In this article we’ll examine some simple ideas to come up with fresh, engaging content designed to drive traffic to your site and keep them coming back for more.

Blogging Your Way to New Business
The goal for any blogger is to publish unique and compelling content. With this in mind, it’s probably worth noting here that the following ideas are designed as a general guide, so feel free to take the ideas presented somewhere new and get your creative juices flowing!

How to…
How many times have you asked Google to come up with the answer to a particular question? How to? guides present a fantastic way to engage the reader and encourage interaction through working examples and so on. They are also a great way of demonstrating your expertise and credibility within your chosen niche. Support well-written, informed content with great visuals and downloadable content for extra bonus points.

Common Problems – Great Solutions
Just as the internet is a great resource for finding out how to do things, it also provides a valuable opportunity to find new ways around general or specific problems. It therefore follows that presenting a structured, concise entry dedicated to a particular issue is a surefire way of both attracting traffic and presenting yourself as a knowledgeable expert in your field.

Proven Methodology
One drawback with the internet age is that anyone can present themselves as an expert in anything. A great way of building credibility and attracting traffic is through the use of referenced case studies. Back up your advice with hard evidence, demonstrating how a methodology has been applied to assist a particular client and the subsequent results. The proof, as they say, is in the pudding.

The Latest News
A great case in point for regular updated content – positioning yourself as a valuable resource for the latest industry news is a great way of attracting and retaining traffic. Becoming your clients’ ‘go to’ resource for the latest news via a simple RSS feed is a great way of staying connected to your audience.

Book Worm
Don’t assume that everything your audience reads is online. In fact, the majority of internet users are only interested in snippets of information. Providing references to offline material is a great way of demonstrating both empathy for your readers’ needs as well as your own knowledge on a particular subject.

Feedback
Requesting feedback is by far the most simple method of both gauging your success and encouraging user interaction. Don’t assume you know it all, open up your blog and invite your readers in – you never know what valuable ideas and suggestions could come out of it.

When used effectively, blogging has become a principal weapon in the online marketing arsenal – providing a fantastic vehicle to engage current and potential clients with fresh, optimised content. With such creative freedom, however, come inevitable pitfalls. Using your business blog in the wrong fashion can do more harm than good.

Fine Tuning Your Business Blog
In this article, we’ll briefly examine some of the dos and don’ts in an effort to help readers avoid some of the common mistakes when it comes to business blogging etiquette.

Don’t: Use your blog as a poor man’s email marketing campaign
There’s nothing wrong with discussing certain aspects of your business in an objective sense. However, using your blog as a substitute for or as an extension of your direct marketing campaign is an effective way to turn your readers off – fast. Visitors do not expect to see a hard sales pitch on your blog, and neither will they want to.

Whether you’re creating a corporate blog for a thriving community of users or a more personal outlook, part of the planning process should involve defining a clear set of objectives. The most successful (popular) blogs deliver consistency in exchange for loyalty. Try not to be all things to all people, and don’t be pulled off in different directions.

Do: Deliver concise, compelling and focused content
By the time you come to think about a business blog, you should have a pretty good understanding of your demographic and what appeals to them. Focus on delivering information that is objective, authentic and engages the reader with an obvious passion for the subject matter. Funny, serious or whimsical – a well-written, intelligent blog will keep them coming back for more.

Don’t: Use your blog as an outlet for company press releases
There is a time and place for a press release, and your company blog isn’t it. A press release – usually an official announcement written in the third person – is an approach directly at odds with the more casual, informal tone of a blog. Acting as a statement rather than a dialogue, it is unlikely to yield any response from your readership.

Do: Make your blog pleasing to the eye
Eye catching images aside, ensure you break the text up into manageable chunks using appealing sub headings and other engaging content such as video.

A well-presented, balanced page goes a long way to ensuring your readers digest the content as a whole, rather than the odd piece here and there.

Don’t: Attempt to be all things to all people
The most effective business blogs are those which are focused in terms of content and message. Once you have identified your audience, content should be selected and delivered in such a way as to attract, engage and develop your readership. Broadening your scope too much is likely to dilute your message.

Do: Promote your blog consistently
With the advent of the social media revolution, there’s simply no excuse for letting your blog languish in obscurity. From RSS feeds and Twitter plug-ins to Facebook and Hootsuite updates – there are a wealth of resources through which you can promote your blog. Don’t rely on word of mouth – get out there and make it happen!

Ultimately, successful blogging is all about finding a workable strategy and sticking to it. Used correctly, blogging is a win-win marketing tool. With little up-front investment, businesses have the room to experiment and develop a strategy at their leisure. What’s not to like about that?

The new position is for an Internet Savvy Account Manager to help promote our internet marketing services to our customers and to help plan and manage or Internet Marketing Campaigns. No campaign is the same. We may mix such techniques as: SEO – Search Engine Optimisation, PPC Pay Per Click Google Adwords Marketing, Social Media,  E-mail Marketing, Internet Analysis, Internet Consultancy and Web Analytics.

We have achieved outstanding results for our customers and are looking for a new member of our team who will add value to our customers.

The Job Specification is below.

New Internet Marketing Jobs at WSI

Role: Internet Marketing Account Manager
Location: Huddersfield
Salary: £20k-£25K according to experience

As the Internet Marketing Account Manager in our growing Digital Marketing Agency you will be responsible for the planning and management of SEO and PPC for client websites. You will also be responsible for analysis and research of prospects. Training will be given, and you will have access to the latest SEO and analysis tools. You will also analyse the results implemented by our SEO Consultants and liaise with clients, looking for opportunities to improve the clients’ online business. You will attend client meetings and be in constant communication with the client to ensure all Search projects are achieving their targets.

You should have hands on experience of Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and Google Analytics. As this role is client facing you must have strong communication and presentation skills. You will implement Search Marketing strategies and be competent in the delivery of SEO & PPC Social Media and Conversion Analysis. You will also be responsible for making ongoing recommendations and campaign improvements.

There will be significant training opportunities to further develop your skills.

If you would like to apply, please e-mail your CV and a covering letterincluding salary expectations to lisa@wsi-ebizsolutions.biz.

You can checkout the person spec on our careers page

This role overlaps with similar jobs such as

Internet Consultant, Internet Marketing Consultant, Internet Marketing Analyst, Internet Marketing Account Manager, and is based in Holmfirth near Huddersfield

For online marketing agencies and businesses keen to improve their online marketing strategies the power of social media has been re-affirmed, particularly the potential of Facebook for businesses. The Rage Against the X Factor campaign also provides some valuable lessons about the circumstances in which social media can create a global buzz about a product or service.

Firstly, Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing In The Name” was an inspired choice for the campaign, a song about rebellion by a band who are the antithesis of the X Factor. Secondly, the X Factor backlash was poised to explode and the Rage Against the X Factor campaign gave it the perfect vessel. And thirdly, various charity campaigns were set up inspired by the Rage Against the X Factor campaign, improving social perception and the movements “brand.” Tom Morrello, Rage Against the Machines guitarist pledged that he’d donate the proceeds from unprecedented increase in sales to charity and announced they’d play a free Victory gig.

The Rage Against the X Factor campaign became a moral crusade, not only against X Factor but against the culture which X Factor is part of. Granted many cynics will be keen to point out that the X Factor’s Joe McElderry and Rage Against the Machine are essentially on the same label. But I don’t think the Rage Against the X Factor was about money and who’s pockets were getting lined, it was about reclaiming British culture (and yes, they are an American band).

So what have we learnt? That social media marketing should be engaging, it should inspire people to communicate about your campaign. Where possible you should be responsive to social trends, capitalise on current events or news. You should take every opportunity to promote any social responsibility initiatives such as charity donations or environmental activities.

As consumers and professionals become more familiar with social media sites and comfortable with taking the ‘conversation’ online, your business must be in a position to participate as part of the web community. Publishing a business blog provides many opportunities for engaging with your customers online.<!–more–>

Getting Business Blogging Right the First Time
Many companies are concerned primarily about three issues regarding blogs: a) the time required to source a regular flow of content, b) the costs involved in getting professional copy written, and c) the need to attract readers to make it all worthwhile.

To address these concerns, you can use the following 5-point plan, which will enable you to take a phased approached to preparing for, setting up, and running a successful business blog.

1. Establish Clear Objectives
Knowing what you want to achieve with your blog will enable you to choose a clear direction from the start. Although it’s important to use your blog to participate in a genuine manner as part of the online community, it is also completely reasonable to have your own business objective, which might include:

• Sharing your expertise in a friendly, entertaining way
• Driving traffic to your sales pages
• Engaging search engines in conjunction with a SEO plan
• Publishing product updates, reviews, and special offers
• Writing articles relating to your industry
• Conducting market research

As you set out your plans, you may find you have more than one objective – that’s fine, as long as you can establish measures that enable you to identify what is working and where you may need to improve.

2. Know Your Target Audience
You don’t have to be all things to all people; in fact, it is better that you don’t even try this approach. Identifying who you are writing for can help focus your content and help you ‘find your voice’. Choose a style that will appeal to your intended readers and go out of your way to stand out from the crowd.

Good content is important, but the same news shared in a completely unique style can win over readers as well. Your corporate blog doesn’t need to be stuffy; instead, you should see it as an opportunity to share some personality and engage customers on another level.

3. Devise a Workable Content Strategy
This may sound a little like executive speak, but establishing a ‘workable content strategy’ from the start will enable you to keep your blog regularly updated – which is vital for attracting regular visitors (and indexing) from search engines as well as keeping your readers engaged.

Schedule time for researching content (using RSS feeds and news websites), writing posts (remember: it doesn’t need to be an epilogue), and publishing it via your chosen blog platform.

4. Maintain Quality Control
Be creative, be informative, be provocative even, but don’t be boring. If you have nothing to say, keep quiet for now. Focus on quality over quantity. Your readers will thank you for it.

It’s also important to maintain an appropriate tone. Over-familiarity in a business setting doesn’t always go over well with clients. In other words, keep the latest about your ingrown toenail to yourself.

5. Include a Marketing Plan
How are you going to spread the word? Online marketing is worthy of an article all its own, but for starters, the search engines and social media marketing are key for getting your blog noticed.

In addition, you may want to consider using one of the increasing number of web 2.0 applications that make it child’s play to share your blog posts across numerous content platforms.

In conclusion, consider this: By refusing to engage with customers as part of the online community, you may actually be sending the message that you do not WANT to communicate. If you would like help implementing a blog for your business, call us on 01484 690430.