Content:
-Message your inbound strategy delivers
-Helps Attract, Convert, Close, & Delight
-Once limited by space, now limited online by attention
-Should be solutions-based not product-based
Remarkable Content:
-It's about potential customers' problems and answers they're searching for.
a) Purpose
Offer: Gated by a Landing Page or behind a Form
Blog Post / Site: Public for everyone
b) Format- based on Buyer Personas (visual vs text)
-Case Study
-Videos
-Infographics
-White Papers
-Calculators / Worksheets
-eBooks
- Podcast
-Templates
-Research Reports
-Checklists
-Webinars
-Slideshare Decks
c) Topic
1) Buyer Persona
2) Stage of Buyer's Journey
Content Process:
1) Plan: Based on Buyer Persona, Buyer's Journey, Topic
2) Create: Specific, Customized, & Educational Content
3) Distribute: Content only as good as content distribution system
4) Analyze
5) Repeat
Content & The Buyer's Journey:
1) Awareness - identify problem or opportunity
Use Analyst Reports, Research Reports, eBooks, Editorial Content, Expert Content, Whitepapers, Educational Content
2) Consideration - investigate solutions
Use Expert Guides, Live Interactions, Webcasts, Podcasts, Videos, Comparison Whitepapers
3) Decision - decide how to solve their problem
(include your product or service)
Use Vendor or product comparisons, case studies, trial downloads, product literature, and live demos
Broad content casts a wider net but specific content will attract qualified visitors and leads.
Distribution:
-Use websites & business blogs to host different content offers-Use social media platforms based on Buyer Persona / Journey with your content marketing
-Calls To Action on your website to get them downloading
-Email them notifications of new content and offers
-Maximize shelf life and amplify results
Analysis:
-Analyze topics, formats, efficacy, distribution
-Determine important metrics
-Visitors, Page Views, Leads, Conversions, Goals Met?
-Any social sharing or inbound links to the post?
-Look at performance by author, topic, and format
FUNDAMENTALS OF BLOGGING:
-Pick a topic and title
-Write at a high educational level
-Write about your industry not yourself / your business
-Think of Buyer Personas and answers to questions they'd have
-Brainstorm a list of topics, ask industry peers and co-workers
-Keyword research associated with industry and topics
-Focus on one specific topic per post
-Start with a working title, get specific, use long-tail keyword
-Make content and format clear with your title
-Add some unique flair but keep it under 50-60 characters
-Whitespace- empty space on page so visitor focuses on content
-Use bullet points, don't make text too dense. Bold text.
(but "if everything is bold, nothing is bold")
-Use images in beginning to entice and later to break up text
-Optimize your page around a long-tail keyword. Use it in your title, URL, image alt-text, and the body.
-Continue to reasonably use the long-tail keywords and related synonyms / phrases throughout the body.
-Link to internal and external links (1-2x per paragraph max)
Lead Generation:
-Feature CTA's on sidebar of blog for awareness & decision
-Ask for blog subscription via email. Popular posts in sidebar
-End post with relevant CTA and include internal links -Include links to blog on your website and vice versa
-Make blog posts easy to share with share buttons at top
-Create daily, weekly, or monthly blog digests.
-Send emails to leads with relevant content
-Write consistently, frequently, create a blogging schedule
Now those are some valuable lessons you won't learn in business school!
Want More Inbound Advice? Read My Post:
Rand Fishkin Digital Marketing Quotes
Best Of Luck In Business To You All!
Michael J. Schiemer of Schiemer Consulting
Enthusiastic Entrepreneur & Owner of Frugal Business
Digital Marketing, Social Media, & SEO
Mike Schiemer Builds Better Business
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