“A year ago, Tumblr did something unprecedented—we created an editorial team of experienced journalists and editors assigned to cover Tumblr as a living, breathing community,” says Tumblr founder and CEO David Karp on Tumblr’s staff page. “And as Tumblr continues to evolve, we’ll always be experimenting with new ways to shine light on our creators.”

Storyboard appeared to be a success, boasting partnerships with networks like MTV, pieces in the digital edition of Time magazine, and a nomination for a James Beard award. Storyboard represented a valiant effort to breathe new life into the ailing body of traditional journalism by offering its own version of a digital update.

But if Storyboard was a success for Tumblr, why end it now? What does it take to create a sustainable combination of user-generated content, sponsored content and online journalism?

Aggregation aggravation

Karp’s claim that Storyboard’s mission was unprecedented isn’t exactly true. The Huffington Post was one of the first aggregation sites to become demonstrably popular, and the site mines its readers for contributions on everything from local news to entertainment. And Buzzfeed has managed to strike a lucrative balance between curated content, sponsored content and legitimate journalism.

But Tumblr was built to allow users to curate their own content, serving as an alternative to increasingly ad-heavy networks like Facebook and Twitter. Why would a social platform spend time and resources on an editorial team to do the same thing its users do on their own?

Successful fundraising and unsuccessful monetization

Despite benefiting from a wildly successful round of funding from investors, Tumblr has only recently begun to generate revenue. And with social networks attempting to monetize even routine communications, Storyboard might have been one step too far for its users.

Then, there were the awkward attempts to create sponsored content. After asking brands to pay for the privilege of being featured on Tumblr during Fashion Week in 2011, fashion houses rebelled and rejected ad prices as high as $350,000. As AdWeek points out, it’s tough to keep publishing quality content without a constant supply of funds to support it: “the larger development…seems to underscore how difficult online publishing can be if there isn’t an offline revenue stream such as events to keep the lights on.” Traditional publishing is slowly starving without ad dollars, but online publishing needs revenue to survive as well.

Although early online publishing efforts mirrored traditional publishing, the medium no longer resembles its print counterpart. Storyboard represented Tumblr’s ambition to be more than a microblog—but without proper planning, a dependable revenue stream and a captive audience, ambition can morph into failure.

Interested in bolstering your own blogging efforts? Check out our Blog Post Optimization Guide.

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Sharmin Kent

Search Media Editor at Slingshot SEO

Sharmin Kent is a Search Media Editor at Slingshot SEO. She holds a Masters Degree in English from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.

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The post So Long, Storyboard – UGC Takes a Tumbl appeared first on Slingshot SEO.

Here at Slingshot SEO, we use the Skype chat functions for individuals and teams. Using Skype allows us to communicate quickly and frequently over the course of the day – voicing ideas, asking questions and working together to solve problems – whether we happen to be working in Indianapolis or traveling to another state for a client presentation.

Skype recently announced that users are spending an astounding 2 billion minutes a day connecting over the network. At peak times, there are more than 40 million Skype users online.

Estonian innovation

Written by a trio of Estonian developers, Skype was first released in public beta back in August 2003. Their software has had a large impact on modern communications over the past decade — allowing us to communicate by voice, video webcam and instant messaging. For video, it takes just an Internet connection, a webcam and a computer or other device with audio capabilities; this allows families and other groups worldwide to communicate in video chats.

Technologies developed by Skype have long attracted the eyes of larger companies. eBay acquired Skype in 2005 for $2.6 billion as part of a strategy to enhance communications between buyers and sellers. Six years later, eBay claimed to have made a total return of $1.4 billion on its original investment. Later, Microsoft bought Skype from investors led by private equity firm Silver Lake, the largest investor in a group that bought 70 percent of the company from eBay in 2009.

Microsoft microscope

In the $8.5 billion Skype deal, Microsoft bought a company with hundreds of millions of users that had yet to become profitable. Many observers have argued that Microsoft overpaid for Skype and questioned whether the tech titan will be able to properly monetize it; however, Skype has since rolled out in-app advertising and upgraded its infrastructure. Moreover, video calling is a hot trend as smartphone and tablet sales continue to climb.

This year brings a fresh set of challenges and opportunities for Skype. Millions of us are looking for new ways to efficiently collaborate with peers and communicate with loved ones, and Skype offers everything from group chat to file sharing. Yet like many other tech companies, Skype must navigate some dangerous waters involving issues like user privacy as it seeks profits amidst a competitive tech landscape.

What are your thoughts about Skype? Does your company use it for communication, or are there other preferred alternatives? Do you personally use Skype to communicate with friends and family? We’d love to hear your comments about Skype, Microsoft or voice over IP technologies.

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Derek Smith

Inbound Marketing Consultant at Slingshot SEO

Derek Smith is an Inbound Marketing Consultant at Slingshot SEO.

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The post How Skype is Shaping Global Communication Trends appeared first on Slingshot SEO.

A Purpose for Every Page

Every page on your website should have a clear purpose. And if you’re setting up your pages correctly, each of those pages should have a clear, concise meta description that describes exactly what that page does. If the purpose of your meta description is to provide a reason why this page exists and why a potential user should click to visit it, then you’re set – this is your roadmap for crafting next-level CTAs.

What Now?

Now, when you’re crafting a piece of content to go on your website – whether it’s for a new page or edits for an existing one – think about what ­this page does, and what you want the potential user to do once they’ve read the content to the bottom of the page. Do you have another page you want them to visit on your website, or is there some other action you want a user to take?

There are two paths to take here – are you leading your user to a deeper page, or are you asking them to break a privacy barrier and download a useful piece of content like a guide, community contribution or other dedicated piece? Let’s look at both situations and see how our meta descriptions for where we’re going can help us.

Visit This Page

You’ve got two pages, and a big bad need to connect them. Your first step is already done – check out the meta description of the destination page. Copy it. This should form the backbone of your call to action – it already describes why a user would want to read this page.

Now, check out the meta description for the page you’re working on. It’s telling the reader why they got here in the first place – to read what you’ve described to them in brief.

If you’ve done your job in giving this page a unique purpose on your website, and written your content in a way that connects naturally to where you want your user to go next, then you’re winning the internet, and your job is almost done. Combine the two, and voila! Okay, it’s not that easy – but it is a clear, purposeful start.

Example:
Page 1 – Fancy Rubber Duckies
Meta Description: What are you missing when it comes to Fancy Rubber Duckies? Find out how the fanciest ducks rule the pond at RubberDuckies.com.

Page 2 – Rubber Duckies vs. Pet Rocks
Meta Description: The war between Rubber Duckies and Pet Rocks has been waged for centuries. Find out which is better between the ducky and the rock at RubberDuckies.com.

Call to Action in text for Page 1
Tell us what you think about fancy rubber duckies in the comments below. Or, are you ready for more? Find out how a fancy rubber ducky stacks up against a childhood classic – check out our Rubber Duckies vs. Pet Rocks eBook, and find out why the duck sinks the rock every time!

I’ve Got Something You Need

The other situation arises when the page you are working on is a form page or download page for another piece of content – preferably a gated piece of content that allows you to collect user data in exchange for your free guide, webinar or other deliverable.

Chances are, that piece, wherever it lives online, might not have a meta description. However, there’s a good possibility that downloading this content is not your end goal for a user – more likely, you’ll want them to digest it, and then do something it suggests next. Where is that “next phase” – does it have a webpage on your site? If it does, you’re in luck – the same process above works here too.

Example:
Download Page – Rubber Duckies vs. Pet Rocks
Meta Description: The war between Rubber Duckies and Pet Rocks has been waged for centuries. Find out which is better between the ducky and the rock at RubberDuckies.com.

Category Page – Rubber Duckies
Meta Description: Shop for Rubber Duckies of all types, including fancy rubber duckies, evil rubber duckies, blue rubber duckies and more at RubberDuckies.com.

Call to Action for Rubber Duckies vs. Pet Rocks
Download our guide, Rubber Duckies vs. Pet Rocks, and see how the classic rubber ducky rules the pond while the rock just sinks. Or, if you’re convinced and ready for your own rubber ducky, visit our Rubber Duckies page and shop our selection of over 1,000 duckies and find your perfect aquatic bird companion.

It’s not Internet quackery – its following the roadmap you’ve already laid out by optimizing your content for both your audience and search. Setting up your content this way allows you to easily create rifle shot content and guide your user from page to page with clear and concise content that delivers real value and digital relevance.

Have more questions about writing textual CTAs, or comments on CTAs in general? Leave a comment below and we could feature your question in an upcoming blog post or video! For more ways on how to optimize your content, check out our Blog Post Optimization Guide.

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Dustin Clark

Search Media Creative Consultant at Slingshot SEO

Dustin is a content strategist for Slingshot SEO. In his spare time he slays dragons for pretend, and drives his wife crazy worrying that he’s somewhere in the Indiana woods stalking a brown bear with a pocket knife and a d20.

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The post Fair or Fowl? Crafting a Clear Textual Call to Action That Wins appeared first on Slingshot SEO.

The Inbound Wrap-Up is our weekly list of articles in the inbound marketing world that you should be reading.

Week Ending April 12, 2013:

1 » The Definitive Guide to Influencer Targeting » kissmetrics.com
It’s no longer enough (nor flattering) for brands to just broadcast how great they are without real consumers backing up these claims. Your prospects are much more likely to rely on what their friends or your previous customers have to say than what your brand says. That is where influencers come in to play. Check out this guide to see different examples for targeting industry influencers.

2 » 12 Types of Blog Posts You Need to Stop Writing » blogworld.com
It can be easy for bloggers to find themselves in a rut of producing high quantity content but forgetting to ensure the quality of that content. Here are twelve types of posts many bloggers are guilty of creating as well as reminders to make sure your content is actually useful for your readers.

3 » Online Marketing Success Gone Wrong? » inc.com
We’ve seen many brands unexpectedly go viral without the capacity to keep up with the demand (Dollar Shave Club anyone?) but that is the beauty of marketing today. There are many ways you can get your product or service in front of the right audience resulting in many brand advocates. Find out how one sweatshirt company used earned media to increase demand way beyond it’s production capacity.

4 » How to Build a Content Marketing Strategy » seomoz.org
There’s a lot of buzz about content marketing and its effectiveness but many marketers are unsure how to develop an actual strategy. SEOmoz put this step-by-step guide together to help you build a successful campaign centered around content.

5 » The Real Value of Google Authorship Isn’t AuthorRank » slingshotseo.com
After all the chatter about Google implementing AuthorRank and the rush to get your Google Authorship set up, you may be thinking you don’t need to worry about it since Google has yet to implement it. Not so fast. Authorship is still relevant and important and this blog post explains why.

6 » Why Your Agency’s Next Great Content Creator is Your Clients » inboundmarketingagents.com
Are you looking for a fresh perspective to add to your blog? Why not ask a customer or client? This blog post will explain how clients can be valuable contributor’s to your brand’s blog.

7 » 7 Steps to Transforming Into an Inbound Agency » hubspot.com
By now you likely understand the benefits of inbound marketing versus traditional marketing but how exactly can a company make that transition? Here are seven steps and examples of those who have gone through the transformation process to help you get started.

8 » How to Optimize Your Business Blog [Checklist] » unbounce.com
There are many factors beyond the content of the blog itself that have the ability to affect how successful it is. Unbounce put together this handy checklist to help you optimize your blog for social media as well as getting the most out of your CTAs and search efforts. To learn more about how to optimize the content of the blog post itself, check out this guide.

9 » The Future of Content Marketing Revealed » kissmetrics.com
Everywhere you look, brands are trying to utilize the benefits of content marketing and many are finding very clever ways to be successful but others are flooding the industry with poor content. These ideas will help you produce content that is going to do well in the long run and stand out from those that are not doing it well.

10 » Study: 44 Percent of Americans Say Video Content Inspires Them to Convert » brafton.com
It’s no secret that consumers today want to process information as quickly as possible and if it is entertaining at the same time, even better! So this study may come at no surprise but if your brand has not tried out other forms of content it might be time to try it out.

What other article did you find interesting this week? Comment below to let us know.

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Emily Burgett

Marketing Coordinator at Slingshot SEO

Emily Burgett is a Marketing Coordinator at Slingshot SEO.

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The post The Inbound Wrap-Up » Week Ending April 12th appeared first on Slingshot SEO.

The excitement, debate and anxiety over the perceived future of AuthorRank tends to overshadow the tangible benefits that setting up Google Authorship (a prerequisite for AuthorRank) carries with it right at this very moment. Regardless of if and when AuthorRank becomes a reality, Google Authorship can empower your content marketing efforts in ways that may actually eclipse the benefits of AuthorRank itself.

Google Authorship Can Create Content Champions

Because Google Authorship establishes a direct link between authors and their content, there tends to be a greater vested interest in the quality and promotion of that content on behalf of its author. As AJ Kohn puts it, the goal should be to build authority, not AuthorRank. And when a brand is willing to build up the personal brand of an employee through blog contribution with established authorship, that employee should return the favor by becoming a content champion for the brand.

Google Authorship Can Increase Content Production

Being able to tell prospective authors – both inside and outside of your company – that you establish Google Authorship for all blog contributors can be extremely motivating when attempting to solicit blog posts. When an author knows that their personal brand and social profiles will have that kind of visibility on a blog, they may be more likely to contribute regularly. In this way, Google Authorship can help increase your content output.

Google Authorship Can Increase Your CTR

When you establish Google Authorship, exhanced rich snippets appear in the SERPs almost immediately. Results with an image of the author, links to other posts they’ve written and a link to their Google+ profile just makes that result stand out amongst those without author rich snippets. Which of these results are you more likely to click on, regardless of position?

While AuthorRank may bring increased rankings for your content someday, Google Authorship can increase the quality and quantity of your content immediately, as well as its CTR performance.

If you’re interested in learning more about Google Authorship, AuthorRank, and the SEO ramifications they both carry, be sure to sign up for our upcoming webinar “Why AuthorRank is the Future of SEO and What You Need to do About it Now” with Business2Community.

If you just can’t wait, you can catch a sneak peak of our slides here:

For more blogging tips, check out our Blog Post Optimization Guide.

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Steven Shattuck

Senior Marketing Associate / Community Manager at Slingshot SEO

Steven Shattuck is Senior Marketing Associate / Community Manager at Slingshot SEO, responsible for the overall corporate online presence (website, blog, social media) with an emphasis on lead generation, digital PR and content creation.

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The post The Real Value of Google Authorship Isn’t AuthorRank appeared first on Slingshot SEO.

At its most basic level, the Internet is just a series of roads that deliver problem solving and entertaining content. Niche blogs and communities connect to search and social superhighways. This vast complex of interdependent roads has a simple purpose: deliver the right content to the right person at the right time, every time. If your brand can be the leading provider in your industry of this targeted content, you “win the Internet” and more customers than any company could ever hope to acquire. Like our mothers always said, “There’s no better way to build trust and brand awareness in an industry than by solving your customers’ problems with great content.”

This content mission sounds pretty straightforward, but its execution is not. Inbound marketers ranging from search and social media practitioners to online PR pros struggle with this mission every day. If you also struggle with producing relevant content for your prospects, try stepping back and asking the simple question, “How may we help you?” Let this question be your North Star. Let it get stuck in your head like a favorite song, and shout it from your digital rooftops.

Let’s break this question down into its finer parts so that we can better understand how to answer it. If you can answer these five components with confidence, it’s very likely your content marketing campaigns will be highly successful and earn the maximum media coverage from online press, social influencers and search engines.

How: What type of content?

Different prospect personas and online media outlets prefer different types of content. Sometimes the right content will be a short and sweet video for impatient personas, while other times a prospect’s problem can only be answered with a thorough and comprehensive eBook. The following four components will help you better determine the right type of content.

May: What inbound “permission” marketing channels?

No matter what you’re trying to market, interruptive YouTube commercials will probably not be the right channel to promote your problem solving content. Interruptive ads often frustrate Internet users, hurt your brand and kick things off on the wrong foot altogether. Forrester reports that approximately 90 percent of web traffic today comes from inbound, permission marketing channels, best defined by Seth Godin. The primary permission channels are online media outlets, digital communities, blogs, social media and organic search.

The best place to start is by creating content that will be shared by online media outlets, blogs and communities, because these are the places social influencers and search engines look to find content to further share. Figure out what channels and online media outlets your prospects frequent, and then tailor your content to them. A quick hint if you’re trying to get content shared on a popular industry blog is to find the blog’s most shared posts and look for their commonalities, such as topic and tone. Let these characteristics be a roadmap for your content and you greatly increase your odds of earning placement in the blog.

We: What authors or contributors?

Different topics will require different author skillsets. Most companies have internal subject matter experts on various topics relating to their industries and the problems their prospects and customers are trying to solve. Make sure you have the right authors contributing to or at a minimum, reviewing your content, so that you can be sure it’s going to resonate with its intended audience. Also, if you don’t have the right authors in-house, you can always look outside of your organization for the proper talent.

Help: What problem are you solving for your prospects?

Your content marketing efforts will undoubtedly fail if you’re not solving the right problem. Fortunately, with the right research, finding the right problem(s) to solve does not have to be a guessing game. You can use search engine keyword tools, social media listening and Q&A sites like Quora to figure out what questions are on the tips of your prospects’ tongues. You can even use an old-fashioned customer survey.

Regardless of your methods, figuring out what problem you’re solving with due research is a crucial component of any successful content marketing campaign. Also, never forget to make sure your content solves prospects’ problems in an entertaining way. To fully solve their problem, they have to actually want to continue reading your content.  Lastly, problem solving content should not be a sales brochure.  Sales literature does not normally get shared and can annoy users at the wrong stage of the buying cycle, so save the hardcore sales lit for your bottom-of-the-funnel landing pages.

You?: What prospect persona are you targeting?

“You” may be the last word in “How may we help you?”, but it’s your content marketing campaign’s starting point. Determining the right prospect persona to target and everything about them will help you correctly answer all of the other elements of your campaign. Essentially, you need to understand exactly who they are by defining their various demographics and preferences. Knowing your prospect personas forwards and backwards will ensure you better understand their problems, what types of content they prefer, and where they hang out online.

Many meteoric company success stories have been built on the backs of great problem solving web content. For example, Geek Squad, which grosses over $1 billion annually, credits much of its success to their hundreds of insightful web videos that help people fix their computers. If you’re looking to learn more about highly successful content marketing and earned media campaigns that answered the question, “How may we help you?”, with authority, check out Why Your Marketing Campaign Sucks and Online Marketing Success Gone Wrong.

If you’re really looking to become a pro at content marketing for earned media, be sure to pre-order Jay Baer’s new book, Youtility, or check out our newest resource, The Inbound Marketer’s Guide to Earned Media.

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Kevin Bailey

Co-Founder, VP of Strategy at Slingshot SEO

An Indiana University graduate, Kevin has more than fourteen years of Internet marketing experience involving organic search engine optimization, eCommerce, conversion rate analysis, statistical analysis, affiliate marketing and web design.

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The post Today’s Marketing Mantra: “How May We Help You?” appeared first on Slingshot SEO.

If you’ve seen his films you certainly know he has a knack for using swear words. I purposely did not include them in the quotes below. However, part of the fun is to read the quotes in his voice and guess what colorful language he might include. If that doesn’t work, the links provided for each quote go to the scene in the actual movie where he speaks these memorable, unedited lines. Enjoy. . .

The pontification goes like this:

10. “Internet troll, be cool!” – Pulp Fiction (1994)

9. “LinkedIn PPC. The very best there is. When you absolutely, positively got to reach every persona in the target demographic, accept no substitutes.” – Jackie Brown (1997)

8. “Hey, MySpace may taste like pumpkin pie, but I’d never know ’cause I wouldn’t use the filthy social network.” – Pulp Fiction (1994)

7. “Bring me my iPad. It’s the one that says ‘Magnificent Internet Marketer!’” – Pulp Fiction (1994)

6. In reference to spammers: “Yes they deserve to die and I hope they burn. . !” A Time To Kill (1996)

5. After being asked by IT where his missing MacBook was: “Geek, I smoked the MacBook!” – Jungle Fever (1991)

4. “Just ’cause you pour dollars into PPC doesn’t make it inbound marketing!” – Juice (1992)

3. To a designer: “If my answers frighten you then you should cease asking scary questions.” – Pulp Fiction (1994)

2. “Say ‘what’ again. SAY ‘WHAT’ AGAIN! I dare you, I double dare you, content marketer! Say ‘what’ one more time!” – Pulp Fiction (1994)

1. “Enough is enough! I have had it with these annoying trolls on this annoying social network!” – Snakes On A Plane (2006)

Hope you were as entertained reading these quotes as I was crafting them. If you’re not a Samuel L. Jackson fan that’s okay, because there are some real marketing lessons to be learned above. If you’re an Internet marketer and a fan feel free to leave your favorite marketing version of a Samuel L. Jackson quote below. I trust you’ll keep it clean. . .

Author information

Chad Pollitt

Director of Marketing at Slingshot SEO

Chad is a decorated veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, a former Army National Guard Commander and the Director of Marketing at Slingshot SEO. He authored "The Content Marketing Manifesto" in 2012. His other writings and articles have been published in dozens of newspapers, magazines and websites throughout the world.

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The post Top 10 Quotes – If Samuel L. Jackson Were An Internet Marketer appeared first on Slingshot SEO.

1. What did they just say?

For many marketers, understanding their audience isn’t the problem; instead, the problem is not being able to tailor their content to suit that audience. Writing for international students coming to the United States to study is a lot different than writing to U.S. students looking to travel abroad for a semester of education. Understanding reading levels, language triggers and motivations are crucial to crafting the right tone of voice and the right message (read: value) in your content.

2. I Swear, I Put That Keyword Somewhere…

Despite what you might have heard, search still matters. That means that ultimately, keywords still matter, too. A critical part of marketing is to understand both your target audience and your products and services – and finding the critical juncture in search space where the two meet. Keyword research is important because Google is a search engine, and keywords are the terms it uses to deliver useful returns to its customers. Know what terms your customers search for – it does no good to optimize for “ladies apparel” when the more popular phrase on your website is “women’s clothing.”

3. We Were Hot On Myspace Yesterday!

You know this tune before I sing it. Every marketer has a duty to stay on top of the latest social trends and newest social channels, while staying proficient and prolific in the tried and true channels still in use. Whether you’re just now learning how to use Facebook and Twitter, or becoming a master of Pinterest, StumbleUpon and the mighty (and personal favorite) Google+, take the time to understand the channels your audience use most. Meet them at their playground first, before you invite them to the games on yours.

4. Can you hear me now?

Sometimes companies are speaking to the wrong audience. That’s why we put such an emphasis here at Slingshot on developing relevant personas for any campaign, so we can ensure that any new content will be targeted at the right people. We also perform significant keyword research to understand the search perspective, as well as competitive analysis to see how clients’ competitors are communicating.

Have other questions about writing for your target audience, or how to go after a new one? Tell us what you think and what you’d like to see more of in the comments below.

For some expert tips on how to write for your audience, download our guide to the 5 W’s of Content Creation.

This post was co-written by Dustin Clark and Derek Smith.

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Dustin Clark

Search Media Creative Consultant at Slingshot SEO

Dustin is a content strategist for Slingshot SEO. In his spare time he slays dragons for pretend, and drives his wife crazy worrying that he’s somewhere in the Indiana woods stalking a brown bear with a pocket knife and a d20.

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The post 4 Tips For Persona Marketing Done Right appeared first on Slingshot SEO.

Put me in coach, I’m ready to play

Every kid who grows up playing baseball dreams of making it to the Big Leagues. Similarly, many of us with a love of writing dream of making it to the Chicago Tribune, copywriting for a Fortune 50 company or becoming the next big-time blogger. Few of us will reach those heights, but here are some tips straight from the dugout for maximizing your blogging potential.

Get lots of batting practice: In blogging, this translates to reading – lots and lots of reading. Read the major blogs in your area of business and discover the emerging bloggers who will be tomorrow’s thought leaders. You also need to spend the time reading everything that’s written on your own blog. Let all those thoughts germinate so that you when you step up to the plate, you know exactly what pitches you can hit.

Read the manager’s signs: Yep, that’s the guy with the glasses standing over there frowning. He’s your company’s marketing manager or social media manager and he’s got a vision for what he wants to do with your company’s blog, what topics interest readers the most and how all your company’s previous blog posts have performed. Pick his brain about blog titles and topics. Ask him to share his blog analytics so you can see for yourself what is resonating with your audience.

Maximize your Slugging Percentage: Whether you end up on base or not, make sure you’re making contact with the baseball. In blogging, that means performing adequate research, engaging readers in your writing and taking the time to edit your work. The outfielder might catch your ball, but at least you’ve given yourself a chance at a big hit because you’re gone through the correct process: keeping your eye on the ball (research), swinging your bat at the right pitch (writing), and sprinting to first base (editing).

Point to the fence: Like Babe Ruth pointing to center field, you’ve got to be confident that you can deliver a home run. You know your industry, the business trends that matter and what everyone is talking about, and you’ve done the research to understand your audience, so be bold and point to that center field fence. Believe your next swing is going to send that ball 500 feet.

Swing for the fences: Write with conviction and passion – taking your readers on a journey that gives them value and helps them solve a problem. Don’t be afraid to take risks (within the context of your content governance). Sometimes hitting a home run means not being afraid to strike out. When you’re disappointed with the results of a post you were excited about, learn from it. Ask your manager and others how you could have made it better and listen closely to their feedback.

Switch hitting: Show your expertise in what you know, but don’t be afraid to venture into new territory. For example, maybe you’ve written a lot about social media and want to challenge yourself by writing more about blogging strategy. Be willing to explore new writing subjects; just make sure you communicate your new direction with your skipper.

Pinch hitting: Even the best bloggers can hit a wall in terms of inspiration and ideas. Encourage colleagues who haven’t participated on the blog to contribute. Offer to provide support/guidance to help mentor these budding bloggers. Know others in your field who could spice up your blog? Think about helping to find guest bloggers who can share their expertise on your blog.

Load the bases for the cleanup hitter: Let’s say you’re good at the blogging equivalent of getting walks or hitting singles. Think about how you can challenge yourself and others to get some multiple base hits. Maybe you can work with your cleanup hitter on a co-authored piece that can get some traction. If you challenge him enough, maybe you (and others) will be on base when he hits his home run – and it will be a grand slam instead of a solo shot.

Be willing to take one for the team: Whether you’re a reporter, copywriter or blogger, you will eventually have to write about something that doesn’t particularly interest you. Do it anyway. Square around for a bunt or stand there and let that pitch hit you, shake it off and trot on down to first base. And then come up with a better idea for your next post; you’ll undoubtedly get your best batting results when you’re passionate about the subject.

Keep your eye on the ball: Always know the inning and the score. (You’re regularly reading your company’s blog, remember?) And know your team’s record by understanding what types of posts are resonating with readers and writing more of those. Taking your team to the playoffs means writing with true purpose. Familiarize yourself with your company’s content calendar and understand the value of coordinated content. You’ll prove yourself as a thought leader while taking your team straight to October.

Maybe you’re just one player on an award-winning blogging team that’s producing valuable content all day long. Or maybe your company has just started to blog and you need to establish some initial momentum. Your situation really doesn’t matter; the rules of the game don’t change from tee-ball to the bigs. Get your batting practice, wait for the right pitch and swing for the fences.

For more blogging tips, check out our Blog Post Optimization Guide.

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Derek Smith

Inbound Marketing Consultant at Slingshot SEO

Derek Smith is an Inbound Marketing Consultant at Slingshot SEO.

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The post Of Baseball and Blogging appeared first on Slingshot SEO.

Each step in the below checklist can serve as a building block for creating a website launch timeline and making sure it’s inbound-ready. Every step might not be required for every website project. However, customize this list as required, build a realistic timeline and use these self-imposed deadlines as leverage for moving a new website forward and avoiding the endless website project.

1. Copywriting and Editing

2. Design

3. Development

4. Testing (mobile, browsers, etc.)

5. Offer Creation (whitepapers, guides, ebooks, etc.)

6. Landing Page Design and Development

7. Call to Action Design

8. Blog Migration (if prudent)

9. Marketing Automation Integration

10. Analytics Integration

11. 301 Redirect Mapping (if prudent)

12. Lead Nurturing/Scoring/Intelligence Created

13. Email Templates Designed

14. A/B Testing Round One Established

15. New Social Profiles Established (if prudent)

16. On-page SEO Audited/Established

17. Interactive Graphics Created (if prudent)

18. Event/Behavior Tracking Implemented

19. CRM Integration

Steps one and two above are the biggest culprits for endlessly pushing website projects passed their deadline. Be cognizant of this and make sure the proper resources are in place to adequately expedite them. Also, avoid creating websites by committee whenever possible. The more cooks in the kitchen the messier it will get. Seek out one or two final decision makers.

With the 19 steps above fully implemented the resulting website will certainly be inbound-ready. It will be prepared to reap the maximum benefits from content marketing, social media marketing, search engine optimization and digital PR.

Image Credit: gertcha

Author information

Chad Pollitt

Director of Marketing at Slingshot SEO

Chad is a decorated veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, a former Army National Guard Commander and the Director of Marketing at Slingshot SEO. He authored "The Content Marketing Manifesto" in 2012. His other writings and articles have been published in dozens of newspapers, magazines and websites throughout the world.

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