Month: June 2014

Content vs Copywriting-How to Write Great Content for the Industrial Market

Is there a difference between content & copywriting for industrial content marketing? You bet.

beginners guideI recently had one of the top writers in the area tell me that my blog posts were excellent. This was a bit of a shock as I was just an OK writer in college. I really did not enjoy it or take any interest in it other than an opportunity to slam some NoDoz to stay up late and finish a paper.

As I became more involved in business and the need to communicate, I started to pay more attention to the art & science of writing. I was clearly into the art…the creative part. The science or the grammar was more of a stretch. I did come to appreciate my solid English background at Huntington High School and Adrian College. Thanks Mr. Hayden & Dr. Ernst.

As an industrial internet marketer, I found within the last few years, that content marketing was becoming the new frontier for the savvy industrial marketer. I knew that I would have to start a blog focused on the needs of industrial marketers interested in leveraging the web for lead generation. Continue reading “Content vs Copywriting-How to Write Great Content for the Industrial Market”

Is Your Industrial Blog Just Blowing in the Wind? SEO Optimization is the Answer

More & more industrial marketers are starting blogs. Without understanding SEO basics they are just blowing in the wind.

introduction to business bloggingI love what I do. I have a passion for helping industrial marketers leverage the web for lead generation. But I must admit, with Google making algorithm changes fasting than you can say, “panda sucks” it is difficult to keep up.

But let’s quit bitching for a moment and stick to the basics when it comes to your most effective content marketing effort…your industrial blog.

The evidence is clear. No matter what changes Google makes in the future you need quality content that your customers love & find helpful. But first you need to have a basic understanding of search engine optimization to make sure your Hemingway-like classic gets found first.

Before you develop your blog strategy and write your first blog post, put yourself in your customer’s shoes. How would they search for your product or service? Continue reading “Is Your Industrial Blog Just Blowing in the Wind? SEO Optimization is the Answer”

Except for Handshakes…Traditional Industrial Marketing No Longer Works

Traditional industrial marketers wonder where content marketing fits into their market mix. This should clear things up

chimps and handshakeI am a “handshake” kind of guy

I prefer meeting my customers face-to-face. My industrial customers are in the same boat…many prefer face-to-face meetings and all have built their businesses on personal relationships. Awesome. I love it. I probably spend more money on gas than I should, but I’m comfortable with that.

The value in personal relationships has not changed nor will it change in the digital age of marketing for our industrial marketing friends.

What has changed is the way your prospects and customers interact with your business, your sales group and marketing materials.

In Jared Fabac’s recently published The Industrial (Marketing) Revolution and outlined in Chapter One, Lead, Follow, or Show Us the Way-The Death of Traditional Marketing, Fabac relates:

“If there’s one big lesson for marketers in this recent turn of events, it’s that the old forms of marketing have been under performing for quite some time now and should not be tolerated as the primary part of your all-important media mix”

Let’s just examine some of the traditional channels to the industrial market. Continue reading “Except for Handshakes…Traditional Industrial Marketing No Longer Works”

How Long Will it Take for My Industrial Blog to Produce Results?

Industrial marketers have been slow to embrace the benefits of blogging. Hopefully this will give them some hope.

business blogging-get startedIn a blog post I wrote at the end of May I recounted a conversation I had with an old marketing friend about his former CEO taking down their new blog because it was not producing results.

What do think…was there ignorance or just lack of patience? Probably both.

Patience I can’t do much about, but ignorance can be handled quickly by this blog post.

First, results from your blog depend on the content saturation for your specific industrial niche. As Google and other search engines require more content to attract visitors each industrial marketer has a different wall to climb. Some industrial companies find increased content has a dramatically positive affect on their search rankings. Continue reading “How Long Will it Take for My Industrial Blog to Produce Results?”

Long Tail Keywords and Specific Intent are an Industrial Marketers Dream Come True

Most industrial marketers are doing keyword “light”. Instead, they should focus on their long-tail keywords & their customer’s specific intent.

long tail keywords for industrialI made the mistake last week of mentioning the term “long-tail keyword” to a well-known industrial supplier in west Michigan while discussing their new blog.

Classic…deer in the headlights.

The term long-tail keyword has been around for several years and refers to longer, more descriptive phases you might use to search for a product on the web. For example, instead of referring to “hydraulic manifolds” you might search for something more specific. What you really want is a company that can do “prototyping for custom hydraulic manifolds”

As a marketer or business owner… think about this. This is a marketer’s dream. The prospect at the other end of the web has SPECIFIC INTENT and knows exactly what she wants.

Is your company’s web page there to answer this web user’s needs?

Talk about target marketing. Talk about low-hanging fruit.

So what is the best way to serve up a web page for the guy looking for “prototyping for custom hydraulic manifolds” and generate a highly qualified lead with SPECIFIC INTENT?

You guess it…your company’s blog page. Continue reading “Long Tail Keywords and Specific Intent are an Industrial Marketers Dream Come True”