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10 ways to promote your blog in 2022

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Get the word out about your blog with these strategies

Writing high-quality content is only a small part of creating and maintaining a successful blog. To further increase site traffic and attract more readers to your site, you’ll need to work on blog promotion.

Luckily, there are plenty of strategies that are cost-effective and easy to implement.

Read on to discover how to promote your blog effectively in ten different ways – start experimenting with any of these solutions and watch the traffic roll into your site.

SEO

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

1. Utilize SEO for your blog

Before learning how to promote your blog, the first step you should take is optimizing your site for search engines. With good SEO, it will be much easier for a blog to rank high on search engine result pages (SERPs) and attract more traffic.

Many factors impact a site’s SEO performance, including the website platform and hosting service you choose to create a blog. These two aspects determine the overall consistency of the site experience you offer to visitors.

When choosing a platform to build a blog, consider starting with a content management system (CMS). This tool makes it easy for non-technical users to create and manage a website. It also offers complete control over a site’s design, functionality, and SEO.

One of the best CMSs to get started with is WordPress. It comes built-in with many SEO features, including meta descriptions, a customizable URL structure, and the ability to use page titles.

Keep in mind that there are two different versions of WordPress – WordPress.com and WordPress.org. Although both platforms provide the same quality of SEO performance, the latter gives users more freedom to utilize plugins to further improve their SEO.

Make sure to also pick the best web hosting service – one that’s reliable, fast, and secure. Some of the top hosting providers to consider are:

Hostinger – has excellent performance and comes with an SEO toolkit to evaluate technical SEO issues on a website. Their hosting prices start at $1.39/month.

Bluehost – offers several SEO tools to increase site traffic. The cost of starting a WordPress blog with their shared hosting plans starts from $3.95/month.

HostGator – provides great uptime and speed. The fee of creating a blog with this web host’s shared hosting solutions starting at $2.75/month.

Aside from choosing the right platform and hosting service, there are other blog SEO practices to keep in mind in order to increase blog traffic:

  • Choose a mobile-friendly theme – Mobile page load speed is a key metric that Google uses when determining a site’s search ranking. That’s why it’s crucial to make a blog responsive to any device.
  • Internal linking – Internal links can boost a blog’s traffic since they help Google understand and rank the site better. Internal linking also allows visitors to navigate a blog easily.
  • Use a CDN provider – A content delivery network (CDN) can boost the speed and reduce the resource usage of a website.
  • Link out to other sites – Including links to some high-quality and authoritative websites can help search engine crawlers understand what a post is about.
  • Compress images – Reducing the file size of blog posts’ images can speed up a site and improve page loading times.

To manage and monitor your blog’s search engine rankings, make sure to use the best SEO tools for the job, such as SEMRush or Ahrefs.

Additionally, take advantage of free Google SEO tools such as Google Analytics to see the in-depth breakdown of your blog traffic, helping you identify how well your SEO efforts are working.

2. Do proper keyword research

Knowing the important keywords to use on your blog posts can also improve the blog’s ranking on SERPs and generate valuable traffic. These terms can be discovered by doing keyword research.

Keyword research helps bloggers to create content their visitors are searching for. This process also reveals how many people are searching for a specific keyword and how high the competition is.

SpyFu Website

(Image credit: SpyFu)

There are plenty of keyword research tools such as KWFinder and SpyFu that can be used to discover keywords, common questions, and topics for content.

When doing keyword research, consider these aspects to decide the best keywords for your blog:

Searcher’s intent – This refers to website users’ intention when searching Google for a specific term. To attract qualified traffic, be sure to choose keywords that match your target audience’s user intent.

Search volume – A keyword’s search volume shows how competitive the term is. Try to target keywords with great search volume since they can increase a blog’s chance to generate significant organic traffic. Keep in mind, however, that it requires more effort to rank for terms with high search volume.

Traffic potential – To identify the keyword’s traffic potential of a topic, use tools like Ahrefs and see how much traffic the current top-ranking pages get and what other keywords they rank for. This process can help you prioritize your keywords and find related terms that users are searching for.

Keyword difficulty – Many SEO analytics tools provide this metric to show how difficult it is to rank for a specific keyword. The higher the score of the term, the more competitive it is.

SEO analysis

(Image credit: Pixabay)

Once you have a list of terms to rank for, it’s time to use them for on-page SEO. Here are some key places on a blog to use these keywords:

Page titles – A blog page title is the first element of a site page that people notice in the SERPs. Make sure to use a target keyword at the start of the page title to have both Google and your audience recognize the main subject of the page. 

Subheadings – The purpose of subheadings is to make content scannable. Using target keywords in subheadings can increase a content’s relevance for the readers.

Content – It’s one of the most important search ranking factors. Thus, try to include keywords naturally throughout the content and avoid keyword stuffing.

URLs – Using a clean URL with a keyword can improve a site’s architecture, make a blog easier to navigate, and help it rank higher in relevant search results.

Meta descriptions – A meta description is a short explanation that shows up on SERPs under the page title. To boost a page’s click-through rate, try to create a compelling description using target keywords.

Images – Always use alt text for pictures to help search engine crawlers understand your images. Additionally, alt text is vital to a blog’s accessibility since it allows visually impaired users better understand an on-page image.

Remember to use Google Search Console to track your current keyword positioning and analyse which pages drive traffic to your blog.

email
(Image credit: Geralt / Pixabay)

3. Use email marketing

Email marketing can be one of the most effective ways of promoting your blog and converting visitors if done correctly. This blog promotion strategy helps you notify readers of new blog posts or share any good news with ease.

Sending personalized messages to blog visitors can also help create meaningful relationships with them, keep the audience hooked with high-quality content, and boost engagement on a blog.

The first step to take before getting started with email marketing is to build an email list, a collection of email addresses used to send promotional material.

Here are a few ways to build an email list:

Offer an incentive – Consider giving readers an incentive like a free course, eBook, or cheat sheet in exchange for their email address.

Collect emails directly from the blog – Create a signup form and place it on your home page. Make it stand out and attract readers’ attention with a strong and compelling call to action (CTA).

Create content upgrades – A content upgrade is a valuable offer that complements an article that the reader is already interested in, created to get a visitor’s email address.

Once you have a mailing list, look for email marketing software like Constant Contact or MailChimp. Using an email marketing tool makes it easier to create attractive email templates, deliver emails to large groups of contacts, track messages, and view analytics.

The next step is to craft email content that can lead visitors back to your blog. Here are some tips on how to promote your blog with the use of effective promotional emails:

Darius Foroux

(Image credit: Darius Foroux)

Provide valuable insight for readers – Use your email to convince readers that your blog post can solve their problems. This email newsletter from Darius Foroux is a great example:

Highlight the content value in the email subject – Readers might receive dozens of promotions every day, so try to capture their attention by creating a short, compelling email subject that clearly states the value of your content.

Create personalized subject lines – Including recipient names in the email’s subject can lead to a 21.2 percent open rate. It can also make the subscribers feel like the email is crafted specifically for them, which helps to build relationships and establish trust.

Make it easy to read – Keep the email clean and easy to digest by using appealing pictures and paragraph breaks.

Use links – Avoid adding attachments to a message since it can affect email deliverability, making it more likely to get lost in spam filters. Instead, use call-to-action links to grab subscriber’s attention and encourage them to act.

Proofreading – To make your emails look more professional, be sure to check for any grammar errors before sending them out.

Social Media

(Image credit: Getty Images)

4. Share your blog on social media

To get more exposure quickly and efficiently, try sharing your blog post on popular social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest. 

Here are some of the benefits of using social media sites to promote your blog:

Increase blog traffic – Sharing content on different social networks helps bloggers reach a wider audience. Additionally, if the content provides value to the users, they might share it further and recommend it to others.

Cost-effective – With social media channels, bloggers can make their site visible to a targeted audience for free.

Improve engagement with the audience – A blogger can also have a personal and meaningful conversation with their readers through social networks. Devoting time to communicate with the audience will help to build trust.

Social media platforms aren’t all created the same, so try to focus on the most relevant social networks that suit your target audience. For instance, if you’re targeting female readers, then Pinterest might be the right social media for you.

Here are other tips for leveraging social media and bringing more traffic to your blog:

  • Add a blog link to the bio – A social media bio is the first thing people see on an account. Make sure to use it to drive traffic to your site or blog content.
  • Share engaging content using existing posts – Use a free tool like Canva to convert your top blog articles into appealing graphics.
  • Integrate social media icons into the site – Adding social media icons to a blog makes it easier for visitors to share blog content with their audience.
  • Post regularly – Be sure to know how often you should share in a specific social network. For example, Twitter users should share at least one tweet a day.
  • Use hashtags – Utilizing a hashtag is a great way to expand the reach of a post and connect it to a specific conversation, topic, or event. Hashtags also make it easier to locate other relevant content around particular terms.
  • Join online groups – Become part of a social community such as the ones found in LinkedIn, or a Facebook group to share content and increase the visibility of your blog.
  • Find the optimal time for posting – Knowing the optimum time to post on your chosen channel can help you get more clicks and engagements. Thankfully, most social platforms have an analytics or insights tool that provides this information. Once you know the best times to post, start planning and preparing your content in advance using social media management tools like Buffer.

Remember that social media is a two-way engagement platform that requires actual interaction. Don’t just reappear whenever you have a new blog post – instead, maintain a regular presence on a social network by starting conversations, responding to comments, and answering questions.

5. Promote your blog with online paid advertising

If you have a budget you’re willing to spend, consider using online paid advertising to promote your blog content. This strategy refers to a marketing method where you pay for ad spots to attract internet traffic.

Wih the paid promotion, your page can appear right in front of your target audience in no time. It’s also possible to see the results as soon as your ads go live.

Online paid marketing can feature one or more digital channels, including search engine results pages (SERPs) and social media platforms.

The process of increasing blog visibility on SERPs through paid advertising is usually known as search engine marketing (SEM). This method relies on keywords to target users when they’re performing searches in a search engine.

Here’s an example of how advertisements appear for the keywords “how to boost your SEO”:

Google Search Results Boost SEO

(Image credit: Google)

To promote a blog with search advertising, try using a popular online marketing service like Google Ads.

Also, consider the following suggestions before getting started with paid search ads:

Be clear on budget and expectations – Make sure to have a specific budget to avoid overspending and clear goals in order to analyse whether a campaign works or not.

Keep the quality score up – A quality score rates the relevance of both your ads and keywords. Having a great quality score can help to keep your ad costs low.

Bid on competitive blog keywords – If your competitors have a lot of traffic for their brand name, try to target those keywords with your ads. This way, searchers will see your relevant content and go to your blog post instead of those of the competitors.

Another form of paid advertising is social media ads. This blog promotion method lets you target users based on their locations, specific interests, and buying behaviours.

Some of the best social media sites for advertising are Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

Here are a few tips on how to promote your blog with social media advertising:

  • Design the ads with mobile in mind – Since 91 percent of users access social channels via mobile devices, ensure your ads incorporate easy-to-view images on the small screen.
  • Use videos – A video is more engaging and has a better return on investment (ROI) than other media types.
  • Test your ads – Try A/B testing your ads to see what works best for your campaign and make the most of your spending.

Computer user

(Image credit: Pixabay)

6. Guest post on popular blogs

Guest posting on other blogs is an excellent way to promote your blog since it lets you expose your brand to other bloggers’ loyal audiences. This method also helps to establish yourself as an authority figure and connect with other thought leaders in a niche.

OnTopList

(Image credit: OnTopList)

To find guest blogging opportunities, go to blog directories like AllTop, Bloglovin, and OnTopList. These websites can help people discover relevant blogs in a niche that might accept guest posting.

Once you have a list of potential blogs to guest post on, use a backlink analysis tool like Moz to check the domain authority for each of the sites you’re considering – the higher a blog’s domain authority, the easier it can rank in search engines. Doing this also showcases whether these sites provide good value in terms of links.

Keep the following tips and tricks in mind to get started with guest blogging:

Form a genuine relationship with the site owners – Many website owners only take guest content from bloggers they already know and trust. Thus, try to connect with them first before sending a pitch by subscribing to their newsletter, leaving comments on their blog posts, and commenting on their social content.

Keep the pitch short and straight to the point – Since most site owners don’t have the time to read long emails, keep your email as brief and direct as possible.

Link to your blog articles – Some sites might let guest bloggers backlink to their site, helping to drive referral traffic and lead to better search visibility for the blog. Bloggers can use Google Analytics to track traffic from this guest posting effort.

Ask the audience to leave comments – Encourage readers to post their opinions and share the content. This helps to have the content rank for different keywords that are naturally mentioned in the comments.

Take advantage of the author’s profile – Guest bloggers can also include their blog’s link in the author’s bio, which helps to drive people to their site.

7. Reach out to other bloggers

Advertisement

Another viable blog promotion solution is the conduction of blogger outreach. It’s a marketing strategy that involves getting the help of well-known bloggers or influencers to improve a blog’s exposure by offering something in return, such as a fee, backlink, product, or service.

With this blog promotion method, new bloggers can acquire high-quality backlinks, attract quality traffic, and expand their network.

Lumanu

(Image credit: Lumanu)

To get started with blogger outreach, look for influencers in your niche using tools like GroupHigh, Influencity, and Lumanu.

Then, refer to these tips on how to promote your blog by leveraging the loyal audience of others:

  • Get the influencers to notice you – Mention influencers on social media and promote their relevant content to make them recognize you.
  • Interview professionals – Aside from asking for an inbound link from influencers, bloggers can also invite them for an interview. When the interview is published, the influencers might also share it with their audiences.
  • Try broken link building – A great tip to get backlinks from influencers without paying a dime is to identify broken links on their blogs and present your content as an alternative replacement.
  • Track the results – Use a backlink checker like Majestic to see which influencers are giving you the best coverage and the most leads.
  • Cultivate relationships – After getting blog coverage from an influencer, make sure to maintain your relationship with them. The stronger the relationship, the longer the benefits can last for your blog.

8. Get your blog on social bookmarking sites

A social bookmarking site is a platform to read and save a specific web page or article. With this tool, users can access their bookmarks from any device at any time.

Social bookmarking sites are great places to share blog posts with new readers. When your content is listed on or shared through a bookmarking site, it can result in massive increases in traffic back to your blog.

To begin with this blog promotion method, bloggers need to choose a platform to participate in and submit their content to that site. Some of the most popular bookmarking websites are Digg, Flipboard, and Pocket.

DZone

(Image credit: DZone)

Bloggers can also share their blog posts on niche social bookmarking sites like GrowthHackers and DZone to generate more relevant shares and traffic.

Here are a few tips on how to promote your blog content on a social bookmarking site:

Make the headlines count – Some social bookmarking platforms might only display the article’s title. Thus, compel potential readers to click on your link by using a catchy, captivating headline.

Add a featured image – Make the article stand out on the news feeds by using attractive graphics.

Keep the description length in mind – Some sites might limit the description space to 150 characters, so try to make the description short and match the content.

Utilize social bookmarking buttons on the blog – Consider adding a social bookmarking button on your site to let readers bookmark content with ease.

9. Promote your blog in online forums

Another excellent method of blog promotion is to join online forums. Being part of online communities lets you interact, contribute, and bring value to a niche group of people.

Joining online forums also allows bloggers to share their knowledge, which can help establish their expertise in a field.

However, finding niche forums can be overwhelming, especially in some of the biggest online communities like Reddit.

FindAForum

(Image credit: FindAForum)

To discover a forum that matches your field faster, try using an internet resource like FindAForum. Simply go to its categories section or enter your niche in the search bar to find a list of discussion forums.

Here are some suggestions on how to promote your blog via online forums:

Participate – To develop trust and make people more willing to engage in a blog, be prepared to contribute to the forum regularly. Try to answer questions, provide quality responses, and link to helpful resources.

Start a thread – Another way to prove that you’re a valuable member is to create your own threads. Begin by making a shorter and different version of your blog content and use it to start a new thread.

Create a signature – Some forums let users create a signature or a text that appears below a post or thread. Take advantage of this signature to make a call to action to bring traffic to your site.

10. Try reciprocal sharing sites

Bloggers can also use a reciprocal sharing site to promote their blog. Using this method, they need to share other users’ content on their social media accounts to get their blog posts promoted.

Triberr

(Image credit: Triberr)

One of the most popular reciprocal sharing websites is Triberr. This tool makes it simple and easy to grow your audience, find great posts to share with readers, and network with other bloggers.

When using a reciprocal sharing site, make sure to share content that is editorial in line with the type of post you want to be known for curating – it helps increase your credibility and exposure in a specific niche.

Also, remember to include relevant images, graphics, or relevant stock photos to make your content stand out.

Another tip is to be consistent and make it a habit to regularly share posts or respond to comments. The more consistent you post and interact with other users, the more reliable you seem to be.

Person working on a WordPress post

(Image credit: Pixabay)

Promoting your blog

Aside from publishing awesome content, bloggers must also spend time and effort promoting their blogs. Without a promotion strategy, it can be difficult for a blog to grow and generate a steady stream of readers coming to check the site out.

The most effective strategy for you also depends on the resources at your disposal, such as the budget, skill set, and timeframe.

Here are ten strategies on how to promote your blog and get more qualified visitors:

  1. Utilize SEO for your blog
  2. Do proper keyword research
  3. Use email marketing
  4. Share your blog on social media
  5. Promote your blog with online paid advertising
  6. Guest post on popular blogs
  7. Reach out to other blogs
  8. Get your blog on social bookmarking sites
  9. Promote your blog in online forums
  10. Try reciprocal sharing sites

Keep in mind that it may take a few weeks or months before you notice a significant increase in your traffic and online ranking.

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Désiré has been musing and writing about technology during a career spanning four decades. He dabbled in website builders and web hosting when DHTML and frames were in vogue and started narrating about the impact of technology on society just before the start of the Y2K hysteria at the turn of the last millennium.

Sourced from techradar.pro

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The Easy Technique For Staying Visible In Social Media

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By William Arruda

In the new virtual or hybrid world of work, it’s harder to remain visible among our stakeholders. This makes your presence in social media even more important than it was in the pre-Covid times. You want to avoid the “out-of-sight, out-of-mind” career trap. Yet many professionals I speak with are just not that interested in spending a lot of time creating and sharing content online every single day. It feels like a distraction from their “real work” and a giant time sink.

If that’s how you feel, here’s some really good news. There’s a way to be visible, available and valuable to the people you seek to influence without having to take on the new job title of Social Media Maven. It’s called content curation, and it should help you breathe a sigh of relief. When you share other people’s content, lots of great things happen. You:

Save time

The first benefit is the most obvious one. You save time. Lots of it. When you curate, instead of spending an hour on creating new content, you just spend a minute making others’ content visible to your audience.

Learn

When you’re curating others’ content on the topic you want to be known for, you’re learning from their experience and perspective. This gives you insights you can use to amp up your performance at work, and it helps you hone your own point of view. And this is critical to defining your thought-leadership and personal brand differentiation. Let’s face it, there are lots of people who do what you do, so it’s valuable to have your own opinions, systems and processes so you can stand out.

Connect authentically

By sharing someone else’s content, you’re helping them increase their visibility. This is a great way to start to build a relationship with an author or thought-leader in your field. We all know the best way to create a solid network is to give to others. One of the greatest gifts you can give people is acknowledgement of their hard work and the opportunity to be visible to a wider, yet targeted community. This is a powerful long-term networking strategy that doesn’t come with the slimy feeling of asking someone for something. Dorie Clark in her bestselling book The Long Game put it this way: “True networking is not about trying to get something as fast as you can. When we set out to make friends and build relationships, rather than to simply get something, it feels entirely different.”

Boost your brand

By connecting yourself with the author’s content and by putting the spotlight on the experts quoted in the article, you start to connect your brand with theirs. It’s called brand association. You link yourself with those who are known or revered or at least visible to a community you seek to impact. That brand association affects what others think about you.

Demonstrate company loyalty

When you share content that comes from your company (through your company’s LinkedIn page, for example), you become a digital brand ambassador, and a few good things happen. First, you get seen internally as someone who’s engaged in what the organization is doing. By actively pursuing content to share, you learn about what’s happening outside your job function or department, and you become visible to others in different parts of the organization. You also make your company’s content much more visible and valuable. We know from the LinkedIn Blog that only 3% of employees post or share company related content to their feed, but these posts make up 30% of social actions (likes, and shares).

So if you’re feeling like you should be more involved in social media, but the thought of the effort has been holding you back, consider consistently curating content. It’s a simple but speedy way to increase your visibility without having to work the night shift on social media.

Feature Image Credit: Getty

By William Arruda

William Arruda is a keynote speaker, author, co-founder of CareerBlast.TV and creator of the LinkedIn Profile Type Indicator (LPTI) which measures your LinkedIn profile likability and credibility.

Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Check out my website.

Sourced from Forbes

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Avoid These 4 Things When Building Online Brand Credibility

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By John Hall

There’s no doubt that we live in a world where instant gratification is a constant demand. Those of us with something to sell are confronted with the challenge of being the shiniest object in a universe of shiny objects. Brands want to get noticed fast.

In an ever-increasing competition for customers, it may be tempting to just put on a show. However, it takes time and dedication to build your company’s online credibility. You’ll regret taking shortcuts when someone sees what’s really behind the curtain and lets everyone else know.

Instead, create and stick to an honest strategy for building your online credibility. Here are four things you should avoid doing along the way.

1. Varnished Truths

If you exaggerate, mislead or outright lie about your company to make it sound incredible, you have missed the point of credibility. Central to credibility are honest and consistent communication, as well as delivering to your customers what you promise.

Don’t attempt to skirt the truth by using fancy or vague language. If you’d respond to potential objections about your website content by saying that “technically” it’s not dishonest, don’t use that content. Lying by omission does not build credibility.

Irrelevant content is dishonest in its own way, so don’t create it either. Readers despise clicking a link they’re interested in only to find something unrelated and immaterial. In fact, they’re getting wiser about filtering out irrelevant content, and they loathe the brands who put it out there.

You also won’t fool anyone by publishing only positive reviews on your website and social media channels. Someone is going to express issues with your product or customer experience. Publish the poor review along with your response to it, and your brand will be believable.

Ukrainian Entrepreneurs Struggle To Save Their Employees As War Threatens To Crush Their Businesses

Consumers are increasingly sceptical and savvy. They have a multitude of brands to choose from when making a purchasing decision, and they do their research to find the best fit. A little polish is fine, but aim to give them the unvarnished truth.

2. Anything Ad Nauseam

Avoid being too promotional in your online marketing efforts. Grandstanding may attract attention, but not the right kind. No one likes a show-off, including consumers, competitors and search engines.

Spammy online marketing practices aren’t just enormously annoying. They can destroy trust in your brand and send leads and customers running for cover. How do you steer clear of these tactics?

Make sure your website design is clean, informative and easy to navigate on a variety of devices. Beware overuse of pop-ups, slide-ins and video clips that launch without the user’s request or, worse, without them even knowing they’re there.

Not that you need to forgo these tactics altogether. One well-placed exit-intent pop-up may be all you need to convert a lead. What you should eschew, however, is one-upmanship. It’s OK to let consumers know what’s great about your product without claiming to be infinitely superior to a crowded field of competitors. Instead, use your competitors’ strengths to lift up the industry, honestly compare your products and demonstrate your industry expertise.

Consumers are generally wary, knowing that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. And nothing will irritate search engines faster than overtly promotional content. There’s an abundance of spammy ways to promote your brand ad nauseam. Resist them or risk losing credibility forever.

3. Poor Context

Your brand will be judged by the company you keep, so be choosy about the connections you make. Of course, you want to see your brand’s name mentioned and your content printed in top-tier publications. You want to find your products ranked highly in best-of listicles on reputable sites. You want respected media outlets to interview you for stories.

Scores of other brands are reaching for these goals, too, so you’ll need to be patient and strategic. Avoid the temptation to link your brand in any way with sketchy publications because you think it’s better than nothing at all.

You may opt to hire an agency to help you develop placement strategies and content. There are nearly as many agencies out there as there are online publications, and not all of them are reputable. Shun the keyword stuffers and spam commenters. The publications and blogs you want to appear in know who those bad actors are.

Vet your agencies by checking references and reviews. It will be worth paying one more than another if the more expensive agency demonstrates a commitment to professional ethics and a record of results.

Bad press, or press in bad publications, really isn’t better than no press at all. So be selective about the context in which you place your brand. Keeping good company may make you the company consumers keep.

4. Trendy Topics

Trends are the shiny objects du jour. Too many brands, hoping to capitalize on them, leave their carefully crafted and executed marketing strategies in the gutter to follow the latest fads.

There’s nothing wrong with using a trend in a clever way so long as it’s relevant to the brand and your audience. But avoid going from one flash in the pan to another as a regular practice. By their very nature, trends are fleeting.

If you want your brand’s credibility to remain for the long term, stick to what’s working in your marketing strategy. For sure, social media makes latching onto fads easy. Content responding to the latest internet meme or celebrity trend can be created and pushed out into the world within minutes, often at the expense of credibility.

In fact, trends can do irreparable harm if they’re off-target. Do you really comprehend the nuances of today’s trending hashtag? Once you’ve put it out there, it’s too late to pull it back, so beware.

Smart use of a trendy topic here and there is fine and may in fact attract new audience members. But at the end of the day, it’s your brand’s evergreen content that will cultivate trust in your company. Use anything else with extreme caution.

Online credibility is built over time, so avoid seeking quick fixes, no matter how appealing they may be. Instead of grasping at the shiny new tactic, apply some spit and polish to the ones you’re already using. You’ll give readers, customers, search engines and competitors something to believe in.

Feature Image Credit: Getty

By John Hall

Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Check out my website.

John Hall is the co-founder and president of Calendar, a scheduling and time management app. He’s also the strategic adviser for Relevance, a company that helps brands differentiate themselves and lead their industry online. You can book him as a keynote speaker here and you can check out his best-selling book “Top of Mind.” Sign up for Calendar here.

Sourced from Forbes

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How to Bring Authenticity to Your Start-up’s Marketing Strategy

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People are tired of being pushed into something they don’t want.

According to a study by Stackla, 90% of customers place a premium on authenticity when selecting which companies they like and support. But what exactly is authenticity? How can we show our customers that we’re human and relatable and not just a brand with an agenda?

Here are six practical tips on how to bring authenticity into your start-up’s marketing strategy.

What is authenticity in marketing?

Authenticity is having a genuine connection with your target audience. If you’re not authentic, it’s difficult for customers to connect with what you do. People want brands that they can relate to — companies who are just like them, only better at their job or service because of experience and expertise. Authenticity is also about transparency and showing the world who you are and what you believe in. So, think of authenticity as your company’s personality; it should be unique to every brand out there.

How can start-ups bring authenticity to their marketing

Did you know that nearly 90% of all start-ups fail? Start-up marketing is difficult because you are often underfunded, have a limited customer base or are just getting started. As a co-founder and owner of a business, I understand the challenges that you are facing. I’ve failed many times. That’s why I’d like to share some of the marketing strategies that have worked well for me and have helped people connect with us on an emotional level every day.

1. Know your target audience

You need to know who your target audience is and what their needs and interests are before you can create a message for them or speak about them on social media channels like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. The more you know, the better your marketing will be.

It’s your job to create an emotional connection between your brands and customers, and authenticity is key here too. Once you understand your target audience and their needs, you can speak to them more effectively on the proper social media channels.

2. Be genuine in your marketing messages

Knowing your target audience does not mean you should be overly promotional. You can still show people who you are as a brand and what makes your company unique while also being more realistic about your company’s benefits. Establishing authenticity in marketing means not trying to be something you’re not. People will see right through anything that seems fake or disingenuous. If you decide to be honest with people, then put all your cards on the table. Don’t try to market your start-up as something it’s not.

3. Be consistent with messaging across social media channels

It’s no secret that social media has changed the way that brands communicate with customers. Social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok are potent tools that can help you build relationships with people interested in your start-up’s product or services. Your brand messaging must be consistent across all these channels. You need to be consistent with your words, images and tone of voice if you want your target audience to trust what you’re saying. Why should, for example, potential consumers believe you if you send conflicting messages on social media?

Don’t forget to keep in mind that social media is a two-way street. Start-ups need to be engaging and respond quickly when people ask questions or have concerns about their product or service — this also helps build trust. It’s best to create one voice for your brand across all your social media channels. It will help you communicate with people more personally, and this is what authenticity is about: being real.

4. Give people something to talk about

Don’t just sell people your product or service. You need to give them a reason why they should buy from you. If someone isn’t interested in what you have to offer, there’s no point in pursuing the relationship. Give potential customers something that will make them want to work with you instead of against you.

5. Create an authentic voice for your brand

If you’re looking to create a brand that people will love, your voice must be authentic. Without an authentic voice, your customers may not get the experience they expect and could have negative feelings about your company. Don’t expect to win customer loyalty or get people excited about your product if you don’t sound like yourself. It’s not just what you say that matters. It’s also how you say it. Having an authentic voice for your brand means letting go of the idea that marketing is all science and no artistry. You need to put creativity into everything that comes out of your business, from product development to marketing and sales.

6. Use metrics and data analysis to improve your marketing

Just because you’re authentic doesn’t mean that your marketing will be successful every time. Even if you put a lot of effort into it, everything can still fall flat on its face. Remember that marketing is half art and half science. You need to put creativity into everything you do and keep in mind that metrics and data analysis are essential for adding substance to those creative decisions. What works today might not work next month or even tomorrow, so don’t get too attached to a single marketing strategy.

Take advantage of cutting-edge marketing tools such as social media advertising, influencer marketing and even email campaigns to get your startup’s name out into the world. Keep track of everything you do to improve it over time.

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Sourced from Entrepreneur Europe

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What is B2B Marketing? Strategies, examples and ideas

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Marketing to businesses requires special strategies and tools.

If your business caters to other businesses, the manner in which you promote your products and services will be very different from the way you market to consumers. This is because customers who are purchasing on behalf of a business or a company have different requirements and buying journeys compared to those who are looking to purchase something for personal use.

As such, businesses that are selling to other businesses need to master the art of B2B marketing and understand the best B2B marketing software to use. When done correctly, this will help you reach key decision-makers and turn them into paying customers.

In this article, we’ll cover the ins and outs of B2B marketing, including what it is and how to implement it. You’ll also learn the different types of B2B marketing and see examples of campaigns in the wild.

Let’s get started.

How is B2B marketing defined? B2B Marketing definition

The definition of B2B marketing is exactly what it sounds like: it’s the practice of marketing to businesses. Simply put, it’s about getting your products or services in front of people who work in the business sector.B2B marketing is different from marketing to individuals. When you market your products to businesses, you’re dealing with clients who buy products or services for their companies. B2B buyers are looking for things that can help them meet a business objective. Examples of such objectives include:

① Increasing revenue

② Improving employee efficiency

③ Saving the business money

Generally speaking, B2B buyers are looking for products or services that can provide a good Return on Investment (ROI) for the companies they work for, as opposed to B2C buyers who purchase products for personal consumption.

B2B marketing companies have also been placing greater emphasis on digital marketing. In 2008, online accounted for only 7% of the B2B marketing mix. By 2020, however, the top area of B2B marketing spending was in digital, with B2B email marketing producing the highest ROI.

When did B2B marketing start?

So, when did B2B marketing start? While trade journals did run ads targeting businesses during the 1800s along with early content marketing-style articles, B2B marketing didn’t really come into its own until the 1930s after the stock market crash of 1929 changed modern buying habits.

As the Great Depression forced consumers and businesses to purchase products based on utility rather than fashion, industrial buyers demanded more data-driven market research. This sparked early “industrial marketing” with marketing materials offering statistics and case studies for industrial buyers.

Over time, new mediums like radio and television provided additional B2B marketing platforms and tools to reach businesses. With the coming of the Internet, marketers gained a way to connect with millions of people on a regular basis. Now, B2B marketers come up with ways to make it easier for businesses to find their companies online.

Today, both small business owners and large companies can access more information on products and services through business and review sites. This requires B2B marketers to provide useful and relevant content that engages prospective clients and helps retain current customers.

Why is B2B marketing important?

woman stood by whiteboard and post-its discussing marketing

(Image credit: Pexels)

B2B marketing is — and will continue to be — important for as long as the business sector exists. Companies, just like consumers, have certain needs; without B2B marketing, businesses that can fulfil other businesses’ needs won’t be able to get their products and services in front of their target audiences and customers.

What is the difference between B2B and B2C marketing?

Slack for Enterprise landing page

(Image credit: Slack)

Although there is some overlap, business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) marketing have different strategies and goals. B2B marketing is focused on educating and communicating ROI to key decision-makers, while B2C marketing communicates how a product fits into the customer’s personal life.

There are also some key distinctions when it comes to the channels leveraged by B2B and B2C marketers. And while there is a bit of overlap — e.g., B2B and B2C buyers both use email marketing — the manner in which campaigns are executed is completely different.

Here is a table outlining the biggest differences between the two:

B2B Marketing B2C Marketing
Customers Sells to businesses like retailers, software companies, manufacturers, and suppliers Sells directly to individual consumers
Buying journey Can take weeks or months; B2B buyers often take time to research solutions, work with multiple stakeholders, and engage with sales reps to figure out the best vendor With certain exceptions, the buying journey of consumers is shorter and more direct; often, it simply involves adding an item to a physical or digital shopping cart
Messaging Usually centered on educating buyers and communicating the solution’s ROI Usually focused on communicating how a product or service fulfills a personal need (e.g., entertainment, social status, making life easier, etc.)
Sales and marketing channels Email marketing, TV and radio ads, account-based marketing, SEO, paid search, social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram Email marketing, SMS, TV and radio ads, retail marketing, SEO, online marketplaces (Amazon, Etsy), social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok

What are the types of B2B marketing?

What are the types of B2B marketing hero image

(Image credit: Future)

Marketers have a wide range of digital B2B marketing strategies to reach prospective clients. Some of the most effective ones include:

Content marketing. Content marketing offers useful information like business guides and industry studies to prospective clients. The information can be shared via blog posts, podcasts, online videos, and email newsletters. As more people view your content as a valuable resource, your B2B company’s brand awareness, leads, website traffic, and sales will grow.

Lead generation. B2B marketing teams need to identify their ideal potential customers, or “leads,” and convince them to buy from their company. Lead generation can be accomplished by capturing prospect information (usually through the use of online forms and landing pages). Lead generation can also be done at live events like trade shows where businesses market to other businesses.

Email marketing. Email campaigns generate a high ROI, with $42 for every $1 spent. This makes email newsletters a powerful way to share facts, statistics, and studies with leads and convert them into customers.

Social media & viral marketing. Social media posts like an Instagram video of valuable tips and tutorials can be deemed useful by potential B2B clients. These posts are shared on the Internet, increasing your brand awareness. With enough shares, your posts can go viral and reach thousands of potential clients, creating an effective form of viral marketing.

Affiliate marketing and native advertising. Affiliate marketing enables you to get existing clients and other content creators to promote your business on their sites via affiliate links that earn them a commission when someone clicks on the link (pay-per-click) or when you make a sale (pay-per-sale).

Native advertising allows these affiliate links to look like part of the site they appear in. For instance, your ad may appear as content recommendations on an affiliate site, making it more likely B2B clients will visit your site.

Search engine marketing (SEM). SEM is all about increasing your brand presence in search results, typically through the use of paid ads. It involves creating search ads and bidding on keywords. The goal is for your ads to show up whenever people enter relevant search queries.

Mobile (MMS & SMS) marketing. Mobile marketing uses devices like tablets and smartphones to market products and services. This can be done through Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) which sends enhanced text messages or Short Message Service (SMS).

What are the best examples of B2B marketing?

For more on this, see our article on the 5 best B2B marketing examples of all time.

B2B marketing teams use various platforms for different advertising campaigns. If you want to promote your company on social media, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook are popular sites frequented by potential clients. Many businesses also use WordPress to build blogs for content marketing.

Ultimately, your choice of B2B marketing tools and platforms depends on your objectives and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for measuring the success of your campaign.

B2B marketing objectives and measurable KPIs

As you build your B2B marketing campaign, clarify your objectives. Are you looking to increase sales, improve your brand awareness, or retain your current clients?

Have the B2B marketing tools for tracking and measuring your Key Performance Indicators. Important KPIs include:

person writing notes at a desk on marketing strategy

(Image credit: Unsplash)

Example of a successful B2B marketing strategy

Thanks to its strong B2B marketing strategy, Ahrefs, a company that provides SEO software, has managed to become one of the go-to tools in a very crowded market.

Here are some of the components involved in its strategy.

Long-form content. The team at Ahrefs has produced hundreds of detailed tutorials, articles, and opinion pieces on topics that search marketers care about. Because Ahrefs consistently publishes high-quality content, many of its articles rank high on Google, which then helps drive traffic to its website.

Ahrefs B2B marketing blog

(Image credit: Ahrefs)

Ahrefs Academy. The company also set up an educational hub on its website, which is packed with SEO courses and training materials. Ahrefs even offers a certification course designed to teach people how to use its platform more effectively.

Ahrefs Academy for B2B education screenshot

(Image credit: Ahrefs)

Data and studies. In addition, Ahrefs publishes its own research reports based on proprietary data gathered from its platform. These reports shed light on trends and insights that Ahrefs’ audience can use in their businesses.

Pictured: Ahrefs publishes its own research reports to help companies gain insight

(Image credit: Ahrefs)

All in all, the different components of Ahref’s B2B strategy work together to increase brand awareness as well as position Ahrefs as a leading authority in the space. Because of its efforts, Ahrefs has earned the trust of the SEO community, and this has helped it rapidly grow its userbase.

Example of a successful B2B marketing campaign

CB Insights is a company that provides market intelligence on private companies and investor activities to venture capital firms, investment banks, and other companies with a stake in high-growth private companies. Its business analytics platform and global database help companies respond to potential threats, predict emerging tech trends, and uncover competitor strategies.

CB Insights e-newsletter that examining lucrative trends in the business world

(Image credit: CB Insights)

Sounds heavy, but to promote itself, CB Insights offers a fun and informative e-newsletter that examines lucrative trends in the business world — like the profitability of funny GIFS and the popularity of Internet memes.

This strategy gets clients to open their emails and recognize CB Insights as a source of relevant information. Subscribers then have an incentive to go to the company website and become clients, making this the type of effective campaign that wins B2B marketing awards.

Conclusion

By using B2B marketing strategies like content marketing, email campaigns, and social media marketing, you can show how your company helps solve business problems. This lets you connect with lucrative businesses and convert them into regular clients.

Of course, in order to form these connections, you need effective B2B marketing platforms and software.

Learn more about how the right tools can help expand your business by reading additional resources on the best B2B marketing software to help you reach more clients in our guides: the Best CRM software, the Best email marketing software and the Best SEO tools.

Feature Image credit: Getty Images

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Francesca has over 10 years experience as a B2B writer and content marketeer, creating content about retail, ecommerce, technology, and SMB. And has written for websites such as Entrepreneur.com, The Huffington Post, Lifehack, MediaBistro, Independent Retailer, Retail Touchpoints, and many more.

Sourced from techradar.pro

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These are the top skills to put on your résumé

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By Rachel Jay

Showcasing the right hard and soft skills on your résumé will make it standout. This is exactly how to do it.

Writing a good résumé is a difficult balancing act. Sometimes it can be a challenge to keep your résumé length short and sweet while also including enough quality information to make a lasting impression.

Hiring managers will also hold a particular interest in the skill set you possess. This means it’s very important to know what is relevant to the job when thinking of skills to list on your résumé. And though it goes without saying, we’ll say it just in case: any job skills listed on your resume should be skills you truly possess. 

So how do you figure out the best skills to put on your résumé? And what if you’re looking to find a remote job?

consulting iconHard Skills vs. Soft Skills in Your Résumé

There are endless skills that you can include on any résumé, and you have to decide which ones will be the most effective. There are hard, industry-specific technical skills, as well as soft skills that every job demands.

Hard skills are technical abilities that are specific to a particular job and are often measurable. For software developers, their set of hard skills would include specific programming languages. Soft skills are personal skills or creative abilities that can come naturally or be strengthened over time. Some examples of soft skills are adaptability, self-motivation, people skills, time management, and the ability to work under pressure.

“Some great skills employers love to see on your résumé if you are looking for remote work are: written and verbal communication, the ability to work independently, time and task management, organization, comfort with technology, and specific knowledge of remote communication tools like Zoom, Skype, Dropbox, Google Suite, etc.,“ shared Toni Frana, FlexJobs’ expert career coach.

Let’s take a closer look at the skills section for your résumé.

administrative icon Top Skills to List in Your Résumé

Top Soft Skills For Your Résumé (Examples)

There are tons of soft skills (personal skills) that you can include in your résumé, but how do you know which ones to include? Here is a quick list of soft skills examples you should list on your résumé. (Be sure to carefully look at the job description and determine which soft skills you possess that are most applicable for the job.)

– Problem Solving Skills

No matter what the job is, eventually something will go wrong and employers want to know that you’re capable of coming up with a quick and effective solution. In fact, there are jobs that are essentially nothing but solving problems for the company, the clients, or both.

– Critical Thinking Skills

Being able to think rationally and thoughtfully is the basis of critical thinking. Employers want workers who can think through a problem or a project and determine the best steps needed. Critical thinkers come up with new and better ways to work, making it an invaluable skill to put on a résumé.

– Flexibility

Many organizations and industries covet employees who are dynamic and adaptable to every situation, or who have a natural ability to use a variety of methods and approaches in different circumstances to get the best end result.

– Communication Skills

Whether it’s written or verbal, being able to communicate with your boss, co-worker’s, and clients/customers in all situations is very valuable. The better you are at it, the better results you will generate.

– Teamwork

Most jobs will sometimes require you to work with other people at some point, and employers want to know that you can succeed in a team environment. Some jobs will prize this skill more than others.

– Organization Skills

This is not just about having a neat desk, but organizing tasks and projects for your co-workers, management, and at the very least, yourself! If you want to show off your organization skills, having a tightly structured résumé certainly helps.

– Creativity

Thinking outside of the box and coming up with creative solutions can be a real asset in any role. Perhaps you’re good at thinking about something in a way that hasn’t been done before. Creativity can be shown on your résumé through a problem you solved or through a creative skill like writing or design.

– Emotional Intelligence

According to Psychology Today, “Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to identify and manage one’s own emotions, as well as the emotions of others.” In the workplace, this means you’re rational and even-keeled, and can handle ups and downs without losing control. While this is important for everybody, it’s a must-have skill to include on a résumé for management.

– Attention to Detail

On the job you need to ensure you follow all instructions in order to complete your work. This can be especially important when you work with others. Paying attention to detail will be needed at any role you have. Consider times when you caught or fixed a potential mistake due to your attention to detail.

– Responsibility

Part of being a good employee is taking responsibility for your duties and even owning up to mistakes. Most managers don’t want to have to check in on their employees to ensure every part of their job is getting done. Responsibility means doing what you need to do to complete your tasks.

Top Hard Skills For Your Résumé (Examples)

Hard skills tend to be more technical, and each industry or type of job will usually have its own required set. Finding out what range of hard skills you’ll be expected to have in your field might require some research. Here are hard skills examples that tend to be in-demand across many industries. (Be sure to carefully look at the job description and determine which hard skills you possess that are most applicable for the job.)

– Computer Software and Application Knowledge

The list of professions that does not require you to use computers and certain types of software is very short. You could very likely break up “computer skills” into two or three specific technical proficiencies for your field.

– Design

Aside from the obvious professions like graphic or web design, there are jobs in marketing, advertising, branding, engineering, and construction that require some type of design skills—even if it’s only for drawing up presentations.

– Data Analysis

Understand data is very much in vogue right now, and there are a lot of jobs out there where you will be called upon to analyze metrics and extrapolate a practical use from it, making analytical skills extremely valuable to put on your résumé.

– Negotiation

There are many jobs that involve selling a product or service, purchasing stock or merchandise, brokering deals for production or transportation, establishing partnerships for advertising or investments, and so on.

– Mathematics

Finance, business, engineering, construction, manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, and operations will require you to be competent with math in some capacity. If you’re in a profession that is more math-heavy, consider splitting it up into a few more specific skills areas.

– Project Management

Many jobs will require project management skills. The ability to manage your task flow and complete assignments on time is part of project management. Perhaps you have used project management software in the past or have completed a project early—these all show good project management.

– Marketing

Marketing involves selling and promoting products and services. Even if you’re not a marketer per se, many companies may desire this hard skill. Knowing the highlights and benefits of your company’s products and services, and being able to speak or write about them, can be valuable to many different jobs. If you have specific marketing or social media experience, even better.

– Administrative

Even if your job is not administrative in nature, it’s likely a part of your role. Administrative skills involve the things you do to manage your role: organizing, planning, scheduling, writing emails, managing files, etc. Employers want to know you’re able to take hold of the details.

– Writing Skills

Many jobs involve writing. Whether it’s to clients or coworkers, having a basic writing ability is necessary and an absolute skill to put on your résumé. Emails filled with typos and grammatical errors will not reflect well on you, and poor tone can send the wrong message. Demonstrate this skill through your cover letter and emails with the recruiter, and list any specific writing-heavy projects you’ve completed.

– Foreign Languages

Being bilingual can be a great hard skill and set you apart from your competition. Even if a role or company doesn’t initially have a need for a bilingual employee, they may look favorably on your ability. It is common to need someone with fluency in another language to help customers or clients, so play up this skill on your résumé.

research icon Look for Target Keywords

If you’re still not sure if any of these skills are right for your situation, one quick way to check which skills the employer is seeking is to check the job description.

Read through it a few times and you’ll likely spot three or four key skills mentioned several times throughout the document. If that’s the case, you should do your best to focus on those skills in your résumé, too.

 How to List Skills In Your Résumé

Sort Skills By Relevance

If you are applying for a sales job, your prior experience as a car mechanic is not the most relevant. You will want to emphasize experience that can be applicable to a sales role. However, if you lack the experience, search through your existing positions for relevant skills.

For example, if you were responsible for providing customer service as a mechanic, that is something that can be transferable to a sales role.

Add a Highlights Section

Modern résumés are built to be value-oriented, which requires providing information that is more achievement-based as opposed to task-based. If you’ve had multiple roles with varying achievements, select the top four you are most proud of and incorporate them into a Career Highlights section.

Try to avoid adding more than four as this section is meant to be the highlights of your achievements, and you don’t want to create sections with long lists of bullets, creating a very boring way to read content.

Categorize by Skill

If you are higher up in your career level, you likely have multiple responsibilities that cross several platforms or departments. If you are a manager or director of operations at a company, your responsibilities may include: managing staff, maintaining smooth daily operations, communicating with key stakeholders and/or vendors, developing and managing projects, and hiring and training staff.

With either your task-based information or achievements, you can categorize the content into sections to illustrate the diversity in your responsibilities.

For example:

  • Process Improvements: information of responsibilities and/or achievements that relate to creating and implementing processes to improve operational efficiencies.
  • Customer Service Skills: content that illustrates how you maintain or improve the customer experience at your company.
  • Change Management: information that can relate to restructuring staff, developing training programs for employees, and coaching individuals or groups on company best practices.

Your soft skills and hard skills are the very things that will either qualify you or disqualify you for a job. Be sure to include some of these top skills on your résumé for maximum results.

Feature Image Credit: [Source illustration: Anna Duvanova/Getty Images] 

By Rachel Jay

Sourced from Fast Company

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5 Dirty Secrets About Online Business Today

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Everything you think you know about making money online is probably wrong.

Most of my students aren’t complete online business newbies. Many of them have tried at least some kind of online business at some point. Some of them are trying to juggle several of them when they come to me, and they are usually very excited to tell me about it.

I admire their enthusiasm, but if they come to me looking to me for validation of what they are already doing, they usually come away disappointed. The idea they breathlessly share with me often times was old news five years ago.

If I try to point that out to them, as gently as possible, they sometimes don’t take it well. They have invested a lot of hope and excitement into their entrepreneurial endeavour. Hearing that they have been spinning their wheels ranges from dispiriting to offensive.

I don’t blame them. There’s a lot of noise out there. Not to contribute to it unnecessarily, but someone needs to cut through the hype and tell some hard truths. The online business environment has changed a lot in the last 10 years. Yes, you can still succeed, but only if you are present and accept the business environment as it is, not what it was.

On that note, here are five dirty secrets about today’s online business environment that must inform every opportunity you consider.    

2. Competition is for chumps

Most entrepreneurs think they need to “beat the competition,” “differentiate themselves from the competition” or “spend more to acquire a customer than the competition.” The dirty secret is: If you even have competition, you’re fighting a losing battle. Most market battles are zero-sum games. One guy wins 99% of the business, and everyone else fights over the remaining 1%. This is why I advise students to niche down. With a specific-enough niche, you don’t have any competition. You’re out there cleaning up and can name your own price.

For example, there are a million agencies saying, “We help businesses get more leads.” But what about, “We help plumbing and heating companies get more leads?” Better.

“I help plumbing and heating companies in Pennsylvania get more leads.” Even better.

“I help plumbing and heating companies in Pennsylvania get more install jobs.” Now you’re talking.

3. Value trumps fame

Americans live in a fame-saturated culture. No wonder entrepreneurs think they have to be famous to sell anything. If you Google-search how to sell a book, start a blog or launch a YouTube channel, most of the listicles you discover will say something like: Step 1, Get Famous.

So you have entrepreneurs trying to get famous — on YouTube, on Instagram, on TikTok or whatever is the flavour of the month. They figure once they’re famous, the selling will take care of itself.

But the cult of fame is falling apart. The emperor has no clothes and people are starting to see it. Is there a better example than Fyre Fest? The now-incarcerated founder cloaked the event in celebrity but didn’t bother to bring the value.

People get the fame equation backward. Fame is like catching lightning in a bottle; it’s nearly impossible to consciously make it happen. Most people who do make it happen discover that it’s a double-edged sword. Ask anyone who has ever been mobbed by paparazzi at a grocery store.

But you can focus on delivering value. That is very much in your control. Maybe you will go viral, maybe you won’t. But by delivering value, you will at least build a cult following — and a cult following can make you very, very prosperous.

4. Focus trumps diversification

I can’t hate on my students who are trying to juggle 10 businesses when they come to me, because I was the same way. I can’t even fault the strategy — I kept throwing things at the wall until something stuck.

But once I found the business with the most potential, I pulled the plug on everything else I was doing and focused like a laser on scaling it. That’s what made the difference. Finding the idea was maybe 10% of the battle. What really made the difference was quitting everything else I was doing.

“Multiple streams of income” is a cliché that gets misunderstood, and “diversification” is for people who have no idea how to invest their 401k. If you want to create a great product and bring value to the marketplace, you have to pick a thing and focus on it to the exclusion of everything else.

Whatever stage in the journey you are in, that’s the goal — to hone in on the one thing. With focus, the idea is almost an afterthought. With enough focus, you can make almost anything work.

5. Most businesses can’t scale

If you want to succeed in online business, don’t start anything you can’t scale. Anything that depends on unique human contributions — including your own — is hard to scale.

I’m guilty of this too. My agency can’t be fully automated or outsourced. I have to have a team, and I can’t just have one person for each job. I try to have two people for each job, minimum. That way, if someone quits, I’m not screwed.

Of course, this runs up payroll costs. What saves me is the fact that our invoice volume is scalable, even if the client volume isn’t. Assuming we do the job well, we can easily scale invoices from $10,000 to $100,000 and beyond. We can afford that payroll.

Whatever you do, begin with the end in mind. Even if you’re doing the work in person now, make a plan to automate, outsource and take unique human input out of the equation when the time is right. That’s the only way to go big online.

I want all of my students to prosper in online business — to fire their job, discover financial freedom and build the lifestyle they always envisioned.
But the first step for many of them is to wipe the slate clean of misguided and outdated ideas, leaving them tabula rasa. Then they can accept the online business ecosystem as it is. Spilling the beans on this dirty secret will hopefully help you do the same.

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Entrepreneur Leadership Network Contributor

Dylan Ogline is an entrepreneur, investor and author. He is known as a pervader of work and lifestyle optimizations. He is founder of digital marketing agency Ogline Digital. A student of Stoicism, he enjoys playing hockey, reading and traveling the world.

Sourced from Entrepreneur Europe

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The Four Pillars of Relevancy: How Digital PR Campaigns Can Lead to Gains in Every Sector

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By Rebecca Moss

Relevance continues to be a hot topic in search, especially since John Mueller broke the internet last year by saying that the “number of links doesn’t matter at all”, and that relevant content trumps the quantity of content.

I head up the team at JBH the Digital PR Agency, and whilst growing the team and working with a huge range of brands over the last four years, I’ve realized that we wear many, many different hats.

For some of our clients, we are their link building agency. We achieve specific links that adhere to specific criteria to support SEO objectives. For other clients, we’re there to help build their brand, create thought leaders, and develop beautiful, shareable content. For those clients, SEO is secondary.

And for other brands, we’re somewhere in the middle.

What has become overwhelmingly clear is that the relevance of the links we build sits under each of these hats, and it’s something that I’ve spent a lot of time working on at JBH, in order to improve our delivery all around.

Who cares about relevance anyway?

If you’ve ever had your content outranked by a tiny, hyper-niche site, then you’ll definitely care about relevance. Even Google prioritizes relevance when deciding where to rank pages.

The good news is that we can learn from this, and apply certain processes to our own activity. In this post, you’ll see how the team here at JBH bakes the principles of topical relevance into our content, outreach, and link building strategies.

I ran a (very scientific) poll on Twitter earlier in the year — presenting my network with four different options, and asking them to select which one they cared most about when it comes to linked coverage. And the results were super interesting

Turns out we ALL care about relevance — more than the topic being newsworthy, and interestingly, more than keywords!

It was a trick question, really, as these are the four factors that we benchmark our content and ideas against. Nonetheless, it was quite telling that keywords were (ironically) bottom of the rankings.

What does relevance really mean in the context of digital PR?

Relevance means different things to different people. So, I decided to create a framework through which to run every single idea — with the aim of ensuring said idea sits somewhere on the spectrum of relevance for our clients.

Diagram outlining the four pillars of content relevancy: keywords, customers, newsworthiness, and authority.

Above, you’ll see the graphic we created to check our ideas against what we believe to be the four key pillars of relevance. As long as our ideas fit into one of the quarters, and as close to the middle as possible, we know we’re on the right track.

The key pillars of the JBH Relevance Spectrum

1. Audience — would my client or brand’s audience be interested in this content?

2. Authority — is my client or brand an authority on the subject? Could they be interviewed about it?

3. Keywords — does it contain keywords that we want to rank for, and do we have a page on the site that makes sense to link to?

4. Newsworthiness — will journalists care about what we are saying? What are we adding to the conversation?

Relevant content drives links to key commercial pages

When done right, digital PR work that focuses on relevance can deliver so much more than just links — and brands are catching on to its commercial impact.

In the last 12 months, I’ve been inundated with requests from brands looking for links to their commercial pages, compared to links from larger creative content campaigns. The digital PR industry has come full circle, and we’re going back to the basics of content marketing.

But don’t get me wrong, building links to commercial content is really hard. Now, we dig deep into the business, the sector, and the website itself to understand how to develop our link acquisition strategy to get the best results for the brand. Instead of having a link-first mindset, we challenged ourselves to have a research-first mindset.

Relevance sits at the heart of this effort, and the impact of this work drives true commercial value — but how do we make this work for brands in different industries and sectors?

Step 1: We ask the right questions

From the second we sign a contract with a new brand, we’re on a journey of discovery. We need to know about the business, their goals, and what success looks like for them through the medium of digital PR. We stop being link builders and become intrinsically involved with the business we’re representing.

Step 2: We give ourselves clear boundaries before tackling ideation

Ideation can sometimes be a free-for-all, but setting boundaries around what topics and themes we can ideate around can be so helpful in guiding the way to a truly relevant idea that can be angled towards a prioritized landing page.

Step 3: We forget formats and let the idea guide us to a creative solution

Our creative solutions are always backed by data, but we let the idea guide us as to how the data will be presented. We never have a “type” of campaign in mind when we approach ideation.

Step 4: We use the relevance spectrum to stress test our ideas

Before sharing ideas with the client or brand, we’ll stress-test our ideas against the relevance spectrum to ensure we’re content that our ideas truly match the client and how they want to be presented.

Case study: How this process drove traffic and increased visibility for a private medical centre in the UK

By following the framework outlined above, we were able to increase visibility for a healthcare brand in a very competitive market by over 300%. Here’s how we hit all of the key elements of the relevance spectrum, plus the impact and outcomes of following this approach:

Authority — is my client or brand an authority on the subject? Could they be interviewed about it?

We met with the founders of the facility to discuss their key campaign objectives. Much like our Twitter poll, relevance was top priority — along with showcasing the expertise of the team and their innovative approach to recovery.

We left the meeting understanding what they were willing to talk about, in addition to the topics they were not so comfortable with — helping us to keep our ideas within their boundaries.

Audience — would my client or brand’s audience be interested in this content?

We also spoke with their admissions team, who were able to tell us more about the most common or frequent questions they are asked by service users. We then used this insight to help us develop campaigns or pitch ideas that answered said queries.

In addition to this, we looked more broadly at the publications the service users and their families were likely to read, and analysed topics that might fit those outlets.

Keywords — does it contain keywords that we want to rank for, and do we have a page on the site that makes sense to link to?

We then met with their SEO team, who were able to give us an onsite content roadmap, target keywords, and a prioritized list of landing pages mapped to those keywords, as well as a timeline for those pages to be published, so we could plan our digital PR stories in advance.

They also gave us information on the competition, including how aggressive they were being with link acquisition across the board. This helped us with benchmarking, providing us with a really solid base for our activity.

Newsworthiness — will journalists care about what we are saying? What are we adding to the conversation?

With all of this information at our disposal, we were in a great place to start thinking about campaign ideas, but we needed to absorb plenty of information about the sector first so we understood what we were dealing with.

We set up media alerts for key phrases, and brand alerts for the competition, so we could see exactly what was being published. Looking closely at the competition, we learned what was working well for them — and crucially, what wasn’t working quite so well.

We set up RSS feeds to deliver news relating to the priority keywords and read it each day, helping us become attuned to the newsworthy topics relating to addiction recovery.

From this, we watched out for which journalists were covering topically relevant stories, and added them to our prospecting list. We then set to work coming up with ideas that aligned with all of the above information.

The impact — high authority links to commercial pages

By following this approach, we found that we were able to secure highly relevant links and coverage — all while remaining in sync with the SEO team working on the site.

As the content we produced was so relevant to the brand, it made sense for the journalists to link to key service pages. This is how we achieved the following commercial gains as a result of pitching topically relevant content for the brand:

  • Traffic was up more than 200% year-on-year
  • Over half (56%) of the links built pointed to a key service page
  • Organic traffic to their commercial pages increased by 500%
  • 167% more keywords were on the first page of Google

This five-step checklist ensures relevance is prioritized in every digital PR campaign

In order to make this work cross-industry, we’ve developed a five-point checklist to ensure that relevance is prioritized at every stage. Depending on the brand and the sector, we’ll follow some or all of the points below to ensure that we’re considering the relevance of our digital PR campaign ideas above all else.

1. Research the industry in which your brand operates

  • How well-established is the industry?
  • Who are the key players you’ll be competing against?
  • How competitive are the keywords that you need to rank for the brand?
  • What PR and SEO activity are the key players doing? And how much?

2. Understand the business you’ve been tasked to build links to

  • How well-established is the brand in relation to the competition?
  • What products or services do they want to push?
  • What is working well, and what isn’t working quite so well?
  • Where are their overall marketing efforts being concentrated?
  • What markets and/or territories are important to them?

3. Understand the website you’ve been tasked to build links to

  • How well-established is the website?
  • How many links or referring domains do your commercial pages have right now?
  • How does that compare to the key players outlined above?
  • Are there any content gaps that need to be filled?

4. Analyse the competition

  • Identify competing pages and analyse how they are working well
  • What links do the competition have that you don’t?
  • How aggressive is their link acquisition?
  • What content topics are your competitors covering?

5. Keywords and landing pages

  • What are they? Do they have a corresponding landing page?
  • Does your client agree with your priorities?
  • What is the intent of the keywords?
  • How competitive are those keywords?

This framework can be followed to achieve results for brands in most sectors — but the setup is key

It is so easy to get relevance wrong in the context of digital PR. Branded campaigns aren’t needed in order to be relevant. We now need to look more closely at target audiences and produce content that appeals both to them AND the publications that they read.

By stepping away from the link-first mindset and applying some research-led common sense we can produce more relevant campaigns that achieve measurable results against SEO metrics.

By Rebecca Moss

I head up the Digital PR team at JBH the Digital PR Agency, delivering creative campaigns for household brands such as Uswitch, tails.com and Gousto. Rebecca has worked in SEO for more than 10 years, specializing in content marketing and link building.

Sourced from MOZ

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Content Consistency Is The Key To a Successful SEO Strategy

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By George Philip

Starting a website is a positive endeavour, but most marketers forget to keep the blog section running. A blog section is imperative for your SEO. Having an updated blog means you are taking efforts to regularly update the content, which would further increase the credibility and draw more traffic towards your website.

The catch here is – your content is as important as any other element of your digital marketing strategy. This brings us all to one real question – Can we maintain consistency in the website blog? The answer is a simple yes. Consistency in posting informative content is the key to success.

Regular blogging improves Google ranking.
As per the Google algorithm rule, consistency in posting regular content will get you a push on the chain in the SEO world. SEO requirements keep changing and today, the content should be not only new and fresh but also has to be informative and appealing for the users. However, there is no hard and fast rule such as you must only post your content according to your offerings.

For instance, if you are a brand dealing with kitchen appliances, your blog posts can have ‘how-to’ articles or new recipes to keep your audience glued to your website.
Not only should you keep your blog updated, but you must also update the links. The more updated the content is, the more response it will get. Let us sum up the importance of blogging in the following points.

A blog makes it easy to get internal linking and backlinks

With your blog, you can easily create internal links and backlinks.

Check the content posted in your industry, write on the topics that others have written, and create a link to the topic to reach out to your audience. Plenty of authentic backlink tools are available for SEO experts to ease the creation of internal linking. The entire process helps the website to go higher in ranks and improve its search hierarchy.

Creating brand awareness
How does an individual know your brand? It is only through the content you post on the website. With more and more products, you need to post more information. It is this updated information, which will help you glue your audience to your products.
We know blogging daily is difficult, but you can keep a schedule of posting at least 2 blogs a week. Be sure to fill in your blog with information like product guides, new launches, the latest industry information, and so on. You can write about several things to keep your audience informed. It just needs a few minutes of brainstorming in the right direction.

Start blogging for better SEO in Kelowna with us.

Developing rapport and relationships with readers
Fostering a relationship with readers is vital not only for your SEO success but also for the success of your digital marketing efforts. You never know when a good reader will turn into a valuable customer.

When you retain consistency in your style of writing and the way you add information to the blog, it creates a feeling of familiarity; bringing more readers to your website. There is another prominent reason to blogpost regularly. It helps to gain REO (Referral Engine Optimization), which means gaining word-of-mouth referrals through regularly updating the posts. The more you write, the more opportunities will be opened to you.
Keep you at par in competition

One of the inevitable reasons to post regular content is to stay at the edge of the competition. Generating regular content will keep a sweet spot for you among the competition. Your competitors are investing in blog and SEO services in Kelowna, you cannot take a back seat here.

Studies have suggested that around 80% of the marketers around the world are leveraging powerful content to improve their SEO efforts.

Besides, 96% of the marketers depend upon customized content to strike a conversation with their customers; blogging being the best medium.
Not to mention that more and more customers are taking out time to read about the products or services they are going to spend online. So, keep updating your blog and achieve success.

Generate Leads
When your blog is being updated with fresh content regularly, the clients will be allured by new product and service offerings from your brand. With these blogs, you are building relationships. Strategically placed call-to-action words will bring leads to your marketing team. A well-linked blog encourages the users to click on the link and complete the purchase.

Final Word
An ample amount of data suggests the importance of regular blog posts and their positive impact on SEO efforts. With each piece of content created, you interact with your brand to boost brand awareness and improve leads.

A professional agency offering SEO services in Kelowna is your go-to place to schedule your blog content and boost your overall online marketing efforts. If you are looking for a reliable partner for SEO in Kelowna, we are here to help.

Jamie Barton is the author of this article. To Know more information about SEO Kelowna please visit the website.

By George Philip

George Philiphttps://www.betechwise.com

George is a technology content writer with years of experience. Specialized in mobile devices, personal computers and consumer technology, as well as software and applications. He explains all technological concepts so that users with less knowledge can understand them. If not writing, you may find him engrossed playing action games on his smartphone. Just so you know, he loves Xiaomi products a lot. You may contact him via his email – [email protected]

Sourced from Betechwise

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Your email is being tracked – learn the secret advertisers don’t want you to know

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By Kim Komando  

It’s impossible not to be tracked online. Still, you can take steps that make a difference.

If you don’t like the idea of advertisers knowing everything about you, shut them out. Tap or click here for simple, actionable steps you can take now.

Unlike your browser history, you probably don’t give much thought to handing out your phone number. It’s time to change that. Tap or click for methods to protect your number and stop inviting spam.

When it comes to your email, you may not realize there’s an easy way advertisers, marketers, companies, and even scammers track you – with just one tiny pixel.

What is pixel tracking?

You can’t see them, but pixel trackers are hidden in many of the emails you receive. Technically, this microscopic pixel is computer code embedded within the body of an email, generally hidden within an image.

Typically, pixel-tracking allows marketers, advertisers, and companies to collect data about you, such as:

• The number of times you open an email

• The operating system you use

• The time you opened the email

• Your IP address can give an idea of your location

• What type of device you use to open the email

Detailed data is sent back to the sender automatically, without you having to click on any links or even respond. That may feel like an invasion of privacy, but it is legal and different from when hackers and scammers employ this tactic.

In that case, it becomes all about monitoring your activity.

Speaking of monitoring, spyware is dangerous software that tracks everything from the sites you visit to the passwords you type in. Tap or click here for six signs your phone has been infected with so-called stalkerware.

How to spot an email scam

Pesky marketing emails are one thing, and we will get into how to stop that. But first, let’s review the red flags you should send an email straight to the trash:

• There’s a request for personal information.

• The “From” address and the display name don’t match.

• The “From” address is very similar to a known business or contact, with one or two characters changed.

• It requires immediate attention.

• It is full of poor spelling or grammar. (Often, this feels like something is “off.”)

• There’s a request to click on a link or download a document or file you did not request.

Most of these clues are easy to spot, but you won’t see a microscopic pixel hidden in an email.

Spot the fake: How to tell if an image you saw on social media is fake

Good news if you have an iPhone, iPad, or Mac

Apple automatically stops senders from retrieving your IP address starting with iOS 15, macOS Monterey and iPadOS 15.

Additionally, email content is downloaded privately when you receive the email, not when you view it. That means only generic data is sent back to marketers, companies, and anyone else tracking you via email.

The Mail Privacy Protection features are not enabled by default. Here’s how to turn them on:

• On an iPhone or iPad: Go to Settings > Mail > Privacy Protection. Turn on Protect Mail Activity.

• On a Mac: In the Mail app, choose Mail > Preferences, then click Privacy. Select Protect Mail Activity.

Apple security 101: 7 important iPhone security settings to change right now

What about Gmail, Windows, and Android users?

The simplest way to prevent pixel-tracking is to block images from displaying in your emails. If the pixel isn’t displayed, the code probably won’t work.

• In Gmail on a computer: Click on the gear icon and select See All Settings. Under General, scroll down and click on Ask before displaying external images under the Images option. Click Save Changes at the bottom of the page.

• In the Gmail app: Tap the three-line menu in the upper corner > Settings > Choose your account. Scroll down to Images under Data usage. Click it, then choose Ask before displaying external images.

• In Yahoo Mail: Click Settings > More Settings > Viewing Email. Scroll to the bottom. Under Show images in messages, choose Ask before showing external images. The page will refresh and automatically save.

• In Outlook, click on File > Options > Trusted Center. Choose Trust Center Settings > Automatic Download from the left-hand pane. Select Don’t download pictures automatically in HTML e-mail messages or RSS items. Click OK to save.

Want smart tech tips like this straight to your inbox? Try my free Tech Tips and How-tos newsletter. I’ll help you get the most out of all your gadgets, save money and protect your privacy.

The IRS has new changes, including the $600 rule, working from home deductions, child tax credits and more. In this episode, tax accountant Rachel Cheek and I dive into the many ways deductions, forms, social media, and rules will impact your 2021 tax return.

Check out my podcast “Kim Komando Explains” on Apple, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast player.

Listen to the podcast here or wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for my last name, “Komando.”

Learn about all the latest technology on the Kim Komando Show, the nation’s largest weekend radio talk show. Kim takes calls and dispenses advice on today’s digital lifestyle, from smartphones and tablets to online privacy and data hacks. For her daily tips, free newsletters and more, visit her website at Komando.com

By Kim Komando

Sourced from USA Today

The views and opinions expressed in this column are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect those of USA TODAY.

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