Content marketing is basically P2P

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You always write content for people. The basic strength of your content lies in its ability to engage people and fruitful engagement can only manifest if you create and market your content keeping intended people in mind.

I have lost track of the link, I came across a very relevant thought regarding content marketing: it says that content marketing is neither B2B nor B2C, it’s P2P. This makes perfect sense. After all, you are always writing for people. There might be different writing styles and you might be using different jargon to target different audience, by the end of the day it’s the people who are going to consume and understand your content, and share it among their friends, colleagues, relatives and business partners.

So what makes your content people-centric?

It should be conversational, first of all. By conversational I don’t mean use that notorious SMS or Twitter language. Just use smaller, easy to use language your target audience can understand. I’m not averse to using technical words wherever necessary because this makes people relate to what you are conveying. For example, if I’m talking about a mobile device people would like to know various specs in an appropriate language (although personally I prefer focusing on functionality rather than specifications).

In terms of business content writing, make it useful and relevant. When people read your content they should learn something. If you are creating content for your own business website, use a particular profile while writing your content, and talk to that profile. This is also called a “persona”. Don’t try to please everybody because then you only end up with hodgepodge.

It is possible to create interesting, engaging business content. Write in first person wherever possible, even when you are writing on behalf of an organisation or company. Use some passion. If you are not interested in what you are writing, it is easily conveyed through, no matter what an excellent writer you are. Try to feel what you are writing.

Well, I never intended to write this blog post on the art of content writing, it’s just that I was vocally thinking about creating a P2P content marketing strategy and how every strategy revolves around this concept.

Creating content for mobile devices

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Browsing the Internet via mobile devices no longer remains a fad of the geeks. With more and more people using smart phones and tablet PCs to access the Internet and browse websites, creating content for mobile devices no longer remains an option – it is a necessity.

There are two ways you can create content for mobile devices: formatting existing content so that it looks good and presentable on various mobile devices, and creating new content from scratch specifically for mobile devices.

Creating content for mobile devices is totally different from creating content for laptops and PCs. For that you have to understand why people would go to your website via their mobile device?

The “why” in the above-mentioned question can also be divided among two types of devices: cellphones and tablets PCs. Whereas tablets like the iPad can be used to read lengthy articles, reports and even complete novels and books (I do that), it is difficult to read long streams of text using mobile phones due to their size. The screens are smaller compared to tablets and people might be doing scores of other things while using their mobile phones.

According to a 2011 Nielsen study around 86% people in the USA watch TV while using their mobile phones for various activities. Just observe people around you carrying their mobile phones and you will notice that there will be very few people who specifically sit down somewhere and use their phone. They are always in the midst of something else. They are conversing with somebody, travelling in train or bus, waiting for their turn in a restaurant or a clinic or waiting at the airport, to name just a few. What does this tell you?

Although people might be visiting various websites using their mobile devices, they might also be doing scores of other things simultaneously. That needs to be kept in mind. Long chunks of text or indirect references will definitely confuse them or distract them. No paragraph should be more than a sentence or at the most a couple of sentences.

When people are visiting your website through their mobile device they are not interested in the nitty-gritty of what motivates you and how you feel about your business. They simply want to know what you can deliver, how you can deliver, by what time and at what cost. They’re looking for information that can help them decide in a clear-cut manner.

Does it mean the information needs to be totally drab? Not necessarily. You can engage your reader through your mobile content but you just need to keep in mind that there should be less text and more message.

Winning the SEO Race By Creating Content With Your Competitors In Mind

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One of the most common conversations that I have with my customers surrounds the idea that they need to create content with their competitors in mind. Common reactions include:

  • "I don’t want to help my competitors!"
  • "Why on earth would I do that!? My competitors will never link to me!"
  • "Why do I even want my competitors to link to me?"

You may feel this way as well. It does sound kind of strange. After working in this industry now for about 13 years, I have learned something extremely important. If you can get a small majority of the people that currently rank in the search engines for the same keywords that you want to rank for, Google often considers you the expert.

Search Engines Want Authorities Appearing In Their Search Result Pages.

Think about the logic to this. Google wants to show its users the most relevant search results. Therefore, the pages that currently come up in the top 100 or so of the search results, are the sites that Google feels are the most relevant. So, if 10 of those 100 sites link to your website, with specific anchor text that contains the keyword you want to rank for, Google is obviously going to consider your website an authority on that topic.

Creating Something Great For Your Industry.

As an example, in 2007, I opened an Internet marketing agency with my business partners. We knew, that because the website was so new (brand-new in fact), we were going to have to do something really impactful if we were going to rank well for keyword phrases related to "Internet marketing agency". Obviously, there would be a large number of websites that had a lot of great links already because of us being in the seo service industry. We looked for "holes" in the content currently available… needs that maybe we could fill and we created a list of well linked to resource pages in the industry. We determined, through all of this research, that there was a great need for a link building chart. So, we created a visual representation of the methods in which you can use to build links into your website. We allow the people to download a high-resolution version of this in PDF format. Then, we actually put a price tag on it and allow people to purchase the chart in printed form.

Spread The Word About Your Awesome Stuff.

Next, we put together a list of websites that commonly talked about link building. We found their e-mail addresses, phone numbers, and other contact information and simply reached out to them. We said things like, "I hope all is well with you. We just wanted to reach out quickly and let you know that we have created a really cool chart that breaks down all of the different ways in which your customers can build links into their websites. We think that they’ll probably find it pretty useful and it could be a really great resource for you to be able to share with them in a graphical manner how you build links. Feel free to use it as often as you like. All that we ask, is that you mention it on your website and give us some credit. Have an incredible day!"

Within a week, we had hundreds of links pointing into our website. Today even, if you Google "SEO link building," you’ll find the chart somewhere on the first page of Google. Not positive, but I’m pretty sure we have not built a link to that page since we created the chart.

Make It Unique Or Better Than What’s Already Out There.

Now, you don’t have to spend the money or time creating and infographic, a laboratory, or anything like that. But, as long as you create something that is better or more unique than anything else that’s out there, you can have a winner!

Think about this! If you’re in the insurance industry, and you’re really great at sales, why not make a guide that contains information and links to every single insurance sales related resource on the Internet? Then, go to forums and comment on blogs that a lot of insurance salespeople read and tell them about it.

Help And Be Helped.

But don’t forget this. If you sound overly promotional and not very helpful your not going to get the results you’re looking for. Zig Zigler said it best, "if you help enough people to get what they want, you’re sure to get what you want."

Organic search engine optimization with content writing

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Organic SEO through quality content writing

Organic SEO through quality content writing

Organic search engine optimization means improving your rankings on Google and other search engines through the strength and relevance of your content.

The ideal way of improving your search engine rankings is through quality content writing.

The entire  Helpful Content algorithm update by Google rests on the premise that your content must solve problems for your visitors.

It must be of high quality. It must be authoritative. It must be relevant.

Content writing can be the most sustainable way to search engine optimizations because it organically improves your search engine rankings rather than artificially pushing them upward just to plummet due to smallest ranking algorithm changes.

The primary purpose of all mainstream search engines is to find the best content for their users and in order to achieve that they are constantly improving their indexing and ranking criteria.

 

A good example of increasing search engine rankings by constantly publishing highly useful content is Steve’s website TripInsuranceStore.com. I have been working with him since 2002 and ironically, I don’t write content for him – I manage the back-end of the website.

When most of the websites were reeling under the impact of the Google Penguin update Steve was feeling quite smug. The update hadn’t just left him unscathed, it had benefited him.

What does he do?

I have observed that instead of focusing on keywords, he focuses on the questions that his prospective customers may have.

He represents various travel insurance companies so most of the questions concern travel insurance.

His website and his blog are literally the treasure trove of travel insurance related information.

This is what Google and other search engines love. They love information. They rank high webpages and blog posts containing useful and relevant information.

Organically improving search engine rankings with quality content writing

Quality content writing improves your SEO organically

Quality content writing improves your SEO organically

Through your content writing you must provide solutions to your visitors rather than simply creating junk content.

Whether they purchase from you or not is another issue but when they come to your website they shouldn’t feel as if they have wasted their time.

They must take back something valuable.

This is the sort of content that gets higher rankings on Google and other search engines.

Organic search engine rankings are not fickle.

You don’t lose these rankings when their algorithms change because they change their algorithms in order to find more quality content and if you have quality content, you are going to benefit rather than get into trouble.

Here are a few things you can do to improve your search engine rankings organically with content writing

Focus on your readers

For organic SEO write content to deliver value

For organic SEO write content to deliver value

This is not a holistic thought, it actually benefits you.

When you focus on your readers you create content that is useful to them.

Help them, instead of pushing your offers and forcing them to buy your products or services.

Provide them useful information convincingly and then let them decide.

Of course you should use call to action phrases and words but they should be used as extra promptings.

Focus on the language your readers use

Organic SEO-write in the language your readers use

Organic SEO-write in the language your readers use

This can also be covered in the above point.

Use the language that is used by your readers and this way you will use the keywords people actually use rather than the ones you think they are using.

Organic SEO is all about reaching out and making people stay longer on your blog posts and web pages.

You may be writing and publishing valuable information but if people don’t read what you are writing, it doesn’t benefit your organic search engine rankings.

One of the most important attributes of quality content writing is that it is easier to read.

Writing in the language of your readers not only increases your search engine rankings for the actual, working keywords, it also improves your conversion rate.

Make your content problem-centric rather than keyword centric

Organic SEO-solve problems with your content writing

Organic SEO-solve problems with your content writing

This is what Steve does on his website.

He creates articles and blog posts that provide answers to people’s concerns.

He uses queries left by his visitors as well as his own common sense to create questions and then create webpages and blog posts to answer.

This automatically takes care of the phrases his prospective customers use in order to find such information.

Focus more on quality and less on SEO

Focus more on quality and less on SEO

Focus more on quality and less on SEO

The search engine optimizations problem begins to manifest when people get bogged down by too much SEO-oriented activities.

Just focus on creating quality content and the rest of the pieces fall in place on their own.

This is not to say that content writing is the panacea for all your search engine optimization concerns.

Your rankings depend on lots of internal as well as external factors and that’s why such engine marketing and optimization services charge a premium.

But valuable content is the most essential part of a viable SEO strategy.

What is organic search engine optimization?

SEO marketing can be done in two ways:

  • Through paid advertising on Google and other search engines.
  • By naturally increasing your visibility through publishing lots of high-quality content.

You can read more on What is organic SEO.

Organic SEO is when you don’t use advertising to improve your search visibility but your rankings naturally improve over the time.

You routinely publish content using your specific keywords or phrases.

The goal of organic SEO is to attain higher search engine rankings “naturally” in the search engine results pages (SERPS).

What are the advantages of improving your search engine rankings organically?

Organic search engine rankings don’t lose their spots when Google changes its algorithm.

Remember that the sole reason why Google exists is that it finds information for you.

For example, if you’re looking for a reliable content writer who can help you improve your search engine rankings, and if you search for a “content writer to improve my SEO”, you should be able to find content writers who can actually help you rather than those who have spammed their way into top rankings.

Despite all the algorithm updates, can people still trick Google?

Google is after all an algorithm (I’m talking about the ranking mechanism and not the company).

Your organic search engine rankings through quality content writing are sustainable

Organic search engine rankings are sustainable

Organic search engine rankings are sustainable

Algorithm, no matter how advanced it gets, can always be tricked, or there is always scope for confusion and exceptions.

Even now, after more than two decades, you find search results that are of no use.

But Google is constantly trying to downgrade content that does not deliver value and highlight content that does.

It means, if you are writing valuable content, Google wants your content highlighted in front of its users.

Quality content leads to organic search engine optimization which is sustainable over a long period of time.

Of course, your rankings are going to go up and down because of your competitors constantly publishing content.

Even if you improve your search engine rankings through high quality content, sooner or later, other people who are publishing similar content on the same topics, and provided they can match your quality, are going to overtake you.

This is bound to happen if you have people competing with you.

Hence, it goes without saying that you need to continuously publish relevant content on your website or blog.

Other than this, the best advantage of improving your search engine rankings organically is that the respective search engine algorithms are not going to upstage your links.

Even when your rankings go down for certain keywords, they will immediately improve when you update your website.

The best thing about improving your search engine rankings organically is that you are never going to be penalized by Google.

Even if your rankings go down – this is bound to happen if you cannot keep up with your competitors (and there are going to be many competitors) – you can quickly bounce back by adding more content to your website.

When you organically improve your search engine rankings through quality content writing you don’t pay for every click (as it happens with paid advertising).

The problem with paid advertising (for example Google AdWords) is that as you get more traffic, you spend more money.

For example, if you are paying $0.10 per click, for 100 clicks you will pay $10 and for 1000 clicks you will pay $100.

Clicks for some keywords cost more than $10 per click.

When you organically improve your search engine rankings, the only money that you spend is on content writing.

Once your content is written and published, whether you get 10 visitors or 100,000 visitors, you don’t pay anything to Google.

 

Defining Content Marketing

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Joe Pulizzi on his Junta42 blog has put up some great definitions – gathered from various content marketing experts – of content marketing.

My favourite there is this one:

Traditional marketing and advertising tells the world that you are a rockstar. Content marketing shows the world that you are one. — Robert Rose

Don’t take “rockstar” literally; what he means is, instead of harping on about what great stuff you’re selling and what miraculous product you have got, content marketing helps your prospective customers and clients find that out on their own.

So how do I explain content marketing to my clients?

I don’t have a definition, but I do tell them that their content creates a ripe ground for conversations and engagement. It’s easier to buy from you if I know you, but how do I know you unless you are close to me or I am mad about you, or if you’re a totally trusted and respected public figure? I begin to know you if you have regular conversations with me.

By “conversations” I don’t mean having useless talk – nobody has time for that. People remember you and visit your website multiple times if you offer them something valuable. Since you cannot offer them free services or free products all the time (you offer them once, so they will come to your website once, or maybe a couple of times) the best option for you would be offering them valuable information. This information exists in the form of content.

Content marketing primary constitutes of three activities, or rather four:

  1. Figure out what your target audience is looking for in terms of content
  2. Mostly which medium it uses (prefers to use) to access that content
  3. Produce that content and make it available through their preferred medium
  4. Keep doing that on an ongoing basis

Many people find the fourth point troublesome, but when it comes to marketing your products and services on the Internet, this is the most crucial point. Content abounds on the Internet. Millions of pages and blog posts (containing text, video, images and audio) are being published daily and within seconds your content can be buried under the new content.

So what’s the use of creating new content, you may ask, if it is going to be buried instantly?

This is where quality matters. Since most of the content has no value, valuable content gets highlighted not just on search engines, but also on various other websites and forums.

But then again, publishing one or a couple of valuable pieces of content doesn’t give you sustainable engagement. Engagement happens when you provide valuable content on an ongoing basis. It doesn’t have to be everyday, but it definitely has to be consistently regular, whether you publish new content every day, once a week, or once a month. Quality, coupled with regularity, creates the most effective content marketing platform.