Content is Currency: Developing Powerful Content for Web and Mobile

380 Pages·2012·5.28 MB·English

by  Jon Wuebben

Praise for Content is Currency
“Jon Wuebben has done it again. Yes, we are all publishers today, but most
organizations are unclear how to use content marketing within their organization
to truly make an impact to both attract AND retain customers. If you want the
answers to why … and then how exactly to operationalize content marketing
within your business, read this book!”
—Joe Pulizzi, Executive Director, Content Marketing Institute, and
Co-Author, Managing Content Marketing
“Who cares about great content? Your customers do! The more relevant, quality
content your business can provide, the greater your opportunity to attract, engage
and convert visitors to buyers. Jon covers all the bases in Content is Currency
from personas to SEO to mobile. This book is full of practical tips that you’ll be
able to “cash in” for better online marketing results.”
—Lee Odden, CEO TopRank Online Marketing, and Author, Optimize
“Great content is one of the most important parts of inbound marketing, and in
Content is Currency Jon does a great job of giving you the foundation to
transform your company using content to drive your inbound marketing
strategy.”
—Mike Volpe, CMO, HubSpot
“Social media and content are connected at the hip. If you do nothing but
implement Wuebben’s chapters on social media optimization and blogging,
you’ll be light years ahead of your competitors.”
—Michael A. Stelzner, Founder, SocialMediaExaminer.com, and Author,
Launch
“If you can’t create a successful, multi-faceted content program for your
company after reading Content is Currency, you’re just not trying hard enough.
It’s a definitive, detailed guide on the realities of making content drive business
results. Bravo, Jon Wuebben!”
—Jay Baer, Co-Author, The NOW Revolution: 7 Shifts to
Make Your Business Faster, Smarter, and More Social
“Content rules the web. Producing content is easy. Producing effective content is
not. In Content is Currency Jon Wuebben leads the reader through the what,
why, and how of creating effective content in an engaging way. Large
businesses, medium business, all businesses should read this book. This is not a
volume that is going to gather dust on your shelf; this is a resource you will
return to again and again.”
—Simon Salt, CEO, IncSlingers
“Content is a critical component of your marketing success. The trick is to make
your content more about the value it provides and less about the marketing and
sales of your products and services. It’s not easy to do and most brands are
failing at it (miserably). What does that mean? There is a huge opportunity to
understand how content makes your business grow. There is a huge opportunity
in figuring out how to create valuable content instead of content that is thinly
veiled marketing blather. Jon Wuebben’s Content Is Currency is your roadmap.
Do what he says and your content will turn into money in the bank.”
—Mitch Joel, President, Twist Image, and Author, Six Pixels of Separation
“Read Content is Currency to learn the profitable content strategies you need to
make more money online today. It’s full of valuable details and real-world
examples that can help you upgrade your marketing. I learned a lot reading it
and you will, too.”
—Scott Fox, Founder, ClickMillionaires.com
“There’s a ton of marketing gurus saying to market with content, but they are not
explaining how to do it. That’s the void Content is Currency fills. Highly
recommended.”
—Bob Bly, Copywriter
“Content is Currency should be required reading for small business owners and
online marketing staff. It gives a step by step guide to business success through
an integrated content marketing strategy.”
—Anita Campbell, Publisher of Small Business Trends,
and Co-Author, Visual Marketing
CONTENT
IS
CURRENCY
Developing Powerful Content
for Web and Mobile
JON WUEBBEN
This edition first published by Nicholas Brealey Publishing, in 2011.
20 Park Plaza, Suite 1115A 3-5 Spafield Street,
Boston, MA 02116 USA Clerkenwell, London
Tel: + 617-523-3801 EC1R4QB, UK
Fax: + 617-523-3708 Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
www.nicholasbrealey.com
© 2011 Jon Wuebben
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner
whatsoever without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of
brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
Every effort has been made to contact the copyright holders of the included
screenshots.
Printed in the United States of America
15 14 13 12 11 1 2 3 4 5
ISBN: 978-1-85788-573-6
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Wuebben, Jon.
Content is currency : developing powerful content for web and mobile / Jon
Wuebben.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-1-85788-573-6
1. Internet marketing. 2. Web sites—Design. 3. Electronic commerce. I. Title.
HF5415.1265.W84 2011
658.8’72—dc23
2011 020201
Contents
INTRODUCTION
Optimized Content Works Harder
What Will You Learn in Content Is Currency?
Who Is This Book For?
The Purpose of Content
The Structure of Each Chapter
Why Am I Qualified to Teach Content?
A Few Extra Bonuses for Your Investment
PART I
Content: It’s the Currency
CHAPTER 1
What Is Content Marketing, Why Do You Need It, and How Do You
Maximize Its Effectiveness?
Marketing in the Pre-Internet Days
Why Do You Need Great Content?
Maximizing Its Effectiveness—The Content Marketing Machine
We All Hunger to Connect
Your Content Marketing Goals
Places to Find Content Ideas
The Undeniable Power of Web Content
Current Trends in Content Marketing
Current Research on B2B Content Marketing
Summing It Up
CHAPTER 2
Analyzing Your Current Web Content and Mobile Presence
There’s a Lot of Bad Content Out There
How to Approach Your Web Content Analysis
Overall Quality of the Copy
Putting It All Together—Harmonizing Your Content
Formatting and Usability
How Content Relates to Design
Usability Analysis
CHAPTER 3
Performing Keyword and Competitive Research
The Essential Practice of Keyword Research
What Words Are Potential Customers Using to Search for You?
Keyword Strategizing and Brainstorming
Look for Emerging Keyword Phrases
Optimize for Long Tail Keyword Phrases
Establish New Phrases That No One Is Using Yet
Keyword Nuances—Some Other Important Considerations
Keyword Relevant Content for e-Commerce
Competitive Research
CHAPTER 4
Optimizing Your Web Content
Search Engine Ranking Factors—SEOmoz Study
Writing for the Search Engines and for People
Factors That Help Your Page Rank Well
The Query Ranking Factor
The Process for Page Optimization
Metadata
Snippet Content
Alt Text and Text Hidden in Images
Does the Content Work? Analyzing the Results
SEO Best Practices: A Review
PART II
Content for the Web
CHAPTER 5
Website Content—Including Case Studies, E-Books, White Papers, and
Articles
Think of Your Website in Terms of Content Modules
The Philosophy Behind Great Website Content
Important Site Pages
Places to Expand Content
Customer (Service) Friendly Content
Other Considerations
E-Commerce Website Content
Landing Pages—Getting That Magic Conversion
User-Generated and Crowdsourced Content
Microsites
Lead-Generation Content for Your Site
Other Types of Website Content That May Help SEO
Build Content Through Licensing
CHAPTER 6
Press Releases and Media/Press Rooms
Getting the Word Out
Become the News
The Numbers Don’t Lie
A Little Bit of History
Your Game Plan—Putting Together a Press Release SEO Strategy
Writing a Release
Press Release Distribution
What Can Happen If You Do Releases Right
Pitching Your Release to Writers in Your Industry