You already have the creative genius to make your content personal and unique. Put this energy into an editorial calendar that helps you turn your natural innovation into high value content that gives you high search rankings and motivates your readers to take action.

Posted in Content Marketing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A Cup of Coffee With Tony

Posted on June 4, 2012 by admin

This Monday we are wrapping  up the current version  of  our Monday morning Coffee Talk spotlights.  We hope you have enjoyed meeting the members of the creative team that makes SJC unique as much as we have. We hope you stay tuned for what we have in store next week! Now we would like you to pour yourself something hot to drink, sit for a minute and meet the SJC Designer – Tony Barmann.

A native of St. Joseph, Missouri, Tony graduated from Missouri Western State University with a BS in Commercial Art, with an emphasis in graphic design and illustration. He served as the Art Director for Penton Media until 2010 and currently puts in time with the Kansas City Life Insurance Company as a graphic designer.

A passion for non-profits, authors and Christian ministries, Barmann’s work has emerged throughout Northwest Missouri and Northeast Kansas, promoting brands for those focused on the advancement of the greater good.

On a personal level, Tony reports that he enjoys the sound of his kids laughing and wrestling with his boys. He also enjoys the challenge of figuring out his wife and learning more about her. He prefers the simple life, but also enjoys the occasional uproars, which make him appreciate the simple things: fishing, building things and expanding his faith (not in that order).

Susan’s Take on Tony –

Many in our industry may be surprised at the talent that can come out of the hills of Northwest Missouri, but we found an amazing designer in Tony. He brings a level of artistic professionalism to our brand that makes us stand out from the competition.

When brainstorming with clients and amongst our team, our job is to then take those ideas to Tony so he can turn them into a visual asset. When presented with his art combined with our content, customers often respond, “Wow, it’s better than I pictured.”

As we continue to work with clients to develop their marketing concepts and branding initiatives, Tony is playing a key role in designing logos, creating the right look for a Web page, manipulating photographs to produce the perfect ad, laying out an annual report that jumps off the page, and so much more. If we develop a concept – Tony will make it pop.

For now, Tony works with us on a part-time basis, helping us to create powerful solutions for a growing customer base. As we continue on this exciting path of growth, we hope to keep Tony so busy; he’ll have to call SJC his permanent home.

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ABC’s of Writing a Press Release

Posted on June 1, 2012 by admin

Writing a press release that quickly captures attention does not have to be a complicated process, but it is an essential one. Every business should be generating good PR, and a press release is a great way to inform potential customers of new projects, upcoming events, addition of key staff, and general success.

First, you need an attention grabbing headline. The headline should be brief but able to draw your audience in, like the title of a good book. It should give a quick synapsis of the content in just a few words. And, it should be interesting so readers want to know more, such as, “New business seeks entrance into popular North Shoppes.”

The headline, like that of a newspaper, should be in larger font and is bolded so it stands out. The first word is capitalized, but the rest is lower case, except for proper nouns. Words that don’t add value, such as “a” and “the” should be omitted. Also, using keywords in the headline will help drive search engine optimization and will allow readers to quickly grasp the main idea.

Second, is the composition of the body. Lead with the date and city where the release originates. Like the headline, the first sentence should draw readers in with relevant news and the following couple sentences will expound on that news. The body should be concise and devoid of “fluff.” The first paragraph provides a summary of the piece, and the rest of the material presents the details. This ensures that journalists will get the gist, even if they only read the first paragraph.

The body should stick to the facts. It should include who, what, when, where, why, and how. Consider what makes the piece newsworthy and capitalize on that, and don’t forget to relay your company as the source of the news. The length of the piece should not go beyond three pages, and should be doubled-spaced if printing.

Next, include a brief write-up of your company. It should be entitled with your company name and utilize a paragraph or so to relate what your business does and its operating philosophy. Be sure to include a link to your website!

Finally, attach supporting detail. Any links related to information that strengthen your press-release are appropriate.  If you need help writing a great press-release, give us a call at (816) 617-3085. We’d be happy to help.

Posted in Content Marketing, Press Release Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Video Marketing – Have You Taken the Leap?

Posted on May 31, 2012 by admin

The buzz throughout the online marketing world is the importance in video marketing and what this tool can do for your brand and your business. If you’ve jumped on board, you’ve discovered the viral effects this type of marketing can have for your business. If not, it may be time to take a closer look.

To help in the process, we borrowed from an industry expert: Social Media Examiner. This video marketing blog offers a step-by-step process to follow when integrating video into your overall marketing strategy. As you’ve probably guessed – it’s an important part of any social media effort and this blog offers great insight based on experience and good old fashioned trial and error.

Click through and you’ll notice this particular post is from 2010 – ages ago in terms of technology and social media. Yet, this post keeps trending because many of the tips and tricks provided still deliver results today.

For instance, the post recommends video interviews as a powerful tool in the mix. They are a create way to create content for your video marketing efforts and are simple to complete with a tool like Skype. Why not call up a satisfied customer and ask them to share the details of their satisfying experience?

You can use the same approach to interview your CEO or another key performer, asking them to share the excitement surrounding a new product launch or a service project involving members on your team. Keep it short, feature exciting news and make sure the subject you select is fun to watch on video.

Take a camera along to a Chamber presentation, a press conference, a service project, or to simply film your team hard at work. You never know when a great moment will emerge that when captured on film, captures attention. Those who notice are likely to share, starting the viral effect in your video marketing.

Once you’ve captured the perfect video, share it on your social media platforms, along with a great description. Include keywords and make it fun to read, teasing your audience with what they may find inside. Create a pinboard on Pinterest that features your videos – if you make them fun, they will be repinned.

Fun is really the key focus in video marketing. Yes, you want your efforts to reflect your brand and to bring relevance to the audience. But, if your videos aren’t fun, no one will watch, which means no one will share. Don’t be afraid to experiment and capture feedback for your efforts. Like any other process, it takes practice to get good at it.

If you need ideas, give us a call. At Susan J. Campbell Copywriting, our purpose is to provide our clients with innovative ideas on how best to extend their brand across multiple platforms to generate new leads. Video marketing is a great tool to accomplish this goal. Give us a call – we’d be excited to help you brainstorm.

Posted in Brand, Content Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Video Marketing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Consistent Customer Communications Start with a Clear Strategy

Posted on May 30, 2012 by admin

How do you generate leads among your customer base? Do you wait for a customer to contact you to place another order or add accessories to a platform they already own? If you are like most business owners, you can’t afford to wait for these calls to come in – you need a more reliable approach to steady revenue. You need consistent customer communications.

You more than likely already have a brand strategy in place that dictates the approach you will take when interacting with partners, colleagues and customers via your brand. Do you also have a clear strategy in place to support consistent customer communications? Such a strategy demands a clear approach to the number of times you will communicate with the customer base.

In the past, this strategy likely included the number of times you scheduled a mailer, commercial or other broadcast-type communications. With the arrival of the Internet and email as important tools in your marketing efforts, the strategy had to be refined to ensure you pushed out direct messages to your clients via email marketing tools.

While email marketing is still a viable avenue to reach the current and proposed client base, your customers are being inundated with such messages. As a result, they are opening these emails less frequently and acting on your offers at a much lower rate than in years past. This doesn’t mean it’s time to dump your email marketing campaign; it simply means you need to boost your strategy with a few other proven tools.

Consistent customer communications include social media interactions. Yes, you can schedule messages that will post on a regular basis – and we do recommend you implement this process. But, you also need to be monitoring your social media channels for chatter related to your brand and for issues your product or service was created to solve.

For instance, if you offer counseling for someone struggling with substance abuse, you need to be aware of social conversations taking place within your geographic area so you can reach out and help. Likewise, you need to provide consistent information via blogs, videos and articles that serve as a resource for your customer base. Use social media channels to push this information out and generate leads in the process.

Like everything else, consistent customer communications start with a clear strategy. Identify the channels you want to use and use them on a consistent basis. Adhere to your brand guidelines in the process and you’ll be surprised how quickly you identify new leads.

If you need help in the process, Susan J. Campbell Copywriting Solutions is skilled at the process of consistent customer communications – it’s what we do. From blogging to emails to newsletters, we help companies like yours build out and execute that communication strategy. To learn more – contact us today.

Posted in Consistent Customer Communications, Content Marketing, Marketing Strategy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments