In the previous article, I aired my frustration about marketing and search engine optimization (SEO) “consultants” who tell their clients that the quality of their marketing content is secondary… In this article, I want to focus on another trend that tends to abandon audiences in favor of feeding the Google beast. This one involves an editorial calendar – the schedule of topics for blogs, newsletters, videos, podcasts, etc. – that’s completely fixated on Google.
Read more...As You Chase Google Algorithms, Are You Leaving Your Audience Behind? (Part 1)
I’ve noticed two troubling trends that motivated me to write this article. The first involves “consultants” telling business owners that the quality of their content isn’t very important. They’re just trying to improve their client’s search rankings, so as long as they get the keywords in there, quality really doesn’t matter. The second involves editorial calendars that are driven completely by search engine optimization (SEO). In other words, every topic is chosen based on keyword research and search popularity.
Read more...Newsletter or Blog? Wrong Question.
Should I do a newsletter or blog? Which is better? I have this conversation all the time with clients who want to find the magic formula for getting their content in front of people, earning their trust and generating sales leads. Problem is, people tend to get so hung up on the label that they overlook what’s most important.
Read more...How Asking Questions within Your Marketing Content Keeps Your Audience Engaged
I’ve read a ton of articles about asking questions in the headline of a blog post, a page on a website or the cover of a brochure. But asking questions within marketing content can be a powerful technique that helps you build a stronger connection with your audience. We ask questions during everyday conversation all the time. We do it to show people we’re interested. To listen. To learn. To show we care about someone else’s viewpoints. To make the conversation less one-sided. To pique someone’s curiosity.
Read more...The Secret to Winning with Conversational Content (It’s Not Just the Words)
I often talk about the importance of writing conversationally. Like people talk, as David Ogilvy once said. When your marketing content sounds like how you talk in an actual conversation – not how everyone talks, but how you talk – your content will sound more authentic, become more believable and trustworthy, and knock down barriers to the sale. Nobody wants to read content that sounds more like a user manual, textbook or press release than a conversation.
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