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Pottery Barn’s Seasonal Content Strategy

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Marketing strategies come in all shapes and sizes. The promotional materials a company uses can vary based on the type of company, the season, or the company’s goals. All of this is part of a company’s content strategy, and it’s a very important aspect of branding and marketing.

There are many unique and colorful examples of successful content strategies in recent years. Pottery Barn’s user-generated “My Pottery Barn” campaign is one example of a successful high-profile strategy.

Using the #mypotterybarn hashtag on social media, users can share the content of items from Pottery Barn in their own homes. This is a simple, but fantastic content strategy for one of the nation’s largest home decor retailers. It also offers some learning opportunities for other businesses looking to enhance their own content strategies.

Website Content Strategies: What Makes Pottery Barn So Successful?

There are several factors that make Pottery Barn’s user-generated content strategy successful. Any of these lessons may be applied to businesses of all types looking to reach a wider audience online.

User-Generated Content is Free Marketing

First, by allowing users to create and share original content, Pottery Barn is able to save money on its website content. Rather than paying to make promotional materials, user-generated content provides companies with free content. Of course, it is poor practice to use user-generated content without crediting the users. But most businesses avoid this easy mistake, and their users enjoy the platform provided by user-generated content strategies.

Not only is user-generated content free, but it’s also highly effective website content. When other users see that real people are using a company’s products in exciting ways, they are more likely to see its value. In Pottery Barn’s case, users might see products that they love and envision them in their own homes. It does not take much to convert that intrigue into sales. Companies can provide links to featured products with price listings to remove even more friction for the user.

Promotes Engagement

The #mypotterybarn campaign and other similar campaigns are also great for promoting customer engagement. This is a big deal in online marketing because user engagement is a major factor in search engine rankings. The Google algorithm prominently favors pages and websites that captivate users’ attention and lead to further clicks.

Effective user-generated content strategies are one of the best ways to capitalize on this feature. Pottery Barn customers are eager to share their own creative designs with others and appreciate being recognized by the company. Other users can then see those posts and feel inspired to create and share their own designs. This cycle fuels both sales and customer engagement online for Pottery Barn, allowing the business to continue thriving.

A Content Strategy Increases Brand Visibility and Recognition

Pottery Barn is already an established name for many people. But by running an effective user-generated marketing content strategy, the brand remains at the center of its consumers’ attention. Followers log onto Instagram or Twitter and see the #mypotterybarn hashtag associated with captivating content. Even if there are no immediate sales, this brief interaction keeps the Pottery Barn name fresh in their minds.

For smaller businesses, increasing brand visibility has even more benefits. A successful viral content strategy can lead to great exposure for businesses without a pre-established following. This can be a great way to introduce your brand to new customers. Of course, getting started with a user-generated content campaign can be difficult for smaller businesses. But incentivizing customers to share content on social media is often a great way for small businesses to gain exposure. It then is also an effective strategy to remain active and relevant in the eyes of your customers later on.

Want to Start Your Own Marketing Content Strategy?

Content strategies are very important for businesses hoping to grow their online presence. A marketing content strategy shows that your business is active, engaged, and knowledgeable about your industry. User-generated website content is just one example of a type of content strategy that businesses can use.

No matter how you plan to reach your customers online, effective content is key. This means having a clear vision for your brand, understanding consumer needs, essential SEO principles, and more. If you are looking for ways to improve your own company’s marketing content strategy, Web Content Development can help. We are an online marketing agency that specializes in personalized content marketing strategies and brand management. Contact us to learn more about WCD’s services and how we can help you.

How to Choose the Best Web Content Provider

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While providing consumers with quality web content is definitely critical to your business’ success, it is most certainly not the primary focus of your business’ activities. Not only does this mean that any time spent on creating content for your website is time taken away from focusing on creating and delivering your outstanding products and services to your customers, there is also the chance that the content created in this way does not create as dramatic and beneficial an impact as one truly desires. There is where a web content provider can come in.

Though it is not for lack of trying, businesses are often unable to generate content that truly drives SEO. When you drive SEO, it attracts consumers, and creates conversions and sales. It is for this reason that any business can benefit immensely from working with a professional web content provider.

Web Content Management

A professional web content provider helps a business communicate effectively to both current and potential customers. This means that they provide content that explains exactly what the business is about, what the business can offer them, and why the business is a step above their competitors.

Perhaps most importantly, a professional web content agency provides content that is relatable and not boastful. This makes them want to form a relationship with your business. That said, it is important to recognize that not all web content providers are created equally. Following are some tips for choosing the best web content provider available:

Verify the quality of their writing.

High-quality writing is absolutely essential for any form of web content because content that is full of grammatical, spelling or other errors is often viewed by readers as unprofessional and therefore untrustworthy. The best web content provider should be able to provide error-free writing that communicates well and easily.

Ensure they can provide original, unique content.

Some web content providers specialize in creating stock articles for different websites. Unfortunately, search engines penalize repeated. What’s more, it essentially communicates to consumers that your business lacks originality.  This is the exact opposite of what you wish them to believe. Look instead for a web content provider that generates original, unique content on demand for your business.

Find out whether they have a quick turnaround time.

While it’s a bit unreasonable to expect your written content to arrive the day after you order it. It’s also unreasonable to have to wait a full month–or longer–for it. The best web content provider should be able to give you the professional, high-quality content you need and want within a suitable timeframe.

Determine whether they can provide you with a variety of web content.

Valuable web content also includes video and other types of content. The best web content provider must have experience in all types of web content.

Make sure they are willing to work closely with you in the creation of your web content.

Some web content providers may take a “know best” attitude. This is essentially bullying you into a marketing plan that they feel is best for your business. However, this is not a successful relationship as it ignores the fact that you are actually the expert in your field, and therefore, know who your target audience is and what keywords may best attract their positive attention. The best web content provider will work closely with you in order to ensure you truly receive the best web content possible.

To find out more about quality web content services and how they can help you achieve the success you desire, contact Web Content Development today.

Ghost Blogging: The Benefits for Businesses and Writers

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Today’s tech-savvy environment essentially demands that a business must establish and maintain an online presence in order to be visible to consumers. In fact, many consumers determine whether a business is worth considering based on their online presence. One study has even indicated that eighty-one percent of consumers will conduct online research before deciding whether to establish a relationship with a business and make a purchase.

Obviously, those businesses who don’t even have an online presence of any sort are unlikely to be considered in many consumers’ research of products or services, but even those business who do have an online presence can find that their work is cut out for them.

In a world where competing businesses are literally one search engine result away from each other, simply having a website isn’t enough. One must have content that is attractive to their target audience, drawing their attention and engaging them so that they will dig deeper to learn more, and will decide to buy. This definitely begins with the main web content for the business’ website, but this static content isn’t enough.

There must also be more casual content that is produced more frequently, such as blog posts, answering questions and proposing solutions in a way that works to build trust among consumers. However, writing high-quality web content on a regular basis is not the primary purpose of any business, and few businesses possess the necessary resources to produce this type of content.

Fortunately, there is a workable solution: hire a ghost blog writer.

Ghost Blogging

A ghost blog writer refers to professional writer hired for the express purpose of providing specific types of web content. Whereas some individuals may claim that writing basic internet content is simple and that anyone can produce quality web content, a simple search on the internet will prove that this isn’t at all true.

Poorly-written web content might difficult to follow and understand. But it can also frustrate and turn off consumers who are looking for experts they can trust. Ghost blog writers are expert at what they do. They can provide a business with a variety of web content, including main website page content, blog posts, and more.

Benefits of a Ghost Blog

There are many benefits to having a ghost blog, both for the business and for the writer, including businesses that:

  •  does not need to learn how to produce high-quality content. They can instead focus on what they do best: produce valuable products or services.
  • may not need to pay a full-time employee writer to produce their high-quality content (an expensive option).
  •   does not need to ask one of their current full-time employees to learn how to produce content in addition to other duties.
  • benefits from having high-quality, engaging content posted to their website on a regular basis, drawing in new consumer interest.
  • a writer can choose how they want to write content. This is either by writing articles on whatever they desire and then selling them to various websites.
  • Or they can choose how much and what kind of content they wish to write. Since the writer is not a full-time employee, they can how much and how often they write.

The concept of ghostwriting is not entirely new. Many individuals and businesses have something they want to communicate. However, those who lack either the time or the skill to write well, have hired ghostwriters to help them. Ghost blogging is newer since the internet and blogs are newer, but the concept remains the same. Businesses wish to communicate effectively with consumers. They also hope to recognize the value in hiring a professional writer to help them do so.

Website Debuts: How to Ensure Your Content Attracts Followers From Day One

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It takes a lot of time and effort to build an effective website, so it’s natural to expect big, and fast, results when you launch it. This means that when you debut your new website, and the content on it, you can track visitors in real-time.

It can, therefore, be incredibly frustrating to watch as only a few visitors trickle through, and even fewer (if any) reach out with comments or questions. You have likely done plenty of research beforehand so you know that you are providing information, products or services that consumers desire, and your website has been carefully designed so that it is both user-friendly and engaging–so what happened?

Attracting Followers With Content From Day One

While it may seem perfectly logical that a new website will have to start somewhere in building a following, it doesn’t have to start at nothing. If you design and promote your website content properly, you can attract followers from day one and just continue to build from there. Here are some tips for how to do this:

  • Create valuable, high-quality content that can easily be shared.

Consumers who are running searches on the internet are looking for answers and solutions and have become wary of hard-sell tactics. If your content is focused on selling products and services, consumers may overlook it. Consumers are much more likely to read and share content that they find to be valuable because it provides answers and solutions. This will help you to form a trusting relationship with them so they return time and again.

  • Ask family members, friends, and acquaintances to help you through social media.

Social media helps promote your brand and website in so many ways. Luckily, many individuals consider sharing information from family and friends. On Facebook, for example, you can invite your family and friends to join your business page. This page should include a link to your business website, too. Then, you can share blog posts and information that they can then share with their network. Twitter, Google Plus, and LinkedIn can also provide additional benefit when used properly.

  • Ask others to share your site content

Ask family members, friends, and acquaintances who have other blogs or websites to mention or link to your website.

Even smaller sites that mention your website can help you rise in SEO rankings.

  • Request opportunities to guest post.

This helps you to spread your brand name to new audiences. Your post and any follow-up comments can be thoughtful and insightful, which will attract positive attention and may well drive users to check out your website. If you do this on several different sites, users will begin to recognize you as an authority, which can further build trust and interest.

A Final Thought

Prepare optimized content for your site as soon as it launches. It’s important to ensure that the technical aspects of your website function at launch. Technical difficulties, such as broken buttons or mobile compatibility, can effectively destroy a website’s debut. Unfortunately, they often do. Therefore, a stellar debut includes ensuring both the technical aspects and the content are ready to knock user’s socks off.

What to Look For in a Content Writer

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Every business can benefit from online copywriting, but not every business has someone that can write. More and more consumers are going online to shop, look for reviews or simply to research the organizations they plan to work with, so you can’t afford to not have professional, well-written copy on your website and in your mailings. Using a content writer can solve a lot of these problems.

Looking for a writer to do this work can be tough, though. There are a lot of writers out there advertising their services, but how do you choose one? Here are several qualities you should look for.

Command of the English Language is Crucial for a Content Writer

This may seem like a no-brainer, but many online writers don’t actually write with correct grammar, punctuation and spelling. When you start looking for writers, examine the way they present themselves in their bios and in their email correspondence. If you are finding a lot of typos and other mistakes, you can be sure that these same mistakes will show up in the articles that they write for you.

You don’t want to waste your time having to do extensive editing and re-writing of the work you have already paid for, so take the time to do your research and to find a writer that is a master of the English language.

Weed Out the Plagiarists

It’s a sad state of affairs, but many online writers today are thieves. They steal their content from other websites and present it as their own. When you start looking for a writer for your business, make sure that you ask to see examples of the writer’s previous work. You can then check these with online tools like Copyscape. This is a website that will search the internet to find if the material has been plagiarized

If you’re going to pay good money for online copy, you want to make sure that it’s fresh and original. Not only will this convert more of your readers into customers, it will also keep you out of any lawsuits for posting material that has been stolen from others.

Find a Team Player

Most online copywriters are freelancers. They usually set their own schedule and work from home, and they usually have an independent streak. This can translate to some incredible writing with a lot of style, but it can also mean that these writers aren’t always open to suggestions.

When choosing a writer to work with your company, you need to make sure that the writer will be a team player. He or she has to be willing to take your advice on what kind of copy you want or to make changes in the tone and direction of the copy. You have to work out this spirit of cooperation ahead of time, too, because a bad apple won’t be interested in hearing about it after he has already been paid.

Copy that Converts

After you have chosen a copywriter and used or posted his written work, make sure to check back at your “web stats” occasionally to see how that copy is doing. When readers find your writer’s articles, do they actually end up calling in to your company or buying your product? We call this a “conversion.” You want your copy to actually convert readers into customers.

If your online copy isn’t converting, work with your writer to point it in a direction that will get those customers in the door. While you may like the work that you’re receiving, at the end of the day those conversions are what matter! Work on them until they do.

If you do that you will see not only an increase of site traffic but an increase of customers. If you’re looking for a freelance content writer that’s part of a team with a professional editor and an SEO expert reach out to us.

What is Copywriting?

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If you’ve heard that copywriting can be a great way to make a good living, to enjoy more freedom in your daily life and to exercise your creative abilities, you already have a pretty good idea of the reasons why you might want to explore a career in this field. But what exactly is copywriting?

Many people who hear the term assume that it has to do with trademarks and intellectual property, but that is not at all the case. Copywriting actually involves creating content for use in advertising and marketing.

In the context of advertising, the term “copy” refers to the text used in the promotional material, and it is the job of the copywriter to produce this content. It is easy to see just how important the role of the copywriter is, with the responsibility of writing content that will be immediately compelling, engaging and which will do an effective job of selling the product in question.

How Copywriting is Used for Successful Marketing

The success of a marketing campaign can hinge on the quality of the copy used. The work of a copywriter may be used in placements including:

  • Catalogs
  • Print ads
  • Billboards
  • Brochures
  • Marketing emails
  • Websites

There is currently a major demand for copywriters who can produce content for websites, including landing pages, blogs, how-to articles and more. Quality content is key in achieving visibility online in organic search rankings on Google and Bing and is also vital for building an active and viable marketing campaign that will engage with consumers and build brand awareness.

If you are considering breaking into this field, you will be pleased to know that for most positions, you will not be required to hold any specific degree, and it is even possible in many situations to get started with little or no previous experience, provided that you can demonstrate proficiency with samples of your own writing.

Why Should You Engage in Regular Copywriting?

Copywriting may be something that you do for an extra source of income, or it could be a new career for you, one in which you can make a sizeable income and enjoy a level of freedom not available elsewhere.

What is it like to be a copywriter? Many people who work in this field are freelancers. This refers to individuals who take assignments from a content development company or directly from clients. You will most likely experience a considerable variety in your workload. You might have the opportunity to write about a number of different subjects as you continue taking new assignments.

What Should You Look for in a Copywriter?

Copywriting requires the ability to be a fast learner, someone who can quickly make a study of a new subject and acquire the information necessary to communicate about it with the target audience. You’ll have to put yourself in the shoes of your client. Ask yourself what message they want to convey and what result they want to achieve with their marketing. You should also be familiar with the reader. Try to understand how to break the subject down and communicate it at a level that they can grasp.

This job is both highly challenging and also very rewarding. You complete large and small projects and then see the content that you produced on websites or social media. This job allows for a lot of flexibility, too.

Depending on your needs and preferences, it can even be a part-time activity or a full-time job. Typically, you can scale your workload to fit with your lifestyle. You can work from home or wherever else you choose, rather than a 9-to-5 cubicle position.

And perhaps most importantly, you can make your voice heard and put your skills of communication to good work!