Content Marketing

How to Build Your Content’s Credibility

by SEO Savvy August 5th, 2014

Credibility is a key factor for content sharing; in essence, if a reader doesn’t think the content or the author is sufficiently credible, then the content on that site likely won’t be shared – effectively defeating one of content marketing’s central goals. All too often, however, content marketing recommendations only focus on increasing engagement and interactivity, overlooking the fact that in order to achieve these two goals, content should meet a fundamental credibility threshold.

For example, a Syracuse University study found that content was more likely to be considered credible if the reader considered the content and author to be “insightful”, “focused”, “authentic” and “relevant”.

If you find that your content isn’t being shared, re-tweeted, or commented on as much as you would like, you may be facing a root credibility problem. Better content marketing starts with building credibility — it’s that simple. Whether you’re a blogger or a business, here’s how to improve content marketing through increased credibility:

#1: Become an expert.

You can’t be all things to all people, so why try? Instead, focus on your niche, create an authentic voice, and truly shine. Earn a certificate in a particular area, or study up on other industry experts to learn what they know. Spend time every day reading, listening to podcasts, watching videos, and more to increase your knowledge of your chosen field, and you’re on your way to being regarded as an industry thought leader.

If you’re not an expert in a field, then it’s still possible to build credibility by curating news, opinions and advice from industry experts in your field. Getting a quote from an industry expert and backing opinions up with the latest industry study can help others understand the nuances of an industry. Informing others of industry changes and innovative ideas can serve as a credibility builder; just be sure to curate from the true experts, provide your own insight, and cite all appropriate sources.

#2: Cite your sources.

In the same vein, be sure to always give credit where it’s due. Sharing or linking to industry experts will build trust, so don’t hide your facts or couch your writing with phrases like “It’s been sometimes said…” or “Some experts think…” That’s a sure way to discredit your writing. Instead, support your opinions with sources and facts.

If you’re citing a new study, include a link to the research. Using real life examples shows that you understand how your industry works, and that you can spot trends. Be transparent about your sources and your facts. Data naturally lends credibility to your content.

#3: Avoid the “clickbait” headline trap.

For years, SEO metrics conditioned us to focus on traffic and rankings rather than audience engagement. While quality of writing and relevance of anchor text have become more important recently, many writers can spend too much time focused on crafting clever headlines that deliver clicks – and failing to follow through when it comes to the actual content quality. Creating sharable content means writing headlines that accurately sum up your piece, while still peaking the interest of the desired audience in order to build credibility and not turn readers off.

Credibility in content marketing won’t occur overnight; it’s earned slowly over time by building a relationship with your readers. This starts by writing or curating topics you understand inside and out; backing your opinions up with facts and citing your sources; and avoiding clickbait traps that will turn readers off. Buzz is great, but you still need to deliver content that’s meaningful, relevant and – most of all – credible.

Making the Personal Public: 3 Tips for More Authentic Content

by SEO Savvy July 29th, 2014

Content marketing has begun to eclipse the “old ways” of marketing, which means that customers are faced with a flood of content every time they use the web. According to Media Bistro, the average social media user consumes 285 pieces of content each day. So, how do you get your content to stand out in a sea of noise?

People respond to authentic content that speaks to them, delivers an important message, and doesn’t feel as though it was manufactured. Read on for 3 tips for writing content that is real and sharable.

1. People and Personas

According to Business 2 Community, it’s important to make the shift from thinking about audience engagement as an “institution to human” interaction to a purely “human to human” connection.

One way to do this is to showcase the people behind your brand. In your “About Us” section, consider including photos and short, friendly bios of the people behind the scenes. Humanizing the folks who create and sell your products or services can be a major boon for your company. This is especially effective for non-profit organizations, like the Clean Water Action, whose site boasts friendly, welcoming photos of their national staffers.

On the other side of the coin, it’s also important to think about your potential customers not as a random mass of people, but instead as individuals with personalities, dreams, hopes, and fears. Using buyer personas to humanize your target audience can lead to more specific, authentic feeling content. Use examples that speak to your audience, and show them that their concerns are your concerns.

2. Storytelling

In a recent B2B Content Marketing Trends survey, 56% of respondents cited “engaging and compelling storytelling” as one of the key ingredients for successful audience engagement. Telling a good story is solid marketing psychology, and it can be accomplished in a number of ways. Try including first person customer testimonials on your site, and be sure to craft them so that they are telling the client’s story, not just praise for your company without context.

You can also try creating videos that feature the company’s leader telling the “story” of the brand. This shouldn’t be a recitation of the mission statement, but instead, a direct, casual retelling of how the company came to be, like Coconut Bliss – a brand that hits it out of the park with both videos and an illustrated “storybook.”

3. Connect Product with Purpose

Think deeply about why you sell the products or services that you do. What is the greater purpose behind your products? Why should a customer choose your product over the competitor? By clearly articulating your brand’s reasons for being in business, you’ll authentically engage your customers because they’ll know what you stand for, and what their purchase will support.

For example, ice cream giant Ben & Jerry’s makes a quality product, but what their loyal fans really connect to is the message behind the marshmallow and mascarpone. Not only do they speak of the importance of family and community values, but they have an entire page dedicated to the issues they support, including Fairtrade products, marriage equality, and non-genetically modified food. This shows that they’re committed to causes that really matter, even if they aren’t related to the product that they’re selling, and brings about a sense of trust for those who agree with their stance.

4 Ideas For Engaging Evergreen Content

by SEO Savvy July 17th, 2014

You may have heard the phrase “evergreen content” being thrown around the SEO world without quite knowing what it is. To put it simply: evergreen content is web content that doesn’t “go bad” the way timely or newsworthy content does. Its subject matter will stand the test of time and continuously be sought out and consumed by readers. Evergreen content has the ability to drive traffic consistently to your site over the course of many years.

If you’re still not 100% clear on what evergreen content is and why you should be writing it, consider this example: A clothing retailer wants to include evergreen content on her blog, so she commissions three pieces: one on the history of the trench coat, another on classic film icons who wore trench coats, and a final piece on how to pair trench coats with the latest spring styles. One of these things is not like the others! While the information in the first two pieces will continue to hold true, the last piece is only relevant during the latest spring season.

So what makes for a quality piece of evergreen content? Read on for 4 evergreen ideas:

Just the FAQs. A solid Frequently Asked Questions section can be a great way to optimize content on your site, while providing key information about your product or service to potential customers. While you may occasionally need to update your FAQ based on product availability or changes in your company, a focus on the origin and history of your brand should stay fresh for a long time. And by answering the common questions of your customers, you’re providing an invaluable resource for your business.
Content Curation. There are multiple ways to do this. One is offering a round up of industry related links in a top ten-style post, which is a great way to boost your co-citations while providing useful information to your potential customers. Be sure to write a new and engaging introduction, and check back on these posts from time-to-time to make sure that all of the links still take you to the right place, and add to your list if necessary. This is a simple way to show your customers that you are a knowledgeable and active member of your industry, and it can even be a way of repurposing your old content.
How-To Videos and Blogs. Written or video content that offers instructions for how to do something related to your product or service is a perfect example of evergreen content. If you choose to create a video, keep it short and sweet with an emphasis on information over salesmanship. Similarly, your how-to blog posts should be easy to skim, and formatted with bullets or lists so that readers can get the information that they need quickly.
Insider Info. A post that includes definitions of industry jargon and/or your company’s stance on industry-related issues could provide helpful information while positioning your company as a knowledgeable and confident player in the field. By sharing this useful information with your customers, you show that you’re not trying to hide anything from them, and you give them the tools to do the research for themselves. A whitepaper is a good format for this kind of content.

Developing a few pieces of evergreen content can amplify your content marketing without a lot of extra work for your writers. Remember to make your content relevant and accessible, and monitor any links for overall “freshness” to keep your content truly evergreen.

The Importance of Blogging: 5 Reasons You Should Have a Business Blog

by Rebecca Bleznak July 10th, 2014

You’ve likely heard it shouted across the web that “content is king,” and that blogging for your business is a must. But what does that mean, exactly? And what makes it so important?

Content is King

It can’t really be overstated; content really is that important. This isn’t just timely content that is quick to produce and shares easily, but quality content that supplies a real value to the customer.

For example: Let’s say you sell pools, and your potential customers visit your website to try and find out how much they should expect to spend on an inground pool. Of course, the exact price is going to depend various factors, such as how level their backyard is, what size of pool they want, and so on.

There is no easy way to answer the question in a single page detailing every element of the cost, but what if you published a series of blog posts explaining the cost and determining factors they should be considering? Now, you have given the customer exactly what they were looking for, sidestepped a wide-ranging question without ignoring it, and placed yourself right into the prime spotlight for interested customers. It is highly likely that the visitor will be back when they are ready to do business, and you’ve amassed a collection of quality information that is likely to lead many more potential customers to your site.

Exponential Increase in Leads

But, don’t take our word for it. HubSpot recently worked with over 7,000 businesses in their Marketing Benchmarks report to find:

B2B and B2C companies alike benefit from blogging, generating an average of 2.5x more leads for 101-200 published pages than companies with 50 or fewer website pages.
Say you blogged 3-4 times a week: companies found they had 5x more traffic just by blogging 15 times or more per month.
Even if you increased your mere 3-5 blog posts a month to 6-8 posts a month, you could expect your leads to nearly double.
And, if you really just need to focus on starting a blog for your business in the first place: companies that blog just 1-2x per month will generate 70% more leads than those that aren’t blogging at all.

5 Reasons You Should Start Your Business Blog Today

1. Increased Traffic: The SEO of it all is fairly simple: There’s no question that more indexed pages, more keywords and more questions answered will lead your website to more exposure. You can do this in a variety of ways, including answering common questions like in the pool business example. The more you put out there that addresses your customers need for information, the more you’re likely to get back from them.

2. Leads: Planning out topics and writing blog posts might sound like time-consuming work, but the lead generation and ROI is unbeatable. Get to know more about your industry, and look for where there is a lack of information. Write posts that are unique and useful, and you’ll have content that others are eager to link out to.

3. Public Awareness: How do potential customers even know you exist if you aren’t easy to find when they are searching for your product, services or related topics? Again, it’s all about getting your name out there. Social media is a great place to share your content, targeting your customers via chats under a specific hashtag, or by answering questions on a competitor’s site. Having quality blog content shows that you’re a legitimate business with real knowledge in your industry.

4. Long-Term Results: One static blog post could generate hundreds (or thousands) of views over a period of months or years. This is often referred to as “evergreen” content, and if done correctly, it will bring in customers searching for your services. Because it doesn’t “go stale” like more timely posts, you can promote this content over and over again on your social media sites. And customers who see that you are consistently posting worthwhile information will continue to come back to your site.

5. Proving you are the Industry Authority: Proving your business to be an authority in your industry takes time, but if you follow the basic guidelines, it isn’t an impossible task. Blog posts provide clarity, answer questions and offer inspiration. Being an engaging member of the community, and showing that you’re listening to your customers by writing the content that they want to read may lead you to a coveted spot as a known and respected member of your industry.

Producing quality blog posts on a regular basis for your business will lead to a long-term content marketing strategy that incrementally adds value with each blog post that you produce.