Content Marketing Archives | Page 2 of 2

Content Marketing Strategy Must-Haves for Your Website

Posted on May 15, 2018 at 3:37 pm.

Content marketing is its own kind of marketing beast. If it’s fed properly, it can be as majestic as a lion, king of the jungle and ready to engage. If it’s not given the proper digital diet and care, the content on your site lags like a sloth, unuseful and unseen at the bottom of Google’s SERPs (search engine result pages).

The good news is there are simple techniques that content marketers can use to help your website gain traction with search engines. These techniques provide the nutrition your site needs to continue to grow and thrive in the online jungle.

Here are five common components that you may want to incorporate into your content marketing strategy in order to help your site dominate search in your niche.

Too busy/lazy to read the whole thing? Here’s an infographic.

1. Call to Action

According to Optimizely.com, a call to action (or CTA) is a prompt of sorts that ask the viewer to act on a specific request. Some typical examples of CTAs include:

• Sign up now
• Buy now
• Learn more by clicking here
• Contact us today

The CTA is a common feature of the sales funnel and is one of the most important features. It increases sales and newsletter memberships. A simple call to action also allows you to extend the reach of your marketing efforts without having to do much.

The best CTAs are easy to read and stand out on the page according to HubSpot. Take, for example, DropBox’s bright blue sign-up button that stands out against its all-white background.

Other effective calls to action include Panthera’s “Join the pride today,” which appeals to cat lovers; Quick Sprout’s “Are you doing your SEO wrong?”; and OkayCupid’s bright green “continue” button on the dark blue background.

2. Local Relevancy

When it comes to digital marketing, few techniques can help a local business owner out as much as having local SEO content on their website. As Yoast points out, most people who use local search terms aren’t looking to buy online. Instead, they need information that will direct them to a local brick-and-mortar store, where they can take the next step.

To attract these customers, you’re going to need to do a couple of things. First, you need to make sure that you’re using unique localized content for each page. Basically, this means that even if you have an office in two different cities for the same business, the content for each page won’t be carbon copies of each other.

You’ll also want to add your business’s contact information (name, address, phone number, email, etc.). Moz additionally recommends that you put a Google map on your site. All of this type of information helps search engines categorize your site correctly.

Additionally, you should be using keywords/ keyword phrases with a local flair. For example, if you’re a dentist in Fort Worth, Texas, make sure that your business’s website uses words like “Fort Worth dentists” or “dentists in Fort Worth” throughout.

3. Internal Links

The internal linking strategy that you use on your site is important. It shows search engines like Google the relevance of pages, the relationship between pages and the value of the pages.

There should be a lot of links to the most important topic-related pages, the ones that pass the most link value. From there, link to subpages about similar content. You want Google to see what pages have similar topics and information.

The anchor text used in linking is also important. Anchor text is the clickable text that your reader sees. It should contain keywords or relevant content to what it’s linked to. The content around your anchor text says more about relevancy to Google than the anchor itself, so be sure that you aren’t over-optimizing.

4. SEO Components

SEO elements like metadata, subheadings, alt text, and other components also help your website rank better by making it easier for search engines to categorize your content.

Metadata includes title tags and meta descriptions. Title tags indicate to search engines what your page is about. It’s currently recommended that title tags stay below 70 characters and include localization. Meta descriptions are written so the reader can understand what information your content is going to give them. These typically include a CTA and it’s recommended they stay below 140 characters.

Another important thing to have are headings. An H1 is the title of your page. It’s an HTML code that search engines crawl to understand what your page is about. It’s similar to a title tag, and oftentimes are the same. You should only have one H1 on each page so search engines don’t get confused about the topic of your page. Subheadings should be labeled as h2, h3 and so on.

For example, let’s say you’ve written a blog post about Alice in Wonderland. In this example, this is the H1 for your page. Some of the subheadings that might appear on your blog post would be “Alice Meets Hatter,” “Alice Cries a Pool of Tears,” “Alice Meets the Red Queen.” These subheadings give the reader a preview of what they’re going to read next. In this case, the content will be about the Mad Hatter, the pool of tears, and the Red Queen.

Finally, visual elements like photos and illustrations should have alt text that tells search engines what the photo is about. Going back to the Alice example, if you have a photo of Alice in her pool of tears, the alt text and file name should include that.

5. Up-to-Date Content

Keeping the content on your website up-to-date is important because it signals to search engines that your website is current and you’re actively contributing to the web. Along with helping you build your reputation with search engines as an expert in your niche, it also helps keep your site at the top of the SERPs as long as the content is relevant and useful.

Typically, search engines favor new and relevant content over old and outdated content. And given the fact that millions of new pages of content are created daily, content updates are one of the simplest things you can do in your content marketing efforts to keep your site on top.

By incorporating calls to action, local relevancy, internal links, SEO components and up-to-date content you can make sure you have a majestic lion. It’s good to be king.

Content Marketing Strategy Infographic

How to Use Instagram for Your Small Business

Posted on May 12, 2017 at 6:01 pm.

Written by Marianne Pressley

Instagram burst onto the social media scene back in 2010 allowing users to snap and edit photos with friends and family. Maybe you’ve wondered about how Instagram can be used to promote your business or if you should even be making an effort there. If you’re on the fence about it, here are some quick stats about Instagram that might change your mind:

• Over 60% of users log in daily, making it the second most engaged network behind Facebook
• Instagram was used by 48.8% of brands in 2016 and is expected to grow to 70.7% this year
• Top brands post 4.9 times per week on Instagram
• Engagement with brands is 10 times higher than Facebook, 54 times higher than Pinterest, and 84 times higher than Twitter
• 50% of Instagram users follow brands, making them the social networkers most likely to do so

Clearly, Instagram isn’t just for sharing filtered pictures of your dinner or your furry friend anymore! If you’re not sure where to start, here are some tips for getting your business Instagram-ready.

1. Get Familiar With Instagram for Business
Check out Instagram’s own blog for businesses to get started. Here you will find valuable tips and tricks as well as announcements about updates or new features that you could be incorporating into your posts.

2. Create a Cohesive Looking Profile
Instagram is all about the visuals and imagery. Make sure your images all feel the same stylistically and play off of each other to paint a bigger picture. A simple way some accounts use to maintain continuity is to use the same filter on every post. You can also alter different filters so they continue the same feel when looking at your profile as a whole.
This also extends to the content and captions you post. Keep everything similar by sticking to the same amount of hashtags, separating them the same way in every post, etc. Hashtags are a big part of Instagram and creating your own brand-specific posts you and your fans can use is a great way to engage with loyal customers and hopefully find some new ones along the way.

3. Cultivate a Following
This may seem like the most difficult step but it’s really the easiest! Connect your Facebook account, use relevant and popular hashtags, and engage with others by following and liking their photos and that’s all you need to do! Another helpful hint would be cross-posting your Instagram images to Facebook to help fans from there find your profile.

4. Go Behind-the-Scenes
Instagram is a fun place to take your followers behind the scenes of your business! Post pictures or selfies of your employees or a day in the life at your company. It will make them feel like an insider and like they’re part of the process. This is especially easy to do with the new Instagram Stories feature, which allows you to post images that last for 24 hours before they disappear.

5. Entice Your Followers
Offer your followers exclusive access, discounts, or flash sales using Instagram. It’s also a great platform for running contests and partnering up with other small businesses to help each other gain followers. When setting up a contest or event on Instagram, make sure to outline the rules and have a short deadline. You don’t want to have a situation like the Sunny Co Clothing swimsuit giveaway.

Instagram is an ever-changing and evolving social media platform that is really a lot of fun once you get started! It’s an extremely creative platform that can be used in a variety of ways to work for your business. If you have any questions or need help coming up with the right Instagram marketing plan for you, get in touch with us!

First Impressions Can Make or Break Your Advertising

Posted on June 8, 2012 at 9:53 pm.

Written by Epic Marketing

Studies show it takes as little as one-tenth of a second for us to formulate a first impression. However, many business owners don’t understand that the same thing applies when it comes to advertisements. Whether you like it or not, prospective patients and customers are judging your business in a split second based on the look and feel of your advertising. In a society that is flooded with advertisements, a successful ad has to stand out and make an immediate positive impression or it will be skipped over.

Think about the highest quality business you know of. What does their advertising look like? Now, think about the worst quality business you know. What does their advertising look like? Chances are there is a big difference in how you view the two company’s advertising in terms of credibility and professionalism. Some ads probably make you assume that the business is located in a back alley, while others make you picture the business in an impressive office building.

Your ad could have the absolute best messaging and content, but your readers won’t even get that far if they aren’t first enticed by a creative look and fee. That’s why you need a professional marketing firm involved with your advertising that knows how to accurately portray your business image.

At Epic Marketing, we know how to design attention-grabbing ads. Our creative team has more than 40 years of combined experience and has helped all of our clients improve how their business is portrayed through advertisements. Don’t take a chance with your image. Call Epic today to take your advertising to the next level.

What Makes a Good Ad?

Posted on February 16, 2017 at 10:12 pm.

Written by Nick White

What is it that makes a good ad? Is it the pictures/video? Is it what is written or said? Is it the creative elements that cause you to feel something after you have been exposed to it?

We believe that a good ad is one that is written and designed to emotionally connect with its target audience. Once connected, your ad’s rhetoric strongly persuades its consumer to want the product or service. The individual recognizes a need for it and feels a sense of urgency until the purchase is made.

Nonetheless, this is all easier said than done. When you’re competing for ad space in 2017 there’s little vacancy for mediocrity. Anything short of disruptive or highly targeted ends up falling short. Here are some ad related statistics that will acquaint you with the advertising industry of today–

-In 2015, digital ad blocking grew globally by 41%.

-Approximately 90% of TV viewers report, “always skipping” ads on DVR.

–Adobe reports that only 8% of people pay attention to online ads, 16% for radio ads and 14% for billboards. Ads in apps and games bottomed-out at 5%.

There are a wide range of ad styles and each are appropriate depending on the product or service that is being offered. With that in mind, here are some things that, if done correctly, will improve the quality and response to your next ad:

Compelling Hi-Res Visuals

After experimenting with the effectiveness of online imagery, Dan Zarrella of Hubspot, reported that, “[A] 37% increase in engagement [was] experienced when Facebook posts include[d] photographs.”

Visuals are one of the first things people look at when viewing an advertisement. In advertising, the old adage, “a picture is worth a thousand words” really fits. For example, you can probably think of some advertisements you’ve seen that are mainly just an image with little text. The ad visual should complement the ad headline, copy, and overall message.

Take a look at how we optimized images and responsiveness for a client website to increase web form conversions by 550%.

Effective Headline

Without question, digital advertisers are in the business of capturing attention. Though you may have put hours, weeks or even months into prepping the content that’s behind the click, your headline is what must compel them to do so.

In regards to the average Google searcher, Forbes reports, “it now takes people on average about eight or nine seconds to find the result they want.”

Moz also reports, “80% of readers never make it past the headline.”

We naturally search the internet with impulsiveness and impatience. When it comes to search engines, we’re anxious to get from A to B as fast as possible. We reserve our consciousness and focus for our destination and not the journey. So it would make sense that we ought to create headlines that cater to our naturally click-happy audience.

Because headlines are implicitly the first thing your viewer pays attention to, your headline should be attention-grabbing but should also encompass the overall message in a short sentence. Headlines can be thought-provoking, strictly informative, humorous, etc., but effective headlines have one thing in common: they all leave their reader wanting more.

Well-written Copy

If your headline and visuals have been effective enough to keep viewers reading, well-written copy will be the next aspect of your ad that will compel viewers to take action. If Moz’s report about 80% of users never making it past the headline is true, that means, if we read between the lines, 20% of users do make it past the headline.

So what now? Ad copy should be creative, concise and easy to read but also have compelling and relevant content. Avoid using jargon or excessive information that doesn’t contribute directly to the overall message of the advertisement.

Calls the Viewer to Action

Without a strong call to action, your advertisement probably won’t get the results you’re expecting it to. A call to action is defined as something in the ad that gives them an incentive to call or contact you now. Your ad’s call to action should be well thought out and defined. Make sure that your contact information is clearly visible and not surrounded by clutter. Though you may feel it’s important that your visitors become informed, have a positive branding experience with your company or visit a high number of pages, remember you ultimately created your ad so people can convert.

See how we helped a new york city client achieve 386 unique first-time callers in a single month.

Here are some key factors to consider when crafting your CTA-

– More than 90% of visitors who read your headline also read your CTA copy.

– Making CTAs look like buttons created a 45% boost in clicks for Create Debate.

– Emails with a single call-to-action increased clicks 371% and sales 1617%.

Overall, great advertisements connect to their audience and provide memorable, informative, and compelling content that get viewers respond to the call to action. Need help creating great ads? Contact Epic Marketing to find out how we can successfully boost your digital marketing campaign with great ads.

The Importance of Persuasive Ad Copy

Posted on April 12, 2011 at 10:27 pm.

Written by Nick White

As we sit down with a new client, one of the things that we review is their advertising material. We show them examples of how persuasive Ad copy will help them get more phone calls/web traffic. We will use the pain treatment category for this blog example today (headlines, content, messaging). Keep in mind that each of the following headlines has been used in local newspapers across the country and one of them works significantly better than the rest… and we wrote it.

Can you guess which one generates the most phone calls?

1. The Changing Faces of Chronic Pain
2. Experiencing Back Pain?
3. Drug FREE, Surgery FREE, Pain FREE
4. Back Pain Sufferers find New Hope in FDA Cleared Technology
5. I am 100% pain FREE and I feel fantastic

Advertising can be your friend or your archenemy. One of the elements that will determine the success of an ad campaign is the ad copy. You must carefully choose your words and what message is the most important to convey to your target audience. If it is done properly, your ad copy will connect with consumers in a way that causes them to act.