How To Develop A Website Content Strategy

A website content strategy is a plan of how you are going to use content material to develop and market your online business. Content isn't just limited to written text. It can involve videos, polls, graphics, images and many other things which make your website more interesting for your readers.

There are two fundamental components of a website content strategy:

The content material you actually publish onto your website. This includes, how frequently you publish, what you write about, how far in advance you plan and produce the content, etc.
The content you use to promote and market your website, such as social media posts and emails to your subscriber list.
Why Is A Content Strategy Important?
Having a strategy means you can plan ahead. Instead of simply publishing a new post on any random subject, you can plan subjects strategically based on special offers, the time of the year etc. Planning ahead also helps you post on a regular, steady schedule. This is important for keeping readers interested and the search engines happy, as they like new content.

Creating An Online Content Strategy

Regardless of how valuable your content is, if you publish a huge chunk of text that looks boring, you won't get many readers. The eye isn't drawn to large sections of text. This is why it's so important to have different types of content on your website when promoting your online business.

Video

Videos are one of the top ways to bring in more traffic and keep people on your website for longer. There are numerous ways to make videos and it doesn't mean you have to stand in front of a camera. You can create videos using just text, images and a voice-over.

Interactive Content

Polls and surveys are a great form of interactive content. People enjoy interacting online. It makes it more interesting for them and encourages them to stay on your website for longer. This drives up your income and boosts the reputation of your business, thus causing it to rank higher in the search engines.

Social Media

Having a live feed of opinions people are making about your content can encourage people to visit your website. Posting testimonials that people have given about your business will also make good quality content that people will want to read. You could even invite some of your regular readers to be interviewed for your next blog post.

No matter how much you enjoy being an online entrepreneur, some days you stare at a blank screen and struggle for content creation ideas. To discover the best practices used by the most successful bloggers and online entrepreneurs, download my Free Checklist, Creating A Content Management Strategy at https://jonallo.com/contentplan

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How to Set Your Social Media Goals For 2018

Social media experts are everywhere and there are many varying opinions on what's ahead in the constantly changing landscape.

In this post we're going to look at setting your goals based on what you've done so far and how you should adjust it so you're getting the most out of your content marketing.

If you've never taken stock of your social media or set goals, then this is the article for you.

It's important to measure the successes and failures honestly and to set your ego aside and admit that some of what you did may have been wasted effort.

For tips on how to improve your social media try our article: How to Incorporate Content Marketing into Twitter

1. Check Your Reports

Do you keep reports? You definitely should so you can assess the efficacy of what you spent time putting online. A report can look any way you want but if you need direction Smartsheet has a free social media report template to get you started.

Look for metrics like engagement instead of impressions. With impressions and low clicks, you're doing more harm than good. Look at how your content performed and create categories for it all.

This information is like your potential leads all telling you what they liked or didn't. Take that into account when planning out 2018's content.

Each social media platform offers free analytics on the profile's performance, so you can see what you've shared that resonated and what fell flat. Look for patterns and topics that show users had consistent interest in something you can then repeat.

You can even take the step of starting paid promotion for your business if you're up for a challenge!

2. Study Your Website Analytics

Google Analytics is a great free tool provided by Google that is essential to planning your social media in 2018. Why? This is where you find out how much of what you did actually drove traffic to your business.

If you do have it set up, then check your Acquisition section for Social and then Network Referrals. You'll be able to see the past year by selecting the previous year as the date range.

This will show you just how many people have clicked on your social media posts and landed on your website.

This won't matter when it comes to what you shared but it does matter if you've done posting that points people toward your website.

You should always incorporate some sales-oriented messaging that shows your client's your business so while you don't want to be a serial self promoter you don't want to be absent any self promotion entirely.

3. Set Your Goals

The first two steps should give you an understanding of where you are and now it's time to take that information and plan where you're going.

What drew clicks? What got shared? What worked and what didn't?

If something looks off and is clearly not working then assess whether your time would be better spent elsewhere. Another issue might be the audience of a platform dwindling. Genuinely look out for platforms that have lost their audience because, while rare, it has happened in the past.

Are you spending a lot of time posting to Facebook? Try putting some of that effort into Instagram if your target market is also on that platform. On average the approximate Instagram brand follower growth is 6 - 8% per month. You may not be able to recreate that, but you should see some solid numbers if you're posting good images regularly.

When were your posts most effective? Pinterest trends show increased usage in the summer and around Christmas with spring and fall seeing big dips. Look at your reports and if you used Pinterest see if your stats align with this. Plan a posting schedule so you know when what you post will have the most effect.

When you set your goals keep in mind you may not attain them and that's fine. As long as what you're doing is honest then you're in better shape than most.

Post genuine content about your business and share content you see as having sincere value to people interested in what you do. You'll not only grow your followers and friends, but you'll grow them with people who have value to more than the possible optics of high numbers on a profile.

The most important stat is your bottom line. You are spending your time marketing yourself on social media for a reason and if you have professional social media experts helping you then you're spending your money too.

Your main goal out of all of it is: did this help my business? If the answer is no, then take into account that your previous goals (or a lack of them) were incorrect.

Don't fret doing any of this by the way. The biggest mistake you can make is to allow this to become a chore rather than a positive part of your business. When you're enjoying yourself, you'll find you share better content and you convey that emotion through to potential clients, which is much better than putting out a perception that you're agitated.

Susan Friesen, founder of the award-winning web development and digital marketing firm eVision Media, is a Web Specialist, Business & Marketing Consultant, and Social Media Advisor. She works with entrepreneurs who struggle with having the lack of knowledge, skill and support needed to create their online business presence.

Visit http://www.ultimatewebsiteguide.ca and grab your FREE "Ultimate Guide to Improving Your Website's Profitability - 10 Critical Questions You Must Ask to Get Maximum Results"

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Setting Up a Small Business in 2018 - It's Not All About How Much Money You Have

When you think of starting a business, the first thing that comes to mind is money/capital. Of course, you need money to start a business, even if it is very little considering the fact how easy it is to start a business in the digital age. However, there could be many other factors that affect a business in today's digital economy-some you show serious concern to and some you don't really pay attention to much.

Blockchain Is Affecting All Types of Businesses

One of the biggest concerns for today's entrepreneurs before they start business is probably blockchain or crypto technology. The world is seeing the rise of crypto technology and how it is being integrated into the existing business ideas. A little more than a couple of years ago, you must have heard the term "bitcoin". From bitcoin, people still believe that blockchain is all about digital currency i.e. money in the digital world. However, this is far from truth. Blockchain is expected to affect all types of businesses and industries in the world in the coming days.

It is a technology that redefines the security aspect of many businesses in 2018, introduced decentralization in modern business technologies and benefits the end consumers in multiple ways. For example, you could launch a gaming platform where no one needs the existing currencies. You could launch your own platform with your own money today. You don't really have to start everything from the scratch; instead you could base your currency on the existing blockchain platforms like Ethereum. Through ICOs, you could have investors from around the world invest in your idea. So, blockchain is definitely a consideration for all businesses starting in 2018 and the coming years.

Physical Warehouses Are Not Necessary

A few years ago, only a certain types of business could be called truly online businesses. For businesses where products have to be stored for some time, a complete online presence was not the solution. Entrepreneurs who had such business ideas in mind had to have enough money to have their own warehouses. However, this has also changed quite a bit in the past couple of years. With the idea of drop shipping becoming common with time, it is becoming easier for businessmen to start their own businesses without much investment.

In a drop shipping model, all you have to do is collect orders from customers, forward those orders to the manufacturers or suppliers and have the goods shipped. You only act as a liaison in this particular model because it is the supplier that sends the products directly at the customers' doorsteps. You will still need an online store with all the products listed for customers to see. However, you don't need any warehouses because you don't have to own, buy or store any products. The good thing is that this model now allows drop shippers to offer much more competitive rates so penetrating into the market is easier for them.

Big Data Is the Big Difference

Another technology that has been influencing business decisions and the way businesses operate is big data. While the term "big data" seems that you are referring to just large amounts of data but in reality, you are also referring to the methodologies and technologies that are in use to handle big data. You will be completely wrong to think that traditional software and hardware solutions can deal with big data in any way. Let's take the example of a bank. A bank could have hundreds of branches located all around the country. In these hundreds of branches, the bank will have hundreds of thousands of customers.

The bank has account information of hundreds of thousands of these customers. In addition to that, the bank is constantly investing in stock and foreign markets, storing and utilizing that information. The same bank handles the data of all micro and macro loans it is forwarding to its customers. It is also storing information about customers through its mobile application to know what customers expect from the mobile website. On all of those hundreds of branches, the bank also has CCTV cameras collecting terabytes of footage on a daily basis.

Do you think all this data goes to waste? No, the data bank collected from banks is utilized in making bank branches securer. Data from mobile devices helps bank refine their mobile application. Data collected through financial softwares helps a bank improve its insurance, loan, mortgage, etc. offerings. It may seem on the surface that big data is a headache for big businesses only, but big data is just as important for small businesses as well. What this mean is that businesses starting in 2018 will have to have a big data approach right from day one.

Internet Security Is the Biggest Threat Now

It is unfortunate that rather than making the world a safer place, the new technology has led to greater internet threats. Cyber attacks are becoming more frequent with time, and much more sophisticated too. In the past few years, cyber attacks on some of the biggest companies of the world, including tech companies have proved that security has to be the major concern for every business-small, mid-scale or large. If you think starting a new business or having a small business gives you any advantage over large ones.

As a matter of fact, it's the small businesses that are at a higher risk when they are under any type of cyber attack. This is because large businesses have the technologies and capital to fight the attack, recover and get back on their feet again. On the other hand, small businesses usually don't have any of that.

Final Thoughts

The challenges for any small businesses in 2018 are much bigger and technology-related than they have ever been in the past. The need of the time for small business owners in 2018 is to say goodbye to the traditional thinking and embrace new technologies to be successful. They must also remember that in the modern age and coming years, every business is (like) a tech business to some extent due to its dependence on technology to collect customer data, create marketing campaigns and secure customer information.

More detailed information and useful advice can be found at http://www.Funded.com.

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