Posted by JT Long on Tue, Jun 29, 2010
|
Myth #1: Keywords = Jail
Myth #2: Software can Write Great SEO Content
Myth #3: All Traffic is Equal
|
Get ready for the B2B marketing version of Myth Busters. In this episode, we dispel the rumor that SEO stands for Stupid, Erratic and Odd
B2B search engine optimization doesn’t mean that you go out of your way to pack headlines and paragraphs with keywords at the expense of clarity, impact or grammar.
In fact, the opposite is true. The more you write to meet your reader’s needs, the more naturally you will attract the search engine attention that will bring you the most qualified leads.
Myth #1: Keywords = Jail
Busted: Well-defined keywords are not handcuffs that tether you to a constrained list of approved phrases. Instead, they are guides to keep you on track. Multiple entries with similar tags show search engines that you have lots of content on a certain subject. It also shows visitors that you have depth of knowledge that could be the answer to their needs. True SEO is a win-win for you and the reader.
Myth #2: SEO Content can be Written by a Computer
Busted: SEO copywriting is an art as much as it is a science. That is why anyone who says they have a computer program that can churn out content based on keywords is missing the mark. Only real people - creative copywriting experts - can bring that creative spark to a subject to explain it in a new way. Only a strategic marketer armed with sound competitive analysis and monster business writing skills will be able to deliver content that meets complex online content and conversion optimization rules.
Myth #3: All Traffic is Equal
Busted: Being found is a long way from being successful. Success means attracting qualified inbound leads. The latter is an order of magnitude harder than the former. It requires a true understanding of your customer’s needs. Only then can you provide the information they need in the format they need it.
How can you tell if you are posting the right content? Ask yourself:
- Does this content help our prospects?
- Does this content help search engines?
The best SEO content does both. So you don’t have to choose between educational, compelling copy and lists of words that will attract Google bots. That is just a myth. The truth is that a well-rounded SEO pro will consistently do both, naturally.
JT Long is Content Marketing Manager for Business Communications Group, a veteran storyteller for local and national publications and a longtime blogger. You can tweet with her @b2bjt.
Posted by Robert Celaschi on Thu, May 27, 2010
Before you cut and paste, at least verify that the information is trueA year ago, Bernie Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in prison for several kinds of fraud and money laundering. People trusted him with billions of dollars, and he bilked them instead of investing it. What’s especially astonishing is how he managed to string them along for decades. Ever wonder how he got away with his scheme for so long?
One reason is that when a new investor came along, he saw the prestigious client list and figured Madoff must be all right. Surely those earlier clients had checked everything out, right? The problem is, some of those clients had relied on the famous names of even earlier clients. They never checked out anything, they just wrote out checks.
Recyling dangers
Here’s how this applies to b2b company marketing materials: A lot of people make the same mistake when they start gathering material for a blog or a web page. They see a great item elsewhere on the Internet, and with a few clicks of the mouse they copy and paste it into their own file. Surely the other guy knew what he was talking about, right?
Nope. Very likely the other guy stole it from an even earlier appearance on the Internet. Even if the other guy said where the information originated, you still can’t trust it. He might have stolen the attribution, or he may have garbled things in an attempt to put it into his own words, in the course of internet marketing.
Oooo, shiny!
In some ways, we’re like little kids who see something nifty on the sidewalk and want to play with it. As Mom always said, “Don’t pick that up; you don’t know where it’s been.”
Earlier this year I spent the better part of an afternoon chasing down a statement that supposedly appeared in a “recent” issue of a national magazine. I thought it was a great item. So did about 20 different bloggers and companies who posted the same statement, word for word. Not one of them cited a specific publication date, or even the name of the article. Finally I tracked it down in the footnote of a book. The “recent” article had appeared in 1989. Even with that, I couldn’t find out who the author was, or if he was quoting someone else.
Stats sleuthing
Here’s a great bit of sleuthing that illustrates my point. Mel Gosling and Andrew Hiles tried to track down the origin of some oft-repeated stats, such as the claim that "over 70 percent of businesses involved in a major fire fail within 3 years, if they ever re-open at all."
In many cases, the folks presenting the stats online couldn’t say exactly where they came from. They saw it, they copied it, they repeated it. Who bothers checking out whether it’s true?
R.e.s.p.e.c.t. yourself
Now, maybe you don’t care about putting junk in your blogs or your web site. Maybe you are just looking for something that sounds good. Maybe you are so anxious to make a point that you’ll grab anything that seems to support it, even though you have no idea where it came from.
More likely, however, you want to be seen as a real authority. In that case, take the extra time to find out where your information originally came from, and whether it’s true. Yes, that means extra work during blogging, SEO copywriting, etc. It’s worth it.
Sleuthing assignment
Here’s a homework assignment: The next time you come across a statement that you’ve always accepted without question, see if you can find out where it originally came from. You may find out that it doesn’t have the pedigree you thought it did.
Posted by JT Long on Fri, Apr 16, 2010
Or, "11 Ways to Give the People What They Want"
What can a 1980s English rock band teach you about writing B2B blogs that click with the social media reality of 2010? A lot. Just listen:
The Kinks’ hit song Give the People What They Want includes the lyrics:
“Give the people what they want
You gotta give the people what they want
The more they get, the more they need
And every time they get harder and harder to please.”
What do they want?
The goods new is that in the age of Google searches, it is easier than ever to figure out what people want. They type it into the World Wide Web for all to see. Your job is to make it easy for people looking for your products and services to find you by using the same words they use.
Don't say llamas and give me ponies
In other words, if you offer llama grooming, you need to focus on washing, trimming and brushing llamas in the words your customers use. Lots of blog headlines that include these keywords will indicate to Google spiders that people who type in “llama, makeover” might be happy if they were sent to your site.
Lose/lose
If, however, they find stories on horse care and feeding, the search engines will not bother to send llama enthusiasts your way. Which is a good thing. Because if they did, the owners of dirty camelids would not be satisfied or buy your services. Lose/lose.
Focusing on relevant topics is not always enough, however. Remember, in this age of information overload, visitors are getting harder and harder to please. So what else do people want?
Headlines that kill
A Captivating (and relevant) Headline: Check out The Seven Deadly Sins of Blogging, or any of Copyblogger’s entries. They know what makes people – and search engines – click. Lists (five ways to, 12 tips for, etc), references to pop culture (even if it is a stretch like our headline above) and controversial statements can draw traffic like a sticky cotton candy to white pants.
- Mind-warping stats: Social media expert Seth Godin knows how to get your attention. In the first sentence of this blog, he catches your attention with a mind-warping stat and then intimates that you, too, could have similar success. It hooked me.
- A great story: Good Magazine bloggers know that a compelling story with interesting characters, a problem and a concluding solution will keep readers going to the end.
- Access, access, access: This ongoing Inc. blog series called the Successful Soloist lets readers in on a conversation in the classic Q&A style with Personal Branding Expert Dan Schawbel. Who are the superstars in your industry and how difficult would it be for you to get them to answer a few questions for your readers?
Wrap up your offering with a great conclusion, an identifying line at the end that links to your bio, an eye-catching graphic and links to similar stories on your site and elsewhere, and you have a blog that would make the Kinks proud.
More importantly, when you give people what they want, they come back, they comment, they share your link and buy your products. What more could you want?
JT Long is Content Marketing Manager for Business Communications Group, a veteran storyteller for local and national publications and a longtime blogger. You can tweet with her @b2bjt.
Posted by Rebekah Donaldson on Wed, Oct 07, 2009
Visits and conversions by source for www.b2bcommunications.com Sept 7 to Oct 6 2009
By Rebekah E. Donaldson
Here is a screenshot showing the sources of our website traffic that converted to leads over the last month. Looking at the chart, I answer:
- What does this chart tell you about lead sources?
- How much did you invest to get the site working this way?
- We need to generate leads - what's the best way?
Visits and conversions by source (1 month)
This chart shows how different sources have driven visits, leads, and customers to www.b2bcommunications.com. The key on the right shows the sources tracked.
What does this chart tell you about lead sources?
To see our lead sources, we open our Hubspot account (more on this below) and go to the "Reports" tab and pick "Sources". There we have a chart showing visit to lead ratios by source:
Totals for Sep 7-Oct 7, 2009 |
|
|
|
Sources |
Visits |
Visit to Lead |
Leads |
Organic Search |
590 |
0.68% |
4 |
Referrals |
265 |
2.60% |
7 |
Paid Search |
0 |
0% |
0 |
Direct Traffic |
547 |
1.50% |
8 |
Email Marketing |
0 |
0% |
0 |
Social Media |
86 |
8.10% |
7 |
Other Campaigns |
0 |
0% |
0 |
Totals |
1,488 |
1.75% |
26 |
According to the chart, visitors from social media sources convert at the highest rate. A visit-to-lead conversion rate of 8.10% means that in the last month, eight out of ten visitors who came to the site via LinkedIn or other networking sites, responded. Visitors referred to our site from an article, blog, or website are the next most likely to respond.
How much did you invest to get these leads rolling in?
Hundreds of hours and tens of thousands of dollars over several years. The site re-launched in 2007 and it's been an ongoing process to make it so visitors find what they need and take the next step. And there's still so much work to do! Meantime, we've been at blogging, search engine marketing, and social media marketing since 2007 - and public relations since 2001. We've tried to always close the loop (see below), so we know which B2B lead generation activities work and which to avoid.
What is Hubspot?
Hubspot provides advice and software that helps businesses get found on the Internet by the right prospects and convert more of them into leads and customers. We use it to build landing pages, attract traffic, nurture contacts, track leads, and connect records about leads and sales with records about marketing efforts.
We need to generate leads - what's the best way?
Here are just two of many ways to get started. Do both or pick the one that work for you:
Get a 60 Minute Internet Marketing Planning Session.
Try Hubspot - Use all the powerful features of Hubspot for B2B lead generation. Free for 30 days.
NOTE: We are pitched weekly by companies looking for affiliates to rep their stuff. So far, we've partnered only with MarketingSherpa and Hubspot. In each case, we bought their stuff and recommended it to others before we were ever a partner. Now that we are a partner, we get a small % of sales we help generate. Just so you know.
|
Rebekah E. Donaldson ("Red") has led Business Communications Group since 2001. More >> |
Posted by Cris Rominger on Fri, Aug 07, 2009
By Cris L. Rominger
What are the 9 must-have qualities of a user-focused B2B website design?
When approaching a re-skin or redesign of your company's website, it's helpful to keep in mind both branding goals and user goals.
For example, consider these questions:
Website branding goals
- Do the changes communicate professionalism? Are they appropriate for our industry/market?
- Do the changes render error-free on different browsers? At different resolutions? On different operating systems?
Website user goals
- Do the changes help users accomplish their goals on the site quickly and easily?
- Are we communicating a clear value proposition?
- Is our site organized for our visitors? Are the paths to information clear?
- Is the orientation clear? Is the labeling instructive?
- Does our content instill trust and credibility? Is it formatted for online readers?
- Does our writing compel visitors to take action?
- Is our content portable?
Managing design to hit branding goals
While these questions may sound straightforward, they are also very easy to overlook in implementation.
Last October, Forrester Research released its Best and Worst of Brand Building Web Sites, 2008 Report. They looked at 20 top brands through two key questions:
- Does the site cater to user needs? (termed “brand action” in the results)
- Does the site support brand positioning?
The results were shocking: only 4 sites passed test #1 – Does the site cater to user needs? Only 7 sites passed test #2 – Does the site support brand positioning? And only 1 site passed both tests.
Fixing branding problems
According to Forrester principal analyst and report author Ron Rogowski, “Common Brand Action problems included poor text legibility, confusing category names, and missing or buried content. On the Brand Image side, sites were guilty of layouts, imagery, and production values that failed to support brand positioning. To improve the online brand experience, top firms should document their users’ goals, clearly define their brand attributes, and map relevant attributes to the right target users.”
Rogowski goes on to recommend that companies “…should also collect brand positioning statements and conduct Brand Image Reviews to ensure that the site presents the brand’s core attributes in a manner that is consistent with other channels and relevant to target users.”
Self-check site changes
If you need to evaluate your proposed site changes, try going down the free checklist we have posted called The B2B Website ROI Checklist.
Or, learn more about our
B2B Website Design Services >>
Posted by Rebekah Donaldson on Tue, Aug 04, 2009
NOTE: A big thank you to Jep Castelein of LeadSloth on Demand Generation for his contributions to this post.
By Rebekah E. Donaldson
Say you are a CEO paying for search engine marketing services — also known as SEO services or SEM services. What result are you seeking?
Qualified leads, of course.
Today’s article is about the cheapest, most direct route to that result.
In particular, do you really need SEO consulting from people like me, if you can get SEO software for less?
Some savvy business people seem to think ”no.”
For example, a few weeks ago I read Shar VanBoskirk’s post, “Search Marketing Automation Will Compete With Agencies.” In it she describes up and coming Altruik as “SEO automation vendor”.
(She says later that they’re making “technology-enabled” search marketing possible. Which seems a world apart to me. But more on that below.)
SEO consultants wrote in with strong objections. More notably, even Altruik’s CEO, Tom Kwon, distanced himself from the idea that software can automate SEO!
Kwon wrote:
“…I don’t think there will ever be a white hat SEO solution that guarantees rankings….
“Everyone asks me about ranking, ‘how do I improve the ranking of my website?’, I usually respond as follows: Good organic rankings are the result of a comprehensive program that encompasses both on-page and off-page SEO strategies. Successful SEO strategies combine the two to gain and maintain rank power….
“Our goal is to empower all the highly skilled SEOs and SEMs with our platform to make visibility and on-page SEO easier. We will always need these skilled individuals and their services to ensure a well-rounded SEO program overall.”
Your take-away: Makers of SEO software urge you to use of skilled individuals. And it’s not just because SEO services providers are a big channel for them.
Being found versus being successful
The reason SEO must involve people is that being found is a long way from being successful. And to you — the person paying for SEO services — ’success’ doesn’t = getting found in search engine results!
Success means getting found and getting qualified leads. The latter is an order of magnitude harder than the former.
People optimize content
There are two essential tests to run on search-optimized content:
- Test #1 – Does this content help our prospects?
- Test #2 – Does this content help search engines?
A well rounded SEO pro will help its client consistently pass both tests.
Wanted: SEO copywriting skills
I’m hearing Tom Kwon saying in his comment that Altruik is designed to help you pass test #2.
To pass test #1 you need to be a strategic marketer armed with sound competitive analysis and monster business writing skills adapted to following complex online content and conversion optimization rules. (More on this in our recent e-book.)
If software can help us pass test #1, we should call him “Hal” (after the artificial intelligence that takes over in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey).
Technology-enabled SEO, yes
To be fair, Shar also said that SEO is more and more technology-enabled. That is right. But I’m not sure it’s news.
Back in the day, we used WebPosition software to keep track of clients’ rankings and check on-page optimization.
Today one of our tools is Hubspot Marketer, software as a service which has a good UI and is backed by an energetic support team. Among other things, we use it to see rank changes relative to competitors, do keyword research, create landing pages, track what’s helping our lead funnel vs what’s a waste of time, and other modules.
No tool named “Hal”
Even Hubspot is no “Hal” — and it’s not trying to be, either.
Hubspot provides site owners with lots of best practices and ideas to make best use of the system and create high-quality content. If site owners don’t have the time to educate themselves on inbound marketing, Hubspot recommends they get help from qualified agencies.
Because in the real world, you need to impress both human prospects and search engines. That’s how you take your website’s rank to the bank.
Posted by Rebekah Donaldson on Fri, Jun 19, 2009
By Rebekah E. Donaldson
I talked with Sacramento Business Journal senior reporter Kathy Robertson this week about the return on investment from the Red On Marketing Blog. Her questions got me thinking about why I do it, and this post is the result.
To ground things in real world and tangible results, you’ll see a screenshot showing where our website traffic and leads came from this week.
I’ve written the Red On Marketing Blog since Fall 2007. Yes, one reason I started it was to market our company. Another is that we help our clients with staying at the top of certain search results in Google, and social media (which includes blogging) is part of how we do it. We need to walk the walk.
We track everything with lead management software. Social media has tangibly helped us. Leads are up 400% this quarter over the same period last year. We have new leads every day – many from our website. So social media might sound like a fad or B.S. to some CEOs. But it’s moved the needle for our company.
Referrers — week of June 15 2009
Of our current clients, most found us online. For example, one Sacramento CEO found us when he searched “Sacramento search engine optimization”; another when he searched in LinkedIn for “B2B marketing Sacramento”; and so on.
Blogging is part of Social Media
The Red On Marketing Blog is intertwined with other efforts. It doesn’t stand alone. I’m active on LinkedIn – mostly I try to answer questions – and on Twitter. Sometimes, helping in those forums means pointing to B2B marketing articles, and other B2B Communications resources.
One realization I’ve had is that a marketer’s mindset can backfire with a blog or other social media participation. When I started blogging, I thought about it in terms of
1) Make a calendar of article topics.
2) Chip away at the calendar.
But that can lead to really boring blog posts. And everyone hates boring.
You Said WHAT?
Before starting the blog I’d been reading other people’s blogs for a couple of years. People like Josh Bernoff and David Meerman Scott publish edgy stuff that gets people talking (and pisses off some readers – a cost of being interesting).
The threads of comments after they post are crazy – dozens and dozens of smart people write in to respond.
I really wanted to do that.
Stirring Things Up
Fortunately, I have strong opinions — especially when it comes to cases of marketers getting things terribly wrong.
When I gave stronger opinions, you (readers) did too. Example: “From the Shocking Marketing No Nos Department.” When I published that piece, our blog lit up with comments and backlinks. It was referenced in many more places online. The lesson to me was: Speak up! Call it like you see it!
So after that I co-wrote an ebook. It took 9 months and was like having a third baby. Kind colleagues promoted it with social media (thank you Dianna Huff, David Meerman Scott, Peter Kim, Peter Caputa, and other colleagues).
Behind the Scenes Battles
One behind-the-scenes struggle I have is over topics appropriate for the blog. On the one hand, there is value in publishing about basic marketing techniques and issues. In fact, my colleagues at B2B Communications keeps reminding me that some of you may want intro material . But I fear you’re bored with the same old stuff like ”segment your audience!” “get the word out!” It seems like recycled, regurgitated truisms. (Who’s right? Please comment.)
Girl’s Dream Comes True
One thing that surprised me was that our blog helped us become a MarketingSherpa Affiliate. (MarketingSherpa is like Consumer Reports for marketers – loads of objective data that helps you make good decisions.) I think we’re the only one in Sacramento, California and surrounding regions. It gives us a lot of credibility – most marketers really admire Sherpa – as well as access to their material and the ability to pass along discounts.
One of their big decision criteria was around the quality of guidance we provide through our blog. They looked and said we were doing a great job. So the blog helped us stand out among much bigger agencies. It’s also led to interviews, invitations to speak, and other exposure with organizations like Forrester Research and Hubspot. Each of those organizations reaches tens of thousands of subscribers with their updates. The blog is also one of our top sources of search engine traffic and exposure for our services.
Most importantly, it’s sparked interactions with hundreds of small business owners and business to business marketers.
Keeping it Real
Still, even if we didn’t get the business benefits I’ve listed, knowing what I know now, I would still write a blog. Blogging helps keep things real. It makes me stay abreast of new data and ideas, instead of throwing up my hands because there’s too much. It makes me a better thinker, a better listener, a better writer, and a better salesperson.
Your turn
My hope is that, if you’re one of those business folks who has been blogging, but doesn’t know if it’s worth it, or you’ve held off because you don’t think anyone wants to read a blog written by you, maybe hearing about my experience will help you keep at it or get started.
Do you blog? Why or why not?
Posted by Rebekah Donaldson on Thu, May 21, 2009
I’m pleased to introduce Cris Rominger as a contributor to this blog.
In a world where 92% of B2B buyers turn to the web first when looking for service providers, effective internet marketing is essential. Cris will be writing about web marketing, search engine optimization, writing for the web and search engines, usability, conversion optimization, and user-focused design.
Cris’ insights are based on what works in the real world. Her 20 years’ communications experience spans web development, information architecture, user-interface design, usability, web copywriting, and search engine optimization.
Cris joined Business Communications Group in 2007. She helps our clients build B2B websites that engage business decisions makers, get to the top of Google search results through advanced SEO, and, through it all, stay focused on what it takes to build trust with savvy buyers.
Check out two of her recent articles posted at our company site:
Posted by Rebekah Donaldson on Mon, Feb 09, 2009
Today Cris Rominger and I published a free B2B marketing e-book (550KB PDF) called The New Rules of Outsourcing B2B Marketing: What Marketing Directors need in a B2B marketing consultant today.
In it we discuss how the shift to inbound marketing affects Marketing Directors; the 5 essential traits your B2B marketer needs and why each is important; 10 questions to ask a prospective B2B marketing consultant; how to cut ROI guesswork; what B2B buyers are looking for; and why B2B marketing differs from B2C.
We’re hoping to hear feedback. Please weigh in. (Tip: to comment, scroll down to the bottom of an article.)
We started this e-book in the summer of 2008, and finished it… well… every time I open it I start tinkering. My file name for it is currently ”Outsourcing ebook FINAL v7″. But give birth we must.
My hope is that this blog post could work as a discussion area for the e-book. To try to get things rolling, here are some questions for you readers:
Premise: Changed marketing landscape
1. We argue that the marketing landscape has changed. Did we get it right? Leave anything out?
Premise: Specialization not enough
2. We argue that because of a changed marketing landscape, it takes special skills to see and seize opportunities. Did we get that right? Leave anything out?
To engage decision makers today, our view is that B2B companies need to:
- Prove their value through a strong business case
- Build sites and other communications vehicles in a way that fosters trust
- Pull in prospects
… and that doing it requires specialists in both new and traditional marketing disciplines. Still, it’s your B2B marketing partner’s job to see all the options and how they can work together.
Premise: higher bar for B2B marketing consultants
The e-book is really about what it takes to help Marketing Directors reach and engage today’s savvy B2B buyers without breaking the bank. We’re trying to articulate a standard to which Marketing Directors should hold us and other B2B marketing agencies.
Are there parts of the e-book you particularly agree or disagree with? We’re hoping to hear feedback. Please weigh in.
Posted by Rebekah Donaldson on Thu, Jan 22, 2009
Strong web content is the foundation of successful b2b marketing. My colleague Cris Rominger has posted two great articles on writing web content. And on Thursday next week is a training session by MarketingSherpa called How to Create High Conversion Lead Generation Content.
Writing web content – articles
In Writing Web Content for the Online Reader, Cris gives key facts about how people read online and tells why some web content is particularly effective.
In Website Content Tips, she offers six techniques to ensure your web content grabs the eye and gets attention.
Cris has focused on the web as a marketing communications tool since 1995. As the person responsible for web marketing at Business Communications Group, she helps ensure that a client’s online presence builds relationships and trust that lead to more sales.
High conversion web content — training
With web content writing best practices on the brain, I registered for a MarketingSherpa webinar on Thursday, January 29 – “How to Create High Conversion Lead Generation Content.” What caught my eye is the on-the-money agenda.
Sherpa’s email invitation reads:
This webinar will give you the tools you need to:
- Create relevant content for each stage of the sales cycle
- Use content to help sales have a valid business reason for follow-up
- Create site and product tours that produce higher ROI
I gather that attendees also get a MarketingSherpa Special Report – “Create Content Your Prospects Adore.” These guys really have my number.