Have you ever listened to a live orchestra when someone hits the wrong note? Five minutes of elegance and bliss overshadowed by one awkward moment of discord. Or what about hearing a song that you just don’t like? If you’re like me I can’t get the cacophony turned off fast enough.
Your content marketing strategy is like music. If your company’s web site is an instrument the keywords are the notes and your content holds the melody. The last few years were a time when companies experimented with their web site sounds; a few got it right, some hit some wrong notes while others made us scramble to find the “off” switch. What can you do to make sure your content melody is a harmonious sound that is clearly heard through the internet’s din?
The short answer is something you’ve been hearing for years–web sites and keywords. Yes, yes, yes…integrating keywords into your content is so 2010. For that matter it’s so 2009 and 2008 and 2007. But when you integrate your keywords into all your online activities, the keywords you choose for your web site can go way beyond your web site.
A Quickie on Web Site Content
Make no mistake. Web sites are powerful and loaded with potential. They are a company’s anchor for all social media activity and online communications. In fact, web sites are projected to receive the most support in marketing budget increases for 2011. MarketingSherpa recently asked 1,100 marketers how they foresee budgets changing for this upcoming year. Web sites were the winner with 64 percent of the respondents expecting to increase their web site budgets.
So if getting found is a one of your goals consider maximizing your web site’s keywords by expanding them into other online channels.
A Quickie on Keywords
I maintain that good keywords are finely tuned to your company, target, products and services, value, and features that set your company apart from the competition. These develop as a result of distilling your company’s purpose down to a few select words. But keep your perspective. We’ve all run into articles and web sites that are so stuffed with keywords they’re painful to read. Equally offensive are sites that jam ill-fitting words into their content because those are the words that rank high in searches. Being found is one thing. Being found and liked is something else entirely.
The trick is to use your keywords to create harmonious content that strikes a chord with your ideal prospect. When keywords are a reflection of your business they become a natural part of your branded content. That would be all of your branded content.
So how much of your online content uses your keywords?
Web site
- Core web site pages
- Landing pages
- Blogs
- Internal links
Distributed Online Content
- White papers
- Reports
- Press releases
- Case studies
- Success stories
- Articles
Social Media
- Facebook page
- Comments on other blogs
- Forum discussions
- Social media profiles (Twitter, Linked In, Twellow, other industry-specific sites).
- Pay per click advertising
By integrating keywords into all your content marketing strategies they reinforce your brand and build volume. For our music analogy, think crescendo. By extending your keyword use into all aspects of your content marketing, you amplify your voice to those who are trying to find you. And that will be music to their ears.