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Why Brand Voice Matters

Posted on November 21, 2013 by Hosting

The post Why Brand Voice Matters appeared first on HostGator Web Hosting Blog | Gator Crossing . 2014 is set to be the year that two truths bear themselves. The first is that Internet users are tired, bombarded with content and desperate to separate the chaff from the wheat. The second is that old methods of marketing simply are not effective anymore. This combination has lead to the rise of engaging content and emphasis on a relationship with customers, regardless of the specific market you find yourself in. The verdict is in, and people are saying that they want quality, value, and creativity. They want information, media, and brands that enrich their lives in tangible ways, in conjunction with their values and belief structures. If you’re keeping score, you can imagine that reaching such lofty heights through iPad giveaways and banal taglines is a near impossible task.   Making a Connection The reason old marketing tactics are no longer working begins with the fact that they do not connect with customers. Discerning consumers are no longer swayed by catchy phrases or theme songs. Inundated with media and cheap ploys for sales, they have begun to demand more sincere, legitimate content and engagement that recognizes them as more than simply another sales lead. This is where voice plays a part. Voice gives a face to your organization, which is exactly what consumers want to see. Too many people have waded through phone menus and automated replies. Now those same people want to know that there is a person on the other end of the line. Voice forges that precious connection that new, smarter, more discerning customers are looking for. At its core, the importance of voice demonstrates prevailing attitudes toward large organizations. We’ve entered an era in which people talk to other people every day through social media, and, for that reason, expect the same personal level of attention and interaction from businesses. But while a human touch encourages positive association with brands, it is not enough to create the sort of image and perception that brands hope to accomplish. Thankfully, voice solves this problem too.   Telling a Story Voice connects with customers on a deeper level; a connection ingrained in us for thousands of years. Namely, voice tells a story. Since the dawn of man, humans have been hard-wired to interact, convey messages, emotions, and concepts, and build community around stories. Developing a unique voice for your organization takes more than putting a nametag on a customer service response. It takes an emphasis on this millennia old practice. Good content marketing achieves exactly this; leaning on your expertise and providing engaging information that your audience wants. By constructing a narrative of your knowledge and sharing it with individuals, you build a shared perception that establishes a valuable brand image. Furthermore, you do so in an efficient, understandable, and effective manner. Searching for a better method of communication than storytelling would be a fruitless endeavor indeed. The reason for this more profound impact stems from the involvement of something universal in all of us: emotion. Bullet points, tips, tricks, and instructional videos can help brands seem knowledgeable, but in order to gain the sort of emotional and psychological association you are looking for, you need to dig past hard numbers and slideshows. A good narrative that connects on a human level creates a sort of dynamic partnership that not only helps brand image, but establishes channels for communication that aid both the customer and the organization. And these are not empty platitudes.  Uri Hasson from Princeton  has observed that the brains of individuals reading or listening to the same story actually synchronize. Narratives that call upon particular emotions or experiences actually  engage the same parts of our brain  that would see utilization in those situations in real life. The conclusion is unavoidable: stories are effective, we are hard-wired to consume them, and the emotional impact of stories is greater than facts can achieve.   Time for a Change In this context, it is time for brands to recognize the power of voice. An  infographic by HubSpot  documents the fall of social media and marketing tactics from the days of increased engagement to a time of senseless spouting. As stated, customers have noticed this, and it’s time for a change. Gone are the days when yelling “hashtag our company name!” at Twitter followers got any semblance of response, but savvy marketers can harness this change and use their powers for good. Begin with your social media strategy. Are you throwing promotional materials at the wall or are you using these tools for their intended purpose: engagement? According to the aforementioned infographic, customers expect prompt responses to comments on social media. Use this opportunity to reconnect with your customer base and provide personalized, prompt service. Leverage your knowledge and re-shape your content. Know your strengths and ask your readers what they want to hear. Use that expertise to give the people what they want. Take advantage of the ubiquity of communication in our modern day and construct a narrative that builds positive brand association through real, tangible value. Know that your customers are not stupid; they expect smart content tailored to their needs. The good news is, you can give it to them. Brands are no longer monolithic emblems blazing in the city sky. Savvy customers expect brands to be respectful, personal, and intelligent. Your voice, your story, and your human assets can deliver this in spades, to the benefit of your bottom line. These days, brands without voice are little but logos. Do not miss the opportunity to be people: let your voice be heard and become a part of the conversation. Check out the fast WordPress blog hosting by HostGator.com Continue reading →

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Google In-Depth Articles Goes Live

Posted on November 20, 2013 by Hosting

The post Google In-Depth Articles Goes Live appeared first on HostGator Web Hosting Blog | Gator Crossing . It’s never a bad idea to play nicely with Google’s search standards. Frankly, doing so can lead to real, tangible benefits, including, now, having in-depth articles featured on the world’s most ubiquitous search engine. Despite the cheap tie-in with Google+, the search engine’s new results offer a real opportunity to establish your authority, should you choose to play by the rules.   What Are “In-Depth” Articles? In-depth articles are a new format of search result that feature an article title, thumbnail pulled from the piece, logo of the host website, and snippet of the content being presented. But those are just the specifics. On a deeper level, in-depth articles represent a new effort to accommodate the more robust search needs of complex topics, queries of such nature reportedly comprising as much as  10% of daily search traffic . If you are a large website, in-depth results present an opportunity to further your reach. If you are a small website, in-depth results present a chance to gain recognition for your knowledge. In either case, catering to the requirements of Google’s new search result can offer a boost to both traffic and reputation.   How to Be Included The first requirement is utilization of Schema.org’s  article markup  syntax. By delineating meta-data within an article, Google’s search index can better identify the necessary components of your work when constructing the in-depth article result. This step may create some headaches, but implementing schema as a standard practice will ultimately make your site more responsive to future search developments as it establishes itself as an industry standard. Next comes the obligatory Google+ tie-in. Despite a user-base dwarfed by Facebook and Twitter, Google’s platform is pulling out the big guns to ensure relevance and in-depth articles are not exempt to this. By signing up for  authorship through Google+ , their platform will provide additional analytics regarding how your content appears in search results. Accordingly, in-depth results will use this data to help identify your profile as a source of authority. Formatting is the next concern, particularly for multi-page articles. In this case,  usage of rel=”next” and rel=”prev”  will help clarify the relationship of paginated articles to Google’s search index. The association is not obligatory, but any measures that can clarify presentation of content in search results is worth a few moments of your time. In addition, close care should be paid to  rel=canonical declarations  for the sake of clarity. The last component, appearance of your site’s logo, is handled through schema markup language as well. This step deserves a measure of priority since the brand association that can be established through in-depth articles is worth the time spent coding. Your site’s logo can be specified using the information  found here .   Schema Explained Due to the heavy utilization of Schema in the implementation of these articles, the uninitiated would do well to familiarize themselves with the language. Before implementation on the Internet, Schema was used as a database tool that made indexing and retrieval of so-called “micro-data” a less arduous task, alleviating the need for algorithms that depend on standardized structure to extract such information. By explicitly declaring authors, responsible agencies, and publication dates, those wishing to see their work included in the new search context will have greater control of its display. The specific category of schema in use, Article markup, provides sufficient tagging options for even the most scrupulous of organizations. From the basics, including author, copyright year, and citation, to the more nuanced, including audience, URLs of relevant discussion, and keywords, implementation of the robust markup language presents a bevy options for control, searchability, and display of authoritative works. In a sea of information, this control is an irreplaceable asset. For more ambitious and diverse sites, Schema’s implementation provides additional benefits. Attributes of people, organizations, products, books, movies, and others can be specified, taking the guesswork out of search indexing. For this reason, ubiquitous use of the code affords a level of “window-dressing” that plays a key part in hooking visitors perusing search results. Thankfully, Google provides a markup helper and data testing tool to guide newer users along the way. And that, as they say, is that. Positioning your website as a source of authority through in-depth articles can establish your authority. With a little coding and maintenance, Google’s rules have given organizations and outlets large and small an opportunity to answer the deeper questions of the Internet. Take advantage of this new advent of “in-depth” articles and let your customers and your readers know that you’ve got something important to say. Check out the fast shared web hosting by HostGator.com Continue reading →

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The Future of Content Marketing: Trends and Predictions for 2014

Posted on November 18, 2013 by Hosting

The post The Future of Content Marketing: Trends and Predictions for 2014 appeared first on HostGator Web Hosting Blog | Gator Crossing . Business has never been about “keeping up”. If you intend to simply pace the pack, then you are in for a rocky 2014. Innovation never rests and content marketing is home to a great deal of innovation as businesses discover its ROI and long-term potential for audience engagement and sales conversion. The question on everybody’s mind as the year draws to a close is, “what’s next?” The simple answer: more. But how much more? More of what? How will consumers respond to more? These are all questions receiving a great deal of analysis by industry leaders and professionals. Through their insights and some knowledge of our own, 2014 can be the year where your business sees the value of content marketing.   More Content marketing shows no signs of slowing down. According to a recent study, as many as  27 million pieces of content are shared every day. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to determine that this is a pie worth grabbing a piece of. But the equation is not as simple as doubling the number of Instagram pictures your company produces. Savvy consumers are looking for more rewarding content that enriches their lives. The axiom “quality over quantity” remains just that, an axiom. As a bevy of content marketing pieces flood available distribution channels, separating yourself from the background noise with high-quality, engaging content is paramount. Regardless of your marketing strategy, engagement metrics, and ROI, failing to recognize the importance of quality content in the New Year will be met with disappointing, though expected, results. The issue with this, of course, is that quality is  not something that is capable of measure . The intangible characteristic can be frustrating for data-driven businesses, but hiring quality writers should be your guidepost. You run a business with aplomb and they carry that same acumen to their respective arena, so trust their instincts and skill.   Substance While “quality” itself is intangible, the range of topics emphasized by your business is not only understandable, but also malleable. Whether you are a B2B or B2C organization,  data has shown  that current trends in content topics are not cutting it anymore. B2B blogs are guilty of proffering generic industry profiles and parroting industry trends, while B2C organizations are on the hook for pandering based on engagement metrics instead of value. Luckily, either case has a straight-forward solution. For businesses, utilize case studies that examine the sources of success that propelled industry leaders to their lofty position. In addition, hold live, area events that focus on the consumer instead of the characteristics of your business. Customers are less interested in what makes you tick than they are in what insights you have to give from your position of authority. For B2C companies, focus on value. If a customer cannot identify what they stand to gain by reading your publication or viewing your video, then you have fallen short. Consumers are inundated with media. Viral videos, news reports, texts, phone calls, and music barrage eyeballs on a constant basis. This scarcity of time should play a part when you shape your content topics. An article can be deemed “useless” before the first word is read, and this would constitute an unfortunate loss of opportunity and a sometimes costly waste of time.   Technically Speaking Content receives the bulk of emphasis here due to its importance. However, the method of distribution of such content is as important as ever. Furthermore, understanding the changing trends in distribution can help once again differentiate your marketing from the chaff that fills Facebook feeds every day. Most importantly, businesses will need to determine how to track their ROI on content marketing response in the year 2014. Research has shown that as little as  25% of marketers  actually measure this key metric on their efforts, effectively blurring the line between discussion and noise. The actual return on Facebook likes, shares, and comments will be an area of intense development in 2014, and businesses that adopt this technology will see dividends as a result. Beyond tracking the return on marketing efforts through analytics, businesses will need to understand the changing distribution platforms of the New Year. Until recently, businesses placed emphasis on “destination” sites; central hubs of interesting content that could deliver value and engage customers. However, this method puts a lot of eggs in one basket. The new model? Integrated, distributed content  across earned, owned, and paid properties . Developing marketing efforts across all of these avenues will see better results than the consolidated approach largely due to the distributed nature of our digital lives. This distribution does not lie simply in the formats through which we consume our content, it also resides in the platforms we use for access. According to data, mobile web will overtake desktop traffic in  only two years time . This involves changing screen resolutions, readability, and access that necessitate creating content that spans all platforms gracefully. In all content, consider how the page, material, and layout will be viewed across myriad platforms and utilize practices that bridge the gaps. By emphasizing quality over quantity, basing content ideas on customer needs, and exercising the appropriate technical practices for seamless distribution, your company can see improved sales, engagement, and customer relationships in the New Year. Content marketing has become an inarguably powerful medium, and failing to utilize it to its full potential would be an exercise in corporate seppuku . Fortunately, a little knowledge, created and used, can go a long way in 2014. Check out the fast shared web hosting by HostGator.com Continue reading →

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Five Steps To Building Your Dream Website

Posted on November 12, 2013 by Hosting

The post Five Steps To Building Your Dream Website appeared first on HostGator Web Hosting Blog | Gator Crossing . There once was a time when only the IT elite had their own websites. Now? Mittens the cat has a webpage with 70,000 unique viewers per month. This is not, however, without good reason. Websites afford the opportunity to make your name, your product, and your words as accessible as humanly possible. Combined with the powerful Internet search indexes that fuel Google and Yahoo, potential customers are now just a quick search query away from discovering your quality wares. But the process is not as simple as choosing the right font and page background. A number of factors contribute to making your website the best it can possibly be.   1. Know Your Budget Building a website begins, and ends, with the least fun step: budgeting. Web hosting , premium features, and additional bandwidth can come sometimes at a premium, so knowing what you are willing to spend to make your website great is the first step. Consider what you can reasonably spend on a website, what you need, and, just as importantly, what you do not need. Building a great website is not about the biggest and best, but what is most appropriate for your company. As obvious as it may sound, it bares articulating that larger websites with more ambitious goals require a much greater budget. Facebook, for example, spends more than the annual revenue of most companies on server capacity to keep its service running at full speed. More modest sites, however, may only need a $10/month subscription fee for storage of product images and the necessary dues for server load from incoming viewers.   2. Make Your Wish List One could argue that this is the first step in the process. When building your website, it’s important to determine what you want to include on your website, and how you want it to function. Are you a small business? Perhaps contact information and inquiry forms are enough. Selling a wide selection of products on your site? An organized tree of product pages, up-to-date pictures, and pricing information will be your priority. Know your market and tailor your wish list to their needs. Your website should do no more, nor any less than what the customer needs to quickly and painlessly find the information they seek and complete the transaction with your business. Avoid popular traps like social media feeds and cluttered backgrounds. Features like this may seem cool in the lab, but deploying them in the real world for online visitors with short attention spans and a penchant for distraction can prove detrimental.   3. Design Your Website This step may only occupy one slot on this list, but the process is important enough to merit three. Good web design is essential to a painless user experience and there exists copious information to guide you in your efforts.  Hack Design , for example, possesses expert-curated articles about design on all sorts of topics that can help make the experience a little less daunting. Another method is to take note of attractive websites and mirror their good practices. Based on your response to step 1, professional web design may be worth the money. The fact is that good design has demonstrable potential in improving your bottom line. Good design practices affect not only the shopping experience, but also the mood of visitors. Since the steep price premium of good design is not accessible to all businesses, consider your priorities and your budget and evaluate whether or not professional web design is a viable and useful option for you. Do not step away from the web design canvas without considering how your website appears in search engine indexes. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a realm of study with volumes of research to its name but knowing a few basics can make a big difference. Focus on keywords that best describe your business and brand and consider gleaning further insight once the site goes live from services like  Google Analytics .   4. Choose a Great Domain Name As our knowledge of how the characteristics of web pages affect consumers changes, so too do our practices. It once was thought that a domain name was simply a sign; that “Bob’s Towing” would suffice. However, it is now understood that a web domain performs multiple tasks when viewed by online visitors, including setting expectations, improving accessibility, and building a brand. It is important to keep in mind that most good domain names are, for better-or-worse, owned. As a result, domain name companies are making a mint from charging a premium for good domain names. Despite this, purchasing a well-crafted and impactful domain name is worth the money. Your domain is your storefront on search engines and, just like a physical storefront, a fresh coat of paint will pay for itself many times over.   5. Keep it Updated Once the site of your dreams is set up, plan on performing routine maintenance to keep it ”the site of your dreams”. Consider any time you’ve shopped at a site with outdated information, pricing, or item descriptions. Were you happy? What did this do for your trust in the organization? Did you complete your transaction and, if you did, did you come back to the cobweb riddled vendor? Consumer trust is greatly influenced by the integrity of your new digital storefront. Run a regular spot-check and update/delete old information. Check pricing and keep it updated, removing old products that are no longer offered. Keep contact information current to avoid any lost emails or missed connections, and occasionally update your website. Brand image must be reflected by your website and no one wants to shop at an establishment where the storekeeper has left the shelves un-dusted. Congratulations! You’ve officially built your dream website, minus the work to get there. Creating your digital hub is all about evaluating your needs and designing its functionality around those needs. Be prepared to invest both time and money in the project and when it’s finished, step back and bask in the satisfaction of a job well done. Check out the fast shared web hosting by HostGator.com Continue reading →

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Five Essential Questions To Ask Yourself Before Publishing A New Blog Post

Posted on November 9, 2013 by Hosting

The post Five Essential Questions To Ask Yourself Before Publishing A New Blog Post appeared first on HostGator Web Hosting Blog | Gator Crossing . As more and more businesses launch blogs as a way to connect with prospective customers, it’s important for you as a business owner, marketing director, or webmaster to develop great content that will help you differentiate from competitors in your industry. In the following article, we’re outlining five essential questions you should be asking yourself before publishing a new post on your company blog.   Is My Content Original? This is one of the most important questions you need to ask yourself before publishing your blog post. When it comes to getting the most out of your content marketing and SEO strategies, creating and sharing original content is key. According to reports , “61% of consumers say they feel better about, and are more likely to buy from, a company that delivers custom content.” Consumers aren’t the only ones paying attention to authentic (or inauthentic) content. In recent years especially, search engine giants like Google have been stressing more and more that posting unoriginal content will not help a website in terms of improving page rankings and attracting visitors. In fact, they have even started penalizing webmasters for sharing unoriginal content on webpages and in blog posts. In a support section on their website, Google states: “Some webmasters attempt to improve their pages’ ranking and attract visitors by creating pages with many words but little or no authentic content. Google will take action against domains that try to rank more highly by just showing scraped or other cookie-cutter pages that don’t add substantial value to users.” Before publishing your blog post, ask yourself how original the content within it actually is. If more than 50% of your content is obviously repurposed from somewhere else, consider rewriting it.   Does My Content Help Solve a Problem? In addition to publishing original content, it’s also important that you share content that your audience will actually find valuable. Consumers are constantly scouring the web for information that will help solve their problems. As a business owner, webmaster, or marketing professional, you have an opportunity to connect with prospective customers online by becoming a trusted resource for them to go to in order to find answers to their questions and solutions to their problems. Before publishing your blog post, make sure you have created content that solves problems. Your goal with each new blog post you share should always be to continue leveraging yourself or your company as an influencer and expert in your industry.   Does My Content Include Clear Call-To-Actions? We’ve mentioned it in previous blog posts, but it’s worth bringing up again: the blog posts you share on your website need to include clear call-to-action messaging or images. Why? It helps your readers understand what you want them to do next. According to Hubspot, “a call-to-action (usually abbreviated as CTA) is an image or line of text that prompts your visitors, leads, and customers to take action. It is, quite literally, a “call” to take an “action.” The action you want people to take could be anything: download an ebook, sign up for a webinar, get a coupon, attend an event, etc. A CTA can be placed anywhere in your marketing — on your website, in an ebook, in an email, or even at the end of a blog post.” Before publishing your blog post, think about what type of call-to-action you could include in order to help your readers understand what they are supposed to do next. Could you direct them to an ebook that expands on the topic you wrote about in your blog post? Or could you direct them to a product you sell that will help solve a problem they have? These are just two possible examples of CTA’s you could be including in your blog posts. To start creating and using effective call-to-actions, follow the tips we outlined in this blog post .   Is My Post The Right Length? This is another important question to consider before sharing a blog post on your site. When it comes to blogging, there is really no secret word count that guarantees success. There are, however, a number of factors you should keep in mind when thinking about post length. First, think about the topic you are writing about. If you’re writing a light-hearted or entertaining blog post, it generally doesn’t need to be as long as blog posts that focus on informing or educating the reader (guides, How-To’s, 101’s, etc.). Second, think about who your audience is. In your opinion, do they have time to read long blog posts (1,000+ words), or do you think they would respond better to shorter posts that still offer a good amount of value? Finally, keep in mind that the goal of blogging is ultimately to provide value, not fluff. If you’ve said everything you need to say in order to get your point across and you’ve only written 300 words, go ahead and publish. You don’t need to fee guilty about a short blog post if the value is truly there. It’s much worse to add words to a blog post that don’t really need to be included. Your blog readers will be able to tell if you’re just adding useless information to make a post look longer or simply for SEO purposes.   Is My Headline Strong Enough To Inspire People To Keep Reading? This is one of the last questions you should ask yourself before clicking the publish button on your post. You can spend all the time in the world developing great content for your blog post, but if you don’t spend any time crafting an effective headline to attach to the post, you’re not going to be able to reach or connect with as many people as you would like. Your headline is the most important part of your blog post. It’s what persuades readers to take the time to stay on your site and continue reading. To create better headlines, consider the following recommendations: Use numbers (ex. 10 Ways To…) Use interesting adjectives (ex. Essential Tips For…, Incredible Solutions For…, etc.) Use unique rationale (ex. Great Reasons…, Secret Lessons…, Helpful Tricks…)   What other questions do you ask yourself before publishing your blog post? Leave a comment below! Check out the fast shared web hosting by HostGator.com Continue reading →

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