Ann Smarty is the brand and community manager at Internet Marketing Ninjas, founder of MyBlogU.com and co-founder of Viral Content Buzz . Ann is the regular contributor at Entrepreneur, Small Biz Trends, and other huge publications. Ann blogs about search and social media industry trends and content marketing tools. Please follow Ann on Twitter @seosmarty.
Almost all B2C and 96% of B2B brands rely on internal resources to execute their content marketing program. These in-house providers range from small or centralized teams serving the entire organization to individuals leading department efforts.
No matter the configuration, a well-trained in-house content marketing team is a competitive advantage. But what makes a team exceptional? It is all in how you grow it. Here are five tools and a few tips to help in those efforts.
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Monitoring your brand’s mentions is not an option these days. It’s a must.
The web is open and public. Someone is discussing your brand and you better be there to listen and participate.
But is there any way to get more out of a necessary task?
Yes. Consider these three ways to turn those brand mentions into content assets.
No matter what your content marketing strategy is, keyword research is the fuel.
Keywords inform marketers as to what their audience strives to know, let them monitor their competition, and offer a constant source of content ideas.
Now, the approach to keyword research is different from what it was even a couple of years ago. Search engines are becoming smarter and keyword research tools are getting more advanced. The web is getting to be a better place after all.
Just as the SEO world is changing, so should we. Here are three SEO trends quickly reshaping the keyword research concept and with it the way we brainstorm, create, and optimize content.
Google is the most effective vehicle for driving targeted clicks to your content. But a tricky thing about Google is it’s always changing. You need to adapt to the tweaks and updates to earn and retain high rankings.
One big change is the introduction of featured snippets. The best way to be the featured content is a huge topic that confuses content marketers more and more, so I decided to address some of the most frequent questions people ask me about featured snippets.
Managing a blog is a tough task, especially if it’s a multi-author outlet. It involves a lot of editing, relationship building, and task management.
You don’t need to be an expert in everything, but you do need to keep a lot of things in check – search engine optimization, content interlinking, article performance in search and social media, and overall content marketing impact on the brand awareness.Continue Reading
If you are willing to tap into video content (and you surely should), starting with a how-to video is probably your best bet:
A lead magnet is a piece of content aimed at motivating consumers to take an action. At the top of your conversion channels, lead magnets spur interest and tie a visitor to your brand but don’t necessarily drive a direct sale (e.g., provide contact information, sign up for a newsletter, join a free trial.)
Creating a solid lead magnet is hard work: You invest hours of brainstorming and research, creation, and design. The good news is you should be able to further your investment by converting them into attractive assets on third-party sites, which in turn could strengthen your presence on search engine result pages for relevant keywords and queries.Continue Reading
I have noticed a serious disconnect in businesses today. There is no “us” anymore, no connection between one department and another.
Oh, sure, you may have the best team-management platform, and have task-setting and in-team communication down to an art. But is every member of your team regardless of department working with all you have provided to get the best possible results?Continue Reading
Evergreen content is a staple of a solid content strategy. While it pays off in the long term, it isn’t always ideal for traffic boosts. You want the occasional piece that draws people in droves, and that takes a different content tactic.
Covering relevant timely and newsworthy content is a great way to grow your site audience and take advantage of trends that get people more interested and thus more engaged.Continue Reading
Most brands actively produce content. Even with a solid SEO strategy and amazing content, you stand a good chance of getting lost in the crowd.
Content partnership may be an answer. By joining forces with industry experts to create content for your site, you can achieve many great goals:Continue Reading
