The ROI of Social Media? Your business will survive after 5 years
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Why content strategy comes before social media marketing
What’s your content basically? It’s your presence, especially on the Internet. People know you not just because you are there, they know you because of what you have to say about your business, your core expertise, and the world in general. Your content gives you a presence. It’s like your circle of your influence, and without influence, there is no social media presence.
When you publish content on your website or blog – thought-provoking content – you begin to make an impression. People either respect you for what you have to say, or they differ. Both the feelings create in their minds an imprint. The more you publish, the more they remember you. They begin to respect your knowledge. They begin to relate to you. They carefully follow your advise and opinion. Even if they disagree it means to an extent they’re paying attention to what you are saying. Then they write about your opinions on their own blogs and websites, or they share your links with their friends to may be seek further opinion. This is how people begin to recognize you.
Brands and people who have done well on social media and networking websites haven’t done so by merely appearing there all of a sudden one day. They are already recognized names. Since they are recognized, people eager follow them, they eagerly listen to them.
The point is, if you are a Sachin Tendulkar or a Britney Spears you just have to let the news out that you have created a social media presence. In a few minutes you’ll have 100s of 1000s of fans and followers. You are already a known name. You have already made a presence in people’s mind with your other efforts (here, cricket and singing).
You have to achieve the same thing with your content. Content is a great weapon. It makes people come to your blog and website again and again. You give people something to talk about, something to ponder over, something to put to use. This helps you strengthen your brand.
Money follows money and success follows success and this is how our world works (assuming you leverage the advantage). With strategic content publishing you create a recognizable presence, and then you leverage this recognition on social media marketing. By the time you launch your social presence, people already know you because of your content. In fact, they have eagerly been waiting for your social media presence.
So does this mean you don’t need to publish content if you are already a celebrity or if a few thousand people in your particular circle know you? Depends on where you are placed. There are well-known brands on Twitter, well-known artists, well-known writers, singers, journalists, politicians, Internet marketers, programmers, etc. but they don’t just depend on their Twitter presence. They actually need to perform in their actual fields. A writer who does not write can’t do much on social media for long, and neither can a cricketer who doesn’t perform well on the field.
Social media marketing needs a backing and that backing can be provided by your content publishing. Whatever you need to promote, it can be promoted through social media, but the actual message exists in the form of content on your website or blog.
Will RSS undermine the search engines?
Google is God, Google is … Well, We have been kind of worshiping the search engines. We always wondered how we ever managed without them. But the way web world is constantly evolving, there is a feeling that a day is not far off when the search engines and portals will be less used and social media and blogs are getting more center and up front! Yes, things are changing and in style.
The question is – Will a day come when people will use more and more RSS (really simple syndication) feeds and depend less and less on search engines?
What are RSS Feeds?
RSS is a process used by websites to present updated and newer contents to subscribers directly through its readers. This is like speed-post delivered at home – fresh and updated contents delivered directly to the readers. Actually a synopsis called RSS feed is displayed and this small capsule of information can be used for selecting the full content/article. An RSS reader or editor sorts out the feeds and also generates the RSS feeds. Today RSS is fast-forwarding the web search for optimal content.
Benefits of RSS Feeds
RSS feeds have revolutionized the concept of web search today. We can pick and select the content we need and what suits us. No need to plow through the vast ocean of information available over the net. No spam or no bulk mail; everything you need is at just a click. Especially, when readers want timely and useful updates from their various favorite websites, and need the updates collected in a single place (done with a feed reader interface).
Marketing via RSS
Marketing strategy using RSS feeds is more effective because you send the latest and applicable information and it is sent directly to the target audience. Site optimization is easier with RSS feeds. Since more and more people are trusting social media opinions and recommendations about any new purchases they are contemplating, the RSS feeds from the social media are gaining more power.
Why not Search Engines?
Most likely the vast amount of information available on the Internet kind of frightens people. They feel so overwhelmed by the surfeit of contents, they start feeling confused and uncertain. When they ask for product information, there may be two diametrically opposite recommendations which confound the common man. This could be the major reason for shunning the search engines.
Scoring over by RSS
Why some people think that RSS feeds give them an easier way out – more so than the search engines? The single most use of Internet is for searching. Search is what makes people seek the net – to know, to learn and to know the pros and cons and perhaps to buy. If RSS feeds, due to timely and useful content, convince the visitor to buy a product, that is optimal conversion and that counts greatly in favor of RSS feeds. If RSS feeds satisfy the customer that they have achieved what they wanted, and visitors feel that they can come back for more and keep coming back – why, it is a greatest victory for RSS feeds.
The Question – Will RSS feeds undermine Search Engines?
Will the gateways change? Will Google, Bing and such lose their edge? Will Wikipedia not get as many clicks? Otherwise why Google started its own RSS feeder – Google reader – To play safe? (www.reader.google.com). So many questions!
All really boils down to individual choices. Much as fast-food is favorite with some people, RSS feeds will no doubt gather more fan following. Yes, many will be there – who will not have the time or inclination for a thorough research and may settle down to go by the recommendation or contents of RSS feeds.
But RSS feeds replacing Search Engines does not seem possible in the near future.
Certainly all that is good and great are not only on RSS feeds. A connoisseur will still not settle down with only fast-food; he would find time to learn and know; he would rather pick and choose what he wants, what he thinks as most relevant and not let others choose for him. He will still Google.
Creating blog posts that really make an impact
Yesterday I talked about why your business needs a blog, so today, let’s briefly talk about creating blog posts that produce real results. Now what do we mean by “real results”. For that you gotta figure out why you blog.
Are you simply blogging to improve your search engine rankings? Although there is nothing wrong in that, if you are blogging simply for SEO, you are missing the whole point of blogging. Blogging is a branding tool, it’s a communication means, SEO happens – a good thing though – as a byproduct. If you publish blog posts that can really help your visitors (they should return enriched) then you are automatically improving your search engine rankings.
Enough with the SEO gripe; if you want to create effective and impactful blog posts, there are two ways of achieving that:
- Following the herd
- Evolving your own, distinct style
Both these methods work. For instance, these days lots of blog posts are created in a list style, something like
- 5 sure shot ways of harassing your neighbors
- 10 social skills you shouldn’t try in public
- 55 jQuery plugins to totally destroy your website
- 7 psychopathic tendencies that make your baby adorable
…you get the drift.
These lists abound on the Internet, and they’re really great in terms of collating great information and presenting it without having to write well. I mean, you don’t need to stretch your writing skills much if you’re creating monosyllabic bullets.
Evolving your own style is difficult, but it’s a better way of embarking upon your blogventure. It gives you your own voice and renders you a unique personality.
Other than these, there are standard ways that help you create impactful blog posts:
Give enough time to a new idea
Stop having blog-post-publishing dreams as soon as you hit upon your great 21st century idea. Jot down the notes and prepare a draft. I don’t mean you should take hours preparing posts that can be prepared in 20 minutes, but if there is an idea that warrants some prolonged thinking, give it some time, even a few days. Remember that it’s not important how many posts you publish, but what’s the quality of those posts.
Create titles that draw attention
By reading your title your prospective reader should be able to make out precisely what you offer in your latest blog post. Learn from the “screaming” newspaper headlines. They are created so that you immediately grab the copy and start reading the news.
Your readers may come across your blog post title anywhere: on your blog, on a search engine result page, on another website or blog, or on a social media bookmarking or networking website. A dull, uninspiring headline is never going to make them click the link. But don’t mislead your readers; if your title offers chocolates, don’t give sugarcanes in the actual post.
Stick to a single topic
Handling a single subject has many benefits:
- It paves way for multiple blog posts
- One concept is easier to understand and remember
- It’s less confusing
- It’s more focused
- You can keep coming back to it to add more value
- It’s easier for your readers to save or bookmark your link under appropriate categories and tags
Offer a workable solution
Avoid offering probabilities, as anybody can do that. Offer solid solutions in your blog posts. When a reader leaves your blog, he or she should feel that, yes, the world is a bit better after reading your blog post. Providing solid solutions also encourages people to
- Bookmark your link
- Promote it on social media and networking websites
- Link to your blog post from their website, blogs and newsletters
Ask for opinion
Blowing your own horn after a while tends to get boring. There needs to be some involvement and engagement. Make your readers an active part of the thought process. Ask for opinion. Nudge them for a feedback. Question them, probe them, you can even incite them. Your every blog post should try to trigger a reaction.
OK, I have got only this much time for today’s post. Got some ideas for creating great blog posts? Share them in the comment section and I’ll include them here with a link back to your website or blog.
Hiring a website content writing service
Hiring a website content writing service is one of the most critical decisions you ever make for your online business. It’s basically your content that gets — whether through search engines, directly, or through social media and networking websites — traffic to your website, and it’s your content that converts your visitors into paying customers and clients.
Rather than hiring full-time in-house content writers, most small and medium businesses prefer to hire a website content writing service because (read why you should outsource to a content writing service), aside from saving on time and effort, they can also avail world-class writers from across the globe without going through the pain of finding them, and then training them.
The Internet is a great tool, a gargantuan advantage. Just log on and you can find writing talent from every possible nook and corner of the world. This is also a disadvantage. Unlike in the brick-and-mortar business it takes less effort to get onto the Internet and start a business. No, I’m not saying it’s easier to do business on the Internet, just easier to start a business. Nonetheless, there are many businesses that somehow manage to get the initial push and somehow you happen to stumble upon them and end up doing business with them. But do they deliver? Only time, and their performance, can tell. The thing is, they might just be testing the waters, or playing around with a new “work from home” idea just in case it works, but you are into serious business. You have invested your sweat, money and talent into your business and a lot is at stake. You are not playing around with some idea or “this Internet thing”. You want real results.
That’s why it’s very important to hire your website content writing service with great care. But if you have never worked before with this service, how can you decide, how do you know doing business with this company can be a safe bet?
What to look for before hiring a content writing service
- For how long has your content writing service been in the business: You can easily find the age of the domain. Check out their blog archives (they have a blog, right?). Go through their online portfolio. If possible, check out their client websites and see how old the content over there is.
- How does the website look: Most of the established content writing services have well-designed websites. By well-designed I don’t mean they should have won awards for best layout and design, you can just feel it. If they take their business seriously, they should also take their website seriously, because they are supposed to be getting good business from the website.
- Does your website content writing service have a social media presence: This is not necessary but a service that’s active on the social media has a reputation to maintain. It takes lots of effort to build a brand on social media and networking websites. If they take their social media seriously, there is a great chance that they take their business seriously too.
- Do they have a blog: Now this is a must for a content writing service. Just imagine a service that offers blog content to you and does not publish a good-quality blog. A blog is not just a great communication and SEO tool it also manifests an open, progressive mentality. It shows you put in effort to regularly talk to your visitors and share with them your thoughts.
- What’s their quality of writing: This should logically be the first thing to consider.
- How many websites link back to your content writing service: Back links are not only good for SEO, they are also an indication of good quality. If their website enjoys lots of back links from other websites and blogs it means people like what they have on their website and also what they have been doing.
- What sort of testimonials do they have: Remember that many websites have testimonials that don’t seem real so you need to take testimonials with a pinch of salt, but reputed testimonials do matter. Be wary of testimonials not accompanies by website links. If they display big brand names and they themselves are not a very well-known name feel free to ask for direct links where their content can be seen.
Do you have your own consideration for hiring a competent content writing service? If yes, please share it in the comment section.