How to fire a vendor (and still feel OK after doing it.)
I had to fire a vendor today.
When it comes to giving someone the ax, I am a far cry from Donald Trump. Did I get pleasure from the experience? Heck no. Did I lose sleep over the decision? Sure.
Did it need to be done? Yes.
Fortunately, I’ve (finally) learned when to fire someone – and how to do it well.
Chances are, you’ll have to fire someone someday. The writer who misses deadlines. The accountant who doesn’t return your calls. The consultant that isn’t teaching you anything new. It’s never easy – no matter why you have to let them go.
Looking back, I’ve made many “I should have fired them sooner” mistakes. There was the vendor who bad-mouthed me to clients and colleagues (and yes, my clients and colleagues told me what she said.). There was the flaky vendor who would do a half-assed job, make lots of mistakes, and would charge me for fixing the mistakes she made. And then there was the vendor who was so rude to clients that they refused to talk to her. At all.
In all of these cases, I gave everyone chance after chance. I sent supportive emails. We had “talks.” There would be a temporary short term improvement. Then, time would pass, old habits would kick in and we’d be back to square one. Or even square zero.
This time, I was definitely smarter and more methodical. It didn’t make the process psychologically easier, but it did make it smoother.
Here’s what I learned:
Figure out the core problem
Is the vendor missing deadlines? Are your emails to them going into a black hole…and you never hear from them in a timely manner? Or, is it just that you aren’t “clicking” with the vendor, no matter how you try? There may be a list of issues, or just one main one. Be clear about your reasons for wanting to let them go.
Do you want to work it out?
If the vendor lied to you, bad mouthed you or purposely did something to jeopardize your business, you got to let them go. Right now. I don’t care how much you like them, or if they’ve worked for you for years. Let them go. You can’t afford to work with people who don’t have your back.
If there’s room for improvement, determine your desired outcome. Maybe you need them to always get back to you by the end of the business day. Or, you want them to proof their work before sending it to you. Ask yourself what kind of behavior change you need, and when you need to see it.
Start documenting the problem
It’s easy to think, “Things aren’t that bad” and fool yourself into thinking things are OK. When you document the problem, you’re forced to acknowledge that, yes, it is a problem. It’s not a one time thing. It’s a long standing issue. Plus, the documentation helps during the next step, which is…
Talk to the vendor about it.
This is not the time to suffer in silence. If missing deadlines is unacceptable to you – tell them. Outline what deadlines they’ve missed and how that affects your business. If communication is an issue, tell them you need a faster response time – and be specific about what that means to you. I prefer to do this by email so I have the paper trail. Other people prefer to do this by phone and then they later send a follow-up email. It depends on your personal style and the relationship you have with the vendor.
You may learn that the vendor has been sick, is going through a divorce or having another problem that prevents them from giving their 100 percent. Be sympathetic, but remember that their problem isn’t your problem. It’s OK to cut them some slack. But it’s not OK to do it when it’s at the expense of your business or sanity.
I will have one – maybe two “talks” with the vendor. After that, my next step is to…
Set up consequences
Have you told the vendor what you need – and you’re still not getting it? Tell them that if things don’t improve by X date, you’ll have to let them go. At this point, your vendor may quit. Or, she’ll promise to get back on track. Promises are nice – but action is what you’re looking for. If your vendor doesn’t fulfill his or her end of the bargain, it’s time to…
Say, “You’re fired.”
If things have reached this point, you have done everything you can do. The vendor, for whatever reason, can’t do what you need – so it’s time to let them go.
Send them an email and keep it professional, factual and friendly. Tell him or her why it’s happening, refer to past documentation and sever ties immediately. If they’re in the middle of a project, find someone else who can take over. The faster you (and your vendor) can move on, the faster it’s out of everyone’s lives.
Firing someone is never fun – but it is necessary. What tips would you add to this list?
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SEO Copywriting Checklist: Are you writing content “for Google”?
May 13, 2013 • written by Laura Crest
The idea that you need to write content in a particular way for it to position well in search results is a tenacious misconception. It’s also an unhealthy one, both in terms of search engine appeal and user experience.
Tune in to hear what Heather has to say about writing “for Google” and how to correct for this stubborn tendency in your own SEO content:
“Gift Baskets” Is Repeated 9 Times!
So here’s an example of what writing content “for Google” can mean, where the term “gift baskets” is repeated nine times within a teeny-tiny block of copy!
I’m sure that the person who wrote this content didn’t do so thinking “Im gonna try to spam the engines and get up to the top results!” But the problem is that a lot of folks still think this kind of keyword stuffing is the way you write good SEO content.
Relax! Google Wants You To Write Good Content
So if this has been your mindset – that you have to write separate pages “for Google” or stuff the page full of your keyphrases in order to get a good ranking – you can relax: Google wants to you to write good, quality content. Really!
- Never write copy “for Google”. Write it for your readers.
Instead of hanging onto the notion of writing your content for Google, think about writing for your readers – always focus on their experience!
You don’t want to include a keyphrase so many times that it becomes distracting. People may well bounce off your page and out of your site to find another source of information that sounds more reputable, and offers content that is easier to read.
Additionally…
- Keyword stuffing won’t help your SEO.
Google has closed that loophole. Once upon a time, sure, jamming your copy full of keywords might’ve worked – but not today. So there’s no reason to do it!
- Unsure if you added too many keyphrases? Read the copy out loud.
If you aren’t sure whether or not you’ve been heavy-handed with the use of keyphrases in your content, sometimes the best thing to do is to just print that page and read it aloud.
The same applies if you’re a site owner working with a copywriter: when s/he submits the copy, read it out loud. That way you’ll hear if the keyphrase has been used too many times.
- Think quality – not quantity.
When thinking about your content, it’s always best to think of it in terms of quality.
It’s not about how many pages you can kick out so Google starts thinking you’re an authority on “X”. It’s about how many good pages you can write for your readers, so you attract more traffic and build your brand that way!
Thanks for joining me for this week’s video! As always, if you have any questions about today’s post, or anything else for that matter, I’d love to hear from you! You can email me directly at heather@seocopywriting.com, or find me on Twitter @heatherlloyd.
image thanks to warrantedarrest (Tomas de Aquino)
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SEO co-citations: What they are & why they matter
May 7, 2013 • written by Jayson DeMers
Once you’ve been in this industry for a while, you learn to pay attention to what’s going on, but not to jump to conclusions and pull your hair out every time someone sneezes.
Link building has always been an integral part of performing effective SEO on any site, regardless of whether it’s a big brand or small mom-n-pop shop around the corner. But when Penguin hit the scene in April 2012, a whole new mindset had to be adopted.
No longer could you easily get away with ranking a lower-quality site merely by creating an army of backlinks for it. And in the SEO world, heads were spinning. To this day, many agree on some principles of links, building them, which ones are good, and which ones really help your site (or hurt them). Other times, there’s disagreement.
Co-citations are becoming a hot topic in the SEO world these days, and for good reason. Several years ago there was a lot of discussion about them; it was the hot new thing for SEO professionals to talk about. But the talk sizzled down… until very recently.
What are co-citations?
Co-citations can be a little difficult to wrap your head around. But I’m hoping you’ll leave here with a basic understanding of them. Co-citations mean that if someone links to your site as well as a well-known, authority site, within or closely related to your industry, in the same article, then you will share some of that authority site’s respect from Google.
Even that was something you had to read several times to try to understand, right?
Maybe this will help:
In essence, the authority or respect from Google flows both to and from a link. Article “A” links to authority site “B,” and smaller site “C.” The authority from authority site “B” transfers back to article “A” (which is why it’s always good to link an authority site to your content), but it also carries over to smaller site “C.” Got that?
Now, I can just hear you saying, “If I’m writing article ‘A,’ I certainly don’t want to link to a better-known, big-boy competitor’s site!” Well, yes, it can be tricky. What you want to do in this situation is find something relevant and helpful to the reader, but not something that would be a direct competitor to you and your content.
For instance, let’s say you’re a travel agent. You aren’t going to want to link to Tripology or some big travel company. An acceptable alternative might be to link to a well-known luggage store or travel guide books on Amazon for where your readers are interested in going.
This concept has also been referred to as SEO co-citation and similar terms. It shouldn’t be confused with local SEO citations, though.
The shifting perspectives on co-citations
This has been a pretty well-known concept in the SEO industry for a while. But today, the strategy of using co-citations seems to be shifting. The same principles still basically apply, but now we’re going deeper, due to the need to respond and adapt to Google’s constantly changing algorithm. We should be concerned not only about who we’re linking to and who’s creating content that links to us and authority sites, but also the anchor text.
The age-old practice of using keywords as the anchor text is out. Instead, Google seems to be factoring in the words that surround or are in close proximity to the anchor text, as well as the context and subject of the entire article.
Using the example above, in which we imagined you are a travel agent, here’s an example of a great link to have pointing at your site: A blogger for an African Safari company writes a piece about the new day trip they offer. They’ve noticed a spectacular deal you have right now for travel to Africa and link to you saying: “And if you’re looking for a great discount on traveling to Africa, click here.”
They’re using only the “click here” for the anchor text, but it has “discount on traveling to Africa” very close to it. Let’s say they’ve also linked to Wikipedia for the term “African safari” and to a guidebook on Amazon.com.
Essentially, you’re now sharing the authority of Wikipedia, Amazon, and that company’s blog. Plus, you’re keeping Google’s Penguin algorithm on your good side because the link anchor text isn’t keyword-rich.
So how do you make this happen?
I’m hoping this has helped you understand what co-citations are, how they’re shifting, and why you should be striving to get as many of them as you can. But that leads to the next question: How can you get them?
The best advice is to create content that’s not just for SEO, or purely for the sake of link-building, but to be helpful to the user. Every article, post, video, infographic, or whatever you create should focus on a targeted theme. It should be insightful or trigger an emotion among your readers so they feel encouraged to share it within their networks.
The more people who discover it, and like it, the more people will link to you; the hope is that they’ll also link to related authority sites.
If you’re actually creating content to use for linking back to your site (guest posts, for example), remember to avoid always using your keywords as anchor text. Instead, use different keywords in close proximity to your anchor text. And don’t forget to link to authority sites that are related to your industry.
If you create a post that links to resources the reader finds useful, and if you create content for your own site doing the same… co-citations will come naturally, along with better rankings, traffic, leads, and sales.
About the Author ~ Jayson DeMers
Jayson DeMers is the founder & CEO of AudienceBloom, a Seattle-based SEO agency, as well as Crackerize.com, a lyrics-humor website. You can contact him on LinkedIn, Google+, or Twitter.
image thanks to Dzhus (Dmitry Dzhus)
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SEO Copywriting Checklist: Does your web content pass the quick-scan test?
May 6, 2013 • written by Laura Crest
A visually overwhelming page filled with dense copy isn’t inviting. More likely than not, a reader confronted with such a page will bounce off it in preference for a competing site with more reader-friendly content.
So tune in to learn how to structure your copy for quick scanning to leverage time-on-site and conversions!
Do You Really Want To Read This Copy? Really?
This first screenshot is an example of a visually overwhelming page. Chances are, when you’re looking at this page, you might see the headline, and a lot of text – but you’re probably not going very deep into the copy and reading it.
That’s the challenge for really copy-dense pages. You don’t see a lot of white space, and the text is structured in such a way that it looks like a whole bunch of paragraphs that just go on, and on, and on…
If you think about your own searching behavior, it’s likely that if you were to land on the page like that shown – even if you might be interested in the information – you might back out of the site to find another source, because this is just hard to read!
Much Better!
Now compare this to a page from 37 Signals (I’ve written about how much I like their site before).
As you can see from the slide, there’s certainly a lot of text on this page, but it’s structured in a way that makes it easy to read: you have bullet points, you have a headline, you have sub-headlines, and smaller paragraphs.
Things To Think About
- Write shorter paragraphs, use bullet points…anything to add more white space.
- Sub-headlines are great for quick-scan readers.
- Remember your mobile readers!
Besides breaking up your content with shorter paragraphs and bullet points, you want to think about using sub-headlines: they’re great for quick-scan readers!
Looking at the 37 Signals example, you’ll notice that even if you don’t read what’s in the paragraph copy, you can really get a feel for what they’re saying just by scanning the sub-headlines: “Great service is everything” and “Our customers are our investors”.
Also, you’ll want to remember your mobile readers! Going back to the example of visually overwhelming, dense copy, try to imagine looking at that page on your smart phone – it’s really going to be difficult to read!
If you’re getting a lot of mobile traffic and have these kinds of challenging pages, you’re missing a lot of conversion opportunities! So you definitely want to structure your content with your mobile audience in mind, as well.
Thanks for joining me for this week’s SEO Copywriting Checklist video! As always, if you need any help or have questions, or if you have feedback on today’s post, I’d love to hear from you: zip me an email at heather@seocopywriting.com, or find me on Twitter @heatherlloyd.
image thanks to Naomi Ibuki
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Blogging: 4 experts share their favorite tips & strategies
April 30, 2013 • written by Laura Crest
Following up on that thread and twisting it a tad, today we feature four reader favorites about blogging by experts who shared their favorite tips and strategies with us!
Learn: how to land a guest post gig, what to watch for when writing and publishing your blog, how to write a quality post in a time crunch, and the content marketing mojo of blogging beyond SEO.
And enjoy!
8 steps to landing guest posts
Widely known in the SEO and blogging community as the owner of MyBlogGuest and SEOsmarty, Ann Smarty writes an expert mini-guide on how to land guest post gigs, every time!
Beyond SEO: The content marketing power of the blog
Brick Marketing’s Nick Stamoulis discusses why blogging makes for a powerful content marketing strategy and savvy business practice in establishing yourself as a go-to resource for your clients and becoming an expert in your vertical.
5 things that make me stop reading a blog post
Written from her perspective as the (then) Managing Editor of Search Engine Journal, Melissa Fach discusses what she can’t abide in a blog post. With its inclusion of readability and usability, this is especially helpful information for aspiring bloggers!
Write a (good) blog post in 1 hour – here’s how!
Our own Heather Lloyd-Martin shares 8 pro tips for cranking out a fun, informative, quality blog post in a time crunch. (It can be done, and well!)
image thanks to Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com
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Content Criminal Minds: Fast & easy ways to streamline your content strategy
April 23, 2013 • written by Angie Nikoleychuk
If you are familiar with the show Criminal Minds, then you know that Aaron Hotchner, the exalted leader of the Criminal Minds BAU Team, makes sure everyone meets their goals – but that’s not his only job. He also needs to organize and track everything they do. You need to do the same thing with your content strategy.
Sounds easy enough. But, if you publish frequently, or work with more than one site, you can spend just as much time tracking everything as you do creating the content. Don’t worry. There is a solution…
What Your Content Strategy Needs
No matter what type of content you create or what industry you work in, a quality content strategy will have the same traits and goals.
It should:
This is just a short list, of course. Your content strategy could have any number of additional needs depending on your assets and where you are in your journey to success.
The real issue for many of us is figuring out how to actually track and do all of this!
How to Make Managing Your Content Strategy Faster and Easier
The answer? Work smarter.
Create a routine that works with your personality/strengths and take advantage of automation. No, I’m not talking about buying cheap articles and spinning them thousands of times. Or, auto-posting and “curating” tons of content published elsewhere. I’m suggesting you automate the mindless stuff, and optimize your time, so you can focus on the things that need your attention: creating content and running your business.
Here are a few ways to make content management faster and easier:
Content Ideas & Generation
Content Management and Tracking
And don’t forget to track the results of all your hard work:
One Tool to Rule Them All
I know this is a TON of information to remember and track. Want to know how I do it? With a content management spreadsheet. (I’ve made templates available in .xlt and .xltx format.) Enjoy!
About the Author ~ Angie Nikoleychuk
A seven-year veteran in the war against boring, crap content, copywriter Angie Nikoleychuk loves writing, but she loves content strategy even more. She’s always up for a challenge and enjoys showing others how much fun (and effective) content can be. When she’s not running Angie’s Copywriting or on Twitter, she can be found doing other weird and wonderful things like geocaching, crafting, or performing as a professional oboist.
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SEO Copywriting Checklist: Don’t neglect your keyphrase research!
April 22, 2013 • written by Laura Crest
Lately, Heather has been hearing a number of excuses from a lot of people as to why they’re not researching their keyphrases. What follows is her rebuttal to their excuses, as well as why keyphrase research remains a critical first step to sound SEO copywriting.
Do one of these excuses sound familiar…
Although keyphrase research is a very important, foundational SEO step, a lot of people decide to skip it. There are several reasons I’ve been hearing for neglecting keyphrase research, the big one being…
- We don’t have time to research keyphrases.
…We are producing a lot of content, we are on very tight deadlines, we don’t have time to research the keyphrases before we start writing, and so we’ll try to remember to do it later.
- I’ll do it later.
And of course, what often happens is that “later” never comes. The site is then left with all this un-optimized content that could be much better for the search engines and much better for readers if it had those keyphrases.
- We’re a big brand company. Google will figure it out.
A lot of big brand companies think because they are such heavy hitters, Google should know this and figure it out – so they shouldn’t have to worry about keyphrase research.
Which certainly isn’t the case. Then, small business owners who are typically overwhelmed anyway just trying to get a site up and working will often say…
- Do I really have to?
…I’ve got so many other things going on! Is this one more thing that I have to learn?
And that answer is yes.
No matter who you are or what you’re doing…
Keyphrase research is a critical first step
In order to “control” positioning for a keyword, it needs to be on the page.
And especially if you’re kicking out a lot of content, the advantage to doing this preliminary work is because…
Keyphrase research helps you understand what information people are searching for and what questions they have.
That means you don’t have to guess, or try to figure out “What should I write about today?” The keyphrase research can often dictate that – so you know people are looking for X information, and you can be the resource site that provides it to them.
So keyphrase research is important to do on a number of levels.
Your solution? Just do it.
I know it takes time, I know that there’s a learning curve involved, but it’s well worth it.
- If you don’t have time to do the research, hire someone.
Now if you flat out don’t have the time to do the research, or you are focused on so many other things you don’t want to learn how to do it, that’s cool. But consider hiring someone who does this day in and day out, who can help you with the keyphrase research, and then…
- Go through the site and (intelligently) add keyphrases to your content and Titles.
That way, you’re going to have the best of both worlds: you’re going to have really, really good content and you’re also going to make that content easier to find in the search engines and connect with even more readers. So again…
- It will be worth it. Trust me.
Thanks for joining me for this week’s SEO Copywriting Checklist video! If you have any questions at all, or ideas for a future video, I would love to hear from you. You can reach me at heather@seocopywriting.com, or find me on Twitter @heatherlloyd.
photo thanks to Bruce Clay, Inc.
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SEO content creation: 50 time & sanity-saving tips
April 15, 2013 • written by Laura Crest
That’s the mantra these days, wherever you turn. Google’s Panda and Penguin updates – and the collective tenor of the online marketing industry – have skyrocketed the demand for fresh, original, quality content…on a consistent basis.
As the top SEO priority for businesses large and small, content creation has many folks scrambling. If you’re one of them, overextended and overwhelmed by the daunting task of continuous content development – or if you just need some time-saving ideas – then you’re at the right place!
Here are six of Heather’s most popular how-to’s on saving your time and sanity when developing SEO content, including both video and written posts. Enjoy!
Crunched for time? Uninspired? Suffering blogger’s block?
You’re not alone, by any means. A lot of bloggers struggle with the occupational hazard of being chained to creating exceptional content on a regular basis – even if their muse, time, and sanity are suffering. So in today’s video blog, Heather shares five easy – note, easy – ways you can reuse your hard-labored, older blog posts to produce new, fresh content!
It doesn’t make a difference if you’re a big brand or a DIY small business. One of the hardest things about launching a Web writing campaign is figuring out how to start.
If you’ve been facing content marketing overload, here are 25 SEO copywriting tips you can implement right now…
One of the areas where many site owners get “stuck” is content creation. There are more SEO copy opportunities than ever before, including:
(I’m sure you could add more to the list.)
The challenge with “content overload” is that nothing gets done. Planning an editorial calendar seems impossible. There’s too much to write in too little time.
That’s when you bring in the SEO content Veg-O-Matic to slice and dice your content into little bits…
If you’ve been blogging awhile, eventually you’ll probably hit the point where you’re not sure what to write about anymore. It can be very frustrating to sit there, looking at a blank page, thinking, I need to come up with a post, what am I going to do?
So here are some ideas for those folks who may be stuck because they’ve been blogging for a while, or for those who are just starting to blog and they’re looking for different avenues in which to do it…
I love “headsmacking” SEO copy opportunities. You know, ideas that are so simple, easy and obvious that they make you hit your head and say “Doh” when someone points them out.
It’s easy to have blind spots around our own SEO copy – we either look at it all the time (so we don’t see opportunities,) we wrote it (so we’re too close to it,) or both. Here are the most common headsmacking opportunities I see…
Are you feeling the need to get your (editorial) act together? If so, you’re in luck, as today’s SEO copywriting video is on how to create an editorial calendar. Heather has wanted to do a video how-to on creating an editorial calendar – especially for those new to SEO content writing and for DIY SEO copywriters – because she realized that in previous posts, her using the words “editorial calendar” may have implied a complex concept, when in fact it is very simple.
Tune in as Heather de-complicates the “editorial calendar” with three steps to creating one that serves both you and your content development team…
Thanks for joining us for this video and text post mashup! What time-saving tips would you add? Please share them in the comments below!
photo thanks to striatic
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Write, play, live: Said well, done even better
April 11, 2013 • written by Laura Crest
Morning in the Canyon
Sometimes an encouraging word makes all the difference on a difficult day. And some days all we need is a spark of inspiration to stir our creative muse.
Then there are those days when we need a swift motivational kick in the butt to get unstuck and move forward.
Over the past several years, Heather Lloyd-Martin has written prose that encouraged us to move past fear and self-doubt, pushed us to claim our worth as damn good writers, motivated us to welcome challenges and changes, and inspired us to grow by sharing her own experiences with facing down and walking through some of the worst stuff that life can throw at us – and by transcending them.
Here, I’ve collected some of those words of encouragement, inspiration, and motivation penned by one of the best damn writers, generous teachers, and finest human beings I’ve had the honor to know. I hope they enrich you as they have me, and many, many others.
It happens to all of us. But people don’t talk about it. Sometimes, you don’t get the gig – and your “hot lead” goes somewhere else…Depending on how you’re feeling, it may be hard to face this kind of “rejection.”
From her opening words, Heather’s empathy comforts us with the knowledge we’re not alone with this disappointment. It’s an occupational hazard. It’s what we do with it that matters. Here, Heather suggests 10 things to do – two of them twice. Keep it handy! Because it does happen to us all.
…Her situation made me think of all the ways we create our own business (and personal) hell. Instead of dealing with issues head-on, we let FEAR (False Evidence Appearing Real) stand in our way. We let things fester, hate the “place” we’re in and come up with every excuse we can think of to explain why our current situation can’t change…
Written over two years ago, this post demonstrates the “tough love” Heather shows from time to time. She doesn’t do whining, and nor should we if we are to break free from that paralyzing fear of change! An open invitation to take an honest look at how we can sabotage ourselves.
…Yes, I learned an important lesson about the necessity of taking a long break. More than that, I learned that anything is possible – if you ignore the excuses of why you can’t do something.
Telling yourself “no” all the time, granted, is the easier path. But here’s the thing: How long are you going to let “no” dictate your life?
Just back – officially – from her Grand Canyon rafting trip last June, Heather shares how giving herself permission to leave her “baby” (business) for an extended adventure way out of her comfort zone opened up unexpected doors and possibilities.
I’m often asked, “Heather, how do you write so much content without burning out?”
Um, good question. I could talk about how I’ve spent almost half of my life studying copywriting (ack, that’s scary to type.) Or how I force myself to write online copy, even when I don’t feel like writing. Or how I’m just plain stubborn.
But what’s the real secret of my success? I force myself to take breaks – long, soul-renewing breaks – and let my creative juices do their thing.
I wasn’t always this way.
Heather shares how she went from working, working, working at a break-neck speed to the far more balanced lifestyle she’s now enjoying…as well as why – and how – we can too. Read Heather’s do-able tips for “building in some downtime,” because “without our creativity, we’re lost.” Indeed.
Have you ever struggled with something…and suddenly, everything clicked into place? Maybe a random conversation helped you see your situation in a different way. Or you read a passage in a book – and it’s almost like the passage was written just for you.
Here, Heather shares the power of positive self-talk, after realizing (almost as an epiphany) that she is a runner. Applying this empowering experience to new (and even experienced) writers, she challenges us to affirm to ourselves that yes…
I’m going to tell you a story not many people know.
Eleven years ago, my then-husband committed suicide. Saying that I was “devastated” doesn’t come close to describing how I was feeling. I don’t remember much about that time. That’s probably a blessing…
…That dreadful experience shaped my business more than any book, conversation, or mentor. Here’s what I’ve learned.
I’m still floored by the courage Heather shows here, not just by sharing such a personal and terrible experience, but by learning and sharing lifelong lessons from it.
Bravo, Heather!
Said well, done even better.
Filed under Tips and techniques
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Content Criminal Minds: 11 essential goals of a solid content strategy
April 9, 2013 • written by Angie Nikoleychuk
When I first wrote about the characteristics of a strong content strategy in Content Criminal Minds: Why your content needs a BAU, I introduced you to Aaron Hotchner, the team’s leader. He’s known for making sure the team meets its goals. He keeps everyone focused and makes sure everything gets done. It’s a big job, but he does it with a devoted, professional air.
How do you handle all this? Are you dropping the ball?
Does your content strategy address all of your business goals?
Content strategy is a lot like a cake. You have to have just the right mix of ingredients to end up with the perfect dessert. Miss something, and it might be edible, but it’ll be a struggle to turn it into something you can use. (Angel food cake in Jell-o. Yum!)
Your business is the same. It has a range of needs that your content will need to meet.
Like Aaron Hotchner, a solid content strategy should corral and direct your organization’s content so that it accomplishes these 11 essential goals:
1. Generate Customers – Sales copy accomplishes this goal, but it’s not the only example. Customer stories or how-to’s that demonstrate the value of your products or services can do this, too. This content is written directly for people who might buy or convert.
Learn more: How to Write Great Copy Using Storytelling Techniques – Men with Pens
See the technique in action: The Business Case for SEO Content Development: Turn Words Into ACTION! – SEO Copywriting
Case Study: Stitches Online Marketing Campaign and Website – Angie’s Copywriting
2. Attract Links – Written for related businesses and those who already sell to your target audience, content that earns links by triggering an emotional response or providing superior value. Either way, it needs to get attention from the right people.
Learn more: Golden Rules of Linkbaiting – Smashing Magazine
Copywriting Master Class Sneak Peek: Creating Successful Link Bait
See the technique in action: Thomson’s Evolution of Music
David Mihm’s Local Search Ranking Factors
3. Make Specific Connections – Certain people have enough pull in your industry or in related industry to give your business a huge push. You know who they are. Content made to get the attention of these people is the right topic, in the right format, the right tone, and written in just the right way to get their attention and compel them to share.
Learn more: Beyond Social Scoring – The Situational Factor of Influence – Danny Brown
See the technique in action: Stop Writing for Google. Really. Stop it. – Jim Connolly
Crime and Punishment: Are Big Bloggers Taking Dirty Money? – Angie’s Copywriting
4. Generate Buzz – Usually created with a high shock value, this stuff gets a LOT of attention, and not necessarily from a specific audience. News items, current hot topics, reports, and some opinion pieces fit in this category.
Learn more: How to Generate Publicity for Your Business – Entrepreneur.com
See the technique in action: Where Are All the Women SEOs? – Search Engine People
How to Generate Scientific Controversy – Live Granades
5. Build Authority – Pillar content and resources that show your knowledge and expertise in an area. These are the things that set you apart from others — what you’re KNOWN for — but they’ll also get readers returning to your site again and again. This is content you’d want to bookmark if you were a customer.
Learn more: How to Write Great Blog Content – The Pillar Article – Yaro Starak
Killer Flagship Content – Free Ebook – fellow Canadian Chris Garrett
How to Develop the Strategic Pillars to Hold Up Your Content Marketing Strategy – CMI and Chris Moritz
7 Tips on How to Write Sticky, Memorable Blog Posts – ProBlogger
See the technique in action: Remarkablogger’s Diamond Business Blogging Framework (Free eBook with newsletter signup)
31 Days to Build a Better Blog?- ProBlogger (eBook for purchase)
Ultimate Guide to AdWords Remarketing – PPC Hero
6. Retain Customers – Designed for existing customers, this content adds value to those who have already converted. It’s an excellent way to keep them engaged, push upsells, and address issues as they arise.
Learn more: Customer Life Cycle & Content Marketing – Where Do You Stand? – Lee Odden
Marketing Content During the Customer Lifecycle – TopRank
Understanding the Customer Life Cycle – David Loshin
See the technique in action: SEO Copywriting’s Certification Grad Interviews (scroll down a bit to see the interview series) – SEO Copywriting
Trello helps existing customer get even more value from the Trello software (“How to use Trello like a pro”) – Trello Blog
7. Battle Competition – Content that counteracts moves made by your competition. For instance, when your competition releases a new product or takes steps to best you, this content counteracts it and lessens its impact.
Learn more: In Search, Your Competition Isn’t Who You Think – TopRank
Stop Trying to Be Better Than the Competition – Duct Tape Marketing
See the technique in action: While this is a technique that’s done in a bit of a sneaky way, through several bits of content and marketing moves, there is always a more direct route…
Gravity Charge Kills Your Members… – Your Members
(Woothemes Sensei Integration is another good example from the same company)
8. Recapture Lost Sales/Customers – Customers leave for a reason. Usually, it’s because you failed to satisfy a need. This content is designed to address these issues and may even include special offers.
Learn more: Winning Back “Lost” Customers: Who Do You Woo – and How? – Revenue Performance (The formatting is sucky, but the information is solid.)
Designing Effective FAQ Pages – Six Revisions
See the technique in action: The Trello development board addresses this, as well as helps keep current customers excited and tuned in.- Trello Development
9. Expand Your Audience – While serving your target audience is great, it’s not your only option. Content that meets this need often talks about alternative uses for your products or services, but it can also talk about topics on the fringe of your industry.
Learn more: How to Expand Your Blog Audience When Traffic Plateaus – Problogger (section 4)
Why You Shouldn’t Stick to Your Niche – Men with Pens
See the technique in action: Alternative uses for Trello – Trello Blog
10. Trigger Loyalty – This content talks about the traits your customers love most about you – the things that make you special. The idea here is to remind customers of their loyalty to you and share it with others.
Learn more: How to Get Your Customers to Compete With Each Other and Why You Should – Duct Tape Marketing
Building Brand Loyalty 4-Part Series – AYTM
See the technique in action: HPSauceUK’s Movember Competition videos - HPSauceUK’s YouTube Channel
11. Engage – If you hope to build authority, convert visitors, and maintain your existing customer base, you need to engage with others. This content type (like user-generated content or pieces asking for opinions) encourages others to get to know the “real you” — you show your personality, your strengths, and your core values.
Learn more: How to Find & Engage Your Target Audience Online for Profit – Matthew Woodward
See the technique in action: GiffGaff’s Do This Better Campaign - GiffGaff
A1 Steak Sauce’s “Sing For Your Beef” video competition – A.1. YouTube Channel
It’s important to note that, while content may fulfill more than one objective, and some objectives may overlap, your focus should be on one main goal. You also need to make sure your content strategy has balance.
If you only publish content designed to generate customers, you’ll find yourself lacking in other areas, which can make the actual conversions of customers more difficult. The same principle holds for the other core goals – all must work in concert for your organization’s long-term success. Just like Aaron Hotchner’s BAU team.
What goals would you add as an essential part of a strong content strategy?
About the Author ~ Angie Nikoleychuk
A seven-year veteran in the war against boring, crap content, copywriter Angie Nikoleychuk loves writing, but she loves content strategy even more. She’s always up for a challenge and enjoys showing others how much fun (and effective) content can be. When she’s not running Angie’s Copywriting or on Twitter, she can be found doing other weird and wonderful things like geocaching, crafting, or performing as a professional oboist.
Learn SEO copywriting and content marketing best practices. Earn more money. Check into my SEO Copywriting Certification training – today!
Filed under SEO Content marketing,Tips and techniques
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