How much do you think content marketing has an effect in today’s arena? Take The Content, for example. It is what it is: useful, informative content with which readers can choose to do anything they so desire. Where it becomes content marketing is in the way it filters good content from the bad, condensing it down to interesting, worthwhile paragraphs, and the way in which it’s promoted across the internet to draw people in to read it. You’ve made it here after all – so it’s certainly achieving its task in one way or another. This week, we’re looking at what rumours have shaken up the SEO world, some more unusual ways of promoting your content and just how friendly you should be when writing your copy…
Is this the end of SEO?
Google recently announced that they wanted to switch to 100% secure search, a move that would prevent business owners from tracking valuable data such as referred visits from specific keywords and other useful analytics. This is already visible in a small way by means of the ‘not provided’ traffic you might spot within your Google Analytics data. The main reason for the change, according to Google, is to ‘protect consumer privacy’, though many are claiming it could be a means of encouraging more businesses to use Google Adwords, where they would still be able to access such information. Whilst many are claiming such a move could spell an end to SEO as we know it, at Crowdbait we’re less hesitant. Being able to determine where visits have arrived from is certainly useful, though a strong SEO and content marketing strategy should incorporate data from wider sources than Google Analytics alone.
You can rely on WordPress for responsive design
We’ve covered and re-covered responsive design and just how important it is. It is the most effective way of creating a user experience that remains consistent across all devices, and is becoming more and more essential as the use of smartphones and tablets increases. As Econsultancy points out, blogs that rely on social media to promote their content must also use some kind of mobile-optimised site that will allow users to easily access and link to the site from such devices. David Moth has decided that in order to do this in a cost-effective fashion, a blogger’s best bet is WordPress. In his article he lists the ten best WordPress themes to opt for, depending on the nature of your content. It’s helpful, friendly advice worth having!
Tweeting for dummies
Twitter has been around for quite some time now, so it is more than likely you’ve worked out how to use it to your advantage. This article by Econsultancy’s Ben Davis on the dos and don’ts of tweeting, however, is quite an entertaining read. It would seem that there really are still a few rather rubbish tweeters out there, and Davis has used them as examples of what not to do on Twitter. He offers some useful advice such as ‘don’t be weird’ and ‘embed your media,’ but really, it’s the tweets he has come across that make the article worth the read. It’s bound to be one you share!
Promoting your content
So, you’ve produced the fantastic content, so now what do you do with it? You’ll want to spread your content as far and wide as you can to ensure it not only gets seen by all the right people, but by absolutely everyone! Presumably you already have social media platforms covered and are posting captions and links to your content to help draw traffic to your website, but what else can you do? This helpful Econsultancy article lists nine other channels you can use to promote your content to gain maximum impact, including YouTube, Instagram and Tumblr. It also recommends guest blogging for added exposure and increased credibility. Although guest blogging means more work and often no money, it could help increase traffic to your website.
Copywriting and content marketing confusion
Content marketing and copywriting are likely to be terms you’ve heard a lot of recently, and while both are necessary in order for a business to become successful and attract new clients, the two skills are separate, if related. Content marketing refers to creating content that is entertaining informative and educational, while the purpose of copywriting is to persuade a person to take a specific action, such as subscribe to your monthly emails. Amanda Clark goes to great efforts in her article for Business2Community to try to explain differences between the two and the importance of encouraging them to work hand in hand.
Friendly copywriting
When creating copy for a website in order to encourage readers to return, sign up for you newsletter or buy your product, you probably try your hardest to engage with the customer on an informal level – but just how far should you go? Are you friendly, or are you assuming the role of the reader’s friend? While the difference may be slight, it is still significant. As The Drum’s Andrew Boulton explains, readers don’t want you pretending to be their friend or expect you to make the leap from marketing to mate, but to find that comfortable space somewhere in between. Your readers must learn to trust you and rely on you, but you don’t need to take them down the pub…
Elsewhere…
Facebook has found itself in a rather uncomfortable situation after its latest decision to lift restrictions in place since May to publish graphic video content of beheading, despite the fact that the restrictions were originally put in place to prevent images of women breastfeeding being shown. Website owners should all know how best to filter their content and it would seem that Facebook has made an editorial error in judgement.
RyanAir boss Michael O’Leary was a bit late to the post in joining the twittersphere, but managed to make quite the entrance during his first Q&A. It would seem he was not made aware of the fact that his responses would be seen by everyone, as his response to one woman was: ‘Nice pic. Phwooaarr!’ It’s always best to let someone who is already familiar with social media handle that side of the business. However, it may also be that O’Leary, who is known for courting controversy in order to build brand awareness, may simply be trying to ensure everyone has heard about his Q&A sessions. Mission accomplished?
That’s just about it for The Content this week, but we’re always updating our site with the latest news and useful articles like the good content marketers that we are, so be sure to return soon!