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3 Keys to Create Engaging Content for More Customers and Sales

One of the most exciting fields for startups right now is content marketing. This engaging way to spread the word about your business has continued to grow as different forms of content gain popularity. Though it all started with the typical blog, companies are now using various forms of content marketing like podcasts to drive more traffic.

This form of marketing is hard to master and with the dozens of verticals involved, it’s rare to come across a valid informational source. That is why Jason Quey started the Content Promotion Summit, an online event that is bringing together over 60 of the world’s best content marketers.

This free event that started July 25, was aimed at teaching the ins and outs of blogging, podcasts, public relations and more. If you’re looking to start with the basics, below are three keys to creating engaging content to get more customers:

1. Develop a strategy.

Every house needs a foundation. The same goes for your content marketing. Entrepreneurs creating a blog need to lay out a strategy that focuses on their goals.

As an example, Drift, a messaging app that helps you grow your business, utilizes their blog to create a voice around sales, marketing and customer acquisition. In under eight months, their blog has grown to over 30,000 monthly visitors without a budget, making their company a thought leader in messaging apps.

To develop your strategy, I suggest reading the Grow and Convert blog where Benji Hyam details the Google Suggested Search hack. This basically involves long tail search terms focused on how-to questions, comparisons, and questions.

2. Gain credibility.

You have the right foundation for your content strategy. Now you will want to know how to create the content to execute on that strategy.

There are different ways to establish credibility and some ways are better than others. Getting press attention, interviewing influencers in your industry, blogging on other company blogs and answering questions online are all ways to gain credibility.

As an example, at my startup Sourcify where we help entrepreneurs find the right manufacturer in minutes, we like answering specific questions on Quora that address the pain point we are solving. This not only gets us traffic but also boosts credibility as people upvote our answers.

3. Utilize social media.

Social media is one of the best ways to share your content. With that said, social media is all about engagement and far too many companies overlook this fact. Companies today post on social like they’re talking to a brick wall.

Hillel Fuld, one of the world’s top tech bloggers and co-founder ofZCast recently told me a story of when Gary Vaynerchuck explained the return on investment of social media. He described social media as being your mom. Mothers are always there to compliment their children and instill confidence. Social media is there to do the same for your customers.

Though content marketing may not show immediate results or returns, it is a must in today’s world of online marketing. By growing your blog or starting a podcast, you’ll see long term growth and gains that you wouldn’t have imagined possible. You could be invited to speak at major events or write for major publications, but if you don’t start now, who knows where your content could lead you.

 Source : http://entm.ag/2bC8CqZ

Expand your business with 5 creativity tactics

With so much PR and marketing advice floating around online, it’s important that you stick to an essential information.

Focusing on “the essential” can bring peace of mind—and can help you develop your business.

Business growth is not necessarily about getting more of everything. Instead, think of it as focusing your efforts to get more meaningful results.

Here are five ways to boost your business online:

1. Step up your social media game.

When marketers want to improve their brand’s presence online, they usually look to add a channel to their repertoire.

Although starting a Pinterest account seems productive, there’s little point in investing your time and energy into a channel that you don't enjoy using or don’t know enough about.

Instead, dedicate more time to the platforms you already use.

If you're actively sharing on Facebook but not using Facebook groups or ads, make those your next steps. If you're tweeting a lot, but aren’t using buffer to automate your tweets and reach users across multiple time zones, you're probably not maximizing your engagement.

If you're using Pinterest but aren’t seeing results, your next step could be taking a free Pinterest course or maybe a workshop at your local library or community college.

2. Repurpose your content.

This approach is beneficial if you’re overextended on a project or short on time.

When you write a series of blog posts, you can repurpose some of them as free opt-ins for white papers or parts of an e-newsletter.

If you’re creative, you probably don't want to use old content everywhere, but you should feel free to reuse your best work when you’re in a time crunch.

To start, ask yourself strategic questions such as, “Can I turn this series into something I can sell?” or, “How can I use this important piece of content in my welcome emails?”

The right questions can bring countless opportunities.

3. Package your services.

If you run a client-based business, you know the challenges of bringing in sustainable income. Luckily, there are ways to turn the famine into a feast.

I recently talked with a woman who runs a copywriting business. She's creative, but she struggles to get new business. I advised her to package her services, which means not to give clients an hourly rate of services but, instead, to offer "bundles.”

You shouldn't just put your services on your website and hope clients will find them. A better approach—as suggested in a recent webinar—is launching your services as you would launch a product. Try debuting a series of blog posts or emails as a way to introduce yourself to a new opportunity.

4. Streamline your processes.

So, what can you streamline? Start with your social media strategy, your sales channels or your list-building and networking.

Here’s how I streamlined my list-building process so it gets me a dozen new subscribers every day.

Most people find me on Twitter, where they can also find a link to my website. Once they're on my website, the home page sends them to any of three places:The Blueprint, my blog and the free guide. If they go to The Blueprint, they'll be directed to my coaching page. If they read my blog posts, there will be a link to my opt-in offer (free goodies for creative rebels), and if they go to the free guide, they'll see a sales page with a sign-up.

Every step of that process has a next step. You can achieve this by anticipating a potential client’s needs.

Many prospective clients will visit your “About me” before committing to an opinion. Make sure to introduce yourself in a way that makes them want to know more.

5. Invest in your business.

If you don't reinvest some of the money you make, your business probably won’t grow. The marketing and PR climate is very competitive, and it’s important to come up with ways to stand out.

I reinvest 50 percent of whatever I make on outsourcing tasks that I can't do alone, or on improving something in my business that lacks.

For example, you can budget for social media tools (buffer,Edgar, Tailwind), email marketing (Mailchimp or Convertkit), improving your website’s look (Squarespace), building your mailing list (LeadPages), and podcasting and webinars (microphone and webcam). You could also hire a virtual or physical assistant.

As online entrepreneurs, we can't just be creative and rebellious; we must also be savvy. It’s important to be strategic with your investments.

Source: http://bit.ly/22bUrvy

Quote of the day.

3 things you're doing on Facebook that make people dislike you immediately

We all love to hate the Facebook friends who use their status updates to describe in detail the almond crunch granola they had for breakfast. 

But as it turns out, that's only the tip of the iceberg. There are plenty of habits that can turn off your Facebook friends and potential friends, even on a subconscious level.

Below, we've highlighted three common, research-backed Facebook behaviors that people find off-putting.

1. Sharing too many photos 

You may want to think twice before posting a dozen photos of your baby niece taking her first steps.

In one study, researchers looked at the Facebook behavior of about 500 people around age 24. They asked them to fill out questionnaires about the quality of their relationships with different people in their lives: friends, close friends, colleagues, relatives, partners, and general Facebook friends. 

Then they asked participants to indicate how often those people posted everything from selfies, to family photos, to pictures of friends on Facebook. 

Two interesting findings emerged. One, people tend to have less supportive, intimate relationships with family members when they post lots of photos of friends. And two, people tend to have less supportive, intimate relationships with friends when they post lots of photos of family.

In other words, instead of releasing that baby photo to the masses, consider texting it to your sister instead.

As study co-author Ben Marder, Ph.D., put it: "Be cautious when sharing and think how it will be perceived by all the others who may see it. Although sharing is a great way to better relationships, it can also damage them." 

2. Having too many or too few Facebook friends 

Consider taking the time to prune your Facebook friend list — or to add some more connections if that list is looking sparse. Research suggests there are perils to having too many or too few friends. 

In one study, researchers asked about 150 college students to look at fictional Facebook profiles and decide how much they liked the profiles' owners. The study took place in 2008, and the students had an average of 395 friends each.

Results showed that the "sweet spot" for likability was about 300 friends. Likability ratings were lowest when a profile owner had only about 100 friends, and almost as low when they had more than 300 friends.

As for why 300-plus friends could be a turn-off, the study authors write, "Individuals with too many friends may appear to be focusing too much on Facebook, friending out of desperation rather than popularity."

On the other hand, the researchers acknowledge that if you look at a population where the most common number of Facebook friends is 1,000, the sweet spot for likability could be 1,000.

Keep in mind, though, that one survey found that the average number of Facebook friends among adult users was 338 in 2014.

Interestingly, the study also found that participants weren't consciously aware that they liked people less when they had too many or too few Facebook friends. 

3. Posting a close-up profile photo

It doesn't matter how gorgeous you are — it's somewhat awkward to post a profile photo in which there's barely any space between your face and the camera.

In one small study, 45 participants looked at grayscale photos of 18 unfamiliar white men, displayed on a computer. They were asked to rate each person on trustworthiness, competence, and attractiveness.

Results showed that faces photographed from within what the researchers call “personal space” (45 centimeters, or about 1.5 feet) were rated lower on all measures than faces photographed from at least 135 centimeters, or about 4.5 feet, away.

Bottom line: It's easy to thoughtlessly post an entire photo album or send friend requests to your entire company — but doing so can have some negative consequences for your relationships. So be as cautious online as you are in crafting your persona IRL.

Source : http://read.bi/1Sh0CuT