Spotted Wombat

Google has refused to publish low quality content. After downgrading hundreds of websites with plagiarised content, the search engine giant has sent a powerful message to "Content Mills" or "Content Farms" that shoddy content is not acceptable. Some dodgy websites have been totally removed from Google's pages.

This is excellent news for ethical content providers and copywriters. We cannot compete for $2 an article - and we don't want to! Relevant content is a subtle blend of writing for humans, good SEO principles and providing useful information to customers - whether these customers are clients or employees.

Yay Google!

We all know that the internet is often the first place that your customers find you. Or... is it where they find your competititors?

Marketing has changed. According to IBM and the University of Bonn, 71 percent of consumers use their PC for more than two hours per day during their personal time, as opposed to 48 percent spending that much time watching TV. If the old tried and true approaches are no longer working, how do you adapt to a changing philosophy of marketing?

The good news is that it’s easy. If you consistently provide the information that people are looking for, you will be seen as an expert in your industry. Any business can, with high-quality content, be just as effective in search engine rankings as its competitors. Google looks at the quality and consistency of your content, not the size of your business, or how well you perform on the stock exchange.

This is where a good copywriter can partner with your business and create a keyword-rich content strategy that will boost your Google rating. Sure, most people can write about their business. As a copywriter in Brisbane, I've found that business owners have great intentions but no time to follow through on their plans. Consistency and relevancy is key to online success. A copywriter can help you with this. Obviously, the more you do online - the more your business will benefit. However, it's not only volume. It's strategy, too. If your website is pretty, but no pages are indexed by Google, then what's the point of your website? If you write wonderful online articles, blogs and newsletters, but neglect to correctly map the keywords - your job will be tedious and time-consuming.

Copywriters can generally work within your budget, although don't expect quality writing from any good Australian copywriter for the same price as plagiarised writing from some international countries. Good copy costs money. It also costs more money for us to edit and rewrite content that you may have sourced from cheap content providers whose main language is not English.

Quality copy is easy to read and understand. It's also easy to find on the internet, if it is done with both human readers and search engines in mind.

Spotted Wombat is a Brisbane copywriting studio specialising in copywriting services for websites, blogs, brochures, newsletters, advertorials, articles and social networking sites.

Ebooks. You've heard about them, seen them and probably downloaded them.

So, what's so great about an ebook?

You can quickly, visually and inexpensively establish thought-leadership with an ebook that provides relevant information on the toughest challenges your customers face.
By answering your customer’s questions before they think to ask – by understanding problems and the issues your customers’ face from their perspective (not your own) – you build trust. Trust = engagement; engagement = business.

A free ebook sets you up as an expert leader in your field, as well as being a wonderful incentive to entice your prospects to engage with you.
If you are providing useful, relevant information to your customers, they will automatically think of you when they need particular services. By providing information, I don’t mean telling them how wonderful you are, or how fabulous your new premises are. I mean relevant information that solves a customers problem, answers a question or makes their life easier for them.

Ebooks are easy to pass along from one prospect to another, giving you potentially infinite reach.
A free ebook, with valuable information is always welcome. Yes, your competitors may download your ebook and use it for their own game. Bully for them. It has YOUR branding and YOUR business will be the one to benefit. Would you trust someone who nicked someone else’s ebook?

Finally, obey the golden rule and provide relevant and useful information, true to the concept of content marketing. Resist from broadcasting how fabulous you are – rather focus on helping your customer.

Forrester research discovered that 90 % of purchasing decisions begin online (2007). This means that before you realise that a client exists - they know a lot about your business. The TOC principle (Trust, Opportunity, Content) is an ideal way for all business owners to attract sales and build credibility in their industry.

The TOC Principle

Trust

Content marketing builds a high level of trust and encourages sales for only a small financial outlay. However, your content must be useful and provide relevant information. Buyers know the difference between information and a sales pitch. The key is to give your customers content that will help, inform and encourage them to trust you as THE expert in your industry. More on how to build trust here.

Opportunity

You can seize this opportunity and educate potential buyers about your industry, by providing valuable and relevant content. If you provide answers to your prospective clients' questions before they ask, you immediately portray expertise in your field.

Content

Content marketing such as blogs, newsletters, email marketing messages, articles, ebooks and compelling web content will go a long way in ensuring that you are seen as the master of your trade. See if a blog is right for you here.
 
Why not give content marketing a go? It's much cheaper than traditional marketing campaigns and, in our opinion, far more powerful.

Spotted Wombat is a Brisbane copywriting and web design studio specialising in copywriting services for websites, blogs, brochures, newsletters, advertorials, articles and social networking sites.

This video is a perfect example of how to "shout" at your customers and make them run far, far away from you and your business. Cheesy marketing at its best!