How would you like to increase brand awareness and recognition, establish authority and expertise, create loyalty and trust? These are just some of the unique benefits of content marketing. It’s time to stop dabbling and jump in with both feet. Content creation is the keystone for all effective inbound marketing, long-lasting SEO, successful brand building, and far-reaching offline marketing.

Content creation used to just mean writing blogs, but these days the definition of effective content includes video, graphics, podcasting and a few other types of media. If you’re not confident about your writing or video skills don’t worry, read all the way to the end and you’ll find that this post includes solutions for that too.

Improve Your SEO With Content Marketing

Forget about trying to understand the arcane mysteries of the algorithms that Google and Facebook use. Normal humans aren’t meant to understand them, and if you do they change all the time anyway. It’s not worth wasting your time on because there is a way to beat them. Great content is valued by real people, and then shared by them. Don’t gamble that Facebook’s AI might spot your content and share it for.

Instead, put your energy into writing and producing creative, informative, and useful blog posts. Make videos that grab people by the eyeballs. Write posts that move people to take action. Create shareable graphics that inspire and influence your people. When you do that you start a process that will pay you back for years to come. 

Make videos that grab people by the eyeballs. #ContentMarketing
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The hidden benefit is that each new piece of content you produce adds to your body of work. You already know that all your posts are indexed by the search engines. One of the best things about creating all that content is that it simply becomes more valuable over time. Particularly if it is evergreen content that won’t get dated over time. Like expensive wine, your best blog posts increase in value as more and more people discover them. Some of my oldest blog posts have the most traction with Google, and still spark conversations with potential clients years later.

Ultimately, Google’s algorithms are designed to produce the most accurate results for search. If you concentrate on creating valuable content that is highly useful to your audience, over time Google will rank your content higher than less useful content, regardless of how many keywords they have stuffed in.

Increase Website Traffic from Social Channels

So you want more traffic to your website. You’re already posting on your social channels telling people to visit you but being told to do something gets boring to your community very quickly. And anyway, why should people visit your site? One visit is usually more than enough for most people to get what you’re about and decide to pigeonhole you. All this means your visitor bounce rate is higher than Mount Everest on a snowy day in January.

On the other hand, if your website was a handy resource full of interesting, thought-provoking and (most importantly) useful articles and videos that people want to keep returning to, that would make your site the kind of place that might earn itself a bookmark in your visitors’ browsers. If your blog contained content that was genuinely helpful to your chosen niche then it could just become a place that people would recommend to each other. We have to earn those eyeballs. 

If your blog contains genuinely useful #content it will become a place that people would recommend. #ContentMarketing
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Of course, having a constantly growing library of posts would give you an endless amount of content to share to Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Linkedin or whatever your preferred platforms are. Just remember that your content must be located on your website so that each time you share it, you drive traffic to your site. It’s equally vital to maintain a high standard for your content creation because the longer your visitors stay on your site, the lower your bounce rate will get.

More Opportunities to Increase Engagement

The more interesting and thought-provoking your content, the more opportunity you will have to engage with your community. Whether that is on the post via a comments section, or on your social platforms, is not really important. The vital thing is to be involved with the issues that matter to your visitors and users. Where the engagement happens is up to them not you. Some people prefer to discuss on Snapchat, others on Linkedin. Just be ready to get involved when they want to, not merely when you want to.

Aside from this, you can get more involved with your niche by including members of your community in your content. That may include interviewing an influencer on your podcast or vlog. Or it may mean working on a collaborative work together. This is pretty common on YouTube but there’s no reason why you couldn’t collaborate on blogs too. There are too many benefits, such as increasing your audience reach, to ignore the opportunity.

Increase Dwell Times on Your Website

We’ve already touched on this above, but increasing the dwell time of visitors on your website is too important a subject to neglect. What is dwell time? If your bounce rate is a measure of how many people hit your site and quickly leave (within a few seconds typically), then dwell time can be described as a measure of how long your visitors tend to stay on your website. This is important for SEO as Search Engines will include that as a factor in how highly you’re ranked. It is also vital for you because it is a measure of how accurately you are meeting the needs of your visitors. The longer they stay on your site, the more interesting it must be to them.

So, if you’re wondering why your conversion rate is poor even if Google Analytics is telling you that you get a lot of visits to your website, it may be down to a high bounce rate and short dwell times. This is a big issue for many websites and should be a crucial metric for you if want to find out if your website is likely to attract more eyeballs.

We live in the “Attention Economy” because the attention of viewers and visitors can translate directly and indirectly into income. For YouTubers, attention is critical because ad revenue is directly affected by the number of viewers they get for each monetised video. In fact, there is a fairly tough hurdle which they have to jump over just to enable monetization on YouTube which is almost entirely based on attention rates.  

Remember, #ContentMarketing is not a quick fix solution for ailing websites. #OnlineMarketing
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Having relevant, useful, or entertaining content on your website is the best way I know to get attention, keep attention and draw bigger audiences in over time. Remember, content marketing is not a “quick fix” solution for ailing websites, but an intelligent strategy, implemented consistently over time, will produce long-lasting results.

Stay in Touch with Clients

If you are a freelancer or running a small business, it is vital to keep in touch with your clients. As Jeffrey Gitomer, America’s King of Sales, says “All things being equal, people want to do business with their friends”, but then continues “All things being not quite so equal, people still want to do business with their friends.”

This is a fact of life and one that is even more true in the Internet Age. We would rather trust the recommendations of friends and relatives over that of a stranger. This is so obvious that we hardly need to state it, but time and again I meet businesses who neglect their relationship with clients. They only get in touch when there’s something new to sell.

Every time our content is read, viewed and shared it is another touchpoint between you and your community. That’s why it is so important to create, curate and communicate quality content.

Build Trust

Staying in touch is one thing, but the key word here is trust. We trust our friends to steer us right and the difference between a friend and a stranger is that when we communicate with our friends, we trust that they do not have an ulterior motive such as trying to make a sale. We talk to our friends even when we’re not buying.

Part of the value of a blog is the fact that your content is available to be consumed day or night at any time that is preferred by your audience. You don’t have to be physically available as you do on a phone call or when networking face to face. Each time a visitor to your website reads one of your posts, their trust level in you increases incrementally. Then, when you tweet or talk to them on Linkedin, another level of trust is added. By the time you meet in person, you already have a high level of trust built up with them. I have found this time and again when I’m meeting someone in person. Before I’ve even sat down in their office, rapport has already been established by their familiarity with my content.

Build Authority with Content Marketing

We trust our friends, but we also rely on expert knowledge to guide us through our lives. This is even more true when it comes to business. It can be hard to find a genuine authority on a subject. So we have to rely on a number of factors when we need an expert. First, we rely on the recommendations of friends. Secondly, we look for signs like qualifications, but not every area of expertise is represented by formal qualifications. Thirdly, and most importantly, we rely on our own judgement to assess the level of expertise of an individual or company. These are unreliable techniques and sometimes they don’t work very well. They most often fail when we simply do not have enough data to base our decision upon. We don’t know them well enough.

Often, the process can be bypassed completely. If we already know someone who is an authority in their niche we know that going directly to them would give us access to the expertise we seek. For example, we trust our friends to give us good advice, but if that advice is on a subject they know nothing about, our faith in their advice is going to be impaired. If you’re planning on buying a new laptop, you may ask a friend, but not the friend who is a technophobe. But your friend who also happens to be into gadgets, technology and is always upgrading her computer? She’s the expert friend you’ll ask and value every time. 

Each new #blog post published consolidates your level of #authority. #OnlineMarketing
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When we create content consistently within our area of expertise, regular readers will start to see us a kind of “proto-friend”. If our content consistently demonstrates that we know our subject well, our status as an authority becomes established. Each new post consolidates our level of authority. Our content helps to position us in the reader’s mind as an expert friend. The next step when one of your readers needs expert help is obvious. Why would they hesitate to get in touch?

Increased Availability

One reason they may hesitate to use your expertise, even if you have already established Authority, is the question of Availability. Are you available to your potential clients?

Availability comes in a variety of forms. It could just mean including your telephone number or email address on each post. But you need to be better than that if you want to stand out from the mediocre. Being available means being present on the platforms that your clients prefer. Being available means engaging in relevant discussions and debate on the issues that matter to your chosen area of expertise.

But being available can also mean being accessible to your potential clients by creating content across a variety of media. If you are already writing blog posts, consider adding social videos, infographics or a podcast to your mix. We all have our own preferences when it comes to consuming content. Some of us prefer to read, but many of us prefer to watch a video, or listen to audio content in our car or whilst running.

Lower Your Marketing Costs

Advertising is expensive and produces short-term results. If you want to get any real results you need to first choose the right place to advertise. Press advertising these days has very poor reach, costs an arm and a leg and is pretty useless unless you pay for ads that will run for months. And even then, it’s almost impossible to measure the ROI reliably. Online advertising via Google, Facebook or Twitter is hard to get right and the results can be hit and miss unless you really know how to get it right.

So what can you do? Businesses still have to promote what they do and budgets are getting even tighter than ever. Content marketing is incredibly good value for money and can be leveraged by businesses of every size from single freelancers to multinational corporations. Minimum entry requirements are very low: if your website can include a blog on it, all you need is the willingness to start writing and the willpower to keep it up. 

#ContentMarketing is incredibly good value for money and can be leveraged by businesses of every size. #blogging #marketing
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After that, make sure you keep trying to improve (nobody starts off as an expert, no matter what your ego tells you). Adding a photograph or image helps make your posts more visually appealing and remember to keep your blog posts focused on your primary market niche. Don’t be tempted to wander off at a tangent which has no useful information for your readers. If you want to be more creative, try making videos on topics that may interest your potential clients. It’s perfectly okay to start by using your smartphone, the camera and microphone will be fine. When you want to step up your game, consider adding a decent microphone and quality lighting to your setup though.

Above all, keep in mind that you are engaging in a business activity. This is not the place to indulge yourself or use inappropriate language. You’re not Gary Vaynerchuk.

How to Blog Even if You Can’t Write

Not everyone can write like Ernest Hemingway or make a film like Steven Spielberg though. That’s just life. If your talents don’t lie in writing, scripting, or creating movies relax, there are still lots of really good options for you.

There are many talented copywriters and film makers out there looking for an opportunity to work with you. If your content marketing strategy requires regular blog posts that are focused on your niche, look for a freelance copywriter to work with. They will discuss your requirements and meet with you to discuss your blog, plan future posts and maybe even interview you, your staff and/or your clients to gather material which they can then craft into blog posts for you. When we ghost-write for clients, we typically create a content calendar and a flexible list of content titles based on topics that match the calendar. 

Effective #ContentMarketing means producing useful #content consistently and maintaining quality. #blogging #SocialVideo
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If you want to work with video, beware of agencies that want to bring in a whole crew and a roomful of equipment. This is how costs grow. Your goal should be to keep content creation costs as low as possible, or you’ll soon find it impossible to keep consistently producing content. If their cameras cost more than your car, take that as a clue: they’ll want to recover the cost of that expensive kit. Remember you’re paying for every bit of equipment and every member of the team they bring in.

On the other hand, filming in your car whilst holding your phone is no longer acceptable either. Maybe the first few times, but after that, you’ll find the poor audio and wobbly picture will put viewers off. You need to find a sweet spot to create professional-looking video at a manageable cost.

At Design Inspiration, we have put together a small portable setup with a smartphone, camera stabiliser and external lapel microphone that works really well. We use it when recording video blogs and social videos for our clients and it keeps costs very manageable so we can charge a fixed cost each time. Our clients like it because it’s not intimidating and most importantly, they can afford to keep adding to the vital library of resources that drives traffic to their website.

If you’re planning on starting a podcast, this can be very affordable. Start with a decent microphone (the Blue Yeti, available via Amazon is excellent quality) and you can use free software to make your recording. Audacity is easily obtained for Windows-based PCs and is reasonably simple to use.

In a world where traditional marketing methods are in decline or simply too expensive to employ, content marketing offers opportunities for businesses of every size. Content marketing may not be for you if you want quick results. However, for those willing to put in the effort to create, curate, and communicate content can be inexpensive, flexible and incredibly powerful over time. 

In a world where traditional #marketing is in decline #ContentMarketing offers opportunities for businesses of every size.
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The Next Step

Design Inspiration has over 25 years’ experience in getting businesses noticed online. If you want to have a no-obligation conversation about the ways we could help your business, get in touch with Design Inspiration via the form in the sidebar.

If you keep hearing people say you don’t need a blog on your website, read this post. Letting your blog die could be the biggest online marketing mistake you ever make.

If you listen for long enough, you’ll hear people say you don’t need a blog if you have social media. After a while, they’ll even try to convince you that you don’t even need a website; after all, why try to drag people over to your website when they’re already on Facebook?

Longer Lasting Means Better

Whatever you post on social media platforms is ephemeral. Here today, gone tomorrow. Sure, you can find old posts on Facebook or LinkedIn… if you dig deep enough. Let’s face it, even when you post or see a brand new post, after just a few hours it can become difficult to find it again. Ever had to search through your timeline to re-share that video of the dancing gorilla or that meme with the fish and the cat that made you laugh this morning? Then you know what I mean. By contrast, blog posts start working for you the moment you hit Publish and keep on going like that battery-powered bunny forever (or until you close your website down). Blog posts aren’t like new cars; their value keeps going up. Google loves content that’s been around a while. If your blog posts are useful, informative and written for real people, their SEO value will grow year on year. Blog posts I wrote years ago still attract visitors to the website every day.

Teasing Only Works for a While

Social media posts are great, but rarely excite actual debate. If you want a proper discussion you need the space that only your own blog provides. Yes, I know that you can post on Medium, but that’s still just outreach after all. Smart marketers know that you should use social media to post teasers and links back to your own content instead of just plonking it all out there on Facebook or LinkedIn. Social media posts are not the entire meal, they’re just the hors d’oeuvres. Your blog is where the chef really gets to work.

You Are in Control

The only bit of real estate you can really call your own is your website. Ultimately, Facebook’s popularity might end. It’s bound to happen eventually, and it will be replaced by another platform. What will happen to all that marketing effort and material you sweated over for your Facebook Page or Group? It will disappear, like a memory of a great meal you had once but can no longer provide you with nutrition. So long as you keep renewing your domain name and hosting (and those things are entirely in your own hands) your website and the blog on it will keep on trucking. Mark Zuckerberg can’t do anything about that, because it’s yours.

You Can Take Your Time

Here’s another thing about blogging: if you keep doing it and try to improve each time, you’ll get better at it. Set your standards high, learn from other successful bloggers (there are plenty out there) and your blog’s value will just keep increasing. Over time you will build a unique and valuable resource for potential clients, community members, and yourself. We keep getting rewards from posts we wrote ten years ago. The SEO value alone is worth it.

The Next Step

You won’t find a greater advocate for social media than me. I love it. Social media has brought us clients, friendships and connections all over the world. Being an active social media user has led to me appearing on radio, television and the press but I wouldn’t give up our website for it. Neglecting your blog for social media is a short-term move and could be one of the biggest marketing mistakes you ever make. I’m in it for the long game, and I strongly advise you to be too. There just isn’t any substitute for great blog content that lives on your own website.

NOTE: This is a guest post written by Ryan Biddulph, the Blogger From Paradise. Ryan is an international bloger and author. You can read his story elsewhere on this page. This post is a collection of some of his best tips for improving the quality of your blog writing.

If you are having a heck of a time driving blog traffic or profits your posts may lack the depth and quality to convince readers to buy in.

Struggling terribly in this department feels confusing, frustrating and may have you thinking about quitting blogging all together.

You appear to be doing everything right but are still failing.

Take a deep breath. Relax just a little bit. You don’t need to do more or work harder. You likely need to improve the quality of your blog posts.

Nobody gets rewarded for the simple act of publishing posts, but successful bloggers reap sweet benefits by publishing quality, in-depth, problem-solving posts.

Follow these tips to improve the quality of your blog posts.

1: Write 1,000 Words Daily for Practice

Write 1,000 words every day to practice.

Open a Word document. Reach your desired word count. Trash the document.

Following this writing ritual improves the quality of your blog posts quickly because writing is the one skill you need to develop to impress readers.

Don’t just write whenever you need to publish a post. Write in quiet. Write in the shadows. When it’s time to publish content you will create quality, impactful posts that drive traffic and profits.

Don’t just write whenever you need to publish a post. Write in quiet. Write in the shadows.
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2: Go Long Form or Go Home

Long form posts impress. Short posts rarely do.

Focus heavily on blog post quality and little on blog post quantity to make the greatest impact with your blog.

Write 1500 word or longer posts to both appease your readers and Google. Long posts rank better on the big G. Long posts also influence readers to a greater extent.

Pull back on posting frequency if you want to boost the quality of your blog posts. It’s better to publish meatier, thorough, resource-style posts than to churn out thin, valueless posts more frequently.

3: Add Images for Eye Candy

Add images to your blog posts.

Share eye candy to improve the quality of your blog posts.

You think in pictures. Image-free posts give readers too much leg work. But using 2-3 images in each post both does some of your reader’s legwork and also makes for easier scanning.

Quality posts are rich in text content and imagery. Add a few images to each blog post to give readers a sense of contrast and to make their job easier.

4: Link In

Link into other posts from your blog.

Create a link-heavy resource to boost on page SEO and to create a quality resource for your audience.

Link into related, older posts on your blog. Lower your bounce rate. Give readers something to chew on.

5: Link Out

Link out to respected blogs or sites to add quality to your blog. Linking out adds credibility to your posts. Linking to authority sites gives your blog greater authority through the power of association.

If readers see links pointing out to top tier blogs through your blog they are likely to see your blog in a different light. Your credibility expands on multiple levels.

6: Let it Sit

I like letting my blog posts sit for at least 1-2 days before publishing. The post either ages gracefully or receives touch ups to add value to the offering.

The old me rushed wildly to write and publish blog posts within hours. The new me knows how allowing posts to simmer increases their quality exponentially. In some cases I nailed it on the first try, with some light editing. The waiting period gives me clarity and confidence in publishing the post. In the case of edited posts I re-read and edit where necessary to create a valuable, high-quality offering.

How to Improve the Quality of Your Blog Posts
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7: Read Quality Blogs

Blogging tips hungry bloggers should read blogs like Problogger.net to follow a quality resource. Not only does this blog offer tips to add value to your posts but you’ll also expose yourself to high value posts, podcasts and eBooks which influences your blog and brand.

Your Turn

What tips can you add to this list?

Planet Planit is a specialised content consultancy for events and hospitality.

Planet Planit Ltd has been a valued client of ours for years. The website was originally developed by us for Planet Planit Ltd as an extensive source of original content for event planners and organisers. Over the years, it also became a valuable asset for anyone involved in corporate events and conferences. We have redesigned the website several times for this fast-moving industry leader. Now, this website’s most recent redesign has been to support PlanetPlanit’s vital role as a source of specialised content for the events, and hospitality industry.

We designed a clear, flexible corporate identity for Planet Planit. This included a logo that has stood the test of time, stationery, business cards, compliment slips, etc. Their identity has since been used on a variety of media, including exhibition stands, flyers, brochures, advertisements, as well as a wide variety of digital resources.

CLIENT: Planet Planit Ltd

WORK: Website, corporate identity, graphic design, training, social media consultancy

http://planetplanit.biz

WB Muddeman & Son Ltd have been supplying high quality jewellery to retailers since 1912.

When one of Devon’s most experienced suppliers of wholesale jewellery developed their new brand, Silver Opalite, they knew that they needed a beautiful website to show it off.

The website we designed is not only beautiful, but includes a number of interesting features, such as including and online shop with a difference: only registered retailers can view their products. We created a registration system and password controlled gateway for the website.

We also arranged to have the entire Silver Opalite range of jewellery professionally photographed to ensure that this online shop acts as the perfect showcase for each beautiful piece in the collection.

The Silver Opalite website, combined with our stunning photography, is a striking example of what can be achieved with technical expertise and a focus on design.

CLIENT: WB Muddeman & Son Ltd

WORK: Website design, professional photography, ongoing support

http://silveropalite.comirection

The Cutting Garden is one of Plymouth’s most popular, experienced and stylish ladies’ and gentlemen’s hair salons.

Design Inspiration has supplied web design services to The Cutting Garden for many years. When the salon came under new ownership in 2015, they approached us to conduct a complete re-brand and create a new website.  .

We created a striking new logo, accompanied by website with blog. Design Inspiration then provided social media advice, WordPress and social media training. We have subsequently provided content creation services and ongoing support.

We gave The Cutting Garden a modern website with information on pricing, profiles of all the stylists, a compelling blog, and integrated their online booking system. We also included a client comments page so that new clients can see how pleased existing clients are with The Cutting Garden. Overall, our solution was to design a stylish site which incorporated all of these features and which was easy for them to keep up to date, thereby keeping The Cutting Garden salon at the cutting edge..

CLIENT: The Cutting Garden hair salon Office One

WORK: Website design, logo design, brand refresh, stationery design, content creation, content marketing, social media consultancy, training, ongoing support, SEO consultancy

http://cuttinggardenhair.co.ukirection

InPlymouth.com is Plymouth’s most popular independent website.

InPlymouth.com is one of our own websites and it is one of which we are incredibly proud. Since we launched it in 2004, this website has grown into one of the best-known online brands in Plymouth.

inPlymouth.com features a popular What’s On in Plymouth guide and a wide range of articles on every topic from lifestyle issues, to business and entrepreneurship. A local business directory, photo galleries and a social media presence that is respected across the city all make inPymouth.com the perfect showcase for everything great in the city. 

Over the years, inPlymouth.com has become the “go to website” for anyone interested in what matters locally. A hub of local information and opinion. It is a platform for us to give back to the city where we have developed a successful design business over nearly two and a half decades.

InPlymouth.com is where we launched the highly successful #LovePlymouth hashtag to promote Plymouth to the world. Now, it is used by thousands of people who are as proud of Plymouth as we are.

CLIENT: Design Inspiration

WORK: Website, branding, online marketing, SEO, content creation, blogging, graphic design, social media management

http://inplymouth.com

Linden Books is an online shop that sells specially selected second hand crime and vintage books in the UK.

LInden Books was a new start-up business with a clear vision. They needed help to make that vision real, in the form of a website with online shop function. First, we assessed what Linden Books needed. As a new brand, it was vital that they could stand out in the online environment.

First, we designed a crisp, easy to read brand identity that can be used on all material, printed or digital. Then we developed a website and online shop that was easy to use for buyers, and easy to maintain for the site admins. We included a blog so that they could get started quickly with their inbound marketing. After that, we set up accounts on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and created a social media marketing strategy, plus a library of digital resources that Linden Books could use to promote their brand.

On an ongoing basis, we continue to help Linden Books with beautiful photography of their books. We are also working with them to maintain their resource library and support their online marketing and provide social media support.

CLIENT: Linden Books

WORK: Website, branding, identity, social media support, graphic design, photograph

http://lindenbooks.co.uk

Eskify is an incredibly popular website run by a young Youtube entrepreneur.

Our brief for the Eskify website was clear: create a dynamic website for original content of all kinds. Some of the content is text-based, some video-based. In every case though, it is original and fascinating.

Our website puts that content front and centre. The latest posts are showcased on the home page, and featured content is highlighted in call-out boxes to make them easy to access. Our client loves the site, and so do the visitors as their readership numbers are rising month-on-month.

We also created a brand identity that is fun, yet crisp and contemporary. Designed to stand out in the crowded online environment.

CLIENT: Eskify

WORK: Website, brand identity

http://eskify.com

Coaching Connect supports coaches in finding their authentic voice. Design Inspiration designed a logo and website to help Coaching Connect in their mission.

They came to Design Inspiration because they wanted a versatile, portal-style website that would engage their community of coaches. They knew we had already done this for other clients and the success of our own community hub website, InPymouth.com was a model they were keen to emulate.

After a process of analysis and discussion, we moved quickly to create a website that they could fill with articles, information, inspiration and support for coaches. They also wanted to be able to update it themselves and to include a blog to the site.

We built a striking site that clearly signposts the wealth of material they have included and added a blog, a database of coaches and an events calendar. Then we gave some training on using the site and the blog.

A few years later, they came back to us to update and refresh the website’s design and add extra optons, particularly the ability to include video content. We were delighted to once again help Coaching Connect create deeper connections with their community of professional coaches and mentors.

CLIENT: Coaching Connect

WORK: Website design, logo design, ongoing support

http://coachingconnect.co.uk