The Two Most Important Content Marketing Success Factors

Brands think that content marketing is about the clever usage of text, video and other channels to attract prospects to you. It has to be about something more than this. It has to be about solving your customers’ pain points

>> Follow Joe Pulizzi

Marketing Content Must Reach Beyond Two-Way Dialogue – Marketing Interactions

Your ideas and expertise can be shared by your prospects with their buying committees if your content is designed to inspire conversations.

>> Follow Ardath Albee

SXSW Live Blogging Tips for Content Marketing – Online Marketing Blog

A big part of my “mission” for SXSXi is to create content after all. I have several other goals like networking (reconnecting and especially new contacts), competitive research, recruiting and potential client prospecting. But content marketing is our bread and butter. It can be an effective tactic for you too, especially if you can learn to be highly efficient at liveblogging conferences.

>> Follow Lee Odden

I plan to delve more into this subject over the next few months. It’s a subject I feel strongly about, so it’s worth spending extra time on it. And as always, when I come across good advice from other smart people ’round the web, I’ll be sure to pass their words along to you as well. For now, I’ll just leave you with this simple message.

Create Great Content, Then Market It!

© Donna for DazzlinDonna, 2010. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Ardath Albee, Content marketing, Internet Marketing, Joe Pulizzi, Lee Odden

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Hi, my name is Brandon and I’m addicted to link building. Now that we got that out, let me start by telling you that I see opportunities all over the place. One of my favorite methods for building links is to give a full RSS feed on established sites. I know there is still debate on whether or not full RSS feeds are a good idea, but I have good reason to put an end to the debate.

1. Source Content Vs. Duplicate Content

There is a good reason why Ezine Articles ranks #1 over other article directories and Ezilon Web Directory does great with Central and South America search results. The reason is they have the source content. They are the first to publish something so Google knows they created the content. Every other directory has duplicate content. Since you’re the first to post, Google knows you have the source content, so don’t worry about someone else duplicating your content.

2. Free Links!

Like I said, I’m addicted to link building and one of the easiest ways is through creating great blog content. Once you get a great piece of content up (pics, video, or content) make sure and link to your site somewhere in the body. When someone steals your content, it’s usually not personal – it’s automated. Since these content thieves aren’t reviewing each stolen post, it’s fair game for you to link to whatever you want. Of course you will find some that strip all HTML out before it gets posted, and there isn’t much you can do about that.

Want the Stolen Content Removed?

If someone is stripping your HTML and not providing you with value, and you want to remove that stolen content, you can start with some time consuming steps that often get expensive with legal fees or come to nothing because the content thief is in another country. If you’re still insistent on trying to remove your stolen content you should start by sending a letter to the website owner. Find the name and address through a Whois search. If that doesn’t work, contact their web host. Still no luck? You can file a DMCA.

Here are two links for help with filing a DMCA.

How to File a DMCA Complaint
Digital Millennium Copyright Act (Google)

Good luck with DMCA. I’ve been down this road twice, both of which just wasted my time.

Brandon Hopkins does Madera website design. Contact him for a web design quote.

Note from Donna: I’ve actually had good luck with the DMCA process, but it’s time consuming, and only worth the effort if the thieve’s content has a chance of outranking your own. This rarely happens, but once in a while, the dirty scoundrels actually have a powerful site that is capable of out-ranking source content. For those rare instances, do try the DMCA route. But 99% of the time, Brandon’s method of letting the content thieves provide backlinks to your site is very good advice. I also totally believe in using full RSS feeds. Full feeds are what users want, and if full feeds also enable us to acquire a few backlinks from content thieves, that’s good for us as well.

© Donna for DazzlinDonna, 2010. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Brandon Hopkins, Digital Millennium Copyright Act, duplicate content, Link Building

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Does your vision for your site’s content match the reality on the page?

“Conversion-killing” mistakes

In the movie Monsters vs Aliens, the President has two big red buttons … The one on the left launches every nuclear weapon in the country; the one on the right makes a latte. The President asks, “Who designed this ridiculous system?” His colleagues reply, “You did.”

>> Follow them (Sorry, they don’t have a Twitter account. I’ve encouraged them to do so, but for now, I can’t fill this in for you).

An Infomercial Selling Secret You Must Use in Your Marketing Materials

One of the most persuasive terms you can use in copywriting is “imagine.” Readers automatically visualize whatever words you place after this almost magical command statement.

>> Follow Tom Trush

© Donna for DazzlinDonna, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Conversions, site content, vision

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Of course, one of the first things I tell people when they start thinking about creating an online ebusiness is to do their keyword research. Basic keyword research can reveal a lot about whether or not the potential ebusiness is a viable one. I usually point them to Google’s free keyword tool and tell them to type in the general overall phrase that describes the niche, and to select Exact Match from the Match Type dropdown. That will give them a good idea of the kind of interest there is in the subject, and the kind of traffic they could expect if they ranked well for the search terms.

That process is a good one for determining the value of a niche, and also for finding good sub-niches to target. Once you get past this initial discovery stage, however, at some point you’re going to be hungering for more information. That’s when it’s time to use a few more tools.

Using Keyword Research To Strategize Content Development

The next two tools are fairly new to me, so while I don’t have a lot of experience with them, I did thoroughly enjoy the tests I ran. Ideas blossomed and strategies formed after looking at the results. That’s a pretty good sign that the tools are useful to me.

The first tool I played around with was Wordstream’s newish (and free) Keyword Niche Finder. The niche finder is designed to find tightly-related groups of topics that form sub-niches within your niche. It scans a keyword database of over a trillion search queries to find the most relevant and potentially profitable keyword niches, and then automatically groups keywords into closely related clusters. By identifying these groups, you can begin to form a content strategy. What are people most interested in? What groups of content can you create to target that interest?

Here’s what it looks like. Let’s say your niche is “adventure travel”. This screenshot above shows what pops up when I search for that phrase, and then choose to view the details of the “adventure travel >> alaska” group. When I scroll down, I see the entire list of 85 phrases for that grouping. One of them, for instance, is on the topic of backcountry jeep safaris in Alaska. That could make for some really interesting content that you may not have considered before.

This free tool is just one of several tools Wordstream has available. They actually have two other free tools, their original keyword tool, and the free keyword grouper. Each of these is related to the other in some way, so they can all be used for a different look at your niche.

More Details – More Ideas

Of course, they also have a paid tool that goes above and beyond all the free ones, enabling you to develop a really good ongoing content strategy. The paid tool, of course, goes deeper and gives more info than the free tools, but it’s also a bit more complicated to use and understand. I got bogged down a couple of times during my testing because I was unsure what to do next. Luckily they have lots of help and demo tutorials set up (plus some really nice people on staff who are more than willing to help), so there’s help when you need it. Once I fumbled around a little though, I could see the power behind the tool. I admit that I haven’t played with it long enough to be able to really vouch for the tool yet, but there’s a 7 day free trial, so feel free to play around with it yourself. That’s a better gauge of whether or not it will help you than anything I could share here. I can say it’s definitely worth looking at for yourself, to see if it can help you come up with your own content strategy.

I’ll talk about other tools in the future that can also help with your content strategy. For now, these should get the ideas flowing nicely.

Wordstream’s New Affiliate Program

While we’re on the subject of Wordstream, you should also know about their new affiliate program. It’s different than most, so it’s worth mentioning. They actually have two different types of payouts. Here’s how they describe those:

Pay-Per Lead for PPC – We have a keyword management solution for pay-per click advertising on search engine platforms such as Google AdWords. This product has it’s own pricing and we offer a free trial and frequently have potential customers request a live demonstration of the product. As such, we’ve decided to pay for leads people drive to this product.

Pay-Per Sale for SEO – We also have a lower priced product that is more focused at providing value for organic search, which we also make available via online billing (credit card payment). For this product, we’re offering affiliates who drive subscriptions that last at least 90 days a one-time payout of roughly 25% of the 90 day subscription.

If your niche is related, you may want to consider signing up for it.

© Donna for DazzlinDonna, 2010. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Keyword research, keyword tool

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Good Content = opportunties to:

1. rank in search engines
2. draw links from other sites
3. convert

More Good Content = More opportunties to do the above

Good Content = Hard work

More Good Content = More hard work

Based on those assumptions, many site owners decide to take shortcuts to increase the content on their site, without putting hard work into the process. Some of those shortcuts might work, especially if it simply involves outsourcing the work. In such a case, the hard work is still being performed, but it’s just been allocated to someone else. Outsourcing is a great idea, if the site owner can afford it, but that is not always the case for startup entrepreneurs working on a tight budget. When outsourcing isn’t an option, the shortcuts often involved cutting out the hard work completely from the process, and that’s usually when problems arise.

In most cases, removing “Hard work” completely from the equation turns this:

Good Content = Hard work

into this:

Lousy Content = Shortcuts

which results in this:

Lousy Content = opportunities to:

1. lose rankings in search engines
2. never obtain links from other sites
3. never convert

That’s not at all desirable, so now our site owner has to find a middle ground that will reduce the amount of hard work required to produce content, without hurting the quality of the content itself. Ask 100 successful site owners how they accomplish that, and you’ll probably get at least 50 different answers. Most will utilize several methods. Today’s post will focus on one of my favorite ways of coming up with new content without working harder than necessary.

PLR Content – Modify and Improve

PLR content is any content that is created and sold to multiple people, allowing each buyer to claim the content as her own, with the right to modify the content as she wishes. (PLR stands for Private Label Rights)

Don’t Do This With PLR Content

Some people will purchase PLR content and place it verbatim on their site. That’s definitely not the way to use PLR content, as that will produce the Lousy Content equation above. Why? Because many people are purchasing this content, and many of those people are placing that same content, verbatim, on their sites. Search engines don’t want to rank your tired, used-up, already done content, so don’t even bother trying. In addition, PLR content is often poorly written, which reflects badly upon you, and is unlikely to attract links from other sites, or convert well for you.

How To Turn PLR Content Into Good Content

1. Purchase the best quality content you can find. All PLR content is affordable; some is even free; all are easy to find just by doing a simple search like this one [plr content]. I’ve yet to find any that aren’t cheap enough for even the most modest of budgets, so cost really shouldn’t be much of a factor here. The goal then, is to focus on quality. You may be able to see samples for free, or you may have to spend a couple of dollars to buy a sample, but you should be able to test quality fairly quickly and without much cost. Once you find a good quality source, bookmark it. You’ll want to come back to it often.

   One of my favorite sources is EasyPLR*. The content is well-written, so I can focus on modifying it to suit my style, rather than modifying it to “fix the problems”.

2. If the content you purchase is a “pack” that consists of multiple pieces of content, read them all and then divide them up into three groups. Place the best content in a folder named “Use”; place the “ok” content in a folder named “Inspiration”, and delete the completely useless, lousy content.
3. The good content in the “Use” folder will be the content that you’ll modify and improve. My favorite way to turn PLR content into really good content for my sites is to illustrate it. Here’s an example. Let’s say you’ve found a decent “how to” article that focuses on how to accomplish some task in your niche. Your goal is to carry out that how-to’s instructions, documenting the steps you take along the way, either by taking screenshots, photos, or video of the process. Once you’ve followed the how-to steps, and have media to document each step, you can turn that good PLR content into an outstanding media-filled article for your site. Of course, the text itself should be re-written in your own style, and while this entire process does require work, it isn’t nearly as hard as starting from scratch. Rewriting text is relatively easy in comparison.
4. The “ok” content in the “Inspiration” folder will be used strictly as a source of inspiration whenever you have writer’s block. These articles might be poorly written or even boring, but they may have awesome titles, or just great concepts to jumpstart your thoughts. Sometimes, the content just needs to be fleshed out and expanded upon.
5. Use content from either folder to create Top 10 lists or “Best Of” lists. Cherry-pick the best sentences from different articles, and compile those into one list-type article, rewriting the sentences so they flow well together.

Of course, you may find lots of other uses for PLR content, but the gist of this is that you’ll be taking some shortcuts without sacrificing quality. You’ll save time and money, but you’ll still end up with this equation:

Good Content = opportunties to:

1. rank in search engines
2. draw links from other sites
3. convert

Bottom line: Be smart. Use quality PLR content* and use it wisely. Let it create shortcuts for your content creation process, but don’t take the lazy path. Modify it and improve upon it. You’ll reduce the hard work, but you’ll still end up with good content.

*

© Donna for DazzlinDonna, 2009. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Internet Marketing, Private label rights

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I try to cover as much of the basics as possible for creating a successful site online that will earn you a comfortable living. I’m not able, within a blog format, to really get into the kinds of detail that a full hard-cover book can get – on every detailed subject. Jon Wuebben, in his book Content Rich: Writing Your Way to Wealth on the Web, does a great job of really covering one very important topic well – how to create compelling, keyword-rich copy for your site. The right copy will convert well, it will enable your site to rank well in the search engines, and it will attract traffic and links. All of these things help to bring your site to the level of success that you’re looking for.

Here’s a quick look at what’s covered. Jon begins with the basics of SEO copywriting, which includes analyzing your site’s copy and usability, keyword research, and optimizing the content. He then moves on to discussing the various types of seo copywriting, such as site copy, articles, press releases, blogs, wikis, landing pages and newsletters. Next, he puts it all together with real world examples and case studies of various sized businesses. By showing you real-world examples and case studies, Jon helps to really clarify the benefits of seo copywriting, and gives clear instructions on how to do it right. Finally, he ends with showing how to outsource your copywriting project, discusses choosing seo copywriting as a career, and wraps it up with the future of seo copywriting.

Because I’m an old SEO by trade, I wanted to pick the book apart and find where he might have gone wrong, but I wasn’t able to do that, because he gives straight-forward, easy to understand information that is right on the money. If you want to write compelling copy that attracts traffic and converts visitors to buyers, you won’t go wrong by reading Content Rich: Writing Your Way to Wealth on the Web. It was a good read, and I’ve added it to my collection.

Oh, this just in…the author has informed me that he will be holding a “super 1 Day sale” on Amazon on Wednesday, February 18, 2009. If you order the book on that day, you’ll receive these extra goodies:

• Dianna Booher’s ebook “Affect or Effect? 258 Commonly Misused Words Along with Proper Usages” + her Online Grammar Assessment ($39.95 value)
• Scott Fox’s ebook “E-Business Strategy Basics” ($34.95 value)
• Bob Bly’s ebook “Online Marketing that Works” ($39.95 value)
• Free website copy analysis (priceless!)

That’s enough to make me consider getting a duplicate copy of the book just to get the extras.

*

© Donna for DazzlinDonna, 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Amazon, Author, Bob Bly, Dianna Booher, e - business, Jon Wuebben, Online Grammar Assessment, online marketing, Scott Fox, search engines, straight-forward

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It really is as simple as that. Sure, sure, there are lots of details involved. What platform to use (hint: WordPress), what monetization methods to choose (hint: not one size fits all), and how much effort is expended in getting noticed. But at the core of it all is just you sharing what you know with the world.

We want to know what you know. Yes, believe it or not, there are lots of people who want you to teach them what you know. Whatever that may be…how to turn ugly rocks into shiny stones, for example. Or how to find the best deals at garage sales. Or how to turn origami into cool wedding invitations. Whatever it is that you know…there are people out there who want you to share it with them.

So tell me. What are you sharing with the world today?

© Donna for DazzlinDonna, 2008. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: knowledge, sharing, talent

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If your computer’s operating system is Microsoft Vista (any version), you already have speech recognition software to work with. Vista’s Speech Recognition application comes free with the operating system, and it actually works pretty well. Any software of this sort requires a bit of practice, but once you get the hang of it, you can get to the point where you almost never have to touch a keyboard.

If you don’t have Vista, there are other options available, though at a cost. Dragon NaturallySpeaking is the software I’m most familiar with, but I assume there are probably other competitors for this type of technology as well.

Regardless of which software is used, you can turn your ordinary conversational speech into written content for your own blog or site. Don’t let your inability to write or type well stop you. There are alternatives, and speech recognition software could be what works for you.

© Donna for DazzlinDonna, 2007. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: blog content, dictation, human secretary, Microsoft, Microsoft Vista, operating system, Speech recognition, speech recognition software

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Yesterday, I had to take someone to the airport. I haven’t been to the airport in a couple of years, but I didn’t expect to find the drive over to be much different than before. It was pretty much the same, except for one thing. All along the road next to the airport is a line of park and fly parking lots, just as there have always been. And like always, each one contained lots of cars and activity – except one. One lonely lot was almost completely devoid of cars or people. That lot had one really big sign that read, “CELL PHONE LOT”.

Cell phone lot? I immediately looked down at the ground to see if there were tiny cell phones “parked” in each parking space, but as far as I could tell, there were none. I could see, on the far side of the lot, another sign. It also read, in big, bold, letters, “CELL PHONE LOT”. Great, twice now, I’ve been told in big bold letters what this place was, but the big letters didn’t make it any clearer to me. I still had no idea what the heck a cell phone lot was. The only thing I could think of was that maybe airport security had gotten so tight, that now everyone was required to leave their cell phones behind while traveling, and this parking lot was the place to leave them.

After returning home, I ran a search on the internet for “cell phone lot” and found the answer to what this mysterious thing is. Apparently it’s common at airports, though I don’t know how long these things have been around. Here’s a good explanation of it from the Seatac airport web site.

There are more than 40 parking spots available. Drivers can wait in the lot until arriving passengers have deplaned, collected luggage and called to be picked up outside of Baggage Claim. Drivers must stay with their vehicles. The Cell Phone Lot not only provides a convenient place for waiting for arriving flights, but also helps keep traffic on the airport drives moving smoothly.

Ok, so, it’s a place where I can hang out and wait when picking up an arriving passenger, and when that passenger calls me on my cell phone, I can leave the lot and go pick her up. Makes sense now, and I like the concept. That’s a lot better than circling the airport a hundred times waiting for someone to come out of the baggage claim area.

Now, I’m not sure exactly what the sign should have said so that I would have understood the message, but some sort of short explanation would have been helpful. Maybe under the Cell Phone Lot sign, another sign that read “Waiting area for passenger pickup” or something similar would have clarified things a bit.

My point is that even though you think your message is loud and clear because you’ve shouted it loudly to everyone, doesn’t mean that anyone really understands what it is you are shouting about. If you look around and your parking lot is always empty (or no one seems to be understanding your message or taking the action you expected them to take), perhaps you should ask others if they understand your message. If they look for cell phones lying on the ground, maybe you should consider rewording your message to make it clearer, not bigger.

© Donna for DazzlinDonna, 2007. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: airport web site, cell phones, cellular telephone

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