Good Deeds Deserve Good Links

June 28, 2012Joanne CostinLeave a comment

Palatine Travelers Baseball Supports Food Pantry

People like doing business with with businesses that support their communities. Yet too often, businesses fail to capitalize on their contributions by ignoring the PR opportunities their good deeds provide. Sponsoring local charities; bringing in students to explore careers; sending a team to participate in Relay for Life; are all good deeds deserving of attention by local media.

In Chicago, media sources such as Trib Local and Patch.com offer opportunities for anyone to post community news. As a result, you can build high quality links to your site by simply posting your press release to these sources. If those aren’t available in your area, the websites of the local newspapers will usually list an editorial contact or provide instructions for submitting a press release and photo. A public relations consultant can help write your release and distribute it locally at a very reasonable cost.

Some say B2B companies shouldn’t have a focus on local media or community events. I disagree. B2B decisions are made by people too. Even if I am not in your community, I want to feel good about doing business with your company. I am comforted to see your company is made up of real people with concerns for matters other than profit. And when companies are competing for talent, little things like charity events, can set your firm apart from the competition.

A project I worked on this week for my son’s baseball team (and the Palatine Township Food Pantry) reminded me how happy charitable organizations are to have their efforts supported with public relations. Whatever your event contributes to a charity, adding in a press release to provide additional exposure provides a huge bonus. You are helping build awareness for the charity, showing recognition to participants, and giving your business a little bit of credit.

RDO Equipment, a construction equipment dealer headquartered in North Dakota, is one company who gets it right. Their website is brimming with examples of how their local branches support their community. I admire RDO and all the companies like them, who are helping those in need. Isn’t it time to take some credit?

Good deeds deserve good links. What companies in your community stand out for their community service? Tout them here in our comments. We’ll give them some well deserved recognition.

Content is a Functional Part of Website Development

June 26, 2012Mary Klest1 Comment

Website development teams often leave content writing up to the business owner or outsource it at the last minute. Such an oversight can postpone the project or render the site unusable. They are missing an opportunity to make the site function as the company intended – as a business tool. If payment is tied to the site going live they may also experience a delayed paycheck.

To build a truly functional website, content writing responsibilities need to be delegated early to a skilled writer who makes content a priority. Just as graphic artists make visual design a priority and programmers make code their priority, content writers delve deep into what the business objectives are for the site. Content begins a conversation between the company and site visitor. Words inform, engage, and when strategically employed, live up to the visitor’s expectation. Visitors don’t expect to be assaulted by ugly design or frustrated by features that crash or content that doesn’t answer their questions.

Keep the Project On Track

I asked some web development pros I know for their views on the content writer’s role. Here’s what Dan Halt, principal at Balta Design, a web development and design firm, has to say:

“The thing that slows us down the most is not having the content ready from the customer. Having the copy written by a content writer, instead of the customer, usually speeds up the process. One of the most beneficial things someone can get from a content writer is their content will be written with SEO in mind. Most business owners don’t have the time to write the content for their site (or at least the quality time it takes). That’s why it’s better to hire a professional, in my opinion.”

Kay Wharton, owner of Wharton Graphics, shared similar ideas. She said, “I prefer at least rough content (headlines and estimate of copy to come) before design begins. I can greek in text, but if I could have all the copy that’s even better. I want the content writer to understand some editing may be necessary to make the copy fit the design. There may need to be a little back and forth during the process.”

Bring in a content writer early for web development projects. The site will likely be completed on time, function well, and meet your business objectives. Companies reap rewards when content writing is prioritized as a functional part of website development.

Does Your B2B Content Writer Seek Out Brand Love?

June 21, 2012Joanne CostinLeave a comment

I love Rainbow Cone. The ice cream cone establishment is an 86-year-old icon on the South Side of Chicago. As I savored their five layers of deliciousness yesterday, I thought B2B brands have more difficulty getting the same level of emotional connection with their customers. After all, business decisions are supposed to be made on facts, not emotion.

You won’t often find B2B buyers lighting up the social media boards with love for their vendors. Yet brand loyalty is very strong. What if there was a way to draw positive commentary out of customers in a natural way? As B2B content writers we know how to ask the kinds of questions that reveal emotional connections that drive brand loyalty.

In construction, when things are going good, perhaps one vendor is just as good as another. But best in class suppliers are defined by how they respond when something goes wrong (even when it isn’t their fault). To convey a contractor’s brand love, a content writer should ask if the brand or dealer ever came through for them when they needed it. For example, when a machine was down or a product needed to be expedited how did they respond. The answer should reflect appreciation for a supplier who shared the contractor’s urgent need for a solution.

In foodservice, recipes and their ingredients are often secret, if not sacred. A chef’s brand love might be revealed through a question about substituting ingredients. The answer conveys a message about quality, tradition and long term relationships, without sounding boastful.

For concert tour truck fleets, on-time arrivals are everything. A content writer might ask the tour manager how the fleet came through for them when something was inadvertently left behind, or damaged in transit. Dramatic situations turn ordinary B2B relationships into extraordinary ones.

Emotional connections between B2B buyers and sellers may not be as visible to marketers as they are in the B2C world, but they do exist. Content writers expose them with revealing questions designed to bring out all the love you need.

With Google On Our Side

June 19, 2012Mary KlestLeave a comment

When people talk about the rise of China’s global economic power, I counter with: “Yeah, but we have Google.” Some times when people ask me a question I don’t know the answer to, I reply: “Google it.”

As a content writer, Google and I share a goal – useful, quality content on the Internet. As stated in their Best practices #1: “Focus on the user and all else will follow.” It’s no longer a David vs. Goliath world. People and companies with good ideas and good products can prosper no matter what size.

A vice president at a telecommunications company said he was astonished by what Google knew about their customers. The information was deeper and broader than anything the company had. It kind of scared him. With such knowledge comes revenue and responsibility. Decisions need to be made along the way. From what I see, Google is heading in the right direction.

Emphasis on Quality Content

I tire of seeing those who manipulate online pages be in more demand than those who create good content. With its latest changes, Google seems to be tired of it too. Changes in its algorithm, Penguin, aim to rid us of schemers who use keyword stuffing and link tactics to improve rankings. Such practices are like playing multiple balls on each hole during a round of golf or adding clubs beyond the limit rule.

From Google Best practices #3: Does this help my users? What if all the time companies spend on questionable SEO tactics was used instead to develop original, quality content for their audience? Another Google change, Panda, focuses on promoting sites with such content. Well-researched articles, in-depth reports, and thoughtful analysis are being rewarded with high rank. If you think this kind of content comes only from big companies with swarms of subject matter experts, think again. You may be surprised by what a company owner and a good content writer can create.

With Google on our side, content writers can empower companies by focusing on and helping their audience.

Equipment Dealers Slow to Adopt Inbound Marketing Best Practices

June 16, 2012Joanne Costin2 Comments

The data is in and the results should be a wake-up call for construction equipment dealers. After analyzing more than 400 construction equipment dealer marketing practices using HubSpot’s Marketing Grader, 87% of AED member companies scored less than 50 on a scale from 1-100. Just 1% scored from 75 to 100.

Here are the biggest areas of concern:

1) Few dealers have blogs or blog regularly.

2) Website pages don’t have unique page titles and descriptions.

3) Few dealer websites are viewable on mobile devices.

4) Few firms have really embraced sharing their content online through social media.

5) Communication on social networks is largely one-way.

The bright spot is that there is tremendous opportunity for dealers who want to get in the inbound marketing game and embrace best practices. Here are some great content examples from dealers who have transformed their websites from static brochure sites to hubs of social and commercial activity.

Ring Power Corp Delves into a Product Analysis:

Stand-up Narrow Aisle Reach Trucks vs. Jungheinrich’s Side-Seated—December, 2011

Birkey Puts the Spotlight on a Customer:

Dean Drainage LLC

Empire Cat Focuses on Machine Maintenance:

Undercarriage Wear Varies Between Excavators and Dozers

A complete analysis will appear in the July 2012 issue of Construction Equipment Distribution. Subscribers to our blog can receive a complete list of scores for all dealers, upon request.

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