Your Host: Jill Whalen [jill@highrankings.com]
________________________________________________________
~~~IN TODAY'S ADVISOR~~~
*Introductory Comments:
----> No Time for Intros
*Search Engine Marketing:
----> Why Content Is (Still) King When It Comes to B2B Websites
*High Rankings Happenings:
----> Full-day SEO Training Classes
----> SEMNE Event: Determining the SEO Health of Your Website
*Advanced SEO Forum Thread of the Week:
----> No Copy on Home Page
*Advisor Wrap-up:
----> Website Marketing Workshops This Week!
________________________________________________________
~~~Introductory Comments~~~
Hey everyone!
No time for much of an intro today, so let's get straight to it. – Jill
______________High Rankings SEO Training___________________
2009 SEO Training Classes – May, June and July
_______________________________________________________
One-day SEO Training Class for beginners to intermediate learners.
You will learn what SEO is and isn't, as well as what you need to do
to bring in more search engine visitors who are seeking out exactly
what you offer.
Class is limited to 6 students, and we will work on YOUR specific
website issues.
http://m1e.net/c?86763832-IU6tUo2FEYHgs%404121236-jWfOhztQt1hrY
_______________________________________________________
~~~Search Engine Marketing Issues~~~
Today's guest article comes to us from Dianna Huff, Principal of DH Communications, Inc. Dianna specializes in B2B marketing communications consulting and copywriting, and is an all-around nice person. I had the pleasure of doing a podcast with her recently, which you can listen to here:
http://m1e.net/c?86763832-eRMQFGfLxePR6%404121237-ByN5gVy1roiRw
So without further ado, take it away, Dianna! – Jill
++Why Content Is (Still) King When It Comes to B2B Websites++
By Dianna Huff
Have you heard that term "spider bait"? People use it to refer to content that's developed specifically for achieving high rankings for targeted keywords and/or for attracting inbound links.
In other words, spider bait refers to content developed for search engines, not for people who make buying decisions. For business-to-business (B2B), this is the completely wrong approach.
The B2B sales cycle can be complex and often extends over weeks, months, and even years – especially for high-end products and services.
While a corporate purchasing department may issue the final PO, the decision to purchase a product is often made by committees composed of influencers, end users of the product, and the person who has the ultimate say in whether money is budgeted.
In addition, the Internet has completely changed the sales process itself. Instead of vendors qualifying buyers, buyers now qualify vendors – via vendor websites.
Buyers search for companies that provide the product or service they're looking for and will make a short list of companies to whom they will then send an RFQ (request for quote).
What gets a vendor on the buyer's short list?
One word: Content.
That is, content that educates buyers about the company and its products and services, and helps them decide whether or not to move forward.
This is why developing "spider bait" is a complete waste of time and money, and why developing high-value content – or marketing collateral – is key.
In addition, having high-quality content also makes it incredibly easy to optimize for search engines. Riverace Corporation, for example, developed a whitepaper
http://m1e.net/c?86763832-7jfZkqtkPjrxM%404121238-NsppqKmyn3Dfo
about C++ sockets programming errors two years ago. The whitepaper landing page still ranks high for the search phrases "winsock programming errors" and "sockets programming errors."
So what kinds of content are purchasers looking for?
In surveys by these industry experts:
Enquiro:
http://m1e.net/c?86763832-huRYdgX3nYvp2%404121239-c92pCCIag0IZc
ThomasNet:
http://m1e.net/c?86763832-rR.f3AFopKXh.%404121240-XA0BohtnQOl7E
GlobalSpec:
http://m1e.net/c?86763832-CRzESEXSXwmb.%404121241-9fRN245gMO/RI
Eccolo Media:
http://m1e.net/c?86763832-vHT3eNRneX3e2%404121242-t1SCD7eeEy0Zc
Technology business decision makers are looking for:
Whitepapers and Reports
You can find great topics for whitepapers and reports by searching your own web analytic data. With one of my clients, Ferrante & Associates, I noticed that a relatively high number of people were finding her site via search engines using terms that involved "green marketing."
Based on this data, we then developed a lead generation campaign that included a green marketing report, "Green Marketing 101: A Step-by-Step Guide for Businesses"
http://m1e.net/c?86763832-0.0ezC8EkrFqA%404121243-EESfgj1HKgW3g
a landing page, emails, and a press release.
Case Studies
Also known as expanded "testimonials," case studies are very influential when it comes to purchasing decisions because they explain how a company helps other companies solve specific challenges.
AchieveGlobal, for example, developed a case study that explained how it reduced call center turnover for one of its clients by 89% via its WorkSkills training program:
http://m1e.net/c?86763832-4bgNjdqN4tQA6%404121244-KZmjP0ITJwiJQ
The wonderful thing about case studies is that they can be repurposed for other media. Cabot Corporation used the case study format in its customer newsletter to explain how its drilling muds helped two oil companies decrease drilling costs:
http://m1e.net/c?86763832-hzAgLVv1K9kYg%404121245-PKtQDhHZpOHJs
Smart Products pitched its case study (about a miniature valve used in a prosthetic device) to a major medical design trade journal. The journal ran it in both its U.S. and European publications.
Video
The Cisco marketing team recently developed a very cool viral product launch for a new router using clever videos, which ran on the company's TechEdge Weekly Blog
http://m1e.net/c?86763832-cV7KA51R1HVDI%404121246-4WG02.8UkujlI
as well as YouTube:
http://m1e.net/c?86763832-diYTqW8bKwU2E%404121247-Y407GSqjIe43Q
According to Brian Ellefritz, Cisco's Director of Social Media Marketing
http://m1e.net/c?86763832-A2mCcUrqo1VOA%404121248-aiz957RruQE4s
the viral campaign was a huge success – with dozens of bloggers writing about the videos and thousands of people registering their email addresses to receive additional information about the new product.
Other Content
In addition to the marketing collateral listed above, your B2B website can also include content such as webinars, podcasts, brochures, online demos, e-books, articles, e-newsletters, forums, CAD drawings, shipping and support information, and free tools, such as calculators, checklists, and tip sheets.
High-Value Content = More Inbound Links
All of this content not only helps the sales process, but due to its viral nature it also helps generate inbound links from bloggers, journalists, and other industry websites.
Case in point: A few bloggers wrote about the e-book I published last summer, "Five B2B MarCom Strategies to Increase Sales Now" –
http://m1e.net/c?86763832-6wXcJfbWGJ2H2%404121249-TBQ7Z1EDDbUco
– with one of them making it their featured "Book of the Month" for their online book club. Downloads soared (and continue to this day).
High-value content positions your company as the expert in the field. Think about it: If you came upon a website chock-a-block full of educational, take-away content, wouldn't you automatically think this company knew what it was talking about – versus a company that had pages of automatically generated spider bait that basically said nothing?
When developing content for your company or client websites, consider the types of information that people need to make a buying decision – and then develop content that includes some type of action – viewing, downloading, registering, etc.
You'll enjoy high rankings, increase conversions, and generate more leads and sales.
Dianna Huff
DH Communications, Inc.
http://m1e.net/c?86763832-itu3qKE4xjww6%404121250-S0yKzNzWTsKoQ
Share your comments and thoughts here:
http://m1e.net/c?86763832-6UPaRA652LOE2%404121251-FLDKnrxcbQJRo
[Thanks, Dianna! I also wanted to let you all know that Dianna is offering a free Web Marketing Toolkit, which you can download at her website here when you sign up for her newsletter:
http://m1e.net/c?86763832-zrNZg32.6.mCo%404121252-3DwMgqY2oAxKU
– Jill]
______________SEMNE Event_____________________________
:::: Determining the SEO Health of Your Website ::::
_______________________________________________________
High Rankings CEO Jill Whalen shares the top things she and her
team look for when performing SEO site audits.
May 12, 2009, in Peabody, MA from 6:30 to 9:00 pm.
Free for SEMNE members or $49 for non-members.
http://m1e.net/c?86763832-MDf1yovQxTcJk%404121253-9p.H3by34WlHA
_______________________________________________________
~~~Advanced SEO Forum Thread of the Week~~~
++No Copy on Home Page++
Forum member "logos123" asks:
"I am doing SEO for a website, and I have tried to persuade the owner to include some copy on the home page to sell their services and for ranking, but they prefer just an image and navigation. Is this going to be a big setback in terms of SEO?"
Read what other members have answered and/or provide your own advice here:
http://m1e.net/c?86763832-qrOoWy4PPu4IU%404121254-NKzErGbteM3YY
~~~Advisor Wrap-up~~~
That's all for this week. I'm really looking forward to our 2 days of website marketing workshops this week at High Rankings headquarters. We've got a good crew coming in to learn all about keyword research, copywriting, Google Analytics, and social media. Just have to put the finishing touches on my presentations and I'll be ready to roll. Also happy to be seeing my pal Karon Thackston when she flies in to teach the copywriting workshop. It's been a few months since we got together.
Here's hoping for a sunny and profitable April. Catch you in 2 weeks! – Jill
Looking for SEO Services, Consulting or Training?
See what High Rankings has to offer:
http://m1e.net/c?86763832-RjBDqGzDV.XPA%404121255-iW9jH.hCFTZL6
Today's issue is also available online in the newsletter archives:
http://m1e.net/c?86763832-ftGZiUiAVSldI%404121256-UeC9j8fZjhEmg
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