Tag: blogging

Equipment Dealers Slow to Adopt Inbound Marketing Best Practices

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.

Content Strategy Insights of the Week

Best insights on content strategyBelow is a digest of interesting insights on the topic of content strategy published this week on the Web.

9 Hard-Hitting Content Strategies for Small Business Blogging by Neil Patel. Learn about good strategies for determining your blogging objectives, tools for understanding your reader, and questions to ask when evaluating the quality of content you are producing.

Market Watch reports that Amazon is growing its control over content by producing its own lineup of shows. The push towards original content production has not yet been officially acknowledged by the company.

Lisa Gerber shares a compelling story on how an article published in 2003 helped her find the services she needed. And why companies should track where their customers first heard about them.

John Haydon describes how the new Facebook timeline changes how visitors will interact with business pages. Included is a video tutorial on everything you need to know about converting your Page over to the new Timeline.

Content Strategy for SEO: Tips to Ensure Success “… content strategy takes the center place of the overall SEO strategy and makes up the major factor of SEO success,” writes Anthony Saladino. He is not an SEO expert but is the Co-Founder and CEO of Kitchen Cabinet Kings, a leading online distributor of quality bathroom and kitchen cabinets.

Denise Zimmerman describes how a transmedia content strategy should support the overall brand/marketing strategy, be  consistent and integrate across platforms. She includes common measurement guidelines.

Each of these writers can see the bigger picture when creating a piece of content. The strategy behind their efforts puts them ahead of the crowd when it comes to content creation.  Other gems on content strategy you would like to share?

The Ethics of Outsourcing Your Voice

Open mouth imageChris Brogan wrote an interesting post last week about the ethics of outsourcing your voice. It bothers him that Ashton Kutcher and others have given up control of their Twitter accounts.

I agree that it’s a bit unsettling to find out that someone’s social communications may be handled by someone else, but according to Julie Ann-Amos, ghostwriting has been around since the written word. If a communication is what a person intends, if they approve the content for the message and tone of the message, does it become less authentic?

I don’t think so, but others such as Dave Fleet, argue for full disclosure in social media. He believes that when you hear speeches or read a book by someone, you have reason to believe a person has approved the words of the ghostwriter.  In social media, Fleet argues, it is too easy to deceive.

I believe “outsourcing your voice” can add value to your communication. However, businesses must take responsibility to ensure that the message adequately represents them. A company blog or twitter account may be better a personal blog or twitter account for an executive who doesn’t want to be actively involved in the process of approving content.

When does outsourcing your voice makes sense?

1) You have good ideas, but you don’t like to write.

Just because you don’t like to write or have trouble with it, doesn’t mean you don’t have good ideas that are worth sharing. In fact, you probably have too many ideas. A writer can help you focus on communicating those ideas effectively. All writers, both professional and novice, benefit from proofreaders and editors.

2) Your time is better spent doing something else.

If you don’t write for a living, it may take you two days to compose what would take a professional writer an hour. What is the best use of your time? For this very reason, I no longer try and solve technical issues on my blog. IT problems that would take me hours to research and resolve, can be fixed in minutes by professionals. Stick what you know and get help with what you don’t know.

3) You want to build a professional image and brand.

Quality content is the primary reason why anyone follows you on twitter, reads your blogs or purchases your book. Professional writing will help you showcase your knowledge and build a professional image. Content writers can help you develop quality content that meets the needs of your target audience.

Am I wrong in believing that it is OK to outsource your voice? Are social media ghostwriters so different than ghostwriters of speeches or books? What are the new rules of engagement?

Why Should Contractors Blog?

Tuckpointing and masonry contractorsShould more contractors trade their hardhat in for a keyboard periodically? We think so. We are pleased to announce that we will be launching a blog for Shamrock Tuckpointing, based in Alsip, Ill. I am confident the blog will increase this contractor’s web traffic dramatically. I have been monitoring the company’s website traffic since last Spring, when we launched the site. Analytics reveal that 76 percent of the visitors are finding the site through search engines, primarily through content found in the FAQ area of the site. This tells me there is a lot of potential for search traffic and a lot of questions that potential customers need answered.

More Content Equals More Visitors

The primary purpose of the Shamrock Tuckpointing blog is to direct more traffic to the site. Through blogging the company can more effectively reach both commercial building owners and homeowners who search online for answers to questions about tuckpointing, chimney repair, brick restoration and more. Shamrock Tuckpointing will be seen as an authority in brick and masonry repair. As Hubspot has shown through its research, more quality content equals more visitors. Since none of Shamrock Tuckpointing’s major competitors has a blog, I expect it to provide a real competitive edge for the company.

Content Strategy for Blogs

Don’t start a blog without a content strategy. A content strategy answers the “who” and “what” questions about a blog. Who are we trying to have a conversation with, and what will we talk about? In this case, the “who” is homeowners who are considering brick or masonry repairs or maintenance as well as commercial property owners. The “what” is common problems with brick and masonry, information on the cost of various services, and seasonable preventative maintenance tips related to brick and masonry. Sharing the blog through social media will also drive traffic to the site.

Barriers to Blogging

One of the biggest concerns for this business owner was for the blog to be turnkey. The owner has little time to devote to it. As professional writers and journalists, we understand how to work within the constraints of a busy business owner or executive. We’ll be working with Shamrock Tuckpointing over the winter during their slow season to efficiently capture the information we need to produce content through the year.

Many contractors don’t blog because their competitors aren’t.(Don’t miss: Are the Top 10 Construction Management Firms Missing the Boat on Blogging?) Instead they rely on old marketing methods that simply don’t work anymore. Meanwhile they are missing a huge opportunity to build their online presence and drive traffic to their site. If you are a contractor, take a look at what marketing methods aren’t working anymore and invest those funds into upgrading your website or blog. The Internet is where contractors need to be today, and a blog will help your company get found online.