By estherl
The volume of content in the digital marketplace has been growing exponentially over the past few years. Individuals, social communities and businesses are all discovering how powerful content, article and news press release writing can be as part of their digital marketing efforts. Still, it can be challenging to find staff with time to physically manage the process of developing and distributing content about your business. This may leave you wondering, “Who really has time for content distribution?” This discussion helps identify reasons why finding time for content development and distribution truly matters.
First, let’s consider that in order for the search engines to provide responses to users’ search requests, there must be content that is indexed from web pages. The importance of content has been a reality since the commercialization of the Internet in the early 1990s; and while much has evolved in regards to search engine optimization (SEO), it remains important for a business to distribute content to increase visibility and promotion of their web site. Just having your web site has not been sufficient for a few years.
Imagine the steps associated with Content Distribution as a collective outreach program to let people and the search engines know about a web site. A good content distribution platform includes news networks, social communities, forums, blogs, video communities, cross-linking techniques, and a variety of search engine related strategies. This platform should be constantly refined and used across all digital advertising and marketing efforts.
In all of the above cases, the content which is posted (text, images, and videos) can be set up to carry a link back to a web site. The process is called “posting” and posted content has a shelf life of years. Look at any search engine; and, it will contain content that was posted to the Internet in the early 1990s. Posted content provides public relations and can help drive traffic to a specific web site from more places than just the search engines. The process also carries with it the possibility for viral or third party distribution of web site links.
If posting is done successfully, a business may consider their web site address to be “cast in stone.” Over a 12 month period, from direct efforts – as well as through viral and third party sources, a business web site may increase the number of links to their web site into the thousands. Direct staff may have posted to some places, while, others are created through the viral process, or through third party web sites seeking information beyond a business owner’s direct control. Each day, week, and month, the number of links grows even without a business owner’s direct input. The process does not have an end point, however generates exponential response.
In summary, while the distribution of content certainly does take time and is labor intensive, it produces results that are key components to successful web site marketing.
Are you currently engaged in content marketing? Are you realizing effective results? Let us know what’s working for you; and remember, if you need support with your content marketing efforts, SmartFinds Internet Marketing and our team of experienced writers can provide you with assistance.
By dougm
Reflecting over the first quarter of 2009, I’ve spoken with small business owners, medium business owners, large global business leaders, brand managers, entrepreneurs, agency VPs, PR experts, client marketing executives, adverting executives, social media gurus, writers/bloggers and of course – IT and technical wizards – who all are energized and thirsty to move the needle forward.
Now that the second quarter is underway, are you maneuvering towards your goals and effectively moving the needle forward or just idling on fumes? With a sour economy still looming, budget cut hangovers are still pounding in everyone’s heads and resources are “busting-at-the-seams.” Yet, many savvy businesses are staying ahead of the competition by learning from and embracing the maturing “new media” technologies – cultivating well planned digital marketing, digital advertising and social strategies.
A well-executed digital strategy can drive businesses forward. Advertising can help you with the ability to connect with your target audience across multiple digital touch-points. Content marketing helps you become an authority on topics that will allow you to have “a shelf-life of years” out on the web. Social strategies can build one-to-one relationships that help your enterprise grow credibility and relevance over time. In addition, if done correctly a well-executed digital strategy can aide in building brand champions and hand raisers that facilitate your message – genuinely.
Traditional or poorly executed digital methods that lack effective measurability to track an accurate ROI can be painful. In addition, many times they can even fall short of providing valuable baseline data benchmarks and reliable consumer insights for future use.
Is New Media New?
So, when it comes to “new media”, is the media new or is it how the technology is maturing that is – in fact – new? It has matured – nicely – sort of, since I graduated from college nine years ago.
So Today, What Is New Media…?
For the later part of the 20th century, we can simply define new media as the emergence of networked information and digital communication technologies. When I was in college in the late nineties, I used every aspect of the web that was available at that time from early social communities (e.g. CollegeClub.com) to search engine research. (An MSU professor first told me of Google in 1999.)
Swingers (1996): "Our Little Baby's All Growns Up!"
New media today is “all growns up” Or is it? We continually see the maturation process happening on a daily basis. Content relevancy is rising and digital communication is flowing “over capacity” at times.
Twitter Over Capacity - Source: Twitter
Is digital a realistic approach for our brand?
We have a saying at SmartFinds, “We take a rational approach to an irrational medium,” which was coined by our colleague, Gene Brady, in the Fall of 2008. As is the case in any good creative, marketing, social or advertising strategy, the first step is developing a strategy based on solid business objectives and intense research – or “listening.”
Recently, I was talking with a friend about a social strategy and as I was speaking on this “listening” business he stated, “yeah, but you’re not actually “listening,” you or your marketing team is reading stuff on the Internet.” I said to him… “Shhh… listen…, with the expertise of our analysis software and technology tools, can’t you hear the sweet music of ones and zeroes playing 24-7?” Is your brand in harmony, out of tune or not even audible on the web?
Finally, don’t just throw your time or budget away!
Don’t think that you need to do everything at once. Develop your plan with solid business objectives. The new media flow begins with a review of the business objectives followed by – Research, Strategy and Planning to derive trustworthy marketing, advertising and/or social objectives.
For example, at a high level, approaching an effective digital marketing program requires:
Industry Research – In developing your strategy, we need to understand your business, your products and services to provide solid gap analysis to guide you to get the results you need and catapult you ahead of your competitors.
Market Research – We must answer all questions that will allow us to reach your target market. This includes analyzing items such as, key phrases searched, the volume of those searches and competition that is out there. We will also find websites, forums, blogs, communities, micro communities, et al. – to learn (“listen”) how your target audience uses the Internet.
Competition Research – We generate Internet metrics about your site with the public information such Page Rank, Traffic Rank, Link Popularity and Keyword Density. These metrics not only allow us to perform technical marketing (including SEO) but also give us guidelines and goals to reach for a content marketing campaign for sustained presence within the Internet community.
Competitor Research – You need to distinguish between Competitors and Competition online. Competitors are companies that provide the same products and services with the potential of acquiring business away from you. Competition – Any web page that happens to have the same keywords or phrases that are part of your content marketing campaign. Competition research gives us information why a certain web page is ranked, while Competitor research will help us identify how well the competitors are actually performing on the Internet.
Strategy Development – Analysis of the research data helps determine the type of content marketing needed. It helps to guide the changes needed on your website for visible text or the effectiveness of the campaign as your brand is marinating on the Internet.
Business Plan Development – Does the strategy have potential to increase revenues? How much revenue can it potentially increase short term and long term? Based the campaign objectives and your profit margins we can provide you with an estimate for the return on your investment into your own company.
Are you already embracing new media to help drive business forward? Need help getting started? What are some of the pain points in your business world today? Let us know what’s working for you or what questions you may have. Remember, at SmartFinds Internet Marketing, “We take a rational approach to an irrational medium; and we are dedicated to one thing: helping you drive business through Internet marketing.”
Follow Me On Twitter
By melih
You may have heard that “Content Is King” on the Internet. The statement is 100% accurate. The one with the most content and backlinks to their website wins. (The “and backlinks” statement is significant.)
Of course, developing and writing content is only the first step. Where and how to distribute your content is even more important! Consider this: If you post 1,000 content items on the Internet, but they are posted in a way that lacks viral capabilities, the reach will not expand and will be constrained within the 1,000 original websites. As a result, these content items do not provide much value. If, on the other hand, those same 1,000 posted content items virally find their way onto 100,000 websites, your business achieves a much bigger impact from the outreach effort.
Let’s dig into this process of content marketing. First, let’s define content marketing:
“The convergence of editorial and advertising using multiple formats that allows for viral distribution to raise awareness about your business and website.”
Content Marketing is not directly about your website, but rather what is happening overall within your business and industry sector. This is a communications art and outreach effort that does not involve direct selling, but is rewarded with sales and loyalty. Content Marketing is a supportive method of selling via quality, relevant and valuable information which:
- Educates your customers
- Shows your authority in your field
- Allows prospects to find you through multiple sources
There are a variety of types of content, including:
- Articles (informative and educational, not featuring your business)
- News releases
- Photos
- Social Media
- Videos
The above tends to have the most viral impact, however, additional types of content are as follows:
- E-Newsletters
- Powerpoint Slides & Presentations
- Podcasts
- Webcasts or Webinars
…So you get the idea that there are many other items which might be included as types of content
Unfortunately, the process of physically distributing content on the Internet is far from an automated task. Instead, the process is laborious. Many of our clients simply do not have the time and resources for this important outreach effort; therefore, they outsource the management of their content marketing efforts to SmartFinds Internet Marketing. For companies who directly engage in content distribution, it is typically something to pursue at regular intervals over weeks and months. Locating websites that accept your content, specific to your business and industry is not as important as casting a wide net on the Internet. Some distribution point categories to consider include:
- Article Networks
- Blogs
- Directories
- Forums
- News Networks
- Wiki Communities
- Photo Communities
- Video Communities
- …and many more
You will notice that many of the above are plural. Content marketing allows you to support your identity on the Internet and as such, acts as a public relations tool through a variety of distribution areas.
Stay tuned to this SmartFinds Digest; and we will tackle strategy, content development, benefits, measurement and search engine ranking effects of content marketing!
For now here is an exercise you can perform yourself. Do you know how much information exists on the Internet about your business? Have you performed a search at the major search engines on your company name? What about a search on your domain name? Now compare that to your competitors. Tell us what you found!
