Marketing Made Easy: DIY Content Marketing & Social Media Management

6 Red Flags To Watch Out For When Hiring an SEO Company

A recent study found that nearly half (45%) of businesses hire SEO service providers based on a referral or existing personal relationship. Why is this the case?

Well, SEO companies sometimes get a bad reputation. This stems from two factors:

Some SEO companies deserve their bad reputation for engaging in shady tactics that could get your website penalized, and
A lot of businesses are uninformed about SEO best practices and what a good SEO firm looks like.

So, many businesses rely on what they trust – their friends’ and colleagues’ opinions and experiences.

However, it is fully possible to find a great SEO firm without a direct referral. Heeding these warning signs will help you avoid a bad experience and put you on your way to finding an honest and knowledgeable SEO partner.

Endless Encores: Not Your Typical Business Book

I’ve read a lot of business books over the years, and to be honest, most sound the same. This is what you’re doing wrong. Do this for guaranteed success. And yet, these types of books leave me feeling hollow.

Recently I was sent a copy of Endless Encores: Repeating Success Through People, Products, and Profits, by Ken Goldstein. The book is really short (bonus) and touted itself as a business parable, so I was intrigued.

The book is written like a story, which is rather unusual in the business genre. It’s the tale of a man, Paul, who meets an older, successful woman named Daphne in an airport bar. Sound like the start of a romance novel? It’s not. Instead, Daphne imparts her business acumen to him as they talk about both of their businesses as well as their personal lives. Read more

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Susan Payton

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Book & Product Review

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November 16, 2015

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A Step-By-Step Guide to Building a Content Marketing Calendar

With close to 1 billion live websites, it’s becoming abundantly clear that companies must raise the bar on content creation. This involves going above and beyond just committing to publishing content on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. It requires a content marketing calendar, one that will make decisions concerning identifying topics and scheduling tasks a much simpler process. It’s a considerable undertaking, but one well worth the time and effort.

The Downside of Content Marketing

Content marketing is often the cornerstone of any good marketing program. It differentiates your business from the competition, can position you as a trusted information source and can feed your social media monster and public relations machine. What’s not to love? Not surprisingly, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing.

So let’s walk through some of the key challenges with this marketing strategy and how you can overcome the downside of content marketing.

Resources

While creating and posting content for your audience can help your brand awareness and preference, it comes at a heavy price. Research, writing, breaking up into “bite-sized” pieces for social media and public relations, designing, editing, etc. Many small businesses just don’t have the time or money to hire someone on a regular basis. Or, they don’t have the resources to also do other important marketing activities like lead generation. Read more

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