Engaging content?
• Delivers value• Attracts attention and keeps it• Connects and builds relationships
Multiple kinds of “content”
• Social media channels• To generate interest, attention, activity
• Real life content• To support your onl ine efforts, and vice versa
• Core destination that you own• That continuously delivers value• Where you can fully control the experience
Social media
• Social media is f ickle• People follow, like, retweet you, pin you
• And then they forget you• Or the landlord starts changing the rules
• You need to keep building your own destination• Focal point for your audiences• Place for community
Real life content
Destination that you own
• You need to publish fresh content regular ly• It needs to cater to your target audience• It should not be an island
But how?
Robots are coming?
Exoskeletons
Or like this
Cycle of content
• Idea / Inspiration• Writing or obtaining content• Optimize, enhance• Connect• Distribution
Getting over the writer's block
• Creating your own, unique writing identity• High expectations lead to creative blocks• Your content is not perfect expression of yourself or your brand
• Never be afraid to simply join the conversation• Research, get inspired, curate in a smart way:
Content “on demand”?
• Works if you know what you are doing• Help others and others will help you
• Engaging guest bloggers
• Procuring the content you need for your site
Optimize, enhance
• Search Engine Optimization
• Professional copy editing
Or basic spell & grammar checker
Connect and relate
• Don't be selfish• Don't be an island• Connect, link out to:
• your sources• other people and brands that inspire you• simply good content for your readers
Case study
• Used Zemanta WordPress Plugin for image recommendations and connecting to other blogs in their niche.
• Would periodical ly l ink to LifeHacker articles.
http://bloggingyourpassion.com/how-using-the-zemanta-wordpress-plugin-can-increase-your-blog-traffic/
• Strategy paid off as one of the Lifehacker bloggers took notice and l inked back to one of Blogging Your Passion posts
• This resulted in nearly 5,000 visits.
• 6 other bloggers wrote about the same topic and l inked back to the original post.
Connecting efficiently?
Zemanta
• Personal writ ing assistant• By now computers can be smart
• Helps with recommendations whi le writ ing:• Images• In-text links (Wikipedia, authoritative sites)• Related articles (Blogs, big & small media)• Tags (so people can find your content)
Use images
Skyword study found an average increase of 94% for articles that included an image or infographic .
http://skyword.com/blog/96-skyword-study-add-images-to-improve-content-performance.html
Takeaways
Use a force multiplier
Age of smart
Don't be an island
• Don't be a
content island!• It's lonely• No space to grow
Build bridges
Photo credits
• http://www.contentmarketinginstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/B2B_Trends_2010.pdf
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/aye_shamus/2929888687/
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/stylianosm/3989939286/
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/betta_design/2200198472/
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/ferranp/317125624/
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/kanaka/5949395563/lightbox/
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/squeaks2569/3700355684/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/trj/1032572214/
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/cazatoma/6086507585/
• Raytheon Sarcos
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