business-globe-yellow.jpg
Success Through Strategy!

Strategy Matters delivers news, tips and strategies for effective communications through traditional and social media. 

Upcoming Presentation:

Using Social Media to Generate PR at the Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce 8th Annual Marketing & Social Media Conference.
Building Backlinks

Backlinks (links to your website from others' websites) can be a great way to build traffic and boost credibility. 

One of the greatest opportunities for small businesses--depending on their areas of focus and expertise--is to contribute content to a wide range of media outlets. Doing so both boosts credibility and provides backlinks that will drive traffic back to the business' site--all for no cost other than their time and fees they might pay to work with agencies or content creators.

In addition, successfully managing online content in a strategic way can lay the foundation for ongoing success. This requires careful consideration of the target audience--or audiences--to drive the strategic selection of online communication channels (e.g. social media sites), as well as the creation of content. Once selected, it's important to establish a process and schedule of regularly posting content, engaging with others online and growing social media channels. This requires ongoing and reliable participation, as well as the creation and dissemination of high-quality, original content.

Digital Current also offers some helpful tips in an article by Chris Brown called "5 Cost-Effective Ways to Spend Your Leftover Digital Marketing Budget." So does Hank Ostholthoff in an article for Entrepreneur . We also have a number of blog posts on our website that provide additional information and insights.

The bottom line is that you can drive real revenue to your business with some clever and cost-effective digital marketing, whether or not you have deep pockets at the moment.


Recommended Reading:


Let's Get Visual!
 
The old saying "a picture is worth a thousand words" has been around for decades, and for good reason; visual images get attention. Studies indicate that adding visual images to online communications boosts the odds that audiences will both notice and engage with that content. This can be seen in the findings from a study by HubSpot, an inbound marketing software platform company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts:
  • Consumers only remember about 20 percent of what they read and as much as 80 percent of what they see
  • Most website visitors spend less than 15 seconds actively reading content on a page
  • Infographics are liked and shared three times more than other content
  • Videos increase the likelihood of visitors purchasing product or service by 64 percent
  • Videos on landing pages increase conversions by 86 percent
Fortunately for marketers, there are a variety of options available for marketers to quickly and inexpensively convey information visually. Here's a rundown on some of the most popular.

Need help creating a cost-effective digital marketing plan to help you meet your marketing goals? We can help.

Benefitting From Strategic PR

As noted in an article titled "How Public Relations Can Help Your Small Business Grow for PR Newswire": "When a consumer sees third party coverage of a product or service, it is perceived much differently than a traditional advertisement.  When we see an advertisement, we know the company is trying to sell us something. When a third party, such as the media, endorses a product or service, the company gains credibility."

So how does one conjure up such useful third-party publicity? There are several avenues for business owners to generate third-party publicity through self-promotion. Services like HARO and  ProfNet* are good examples of tools that even very small businesses can leverage to learn about opportunities for media coverage. The connections made through these channels can help to build an ongoing network of media contacts, assuming the businesses are able to be responsive, thorough, on point and non-promotional.

Social media channels like LinkedIn (B2B primarily), Facebook (B2C primarily) and Twitter (both) can also be used to not only build audience but also identify and connect with reporters and journalists online. Following key journalists in their industries/markets can provide insights into what topics they're covering and what they're interested in, which can open the door for online interactions.

As an article for Kabbage states, "Know your target market, and know the target market of the major publications you are looking into. What kind of press does your target market typically listen to? Once you respond to that question, the answer is the best place to start when it comes to generating good media coverage."

What's most important is that small business professionals interested in generating media attention focus on providing content that is valuable for whoever the end user audience might be--e.g. readers or viewers of this content. It's not about self-promotion; it's about providing useful information. If you can do this consistently, the reporters will be calling upon you!


Interested in generating credible, relevant media coverage for your business, products, services, or yourself? We can help.
Featured White Paper

Best Practices in Strategic Content Marketing

Content marketing is unlike more traditional forms of advertising because it's accessible to anyone with any size budget, which is good news for small, even solo, businesses. Small businesses can leverage the power of content to get noticed, gain connections and customers, and build business through the strategic use of content.Learn how.

Volume: 8 - Issue: 7
 July 2016
Strat Comm logo
In This Issue
We're In the News! 

Avoiding the Pitfalls of Content Marketing

The Fight for Marketing Talent

HR Leaders: Why Visibility Matters

Marketing: How to Ensure Your Employees are Prepared to Serve as Powerful Brand Ambassadors






Research Matters
Some recent news and  research you may be interested in--we were!  
     

 
  EContent:  Serialized Content is Back