Things change. There’s no getting around that. The most effective marketing strategy in the world can be rendered ineffective in a day by an algorithm change. Or your thriving Facebook page could become a ghost town due to the monetization of Facebook. The only constant in the world is people’s desire for content. Content comes in many forms. In fact, everything you put out into the world as a business is your content – from advertisements, to press releases, blog articles and webinars – all of these are meant to be consumed and shape who you are as a business.

Google recognizes this. That is why it has begun to place more value on relevant content than anything else. Most businesses recognize that they need content and every day more are jumping onto the content marketing bandwagon. The problem is that many marketers don’t understand why they are producing content and what the end game really is. The easy answer to that question is: to increase sales through exposure. While at its very basic level that has a bit of truth to it, unless there’s an understanding of how to do it, this content production is doomed.

An effective content marketing strategy should not be tailored towards the instant sale. Content marketing is designed to increase exposure over time. It’s a soft sell approach to engaging your audience and building relationships. The largest benefactor of content marketing is your business. Rich, fresh and relevant content builds value in your website. It increases your digital footprint through SEO. If your content is well written and relevant, people will read it. Other sources may even begin to syndicate it and share it with their audience. Great content can transform your business’s executives into thought leaders. Producing that content consistently can achieve anticipation and familiarity. All of this increases the chances that the prospect you wish to attract, who may not yet be ready for your solution, remembers you when the time is right.

While there are many types of content you can produce, here are some ideas to get you started:

1)    First, ensure that you have foundational content. This type of content serves to identify your businesses core values and beliefs. It defines who you are and assists in creating your business identity. An easy way to understand what this content would be is to decide what you want every customer who visits your blog to see when they visit.

2)    The next type of content to consider is topical and/or industry-related articles. With the death of Google reader, it has become more difficult for people to find and keep up with information. This type of content serves to provide a valuable source of information for your audience and the opportunity to provide related insight.

3)    Last, but certainly not least, thought-provoking content can engage audiences and start conversations. Any content that makes your audience think about what you wrote also serves to further connect them to you and solidify that connection.

While this is certainly not a list of all of the types of content you could be producing, it should certainly help get you well on your way to developing a solid content marketing strategy. A good mixture of these types of articles will help your audience get to know you as a business, position you as a source of relevant information and build relationships by making your audience think.

When writing content – whether that content is a short, social media post or blog article, or a full-length feature article – form is just as important as the content itself. Proper spelling and grammar can dictate whether your content is received well or not. It’s not uncommon for readers to start reading an article or social media post that initially grabbed their attention but change their mind upon encountering spelling and grammar errors. It’s very easy for a reader’s attention to get transferred away from the content and towards the errors. There are entire websites devoted to unfortunate spelling errors. All of a sudden the content you created with the goal of engaging your audience is engaging them in a completely different way than originally intended.

Imagine the impression you leave on prospects when a sales sheet or brochure contains these mistakes. That person who was interested in your product or service could very easily rule you out as a solution. If you don’t care enough to make sure your own marketing material, social media post or content is professional looking, then how can you expect your customer to think it is?

Writing isn’t for everyone. Some people can write very good content but aren’t great at spelling and grammar. Then there are people who aren’t necessarily great writers but have the ability to edit well. Identifying these people within your organization and teaming them up is a step in the right direction. If you don’t have the resources available to accomplish this, one solution would be to outsource your content marketing or, at the very least, hire a professional proofreader or editor. This ensures that your content portrays you in the very best light to your audience.

For those without the support team or budget to use either of the services I mentioned, here are two tips that may help you improve the impression your writing leaves upon your readers:

1. Spelling: Most programs have spellcheck functionality. You can’t rely only on this to correct your spelling. “Their” and “there” are both correctly spelled, but I’m sure that you’re aware that they are not interchangeable. Some programs have grammar checks as well. While those are helpful, they’re not perfect. The easiest way to spell and to grammar check any content is to read it through carefully, multiple times, aloud. Once satisfied that it is correct, have someone else read it. A second set of eyes can typically catch mistakes that you may have made.
2. Grammar – Good grammar and sentence structure are just as important as spelling. Content that reads well and transitions properly between paragraphs and thoughts is important to keep your readers’ interest. What makes sense to you may confuse your reader. Keep your sentences short and to the point. Don’t try to be William Faulkner and create a 1,287-word, run-on sentence. There aren’t very many writers that can pull that off effectively without English teachers around the world cringing. Make your content flow and easy to read. You’ll find that more readers will stick around.

Publishing content riddled with spelling and grammar errors is counter-productive. Your content is a reflection of you and your company. Potential readers may bypass your article entirely, or cease reading it, if they encounter too many mistakes. This then defeats the purpose of the content as it can hurt the effectiveness of any campaign and even your overall professional image. 

When writing content – whether that content is a short, social media post or blog article, or a full-length feature article – form is just as important as the content itself. Proper spelling and grammar can dictate whether your content is received well or not. It’s not uncommon for readers to start reading an article or social media post that initially grabbed their attention but change their mind upon encountering spelling and grammar errors. It’s very easy for a reader’s attention to get transferred away from the content and towards the errors. There are entire websites devoted to unfortunate spelling errors. All of a sudden the content you created with the goal of engaging your audience is engaging them in a completely different way than originally intended.

Imagine the impression you leave on prospects when a sales sheet or brochure contains these mistakes. That person who was interested in your product or service could very easily rule you out as a solution. If you don’t care enough to make sure your own marketing material, social media post or content is professional looking, then how can you expect your customer to think it is?

Writing isn’t for everyone. Some people can write very good content but aren’t great at spelling and grammar. Then there are people who aren’t necessarily great writers but have the ability to edit well. Identifying these people within your organization and teaming them up is a step in the right direction. If you don’t have the resources available to accomplish this, one solution would be to outsource your content marketing or, at the very least, hire a professional proofreader or editor. This ensures that your content portrays you in the very best light to your audience.

For those without the support team or budget to use either of the services I mentioned, here are two tips that may help you improve the impression your writing leaves upon your readers:

1. Spelling: Most programs have spellcheck functionality. You can’t rely only on this to correct your spelling. “Their” and “there” are both correctly spelled, but I’m sure that you’re aware that they are not interchangeable. Some programs have grammar checks as well. While those are helpful, they’re not perfect. The easiest way to spell and to grammar check any content is to read it through carefully, multiple times, aloud. Once satisfied that it is correct, have someone else read it. A second set of eyes can typically catch mistakes that you may have made.
2. Grammar – Good grammar and sentence structure are just as important as spelling. Content that reads well and transitions properly between paragraphs and thoughts is important to keep your readers’ interest. What makes sense to you may confuse your reader. Keep your sentences short and to the point. Don’t try to be William Faulkner and create a 1,287-word, run-on sentence. There aren’t very many writers that can pull that off effectively without English teachers around the world cringing. Make your content flow and easy to read. You’ll find that more readers will stick around.

Publishing content riddled with spelling and grammar errors is counter-productive. Your content is a reflection of you and your company. Potential readers may bypass your article entirely, or cease reading it, if they encounter too many mistakes. This then defeats the purpose of the content as it can hurt the effectiveness of any campaign and even your overall professional image. 

Last week, Tesla Motor’s CEO, Elon Musk, announced via the Tesla Blog that Telsa would be making its technology available to any car manufacturer that wants to use it.

Elon Musk explained his decision very eloquently when he said:

“Technology leadership is not defined by patents, which history has repeatedly shown to be small protection indeed against a determined competitor, but rather by the ability of a company to attract and motivate the world’s most talented engineers. We believe that applying the open source philosophy to our patents will strengthen rather than diminish Tesla’s position in this regard.”

Tesla is in a tenuous position as it finds itself mired in court battles fighting for its right to sell vehicles using the business model it has chosen. Due to its direct-to-consumer model, dealers have continuously challenged Tesla’s position in the automotive industry through state automotive dealer associations. At the same time, consumer sentiment and support for the automaker has gotten increasingly more vocal.

While Tesla may have just thrown any future licensing revenue out the window, what it stands to gain could possibly prove more valuable in the end.

Tesla considers itself a technology leader in the electric vehicle field and in his blog, Elon Musk criticized large automakers for producing electric vehicles with limited range in limited volume. He also criticized those OEMs that produce no zero emission cars at all. Perhaps Tesla has grown weary of the large automakers efforts to prevent it selling vehicles and has resorted to the most powerful resources that they have… the public?

I’d be interested to know what others think about this issue. Is Tesla’s open sourcing of its EV technology a true gesture of philanthropy. Or simply a ruse to get attention?

Last week, Tesla Motor’s CEO, Elon Musk, announced via the Tesla Blog that Telsa would be making its technology available to any car manufacturer that wants to use it.

Elon Musk explained his decision very eloquently when he said:

“Technology leadership is not defined by patents, which history has repeatedly shown to be small protection indeed against a determined competitor, but rather by the ability of a company to attract and motivate the world’s most talented engineers. We believe that applying the open source philosophy to our patents will strengthen rather than diminish Tesla’s position in this regard.”

Tesla is in a tenuous position as it finds itself mired in court battles fighting for its right to sell vehicles using the business model it has chosen. Due to its direct-to-consumer model, dealers have continuously challenged Tesla’s position in the automotive industry through state automotive dealer associations. At the same time, consumer sentiment and support for the automaker has gotten increasingly more vocal.

While Tesla may have just thrown any future licensing revenue out the window, what it stands to gain could possibly prove more valuable in the end.

Tesla considers itself a technology leader in the electric vehicle field and in his blog, Elon Musk criticized large automakers for producing electric vehicles with limited range in limited volume. He also criticized those OEMs that produce no zero emission cars at all. Perhaps Tesla has grown weary of the large automakers efforts to prevent it selling vehicles and has resorted to the most powerful resources that they have… the public?

I’d be interested to know what others think about this issue. Is Tesla’s open sourcing of its EV technology a true gesture of philanthropy. Or simply a ruse to get attention?

Just like any business, I have potential clients that I reach out to in an effort to see whether my services are a good fit. Recently, a potential client, who I had been talking to but hadn’t heard from in a little bit, suddenly “liked” one of my posts on my personal Facebook profile. While this does happen occasionally, I have always used LinkedIn as my primary method of connecting with people on a business level. Consequently, this Facebook interaction caught my attention and sparked my thought process for this blog.

Experts have advised for years that employers use social media to screen applicants and factor in a person’s online presence when considering whether to hire them. This also applies in the B-to-B world; business executives are increasingly utilizing social media as a tool to screen companies they plan to partner with.

Potential business clients expect a company to portray itself in the best possible light. As executives are the public front of any company, the fact is that their personal social media profiles are now also game. They are just as likely to be viewed as the business profile.

What you personally choose to post on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn may say more about your business than your website and PR efforts. Just as social media is used to screen applicants to help provide valuable insight into individuals, it can also be used to provide insight into the lives and personalities of company executives. This can then be projected upon the business. Executives would be wise to carefully consider the types of content they are sharing on these social networks. Some people choose to maintain multiple personal profiles – one of which is truly personal and includes a network limited to family and true friends -- while the other acts as their online business persona.

As I discussed in my last blog article, “Perception Matters”, companies must instill in their executives the importance of careful consideration when it comes to what personal content is shared online, especially when that content is shared publicly. If you are the executive charged with protecting your brand, consider that, in the eyes of prospective partners, the individuals that work for your company ARE your company. The higher a person is in a company hierarchy, the more likely it is that a potential client will review that person’s personal social media accounts when considering whether or not to do business with you.

On LinkedIn, you can see who has viewed your profile. Most members tend to be more business-like, just by the very nature of the network. Facebook, Twitter and other networks, however, tend to be more personal in nature. If you’re an executive at a B2B company, take time to review your personal social media profiles and honestly ask yourself whether you would do business with yourself.

Since most social media networks don’t allow you to view who is looking at your social media profile, you’d be wise to operate under the assumption that every potential client is. Otherwise you may end up losing business without even realizing it. 

Just like any business, I have potential clients that I reach out to in an effort to see whether my services are a good fit. Recently, a potential client, who I had been talking to but hadn’t heard from in a little bit, suddenly “liked” one of my posts on my personal Facebook profile. While this does happen occasionally, I have always used LinkedIn as my primary method of connecting with people on a business level. Consequently, this Facebook interaction caught my attention and sparked my thought process for this blog.

Experts have advised for years that employers use social media to screen applicants and factor in a person’s online presence when considering whether to hire them. This also applies in the B-to-B world; business executives are increasingly utilizing social media as a tool to screen companies they plan to partner with.

Potential business clients expect a company to portray itself in the best possible light. As executives are the public front of any company, the fact is that their personal social media profiles are now also game. They are just as likely to be viewed as the business profile.

What you personally choose to post on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn may say more about your business than your website and PR efforts. Just as social media is used to screen applicants to help provide valuable insight into individuals, it can also be used to provide insight into the lives and personalities of company executives. This can then be projected upon the business. Executives would be wise to carefully consider the types of content they are sharing on these social networks. Some people choose to maintain multiple personal profiles – one of which is truly personal and includes a network limited to family and true friends -- while the other acts as their online business persona.

As I discussed in my last blog article, “Perception Matters”, companies must instill in their executives the importance of careful consideration when it comes to what personal content is shared online, especially when that content is shared publicly. If you are the executive charged with protecting your brand, consider that, in the eyes of prospective partners, the individuals that work for your company ARE your company. The higher a person is in a company hierarchy, the more likely it is that a potential client will review that person’s personal social media accounts when considering whether or not to do business with you.

On LinkedIn, you can see who has viewed your profile. Most members tend to be more business-like, just by the very nature of the network. Facebook, Twitter and other networks, however, tend to be more personal in nature. If you’re an executive at a B2B company, take time to review your personal social media profiles and honestly ask yourself whether you would do business with yourself.

Since most social media networks don’t allow you to view who is looking at your social media profile, you’d be wise to operate under the assumption that every potential client is. Otherwise you may end up losing business without even realizing it. 

In a heartbreaking video titled “The Importance of Appearances,” a social experiment unfolds that sets up the same scenario with two very different people. In the first scenario, we see a person dressed as a homeless man collapse in the middle of a busy sidewalk, as if he were ill, and begin to cry for help. The pedestrians look curiously, but continue to walk by the man as he lies there for over 5 minutes with no assistance. The second scenario shows the same incident, but the person is dressed in a suit. Passersby immediately come to his aid, without him having to issue any cry for help. The intent of the video is to show that we’re all human and deserve to be treated as such. The video was released on May 12 and already has over 1.3 million views. Watch it for yourself:

One of the most fundamental jobs of any public relations professional when dealing with clients is to present them to the world in the best possible light. In many cases, PR is only a piece of a larger puzzle that includes marketing, advertising, social media, and content publishing. At times, different departments handle all these pieces with no brand manager overseeing the continuity of the message. This can cause confusion in the eye of the customer, and create obstacles for PR agencies.

Think about all of the brand disasters that have occurred through social media. Many times, individuals or companies without any oversight posted this content. Brand protection is imperative and it is the job of any good PR agency to assist in that effort. The smallest things, however, can create a certain perception and challenges, that with better coordination, oversight and planning, could have been avoided.

Here are a few tips to help you always have your brand well groomed in the eyes of your customers:

1. Content Checking – Always make sure that any content you publish – no matter what kind – has a second set of eyes on it before you publish it. Typos and grammatical errors are easier to avoid when more than one person looks at it before it goes public. Publishing misspelled content is like going into the world with your zipper undone. You’ll get attention that you don’t want, and oftentimes nobody will tell you.
2. Consistency – In a perfect world, every company would have a brand manager whose job is to ensure that all output is aligned with the message and image you want projected. Of course, that’s not always possible. At the very least, make sure that your departments are communicating and working towards the same goal. Identify your brand positioning and the appearance you want your brand to communicate. Then ensure that everyone is working to strengthen it.
3. Process – In our world of instantaneous response and reaction, it is tempting to communicate instantly when customer issues are encountered. Every company should have a process for engaging upset customers or negative statements. Avoid reactionary engagement, as that can transform an issue that very possibly could have been defused, into a public relations disaster.

As the above video sadly illustrates, if you’re perceived as unworthy of attention, you might end up with none. On the other hand, if you are always projecting your best possible image, people will pay attention when you need help and come to your aid. And nothing can diffuse a situation better than a customer who cares about your company and helps you when you need it.

In a heartbreaking video titled “The Importance of Appearances,” a social experiment unfolds that sets up the same scenario with two very different people. In the first scenario, we see a person dressed as a homeless man collapse in the middle of a busy sidewalk, as if he were ill, and begin to cry for help. The pedestrians look curiously, but continue to walk by the man as he lies there for over 5 minutes with no assistance. The second scenario shows the same incident, but the person is dressed in a suit. Passersby immediately come to his aid, without him having to issue any cry for help. The intent of the video is to show that we’re all human and deserve to be treated as such. The video was released on May 12 and already has over 1.3 million views. Watch it for yourself:

One of the most fundamental jobs of any public relations professional when dealing with clients is to present them to the world in the best possible light. In many cases, PR is only a piece of a larger puzzle that includes marketing, advertising, social media, and content publishing. At times, different departments handle all these pieces with no brand manager overseeing the continuity of the message. This can cause confusion in the eye of the customer, and create obstacles for PR agencies.

Think about all of the brand disasters that have occurred through social media. Many times, individuals or companies without any oversight posted this content. Brand protection is imperative and it is the job of any good PR agency to assist in that effort. The smallest things, however, can create a certain perception and challenges, that with better coordination, oversight and planning, could have been avoided.

Here are a few tips to help you always have your brand well groomed in the eyes of your customers:

1. Content Checking – Always make sure that any content you publish – no matter what kind – has a second set of eyes on it before you publish it. Typos and grammatical errors are easier to avoid when more than one person looks at it before it goes public. Publishing misspelled content is like going into the world with your zipper undone. You’ll get attention that you don’t want, and oftentimes nobody will tell you.
2. Consistency – In a perfect world, every company would have a brand manager whose job is to ensure that all output is aligned with the message and image you want projected. Of course, that’s not always possible. At the very least, make sure that your departments are communicating and working towards the same goal. Identify your brand positioning and the appearance you want your brand to communicate. Then ensure that everyone is working to strengthen it.
3. Process – In our world of instantaneous response and reaction, it is tempting to communicate instantly when customer issues are encountered. Every company should have a process for engaging upset customers or negative statements. Avoid reactionary engagement, as that can transform an issue that very possibly could have been defused, into a public relations disaster.

As the above video sadly illustrates, if you’re perceived as unworthy of attention, you might end up with none. On the other hand, if you are always projecting your best possible image, people will pay attention when you need help and come to your aid. And nothing can diffuse a situation better than a customer who cares about your company and helps you when you need it.

Last Thursday, Facebook launched Facebook Newswire. In partnership with Storyful, a social media content verifier and aggregator, Facebook has entered the business of delivering news to its community. This service is designed to identify hot news topics and articles. It does this based on social media interaction through publicly shared content on Facebook that is then verified by Storyful. The service is also designed as a resource for journalists to help them identify newsworthy stories on which to report.

While not many small businesses generate stories that create enough interaction to be deemed newsworthy, this service does offer the possibility of brand exposure through strategically written blog articles and commentary on trending news. Keep in mind that a user who clicks on a “Trending topic” doesn’t just see one article pertaining to that topic; but rather an aggregation of articles. This opens up opportunities for clever brands to leverage industry-relevant topics that are already being shared and/or trending.

As the program is in its infancy, it’s too early to tell if it will impact public relations or content marketing as a whole. However, PRNewswire offered some tips on how PR professionals and brands can increase the chances of their content being included.

The primary advice that they give is; “if you want pickup on FB Newswire, social interactions are an outcome your PR content MUST generate.” To accomplish this, they suggest that you analyze the content that most resonates with your fans through scrutinizing your Facebook Insights and then creating content designed to interest your fans. PRNewswire adds that “Doing this will ensure the content you post on Facebook is more aligned with your fans’ interests, and increase the likelihood that they will start a cycle of sharing and interaction that will increase the message visibility and traction on social networks.”

They warn against the straight posting of press releases, although there is some opportunity for their exposure when related to a newsworthy article included in the FB Newswire. Public relations professionals and brands can leverage this by following these tips:

• Act fast! When creating unique content or commentary on industry-related events, the sooner you can produce and post it, the better the odds that your article will be included in FB Newswire.
• You don’t have to be writing the news. Many companies and brands aren’t in a position to break stories. You can, however, be on top of what’s going on and be ready to share articles with commentary from an industry point-of-view. Being first to market as far as content sharing is concerned is critical to engagement. Facebook users are more likely to interact with content that relays a news story for the first time, than they are by the time they’ve seen it multiple times.
• PR Newswire suggests the use of public relations techniques in crafting and posting your content including compelling headlines, bullet points and bold fonts, multiple visual images and embedded social sharing buttons.

The basics best practices of both public relations and content marketing obviously still stand. However, this opens up a whole new world of additional chances to gain exposure and position your company as experts in your industry.