Guest Blogger Guidelines

Some of you have commented to me that I seem to have a number of guest posts on this blog lately and wonder about how I chose guest bloggers. It's pretty simple.

Most potential guest bloggers contact me via email. If they can suggest a topic that is in line with the theme of this blog, and demonstrate that they can write decently, we proceed.

Any guest post has to be on topic and well written. I also allow a byline of course (one link please initially), something like these examples:

Joe Brooks is a blogger and businessman who lives in Missoula and fly fishes in his spare time.He operates a Osterizer Blender Parts online store in his sparetime.

This post courtesy of Fred Flintstone, an expert in Sparkling Wine.

Henry Higgins writes on red wine, the formerly disgraced science of Phrenology, and Clams. He lives in downtown Chicago with his 37 cats.

When the post is done it is reviewed by a small group of my colleagues - basically I pass it by them. They decide whether it is good enough to publish. Most posts get published. The link must be to a high quality site or blog.

 

3 Tips For Building A Better Content Strategy

Credit: Marketing stock photo by Shutterstock

Unless you've been a) living under a rock for the past decade or b) cloistered in an old school advertising agency that just won't let the past go, you've probably heard that a content strategy is essential for marketing businesses these days. Comparatively cheap, data-rich, and much more nimble than traditional advertising and marketing, there's really not any company out there that can't benefit from good content. But in order to be effective, a content strategy really has to be a strategy. This doesn't mean Tweeting here and there or throwing up a random blog post when the intern has something to say about that excellent lunchtime meal. This means taking the time to really think out just who you're targeting, how you're going to reach them, and what kind of content you're going to provide them.

1. Gear Your Content Towards a Niche Market

Heard of the term "one size fits no one"? It's as applicable to content marketing as it is to clothing. While your company may have hundreds of products targeting a diversity of demographics, the same content strategies won't work across the board, just like an ad campaign for a kid's toy isn't suited as a template for promoting a car to adults. To do this right, there are a few strategies to consider:

• Write your ideal customer's profile. Location, age, likes, dislikes, interests, needs. Take the time to do a little demographics research and write up one or two comprehensive customer profiles so you know just who you're targeting and what they're all about. This will help you segment your marketing efforts into the most relevant lists for optimal targeting.

• Determine what products would be right for them. Once you know who you're trying to reach, take a look at your product or service line and determine those that would fit naturally into your ideal customer's lifestyle. This is really the heart of finding and cornering a niche, not to mention establishing your reputation to the point where people instantly recognize your name or product as the go-to choice. The goal here is to get your target customers to say, "Oh, you're looking to get someone to do [insert your service here]? You've got to check out [your company]."

• Use analytics tools to research their online interests and desires. Once upon a time, doing demographics research required doing expensive surveys, which still only brought companies part of the way. Now, you can expand upon basic demographic research with help from tools like Google Analytics and the Google Keyword Tool. Together, these will tell you how and what kind of people are finding your site, what kind of information they're seeking, and what holes you can potentially fill with your content.

• Develop a distinct and niche-relevant voice and style. Traditionally, many major companies have aired on the side of caution when it comes to their brand voice. But a "safe" voice often leads to a bland, dry, corporatized and markety tone that's largely irrelevant in the blog and social media spaces, where customers want intimacy. While of course you'll want to keep it professional, don't be afraid to use humor or to ape the voice of your ideal customers as they speak on social media.

2. Create Multimedia Content

With an increasing number of potential customers turning to online venues for both their information and their entertainment, content marketing is beginning to occupy a fair amount of traditional media space. As such, it makes sense to take a few pages out of the books of traditional media companies, particularly when it comes to the kinds of media you create. In short, varied content will get you a lot further than continually posting text-heavy blogs. A few fantastic multimedia options include:

• Video: Ever gone to a restaurant and found yourself constantly distracted by the TV behind the bar? Humans are innately visual creatures, and it's just hard for us to resist video, whether on your site or in ads. What's more, video is great for SEO, increasing the likelihood that a company will show up on the first page of Google by 53% according to Forrester Research. But a shoddily made video won't help you any. Use your broader content goals to shape your video strategy and consider employing a digital agency to do it for your professionally. You'll also want to brush up on your video analytics so you have a much better grasp of how well you're doing. We also can't recommend this guide to using YouTube highly enough, as it takes you through every corner of the platform.

• Photos: For similar reasons, photos are a great way to spice up blogposts, or even to provoke thought and discussion. Consider signing up for a stock photo site like Shutterstock for the most striking and professional photos, or using customer photo contests to provide a steady stream of visual content.

• Infographics: There's a reason why you've probably seen infographics cropping up all over the internet: They're the perfect combination of data and art, and they're easy to share on social media sites. It's worth investing in a graphic designer for the most groundbreaking data. For the rest, choose from a host of excellent free infographic tools, and get creative.

• Social Media: While social media is often used to support and distribute content, it can also be a form of content itself. Take a look at George Takei's Twitter feed if you need any proof. Witty, timely and distinctive posts can both establish your company's expertise and keep you fresh in your customer's mind.

3. Take the Time to Create an Editorial Calendar

Last but certainly not least, taking the time to create an editorial calendar is an investment that's sure to pay off. This will help you vary your content and will also give you deadlines and regularity. A few things you might add to an editorial calendar:

• Important industry and company dates.You can use these to create timely, expert content right when it's most relevant.

• Theme days. Having regular weekly or monthly theme days like, "Employee Stories Tuesdays" or "November's Top Customer Tweets" will again provide a structure in which you can be creative, rather than leaving you floundering to fill space.

• Content type. Planning out regular dates for producing different kinds of content, like videos vs. blogposts, will keep you from getting overwhelmed and it will also give your content providers firm deadlines. Take a look at these neat tools to get your editorial calendar going.

The Takeaway

Content is a powerful tool for contemporary businesses, but it's not a magic pill. Take the time to learn just what content is and what tools and platforms are available to you before going with a more haphazard, ad hoc plan. With a deep understanding, there's no telling where you'll go.

Author Bio:
Luke is a designer and marketer from Seattle. Follow him on Twitter @lukeclum

Tech Companies Missing From List of Most Trusted

The Ponemon Institute recently released the results of their Most Trusted Companies for Privacy Study. It was an extensive 15-week survey of more than 100,000 adult-aged consumers about which companies they believed to be the most trusted at protecting their privacy and personal information. Those surveyed were asked to name up to five companies they felt most protected their privacy online. It's an annual survey since 2006 and the top 20 are ranked and released to the public, showing the companies generally considered to be the most trustworthy and leaving off those thought of as not being as protective of their customer’s personal information as they should. Whether the companies on or off the list really do protect privacy as much as those surveyed believe is another matter entirely—this is merely the results of public perception.

Notable Companies

For the sixth year in a row, American Express was considered the company that best protected personal information of their customers, due to the fact that it has an excellent reputation when it comes to protecting their cardholders from identity theft. The only company who topped them was eBay, in 2006. Other notable major companies who are consistently considered great at protecting it's customer’s privacy are IBM, Amazon, Hewlett-Packard and the U.S. Postal Service.

Where are the Techies?

A number of massive, notable tech companies are noticeably absent from the list this year. Apple, who is now technically the largest traded company in the world, fell from the ranks, after being listed as high as the 8th most trusted company with personal privacy a few years ago. This may be due to the death of Steve Jobs which has caused Apple’s overall image to fluctuate amongst investors in recent months, as well as the sheer size of the company—the bigger any corporation becomes, the more vulnerable in becomes in different areas, especially in the realm of public perception.

Google Gone Again

Google, who has gone on and off the list over the seven years, also missed the top 20. Google does so many different things and constantly needs personal information that it seems easy for identity thieves and third parties to access it from individual users. The size issue plays a part here as well, as Google has so many different facets to it’s company.

Facebook Gone Forever?

Not surprising is Facebook, who only made 15 on the list, the year the film about their rise was released. The revolutionary social-networking site is regularly accused of giving out personal information of it’s members and matching them with advertisers they believe will match their personal interests and needs. There seems to be little chance of this public perception ever turning around.

Public Perception

There are ways to sway public perception among companies that want to make this list in the future. By changing company policies or investing in a good public relations firm, the next group surveyed by the Ponemon Institute may soon see these companies in a better light. These large companies can also use a companies like Reputation.com who are experts in online reputation management. Reputation.com will help to flush out inaccurate, misleading or outdated material that may exist about a company, helping to slowly but surely change the public perception of them. This takes time and diligence, so a corporation must be patient and truly have good personal privacy practices for their customers if they want to be included on this illustrious list in the future.

How Businesses Can Gain More Customers

Sometimes it can be slightly difficult for companies to hang on to customers or acquire new clients but that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to fix this.  There are quite a few different ways for companies and businesses to get more traffic and get their name out there to bring in more customers and clients, and one of them involves blogging. We'll go through a couple of ideas and in the end we'll focus a little on that concept.

1.  Getting the company name on personalized merchandise is a great way to get customers to keep coming back.  Promotional pens are an effective way to get people to remember the name and keep it fresh in their minds. 

Offering magnets or notepads with the company’s name, address, and business hours are also great ideas.  Everybody likes free merchandise so they’re bound to take them and the more people that see the name on a daily basis the better.

2.  Referrals can be the difference between a successful business and one that has trouble getting off the ground.  All businesses and companies start somewhere – not all of them have amazing marketing campaigns at the start. 

Having discounts or offers for customers who successfully refer the business to their friends or other partners is an easy way to get the name out there into the masses as well as bring in quite a bit more traffic.

3.  Blogging is certainly something that can keep any business alive in the eyes of a customer or a business partner. Not to mention that it's a constant update and marketing method that doesn't cost that much. Even after the offices are closed and they can keep garnering money when the customer base may have fallen at the brick and mortar shop.  Having a website is an important piece in keeping a company going.

Additionally, websites are integral in keeping the unique brand of the business fresh in people’s minds and bringing in unique traffic.  Potential customers are much more likely to remember the name of someone with a memorable and professional website and they’re more likely to refer that website to their friends and family.

4.  These days social media (especially if integrated with blogging) can be an extremely effective method of getting attention and new customers.  Not only will companies be able to reach more customers through social media but they’ll also be able to potentially offer special discounts for their social media followers.

Likewise, social media acts as its own referral and most customers are going to look at the company’s name and feedback before they choose to do business.  Having a successful and active social media life can help propel a business into the public eye and it’s a great way to interact with customers and garner a lot of positive feedback.

5.  When a business sees that their current marketing or advertising campaigns stop working, it’s important that they recognize it immediately and be objective about it.  Decide what isn’t working and how it can be better serviced.

Sometimes it’s important to start something from fresh to fully benefit from it.  People will become complacent when they see the same things over and over again, which is why it’s vital to keep upgrading and freshening up the marketing approach.  Usually every year or two a business should reevaluate how their campaign is doing and update it accordingly to make sure it stays fresh in people’s minds.

There are a good number of things that businesses and companies can do to keep their customer traffic coming even after it’s seemed to have slowed down.  With a little out of the box thinking and some initiative on the company’s part, they’ll be able to pick up their profits and see more customers within a short amount of time.