At LoudClick, we are strong believers that companies need to be creating content and using that content as one of the ways they market themselves online. Writing really great content on a regular basis can be one of the most powerful marketing assets a company can have.
When I came across To Blog or Not To Blog? I was at first stunned by stats. So many people are out there creating content and there are even more people out there consuming that content.
Your company is successful because of your great products and/or your expertise. Why not have your people write about that on your website? Creating a powerful content asset is the first step to really powerful social media marketing - so what are you waiting for?
Speaking of content assets and social media - I came across an article from Chris Brogan a while back and raised my hands and exclaimed "Thank You!". He so simply explains what we believe at LoudClick. Create a content asset (a website/blog) and then use that to market your company (on social media). He calls the content asset a Home Base and social media venues Outposts. Its principle is simple:
1. Create a Home Base This means a content rich website/blog.
2. Share the content from your Home Base on Outposts Outposts are a place to market your content and build relationships with your customers/consumers. To participate fully in social media you have to give and take to build relationships. The taking is easy - there is literally tons of content out there for you to consume. It is the giving that is more difficult. Having valuable content to share from your Home Base will help fulfill the giving part.
I cannot even begin to estimate how many blog articles I come across with advice on how to be a better blogger. There are always tidbits I take away from each. It is rare that read one of those posts from start to finish, I usually skim for the main points and move on. Last week @problogger tweeted an article called The 7 Traits Of Highly Successful Bloggers and because I am a Stephen Covey fan, I bit. I read that post from start to finish three times. It is without a doubt one of the best blogging advice articles I have come across. Every last bit is relevant and worth reading.
I was chatting it up with my partners here at LoudClick about a new blog
post and we battered back and forth as usual. This time, however, we
came up with an idea that I'm going to pursue - something based upon an
off-handed comment of "Not a lot of people are understanding social
media so I'm going to write about my left big toe." Absurd, yes, but
there is something here.....you'll see. Read More
Much has been said of the importance of two way conversations online -
the very core of social media offering the ability to build genuine
relationships with potential friends and customers. Yet some continue to see this as a one way street... Read More
Just take a stroll down memory lane for the last 15 years......
Look
at where the recording industry was 15 years ago. Rolling along,
getting over 80's rock and not a competitor on the horizon as far as
the eye could see...
You likely are already implementing some elements of social media. But what's missing? In my view the biggest missing piece is implementing social media into the very fiber of your company. And we can help you do that. Read More
Social Media Rites of Passage signifies steps in a process. In this
case the process is gaining expertise and comfort in using online
communication, social media, etc. Some specific milestones can be
identified and are a good way to gauge a person's ability to interact
online. These milestones include: Read More
In this weeks edition: Blogging Rules, Twit Tip 2009 recap article, The Best of Pro Blogger, Small Business Becoming More Social and The Best of CopyBlogger 2009. Read More
When you complete this list you will find you have better search engine
results, your site will become more interactive and you will be able to
engage people in the social media age. Read More
The skills necessary to be successful with social media are not necessarily technical skills - they are more people skills. What? People skills? When using social media to market your company or product - a huge
component of content marketing - the need to be socially adept is even
more critical. Read More
Google search is undergoing change in upcoming months. Just the thought
of it makes some people upset; particularly website owners concerned
they may not get the same search ranking as before the change. Is this
concern justified? What should you do about it? Read More
Facebook's deal to allow Bing to index public statuses has some
relevance to businesses with Facebook fan pages. This is the first time
Facebook has allowed a search engine to index pages to this degree. So, what does this mean and what should you do about it? Well, as a
business, it may be a good time to get yourself a fan page on Facebook.
Just keep in mind the following before jumping in: Read More
Knowing how valuable the concept has become is the proverbial
carrot to dig in and learn what you can. There are a few
basic themes that apply to most social networks and provide a roadmap
of what you can expect as you begin to use them. Read More
In this week's edition: tips for business using twitter, the internet as a content platform, truths about corporate blogging, creating a social media footprint, and creating a successful email signature. Read More
Every day I set aside some time to comb through my twitter account, RSS
Reader and social networking sites. I believe that when you run a
website/blog it is important to stay on top of it, get involved in
social networks, attract new readers through social media and just
generally stay informed. The online landscape changes so quickly - you
have to commit to it day to say on top. Read More
As we've previously discussed, the most effective search engine friendly content is text. This is because images, video and audio are
not easily scanned by search bots. However, there are ways you can add to your site's search engine effectiveness. Read More
One thing I love about Social Media is the good stuff gets promoted.
Articles and blog posts that are helpful and informative get passed
around. So here I am doing my part - passing on the good stuff to you. Read More
BMW's scheme points out a very important axiom regarding social media: Try. It really is that
simple. I've run into several people who are not yet convinced that
social media is important. I can't decide if it's because they are not
willing to try or not willing to fail. In either event, they miss the
opportunity that comes from expanding your box and learning something
new. Read More
Whenever I hear content is king I smile. Despite the fact that
this phrase is overly used it remains true. However, not all content is
king when trying to develop successful content. Read More
This overview allows you to see how your traffic is getting to your website. There are 4 main traffic sources tracked by Google Analytics Direct, Referring, Search Engines and Other. Read More
The map overlay allows you to see where your traffic is coming from.
This is done by displaying a map of the world and highlighting the
countries that have provided traffic to your website. Read More
Think of your website as a garden and content is the water that feeds
it. You need to create content on a regular basis or your website will
wilt and die.
Content is your best marketing asset. Sometimes it is easy to write -
sometimes it is downright painful. When those days arise that are
painful, look to some resources. Read More
The Google Analytics Visitor Overview tells you if your traffic is coming from a few people visiting you many times or several people visiting once. It also allows you to see how sticky your website is and what technical issues may be impacting your traffic. Read More
RSS stand for Really Simple Syndication. It provides a way for you to distribute your frequently updated content - often called an RSS feed (or just feed). Read More
Google Analytics is one way to determine how people are using you website. Many people use this free service yet do not know exactly what they are looking at. Google Analytics is a very powerful tool with lots of features. Consequently, this series of posts will concentrate not on every detail but on the features you will interact with frequently and those that provide you a basis to know how it can make your website successful. Read More
Social Mention is a social media search engine that searches user-generated content such as blogs, comments, bookmarks, events, news, videos, and microblogging services.
It allows you to easily track what people are saying about you, your company, a new product, or any topic across the web’s social media landscape in real-time. Read More
When talking about SEO, Google should be your first stop. They have many tools to help you optimize your website and get the best possbile search engine results. Read More
