inbound marketing

The Honest Guide to Content Marketing Jargon

Upon entering the always glamorous world of content marketing, I found myself overwhelmed by what I initially thought to be a lot of really important terminology. It seemed for a while like no one was even speaking English; content marketing had a language all its own. Terms like bounce rate, conversion, unique visitors, anchor text, buyer’s journey, and search engine optimization seemed to be thrown around in conversation and in content marketing blog posts in a steady stream, and I had no idea what any of these words meant.

As a newbie, I was pretty concerned about my lack of knowledge. I lost sleep about it. Well, I considered losing sleep about it. Then I had a nap.

Anyway, now I do know what those terms mean, and I finally understand why no one ever wanted to explain them to me. This is because after working in content marketing for a while, you realize what these principles are really about. Sure, there are real, technical definitions for each of the following terms, but anyone who’s ever worked in content marketing knows that these honest explanations are far more accurate.

1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

How do I make search engines like me? What do I have to do to be popular? Cut my hair differently? Wear designer clothes? Drive a nicer car? No matter how desperately I try to keep up with the trends, I’m always a step behind. What do you mean, Google has a new algorithm?! Can’t they just pick a bird already?

2. Call-to-action (CTA)

Dear Website Visitor: I bought you flowers, took you out on a lovely date, and told you how beautiful you are. And I even meant it. Then I texted you today, and I got no response. I’m not asking you to marry me, for goodness’ sake––I just want to know if you like me! I just want some positive attention! Can’t you reciprocate a little bit? (Answer a CTA, though, and you’re basically asking me to propose. Just so you know.)

3. Evergreen Content

You know what never goes out of style? Puppies. You always have a safe bet with puppies in your content. Puppies drinking water, puppies running in fields, puppies falling over their own clumsy little feet—anything with puppies will do. Who cares if it’s relevant to your company? It’s evergreen.

4. Twitter Marketing

You might not even know what my company sells, but you do know that we’re really good at being clever in under 140 characters. #winning

5. A/B Testing

Which jeans make me look less fat: the blue ones or the red ones? Red? Are you sure? Will I get more dates if I wear these? How many more dates? Can you please give me some quantified data here?

6. HyperText Markup Language (HTML)

I’m sorry. I don’t speak Computer.

7. PageRank

I’m thinking about running for homecoming queen, but I’m a bit concerned that I won’t be able to get enough votes to win. I’m trying to introduce myself to as many of my classmates as possible, but it turns out that people don’t want to be your friend when you clearly just want them to vote for you. It’s not that I don’t have any friends––it’s just that none of them happen to go to this school, and apparently that means their votes “don’t count.” The injustice of life’s popularity contest, I tell you!

8. “The Ultimate Guide to Content Marketing”

The Barely Adequate Excuse for Information that May or May Not Be Vaguely Related to Content Marketing.

9. Landing Page

Muahaha! Now that I have you here, there’s only one way out! Bye bye, navigation! Hello, conversions! (What’s that, you say? You don’t like giving up your personal information? Well, tough cookies, bub! You’re going to have to give me something valuable for this ebook I’ve been slaving over!)

10. Content Marketer

A brilliant mind who can spin anything to make it relate to almost any industry. Fueled by coffee, this magical creature is constantly seeking ways to make even the most mundane information exciting. As a highly trained wizard, this professional can bring a once-invisible brand into the public eye. Though generally even-tempered, the content marketer does not take well to ill-placed puns or bad grammar.

If you’re still new to the world of content marketing, the above list must have confused the heck out of you. Never fear—there’s still lots of time for you to learn how to use landing pages with CTAs to improve your ROI and PageRank with evergreen content and SEO tactics. In other words, there’s still lots of time for you to learn how to become well-liked by (a) your target audience members and (b) search engines; all it takes is creating and distributing quality content.

Uniting Search Engine Optimization with Useful Content

You know you’ve got a great product, but how do you let the rest of the world know that too?

You build a website, of course, to explain why your product is so great. You do your research to find the best ways to sell goods and services on the Internet.

But all you find is a lot of contradictory information about online marketing. Half the web seems to say you need to apply all the tricks of search engine optimization, while the other half says you should focus on content to get your product noticed.

Search engines will certainly be a major source of traffic to your site, which makes it easy to see why search engine optimization is important. But, while employing the whole range of search engine optimization techniques might bring you visitors, all those potential customers will soon leave if all they find are pages stuffed with irrelevant keywords.

So, if search engine optimization and providing useful content both have their advantages, where should you concentrate your efforts?

The benefits of search engine optimization

Search engine robots crawl over your webpages gathering information about your site.

You can use many search engine optimization methods to direct these bots to the keywords and phrases on your pages and make the search engines aware of your content.

The search engines log this information, and when someone searches for keywords that occur often in your text, they will be directed to your site.

It doesn’t have to cost a lot to apply search engine optimization to your website, and it can work for you 24 hours a day.

The benefits of useful content

One of the great advantages of having a website in the first place is that people can find all the information about your product or service at any time. You don’t have to pay sales staff to cold call or set up a consumer service department to answer customer queries.

Your website, therefore, has to contain the right information. Your pages have to answer most, if not all, of the questions a customer might ask. If your customers cannot find the details they’re looking for, they will quickly go elsewhere. They will click on the second link the search engine provided, and then the third, and so on, till they find what they’re looking for. All that effort put into search engine optimization to make sure you appeared at the top of the search results will be wasted.

In other words, your content has to be useful to your customers, and it has to be relevant.

You don’t need to choose

The obvious answer is to apply search engine optimization techniques to a website full of useful content.

But that would appear to be easier said than done.

Many companies offer either search engine optimization or webpage content. Very few offer both.

The key to providing content that will serve your customers and search engine robots is simply to practice. Work on trying to naturally introduce relevant keywords into the right places in the text to give your customers the information they’re looking for.

Uniting useful content with proper search engine optimization can help you get to the top of the search results and keep your customers on the page when they arrive.

Why Start A Blog? 4 Great Reasons

Sure, you’ve heard of blogging.

Maybe you’ve even tried it once or twice.

With everything else you have on your plate, however, you’re probably thinking it’s a waste of time.

The truth is, starting a blog is one of the best marketing tactics for your business. Blogging has tons of great benefits, from increasing your conversion rate to connecting with clients on a more personal level.

Why start a blog indeed. Still not convinced? Let’s look at some of these advantages in detail.

Advantage #1: A blog helps you find clients.

Have you ever needed something and didn’t know where to look?

Chances are, there are hundreds of customers looking for a company just like yours. By starting a blog, you’ll be creating a new way for these clients to find you.

The key to making this process work is search engine optimization. If you place keywords strategically throughout your blog posts, search engines will be more likely to send ideal clients to your website.

Sharing your blog posts on social media is another good way to generate leads. According to Neil Patel of KISSmetrics, a blog can increase inbound links to your website by over 90%. With blogging, you can tailor content to your clientele, making it more likely that they’ll purchase a product or service.

Advantage #2: A blog leads to more sales.

Static content, such as a contact page on a company website, tells your readers important information.

More often than not, however, webpages don’t ask the reader to do anything.

That’s why the call-to-action page is so important. Without it, potential customers won’t take that next important step—finding out what your company can do for them.

By starting a blog, you’ll be able to issue calls-to-action on a regular basis. This can be as simple as inviting your readers to leave a comment. You can also take it a step further and ask them to join your email list.

Without a call-to-action, your readers will have little incentive to check out the rest of your products and services. According to Mashable, the average bounce rate for websites hovers around 50%.

With a blog, you have a cost-effective way to increase client retention and ensure your audience is always engaged.

Advantage #3: A blog lets you show your expertise.

When your car breaks down, you visit the mechanic. If you get the flu, you make an appointment with the doctor.

Why do we rely on certain people to solve certain problems?

The answer is simple: we see them as experts.

To launch a successful business, you must be able to prove that you’re an expert in your niche. Blogging is an excellent place to start because it reaches such a wide audience. For example, the total monthly readership for blogs on WordPress.com is over 400 million people.

Even if you’ve never written a blog before, it’s easy to get started. What you write should clearly reflect your strengths as a business. For example, a content writing service could blog on time-saving techniques for writers. A graphic design company could produce infographics to enhance its blog posts.

You should also consider guest blogging on another website in your industry. When readers see that other experts have given you their seal of approval, they’ll be more likely to see you as an authority.

Advantage #4: A blog lets you put your business into your own words.

How often do you get a chance to tell people what your company is really about?

If you’re like most businesses, it’s probably not often. Outbound marketing techniques, such as sales calls, are often brief and impersonal. You don’t always have time to convey your services in the way you want.

What if there was an easy way to put it all out there?

Blogging could be the answer you’re looking for. With a blog, you’ll have the freedom to put your company into your own words. Whether your business is brand new or something you’ve been working on for years, blogging allows you to put a personal touch on your public brand.

Experts agree that highlighting your company’s personality increases customer loyalty. For example, Forbes writes that business storytelling helps create a meaningful connection with clients.

The next time a customer asks about what you do, point them to your blog. They’ll appreciate having such an approachable, informal window into your company.

Start Small, Dream Big.

You’ve learned about the advantages of blogging. Now, it’s time to get writing.

As in any new business venture, it’s OK to start small. Try setting up a publishing schedule—like one post a week—and sticking to it.

Over time, you’ll reap the benefits of more sales for your business and higher customer satisfaction.

Good luck with your blogging journey, and remember to have fun!