Blog Content and Web Content: spot the difference!

Marketing, Web Content, copywriting No Responses »
Aug 252010
Example of a spot the difference puzzle. There...

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Blog content is just another type of web content, right?

Well, yes and no….

While there is obviously cross-over, and the traits outlined below are more loose guidelines than actual content rules, here are a few crucial ways in which your blog content should differ from the corporate web content on your business website:

  • Web content encourages action; blog content drives interaction: your business related web content is focussed on conversion – driving visitors to take action and ultimately converting them into customers. Your blog content is different… it’s a platform to encourage engagement, start a dialogue and to foster relationships.
  • Web content is all business; blog content is more personal: your web content is professional and focussed on purely business; your blog content on the other hand, lets your personality shine through. While it will still carry the theme of your core business, the writing is typically much more open.
  • Web content is a platform for selling; blog content is more of a “value add”: as a business your web content is often your primary online sales channel. It’s the right place for that finely honed sales copy, your online landing pages and your call to action. Put sales copy in a blog too often and you’ll start haemorrhaging readers pronto. Your blog content is about supporting your core business by adding value.

Moving from writing effective web content to writing great content for your business blog requires a shift of mindset: you need to change the focus of your writing. But the fundamental considerations of effective writing still apply: know your readers’ needs, know your business goals and strive to strike that happy balance where both converge.

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Posted by Calvin at 09:54 Tagged with: , ,

Old Spice: can new media really wash away that “old man” image?

Marketing, Social Media 2 Responses »
Jul 222010

NMA Viral Brand Chart There’s no arguing that Old Spice is an iconic brand, and with it’s recent viral video campaign the brand has generated a phenomenal amount of buzz across global social media platforms.

In fact an Old Spice video sits in the Number 1 spot on this week’s NMA Viral Brand Chart, and the campaign occupies 6 spots in the top 10. Pretty impressive stuff… but will all that “buzz” translate into sales of Old Spice at the checkout?

I have to say I have my doubts… and according to a recent Times News Feed post early indicators are that it won’t. Sales of Old Spice body wash are down 7% despite the huge popularity of the latest campaign.

Old SpiceThe videos were innovative, entertaining and eminently shareable. Creating personalised reply videos to prominent social media “influencers” was a stroke of genius, as was extending that strategy to encompass ordinary online folk. The Old Spice guy even proposed on someone’s behalf.

But appreciating humorous videos and sharing them with your online friends is one thing… walking around smelling of Old Spice is something else entirely.

Old Spice is still… well, Old Spice. It conjures up images of old men in barber shops, the Christmas present you wish you’d never opened, and, let’s face it, the memory of excruciating pain when you stole a bit of your Dad’s aftershave after your first try with a razor. Ouch!

Was the campaign successful? In terms of reach, popularity and pushing the boundaries of viral video, undoubtedly. In terms of turning that buzz into tangible ROI… perhaps less so.

And lest we forget… Old Spice is no stranger to iconic advertising. Could anybody who lived through the 1970’s forget this classic TV spot?

Classic Old Spice Advertising
Posted by Calvin at 23:05 Tagged with: , ,

Twitter Tip: Follow before asking for DM

Marketing, Social Media No Responses »
Jul 132010

If you’re a business using Twitter ALWAYS make sure you’re following someone before asking them to DM (Direct Message) you.

I noticed this little exchange in my Twitter stream this morning:

Always follow people before asking them to DM you on Twitter

It reminded me of a few times when businesses I was interacting with on Twitter asked me to send them personal details by direct message (DM) so they could answer a query or resolve a problem. When I tried to DM them I found they weren’t following me, so Twitter blocked the DM.

While it may not seem like a big deal, any delay is frustrating in a quick-fire medium like Twitter, it introduces an unnecessary barrier in the business-customer interaction, one that’s really easy to avoid.

Before asking someone to DM you, just make sure you’re already following them. Simple!

Posted by Calvin at 11:30 Tagged with: , ,

Noreply says “No” to consumer engagement

Internet, Internet tools, Marketing, e-mail No Responses »
May 172010
Stop Signs, High Springs

Image by adobemac via Flickr

Do your e-mail marketing, newsletter and update e-mails arrive in your customers’ inboxes from an anonymous “noreply” e-mail address?

I get these all the time, and it always astonishes me that, in an era of consumer interaction and engagement, brands continue with this bizarre practice. Essentially you’ve just put up the equivalent of a big red stop sign that discourages your prospects and customers from getting in touch with you directly.

I don’t know about you… but to me that sounds like a bad idea.

Make it easy for your customers to contact you

As a business trying to connect and communicate online (and if you’re sending out a marketing e-mail or newsletters that’s exactly what you’re doing), the last thing you should be doing is putting up barriers between you and the people you want to do business with.

If you’re building an opt-in mailing list and sending e-mail to your customers / prospects (and you really should be) here are a few basic tips to bear in mind

  • ALWAYS use a real e-mail address… one that somebody monitors and responds to.
  • Manage your mailing list properly so that you’re only sending mail to people who want to receive it. Professional e-mail services like Benchmark Email, AWeber or Newsweaver are affordable and scalable, and make it incredibly easy to automate your list management and organise your e-mail marketing.
  • Always add value for your audience even if… no especially if… you’re trying to sell them something. Offer helpful information, link to useful online resource, or an entertaining piece of content… your goal every time should be to make your readers glad they opened your e-mail.
  • And… whatever you do… don’t instruct your customers NOT to reply to your e-mail!
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Posted by Calvin at 17:22 Tagged with: , ,

Digital marketing tips from a web content writer

Internet, Marketing 2 Responses »
Apr 282010
Partial map of the Internet based on the Janua...

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My co-author, on Understanding Digital Marketing, Damian Ryan, is speaking at Internet World 2010 in London tomorrow on things businesses can do to enhance their online marketing. He asked me for my 2c worth of input as he prepared his presentation. So last night I jotted down five key points in a quick email. Today I thought I’d share them with you here:

  • Digital marketing isn’t about technology: it’s about people. Digital technology just allows people (marketers / businesses / brands) to communicate with other people (customers / prospects / markets) in more relevant, engaging and interactive ways. Don’t jump from bandwagon to digital bandwagon, make informed and considered decisions on the best ways to reach out and engage with your particular audience.
  • Measure, listen, learn and adapt: your best source of intelligence on exactly what makes your customers tick is… your customers. Measure everything that you can and use the data intelligently to refine your offering based on your customers’ online behaviour. Even when direct measurement is more difficult (on other people’s online real estate, like social media sites), listen to what they’re saying, learn from it and deliver what they’re looking for.
  • Don’t expect something for nothing: You have to invest if you want success… time… money… both. If you “rolled your own” newspaper ad and ran it in a low-cost or free local newspaper for pennies you wouldn’t expect the same response rate as you would from a professionally produced ad strategically placed in a national newspaper or magazine. It’s the same online. While you tend to get more “bang for your buck” on the internet, you still need to invest if you want to make a bang.
  • Don’t be afraid to lose control: control is an illusion in advertising… it always was, only now the illusion is exposed for all to see. Now we’re not pushing a message, we’re participating in a conversation. Try controlling a conversation in the real world. Force someone to listen to your one-sided diatribe and pretty soon you’ll find they’ve moved on to talk to somebody more interesting.
  • Be relevant, be engaging… be useful!: people want to be delighted. They want the brands they love, and the company’s they choose to do business with to engage with them in a meaningful way… they want you to deliver timely, relevant information that’s genuinely useful to them. Imaginative use of digital marketing offers brands countless and exciting new ways to delight their customers, foster brand advocacy and build enduring, mutually beneficial relationships. It just takes a bit of imagination, commitment and drive!

What are your top tips for businesses looking to connect with their customers online? Please share them in the comments below.

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Posted by Calvin at 13:02 Tagged with: , ,
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