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Blog content is just another type of web content, right?

Well, yes and no….

While there is obviously cross-over, and the traits outlined below are more loose guidelines than actual content rules, here are a few crucial ways in which your blog content should differ from the corporate web content on your business website:

• Web content encourages action; blog content drives interaction: your business related web content is focussed on conversion – driving visitors to take action and ultimately converting them into customers. Your blog content is different… it’s a platform to encourage engagement, start a dialogue and to foster relationships.
• Web content is all business; blog content is more personal: your web content is professional and focussed on purely business; your blog content on the other hand, lets your personality shine through. While it will still carry the theme of your core business, the writing is typically much more open.
• Web content is a platform for selling; blog content is more of a “value add”: as a business your web content is often your primary online sales channel. It’s the right place for that finely honed sales copy, your online landing pages and your call to action. Put sales copy in a blog too often and you’ll start haemorrhaging readers pronto. Your blog content is about supporting your core business by adding value.

Moving from writing effective web content to writing great content for your business blog requires a shift of mindset: you need to change the focus of your writing. But the fundamental considerations of effective writing still apply: know your readers’ needs, know your business goals and strive to strike that happy balance where both converge.

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I’ve been hearing on the online grapevine for quite a while that location based social networks are “the new next big thing” in social media. Because I spend part of my professional existence writing about the emerging opportunities in online marketing (yes, there is another book coming… honest… any time now ), I figured I’d better have a little look.

So I signed up for a foursquare account, and have been semi-dutifully checking in using my iPhone whenever I’m out and about and can get a signal (still patchy enough here in West Cork… although Vodafone Ireland assure me they’re working on it ).

Initially checking in on foursquare is a bit of a buzz… you get a curious thrill from signing in somewhere new, building your points tally, becoming mayor of your favourite locations and checking your position on your personalised “leaderboard”.

But that soon wears off, and you’re left wondering… why?

While I can appreciate some of the benefits of location based networks for helping to connect you with friends, colleagues and acquaintances when you’re living in, say, New York, London, Paris… and perhaps even Dublin, outside the large population centres that potential utility wanes quickly.

What’s the use of checking in to places you add yourself, only visit yourself and become mayor of yourself? That pretty much sums up my experience of using FourSquare in West Cork.

Even in Cork City, most of the places I visit I have to add to foursquare myself, and there appear to be relatively few businesses offering any sort of incentives to foursquare users.

Perhaps it’s because things are still very much in the “early-adopter” days for location based social software. We haven’t reached that critical mass – the fabled “tipping point”. You need volume to realise the true utility of social software… it only becomes valuable when enough people you know use it as part of their daily routine.

The other question that quickly rises to the fore is this: do we really want other people knowing exactly where we are every hour of the day? I’m not so sure that we do.

All sorts of privacy concerns are emerging as growing numbers of us choose to broadcast our precise location to the world. Some media commentators even suggest that foursquare could be a stalker’s dream – not to mention a boon to would-be-burglars. Others question the value of the “check-in” as location-based social currency.

At the moment foursquare is little more than a game – a curiosity – outside main urban population centres. I suspect that statement probably holds true for many users even within our larger cities. They’re using foursquare (and the same applies to gowalla, brightkite and other location based services) to check-in, amass points, win badges and earn rewards, rather than to connect in any meaningful way with their network of friends and colleagues.

Will foursquare and it’s ilk become truly useful social, and eventually even commercial tools? I guess that really depends on their ability to fuel continued uptake, keep people engaged beyond an initial fascination with the “game”, and on finding a way to add real value to the process of “checking in”.

Where do you think location based social applications are heading… are they useful or not… would you use them… what are the benefits and/or risks?

There’s no arguing that Old Spice is an iconic brand, and with it’s recent viral video campaign the brand has generated a phenomenal amount of buzz across global social media platforms.

In fact an Old Spice video sits in the Number 1 spot on this week’s NMA Viral Brand Chart, and the campaign occupies 6 spots in the top 10. Pretty impressive stuff… but will all that “buzz” translate into sales of Old Spice at the checkout?

I have to say I have my doubts… and according to a recent Times News Feed post early indicators are that it won’t. Sales of Old Spice body wash are down 7% despite the huge popularity of the latest campaign.

The videos were innovative, entertaining and eminently shareable. Creating personalised reply videos to prominent social media “influencers” was a stroke of genius, as was extending that strategy to encompass ordinary online folk. The Old Spice guy even proposed on someone’s behalf.

But appreciating humorous videos and sharing them with your online friends is one thing… walking around smelling of Old Spice is something else entirely.

Old Spice is still… well, Old Spice. It conjures up images of old men in barber shops, the Christmas present you wish you’d never opened, and, let’s face it, the memory of excruciating pain when you stole a bit of your Dad’s aftershave after your first try with a razor. Ouch!

Was the campaign successful? In terms of reach, popularity and pushing the boundaries of viral video, undoubtedly. In terms of turning that buzz into tangible ROI… perhaps less so.

And lest we forget… Old Spice is no stranger to iconic advertising. Could anybody who lived through the 1970’s forget this classic TV spot?

Building a decent profile of high quality incoming links to your website is the single most crucial element of any SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) campaign. It’s about giving Google and other search engines the data they need to gauge your content’s relevance and authority in relation to their users’ search queries.

And guess what… Google trusts what other people are saying about you a lot more than it trusts what you’re telling it about yourself. That’s why links are so important.

This graphic of the “Link Building” popularity game illustrates things pretty well (thanks to Aaron Wall of SEOBook via Twitter for the link).

So links are more important than your own content in telling search engines how to rank your site, but I firmly believe that content is still king (well, I’m a web content writer… what else would I say?). Here’s why:

The key to generating sustainable, high quality incoming links is to create exceptional content… on your website, your blog, white papers, e-books, videos, widgets… whatever you decide to create. Delivering compelling, relevant and engaging content that people want to share and… you guessed it… link to… is the number one way of attracting those crucial inbound links.

So what are you waiting for… get out there and create great content… share it through social media, and the links will follow.

Need help with your web content creation… grab one of my Web Content Synergy packages!

If you’re a business using Twitter ALWAYS make sure you’re following someone before asking them to DM (Direct Message) you.

I noticed this little exchange in my Twitter stream this morning:

It reminded me of a few times when businesses I was interacting with on Twitter asked me to send them personal details by direct message (DM) so they could answer a query or resolve a problem. When I tried to DM them I found they weren’t following me, so Twitter blocked the DM.

While it may not seem like a big deal, any delay is frustrating in a quick-fire medium like Twitter, it introduces an unnecessary barrier in the business-customer interaction, one that’s really easy to avoid.

Before asking someone to DM you, just make sure you’re already following them. Simple!

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Words – they’re crucial to the success of your website.

Whether you’re a big multinational, a small business looking to compete online or a one-man-band looking to harness the power of the internet to deliver your choice of lifestyle, targeting the the right keywords is the key to unlocking your website’s true potential.

Getting your keyword strategy right is the key to not only attracting plenty of targeted search traffic to your specially crafted landing pages, but also to ensuring that traffic is more likely to convert once it arrives.

Here’s a good introduction to keyword research from Aaron Wall over at SEO Book.

You’ll also find a great run-down of free and paid Keyword Research Tools on Aaron’s site.

Getting your keyword research right, and investing in creating well crafted content that targets specific keywords can pay real dividends for your online business.

Need some help with your keyword research and web content strategy? Grab yourself a “Web Content Synergy” package and let’s work on it together.

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Do your e-mail marketing, newsletter and update e-mails arrive in your customers’ inboxes from an anonymous “noreply” e-mail address?

I get these all the time, and it always astonishes me that, in an era of consumer interaction and engagement, brands continue with this bizarre practice. Essentially you’ve just put up the equivalent of a big red stop sign that discourages your prospects and customers from getting in touch with you directly.

I don’t know about you… but to me that sounds like a bad idea.

Make it easy for your customers to contact you

As a business trying to connect and communicate online (and if you’re sending out a marketing e-mail or newsletters that’s exactly what you’re doing), the last thing you should be doing is putting up barriers between you and the people you want to do business with.

If you’re building an opt-in mailing list and sending e-mail to your customers / prospects (and you really should be) here are a few basic tips to bear in mind

• ALWAYS use a real e-mail address… one that somebody monitors and responds to.
• Manage your mailing list properly so that you’re only sending mail to people who want to receive it. Professional e-mail services like Benchmark Email, AWeber or Newsweaver are affordable and scalable, and make it incredibly easy to automate your list management and organise your e-mail marketing.
• Always add value for your audience even if… no especially if… you’re trying to sell them something. Offer helpful information, link to useful online resource, or an entertaining piece of content… your goal every time should be to make your readers glad they opened your e-mail.
• And… whatever you do… don’t instruct your customers NOT to reply to your e-mail!

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My co-author, on Understanding Digital Marketing, Damian Ryan, is speaking at Internet World 2010 in London tomorrow on things businesses can do to enhance their online marketing. He asked me for my 2c worth of input as he prepared his presentation. So last night I jotted down five key points in a quick email. Today I thought I’d share them with you here:

• Digital marketing isn’t about technology: it’s about people. Digital technology just allows people (marketers / businesses / brands) to communicate with other people (customers / prospects / markets) in more relevant, engaging and interactive ways. Don’t jump from bandwagon to digital bandwagon, make informed and considered decisions on the best ways to reach out and engage with your particular audience.
• Measure, listen, learn and adapt: your best source of intelligence on exactly what makes your customers tick is… your customers. Measure everything that you can and use the data intelligently to refine your offering based on your customers’ online behaviour. Even when direct measurement is more difficult (on other people’s online real estate, like social media sites), listen to what they’re saying, learn from it and deliver what they’re looking for.
• Don’t expect something for nothing: You have to invest if you want success… time… money… both. If you “rolled your own” newspaper ad and ran it in a low-cost or free local newspaper for pennies you wouldn’t expect the same response rate as you would from a professionally produced ad strategically placed in a national newspaper or magazine. It’s the same online. While you tend to get more “bang for your buck” on the internet, you still need to invest if you want to make a bang.
• Don’t be afraid to lose control: control is an illusion in advertising… it always was, only now the illusion is exposed for all to see. Now we’re not pushing a message, we’re participating in a conversation. Try controlling a conversation in the real world. Force someone to listen to your one-sided diatribe and pretty soon you’ll find they’ve moved on to talk to somebody more interesting.
• Be relevant, be engaging… be useful!: people want to be delighted. They want the brands they love, and the company’s they choose to do business with to engage with them in a meaningful way… they want you to deliver timely, relevant information that’s genuinely useful to them. Imaginative use of digital marketing offers brands countless and exciting new ways to delight their customers, foster brand advocacy and build enduring, mutually beneficial relationships. It just takes a bit of imagination, commitment and drive!

What are your top tips for businesses looking to connect with their customers online? Please share them in the comments below.

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There’s nothing more important to the online success of your business than really great web content.

I’ll say that again: there’s nothing more important to the online success of your business than really great web content.

Great web content is about more than search traffic

It’s crucial to remember that there’s a key difference between Search Engine Optimisation and really effective web content. Search engine optimisation is, for the most part, focussed on driving traffic volume… i.e. getting the maximum number of unique visitors to your site for specific high-traffic keyword phrases.

But traffic volume is only part of the story. Focussing on traffic quality (or targeting the right traffic for your business), and then successfully converting that traffic into subscribers, firm prospects, regular readers or paying customers is the real key to your online success.

And that’s what really great web content is all about. Delivering real value, to real people, but doing it in a way that works for search engines too.

It is about numbers – just make sure you’re focussed on the right numbers

More traffic isn’t necessarily a good thing for your business (listen for the sharp intake of breath from a few of the SEOs out there who still don’t “get” it).

Here… I’ll show you.

Let’s look at a fictional scenario: you’re a Limerick-based mortgage broker who’s been reliably informed by your local internet marketing consultant that Search Marketing is way to go to get more visitors to your website.

You engage an SEO firm to launch a two-pronged attack on the search engines with an organic search optimisation programme running alongside a focussed Pay Per Click (PPC) campaign. Because your focus is on maximising traffic, you and your SEO firm decide to target the highest volume search terms (keywords) for your industry, keywords they’ve identified for you using their latest whiz-bang search keyword analysis and research tools.

Let’s assume for a minute that your SEO firm knows its stuff (unfortunately a lot really don’t), and slowly but surely your PPC ads and organic listings start to float up Google’s rankings for your chosen search terms.

Your traffic starts to soar, and the analytics reports your SEO firm is showing you look great. On the face of it delighted with the results of what, on the face of it, seems to be an outstanding SEO campaign. Your euphoria lasts until the end of the next accounting period, when you suddenly realise that, while your website has gotten a whole lot busier, it isn’t really generating very much more revenue.

Why? Well, think about it for a minute….

High traffic keywords aren’t necessarily the most profitable ones

That’s right – it may seem counterintuitive, but often less traffic really can be better for your business… as long as it’s the right sort of traffic.

Choosing more targeted keywords that relate directly to what you’re offering on your website will often result in fewer visitors, it’s true,  but a higher proportion of those visitors are likely to want what you’re selling. In other words, you’re going to convert more of them into paying customers.

Increasing conversion is the single most effective way to get a better ROI from your online marketing spend.

Finding the balance between Traffic and Conversion

Really effective content skilfully merges the different, and sometimes conflicting requirements of both search engines and your site visitors.

• Content Optimisation for targeted search traffic: content needs to attract traffic… but not just any old traffic. It needs to be tailored to target specific search engine keyword phrases or search terms that you

• a) know your target market is searching for (because you’ve done your keyword research properly) and
• b) will attract people who are ready to buy the stuff that you’re selling.

Getting the balance right between these two things is the key to a really effective website.

Image via CrunchBase

Not my words… Search Engine Land’s .

Here’s what Search Engine Land author Debra Mastaler had to say in number 7 of her “Seven Deadly Link Sins” list on the iconic Search Engine news and views site.

7.  You were too cheap to pay for a good copywriter.

Good copywriters are worth their weight in gold, without them we’d have no content to promote or linkbait to push. You can fill out profiles, buy directory submissions and drop comment links all day and still never obtain the algorithmic and business authority you achieve from a well written piece of promoted content. Skip the $10 an article services and find a copywriter who understands your market and marketing goals. You’ll see the benefits  in rankings and bottom line.

Here, here.

Of course, hiring a great copywriter to deliver exceptional, targeted web content for your business will do much more than boost your ability to promote incoming links and improve your authority and relevance in the eyes of the search engines… it will also help target the right sort of search traffic, and crucially, convert that traffic into subscribers, firm sales leads or even paying customers when they arrive.

Don’t underestimate the value of good content… and don’t be afraid to invest in it. It’s crucial to the success of your online business.