A Great Blog is Like a Winning Resume

As The Huffington Post’s Michael B. Fishbein explains, there’s no better way to kick off the “Should we blog?” conversation than by pointing out that this digital asset is the brand equivalent of a winning resume. Customers often turn to this portion of your website first to learn more about your expertise and capabilities, so it’s imperative that you not only have something to showcase here, but also to impart something powerful and worthwhile while you have their attention.

“Blogs are the new resumes. Blogging about a topic you would like to be viewed as an expert in can illustrate to readers, employers and your network that you are skilled and knowledgeable,” Fishbein asserts.

You wouldn’t hand over a blank resume to a potential employer, so it doesn’t make sense to do the same with a prospective customer. If you can take this opportunity to blow your audience away with content that proves your expertise and adds value to the customer experience, there’s little doubt that these viewers will reward you later as they move to make a purchase.

It’s Vital to Your SEO Strategy

Blogging helps drive potential customers onto your site via a plethora of SEO benefits. In terms of specific SEO advantages, Olivia Allen of The HubSpot Blog points to a rise in inbound links from other pages and increased rankings with Google (and the rest of the search engine leaders) as the biggest benefits for businesses that blog.

As you create a virtual library of engaging, unique and valuable content, other organizations and sources will naturally begin to link back to your pages and cite your offerings. This can lead to a surge in brand awareness across the web and a healthy boost in your inbound link count. Allen notes that some companies see their total number of inbound links increase by as much as 97 percent.

Also, if you remain active with your blog and incorporate a sound keyword and content strategy, it won’t take long for search engines to notice this trend and reward you for your hard work. Specifically, they’ll index a whopping 434 percent more pages for brands that blog when compared to those who don’t. In other words, if you want to be found when customers start browsing the web, it’s time to start dusting off your blog and begin filling it with quality content.

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Blogging Turns Traffic into Leads

Blogging also impacts the bottom line. There’s plenty of data that proves the link between incoming customers and blogging. As Business 2 Community’s Kapil Jekishan explains, organizations that blog enjoy the following perks that lead directly to sales and satisfied customers:

• 55 percent more site visits
• The ability to remain relevant to (and recapture) the 50 percent of qualified leads that are interested, but not yet ready to buy
• Increased return on investment via the generation of leads that cost an average of 62 percent less when compared with outbound alternatives

The moral of the story here is clear: Blogging turns traffic into leads, and leads generate more sales for your brand. Regardless of your industry or current marketplace standing, it’s hard to knowingly pass up on the benefits created by a commitment to consistent and engaging blogging.

Running a Great Blog Doesn’t Require a Herculean Effort

For some brands, the concern isn’t about gauging the effectiveness of blogging, but rather working around the time and effort that goes into it. While there’s no denying that generating stellar blog content does require a healthy dose of hard work and research, there’s also nothing in the rulebook that says your business has to go about this process on its own.

By working with professional blogging experts, like the team from Article-Writing.Co, your business can enjoy all of the benefits that come with blogging without the added stress of personally handling the writing process or breaking the bank via overpriced content marketing services. When combined with everything else that you’ve learned here, the conversation now shifts from answering the question of “Should my business blog?” to “How soon can I start?”

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The post Why Your Business (of any Size) Needs to Blog appeared first on Relevance.

“Humans, who are limited by slow biological evolution, couldn’t compete and would be superseded [by artificial intelligence].”

– Professor Stephen Hawking, University of Cambridge

These words from renowned physicist Stephen Hawking, as well as the impending presidential campaign of self-proclaimed “transhumanist” Zoltan Istvan, paint quite an exciting picture regarding the future role of artificial intelligence (AI) in everyday life. After all, Istvan’s idea of integrated immortality via the growth of AI being just within reach of humanity’s grasp is definitely a topic that stirs up quite a bit of controversy and discussion among experts and casual friends alike.

However, the notion of this virtual force assuming direct control of certain societal functions isn’t just limited to fascinating conversations and hypotheticals found in the distant future. In fact, certain members of the content marketing community feel that this reality is right around the corner for a human-driven industry that views itself as both vibrant and irreplaceable. With this in mind, let’s take a look at the future relationship between content marketing and AI, as well as what this development could mean for content marketers like yourself moving forward.

The Rise of Artificial Intelligence

So how exactly do these two seemingly disparate concepts come together? According to The Huffington Post’s Jayson DeMers, there’s actually a surprising amount of overlap already in place between content marketing and AI. With “journalistic robots” taking center stage for the Associated Press and other major players in the digital world, AI is already making its presence known in the world of digital content via automatically generated posts.

In fact, DeMers suggests that you’ve probably already read more artificially crafted stories or posts than you can count. The process all boils down to AI being able to take easily assimilated raw information – think news briefs and press releases – and turn these offerings into consumable selections over a short timeframe.

Forecasting the Future

While basic, easily created content might already be succumbing to the influence of AI, value-driven, professionally crafted offerings will always be off-limits, right? WIRED magazine’s Klint Finley explains that this is far from a realistic outlook for the future. The reality of the situation is that current AI models are already working hard to tackle the concept of unique article submissions.

Yes, news reporting will be the first to fall, but content marketing is the next stepping stone on this impressive path being forged by AI. Perhaps the most fascinating part of this seemingly inevitable future is that these programs and logic systems will be so good at what they do that Finley sees each user receiving a story that’s developed exclusively with that particular individual in mind—something that even the best content marketer couldn’t pull off.

Should You Be Worried?

After reading all of that, chances are you probably feel like it’s time to consider a new career that’s situated far from the prying hands of our seemingly unstoppable AI replacements. Thankfully, there’s no need for this kind of overreaction just yet.

“Content marketing is probably going to die at the hands of robots, but it’s still got a long life ahead of it.”

– Jayson DeMers, The Huffington Post

The concept of AI-driven content marketing – according to DeMers – is still decades away at the earliest. While this reality is virtually inevitable given what you’ve just learned about the inexorable march of AI into this industry, there’s no reason to set aside your wealth of knowledge and expertise at the soonest possible moment. Until the day comes that machines can do it better, faster, and for less cost, your best bet is to continue crafting evocative content and building relationships between brands and consumers that matter.

The post Will Artificial Intelligence Kill Content Marketing? appeared first on Relevance.

Of course, taking this plunge isn’t easy, especially if you’re not sure what exactly you would offer to potential clients. With this in mind, let’s cover a few ideas that could ignite the spark of your inner entrepreneur and put you on the path to the next great content marketing innovation.

1. Create Specialized Market Guides

This idea puts your knowledge of content marketing best practices to good use by honing in on a void found in regional markets and industries. Whether you’re creating real estate buying guides for buyers and sellers in specific neighborhoods or displaying a mastery of the current opportunities in the world of real-time bidding (RTB), the key here is to leverage your abilities to fill a content gap that would otherwise be untapped.

2. Start an Industry-Specific Periodical

At first glance, the concept of a magazine or periodical as a content marketing business idea seems overused or worn out – and for good reason. After all, John Deere has been at this game with The Furrow since 1895. Of course, there’s a reason why the “original” content marketing team put this publication together so long ago; consumers love a structured, value-driven offering that they can count on as a stable and regular source of high-quality content.

Pushing a digital publication isn’t an entrepreneurial endeavor that’s for the faint of heart. To make this method work, you’ll need to not only hone in on an audience that’s craving such an offering but also ensure that this opportunity isn’t already being filled by someone else. From here, spreading the word and promoting your periodical on a consistent basis across social media and other relevant channels guarantees that this project really gains steam and becomes a viable addition to your business portfolio. You’ll also need an abundance of time or a dedicated staff to manage the content on a daily basis.

3. Leverage Your Expertise as a Consultant

Depending on your experience with the content marketing world, there’s always the chance that you can forego making content altogether and instead focus on helping others develop and create offerings of their own. Naturally, this isn’t a path for those who are just now dipping their tops into this portion of the digital marketplace. However, if you can combine your knowledge of content marketing with a strong ability to communicate and assist, then there’s no reason why your next professional step forward can’t be toward an advisory or consulting position.

4. Develop a New Social Tool

If you’re social butterfly on Facebook, Twitter or any other prominent platform, why not try your hand at developing a social tool that helps support and enhance the content marketing process? Social media and content marketing are connected at the hip in today’s digital world, but that doesn’t mean that the all of the overlap between these two regions has been explored or leveraged.

Obviously, there’s no point in trying to fight with the likes of Hootsuite or other big names in the social tool marketplace. Even so, developing a tweet aggregator for a certain industry, a Facebook plugin for a select group of WordPress users, or some other highly specialized demographic is a great way to blend the need for social optimization and your entrepreneurial spirit.

You don’t have to do it alone, either. Partner with a web developer who has the technical expertise you need, but lacks the industry insight to identify marketplace need for new tools.

5. Compile Case Studies and Other Analytics

Another smart idea for transferring your content marketing know-how into a sound business idea comes in the form of compiling industry relevant case studies and other data-oriented products. Use intriguing cases in your professional history or gather and package consumer data in manageable and easy-to-understand sets. Wherever your inspiration comes from, taking a more analytical approach to your burgeoning content marketing business can help differentiate you and your skillset.

6. Create a Content Marketing App

Much like developing a specialized social tool, creating a content marketing app is all about putting your tech-savvy side to good use. Coding and development skills are vital to this approach, so either having years of experience on this front – or working with someone who does – is, again, a must.

Once you’ve got the technical details in order, it’s time to find a content-oriented gap that needs addressing in your target market or industry. Is there demand for a mobile-friendly news app that covers breaking stories? What about an encyclopedic-style offering that provides quick access to industry terms and jargon? Brainstorming over these and other questions can help point you in the right direction as you seek out a useful and lucrative content marketing app opportunity.

7. Serve as an Influencer Liaison

Finally, if you’re blessed with the gift of gab, it’s time to consider putting this asset to good use by serving as an intermediary between brands and industry influencers. As one of the most powerful tools in the content marketing world, gathering influencer quotes, interviews and backlinks is far from an easy endeavor.

In fact, depending on the reach offered by the expert in question, capturing these opportunities can be a massive challenge for the uninitiated. For a seasoned professional like yourself, though, leveraging the appropriate channels and turning this skill into a marketable asset is attainable and good for both your client and for your bottom line.

Based on how dedicated you are to creating a content marketing business, these ideas are just the beginning of the journey. From here, the sky is the limit if you’re willing to seek even more potential areas of growth and seize the day with a progressive and proactive mindset.

The post 7 Ways to Turn Expertise Into a Content Marketing Business appeared first on Relevance.

1. Hive – As the first free and unlimited cloud storage service on the web, Hive is perfect for gathering and protecting your valuable branded content and other organizational documents.
2. Grammarly – Tired of wondering if it’s “they’re,” “their,” or “there?” Grammarly combs over your content and points out any grammar mistakes, as well as offering context-relevant suggestions and replacements.
3. Emotional Marketing Value Headline Analyzer – Created by the Advanced Marketing Institute, this headline analyzer reviews the emotional impact of your content title and helps you pinpoint the perfect wording that makes an impact with the person on the other side of the screen.
4. Click To Tweet – Just like the name implies, this tool gives your audience an easy-to-use button that simplifies the social sharing process on Twitter.
5. Google Trends – For the marketer or writer that can’t figure out what to write about, Google Trends offers up insight into the latest search queries, as well as which topics currently generate a major amount of buzz.
6. SEO Site Checkup – As far as free search engine optimization (SEO) tools go, few offer as many bells and whistles as SEO Site Checkup. From site load times to warnings sorted by page, this tool inspects all the nooks and crannies of your domain.
7. Internet Marketing Ninja’s Broken Link Tool – Great content can only go so far on the web. If you really want to drive traffic numbers up, ensuring all of your links are up and running is vital to the process. Letting this savvy crawling tool do the work for you can save time and plenty of headaches.
8. Hemingway App – from illogical sentence structure to passive voice, the Hemingway App offers up guidance and suggestions regarding the composition of your text content.
9. Kraken – Unleash the Kraken! Well, not the mythical sea serpent, but rather this nifty image compression and optimization tool that can help speed up page load times.
10. Editorial Calendar – This WordPress plugin makes scheduling and managing current and upcoming posts a breeze with its simple drag and drop interface.
11. Meme Generator – While most might think of memes as little more than funny images, the truth of the matter is that memes can add a little extra flair and viral trajectory to your social posts and blog content.
12. HTML5 UP – This database offers up a plethora of graphically pleasing and responsive HTML5 and CSS3 web designs, all for the low, low cost of free.
13. Lean Domain Search – Looking for a fitting domain name for a new project or web page? Lean Domain Search scours the web in seconds to help find available domain names of all shapes and sizes.
14. Copyscape – Letting others plagiarize your content, intentional or otherwise, is something you simply can’t afford to let happen, so Copyspace offers a helping hand by taking a peek at every corner of the web in search of other copies. (Bonus: Copyscape also offers a premium variation that checks your content before it goes live to ensure that it is both unique and original.)
15. WP Hide Post – Much like Editorial Calendar, WP Hide Post aims to manage your blog content once it’s published and live. By hiding certain elements on each page, this tool helps promote a smoother, more refined user experience.
16. Liberio – If you’re looking to whip up something more than a basic blog post, Liberio offers content creation tools for eBooks, all from a nice and neat package that operates out of your Google Drive account.
17. GTMetrics – Nobody wants to wait on a site to load, even if the content is out of this world. To ensure you’re not failing on this front, GTMetrics offers a free, comprehensive breakdown of your page’s speed performance, as well as tips and tricks for improving load times.
18. HubSpot Blog Topic Generator – HubSpot’s take on exploring engaging blog ideas utilizes a series of noun entries to generate a custom list of unique and useful topics.
19. Open Link Profiler – When it comes to backlinks and the current SEO landscape, ensuring the quality of these connections to your site is far more important than bulking up on raw numbers. With this in mind, Open Link Profiler offers a comprehensive analysis of up to 200,000 links related to your site.
20. Digg Digg – Finally, everyone wants to watch their content go viral, and few tools help achieve this goal quite like the Digg Digg WordPress plugin. With access to Facebook, Google+, and a variety of other platforms, this tool gives your loyal viewers everything they need to spread the word about your offerings to family and friends.

With this toolkit roundup in hand (and bookmarked in your browser), you should be well on your way to taking the world of content marketing by storm. To learn more about content generation or other services and tools that could streamline your process even more, come talk with one of our content experts at Article-Writing.co.

The post 20 Free Content Marketing Tools You Can’t Live Without appeared first on Relevance.