One of the most important aspects of your SEO strategy is the generation of back links. One of the best ways to do that is to blog.

Constantly adding fresh content, in the form of blog posts, will help drive traffic to your website, enable you to build a constant stream of back links and attract links to your website.

Blogging will also:

• Add value to your relationships with your customers
• Position you as an expert in your field
• Boost your online exposure because you’ll own more of the web

No matter what your market sector, you can utilise the power of blogging to drive more traffic to your website and improve your rankings.

Of course, you do have to come up with a constant stream of ideas.

Idea generation

Trust me, you have a wealth of ideas to write about – you just have to tap into them.

As a copywriter, I started out writing about copywriting and marketing. Then, I started to introduce tips on social media and how to market your business through it. If you are a web designer, you could blog about techy stuff other web designers would be interested in, as well as information about SEO, web design etc., that your clients might want to know about.

Make sure you blog about subjects relevant to your niche and target audience. If I suddenly started talking about garden design (if you’ve ever seen my garden you’d know that is very unlikely), my readers would think I’d gone mad.

Stick to what you know and write posts about ‘How to…’, top lists, advice, introducing new ideas etc.

Make your posts work for you

By writing about your niche, you’ll draw people to you who are interested in what you do.

Make sure your headings include your keywords so your posts are also found through the search engines. Plus, you also need to promote your content through social media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn).

To drive traffic to your website, make sure you link back using your keywords (as I have above through ‘copywriter’). You can also promote older blog posts by linking to them – but only do this if it’s relevant to the subject you’re writing about.

Grabbing ideas

You have to grab blog ideas when they come to you, so always have a pen and paper to hand to make sure none of them get away.

Then, you can use the following as ways to kick start your ideas list:

• Go for a walk – fresh air is a great way to spark creativity
• Write what you know
• Read other blogs, magazines and newspapers – any of these can spark ideas (but always refer back to the original article)
• Conversations with friends and customers are a great way to spark ideas

Once you have an idea, write down an outline and then go back and flesh it out. Write a great headline that draws the reader in (and that contains your keywords) and make your post look interesting by using lots of sub headings, bulleted lists and pictures.

Blogging is a powerful business tool that shouldn’t be overlooked. It can boost your rankings, position  you as an expert and draw traffic to your website. What have you got to lose? Give it a try.

Are you already a blogger? If so, leave a comment below and let us know how you find your ideas.

You’ve worked so hard with your search engine optimisation strategy. All that blogging, article writing and, SEO copywriting and, rather expensive, SEO tweaks to your website structure have finally paid off.

Proudly, you show everyone your website on the front page of Google for your chosen keyword.

Fantastic, but before you head off to the pub to celebrate, there is a wee problem.

Yes, your website is ranking superbly, but your analytics (and inbox) are showing that you have no traffic.

Is that right? Can you really have a well ranking website, but not have any traffic?

What’s gone wrong?

Yes, it is possible for this to happen and it’s more than likely due to one of these reasons:

• You’re not really ranking at all
• Your keywords aren’t delivering (because you’re targeting the wrong ones)
• You’re simply not attracting the all important click

Those lovely people at seomoz.org explain all in their post I’m ranking, so where’s my traffic.

First of all you need to discover your particular problem. It could be down to the rankings you are seeing being personalised or localised (this is why you may not really be ranking).

It could be that there is so much competition for your keyword that you’re site is actually appearing ‘below the fold’ and people just aren’t scrolling down that far.

Perhaps your keyword simply isn’t getting any traffic because the search volume for it is really low. Or it could be that the keyword you are targeting doesn’t match the audience you’re after.

Or it could be down to the way your listing looks. Perhaps your title tag is looking spammy or your META description is simply boring.

If you’re website isn’t performing as it should, take a few minutes out of your day and have a read of seomoz.org’s post.

It may be that a few tweaks is all it will take to turn things around.

Content marketing online, gives you the power to educate, communicate, influence people and attract a continuous stream of potential customers.

But you must have a strategy. Jumping in without thinking rarely works. You must be realistic and understand that results won’t happen over night.

To make it work you need patience and perseverance. As a freelance copywriter, I’ve been content marketing since 2007 and it does work – you just need to understand the process and have a plan.

What’s your content marketing plan?

If you want readers to read what you write, you must have empathy for them and the problems they face. Writing about what you want to know isn’t necessarily the same as writing what your readers want. Therefore, before you start to blog, tweet or Facebook, work out:

• What your readers are looking for
• How they want to read it
• When they need the information

If only you had a crystal ball eh? Well, you can find the answers to those questions fairly easily. All you have to do is…

Ask them – ask them to complete a short online survey or just ask them face to face. What is it they’re looking for? How to guides, eBooks, video tutorials, podcasts etc.

Analytics – this will show you what’s most popular on  your website – video, case studies etc.

Listen – social media is the new black (we all know that) so make sure you use it. Engage with your followers on Twitter, read the comments on your Facebook page – gathering customer intelligence has never been so easy.

The only way to make sure your content strategy works is by listening to the needs of your customers and giving them what they want, how they want it.

Above all listen, react and be prepared to be flexible.

Your headline is the make or break of your article. If it doesn’t immediately grab attention, a reader is unlikely to read your article  - regardless of how many hours you slaved over it.

Many online marketers write articles because they know they are a great way to build backlinks which are vital to any SEO strategy. So a steady stream of them (written either in-house or by using a professional copywriter) will boost your visibility on line and position you as an expert in your field.

But because it’s such a popular marketing tool, there are an awful lot of articles out there. That means, if you want yours read, you’ve got to get it noticed.

Below are 6 tips to help you create article headlines that will make a reader stop and take notice.

1. !!!

Don’t use exclamation marks in your headings, it looks like you’re shouting at people. The language you use should convey its importance without using this rather annoying punctuation mark.

2. Relate it to your article

Now that might sound odd, but how many times have you been drawn in by an amazing headline only to be confused because the body of the article bears no relation to it at all. Or the headline promises to reveal an amazing secret, but even after you’ve read it, you’re still non the wiser.

Your headline must reflect your article otherwise you’ll lose the trust of the reader – and  that’s bad.

3. Don’t exaggerate

If your headline claims to “Unearth the secret that will make you a millionaire by lunchtime” people aren’t going to read it. Making claims that are obviously far-fetched will do you more harm than good.

4. Be imaginative

Headlines that intrigue and are eye-catching are more likely to draw people in. Have fun with language and use a pun to create something memorable.

5. Don’t say secret

Let’s get one thing straight, you are unlikely to be writing about anything that is really secret. If you did, you’d end up having men in cars with blacked-out windows parking up outside your house monitoring your every move.

6. Have a giggle

People read mainly because they want to be entertained. If you can inject a bit of humour to get your point across you will strengthen your article. Of course, you won’t be able to use this for every subject you write about.

For many people, the headline is the after thought. They concentrate far more on the article. I have been known to ponder for hours over a heading and that’s how it should be. It is your one chance to get someone to stop and read your article.

First off, do you know what your conversion rate is?

If your marketing is to be effective you not only need to know your conversion rate, you must also understand your conversion goal.

Everyone’s conversion goal will be different. It could be:

• Newsletter sign-ups
• Brochure downloads
• Sign-ups for a free trial
• Email enquiries
• Phone enquiries

As soon as you know what it is you’re measuring, you can begin to track the effectiveness of your website or landing page through Google Analytics.

But there is one vital element you need to get conversion and that’s traffic. You can’t have one without the other. Using your analytics you will be able to instantly see how many visitors you are getting, where they are, how they’re finding you, even the keyword that’s pulling in the most.

However, it’s not just a numbers game. Even if you are getting thousands of visitors to your website every week, if they are not being converted into sales and leads, there’s something wrong.

Why is my website not converting?

1. Traffic jam but no takers

If you’ve got lots of visitors but few conversions, you have a problem. First, check your keywords to make sure you are targeting the right ones.

Every page of your website should target a different keyword, so if you have a high bounce rate, your may not be attracting the right audience.

2. Empty promises

Staying with your keywords for a moment, if you are targeting the wrong ones, people are landing on your website expecting to see one thing, but being shown another.

This mismatch is caused by poor keyword choice. Review them and refine them to reflect the exact market you are after.

4. Call to action

Your lack of conversion could simply come down to a missing call to action.

You must always tell your reader what you want them to do next – call now, email now etc. Make sure it is clear, commanding and above the fold.

5. Your website’s copy

In fact, not just your website copy, but your website too.

Your website has to be fast to load, easily navigable, pop-up free and pleasant to look at. Then, your copy has to be interesting, relevant, benefits-led and it must address your reader directly.

If  you can tick all of those boxes, your products are good, you’re targeting the right keywords and you have strong calls to action, you stand a great chance of achieving that all important conversion goal.

Press releases are a valuable marketing tool for any business. So how come so few businesses use them?

They are fairly easy to write, you can even publish them online so avoiding the impenetrable newspaper editor. Yet many companies turn their backs on them in favour of other forms of marketing.

Whether you write them in-house, or you bring in a professional copywriter, creating an eye-catching, informative press release will get your company noticed.

Writing powerful press releases

Unlike other marketing forms, press releases have several elements that must be present if they are to be successful.

1. Temptation

If you want someone to read your press release, you’ll need a hook to tempt them to read on.

Before you start, think about why you are writing and who you want to read it. As with any marketing, tying it into your readership will boost your chances of it being read.

If it is for a local market, try to tie it in with local events. Arouse their curiosity so they’ll want to know more.

2. Headline

As with everything, your headline will be the deciding factor in whether your press release is read or not. If you just head it up ‘News from [Company name]’, no one is going to be interested. But if you design your headline around a concept that is a bit more creative and piques curiosity, you’ll give it the edge.

3. Forget jargon

Jargon is for chatting with your colleagues, not your marketing materials.

If you fill your press release with jargon it will instantly turn off your reader because you are limiting your readership. Granted, someone in the same industry as you will understand what you’re saying, but potential customers may not.

Keep your language simple. And if you have to use technical language always provide an explanation so your meaning is clear.

4. Link out

If there are any outside sources (such as video, articles or images) that will help add clout to your press release, link out to them.

If you’re publishing online it will add value to your reader. If you send your press release to a magazine editor, it will help  them put a story together as you would have effectively done their research for them.

5. Proofing

The last thing you want to do is send out a press release full of errors. Make sure you get someone to read it for you to check for any typos or grammatical slip-ups.

A sloppily put together press release will reflect badly on your company.

6. Sharing and distribution

If you want people to read your news, you have to make it accessible by:

• Sending it to local publications and newspapers
• Distribute it to online outlets
• Email it to your mailing list and other interested parties
• Promote it through social media
• Turn it into a blog post

The key to writing a good press release is to make sure it is something newsworthy. Then make sure you push it out to as many outlets as necessary.

And don’t forget the SEO aspect for online publications. Get your primary keywords into the beginning of your headline and the first paragraph of your text.

Next time something newsworthy happens, make sure you issue a press release – what have you got to lose?

Once upon a time, customers could only get in touch with you by telephone, letter or by visiting your premises. If they were unhappy, they’d probably moan about you to a friend or two and you’d be non the wiser.

How times have changed. Now, if they’re unhappy they’ll tweet about it or post in on their Facebook page. Before you know it, the whole world will know they received bad service.

That’s why, as a business, it’s vital you’re using social media.

How social media can be used to your advantage

If there’s one thing everyone loves, it’s to talk. By listening to social media channels, you can learn a lot about your customers’ likes and dislikes. So you need to use that to your advantage.

1. Sales Department

The optimum time to sell to someone is when they’re ready to buy. Hitting on that golden moment isn’t easy. But monitoring social media channels will give you the advantage.

If you’re an electrical retailer and someone in your Twitter feed is asking advice on buying a new radio, you can respond and offer advice. That puts you in the right place at the right time.

2. Marketing Department

Listening to your target market will tell you whether your marketing materials are addressing the questions your customers are asking.

3. Customer Service

We’ve already looked at how an unhappy customer can use social media to vent their frustration. But imagine if you were monitoring Twitter for anyone mentioning your company name. You would be able to pick up the fact that there’s a problem and deal with it straightaway.

Then you would go from a disappointment to the best company in the world because you listened and put it right.

4. Research and Development

Eaves-dropping will tell you a lot about what people really want. But you can also use social media as a way of conducting customer research. Ask your customers what they want and give it to them.

5. Human Resources

Can social media really help with HR?

Yes, users fill out profiles showing their skills and experience (e.g. on LinkedIn). If you’re looking for someone with a particular skill, just search for them.

It’s amazing just how many ways social media can help businesses today. If you’re not already there, start using it today – your competitors are.

Yes I know, you’re a start-up business so money’s tight. But, you still need engaging marketing materials and an effective online presence to get things off the ground.

More often than not, copywriting is the one thing that gets crossed off your set-up shopping list.

Why?

Because you think you can do it yourself.

Granted, you can write pretty well. But can you write something that makes people think “Yes, that’s exactly what I need”?

Going it alone without a copywriter

This is a familiar scenario:

The task to write your sales copy is passed to someone in your office. They already have a full workload so it gets pushed to the bottom of the pile.

Eventually, the need for the copy becomes urgent so they spend their lunch hour quickly writing something that ‘will do’.

The problem with this is, writing about your company is difficult because you’re too close to it. It is incredibly difficult to stand back and look at what you offer through the eyes of your customers.

The result is you end up with copy that tells your reader all about your company and absolutely nothing about what your company can do for them.

What a copywriter will do for you

When you bring in a professional copywriter they will ask lots of questions to learn about:

• Your company
• Your product or service
• Your audience (i.e. your ideal customer)

This helps them understand you, your product/service and, more importantly, the person you are trying to sell them to.  Through this process, they can place themselves in your customers’ shoes and discover what it is that your readers really want to know.

The copy will talk directly to the reader, address their problems and sell them the benefits of your product/service.

The result?

• Your website copy will be optimised and will convert visitors into paying customers
• Your brochures will sell, not just inform
• Your case studies will entertain, inform and sell
• Your press releases will engage and generate new enquiries
• Your email marketing will be effective because they will be opened, read and acted on

Do you still think copywriting is a waste of money, or something you can do on your own?

Every piece of written marketing could be the first impression the reader has of your company. Make sure it gives the right impression – that you are a company that is professional and understands what its customers want.

Everyone uses social media these days – or at least it seems like it.

As a copywriter I use it a lot. Whether it’s tweeting for help (usually IT related problems), offering advice, promoting my blog posts, or just general chit-chat, I love using it as a way of connecting with other people.

Did you see that? I said I used it for connecting with people.

The problem is, some social media users out there don’t connect, they spam. And that’s not something you want to do – especially if you want people to follow you or ‘like’ your Facebook page.

What’s spamming?

Well, if you constantly tweet about promotions, your products, news about your company and what you’re doing, without actually engaging with people, you’re spamming.

Granted, social media is a fabulous marketing tool through which you can:

• Encourage newsletter sign-ups
• Promote your blogs
• Promote offers and give-aways

But, if that’s all you do and never respond to questions, share information, or join in with conversations, you’re not going to get a lot out of social media.

Why? Because it’s all about conversing and building relationships and that’s a two-way street, and that means you have to:

• Listen to others and help if you can
• Engage with your followers to see what they are looking for
• Build relationships with people
• Give advice and ask for help

Plus, if you listen to what people are talking about, you can use it as a valuable market research tool.

It’s not all about you

Another great way to build relationships is to promote other people.

If someone tweets that they’re looking for a great designer, and you just happen to know one, put them in touch with each other.

Marketing – Connecting – Reciprocity : The 3 pillars of social media.

If you remember that, you’ll start to get the most out of social media.

Go on, join in, it’s fun. For starters, why not follow me on Twitter –here I am, @sallyormond.