Anyone involved in strategizing/developing/implementing marketing programs, regardless of the company’s size or the industry in which they operate, knows things ain’t what they used to be.
The Internet changed everything.
From the early days of e-commerce to where we are today, engaging potential customers in the digital realm was and is a mission-critical component of successfully promoting one’s products or services and building brand loyalty. And it’s only going to become more critical moving forward.
It used to be true that by simply launching a user-friendly website that included the right mix of keywords, a business would likely draw a rush of potential customers. But as the online marketplace became more crowded, the algorithms search engines used to rank search results became much more complex and tougher to manipulate.
That’s not to say a marketing strategy that prioritizes bolstering your company’s online profile through improved search ranking is a futile endeavor; just that it’s become much more difficult to game the system.
But to give your business a significant leg up on the competition, there’s one area of focus that should be the linchpin of any online marketing strategy: content.
Stated simply, “Online marketing is driven by content.” That claim comes courtesy of the exceptionally helpful website, copyblogger, which, in my opinion, features some of the most bleeding-edge tips and tricks for today’s marketers.
In a recent copyblogger article, “2014: The Year of the Rainmaker,” the writer offers a compelling argument for why you must focus on delivering to your audience content that’s informative, enticing and entertaining.
A well-executed content marketing campaign not only helps your brand gain authority in the minds of those you hope to land as paying customers, it also helps your company’s online presence increase its prominence among the countless competitors today’s search algorithms sift through when serving up results.
The copyblogger piece does a great job of driving home the importance of delivering great content and offers helpful suggestions for creating it.
For additional guidance, I encourage you to read the article, “10 Lessons On Creating Spectacular Content,” courtesy of Search Engine Watch, another leading authority on how to win in today’s ultra-crowded online marketplace.
I’d love to know more about the ways in which your small business markets its products and/or services, and whether content has been or will be a major point of emphasis.
As always, thanks for reading.
