Video has a lot of options for conveying information to your consumers. Rather than relying on text-heavy instructions, product demos and process guides seem to work better in video format. Video marketing helps companies discover new customers while delivering entertainment that users can’t get anywhere else.

That makes it a win-win for all involved.

Why Prioritize Video in Your Marketing Strategy?

Some brands give too few resources to video marketing. Others may overlook video entirely, claiming it’s too expensive or ineffective. But these businesses are neglecting a crucial fact that’s impossible to ignore: Consumers are watching more videos online than ever before. Ignoring this is ignoring a massive chunk of potential customers.

Take a look at the numbers: Over 70% of customers say they’d prefer to learn about a product or service by watching a video. And in fact, 84% of them say watching a brand’s video was the determiner that convinced them to buy.

Video is potent in the digital product realm, too. Almost 80% of people said a video convinced them to buy or download a digital product.

But it goes much deeper than those numbers. Video lets you build a human connection with your audience that you sometimes can’t do with e-books and blog posts. A high-quality video establishes trust while giving you an engaging opportunity to demonstrate expertise and authenticity.

And when you hit the mark with video, people are more likely to share the connection. The reach of a single successful video can drive traffic, leads and revenues up far more effectively than other marketing strategies.

It’s probably why, over the last three years, the number of brands using video as a marketing tool has risen from 63% to 86%.

The Biggest Benefit of Video Marketing

There are many apparent reasons for investing in a sound video marketing strategy, but the most significant benefit you may not have considered is search engine optimization. SEO is the foundation of your entire digital marketing efforts. And while video content increases engagement and conversions, it also has a real impact on SEO.

Google’s search algorithms are looking for two things in content: quality and search relevance. To rank well, you need to create compelling content that meets the needs of the people searching for your targeted keywords.

These days, Google doesn’t only scan your website’s text content; it looks for other media types. If your website contains rich media and quality video content, it signals to Google’s algorithm that your site is robust and informative. And that means an immediate boost to SEO.

Another significant factor that Google’s algorithms pay attention to is the length of engagement — how long users stay on your site. If you’re pulling in traffic, but that traffic doesn’t stick around long, Google assumes your visitors don’t find your content valuable. And your search rankings suffer for it.

Video keeps people on your site longer than any other content type. They’re far more likely to check out a video clip than read your site’s blog post history. All the time your visitors spend watching videos delivers more SEO juice.

How To Create a Video Marketing Strategy

So, how does one get started with a video marketing strategy? It’s not easy, but it’s definitely worth your time and effort.

1. Determine Your Goals

Any new marketing effort begins with goals. Video is the same. It would help if you precisely determined your objective for your video marketing strategy.

Some brands put the majority of their advertising efforts into video. They might start with content for product pages and then expand their video production onto social platforms. Others may focus their efforts on social media alone. Figuring out where to start and what you want to focus on can help clarify your goals.

You also want to determine what part of your marketing funnel to focus on. In a perfect world, you’d want video content for every stage of your funnel. But you’ll want to determine which location is the most important to focus on in the early stages.

Here are a few example goals you might align your strategy toward:

• Creating brand awareness
• Increasing website traffic
• Improving SEO
• Improving online engagement
• Driving conversions

Focus on one or two goals to start with. Don’t try to create content that accomplishes everything all at once, or you’ll spread your efforts too thin.

2. Define Your Target Audience

No less important than determining your goals is defining your target audience. If you take the time to create a high-quality video without understanding its intended audience, there’s a good chance it won’t land. The people who should see it won’t, and those who do won’t traverse your funnel.

If your business has a marketing team, there’s a good chance they’ve already set up buyer personas. The people you want to buy your products or services are the same ones you want to reach with your videos. These personas can help define your video strategy’s target audience.

3. Figure Out Which Platforms To Use

When it comes to video, the web is crowded these days. From older platforms such as Facebook to newer ones like TikTok, the opportunities to engage your audience with video are plentiful.

If you already have a presence on one of the big social media platforms that support video, starting there is a good idea. Users on Facebook and Instagram spend a lot of time watching videos. And YouTube, being the second-biggest search engine globally, is a good idea.

If you’re beginning to build your marketing strategy and don’t yet have a presence, consult your marketing personas from the previous step. Ask yourself which platforms your target audience uses most, and then research to find data that supports your assumptions.

It’s also good to look at specific platform features to see the available formats. Understanding what each one offers in terms of video dimensions, quality and length can help you determine where your messages will likely resonate most.

4. Create Your Story

Every successful video starts with a strong story.

Figuring out the story you want to tell is often one of the most fun parts of a video marketing strategy. But it’s also the most difficult. The art of storytelling would be impossible to cover here, but a basic framework usually includes some form of the following elements:

• A protagonist, usually based on your target audience
• Goals and conflicts aligned with one of your customer’s pain points
• A journey or quest introducing your product or service
• Resolution to the conflict provided by your product or service

As you’re crafting your story, think about the emotion you want to leave the viewer with. Do you want to entertain or inspire them? Perhaps you want to leave them feeling curious. As you’re writing your script, consider these carefully. And be sure the message and the feeling align with your brand’s overall voice and tone. Consistency is key.

It’s hard to overstate the importance of your story. If you don’t have a natural storyteller on your marketing team, enlisting a freelance writer to help craft your narrative is a good idea.

5. Create a Content Production Plan

A good content-production plan will save you time and money in the long run. Whether you plan it with a flowchart or pen and paper, you need to know how your videos will be made.

There are several alternatives you can consider for content production and post-production. You can employ an agency or production company to do the heavy lifting, but that can get expensive. If you have team members capable of certain aspects of video production, enhancing them with freelancers is a good option.

One option is to make your video online. If you have a limited budget, there are free video editors you can research to see what makes sense for you to create a killer marketing video to meet your content goals.

If you’re planning to produce your video in-house, you’ll need to consider all the different processes and equipment necessary. These include:

• Acquiring props and other stage equipment
• Writing and editing the script
• Storyboarding the video
• Planning the filming process
• Editing the footage
• Adding special effects or animations
• Licensing music or images

Don’t let this list stop you from diving into video production if your resources are limited. Think about alternative video styles that are more efficient or affordable to produce. You could ask customers to send in user-generated content or testimonials. Or you could go the DIY route and ask your most passionate product expert to host a Q&A on Instagram Live. Record it and turn their responses into a promotional video. Users also love “behind the scenes” style footage, which works great if you can’t afford a dedicated studio space. As long as your storytelling is strong, your videos will resonate with viewers. Start small and build from there.

When your video is complete, don’t overlook the optimization process. Create compelling, keyword-rich titles and descriptions. You should also add closed captioning to every video. It’ll make your content more accessible for the hearing impaired, users scrolling with their phone in silent mode and search engine spiders alike.

6. Schedule and Promote Your Videos

Next, you’ll want to schedule and promote your videos. Share your new content prolifically. Use social media management tools to schedule releases during the best possible times. Get the word out on your shiny new content, so people start engaging and re-sharing.

7. Measure and Refine Your Strategy

The most essential part of any strategy is refinement. You won’t be able to determine how well a video performs until you look at the numbers. What are view counts, for example? How long have people been watching your videos? From the number of views, shares and likes and what people say in the comments, it’s crucial to take in this veiled feedback. From there, use it to refine your approach.

Native analytics, which tells you how each video fared, is available on all platforms. They’ll even tell you how many people watched the first three seconds of your video. The methods you used to evaluate success should be appropriate for the goals set in the beginning.

It’s also worth noting that older videos are sometimes consumed years later. With the right keywords and quality content, your audience can find value in your video content for many years down the road.

Best Practices for Video Marketing

It’s crucial to have a strong strategy before you start pumping time and money into producing costly video content.

Unfortunately, there’s an element of video marketing that doesn’t adhere to marketing personas and project management. The bottom line is that if you want a successful video marketing strategy, you need to make amazing videos.

It doesn’t matter if you’re whipping together videos in the back of your office or outsourcing production to a trendy agency. The focus should always be on quality. It should be big, bold and polished and tell a fantastic story.

The following best practices help you do precisely that.

Video Length: Short or Long?

Platforms like TikTok have a lot of marketers focused on creating short, enticing clips to grab viewers’ attention. And while this may work for some brands, you should always refer back to your original goals to lay the groundwork for your content.

For example, if the people you’re trying to reach are looking for in-depth content, you probably shouldn’t focus on 15-second videos, as your efforts will be wasted. But if you make rich, full-length videos that explain complex topics in rich detail, you’re making the right video for the right people.

Put simply, never let the platform dictate the content you create.

Keep It Simple

As a segue from complex and lengthy videos, it’s worth mentioning that keeping it simple whenever possible is the best bet. Unless you’re making investigative documentaries, opt for poppy and enticing over detailed and dense.

Even with in-depth explainers or how-to videos, the more you can simplify the content, the better. Remember, the idea is to engage. You can always fill out more complex topics with in-depth blog posts for people interested in the details.

A Call to Action

The call to action echoed across amateur and professional YouTube channels are the norm. As with written content, if you get your viewer to the end of the video, they like what you had to say. As such, they’re primed to take action.

But you need to nudge them a little.

A call to action can be as simple as a request to visit your website. Or you might offer a coupon code for one of your products and services. The gist here is that you always need one at the end of every video. Not doing so is a disservice to your brand and your viewers.

Boost Your Video Marketing With Crowd Content

Creating a winning video marketing strategy isn’t easy. It requires a lot of resources, multiple talented individuals and a good dose of creativity. But the benefits are well worth the time and effort of everyone involved.

As covered above, one of the most critical aspects of all video content is the script. If you want to create successful videos, you need an excellent storyteller on your team. If your brand is lacking in that department, Crowd Content can help. With access to thousands of professional and creative freelance writers, you can start building the next viral video campaign. Get in touch with us today to get started.

The post Boost Engagement, Conversions and SEO With Video Marketing appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

Yet the concept of brands leveraging these influencers to help grow their business is still murky for many.

In short, influencer marketing is a form of social media marketing that capitalizes on endorsements and mentions of products from experts — people with a social following who are regarded as authorities in their field. Influencer marketing works because influencers have developed a great deal of trust among their followers, and they offer them as a sort of social proof to potential customers.

A Closer Look at Influencers

Influencer marketing is actually a blend of old and new. It’s the timeless approach of celebrity endorsement placed in the digital age of content-driven marketing. But where the former depended on movie stars and personalities in popular culture, influencer marketing is based on individuals whose popularity comes through social media.

While many traditional celebrities also have a strong social media following, these things aren’t mutually exclusive. Plenty of successful influencers aren’t famous in the offline world. In short, an influencer is someone who has:

• The reach and ability to impact purchasing decisions of their followers because of their knowledge and authority and the relationship with their audience
• Following in a defined niche through which the influencer regularly engages

In fact, it’s a mistake to assume all influencers are necessarily celebrities. For brands with focused product or service offerings, leveraging an influencer with a smaller audience but more industry-specific appeal can produce better results than any given celebrity.

Most influencers have put a lot of work into building a loyal following. And it’s certainly no coincidence that their followers engage with them rather than any specific product or brand. These people look to the influencer for their knowledge, expertise and opinions. They trust them. Respecting this relationship is key to influencer marketing success.

Remember, the majority of influencers have developed a devoted and enthusiastic following. It isn’t by chance that these people follow influencers rather than corporations. Many consumers are far more interested in what influencers have to say over marketing campaigns of individual brands.

How Influencer Marketing Works

The practice of influencer marketing involves collaborating with one or more of the aforementioned influencers. Some brands take a structured approach, while others simply engage with influencers informally.

Of course, there wouldn’t be so much buzz around influencer marketing if it didn’t have broad appeal.

Unlike celebrities, you can find influencers anywhere and everywhere. Their large internet and social media followings are what distinguish them. An influencer may be a well-known Instagram fashion photographer, a well-read cybersecurity blogger who tweets or a renowned marketing executive on LinkedIn with a big presence on the web.

Within any sector, there are star influencers. Some have hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of followers. Many, on the other hand, might simply appear as average social media users. In some instances, they may only have a few thousand followers.

They will, however, have built a reputation for being industry leaders. They’re the ones who answer people’s inquiries. They’re the individuals who create the most interesting social media posts in their sector. They post the greatest photos, make the most engaging films and lead the most informative online debates based on their area of expertise.

How Influencer Marketing Grows Your Brand

For marketers seeking to boost their consumer trust, brand recognition, and various other advantages, a strong influencer marketing strategy may be exactly what they need. Considering more than half of all consumers prefer word of mouth and social media to inform their purchasing decisions, it’s easy to see why.

Influencers can help grow your brand in several ways. Among other things, a successful influencer campaign helps:

• Improve brand awareness
• Increase visibility and reach
• Demonstrate trust and authority
• Drive purchasing decisions

Influencer marketing allows you to grow your brand’s exposure and positioning in the market. Users on social media can learn more about your company, its history and the goods or services it offers. One of the most significant advantages of social media marketing is working with an influencer who has the ability to move the needle.

Put simply, influencer marketing helps companies navigate through the challenges other marketing methods face in today’s world. With ad blockers becoming widespread, as well as people’s general dislike for obtrusive advertising, influencer marketing is a fantastic way for organizations to connect with customers in a non-intrusive manner.

Marketers can reach millions of people they might not otherwise have access to by working with the right influencers. By carefully evaluating influencers based on both qualitative and quantitative criteria, brands can choose who they want for their campaigns.

So, how do you leverage influencers and influencer marketing to help grow your brand?

Influencer Marketing Strategies and Best Practices

Like any other marketing strategy, successful influencer campaigns require careful targeting and deliberate planning. You won’t help your brand much by tossing free products or services at anyone with a few followers and interest in your offerings.

Below are a few good strategies and best practices when courting influencers and formulating a sound strategy.

Start With a Plan

When you’re in the planning stages, you need to take a step back and think about which platforms your brand is likely to succeed on. For example, businesses in fashion and beauty tend to shine on YouTube and Instagram.

If you’re taking a formal approach, compensation varies considerably between influencers. Micro-influencers are typically more focused. If you find one that’s already passionate about your offerings, they’re often happy to take free products or services in exchange for promotion. But tread carefully, because offers of free products and no monetary compensation could turn off some influencers or sour them on your brand. Some influencers will refer you to talent agencies who represent them to work out a deal. Others work independently.

You’ll also need to consider the anticipated return on your investment. In other words, how will you evaluate the contributions of influencer posts to your overall marketing goals? One method might be to compare your expectations for influencers with those of other businesses.

Put simply, it’s crucial to do the necessary research upfront before diving into the world of influencer marketing. Working with individual influencers varies considerably from brand to brand and influencer to influencer. You should revisit your strategies regularly to refine and perfect them as you learn and adapt.

Create a Budget and Management Strategy

Unlike a more automated ad strategy, influencers are human and frequently have several partnerships, so some may fall behind in their duties to post on time or make mistakes in your requested tags or calls to action. You’ll need to be hands-on with these relationships in order to grow them and refine your technique through experience about what works and what doesn’t.

Consider establishing a formal ambassador program if you have the time and money. Many brands employ ambassadors in conjunction with their content, putting influencers on the ground floor of new product releases or service offerings. This is a powerful combination that can help drive potentially viral campaigns.

Hiring an influencer marketing firm to do the research and coordination for you is a smart option for businesses wanting to target a larger group of influencers.

Determine Your Goals and Messaging

The two most frequent uses of influencer marketing are to raise brand recognition and to boost sales. However, instead of aiming for big goals like this, it’s more effective to start by determining what your company’s needs are. Maybe you want to grow your customer base among a younger demographic. You might also want to develop a new product or enter a new vertical and need insights from potential customers.

Influencers have the capacity to reach highly specialized audiences. Instead of relying on hundreds or thousands of followers, influencers will assist you in targeting a very specific audience that’s likely to be interested in your product and interact with your material.

Content with a conversational tone and personalized narrative distinguishes successful influencer campaigns from the product- or sales-focused posts that a company may publish on its own feed.

Influencers who’ve worked hard to build their following won’t work with a business that makes their own brand seem inconsistent. As such, it’s important to consider the content your influencers share.

While many influencers consider themselves creators, there’s no guarantee their creative bent matches your brand’s messaging and objective. Put simply, you need to collaborate with your influencers to spread a message that’s consistent for both their following and your business. It’s also wise to consider tying content strategies into your influencer campaigns.

Even though influencers are individuals, you shouldn’t expect to manage them as an employee. Setting clear content guidelines is a good idea.

Find the Right Influencers

Finding the right influencers is no less important than planning and budgeting. If you’re fielding your options, the only challenge you’ll face is who to choose. Instagram alone has more than half a million active influencers.

The first place to look might surprise you — it’s not their follower count. Instead, focus on the kind and quality of content they’re producing. Get an idea of the kind of messages these influencers are sending by going through their feed (on all platforms, not just the one your company is researching) to understand how they communicate.

Next, consider their credibility. You can get a feel for this by looking through the comment threads on their content. Take note of their level of familiarity with your industry. Does their content sound well-informed and demonstrate expertise on the topics relevant to your industry?

Once you find the right influencer, nurturing the relationship is key to successful influencer campaigns. Like a rewarding personal relationship, the best possible influencer is one who truly admires your brand through good times and bad.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you’re thinking of jumping into the world of influencer marketing to help grow your brand, you undoubtedly have plenty of questions and concerns. Below are a few of the most common ones to help guide your influencer interest.

How much does an influencer marketing campaign cost?

Every influencer campaign is different, so it’s difficult to estimate costs. It varies across industries and fluctuates based on the number of influencers your brand uses, the reach of individual influencers and any additional marketing spend invested in promoting the campaign.

Can an influencer campaign be integrated as part of a larger campaign?

Absolutely. Many brands prefer to run influencer campaigns alongside other marketing activities. And in fact, a strong content strategy is often integral to a successful influencer campaign.

Why is influencer marketing important for my brand?

Influencer marketing isn’t perfect for every business, but for brands with potential mass appeal, a strong social media presence and existing industry influencers, it’s extremely effective. Some reasons brands might consider an influencer marketing strategy include:

• Your business is losing customers to competitors with influencers
• Consumers in your industry are swayed heavily by influencers
• Your target market uses ad blockers, making traditional marketing less effective

What are the benefits of influencer marketing?

In addition to leveraging the trust and authenticity that influencer marketing inherently provides, there are a number of other benefits. Effective influencer marketing:

• Bolsters your overall content strategy
• Zeroes in on your target audience
• Develops collaborative partnerships
• Increases brand awareness

Where do I start with an influencer campaign?

If you’re thinking about influencer marketing, you have two choices: do it yourself or hire a third-party agency to handle the specifics for you. Both alternatives come with advantages and disadvantages, but many brands opt for an agency because it’s more cost-effective and time-efficient.

Improve Your Influencer Marketing With Great Content

Influencer marketing isn’t only about locating someone with a following and paying them to say nice things about you. That’s what viral celebrities are for. Influencers are individuals who’ve invested time in developing their own brand and cultivating their following. As such, they’re cautious about their reputation and the brands they endorse. But that level of investment is precisely what makes influencer marketing so valuable.

If you’re considering an influencer campaign for your brand, don’t neglect the content side of things. Influencers might be more excited to share a great piece of content on your site than a hard-sell sales pitch. Your messaging is no less important than the people spreading it. Crowd Content matches talented writers and editors to brands seeking high-quality content — at scale and in every industry. If you’re ready to push your marketing efforts into overdrive, get in touch with us today.

The post Strategies for Growing Your Business With Influencer Marketing appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

How Pinterest Affects SEO

Is Pinterest good for SEO? The short answer is yes. Because Pinterest has evolved into a digital search engine, it can be a great source of organic traffic if you understand how to use it. One of the biggest reasons Pinterest should be a component of your SEO strategy is because the site has more than 450 million active monthly users. If even a tiny percentage of these users see one of your pins, you have the opportunity to drive more traffic to your website than ever before.

Another reason Pinterest is good for SEO is that many users are already primed to buy something or request more information about a product or service. If these users see your pins, they’re more likely to visit your website than a search engine user who doesn’t want to buy anything or isn’t sure what they want to do. You can take advantage of their intent by incorporating buyer keywords into your pins and descriptions. A buyer keyword is a specific word or phrase that someone uses when they want to buy a product or service.

Finally, Pinterest provides an important opportunity that other social networks don’t: the ability to create product pins. When you write a Facebook post, you can mention your products and services, but there’s no way to create individual product pages and promote them to other Facebook users. Product pins allow merchants to highlight their products, making it easier to convert Pinterest views into sales. In some cases, it’s even possible for customers to purchase products without leaving the Pinterest website, eliminating an extra step in the purchase process and making it more likely the user will complete the transaction.

Improving SEO With Pinterest

Now that you understand how Pinterest affects SEO, it’s time to create an account. It’s best to register as a business so you can access Pinterest’s scheduling, advertising and analytics tools. When it’s time to choose a user name, the decision you make can have a big effect on your SEO results. It may be tempting to choose something clever or quirky, but you should create a user name based on the needs of your target audience.

If you’re promoting a cookbook, for example, you may want to include a keyword like “chicken recipes” or “slow cooker meals” to help people understand what your content is about. Including a relevant keyword can also help drive traffic to your profile, making your Pinterest SEO strategy even more effective.

Setting up a Pinterest Profile

After you create your account, it’s time to write an attention-getting profile optimized with relevant keywords. For best results, your company logo and any other images you use should have the same logo, colour scheme and other elements as the photos on your website and other social media profiles. Using the same design elements across all platforms ensures customers know what to expect from your brand.

The profile header should contain your formal business name, but there’s a trick you can use to make this headline more effective for SEO. After your company name, add a vertical bar (the | character) followed by a keyword related to what you do. If you operate a plus-size boutique, for example, your profile headline will be more effective for SEO if it reads “Daisy’s Boutique | Stylish Clothing for Plus-Size Women” instead of just “Daisy’s Boutique.”

Conducting Keyword Research

General keyword research software isn’t as effective for Pinterest optimization as it is for identifying relevant keywords for your website. Fortunately, Pinterest has built-in tools to help you understand what kind of information Pinterest users want to find. For example, the Guided Search tool is similar to Google’s autocomplete feature, which makes keyword suggestions based on what you type into the search bar. A search for “sofa” brings up suggestions like “sofa set designs,” “sofa table decor” and “sofa design living rooms.”

You can also use Pinterest topics to identify keywords that are relevant to your audience members. When you look at the category page, it lists more than 30 topics, from art to women’s fashion. Click your desired category to look at some of the most popular pins; you can get keyword ideas from the subtopics and pin titles. The wedding category, for example, has subtopics for wedding decorations, bridal party attire, wedding cakes and wedding flowers. Within the wedding decorations subtopic, you’ll find pins focused on gold wedding tablescapes, affordable wedding favors, wedding photo display ideas and rooftop wedding ideas, all of which make great keywords.

Verifying Your Website

Claiming your website can help you take advantage of additional SEO benefits. In addition to giving you access to Pinterest analytics, verifying your site also ensures your profile photo appears with the pins that come from your site. Once you’re a verified merchant, a blue checkmark will appear next to the website URL in your profile, increasing trust and making Pinterest users feel more comfortable clicking a link to your site or buying one of your products and services.

Pinterest Marketing Tips to Improve Your SEO

Once you set up your profile and determine which keywords to target, how you use Pinterest can make or break your SEO strategy. Following these tips can help you drive organic traffic to your website and bring positive attention to your business.

Pin Frequency

Pinterest isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it platform. For best results, you should be pinning several times per day, as every pin represents a new opportunity to connect with a potential customer. It’s natural to be concerned about pinning too much, but remember that Pinterest is very different from Facebook, Twitter and other platforms. You won’t be overwhelming potential customers by posting multiple pins per day. Try to space out your pins so you have a steady flow of new content, rather than a quick burst of content that users may forget about within a few hours.

Keywords in Descriptions

Pin Descriptions

When you create a pin, you have an opportunity to write a description that captures attention and helps optimize your content for the search engines. Fortunately, Pinterest allows you to write several sentences, making it easier to incorporate relevant keywords and help users understand what your pins are all about.

First and foremost, your description should be aimed at helping readers. Keywords are important, but they aren’t helpful if they make it difficult for people to understand what you’re trying to say. Your description should also be written in a positive tone. You don’t want potential customers to think you have a negative outlook or spend your time bashing people online. Every pin description should contain the following:

• Your brand name, preferably in the first sentence
• Keywords that relate to the pin or board content
• Valuable information about the topic
• A request for the reader to do something (click, read, learn, etc.)

As with any other type of content you write, your descriptions should be free of typos, spelling mistakes and grammar errors. If proofreading is one of your weak areas, have an employee or a trusted friend review each description before you publish it.

Board Descriptions

Pinterest also allows you to write a description for each board you create. These descriptions appear just below your profile picture when someone views one of your boards, so they’re prime real estate. Each board description should contain some of the same information as your pin descriptions: your brand name, relevant keywords and a clear explanation of the content.

You should also describe your target audience by explaining who’ll benefit from viewing the pins on your boards. If you run a budgeting website, for example, the description for your meal planning board might be aimed at busy moms who want to spend no more than $2 per serving on each family meal.

Content Quality

Keyword-rich pin and board descriptions are great, but they can only get you so far. You need to focus on writing high-quality content on Pinterest, on your website and on your other social media profiles. If a user clicks a Pinterest link and ends up on a page lacking substance, they may not trust you enough to buy from you. Publishing quality content can also help you reduce your bounce rate—the percentage of people who land on one of your pages and leave without viewing other pages on the site—improving your search engine rankings.

As always, it’s important to meet the needs of your audience members. Not all visitors prefer the same types of content, so try to publish a mix of blog posts, articles, videos, infographics, reports and e-books. If you don’t have a professional writer on staff, hire an experienced writer or editor to write content or review your drafts. Taking this extra step can help you position your brand as one that always puts its audience members first.

Is Pinterest Good for SEO? Best Practices to Follow

Like any other endeavour, Pinterest is most effective when you follow established best practices. These practices can help you improve your search engine rankings, position yourself as an expert in your industry and better meet the needs of your audience.

Image Orientation

Something as simple as image orientation can make a big difference in how people perceive your pins. That’s why you should use vertical images. Otherwise, the image may get cut off, making it difficult for Pinterest users to see what you were trying to share.

Business Logos

Pinterest is an essential component of your branding strategy, so don’t miss out on the opportunity to share your brand image with users. Add your business logo to every pin so audience members start to associate your brand with your content. Just be careful not to put it in the bottom right corner of a pin; this is where Pinterest puts its product icons.

Linking Practices

The purpose of using Pinterest for SEO is to drive organic traffic to your website. To do this, you must make sure the content on your linked pages matches the content on your website pages. Imagine if you were using Pinterest, clicked a link on a pin about the best shoes for flat feet and ended up on a page about holiday decorations. You’d probably be confused, and you might even get annoyed with the pin creator for sending you on a wild goose chase. Make sure the links you include in each pin are highly relevant to the reader’s intent.

Using Pinterest to Your Advantage

Pinterest has made it much easier for business owners to compete with large corporations when it comes to building their audiences and driving organic traffic to their websites. Pinterest can also help you build trust with audience members, making them more likely to buy from you.

If you have a small marketing team, it can be difficult to find time to create several new pins each day and update them as needed. The expert freelance writers at Crowd Content can help. We provide a variety of writing services, from creating social media posts to helping business owners improve their search engine rankings with quality content. Crowd Content also has subject matter experts to help you with keyword research or fact-check your content before you publish it.

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In simple terms, a podcast is a series of episodes on a single topic or a series of related topics. Some podcasters have shows on broad topics, such as business and beauty, while others drill down into a much smaller niche. For example, there are podcasts on typography, adult colouring books and YA novels.

Although many people think of podcasting as a hobby or creative endeavour, starting a podcast is a great way to promote your business. This guide explains why podcasting is useful for business owners and offers tips on how to start a podcast for beginners.

Reasons To Start a Podcast

Podcasting isn’t just a fun hobby — it’s a great way to draw attention to your business. Here are just a few of the reasons you should learn how to start a podcast.

• Networking opportunities: Once you have an established podcast, you’ll have more opportunities to network with other people in your industry. For example, you can invite industry experts to participate in upcoming episodes, making it easier to form relationships with likeminded people.
• Sharing your expertise: Your podcast gives you another platform for sharing your expertise with people in your target audience. People who are too busy to read your blog posts or download a white paper from your website may be willing to listen to your podcast episodes, giving you additional opportunities to position yourself as an expert in your industry.
• Increased website traffic: Podcasting gives you even more opportunities to drive traffic to your website and social media accounts. Melanie Duncan, an online business consultant, recommends including a call to action at the end of each podcast episode. The CTA should direct listeners to visit your website, download a free report or follow you on social media.
  
• Increased audience loyalty: In addition to your website, blog, social media channels and email list, a podcast offers another way for you to connect with your customer base and remain top of mind. Podcasts offer an intimacy not found on other platforms. Your audience can bring you along for their morning commute, workout or weekend chores.
• Learning opportunities: When you interview industry experts, you’ll have the opportunity to learn from them, giving you new knowledge you can use to increase revenue or make your business more profitable.

Is Podcasting Right for You?

Podcasting is an effective marketing tool, but it’s not for everyone. If any of the following apply to you, think carefully about whether you want to go through the effort of starting a podcast.

• You want immediate results. It takes time to grow an audience. You may do dozens of episodes before your podcast gains traction. If you’re going to get discouraged and give up if the podcast doesn’t succeed right away, podcasting probably isn’t the best marketing tactic for your business.
• You’re not willing to invest in your podcast. Podcasting is fairly inexpensive compared to other types of marketing, but you still need to invest some of your funds in audio equipment and podcast-related services. If you’re not willing to spend the money, you’d be better off trying another marketing method.
• You struggle with technology. Unless you can afford to hire a producer for your podcast, you’ll need to have some basic technology knowledge. If you can barely turn on your computer, podcasting might be a little too difficult.
• You struggle to tell a story. Even if you plan to cover a nonfiction topic, you still need to be able to tell a story if you want to put out an interesting podcast. If you speak in a monotonous tone of voice, your business might benefit more from blogging or writing guest posts on other websites.
• You don’t want to interact with other people. To create a high-quality podcast, you’ll probably need to interview industry experts, talk to potential sponsors and interact with listeners. If you’re a complete introvert and don’t want to interact with other people, then this type of podcasting probably isn’t right for you. There are some niches where a solo podcast can work, though. If you’re willing to research and plan your podcast well enough to carry the entire show yourself, go for it!

How To Start a Podcast: Best Practices

Getting Started

Now that you know podcasting is right for you, it’s time to launch your show. However before you record your first episode, it’s important to determine the best format for your content. Many podcasters choose an overarching theme and produce individual episodes that aren’t related in any particular way. For example, the Smart Passive Income podcast is devoted to the topic of earning passive income online. Each episode relates to that theme in some way.

Depending on the topic you choose, you could also do “seasons” of your podcast. Each season would contain multiple episodes focusing on the same topic. For example, if you decided to do a podcast about business fraud, you could devote one season to the Enron scandal, one season to Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme and the third season to Theranos.

Once you choose a format, take time to listen to other podcasts on your topic. Listening to competing podcasters can help you determine how to structure your podcast, how long each episode should be and how much sponsored content to broadcast. While you’re researching your competitors, take a look at their reviews and ratings to find out what audience members like and don’t like about each podcast.

Podcasting Equipment

 As mentioned previously, you’ll need to invest in some basic podcasting equipment, including a microphone, headphones, a microphone stand and editing software. Chris Land of ImprovePodcast.com recommends the Shure SM7B dynamic microphone for its high-quality audio, ergonomic design and durability. Land also suggests using the Sennheiser HD280 Pro, a pair of around-the-ear headphones with a high level of sensitivity.

You have many options for editing software, including free and paid packages. Many budget-conscious podcasters use GarageBand, free editing software with a wide range of capabilities. If GarageBand doesn’t have all the features you need, the premium version (Logic) offers more advanced capabilities. You should also research the following options to determine which one is right for you:

• Pro Tools
• Audacity
• Adobe Audition
• Descript
• Auphonic

Content Planning

Now that you have your software and podcasting equipment, it’s time to start planning your content. This is where a content calendar comes in handy. A content calendar is a schedule of your upcoming content, planned out over several weeks or months. Your calendar should include the date of each episode, the topic of each episode and a list of potential guests for each episode.

Once you have a rough schedule of episodes, you can start writing scripts for each one. You could wing it, but having a script keeps you on track and makes each episode as clear and concise as possible. Using a script also increases consistency, helping your listeners understand what to expect from each episode. Your script should include sponsor messages, main points, segues and a call to action. When you first launch your show, you may not have any sponsors to announce, but slot in a few sponsor messages to get into the habit.

If you don’t enjoy writing, Crowd Content has a team of skilled freelancers ready to draft your podcast scripts for you.

Monetizing Your Podcast

As your podcast grows, there are a few ways to monetize it:

• Sponsorships: Sponsors pay you to promote their products and services during each podcast episode.
• Donations: You can add a donation button to your podcast website and ask listeners to support you if they enjoy your content. Some donation platforms like Patreon allow you to provide perks for regular donors.
• Advertising: If you join a podcast advertising network, you can get paid for running ads provided by the network. Network ads might be built into the podcast itself or change dynamically each time someone plays it.
• Affiliate partnerships: Many companies have commission-based affiliate marketing programs that can help you increase your podcast earnings. As an affiliate, you promote a company’s products or services and receive a commission each time someone makes a purchase or takes some other desired action via your affiliate link.
• Merchandise sales: You can also sell T-shirts, mugs and other items with your podcast logo or tagline on them, increasing your revenue even further.

Time To Launch

Now that you know how to start a podcast, it’s time to plan your first episode. Before you go live, write a full script to ensure the episode is well-paced and includes all the information you want to share with your audience. Choose a compelling topic for your first podcast to draw listeners in, but make sure to provide plenty of background about you and your business to establish a relationship with your listeners and build credibility.

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For years, marketers around the world have been claiming that email marketing is dead. While it’s true email marketing is one of the oldest forms of online marketing, it’s far from irrelevant. According to Campaign Monitor, there were nearly four billion email accounts in existence at the end of 2019. As the cost of purchasing a computer or smartphone decreases, this number is only going to grow.

Your email subscriber list is one of your business’s most valuable marketing assets. Unlike your social media followers or the users you reach in paid ads, the audience you attract to your email list belongs to you. Other than your email provider’s monthly fee, you don’t need to pay to get the word out to this subscriber base. And service outages on major social networks won’t affect your ability to reach them.

Although email marketing is a great way to connect with your audience, it does have some potential pitfalls. Instead of ignoring email entirely, you should use current email marketing best practices to ensure you reach your target audience without annoying them or getting your company blacklisted for sending spam messages.

We put together this guide to help you understand how approaching email marketing from a content marketing perspective can help you get the best results.

What Is Email Marketing and Why Should You Make It a Priority?

Email marketing is the use of email to educate, inform and engage your customers. Many marketing emails focus on persuading subscribers to buy a product or service, but you can also use email to share customer success stories, update customers on your company’s philanthropic efforts or highlight some of your most important projects.

Making email marketing part of your content strategy keeps the lines of communication open between your brand and your customers, increasing engagement. You should prioritize email marketing in your content marketing strategy because it’s one of the best ways to develop personal relationships with people in your target audience.

Blogging, publishing case studies and other forms of content marketing are effective, but they don’t create the one-on-one connections email marketing does. Email marketing also allows you to personalize each message, making it more relevant to the reader.

Benefits of Email Marketing

When you follow current email marketing best practices, this type of marketing has many benefits. 

• More control over your promotions: Social networks and other marketing platforms have certain limits that make it difficult to roll out new promotions and determine how effective they are. For example, it can be difficult to measure the impact of posting a video on your company Facebook page. When you use email to market your business, you have access to a treasure trove of metrics that can help you create more effective marketing campaigns.
• Ability to collect feedback: If you publish a blog post, you can ask readers to provide feedback in the comments, but many people aren’t comfortable posting their responses publicly. Even if you do receive a lot of comments, they may not be focused enough to guide your business strategy. When you prioritize email marketing, you can send anonymous surveys to your subscribers, allowing you to get feedback on everything from new product ideas to recent promotions.
• Keeping your business top of mind: Email marketing makes it easier to build relationships with customers. The more a customer sees your company’s name and associates it with positive feelings, the more likely they are to buy from you the next time they need a product or service you offer.
• Better timing: When it comes to marketing, timing is everything. You want your customers to learn about new products and discount offers as soon as they’re available, not days or weeks later. And when a promotion is about to expire, you can create urgency and boost conversion with a “last chance” message. Timing your emails perfectly can lead to increased revenue.
• Reduced marketing costs: Email marketing is one of the most cost-effective marketing methods available. Even better, it’s extremely targeted. When you send an email, you know it’s going to someone who signed up for your email list, not a random person who has no interest in what your business has to offer. As a result, you have the opportunity to increase revenue without a significant increase in marketing costs.

Email Marketing Best Practices: Applying the Principles of Content Marketing to Email

Before you understand how to make email marketing part of your content marketing strategy, you need to know what content marketing is. In simple terms, it’s the use of online material to attract and retain people from a specific target audience. Many people think of content as written material, but it can also take the form of videos, podcast episodes and other types of audiovisual content. Blog posts, case studies, YouTube videos, white papers and articles are all examples of materials you can include in your content marketing strategy.

The key to effective content marketing is to define your audience carefully. You’re not trying to attract every person in the world, just the people who are most likely to need your products or services. For example, if you sell a supplement designed to ease the symptoms of menopause, your target audience would likely consist of women between the ages of 40 and 60 who are struggling with night sweats, hot flashes and other menopause symptoms.

You’d want to develop content aimed at these women and publish it where people in your target audience are most likely to see it. It wouldn’t do your business much good to publish a guest post on a site that attracts mostly men between the ages of 18 and 29 or women over the age of 70. That’s why it’s so important to be clear about your target audience right from the beginning.

Content Marketing for Increased Engagement Scores

Your engagement score tells your email provider whether people in your target audience are interacting with your content. Engagement scores are high when recipients do things like open the email, spend several minutes reading it and then click on a link to your website or another resource. If people delete your emails within seconds of opening them, you’ll have poor engagement scores.

If you follow email marketing best practices and view email marketing as part of your overall content marketing strategy, your scores are likely to be high because you’ll be sending subscribers emails that are targeted to their interests and relevant to their needs.

Content Marketing for Reduced Spam Complaint Ratios

When you mark an email as spam, you’re not just cleaning up your inbox. You’re also letting your email provider know the message is irrelevant, annoying or even fraudulent. Each provider handles spam a little differently, but most of them use a metric known as the spam complaint ratio to determine when to take action against an email marketer.

The spam complaint ratio is calculated by dividing the number of spam reports received by the total number of emails sent over a certain period. If your complaint ratio is too high, the email service may block your emails or send them directly to a subscriber’s spam folder instead of their inbox — even if that subscriber wasn’t the one who submitted the complaint. If you follow email marketing best practices, you’re likely to have a much lower spam complaint ratio than someone who sends overly aggressive emails or messages that aren’t relevant to the recipients.

Content Marketing for Improved Relationships With Spam Filters

Spam filters keep your inbox organized, but they can also prevent your marketing messages from reaching subscribers. One way email providers identify spam is by using content-based filters. These filters “read” each message and determine if the email should be delivered to the recipient, sent to the junk folder or blocked completely.

If you’re following email marketing best practices, your messages are likely to be highly relevant and free of words and phrases that could trigger a filter to mark the message as spam. As a result, your messages are less likely to be blocked. To ensure your emails get to the right place, avoid writing subject lines that make big promises or oversensationalize the content of your email. Content-based filters are on the lookout for phrases like “online biz opportunity,” “one hundred percent free” and “consolidate your debt,” for example.

Taking a Content Marketing Approach

Now that you know how important it is to include email marketing in your overall content marketing strategy, it’s time to start publishing high-quality content. If you need support, consider working with an email marketing agency. Crowd Content has experienced writers available to create publish-ready email content for any industry.

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