This is the second part of my 7 Social Media Focal Points to Evaluate Now series. Today we will be talking about why it is important to create consistent content for your blog.

The number one issue I see in the space is companies that have a static blog. Yes, this was more than acceptable only a few years ago, but simply having an informational page is not good enough anymore.

I know you might think the website looks cool with all the flash animation, but after the first visit or two, it becomes annoying. The name of the game today is in getting people to not only visit the website, but to come back, and often! It just takes more to build your brand and generate leads on the web today.

The blog is the foundation of everything else that you do in the social media space. This is where you ultimately want to lead your friends, fans and followers too. So it is crucial that your digital presence be dynamic, alive and constantly feeding your web visitors with value. Keep in mind that the content does not always need to be groundbreaking, but it does need to reflect your corporate culture and business philosophy.

What does consistent content do for your blog?

• Gives the visitors a reason to come back!
• Allows customers and prospects a chance to engage and share your content!
• Increases your search engine optimization (SEO) so that people can find you!
• Builds trust and credibility!
• Generates more leads!

Don’t let the maintenance of a blog intimidate you, as the workload is not as great as it may seem. You can always hire a company to help you create and manage content, or spread the writing to a few people in-house and create a simple editorial calendar for you and your employees.

Let me give you an example:

• Monday: Company news
• Tuesday: Industry opinion column
• Wednesday: Lists (Top 7 reasons you should be on the cloud)
• Thursday: Interview with customer or industry peer
• Friday: Make this a fun day, something to show your corporate culture. (Employee spotlight, office party, charity event, photos)

Creating an editorial calender will make the content workload much easier, and allow for your company to create that consistent content so needed in the current digital climate.

Something I will be talking a lot about in 2012 is the use of video content, but I will leave that one for another day. The important thing right now is to create good habits, and then we can start looking at more creative ways to generate that content.

We often hear that social media has given the customer a voice, but it has also given the company a voice too. We can touch our target markets better, and faster, than ever before.

Hope this helps to clarify a few things for you, and that it make your blogging experience more enjoyable.

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave me a note in the comment section below!

LOVE IT!

 

Last week I shared with you the 7 Social Media Focal Points to Evaluate Now! Today, I am going to start breaking them down for you.

The first one is a well designed website/blog. This is going to be the foundation of everything you do digitally, and the only location where you are actually allowed to sell to your prospects and customers.

What do I mean?

In order to convert you must first get permission from the prospective customer. This is not something easily achievable on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. The social space is more for conversations, branding, and creating value for an audience. The goal should be to lead them to a website that creates even more value. As you build credibility with the community through consistent content, they will start leaving comments, signing up for your offers, and give you permission to sell them your goods/services.

Your website needs to be easy to understand and navigate. I understand that a flash intro can be very cool, but after you see it once, it starts to become on obstacle and counter-productive to converting. That cool factor simply does not have a shelf life, and unless you are promoting something like a major motion picture, leave it off your design list.

1. Make Sure it is Clear What it is You Offer – I have been to many-a-website where I had no clue what the person did, or what the company sold. Make sure that you have brief descriptions of your product/service, as I have no desire to read a book. I also do not want to hear how great you are, instead, focus on what you can do for me. Always remember that I am selfish, so give me what I want. Less about you, more about them.
2. Less Tabs the Better – I know you want to dominate the Google search, I also understand you want to have a ton of information to look like an expert. However, I do not have time to read a novel and/or decipher what tab I need to click for information. I just want quick and easy information. Get your point across quickly, and I just might stay. Create value for me, or solve a problem I have, and I just might buy from you.
3. Consistency is Key – Dormant websites are like graveyards, and who wants to hang out there? Keep it fresh, make it fun!
4. If They Comment, Acknowledge Them – If someone took the time to visit your website, and actually leaves a comment, RESPOND BACK! Do you realize how difficult it is to get a comment? Be honored, thank them, continue the conversation. This can be a great hook to keep them coming back for more!
5. Get Permission Before You Sell – If you are Tweeting links to buy your product over and over, that would be considered spam. However, if you write quality blog posts, share them with an audience, engage them, lead them to your website, and get them to comment and/or sign up for your newsletter, white paper, market report, whatever, you will gain permission and your conversion rates will be higher.
6. Use Video – Nothing will make your audience more comfortable than to see you on video. A short video series can be 1,000x more productive than any long blog post could ever be. It makes people feel like they know you, so lights, camera, action!
7. Remember that Social Media is Amplification – I wrote another post last week talking about social media amplification. If your website/blog is clearly defined, easy to navigate, and creates value for the community, it will all be amplified on the social platforms. Focus here first.

…and you thought I was going to talk design didn’t you? Times have changed, and having a website with a visual WOW factor is no longer a priority for most verticals. People want information, they want problems solved, and they want it done quickly. Focus less on how cool your website looks, and more on creating value through content. WordPress is a great option, and if you need any help, guidance, content strategy or a website built, feel free to contact me anytime.

Once you master this #1 social media focal point, the rest becomes much easier. You will see an increase in traffic and your conversion rates will be higher. You know what that means? Yes, more revenue! Earning that coveted ROI that everyone talks about, but few seem to accomplish.

LOVE IT!

Harrison Painter

 

A few days ago I shared with you that social media was not the answer, but an amplification. If you are doing things well, it will carry over into the digital sphere. If you are doing some things poorly, social media can put a huge magnifying glass right on top of it.

With that in mind, let’s discuss a few of the things a business needs to succeed in the space. Below are seven focal points I want you to start evaluating this week.

1. A Well Designed Website – I am not talking about making this thing look like a Steven Spielberg movie, but a website with a clearly defined message that is easy to navigate. The more clicks it takes, the more visitors will get frustrated and leave. It is hard enough to get them there, let’s keep them!
2. A Blog with Consistent Content – A static website is a no-go in 2011 and beyond. It is important that your digital presence is dynamic, alive, and constantly feeding your visitors with value. The content does not always need to be groundbreaking, but it needs to be real.
3. SEO Strategy – You spend all kinds of money trying to figure out how to reach your target demographic, yet have no clue what they are using for search terms online in your industry. Google loves fresh content, and it is important to create content built on an SEO strategy that allows your potential customers to find you in the organic search. Social is now a bigger part of SEO, and that trend will continue. Things are changing rapidly in this area, and help will always be needed to keep up.
4. Training employees to be ambassadors – Employees are ambassadors by default, and this is amplified in the digital age. If they have a TGIF mentality, it is hurting your bottom line. Monday should not be a day of dread, but a celebration of a fresh week. This mentality can only be created and spread from the top down, and how your employees feel about the company is a reflection of it’s leadership. We all understand work is not always fun, but it should be rewarding, and little things add up. Start looking at some ways you can make small changes that can increase the morale of your workers.
5. Well Defined Corporate Digital Policies – What are your employees doing online? This is something every single company, large or small, needs to be monitoring. As stated in #4, an employee is an ambassador of the business, and you need to make sure that they are representing you appropriately. So let’s give them the proper tools and training to make sure the policies are clearly defined.
6. World Class Customer Service – This does not take a lot of money, it takes hiring the right people and training them correctly. If you are getting complaints on the phone, this is only going to carry over in the social media space. You might want to look at how things are internally, and find ways to improve them, before you make the jump into social.
7. Stop stressing out about the competition – I am not saying to ignore the competition, keeping up with industry trends is important, but do not let it consume you. Your company has it’s own personality, it’s own story, so keep writing new chapters. As long as you are focused on the above steps, you will have little competition anyway. Let’s be honest, I can write and teach this stuff all day long, but the reality is very few will actually do it. Why? It takes a lot of work and commitment, and most people are not willing to do what it takes.

Take some time to look at each of these 7 focal points, and really evaluate your current position with each of them. For the companies that work on improving in these areas, the rewards will be great. You will see a happier workforce, earn raging customer fans, and most importantly, increase revenue!

On the next installment I will start breaking down these 7 social media focal points, so come back soon for even more massive value!

Harrison Painter