Web Marketing Strategy Update

When you’re starting an online business it can be difficult to find customers. With unlimited funds no doubt you could bring millions of people back to your site, but as that’s not the case, you need to use what you have effectively. If you have done any research you’ve probably heard about content marketing because it’s taking over the online world. The idea is to produce amazing content and share it all over the web in the hope it will draw people into your sales funnel.

People usually associate content marketing with written articles, but you don’t need to write anything if you don’t want to. You might even find that you get better results creating videos. You can still create the quality content people are looking for and once you show people you know what you’re talking about you will end up making a lot more sales. We’re going to have a closer look at why video marketing might be better than article marketing and you might decide it’s right for you.

Reveal The Emotion

It’s almost impossible to show any emotion in an article unless you’re a great writer. If you do happen to become all emotional it still doesn’t guarantee you’re conveying the right message. When your face is on camera it’s completely different. People will be watching you closely and they will know exactly how you feel. You can even start swinging your arms in the air like a mad person, but when you write an article they will never get to see your true feelings.

Save Money

I’m pretty sure you’ve heard someone say that time is money. In business it’s true and if you spend hours writing an article it will stop you from doing other things. You then have to edit it yourself and it will waste even more of your time, or you will need to get someone to edit it for you and it will waste theirs. When you shoot a video it will be over and done with much quicker as long as you don’t need to do it a hundred times until it’s perfect.

Attract More People

Some people won’t want to waste their time reading long articles, but they will happily watch a video because they can be doing other things at the same time. They can watch it while they eat lunch and they don’t have to keep scrolling down the page. You can also go places a written article can’t take you. Think about how popular YouTube is at the moment. You can reach out to people on the second biggest search engine in the world and attract them back to your site.

You Become Their Friend

If someone reads an article on your site they won’t even care who wrote it. Nobody will know who you are, even if they thought the article was brilliant. When they watch you on video they will get to know you as a person. They will like you a lot more, but even if they don’t think you’re the greatest person in the world they might still trust you because you seem genuine. They won’t think that when they read a thousand words on a page.

Over Your Shoulder Action

If you are teaching someone how to do something a video reigns supreme. It’s hard showing someone how to do something in written form. When you shoot a video they can see exactly what you do and copy it step by step. If they don’t understand at the first time of asking they can watch the video again and look at what you do. If it’s an article it’s much harder to find the answer to something they don’t have a clue about.

Test And See

You don’t have to commit yourself to video marketing forever. You only need to give it a try and you will be able to tell whether it’s something you should be doing more of. I’m sure you will love the results you get and your company can move forward, so what are you waiting for?

Well known entrepreneur Phil Raymonds has listed the pros and cons of video marketing in business on his blog. For more information visit his facebook page.

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Content marketing has certainly given traditional advertising a run for its money. As a cost effective alternative to Pay per Click ads, its popularity has soared. But content marketers have a different set of rules to abide by. Simply paying for ad space has been replaced by a complex structure of give and take etiquette content marketers learned through trial and error.

They learned that content marketing must be more “real” than advertising, requiring an honest approach that provides value to others in exchange for the value of spreading the word about a website or building links to help the site rank well on Google.

The early days of content marketing are behind us. In 2013, there is no room for a trial and error approach. By following these tips, some on site and some off, you can make sure you keep your content marketing honest, real and effective.

Be Humble

Your blog content is designed to attract Google searchers looking for information on the niche you cover. But what happens when they find your site and click in? Many sites have screens that force users to join the site or fill in a form before they can reach the content. Don’t think your site is so special that it’s the only place offer the information being sought. It’s just as easy for your visitor to click out and try the next site on the search list.

Be Considerate

Pop ups have taken a new form from the early days of the web. Today, many sites have in-line text pop ups to generate ad revenue. While everyone understands you need to generate revenue, no one wants to be distracted by pop ups. It’s hard to imagine your content is so great that these little pop ups won’t distract from the reader’s experience… maybe enough to send them elsewhere.

Be Knowledgeable

Chances are, your website sprang from an area in your life that you know a lot about. If not, you’re on the wrong track. You should be able to back up what you say with facts, reliable sources and smart arguments based on real world experience. This naturally results in attracting those most interested in your niche, the ones that will be most loyal followers and possibly even evangelize your site to others.

Be Relevant

While some sites do well with a news format that allows them to discuss any topic, niche sites are more likely to develop a strong following that helps the site grow. Don’t try to write to every topic under the sun, but keep on track with your site’s theme and niche. Stay true to the topic and your readers.

Be a Collaborator

The beauty of the internet is the new way we interact with our competitors. In the traditional business world, the last thing you wanted to do was work with a competitor for fear they may steal some of your advantages or customers. But the internet opens the entire world as a customer base. There are more than enough leads to go around. The reach of the internet means your competitors can now be your collaborators, with each of you reaping the rewards of working together.

From this spirit has sprung guest blogging, a form of content marketing designed to build links, traffic and search engine rankings. But these alliances thrive on integrity and honesty. Deal with others as you would your grandmother…treat them with respect, honesty and caring. The articles you give to other websites should be superior in quality and content.

Don’t Be a Stalker

While real-time marketing offers new insights for outreach, it can also make others uncomfortable if you overstep your bounds. It’s perfectly fine to seek others with similar interests, to visit their sites, leave a comment or perhaps even a personal e-mail, but don’t spam them constantly with e-mail, tweets and Facebook posts to their walls. It’s just like courting the girl next door: Be available, be friendly and be helpful, but don’t chase.

Jessica Bosari writes about internet marketing for Perth SEO firm, White Chalk Road.

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As the name indicates, content marketing is an advertising strategy that places the primary focus upon the content that is produced. In the last several years, we have seen a marked increase in the number of advertisers who are placing an emphasis on producing relevant and fresh content to engage the attention of consumers.

In today’s world of 24/7 connectivity, it is more important than ever to produce content that is going to keep the attention of consumers who are constantly being bombarded by advertisements from all different directions. The world famous Coca Cola Company has even made content marketing the sole focus of their Content 2020 strategy for advertising.

Any business, regardless of its size, can successfully engage in content marketing. There are many global brands that have successfully engaged in content marketing, but it can also be used to an advantage by small businesses and startups. So how exactly does content marketing assist in recruiting customers? There are three primary reasons:

1) It leverages knowledge of consumer behaviors to a company’s advantage.

Volkswagen is an excellent example of a global business brand that is well aware of the fact that their primary client base is technologically sophisticated and enjoys social networking. Utilizing this knowledge to their advantage, Volkswagen created a campaign that was designed to connect with the targeted demographic within their environment, which is the mobile world.

With an initial investment of only $500,000.00, Volkswagen created an app entitled Real Racing GTI. This app was able to leverage their clients’ love of gaming, and it enabled the gamers to share the results of their playtime with others through social media platforms, like Facebook. By using this knowledge, Volkswagen was able to create an authentic brand relationship with their clients that evoked a deep emotional connection.

2) It encourages conversation.

One of the primary goals of content marketing is to encourage and provoke conversations that encourage conversation 365 days out of the year. Tipp-EX is an example of a company that successfully pulled off provoking these conversations. Their “Bear Is Shot by a Hunter” video campaign went viral, and it created the reaction, action, and conversation that they were looking for out of their targeted demographic.

With this video, a viewer was able to watch the video and then enter a word of their choice into a space that had been whited out, and then replay the video to watch a revised story. There were an unlimited number of options for a viewer to experiment with. As a result of the video’s popularity, the press coverage for Tipp-EX, through press, radio, and television, resulted in extraordinary brand exposure. On average, a viewer spent 6 minutes playing with the video, which is much more than the average consumer spends on a single landing page.

3) It creates deep, emotional connections.

Ikea is a prime example of a company that successfully created an emotional connection with their targeted demographic via a Facebook campaign that was promoting the opening of a new store in Sweden. Images of the new store’s showroom were uploaded to Facebook. The first Facebook user that tagged their name to a specific picture won the product in question. As a result of the campaign’s popularity, Ikea received brand exposure through print, television, Twitter, and the blogosphere.

In short, content marketing enables specific, targeted communities to promote the brand for the business, and this is what triggered such astronomical results for these brands. If you have not already begun to leverage the power of content marketing on behalf of your business, now is the time to do so. It will be one of the wisest investments you have ever made.

Toby Gonzales is the Revenue Manager for FBiFrames.com. He enjoys helping businesses implement their social media marketing plan.

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Invest in Paid Advertising to Get Started

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