WELL PLAYED: REAL THREAD T-SHIRTS AND VIDEO DONE RIGHT
This is the first in a series of blog posts where we showcase companies doing great work with social marketing.
It’s not everyday you see truly educational material on YouTube, and I wasn’t expecting as much when I was researching screenprinting techniques, but when I came across video content from Orlando-based t-shirt printers Real Thread I was completely hooked on their content.
Real Thread prides themselves on being eco-friendly, using water-based printing methods. In a world where it’s cool to be green, one can easily set themselves apart by showing their commitment to environmentally sound business practices rather than merely talking about them. For example, their videos educating consumers about the differences between water-based and plastisol ink are highly informative, and the way they’ve demonstrated their discharge-print process shows their quality print techniques quickly and effectively.
Aside from being totally fascinating to fashionistas, their videos are well-edited and concise. They’ve taken complicated printing processes and condensed them into fun, informational clips that can be repurposed not only for sales, case studies and branding, but education too.
Take notes from Real Thread on how to create interesting and relevant video for your audience, but make sure to embed video content on your website rather than send them directly to YouTube for more effective conversions. High-quality video + a simple path to your company’s contact information = your business moving forward.
Well played, Real Thread. Well played.
BLOGGING YOUR BRAND: ARE YOU POSTING ENOUGH?
Whenever I work with a company who complains that they don’t get enough traffic, my first question is “How often do you post?” Because if it’s not at least once a week, then you’re not posting enough. No one routinely checks websites that never change. If you establish a pattern of new content cropping up every week (more than that is even better), people will learn to check your blog more often, bringing you more traffic. Keep it somewhat unpredictable though, that way you keep your readers on their toes.
If you don’t know what to write, look through your inbox. Do you consistently get the same questions over and over about a particular product or service from your customers? Your blog is a perfect place to spotlight that with an informative and useful post. Take a look at your analytics: does one of your main keywords need a rankings boost? Create a blog post with optimized links and anchor text back to your website. If you have an interesting take on a current event related to your industry (i.e. a software company’s opinion on the iPad) that’s a great topic too. You have a lot to say, but you may not have considered blogging as a marketing/PR channel for your brand. That should change.
If you simply haven’t got the time each week to sit down and blog, consider writing a few posts in one sitting and then using your Content Management System (what you use to manage your self-hosted blog, but we’ll get to that) to schedule the posts and stagger out the days they actually publish. That way your readers keep coming back all month long for new content, even if it only took you one morning’s work. If you’re just not the writing type, consider an audio podcast or video blog/vlog. These mediums can be used to great effect and can easily go viral if the content behind them is solid. Get creative! Post consistently on your company blog and new visitors and potential clients are sure to come your way.
BLOGGING YOUR BRAND, PART 1: WHY BOTHER BLOGGING?
One of the easiest ways for your company to enter the social media sphere is through establishing and maintaining a company blog. This is an excellent communication channel between you and your customers, your investors, or the general public. In a rapidly shrinking world, thought leadership is the most important product you have. With a company blog, you control the tone, topics, and style of your company’s voice online in a way you can’t with a third-party site like Facebook or Twitter, an important consideration for image-conscious industries like law and finance.
While they require regular attention, don’t be intimidated by starting a company blog. A good post should be about 250 words, and in that short span of text you have opportunities for optimized links for SEO, viral content possibilities for Social Media, and new material for increased traffic. Blogging adds humanity to an otherwise stuffy, static corporate website, and generates goodwill toward your brand because readers connect with your company.
Google loves blogs. In an effort to provide users with the best search results Google will often rank blog posts and news articles higher, equating their time-sensitive nature with having the most relevant and up-to-date information. If you write more, Google will notice and index your site more often, improving your rankings. There are so many benefits to starting a blog that the effort to maintain it should only be a minor consideration. However, social media is a marriage, so be prepared to stick with your blog once you start.
This series will look at how you can start your corporate blog, but will also incorporate tips to improve current corporate blogs and hopefully answer some questions you might have about your own company blog. If you have a question you’d like covered, please feel free to contact us.
INTERNET MARKETING FOR NONPROFIT
Eric interviews Peter Sorenson of Ginkgo Enterprises a Mergers and Acquisitions Consulting firm at the Media Mastermind Seminar in Dallas. Eric and Peter talk about the importance of an online presence for businesses and nonprofits. Peter uses help International as a case study.
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