Content Marketing Strategy, The 3 MOST IMPORTANT COMPONENTS of a good one!

Hey guys, 

It is me again Brandie Peters - for those who are new I am a content marketing strategist. What that means is that I help cool people, tell their story on the web. In my last blog I explained why I would start yet another blog project and today I am going to talk a little bit more about content marketing strategies and why a blog works to help increase your visibility online.

If you have never heard of a content marketing strategy before then this is not the best place to begin. I have included an extensive ( and free ) guide to content marketing as one of my blog’s core content pages, you will probably want to check that out. 

In this post today I want to talk about the characteristics of a good content marketing strategy and what you will need to do in order to design one.

You will need to have some form of written content or “copy” 

At the bare minimum your content marketing plan should include some form of written content. I stated in my guide that content marketing includes a variety of media, images, videos, social media posts, blogs/articles and website copy. For a content strategy to work for “SEO” written content pages are VERY important.

Why? Well, SEO ( search engine optimization) is the process of writing website copy that includes the keywords that people search when looking for a specific topic. It is also about formatting your website content properly so that the search engine crawlers can identify the keywords and then rank your page on those keywords for inquiries. These days SEO should not be your primary concern when write website copy. 

The search engine algorithms are so sophisticated that they can identify keyword stuffing and other SEO tricks that people previously used to rank higher. Instead, your best bet is to create quality copy that also happens to include your target keywords. It is wise to make sure that your content is properly formatted for SEO to assist with your content’s ranking - but, worry more about the quality of the content itself. 

You Also Need Some Social Media Profiles for Your Content Marketing Strategy 

Another component that you will want to have for your content marketing strategy is social media. How many social media profiles you ask? Well, truthfully it depends on what you want to achieve. 

Don’t get fooled into thinking that you need to be creating content for ALL of the social media platforms ALL of the time.

This is quite the undertaking - and a better plan is to focus on growing and engaging an audience on one or two platforms at a time. 

As for what social media platforms are the best to use for content marketing - well that is all up to you. As a content strategist I will make different recommendations for social media based on what we are trying to achieve. Certain platforms work better for different industries and demographics. A good practice is to do a bit of competition research beforehand and see how your competitors are using social media and what platforms they are utilizing.

This is Just a Matter of Opinion But VIDEO should also be part of a modern content plan

Finally, the third component of a good content marketing strategy in this day and age is video. I always says that all content marketing strategies need to be multi-media, but in 2016 video is the most important type of media for you to be producing.

The reason why I say this is because almost all of the social media platforms are moving towards video and video also happens to be very useful for SEO. Most people prefer video to reading and therefore having quick consumable video to accompany your content is wise. When you embed video into your website it holds people on the website longer to increase the bounce rate. Video is also a great way to express yourself, share information and connect quickly with an audience. 

Does the word “video" make you nervous?

Take comfort in the fact that the days of expensive video production are now behind us. Even a budget content marketing strategy can still include video where the media is produced in house. 

That said, if your budget allows I’d recommend having a high quality explainer video for your social media and website produced. I have included a guide regarding explained videos in the core pages of this website to further explain this.

Alright, so there I have laid it out. Everything that a great content marketing strategy needs to work: 

Search engine optimized content to help you rank on keywords and have something for your audience to read. 

Social media platforms to share your content on and help you find people to network with. 

And video, to tell your story in a way that is quick and easy to understand. 

I’ll be expanding on these in future blogs and going into more detail about each different aspect of a content marketing plan as well as ways that you can self produce your own. 

If you have found this quick blog post about the things that a good content marketing strategy consists of please feel free to share it with someone else. This is the best way that you can help me grow and help more people.

I should also mention that I do have a free coaching group for people who want to learn more about content marketing! You can join by signing up here.

Thanks for reading

Stay cool!
⭐✊😝⭐ 

Brandie

Drop A Lil Comment! Say hello
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Website Content Strategy, What Your Website Absolutely NEEDS to Rank Well

What does your website ACTUALLY need to rank online?

Okay, so for the last few days I have been talking about content marketing. If you've never met me before my name is Brandie Peters and I am a content marketing strategist - so, obviously I am pretty PASSIONATE about content. In the past I made my living as a website content writer / blogger for hire.

In that role, over the last 4 and a half years, I have written A LOT of website content!

Some of it great, some of it not so great. In 2016 I decided that I would dedicate myself to helping people create ONLY the great stuff. "Blogs not "Blah"gs" I say -

In my last blog I talked about the difference between "having content" and having a content strategy.

 In today's post I want to explore the concept of constructing a website with value content, rather than  a website with just plain old "content" - and you are probably wondering, what is the difference?

Well, first we need to delve into a bit of history. In the past, when websites were fancy and new, a traditional website would have website pages "about" the business - and be essentially a virtual business card.

This was back when just having a website was something that could set you apart - and nobody gave too much mind to how many words were on the content pages, or how frequently the website was updated, managed or even viewed.

Back then, "web design" and the appearance of the website, was what earned you your bragging rights. And for the most part, business owners had little to no involvement in the management of their website - and the life-line of a stagnant site (that never changed) was years and years.

As web technology has evolved so have our expectations and standards for what a good site is / does.

People tend to prefer websites that provide them with some sort of value - and Google continues to modernize their ranking algorithms to favour sites of this nature.

I could easily get off track and vent about the differences between a good website and a bad website.

For the sake of actually getting to the juice of what your website content strategy needs, as far as written copy pages to rank well with Google, i'll refrain for now.

What type of website content strategy works to rank with Google?

Assuming that you are reading this in 2016-ish and things haven't changed too dramatically, currently Google is favouring "HIGH VALUE" informative and engaging content.

Content nerds, like myself, would probably argue that Google has always favoured quality content first, but the old algorithms used to be much easier to trick with clever SEO.

Now, fooling the search engines into ranking your website using a keyword strategy is nearly impossible. The new search algorithms are so sophisticated that not only can they tell good content from bad content - they will also "ding" your website for using bad optimization techniques, like keyword stuffing.

Although, all of the Google algorithm details, are not publically know - there are a few things that "WE" know undoubtedly about the way that websites are being ordered -

Main Factors, For Ranking On Google

o Content Quality
o Content Legacy
o User experience
o Structure and formatting 

I have underlined content quality as the most important because at the end of the day, that is REALLY all Google (or anyone) cares about.

Remember: Google is devoted to providing users with the best possible information relating to their search inquiries.

Because people tend to click the first result - Google wants to place "the best" response in that location...

That's just how it works.

Content Legacy, refers to the age of the content - and as more people have hopped on the content train, legacy content has become more and more valuable.

All legacy content is, is content that has existed and ranked on specific keywords for a certain period of time. Google gives certain websites legacy BECAUSE people are composing so much new content trying to grab those top ranking spots.

It is important to understand that legacy only applies when the content still has value.

For this reasons "bloggers" or people who have been writing about a specific topic for an extended period of time can hold their ranking positions, despite the volcano of new content we are seeing erupting all over the place.

User experience - okay, so this is mostly about the structuring of the content, the writing quality and whether or not people actually stay on the page. User experience is determined primarily by a thing called "bounce rate" which is determined based on the amount of time spent on your page. Last year, Google also began to factor in Social Shares (shares to social media) as a meter of user experience.
Why? Because obviously if people are sharing the content with their peers, it must have more value...

Lastly, structure and formatting - is the content well constructed? Does it have the SEO indicators like h1 tags - links to other websites - embedded images - etc. etc.

I've included a fully updated SEO checklist that explains further the important content structuring components.

I will be the first to admit however, that these continue to be the LEAST IMPORTANT factors in whether or not your content will rank with the modern day algorithm.

Creating Quality Content That Will Also Rank Well With Google

Personally, I enjoy geeking out about the factors that the algorithm monitors when ranking pages.

But, I know that this nerd topic isn't for everyone.

You probably are just sitting there wondering what EXACTLY do you need to do, to make your website show up on inquiries. Here we go:

o do your keyword research

o write strong "high value" content

o share and network that content

o make your website a "resource" not a stagnant page

To be more specific, when I develop content strategies I always coach on a High Value content strategy, that includes both "stationary" core pages and a dynamic blog or article feed.

The High Value content pages are meant to rank on your main target keywords - and are generally informative (providing information) about a specific topic relating to your industry or field. For my clients I include a minimum of 4 core content pages - but you can really have as many as you want. 

If you are hoping to grow an audience, these pages can also be your "freebies" or premium content offers that you trade in exchange for opt-ins and follows. 

Along with your 4 core content pages you also want to have one excellent "about me" / "story" page that articulates your brand values and mission. The "technical" purpose of this page is to assure that you rank on your business name. However,  I like to challenge people to provide some value here as by talking about their history, passion and goals. - A great "story" page is also an oppurtunity to connect with your readers. Keeping in mind that this is usually the second page that people head to when visiting a website for the first time.

Once your core pages are written you will also want to launch a keyword optimized blog. Like this one. It can be off-site or built right into your website depending on what you are hoping to achieve.

The "technical" purpose of this blog will to be to assist you in ranking on your desired keywords -

However, this is also another oppurtunity to be an expert resource, inform people and tell your business story.

You still with me?

I know that this sounds like a lot, and probably feels like a very tall order for a solo entrepreneur or someone who is just getting started marketing themselves online.

I want to end with some re-assurance that it is possible to do this yourself and that the benefits of having a website content strategy are abundant!

The nice thing is that it doesn't has to happen all immediately right now. Consider building your website and its content pages over time - rather than just "launching" BOOM! and letting it sit there.

Need help with this?

We are always sharing and discussion website content strategy in my FREE coaching group.

I didn't stutter. It is free. So Join Today! --> Brandie's Visibility Rockstars

Until we speak again!

Stay cool!
⭐✊😝⭐ 

- Brandie

http://brandiepeters.com/

Don't be afraid to drop a comment!
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Content Strategy, why having one is so important!

Having "content" and having a content strategy are two very different things!

Welcome, for those who have never been here before i will introduce myself again. My name is Brandie Peters. I am a content marketing strategist located in Medicine Hat, Alberta Canada - I work with clients all over the world helping them tell their story online.

I recently started blogging again on the topic of content marketing to help increase the visibility of my new venture Brandie Peters, Content Marketing Strategies. 

I also wanted to use this as an oppurtunity to experiment with Google's Blogger and demonstrate first hand the benefits of using a keyword strategized blog to share information and tell a story. This post, is the third blog in what will be 48 blog campaign. Eventually, I will be able to break down and demonstrate EXACTLY how I created and implement this simple content strategy.

I will then begin a secondary experiment to analyze the ranking and visibility growth.

Ugh, I know for some of you this all sounds rather geeky and technical but, I assure you that content marketing and SEO can actually be quite fun. The reason why I run these experiments as a strategist is because I want to be able to demonstrate to my clients, proof that these methods actually work.

Over the last few years I have worked online as a content writer and social media marketer. These days I combine those skills and provide people with full content strategy development services and one-on-one coaching.

So, What is The Difference Between Having "Content" and Having A Content Strategy?

Well, I am glad you asked. 

These days most businesses have "content" - because content simply means any media materials that were created for their brand. We are talking about:

• written copy
• videos
• photos
• graphics
• social media posts

These days even businesses without a sophisticated marketing strategy will likely produce these medias on a regular basis and share them online.

In 2016 it is important for business who wish to be visible online to produce content - if they aren't then they are going to be missing out on a HUGE oppurtunity to market themselves at a remarkably low cost.

However, simply having masses of content isn't enough...

Anyone, can produce content at will and publish it on the web. There really isn't anything particularly difficult about it and for this reason we are seeing an over-saturation of content on most platforms. Because of this having your content seen is becoming increasingly difficult. Creating content that actually generates new leads and sales has also become a huge challenge.

What I am saying is that, when you don't know anything about content strategies you can produce content until the cows come home and fail to see any results.

And under the belief that "time is money" your process of producing content aimlessly could actually be costing you money, instead of making it for you. How frustrating is that.

This brings up the primary difference between creating content and having that "strategy" in place to produce content to be shared and networked very intentionally.

A strategy helps you to plan and schedule the production of your content in a way that eliminates guessing. It allows you to focus on objectives and achieving specific goals with each piece of content that you produce. 

When you use a content strategy, all of your content is planned beforehand with either a long-term "content calendar" - or intermittently with campaigns. 

Content marketing strategists, like myself, develop these strategies and help business owners produce the media and then implement the strategy over a period of time. We also analyze results and report back to the marketer. In some instances the strategist is also responsible for assisting with PR and content networking. 

For fresh strategies brand development is also a big part of the content strategy process.

In some cases when a business already has a solid brand and existing content, the strategist comes in and weeds through the materials in order to come up with new ways to utilize existing media - 

Yeah it is a tough job, but somebody has to do it!

In all honesty, I really enjoy what I do as a strategist and I find content strategy development to be the perfect combination of technical and creative work.

To summarize, content is just one part of the equation when it comes to digital marketing. A "content strategy" is really what you need if you want to save yourself time and money. Because content marketing is more complex than simply "making" content, sometimes you need to hire a strategist who can help you optimize your media and get it seen by the right people.

Alright, if this sounds like a service you are looking for, then I might be your girl.

My website brandiepeters.com further explains some of things that i do as a strategist.

If you are more of a do-it-yourself type of person, then consider joining my FREE coaching group.

This is a free community where I share resources for entrepreneurs who want to learn how to use a content strategy to grow their business on the web. 

Thanks for reading

Stay Cool!
⭐✊😝⭐ 

- Brandie

Say Hi, Don't be shy. Drop a comment below.

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Content Marketing Strategist Brandie Peters, Starts Yet Another Blog...

Hey guys, it's me again Brandie Peters!

If you are new, I am a content marketing strategist who lives in Medicine Hat Alberta Canada. 

Currently, I make a living online helping businesses market themselves online using digital media content. I know that sounds pretty fancy - and I don’t normally describe it that way. What I usually say is that “I help cool people tell their story online…”

If you aren’t new and have been following me for a while, you are probably wondering why the hell would ever start ANOTHER blog?

I’ll be the first to admit it, I have had A LOT of blogs in my time. I have also written thousands of blog posts for a variety of businesses and hundreds of content pages for websites. Before I was a content strategist I was a content writer ( a.k.a a “blogger for hire”) and i specialized in SEO website content and blog strategies for businesses in competitive markets. 

These days, i still do my fair share of content writing - but mostly my focus is on multimedia storytelling using digital tools, like blogs and simple websites. Less for the search engines and more for real people. 

What I do as a strategist is help people come up with full content marketing plans to make their businesses show up on search inquiries and different social media platforms. Most of this work is creative but some of it is very technical. I use my knowledge of SEO and the different SM platforms to come up with high converting strategies for my clients. So, far I have been specializing in this full time for 6 months and it has been going well.

Another thing I am doing more of these days, is coaching. I am not going to talk too much in this blog about adventures as a content marketing coach, but I did want to mention it as something that I offer. It is funny because when I first became an online entrepreneur I never saw myself as a “coach” or “teacher” - but here we are four years later here I am. After receiving MANY requests to “teach me how to create content for my website” - I have added content coaching to my roster of services. Turns out I really enjoy helping people with this!

This is me Brandie Peters!  😝

Why this content marketing strategist started ANOTHER blog

I am getting a bit side-tracked here, because i did promise to explain why I would ever decide to write another blog at this point. Guess what, I actually have three very good reasons:

o Blogs help to increase the visibility of your business!

I am not exempt from my own philosophies. Nobody knows better than me how effective blogging can be to help increase the overall visibility of your brand. Since, Brandie Peters Content Marketing Strategies is a fairly new adventure for me i also have to do what I can to make it visible on the web. Obviously, I have a nice leg up on the competition because I know how to create SEO content plans so that I can rank on industry specific keywords.

o Writing about this new chapter in my life as an online entrepreneur

Another reason why I would start a content marketing strategy blog is because this is a new era for me as an entrepreneur. There hasn’t been a phase in my adventures that I haven’t blogged about. For me, blogging has always been a means of self expression and a way that I keep a journal. I really enjoying sharing what I learn with people and composing blog posts about the different things that I am doing.

o It is the perfect oppurtunity to lead by example and demonstrate the benefits of blogging about your business

Lastly, the third reason why I would start yet another blog about content marketing is so that I can lead by example and demonstrate to my coaching clients the many ways that creating blogs can be beneficial. 

This is something that is really important to me, as many of the strategies that I teach include a blog component.

This time around I will be using blogger, which is a new platform for me. I am excited to see how Google treats content that is written on their own platform. I am also curious to see how Blogger can be used, because it is a blog that is free to use and does not require much experience to set up. 

Well, there you have it. Three reasons why this content marketing strategist would start blogging all over again. Throughout this project ( I think of my blogs as projects ) I intend to be very transparent and explain my methods so that anyone who intends to follow me can keep up. I hope by the time I have completed my 48 blogs “campaign” i’ll have a good example of how a blog can work for visibility and marketing. So, if you are looking for a compelling reason to subscribe to this blogger page, that would be one.

To be completely clear I have 3 objectives / “goals” that I would like to achieve with this new blog project - 

1.) Demonstrate how you can use an SEO keyword strategy to rank on target keywords -

2. ) Learn more about the inner workings of Blogger, Google’s free blogging platform and what makes it tick

3.) Share my knowledge while also telling my story! ( Always a good plan for a blog )

Alright, I think this is a good place to wrap it up - this content marketing strategist still has A LOT of work to do before this blog is “share-worthy”.

By the way, if you have found something here compelling don’t hesitate to connect with me.

I am on all of typical social media platforms including Facebook and Twitter. Instagram, is my current favorite and the place where I am sharing the most these days.

Thanks for reading!

Stay cool 
⭐✊😝⭐ 

-Brandie 

http://brandiepeters.com/

Don’t Be Shy, Say Hi.

Drop a greeting in the comments below.

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