A couple of months or so ago, no one ever heard of coronavirus or COVID-19. Today, it’s the subject of every newscast and internet news piece. In other parts of the world, whole countries are on lockdown. Here in the United States, many states are encouraging social distancing or sheltering in place. Many people can’t go to work or have been laid off temporarily. Perhaps one of the most difficult things to deal with is that we don’t know how long it will last. These are desperate times. For many people, it’s easy to see the glass as half-empty, if not drained completely.
For digital marketers, the impact of a pandemic doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom. Consider the unique opportunities that COVID-19 affords you to improve your skills and serve others.
How the COVID-19 Crisis Affects Digital Marketers
Large and small businesses are finding their own ways to handle the crisis. One of the truly great things about the field of digital marketing is that the internet is our playground and it’s always bustling with activity. As long as the internet is up and running, there is work for us to do.
When the rest of the world is shutting down, don’t shut down with it. Here’s what you can do:
Work on your own business plans
Work on your client portfolios
Invest in additional education and training
Digital Marketers Working During a Health Crisis
The word crisis is a scary one because it indicates a serious event. It’s also important to consider that a crisis is temporary. This, too, shall pass.
When there is a disruption in the regular workflow, it presents a suitable time for doing a little digital marketing spring cleaning. Break out all those projects that you’ve been wanting to tackle for so long and just haven’t had the time. Take the time to do some thorough marketing planning so that you can hit it hard when things get closer to normal.
If you’re a digital marketer that’s been quarantined at home, you’re saving on the commute time, so why not put those precious hours to good use? Consider how you can use the top of COVID-19 as an example of how to use current events in digital marketing.
When the whole world is silent, the one thing that’s alive and active is the internet and it has aa 24/7 audience.
Take Time for Training During a Health Crisis
Whether your regular work has slowed down or stopped altogether during times of a serious health crisis, there are lots of opportunities available to help you perfect your craft. Now you have time to take advantage of them.
Look for digital educational opportunities such as:
Training seminars
Webinars
Podcasts
Blogs on the internet about digital marketing
Online conferences on digital marketing
Engaging in networking
Many educational opportunities are free. Digital marketing is a rapidly evolving field. There’s always something new to learn and there is much to learn about different applications for new methods of digital marketing.
My Personal Plan for Surviving and Thriving Through COVID-19
I’ve been working remotely for some time. For me, the effects of the quarantine are not as challenging as what others are dealing with. From a personal standpoint, I’ve found that focusing on digital marketing helps to distract me from the terrible effects that are occurring around the world from COVID-19.
My digital marketing glass is still half full rather than half empty. As digital marketers, we’re blessed that we can work through whatever life throws at us because when the non-digital world stops, the digital world picks up the slack. I’m choosing to take my own advice and I’m taking some time to write content for my personal blog, my agency blog, my Forbes column, and some other contributions.
I’m also taking time to network in the SEO chat where I learn so much from my colleagues. I’ve decided to commit some of my time to catching up on reading my favorite digital marketing blogs and engaging in some remote learning so that I can stay at the top of my game. Part of my plan is to strategize on ways that I can apply the new knowledge that I’m acquiring to help my clients by refining their marketing strategies to bolster their overall digital marketing efforts.
Disruption Can Lead to Increased Productivity
Rather than think of this time as a tragedy, try to think about the new opportunities that may arise from it and how you can use them for good for yourself, your peers, and your clients. With that being said, remember to always be genuine, ethical, and empathetic, especially during this time. When considering the opportunities that the current times present, be careful not to SPAM your customers or take advantage of them. As digital marketers, part of our role is to inform, all year round. Be aware that these are sensitive times in that people are dealing with the sickness, the loss of income, and a vastly different lifestyle. The quarantining can result in increased stress, loneliness, and depression.
It won’t be long and the current orders for quarantining, social distancing, and sheltering in place will be lifted. Take all that you’ve learned and put it to good use. That’s the way to keep your glass full and perhaps even take it over the top. Remember we are blessed to work in digital marketing in times of Coronavirus
https://karinatama.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/digital-marketing-in-times-of-Covid-19.png315560Karina Tama- Rutiglianohttps://karinatama.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Logo1Karina.jpgKarina Tama- Rutigliano2020-03-24 01:03:462020-03-25 14:21:29Digital Marketing in Times of Coronavirus
I challenge you to think back to how quickly mobile technology exploded. Companies that invested in mobile before it became mainstream got a huge jump on their competitors. If someone told you that a new technology would be exploding within the next nine months, is that something that you’d quickly invest in to get an edge on your competition?
I recently interviewed Scott Westwater, a voice strategy expert and lead strategist for Pragmatic Digital to learn more about where we are in relation to voice technology and how digital marketers can use it effectively in their marketing strategies.
Westwater predicts that 75% of Americans will have a voice device in their homes sometime by the end of 2020.
Voice Technology- What do We Know About it?
During my conversation with Westwater, I learned that there’s a lot of interest in voice technology, but there aren’t a lot of practitioners out there on it and not a lot of information is forthcoming just yet. In fact, there aren’t even very many conferences available on it so far. To date, Amazon and Google are holding onto a lot of the information on voice technology and they’re not sharing it or selling it.
How Does Voice Technology Work?
The lack of information about voice technology has left a lot of digital marketers scratching their heads to figure out how to include voice technology as part of their digital marketing strategies. Of course, the primary question is, “How can we use content to direct voice traffic to websites?”
The answer to that question lies in understanding four points:
How to ask a question using the internet.
The types of answers the internet will deliver to you.
How to ask a voice device a question.
How voice technology delivers the answer to your question.
For example, let’s say you wanted to know more about how voice technology can assist seniors. If you were asking the question on the internet, you might type “voice technology seniors” or a similar phrase into an internet search box. What will the world wide web find for you? The internet will scrub the web for content and it will then pull up numerous pages of blog articles on how voice technology impacts the lives of seniors. You can then scroll down and select an article that will answer your specific question.
If you were seeking information on the same topic using a voice device, rather than pick a few words, you’d put your request in the form of a question such as, “Siri (or Alexa), how can voice technology assist seniors?” The device would answer you in a few complete sentences.
Where would the content from the voice activation come from? According to Westwater, voice technology generally pulls it up from sites like Wikipedia, Yelp, or rich snippets. If your company isn’t in a place where Google or Alexa can find you and connect you to the kinds of questions that voice-activated users are asking, you’re off the radar completely.
How Can Digital Marketers Tap into Voice Technology?
Westwater was able to walk me through a strategy to get a website back into the radar range.
The simple answer is that you need to provide relevant answers to the industry around your product. Before you get to that step, you need to take the time to do some research. Do a deep dive around social media and Quora to find out what consumers really want to know about your product or service. Try to find out how your product or service can be of use or help to consumers.
Don’t just write down the ways your product is useful, say it out loud. Your spoken answers will sound different than your written answers. Then, take your answers and actively promote them using all your channels.
The next step is to work on analysis and promotion. Are you asking the right questions? Can you improve your questions to steer them toward the answers they need? Did you miss anything? Start small and then scale your efforts. At this point, you’ll have a basis for adding in e-Commerce strategies.
How Can Marketers Channel Their Content to Siri and Alexa?
With some valuable insight from Westwater, I was able to discover the magic behind marketing to voice technology. Think of it as a three-step process:
Determine what your business objectives are.
Find out what questions people are asking about your product or service and create a matrix of those questions.
Use an app to build a voice experience.
At this point, it should be fairly easy to see where your business objectives overlap with the answers your customers are looking for. You would then go through a development process to record the audio files using your own voice or the voice of a voice actor. Alternatively, you could invest in a custom development program. Next, you upload your audio files into Siri or Alexa’s platform, and it will push your content when someone asks about it using their voice.
Sounds great! Right? Then, it occurred to me that this could be really expensive. I asked Westwater if this was something that only large, highly prosperous brands would be able to afford. I was pleasantly surprised by his answer. He said that it’s actually quite affordable for any size business especially when you consider the amazing return on investment.
Westwater provided the example of how large banking institutions rely on call centers for customer service. The reality is that somewhere between 30 to 50 questions that customers ask are probably the same, which means that a voice assistant or chatbot could probably answer them in short order. Westwater explained, “…if that results in a 1% reduction, that’s like $200 million back in their pocket.”
Consider these statistics:
Right now, between 80 to 130 million people already have voice technology in their homes.
The holiday season will add another 20 to 30 million people with voice technology.
That will make about 40% of Americans with voice technology in their homes.
The numbers are sure to increase rapidly in 2020.
Let’s take a deeper look at how voice technology works in practice.
What Does the Future Hold for Voice Technology and Healthcare?
When I mentioned that I was very interested in the benefits of voice technology for the healthcare, senior care, and the disability industries, Westwater became quite excited. He foresees that voice technology will soon revolutionize disease prevention and education.
At some point, voice technology could advance to a point where it could record a patient or senior’s symptoms and put them together over time in a way that offers an early diagnosis. Having the benefit of earlier detection will certainly lead to improved health outcomes.
Physicians, as trusted sources of medical information, could also educate their patients by recording answers to common questions about diseases and their symptoms. Patients develop trust in the technology because the information gets delivered in a voice they recognize and trust.
Why Is Voice Technology a Valuable Tool in the Senior Care Space?
When we think of the needs of seniors, it’s easy to connect the dots on how voice technology could be a game-changer in the quality of life for them.
Many seniors have had trouble learning how to use all the bells and whistles on their cell phones. As a result, they don’t use their cell phones as much as they could. However, most seniors are able to speak. Voice-activated responses can help seniors with:
Socialization and connection
Medical care
Memory care
Safety
Convenience
Many seniors struggle with loneliness and isolation. Voice technology can keep them company by playing their favorite music, reading an enjoyable book, connecting them with family or even telling them a joke.
Voice technology can remind them to take their medication or get some exercise. Seniors that have poor finger dexterity or poor eyesight merely need to speak their request to make a phone call or complete a task. They can tell Siri or Alexa where they put their keys and then ask the device where they put them later on if they forget. A senior could tell a voice device when they need to pay a bill and get a reminder.
They can also use voice devices to call out for help, much like a medical alert system. From the standpoint of convenience, they can ask what the senior care facility’s activities are for the day or what is on the menu without having to look it up or find their reading glasses. If they have both hands on their walker, they can ask their voice device to turn up the temperature or turn down the volume on the music without moving their hands from the walker. The possibilities for how voice can help seniors are as numerous as they are valuable.
Some Final Thoughts on Voice Technology
Voice technology is developing and evolving as we speak. It’s entering the mainstream at a rapid pace. The methodology behind using marketing content for the internet is vastly different than strategies for marketing content for voice technology. Digital marketers will have to learn how to incorporate voice technology into their digital marketing strategies.
The full impact that voice technology will have in the near future is yet to be seen. What we know for certain is that voice technology will soon revolutionize the way that we work, live, and play.
Links are an important part of SEO. It can be challenging to build links but it is a practice that never stops. Stone Temple conducted a study on large data of 27,000 queries using Moz. The study found correlations between DA, PA and link count. The correlation between DA and PA was stronger than the link count. In other words, the most important for ranking is to build links from authoritative sites. Ways to get backlinks in 2019
Link building can be risky. It is important to be cautious. Google rewards high authority sites backlinks but to earn those, you need to have high-quality content. Don’t play the game of using average content and build links to it because quality matters.
My recommendation is to create an evergreen great piece of content and then build the links.
Here are 5 ways to get those valuable incoming links:
1) Resource Page:
This is an easy and strong way to build links. A resource page is a page that offers useful links to users for example: If I search for “seniors resource pages”,
But how I found these resource pages? Easy: just search as follow:
“Keyword” + inurl:links
“Keyword” + resource pages
“Keyword” + “helpful resources”
“Keyword” + “useful links”
2) Infographics:
Create and add a killer infographic to your evergreen content and use it to build links. You can find tons of good sites where you can submit your infographic. I have found several websites or articles that provide infographic lists. Now, I have my own list. Some infographic websites are free and others charge to speed out the process. I check the websites DA, traffic and I also check the quality of the content of these sites before I submit my infographic. I will suggest not to overdo this technique.
3) Guess Blog:
I love guest blogging because I consider it the most genuine way to build a link. I research for places that are accepting blog post and I email them.
When I am accepted, I write a good quality piece of content to link back to my evergreen content. This can be time-consuming but definitely, it pays off. Usually, after you write one time for these sites you can keep writing and build more links (obviously to link back with different websites). I only build one link per website. But if you have an agency like me, you can take advantage of guest blogging to build links for different clients. I like to pitch blogs that have different categories because they give me the flexibility to post content for different industries. I would say that it’s a one-time investment project. When you have your network, link building becomes easier.
Note: Be very careful with anchor text when building backlinks. I use most of the time branded and when it is difficult to add this type, I use a long-tail related keyword or an LSI keyword.
4) Directories:
I know what you will think! That this is an old technique and that it can be dangerous. Well, yes and no! If you pick reputable -relevant directories that provide value to users, you will be fine. I have researched directories that still have SEO value and added them to my backlink sheet. The way I see things is that it makes sense for users. It will make sense to Google.
Important: I used local directories for my local business clients. I never add a link that is not relevant or doesn’t belong to my client territory/target market/industry.
5) Link exchange:
Before you think that this is a bad idea, let me explain to you what I mean with link exchange. It is taking time to reach out other SEOs and offer them link placements where I already have access in exchange for their link placements, for example:
I need a link for a restaurant website and the other SEO needs a link for an insurance website. I would provide what he/she needs from one of my network (no PBN) websites and in exchange, the other SEO will provide me a link for my restaurant website. I will also check DA, traffic and look from my SEO fellow’s website. This technique can be tedious, but it is worth it. Therefore, I am expanding my opportunities.
I know there are many other techniques out there such as broken link, Link roundup, etc. I have also used them, but I use more the ones I have discussed in this article.
https://karinatama.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/chain-2364831_640.jpg334640Karina Tama- Rutiglianohttps://karinatama.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Logo1Karina.jpgKarina Tama- Rutigliano2019-11-04 17:46:442019-11-04 17:56:14Link Building: 5 Ways to Get Links Fast
Link Building is the process of creating backlinks for your website. Link Building comes under Off-Page Optimization Strategies. It is one of the most important parts of Optimization process and helps in getting higher rankings on major search engines.
There are following types of methods to get Backlinks to your website.
Directory Submission
It used to be a great tool for link building a couple of years back. But now things have been changed completely. Still, there are good directories where we can place our links. Make sure the directory has a good page rank and it is not in the spam category. Check its indexing status and while getting a Backlinks make sure you are adding it to the right category of the directory website
Article Submission
This is also very important aspects of link building. Write a well informative article and post it to the websites like, www.Ezines.com , www.ehow.com , www.goarticles.com , www.articlesbase.com , www.squidoo.com , www.sooperarticles.com , www.technorati.com , www.articlesnatch.com and www.articlesfactory.com etc.
Keep in mind when have submitted article to that article site, do not use it for another site. Once you post content on these sites try to have one backlink in the lower body section and one backlink in Author Section. Try to avoid adding more Backlinks. One Quality link will do the work for your website.
Forum Links
Forums commenting and forum discussion is still a good way to express your thoughts and get Backlinks to your website. You can sign up to a forum and start posting thread or new topics there. You can also post your reply on other discussions as well. Don’t do Spam things there, the forum admin will throw you out for such activities. Also, most of the forums allow Backlinks after 10 posts. SO better to have patience and you will get a lot of exposure through these forums. Try to sign up for High PR Forums.
Blog Links or Blogging
Writing content and posting it to blogs is a very good practice to get direct traffic to your website. Now a day’s blogging helps a lot and it one a powerful tool to achieve higher rankings on major search engines. You should post regular content to blogs like www.blogger.com, www.wordpress.com, www.blog.com, www.squarespace.com, www.tumblr.com, www.webs.com, www.weebly.com, etc
These blogs are crawled daily by search engine crawlers, so it’s better to post your content out there
Social Media Links
This is one of the most important aspects of link building. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, My Space, YouTube, Vimeo, Pinterest, Instagram, Google Plus, etc are a few of the most powerful tools of social media. Try to update all these on a regular basis. This helps a lot of terms of getting rankings are well as promoting your brand.
“Blogging is a great way to show your talents and interests to prospective employers while adding an edge to your resume. If you blog consistently it shows your dedication, passions, and creativity – all of which are key attributes employers look for in job candidates.”
Lauren Conrad
https://karinatama.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/rings-684944_1280.jpg8531280Karina Tama- Rutiglianohttps://karinatama.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Logo1Karina.jpgKarina Tama- Rutigliano2019-10-29 22:48:122019-10-29 22:48:12What is Link Building and How Content Marketing Helps?
In today webinar I will cover the following topic:
How to execute Content and SEO strategies for B2B
The key to being successful in creating SEO and Content Marketing Strategies for Businesses is to understand the funnel and its stages:
Awareness
Consideration
Comparison
Conversion
Retention
In B2B we are trying to reach different personas and we need to create completely different content for each stage of the funnel.
We also need to understand that our keywords will behave differently as we move in the funnel. It is not the same to create content for the awareness stage than to create content for the retention.
Awareness Stage: Long tail keyword- informational keywords
Consideration: Specific terms- user intent
Comparison: competitor brand keywords-Long Tail
Conversion: Long Tail- Questions Keywords
Retention: Branded keywords, phrase keywords
From my experience with B2B clients. I know that users usually don’t convert in the blog. It is more likely that users convert in the service pages. But they learn about the products and services in the blog.
Services pages are transnational pages while blogs are informative pages.
Products and services are not linkable pages because they don’t offer value like blogs.
Then who will link yo these pages?
The answer is simple… Nobody!
On the other hand .. Blogs are the ones that can earn links. The blog is where our content marketing strategy plays a big role.
Users land on the blog and from there they begin to explore other pages, such as services/product pages, from here we generate most of the leads in B2B.
When we publish content that earns links we are working our way up to improve DA and that helps overall SEO. If our website is increasing rankings and earning keywords we have more chances of getting leads.
59% of B2B marketers say SEO has the biggest impact on their lead generation goals. (Marketing Charts)
SEO Process
Audit your site for technical problems
I use Screaming Frog and SEMrush(Project- audits)
Here we can find:
Canonical errors
Chain of redirections
Missing Meta Description
Missing and /or duplicate Title Tags
Broken Links
I highly recommend to fix all the technical as a priority- It doesn’t matter if we create amazing content if the site has major technical issues is very hard to rank
Tip: Make sure you have all the elements of On-Page SEO in place:
Content Audit
Check for cannibalization, thin content and duplicate content.
Here I Decide what content stay, what content can be combined and what should delete.
One time one of my clients had 25 pages with content around the same keyword. I could not believe it but I combine several pieces into a pillar page and I reuse the others ( I revamp them with a long tail, user intent, and phrase keywords ) I add those as clusters.
I know that we can have important terms that we want to rank for but it is important to structure the content in a way that makes sense, not just create a bunch of content without any strategy behind.
Tip: Run a content audit at the beginning of the project is very important because will give you a sense of your assets and what is missing even before you start to draft your Content Marketing Strategy. Here you can start mapping your strategy by discovering what part of the funnel needs more content.
Local SEO
Make sure that all your listing and citations are accurate.
TIP: In addition, you can create other directories (reputable and relevant only) profiles such as Angel List, Merchant Circle, Alignable, etc. (find a relevant in your niche and check the DA and make sure is no a spammy website)
Remember ..We need a mix of external links… no all links from directories… so don’t overdo it.
Make sure your website is mobile-friendly
I know that this is very basic but you can be surprised that many websites are no mobile-friendly
52% of buyers prefer mobile-optimized content. Then optimizing for mobile is a must thing to do.
Leverage Scheme Mark-Up
I used it and I have seen big differences. After I implement scheme my content performs better in Search Engine. This can help you to appear in Google’s Answer Box.
You can use a WordPress plugging:
Schema Pro
Schema App Structured Data
Secure your website with HTTPS: Nearly 21% of the Alexa Top 100,000 websites still don’t use HTTPS It is incredible the number of websites that are still in HTTP. When I have a new a client that has his website on HTTP version my first suggestion is to migrate it to HTTPS.
Optimize for Site Speed
This is a very important thing to check and fix. I used Google Lighthouse extension to run reports.
After I send the report to the developers to fix and improve site speed.
First Thing to Do
Identify who are my personas?
In B2B the decision is made by a group of people
At the opposite of B2C in B2B, I have to cater my message to different people in different parts of the funnel. I need to create powerful content for the top of my funnel to be considered by the CEO or CMOF of a company. For example, A startup that wants to build a new eCommerce site but they don’t know yet what platform to use: This is a very early stage. Will search for:
the best eCommerce platform
Best eCommerce platforms for start-ups
Best eCommerce platforms 2019
From these results, the director of the start-up will use this list to consider vendors.
On the other hand in the company that offers eCommerce platform doesn’t have content around this topic will be missing a big opportunity.
The Audience
Tha audience is a key in B2B and we must ask ourselves the following questions about the audience?
What information my audience is looking for?
What information is valuable to them?
We provide a response that will resolve their problems.
What benefits do we offer them- Content- Newsletters?
72% of B2B buyers turn to Google during the awareness stage (pardot.com)
Tip: Make sure you are creating content for all the stages of the funnel and for all the decision-makers.
Talk with the sales team and ask then who are the people that usually make the purchase decision.
If you don’t go the extra mile it is possible you will miss big opportunities lets say we write great content for the awareness stage but we haven’t create content for the comparison stage
For example:
E-commerce platform comparison
This will be a big mistake!
The Content Marketing Strategy is:
Create blogs:
Related to the products and services ( Not all the services that a client provide are the same -I will recommend picking the ones that have higher ROI)
Review of Service and Products pages:
Here I use the topic cluster approach. I make my mains services pages strong and I add sections to link to the related inner pages ( clusters). I will add a good set of keywords to each topic cluster. Also add links to catalog, price pages, testimonials, case studies, and everything that is relevant to the user.
Work in content to push conversions:
Tip: Be careful when you use email marketing and make sure you are sending related content no content that the subscriber doesn’t care about.
Ebooks, Reports, White papers – I will reuse them in the newsletter and in a segmented email marketing campaign.
At the moment of subscribing, you can offer a variety of topics to the user to pick a few. Then you segment the newsletter for optimal results
The content strategy must contain a mix of content
Static pages – Transactional Pages -These are my products or service pages
Blog section- Informative Pages -Create blogs to link to my product or service page
Authoritative Content – Interviews -We can interview reputable people in the industry and write an article about it. This will increase mentions, links, and shares
Prove expertise – Guest blog post -We can create an article that links back to our interview or any other blog and pitch another website to be a contributor.
Infographics -Many people don’t like to read but they love graphics – we can reuse content by creating infographics. W can also earn links by submitting the infographic to infographic websites.
Videos -Youtube is the second search engine- reusing text content in video format will provide opportunities to earn links and get more visibility.
Presentations -We can create a presentation from original research or any other data-based content. And submit these presentations to websites such as slideshare.com
Google remains the top source of traffic for blogs (growthbadger.com)
What type of content I can create:
Trending Topics in Pop Culture
Ex: in the Oscar Award time… A company that sells Nomex fibers can write an article for its blog about the movies that use Nomex solutions for its dangerous scenes (Nomex is a special material that is resistant to heat and fire)
Case study
Software that calculates how to allocate budget for marketing ( traditional and digital ) can create a case of how the software helps to maximize marketing budget to a specific client.
Industry Report
Expert interviews: I interview experts, actually I saw Craig in a SEMrush webinar after that I decided to connect with him on LinkedIn and interviewed him. I wrote an article in SEW, you guys can go and check it out is a really good article.
Guides
Indeed Employer Dashboard 101
Resources and How to Page
How to use Wix website editor
Calculators, quiz pages, etc.
The top 10% of SaaS blogs receive 104,000 visits each month from organic search (ek-byford.com)
Top-performing B2B blog posts include “the future of” you need data-driven articles and opinion articles. (buzzsumo.com)
How to create original content
Gathering data and write the conclusion of the finding
Survey – get a new response- conduct a study
Combine your data findings with other data
You need to find what is not yet said, stats- something fresh that people want to link to. It is a great way to contribute to the industry. This gives you the authority on the topic.
Surveys are one of the best and easy ways to get insights. There are many services that can help you with this such as:
Survey Monkey
Google Forms
I personally prefer Google forms because it is free (Survey monkey also has a free version) but Google forms offer more. You can create unlimited surveys with unlimited questions the only downside of Google forms is that has limited customization options.
Only 39% of marketing teams have published original research in 2019 – Source Buzzsumo.
39% is no big number is less than half. We should take advantage of this huge opportunity and work on original research.
Has your marketing team created and published original research in the last 12 months?
BuzzSumo
Why people don’t work in original research? It can be because of tales 2-4 months.
This is a time-consuming practice and that’s is the reason that only a few marketers are doing it.
Tip: If you plan to use research to earn backlink don’t limit your audience. Your audience are not your prospects only. Think about topics that are relevant to bloggers, journalists, influencers each and everyone that is involved with the industry. You need people to engage with your and link it to you.
76% of B2B buyers listed white papers as the material they were most likely to share with colleagues (demandgenreport.com)
Make sure you leverage your traffic. Create an engaging Newsletter sign up form
CTAs in your pages- Make things easy for users – Tell them what to do next
Offer Ebook, white papers- industry reports, etc.
It is really important to leverage your traffic. A well-segmented email marketing campaign and newsletter will increase conversions.
95% of buyers are willing to share their name, company and email address in return for content(demandgenreport.com)
Hustle Panda is a company that helps startups to find brandable .com domains
They do a great job with their newsletters.
1)Clear: Subscribers know what they will get
Frequency: Subscribers know that they won’t be spam daily with your emails.
This form don’t offer any value because don’t say what people what they will get and the frequency.
It is not attractive, it is too generic. Why people will subscribe?
89% of B2B marketers use content marketing (Content Marketing Institute)
But only 37% have a content marketing strategy in place ( no document it)
45% of content creation is done on an ad-hoc basis
A content marketing strategy that is no documented it is no scalable because we don’t have data to make future decisions. It is crucial to track our strategy in order to see what works and what doesn’t. When we identify the sweet spot is just rinse and repeat.
Create content without a plan is a waste of time and money.
Now comes the fun part- Keyword Research!
I like to do a deep keyword research- I want to make sure I am not missing any opportunity.
Ahersf keyword to define keyword difficulty – competition
I want to find key phrases, long-tail keywords
SEMrush
Magic Tool- I love this feature because on the left side show me tags that I can add to my keywords. I also can find question keywords. I love question keyword because these ones provide me a lot of opportunities to outrank my competitors.
Answer The public- This is a great tool and is free.
Keywords Everywhere extension. Very useful
Google Search
“People also ask” I used these phrases – question keyword ideas as subtitles H2 ( they work great)
”search related to” ( I try to add these keywords in my content as much as I can)
Google Console- Google Analytics ( hanging fruit keywords)
The anatomy of the page
Content that answers the questions
A good mix of keywords
Evidence – testimonials- case study links
CTA
This is a winner layout for a page. If we include all these components the page will generate leads.
What is the biggest SEO challenge for B2B? Backlinks.
Data/ Research shows the higher rate to earn backlinks followed by videos and infographics. We must create content in different formats to maximize our chances to earn backlinks and increase DA.
Reuse content
We can reuse our content in different ways; For example
we can create an ebook from a series of blogs.
We can create an infographic version of our top rating blog
We can create a video from a blog or vice-versa
we can also create a playlist video from a set of blogs
The opportunities are infinite. It is just about planning and creativity.
Amplify content
Collaborate- relationships
Content Amplification:
Collaborate with influencers in the industry (journalist)
Outreach to let others know about your last original research content
Quora ads offer an interesting way to advertise based on topics, keywords or questions. I like to diversify my ads and test new options. Price per click varies. In my last campaign, I paid around $3 per click.
Linkedin ads. Are a great way to amplify your content and also get leads.
It is all about your goals. If you want to increase your email list you can offer a white paper. If you want to generate leads you can offer a special promotion on Linkedin and if you want to use it for awareness you can definitely use your content.
Linkedin is very powerful for B2b, the downside is that CPC can be higher than PPC.
I also love social media ads because are very affordable and provide results. These types of ads are great for awareness
. These efforts will generate referral traffic
We need connections to amplify content- How we will get these connections
Linkedin
( I have built most of my relationships via Linkedin) Don’t ask for anything but offer some value this is the first step to build a long term relationship. I personally hate how when people that I don’t know pitch me on Linkedin. Why they think I will buy service from somebody out of the blue- this is not the way. We build relationships first- we do things for others first then later I would ask. Many people use Linkedin as a new version of call calling.
Followerwonk
it a great tool that is connected with Twitter and allows you to find bloggers- influencers. I recommend it!
I love followewonk because has helped me a lot to find influencers. I worked with people that I have found with Followewonk and I have achiveded great results – links, mentions, etc.
Brand24
This is a very straight forward tool – You create a new project with brand and keywords and start to track mentions. It also allows you to engage)
Buzsumo
I use blogger or influencers in the filters
Attend events
This is a great way to know people in the industry; (Build relationships offline is powerful).
Take-Aways:
Fix all technical problems- This is basic
Make sure that all On-Page SEO Components are in place ( SEO 101)
Run Content Audit before start crafting your new content
( this will save you a lot of time at the moment to come out with ideas. It will also provide you with information to build powerful pillars and clusters based on what you already have).
Understand your personas and their role in the funnel
( This is a key to create the right content and to know where to focus for maximum results)
create custom content for each stage of the funnel
Don’t let anything un attendant- plan for success. If you find that you need to focus on awareness and also in nurture do it. Create content to target these pages and you will get results.
Use the blog as a tool to drive qualified leads to your transnational pages ( Service/Products). Set up proper goals in analytics to track this.
Create a mix of content
A good mix of content will attract the right links that will only help you with SEO but with relevant referral traffic.
Feature your client company as an expert on the topic by adding original content
This is a project but If you do at least 1 time a year you will see the results.
Amplify your content
Build long term relationships – build links
This is my favorite part. I really believe in long term relationships. I am a friend of people I work with. I am always keeping in touch with them. When it is their birthday I sent a small present a card, a text, It is important to show appreciation for people always no only when you need them.
Use the blog as a tool to drive qualified leads to your transnational pages ( Service/Products). Set up proper goals in analytics to track this.
Create a mix of content
A good mix of content will attract the right links that will only help you with SEO but with relevant referral traffic.
Feature your client company as an expert on the topic by adding original content
This is a project but If you do at least 1 time a year you will see the results.
Amplify your content
This is a must-do because if you don’t apply your content it doesn’t matter how great is your content nobody will read it.
Build long term relationships – build links
This is my favorite part. I really believe in long term relationships. I am a friend of people I work with. I am always keeping in touch with them. When it is their birthday I sent a small present a card, a text, It is important to show appreciation for people always no only when you need them.
Important !!
Something I want to add- is to be smart at the time to set up KPIs in B2B
We have some metrics we track in SEO such as traffic, sessions, backlinks count, etc.
But in reality, these metrics don’t mean anything for our clients.
Be clear when you work in a project and explain to your client in a simple way how you will build the content and where you think they should focus. Each client is different and has different priorities, sometimes are different from the ones we may recommend. I always listen to my clients before I map my content marketing plan. I create strategies to align with their objectives. Of course, I also give my extra recommendations because as a Digital marketer I see things they can’t see. I provide them with my suggestions to leverage the hanging fruit such as pages that have low rankings on the first and second page- when I see the opportunity to push these pages up with a little effort.
The KPIs I use for lead generation are:
Track white papers- ebook downloads.
Track every page that triggers a form.
Track all thank you pages
I want to know how many people went to the form vs how many people completed the form ( TK pages)
It is always something new we can test or learn!
The Goal; Increase DA – Rankings to beat the competitors-
https://karinatama.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Webinar-with-Craig-Campbell.png5151045Karina Tama- Rutiglianohttps://karinatama.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Logo1Karina.jpgKarina Tama- Rutigliano2019-09-04 20:55:192019-09-06 11:33:25{Webinar with Craig Campbell} Content and SEO Strategies for B2B
Digital Marketing in Times of Coronavirus
UncategorizedA couple of months or so ago, no one ever heard of coronavirus or COVID-19. Today, it’s the subject of every newscast and internet news piece. In other parts of the world, whole countries are on lockdown. Here in the United States, many states are encouraging social distancing or sheltering in place. Many people can’t go to work or have been laid off temporarily. Perhaps one of the most difficult things to deal with is that we don’t know how long it will last. These are desperate times. For many people, it’s easy to see the glass as half-empty, if not drained completely.
For digital marketers, the impact of a pandemic doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom. Consider the unique opportunities that COVID-19 affords you to improve your skills and serve others.
How the COVID-19 Crisis Affects Digital Marketers
Large and small businesses are finding their own ways to handle the crisis. One of the truly great things about the field of digital marketing is that the internet is our playground and it’s always bustling with activity. As long as the internet is up and running, there is work for us to do.
When the rest of the world is shutting down, don’t shut down with it. Here’s what you can do:
Digital Marketers Working During a Health Crisis
The word crisis is a scary one because it indicates a serious event. It’s also important to consider that a crisis is temporary. This, too, shall pass.
When there is a disruption in the regular workflow, it presents a suitable time for doing a little digital marketing spring cleaning. Break out all those projects that you’ve been wanting to tackle for so long and just haven’t had the time. Take the time to do some thorough marketing planning so that you can hit it hard when things get closer to normal.
If you’re a digital marketer that’s been quarantined at home, you’re saving on the commute time, so why not put those precious hours to good use? Consider how you can use the top of COVID-19 as an example of how to use current events in digital marketing.
When the whole world is silent, the one thing that’s alive and active is the internet and it has aa 24/7 audience.
Take Time for Training During a Health Crisis
Whether your regular work has slowed down or stopped altogether during times of a serious health crisis, there are lots of opportunities available to help you perfect your craft. Now you have time to take advantage of them.
Look for digital educational opportunities such as:
Many educational opportunities are free. Digital marketing is a rapidly evolving field. There’s always something new to learn and there is much to learn about different applications for new methods of digital marketing.
Take a look at the following examples:
My Personal Plan for Surviving and Thriving Through COVID-19
I’ve been working remotely for some time. For me, the effects of the quarantine are not as challenging as what others are dealing with. From a personal standpoint, I’ve found that focusing on digital marketing helps to distract me from the terrible effects that are occurring around the world from COVID-19.
My digital marketing glass is still half full rather than half empty. As digital marketers, we’re blessed that we can work through whatever life throws at us because when the non-digital world stops, the digital world picks up the slack. I’m choosing to take my own advice and I’m taking some time to write content for my personal blog, my agency blog, my Forbes column, and some other contributions.
I’m also taking time to network in the SEO chat where I learn so much from my colleagues. I’ve decided to commit some of my time to catching up on reading my favorite digital marketing blogs and engaging in some remote learning so that I can stay at the top of my game. Part of my plan is to strategize on ways that I can apply the new knowledge that I’m acquiring to help my clients by refining their marketing strategies to bolster their overall digital marketing efforts.
Disruption Can Lead to Increased Productivity
Rather than think of this time as a tragedy, try to think about the new opportunities that may arise from it and how you can use them for good for yourself, your peers, and your clients. With that being said, remember to always be genuine, ethical, and empathetic, especially during this time. When considering the opportunities that the current times present, be careful not to SPAM your customers or take advantage of them. As digital marketers, part of our role is to inform, all year round. Be aware that these are sensitive times in that people are dealing with the sickness, the loss of income, and a vastly different lifestyle. The quarantining can result in increased stress, loneliness, and depression.
It won’t be long and the current orders for quarantining, social distancing, and sheltering in place will be lifted. Take all that you’ve learned and put it to good use. That’s the way to keep your glass full and perhaps even take it over the top. Remember we are blessed to work in digital marketing in times of Coronavirus
The State of Voice Technology: Revolutionizing Our Future
Digital MarketingI challenge you to think back to how quickly mobile technology exploded. Companies that invested in mobile before it became mainstream got a huge jump on their competitors. If someone told you that a new technology would be exploding within the next nine months, is that something that you’d quickly invest in to get an edge on your competition?
I recently interviewed Scott Westwater, a voice strategy expert and lead strategist for Pragmatic Digital to learn more about where we are in relation to voice technology and how digital marketers can use it effectively in their marketing strategies.
Westwater predicts that 75% of Americans will have a voice device in their homes sometime by the end of 2020.
Voice Technology- What do We Know About it?
During my conversation with Westwater, I learned that there’s a lot of interest in voice technology, but there aren’t a lot of practitioners out there on it and not a lot of information is forthcoming just yet. In fact, there aren’t even very many conferences available on it so far. To date, Amazon and Google are holding onto a lot of the information on voice technology and they’re not sharing it or selling it.
How Does Voice Technology Work?
The lack of information about voice technology has left a lot of digital marketers scratching their heads to figure out how to include voice technology as part of their digital marketing strategies. Of course, the primary question is, “How can we use content to direct voice traffic to websites?”
The answer to that question lies in understanding four points:
For example, let’s say you wanted to know more about how voice technology can assist seniors. If you were asking the question on the internet, you might type “voice technology seniors” or a similar phrase into an internet search box. What will the world wide web find for you? The internet will scrub the web for content and it will then pull up numerous pages of blog articles on how voice technology impacts the lives of seniors. You can then scroll down and select an article that will answer your specific question.
If you were seeking information on the same topic using a voice device, rather than pick a few words, you’d put your request in the form of a question such as, “Siri (or Alexa), how can voice technology assist seniors?” The device would answer you in a few complete sentences.
Where would the content from the voice activation come from? According to Westwater, voice technology generally pulls it up from sites like Wikipedia, Yelp, or rich snippets. If your company isn’t in a place where Google or Alexa can find you and connect you to the kinds of questions that voice-activated users are asking, you’re off the radar completely.
How Can Digital Marketers Tap into Voice Technology?
Westwater was able to walk me through a strategy to get a website back into the radar range.
The simple answer is that you need to provide relevant answers to the industry around your product. Before you get to that step, you need to take the time to do some research. Do a deep dive around social media and Quora to find out what consumers really want to know about your product or service. Try to find out how your product or service can be of use or help to consumers.
Don’t just write down the ways your product is useful, say it out loud. Your spoken answers will sound different than your written answers. Then, take your answers and actively promote them using all your channels.
The next step is to work on analysis and promotion. Are you asking the right questions? Can you improve your questions to steer them toward the answers they need? Did you miss anything? Start small and then scale your efforts. At this point, you’ll have a basis for adding in e-Commerce strategies.
How Can Marketers Channel Their Content to Siri and Alexa?
With some valuable insight from Westwater, I was able to discover the magic behind marketing to voice technology. Think of it as a three-step process:
At this point, it should be fairly easy to see where your business objectives overlap with the answers your customers are looking for. You would then go through a development process to record the audio files using your own voice or the voice of a voice actor. Alternatively, you could invest in a custom development program. Next, you upload your audio files into Siri or Alexa’s platform, and it will push your content when someone asks about it using their voice.
Sounds great! Right? Then, it occurred to me that this could be really expensive. I asked Westwater if this was something that only large, highly prosperous brands would be able to afford. I was pleasantly surprised by his answer. He said that it’s actually quite affordable for any size business especially when you consider the amazing return on investment.
Westwater provided the example of how large banking institutions rely on call centers for customer service. The reality is that somewhere between 30 to 50 questions that customers ask are probably the same, which means that a voice assistant or chatbot could probably answer them in short order. Westwater explained, “…if that results in a 1% reduction, that’s like $200 million back in their pocket.”
Consider these statistics:
Let’s take a deeper look at how voice technology works in practice.
What Does the Future Hold for Voice Technology and Healthcare?
When I mentioned that I was very interested in the benefits of voice technology for the healthcare, senior care, and the disability industries, Westwater became quite excited. He foresees that voice technology will soon revolutionize disease prevention and education.
At some point, voice technology could advance to a point where it could record a patient or senior’s symptoms and put them together over time in a way that offers an early diagnosis. Having the benefit of earlier detection will certainly lead to improved health outcomes.
Physicians, as trusted sources of medical information, could also educate their patients by recording answers to common questions about diseases and their symptoms. Patients develop trust in the technology because the information gets delivered in a voice they recognize and trust.
Why Is Voice Technology a Valuable Tool in the Senior Care Space?
When we think of the needs of seniors, it’s easy to connect the dots on how voice technology could be a game-changer in the quality of life for them.
Many seniors have had trouble learning how to use all the bells and whistles on their cell phones. As a result, they don’t use their cell phones as much as they could. However, most seniors are able to speak. Voice-activated responses can help seniors with:
Many seniors struggle with loneliness and isolation. Voice technology can keep them company by playing their favorite music, reading an enjoyable book, connecting them with family or even telling them a joke.
Voice technology can remind them to take their medication or get some exercise. Seniors that have poor finger dexterity or poor eyesight merely need to speak their request to make a phone call or complete a task. They can tell Siri or Alexa where they put their keys and then ask the device where they put them later on if they forget. A senior could tell a voice device when they need to pay a bill and get a reminder.
They can also use voice devices to call out for help, much like a medical alert system. From the standpoint of convenience, they can ask what the senior care facility’s activities are for the day or what is on the menu without having to look it up or find their reading glasses. If they have both hands on their walker, they can ask their voice device to turn up the temperature or turn down the volume on the music without moving their hands from the walker. The possibilities for how voice can help seniors are as numerous as they are valuable.
Some Final Thoughts on Voice Technology
Voice technology is developing and evolving as we speak. It’s entering the mainstream at a rapid pace. The methodology behind using marketing content for the internet is vastly different than strategies for marketing content for voice technology. Digital marketers will have to learn how to incorporate voice technology into their digital marketing strategies.
The full impact that voice technology will have in the near future is yet to be seen. What we know for certain is that voice technology will soon revolutionize the way that we work, live, and play.
Link Building: 5 Ways to Get Links Fast
SEOLinks are an important part of SEO. It can be challenging to build links but it is a practice that never stops. Stone Temple conducted a study on large data of 27,000 queries using Moz. The study found correlations between DA, PA and link count. The correlation between DA and PA was stronger than the link count. In other words, the most important for ranking is to build links from authoritative sites. Ways to get backlinks in 2019
Link building can be risky. It is important to be cautious. Google rewards high authority sites backlinks but to earn those, you need to have high-quality content. Don’t play the game of using average content and build links to it because quality matters.
My recommendation is to create an evergreen great piece of content and then build the links.
Here are 5 ways to get those valuable incoming links:
1) Resource Page:
This is an easy and strong way to build links. A resource page is a page that offers useful links to users for example: If I search for “seniors resource pages”,
I will find results like:
https://www.seniorsresourceguide.com/
But how I found these resource pages? Easy: just search as follow:
“Keyword” + inurl:links
“Keyword” + resource pages
“Keyword” + “helpful resources”
“Keyword” + “useful links”
2) Infographics:
Create and add a killer infographic to your evergreen content and use it to build links. You can find tons of good sites where you can submit your infographic. I have found several websites or articles that provide infographic lists. Now, I have my own list. Some infographic websites are free and others charge to speed out the process. I check the websites DA, traffic and I also check the quality of the content of these sites before I submit my infographic. I will suggest not to overdo this technique.
3) Guess Blog:
I love guest blogging because I consider it the most genuine way to build a link. I research for places that are accepting blog post and I email them.
When I am accepted, I write a good quality piece of content to link back to my evergreen content. This can be time-consuming but definitely, it pays off. Usually, after you write one time for these sites you can keep writing and build more links (obviously to link back with different websites). I only build one link per website. But if you have an agency like me, you can take advantage of guest blogging to build links for different clients. I like to pitch blogs that have different categories because they give me the flexibility to post content for different industries. I would say that it’s a one-time investment project. When you have your network, link building becomes easier.
Note: Be very careful with anchor text when building backlinks. I use most of the time branded and when it is difficult to add this type, I use a long-tail related keyword or an LSI keyword.
4) Directories:
I know what you will think! That this is an old technique and that it can be dangerous. Well, yes and no! If you pick reputable -relevant directories that provide value to users, you will be fine. I have researched directories that still have SEO value and added them to my backlink sheet. The way I see things is that it makes sense for users. It will make sense to Google.
Important: I used local directories for my local business clients. I never add a link that is not relevant or doesn’t belong to my client territory/target market/industry.
5) Link exchange:
Before you think that this is a bad idea, let me explain to you what I mean with link exchange. It is taking time to reach out other SEOs and offer them link placements where I already have access in exchange for their link placements, for example:
I need a link for a restaurant website and the other SEO needs a link for an insurance website. I would provide what he/she needs from one of my network (no PBN) websites and in exchange, the other SEO will provide me a link for my restaurant website. I will also check DA, traffic and look from my SEO fellow’s website. This technique can be tedious, but it is worth it. Therefore, I am expanding my opportunities.
I know there are many other techniques out there such as broken link, Link roundup, etc. I have also used them, but I use more the ones I have discussed in this article.
What is Link Building and How Content Marketing Helps?
SEOLink Building is the process of creating backlinks for your website. Link Building comes under Off-Page Optimization Strategies. It is one of the most important parts of Optimization process and helps in getting higher rankings on major search engines.
There are following types of methods to get Backlinks to your website.
Directory Submission
It used to be a great tool for link building a couple of years back. But now things have been changed completely. Still, there are good directories where we can place our links. Make sure the directory has a good page rank and it is not in the spam category. Check its indexing status and while getting a Backlinks make sure you are adding it to the right category of the directory website
Article Submission
This is also very important aspects of link building. Write a well informative article and post it to the websites like, www.Ezines.com , www.ehow.com , www.goarticles.com , www.articlesbase.com , www.squidoo.com , www.sooperarticles.com , www.technorati.com , www.articlesnatch.com and www.articlesfactory.com etc.
Keep in mind when have submitted article to that article site, do not use it for another site. Once you post content on these sites try to have one backlink in the lower body section and one backlink in Author Section. Try to avoid adding more Backlinks. One Quality link will do the work for your website.
Forum Links
Forums commenting and forum discussion is still a good way to express your thoughts and get Backlinks to your website. You can sign up to a forum and start posting thread or new topics there. You can also post your reply on other discussions as well. Don’t do Spam things there, the forum admin will throw you out for such activities. Also, most of the forums allow Backlinks after 10 posts. SO better to have patience and you will get a lot of exposure through these forums. Try to sign up for High PR Forums.
Blog Links or Blogging
Writing content and posting it to blogs is a very good practice to get direct traffic to your website. Now a day’s blogging helps a lot and it one a powerful tool to achieve higher rankings on major search engines. You should post regular content to blogs like www.blogger.com, www.wordpress.com, www.blog.com, www.squarespace.com, www.tumblr.com, www.webs.com, www.weebly.com, etc
These blogs are crawled daily by search engine crawlers, so it’s better to post your content out there
Social Media Links
This is one of the most important aspects of link building. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, My Space, YouTube, Vimeo, Pinterest, Instagram, Google Plus, etc are a few of the most powerful tools of social media. Try to update all these on a regular basis. This helps a lot of terms of getting rankings are well as promoting your brand.
“Blogging is a great way to show your talents and interests to prospective employers while adding an edge to your resume. If you blog consistently it shows your dedication, passions, and creativity – all of which are key attributes employers look for in job candidates.”
Lauren Conrad
{Webinar with Craig Campbell} Content and SEO Strategies for B2B
Digital MarketingIn today webinar I will cover the following topic:
How to execute Content and SEO strategies for B2B
The key to being successful in creating SEO and Content Marketing Strategies for Businesses is to understand the funnel and its stages:
In B2B we are trying to reach different personas and we need to create completely different content for each stage of the funnel.
We also need to understand that our keywords will behave differently as we move in the funnel. It is not the same to create content for the awareness stage than to create content for the retention.
From my experience with B2B clients. I know that users usually don’t convert in the blog. It is more likely that users convert in the service pages. But they learn about the products and services in the blog.
Services pages are transnational pages while blogs are informative pages.
Products and services are not linkable pages because they don’t offer value like blogs.
Then who will link yo these pages?
The answer is simple… Nobody!
On the other hand .. Blogs are the ones that can earn links. The blog is where our content marketing strategy plays a big role.
Users land on the blog and from there they begin to explore other pages, such as services/product pages, from here we generate most of the leads in B2B.
When we publish content that earns links we are working our way up to improve DA and that helps overall SEO. If our website is increasing rankings and earning keywords we have more chances of getting leads.
59% of B2B marketers say SEO has the biggest impact on their lead generation goals. (Marketing Charts)
SEO Process
Audit your site for technical problems
I use Screaming Frog and SEMrush(Project- audits)
Here we can find:
I highly recommend to fix all the technical as a priority- It doesn’t matter if we create amazing content if the site has major technical issues is very hard to rank
Tip: Make sure you have all the elements of On-Page SEO in place:
Content Audit
Check for cannibalization, thin content and duplicate content.
Here I Decide what content stay, what content can be combined and what should delete.
One time one of my clients had 25 pages with content around the same keyword. I could not believe it but I combine several pieces into a pillar page and I reuse the others ( I revamp them with a long tail, user intent, and phrase keywords ) I add those as clusters.
I know that we can have important terms that we want to rank for but it is important to structure the content in a way that makes sense, not just create a bunch of content without any strategy behind.
Tip: Run a content audit at the beginning of the project is very important because will give you a sense of your assets and what is missing even before you start to draft your Content Marketing Strategy. Here you can start mapping your strategy by discovering what part of the funnel needs more content.
Local SEO
Make sure that all your listing and citations are accurate.
TIP: In addition, you can create other directories (reputable and relevant only) profiles such as Angel List, Merchant Circle, Alignable, etc. (find a relevant in your niche and check the DA and make sure is no a spammy website)
Remember ..We need a mix of external links… no all links from directories… so don’t overdo it.
Make sure your website is mobile-friendly
I know that this is very basic but you can be surprised that many websites are no mobile-friendly
52% of buyers prefer mobile-optimized content.
Then optimizing for mobile is a must thing to do.
Leverage Scheme Mark-Up
I used it and I have seen big differences. After I implement scheme my content performs better in Search Engine. This can help you to appear in Google’s Answer Box.
You can use a WordPress plugging:
Secure your website with HTTPS:
Nearly 21% of the Alexa Top 100,000 websites still don’t use HTTPS
It is incredible the number of websites that are still in HTTP. When I have a new a client that has his website on HTTP version my first suggestion is to migrate it to HTTPS.
Optimize for Site Speed
This is a very important thing to check and fix. I used Google Lighthouse extension to run reports.
After I send the report to the developers to fix and improve site speed.
First Thing to Do
At the opposite of B2C in B2B, I have to cater my message to different people in different parts of the funnel.
I need to create powerful content for the top of my funnel to be considered by the CEO or CMOF of a company.
For example, A startup that wants to build a new eCommerce site but they don’t know yet what platform to use: This is a very early stage.
Will search for:
From these results, the director of the start-up will use this list to consider vendors.
On the other hand in the company that offers eCommerce platform doesn’t have content around this topic will be missing a big opportunity.
The Audience
Tha audience is a key in B2B and we must ask ourselves the following questions about the audience?
72% of B2B buyers turn to Google during the awareness stage (pardot.com)
Tip: Make sure you are creating content for all the stages of the funnel and for all the decision-makers.
Talk with the sales team and ask then who are the people that usually make the purchase decision.
If you don’t go the extra mile it is possible you will miss big opportunities lets say we write great content for the awareness stage but we haven’t create content for the comparison stage
For example:
This will be a big mistake!
The Content Marketing Strategy is:
Create blogs:
Related to the products and services ( Not all the services that a client provide are the same -I will recommend picking the ones that have higher ROI)
Review of Service and Products pages:
Here I use the topic cluster approach. I make my mains services pages strong and I add sections to link to the related inner pages ( clusters). I will add a good set of keywords to each topic cluster. Also add links to catalog, price pages, testimonials, case studies, and everything that is relevant to the user.
Work in content to push conversions:
Tip: Be careful when you use email marketing and make sure you are sending related content no content that the subscriber doesn’t care about.
Ebooks, Reports, White papers – I will reuse them in the newsletter and in a segmented email marketing campaign.
At the moment of subscribing, you can offer a variety of topics to the user to pick a few. Then you segment the newsletter for optimal results
The content strategy must contain a mix of content
Google remains the top source of traffic for blogs (growthbadger.com)
What type of content I can create:
Trending Topics in Pop Culture
Case study
Software that calculates how to allocate budget for marketing ( traditional and digital ) can create a case of how the software helps to maximize marketing budget to a specific client.
Industry Report
Expert interviews: I interview experts, actually I saw Craig in a SEMrush webinar after that I decided to connect with him on LinkedIn and interviewed him. I wrote an article in SEW, you guys can go and check it out is a really good article.
Guides
Indeed Employer Dashboard 101
Resources and How to Page
How to use Wix website editor
Calculators, quiz pages, etc.
The top 10% of SaaS blogs receive 104,000 visits each month from organic search (ek-byford.com)
Top-performing B2B blog posts include “the future of” you need data-driven articles and opinion articles. (buzzsumo.com)
How to create original content
You need to find what is not yet said, stats- something fresh that people want to link to. It is a great way to contribute to the industry. This gives you the authority on the topic.
Surveys are one of the best and easy ways to get insights. There are many services that can help you with this such as:
I personally prefer Google forms because it is free (Survey monkey also has a free version) but Google forms offer more. You can create unlimited surveys with unlimited questions the only downside of Google forms is that has limited customization options.
Only 39% of marketing teams have published original research in 2019 – Source Buzzsumo.
39% is no big number is less than half. We should take advantage of this huge opportunity and work on original research.
Has your marketing team created and published original research in the last 12 months?
Why people don’t work in original research? It can be because of tales 2-4 months.
This is a time-consuming practice and that’s is the reason that only a few marketers are doing it.
Tip: If you plan to use research to earn backlink don’t limit your audience. Your audience are not your prospects only. Think about topics that are relevant to bloggers, journalists, influencers each and everyone that is involved with the industry. You need people to engage with your and link it to you.
It is really important to leverage your traffic. A well-segmented email marketing campaign and newsletter will increase conversions.
95% of buyers are willing to share their name, company and email address in return for content(demandgenreport.com)
Hustle Panda is a company that helps startups to find brandable .com domains
They do a great job with their newsletters.
1)Clear: Subscribers know what they will get
Frequency: Subscribers know that they won’t be spam daily with your emails.
This form don’t offer any value because don’t say what people what they will get and the frequency.
It is not attractive, it is too generic. Why people will subscribe?
89% of B2B marketers use content marketing (Content Marketing Institute)
But only 37% have a content marketing strategy in place ( no document it)
45% of content creation is done on an ad-hoc basis
A content marketing strategy that is no documented it is no scalable because we don’t have data to make future decisions. It is crucial to track our strategy in order to see what works and what doesn’t. When we identify the sweet spot is just rinse and repeat.
Create content without a plan is a waste of time and money.
Now comes the fun part- Keyword Research!
I like to do a deep keyword research- I want to make sure I am not missing any opportunity.
The anatomy of the page
This is a winner layout for a page. If we include all these components the page will generate leads.
What is the biggest SEO challenge for B2B? Backlinks.
93% of B2B content gets zero external backlinks (https://backlinko.com)
Data/ Research shows the higher rate to earn backlinks followed by videos and infographics. We must create content in different formats to maximize our chances to earn backlinks and increase DA.
We can reuse our content in different ways; For example
The opportunities are infinite. It is just about planning and creativity.
Content Amplification:
Quora ads offer an interesting way to advertise based on topics, keywords or questions. I like to diversify my ads and test new options. Price per click varies. In my last campaign, I paid around $3 per click.
Linkedin ads. Are a great way to amplify your content and also get leads.
It is all about your goals. If you want to increase your email list you can offer a white paper. If you want to generate leads you can offer a special promotion on Linkedin and if you want to use it for awareness you can definitely use your content.
Linkedin is very powerful for B2b, the downside is that CPC can be higher than PPC.
I also love social media ads because are very affordable and provide results. These types of ads are great for awareness
.
These efforts will generate referral traffic
We need connections to amplify content- How we will get these connections
Linkedin
( I have built most of my relationships via Linkedin) Don’t ask for anything but offer some value this is the first step to build a long term relationship. I personally hate how when people that I don’t know pitch me on Linkedin. Why they think I will buy service from somebody out of the blue- this is not the way. We build relationships first- we do things for others first then later I would ask. Many people use Linkedin as a new version of call calling.
Followerwonk
it a great tool that is connected with Twitter and allows you to find bloggers- influencers. I recommend it!I love followewonk because has helped me a lot to find influencers. I worked with people that I have found with Followewonk and I have achiveded great results – links, mentions, etc.
Brand24
This is a very straight forward tool – You create a new project with brand and keywords and start to track mentions. It also allows you to engage)
Buzsumo
I use blogger or influencers in the filters
Attend events
This is a great way to know people in the industry; (Build relationships offline is powerful).
Take-Aways:
( this will save you a lot of time at the moment to come out with ideas. It will also provide you with information to build powerful pillars and clusters based on what you already have).
( This is a key to create the right content and to know where to focus for maximum results)
Don’t let anything un attendant- plan for success. If you find that you need to focus on awareness and also in nurture do it. Create content to target these pages and you will get results.
A good mix of content will attract the right links that will only help you with SEO but with relevant referral traffic.
This is a project but If you do at least 1 time a year you will see the results.
This is my favorite part. I really believe in long term relationships. I am a friend of people I work with. I am always keeping in touch with them. When it is their birthday I sent a small present a card, a text, It is important to show appreciation for people always no only when you need them.
A good mix of content will attract the right links that will only help you with SEO but with relevant referral traffic.
This is a project but If you do at least 1 time a year you will see the results.
This is my favorite part. I really believe in long term relationships. I am a friend of people I work with. I am always keeping in touch with them. When it is their birthday I sent a small present a card, a text, It is important to show appreciation for people always no only when you need them.
Important !!
Something I want to add- is to be smart at the time to set up KPIs in B2B
We have some metrics we track in SEO such as traffic, sessions, backlinks count, etc.
But in reality, these metrics don’t mean anything for our clients.
Be clear when you work in a project and explain to your client in a simple way how you will build the content and where you think they should focus. Each client is different and has different priorities, sometimes are different from the ones we may recommend. I always listen to my clients before I map my content marketing plan. I create strategies to align with their objectives. Of course, I also give my extra recommendations because as a Digital marketer I see things they can’t see. I provide them with my suggestions to leverage the hanging fruit such as pages that have low rankings on the first and second page- when I see the opportunity to push these pages up with a little effort.
The KPIs I use for lead generation are:
I want to know how many people went to the form vs how many people completed the form ( TK pages)
It is always something new we can test or learn!
The Goal; Increase DA – Rankings to beat the competitors-
Ultimate Goal: Lead Generation!