Kimberly Crossland

This author has written 26 articles
Keyword Research

Keyword Research Right Now: Where to Go

There’s a well-loved myth out there that if you write extremely well, that’s all you need to rank high on Google. Although it’s true that quality trumps just about everything in content marketing, the truth is, you still must have a solid strategy behind what you’re writing in order for you to show up and get eyeballs on your work. Part of that solid strategy is undoubtedly keyword research.

Without question, there are a wealth of keyword research tools available to you. Which ones should you use and which ones will give you the type of results you need? Here are three keyword research tools I love for your  content marketing strategy.

Does Your Content Challenge Your Reader?

Does Your Content Challenge Your Reader?

Marketing 101 says that you have to pave the path of least resistance if you want to get your audience to take action. For many marketers that means watering down a message so it’s easy for the masses to understand.

This is a mistake.

Although you want to make the decision to purchase from you easy, you don’t want to dilute your content too much. Your customer is on your website, consuming your content for a reason. She wants to learn something new. She has a problem she wants you to solve. The more simplistic your writing is, the less value you’re able to offer.

Writing for Voice Search: How to Increase Your Chances of Getting Found

Alexa, what are some good date night ideas for me and my Valentine?

Siri, show me what’s going on in my area.

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you probably know the names of two of the most popular virtual assistants in the world – Alexa and Siri. You might even know about the nameless Google virtual assistant.

How Authentic Content Marketing Can Make Your Business Remarkable

Here’s the big challenge with authentic content marketing today: It’s hard to get heard.

It’s a big, noisy world out there and for your content to rise above the fray and into the eyes (or ears, if you’re podcasting) of the right people, you need to do something worth paying attention to. That means list posts need to be a little more valuable, opinion pieces need to be a little more exciting, and humdrum articles need to kick it up a notch.

Sure, you’ve got important, valuable things to say. But if you’re not saying it in a way that gets people to notice, you’re losing.

3 Ways to Make Your Content Marketing Profitable

Content marketing has been hailed as “King” of the digital world for years now. Still, one of the biggest questions surrounding this practice is, “how can we measure the ROI of a blog post?”

A blog post isn’t just a blog post. It’s a drop in a larger bucket designed to fill to the brim with so much value the reader gains trust and respect for your brand. While that trust and respect might not immediately yield a sale, it does something far greater: it yields buzz. That buzz you generate from regularly providing value to your audience translates into sales through word-of-mouth marketing, social media shares, and a loyal base of customers.

Although this strategy is proven, the way it’s deployed continues to evolve.

How to Blog Better and Get More Shares

It’s a reality in today’s digital marketing environment: You must blog.

We’re called on to be prolific content creators. We’re called on to consistently produce and publish. What we aren’t called on to do? Create noise.

Still, there’s a lot of noise out there. So much so that it’s harder than ever to rise above it all and attract the people you need in your business.

But, there’s another angle to content marketing that’s not looked at as often: Sharing.

It’s commonly taught that word-of-mouth marketing is the cheapest form of marketing. In today’s social media dominant world, that word-of-mouth marketing is even more readily available.

What Yummy Cupcakes’ Customer Service Can Teach Your Small Business

When your company turns ten years old, it’s cause for celebration. And what’s a birthday celebration without a (cup)cake?

That was the thought process when Susan Guillory, the rockstar owner of Egg Marketing, ordered and sent Yummy Cupcakes to loop in team members like myself from afar into the festivities.

The problem? The United States Postal Service didn’t quite get the message that this party needed to be enjoyed in a timely manner or else (like any good party that goes on for far too long), it’d start to rot.

Think Personalization in Marketing Doesn’t Work? Think Again!

“There’s no sweeter sound to any person’s ear than the sound of their own name…” ~ Dale Carnegie

Carnegie had many one-liners and bits of wisdom, but this is one of his best. Your name is one of the first words you’ll ever hear. You’ll have it spoken to you softly as your mom cradles you in her arms, yelled to you when you’re in trouble and used to personalize some of life’s finest moments.

This one word - your customer’s name - matters more than any other in marketing. Why? Because it stops making the transaction feel like, well, a transaction. Instead, it makes the experience personal. Personalization in marketing is one of the best ways to really connect with your audience.

Why Customer Relationship Management Fails and How to Fix It

You had the best intentions with your new customer relationship management (CRM) software but it didn’t work. Your team didn’t get on board with it and as a result, you stopped using it too. Now, you’re back to square one. You know you need a way to track your customers and leads, but where do you begin?

Your CRM can fail for a number of reasons. The most common is the lack of adoption by your team. To help you use your CRM more effectively, here’s how to fix poor adoption and get more out of this powerful business tool.

Why Your Business Facebook Page Will Never Be Your Company’s Website

What website is printed on your business card? Your business’s domain name or your company’s Facebook page?

If you chose the latter, we need to have a talk.

Facebook pages are tempting, no doubt. They’re free, they give you quick access to an audience, and they’re a simple place to publish your content. The temptation to make your business page on Facebook your company’s website is real but do you know the risks you take when you choose this option?

It turns out, quite a few. Let’s take a closer look at some of the danger you’re putting your business in when you opt for a Facebook page instead of a website.

Start At The End: How Your Content Marketing Goals Develop Your Strategy

Content marketing is one of the biggest buzzwords. It’s also one of the most vague marketing terms out there.

Content includes audio, video, writing and everything in between. Any time you put out some type of informative media, you’re using content to market your business.

With such a vague outlook, it’s hard to know how to tap into this popular, “must-have” marketing strategy. What should you focus on? What type of results you can expect to see from employing this approach?

The key to maximizing your reach with content is to start from the back and work forward. What are your content marketing goals?

Here are five of the most important content marketing goals to pursue when using content (any type of content) to reach your audience.

1. Build Your Reputation With Your Audience

Podcasting, videos, and blogging are all ways to share your skillset with your buyer. It’s a way to earn her trust when you can’t stand with her face-to-face.

5 Elements Every About Page Must Have

One of the hardest things to do is talk about yourself. Usually, when someone asks about you in a professional setting, you rattle off your credentials and experience. You talk about where you got your degree, the companies you’ve worked with, and how you ended up in your current role. When you’re done, how does the other person respond?

In many cases, the response is lukewarm. Nothing you said is relatable. Unless you have the same alma mater, nothing is tangible to the other person in the conversation. They might be impressed but they won’t have the answer to the most important question: “What’s in it for me?”

Your about page often takes the same shape. This is your chance to talk about yourself to your website visitor so you go into credential and experience touting mode. *Yawn*. This approach is even less effective online because your website viewer can easily “walk away” from the conversation by hitting the back button.

How do you make your about page excite your reader and get her invested in your business? By incorporating these five elements:

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