Is that how you think of your website? Like a business card online? If so, you’re likely to have few visitors and even less sales.
Are you creating consistent, quality content for your business website? If not, that’s a big problem. Because CONTENT is marketing gold. Content drives everything and puts the spotlight on you.
It’s fine to have a basic website layout. You know, a Home Page, About, Services, Testimonials, Contact, perhaps a FAQ Page. You do have those, right? But you see, what people are searching for is advice and answers. They don’t want a sales pitch thrown in their faces.
Great information that provides solutions to pesky problems. That’s what people searching online want. And that comes in the form of CONTENT. Readily available throughout your website and social media marketing.
If a business wants their presence online to standout, they need to create a great content marketing system.
Your business (or you) must demonstrate that you are an expert in your industry. Show your authority in your niche. And by the way, you need to be likeable as you show your “stuff”, too. Not snooty, not intimidating, not a bull-shitter. LIKEABLE. A genuine human… show a little humor in the content you’re sharing.
Properly utilized SEO tactics are still important to help with search results and discovery of your business on the internet, but great content with appropriate keywords that blend naturally into your information will boost search result ranking even more so. Especially when linked to your Google Authorship. Are you setup for that?
Interesting, useful and/or entertaining. Does your content fall under at least one of those categories? If so, people will tend to notice you.
Just to be clear… Content marketing means creating and sharing valuable FREE content to attract and convert prospects into customers. Keeping customers as repeat buyers is a huge bonus. The type of content you share needs to have a connection to what you sell, as this shows you as an expert, and prospects will trust your advice.
And another thing… social media is NOT for making sales. It’s for distribution of your content! Your social marketing should definitely involve Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, and Google+. But people despise being “sold to”. They want information, tips, something that makes them go, “hmmm…”.
When people SHARE on social media networks that is the equivalent of good ol’ word of mouth advertising. And that is the BEST type of marketing because it’s FREE and people pass on to others what they believe to be INTERESTING, USEFUL OR ENTERTAINING. Win-win if you ask me.
Give away a FREE report, a case study, a short 20 – 40 page e-book, online tools or apps, e-newsletter, free consultation. Something that catches attention and that relates to your business.
Post the freebie content or a link to it on your site, on social media networks and send out to your e-newsletter subscriber list (if you have one). Contact other allied businesses (but not selling the same thing, as it would be direct competition) and see if they would post to their audience the freebie content you’re offering. You’d be surprised at how many other businesses WILL do this, as they, too, are constantly needing INTERESTING, USEFUL OR ENTERTAINING content to distribute.
Imagine you’re a college professor with a room full of students. They are there for education. Provide them with information, documents… CONTENT to enrich their minds. Give them knowledge. They look to you as the expert in whatever it is you’re dishing out… Now back to the real world – that would be your business products or services. Be professional but keep the tone conversational as you educate prospects and customers.
Great content marketing is NOT about big sales campaigns. It is an ongoing process that many businesses fail to provide. The businesses that struggle toss up a basic, STATIC website, which may look spectacular (or not), most are not optimized for good SEO results, the pages display either dull ads or obnoxious ads that don’t capture interest, and they dreadfully fail to engage visitors with good content marketing.
So sad.
Remember the old saying, “Know, Like, Trust Factor”? GREAT content helps people find you (“Know”), it establishes you as an expert providing useful, interesting information (“Like”), and this turns into the ultimate goal of sales because they feel comfortable that you won’t rip them off and you offer a great product or service that they desire to have (“Trust”).
Do you understand the concept of content marketing? Are you pumping up the volume to your site and making sales with content that connects to your audience? Or is your site and social presence falling flat?
Let me help you improve your online status. Quality content seriously drives everything towards your final reward: SALES. That would be nice, right?
Gina Marie Long
Web Copywriter, Content Marketer
“Authentic connections equal profits.”
Gina Marie Long, Web Copywriter|Content Marketer 