Get ready for content marketing, SEO in 2013

Content marketing

At last! The importance of a strategy that focuses on generating content that can be adapted for multi-platforms from day one is being seriously recognised, particularly in the content marketing landscape.

Defining a target market, developing key messaging, identifying appropriate communication platforms and disseminating packaged information appropriately to each is what we've been doing for, well forever. To be working with clients that are recognising the benefits of a strategy that defines the importance of this upfront is saving us time, energy and grey hairs. It's also lead to an increased openness from industry players for collaborative campaigns.

An example is how we've been working with Premier Hotels & Resorts (the website is being re-developed as we speak ).

Step 1: define its target market and develop collateral (boilerplate, key messages, communication plaforms etc).
Step 2: owned comms platforms were scrutinised and a plan for improvement and development has been put in place.
Step 3: we then utilised the key messages through various traditional platforms including the World Travel Market website, print publications and digital platforms like Facebook, linking with partners such as Eat Out and supported by radio advertising.

So is this content marketing in the PR realm? Well...yeah.

A few months back, we were invited by New Media to partner with them on Content 2013. A content marketing conference that, I can assure you, is going to blow your socks off. Although the company conceptualised the conference, it in no way wishes to own it and are at pains to ensure that the conference engages anyone and everyone in the world of content marketing to make it relevant, focused and useful.

"Despite the plethora of conferences on content marketing, not one dealt with our unique situation, or provided an objective overview of all the facets that affect us," says Heléne Lindsay, head of the conference's organising committee and head of strategy at New Media. "The real need is for a forum where all stakeholders share and learn from each other, driven by insiders who know and care."

It's an exciting time to be in communications I tell you - tipping point is being reached! Am I becoming over-eager at the thought that the need for client education may diminish as content management becomes more mainstream?

The death of link building and the rebirth of link earning

I can bore you all to death with the details on Google algorithyms and how they've changed and what this means ad nauseam.

Bottom line: Content has returned to being an actual king in the search engine realm. Good content = good sharing = good SEO.

Guest posting

Here I quote from Amanzi Digital, a company that I work with and trust:
"The idea behind guest posting is to approach relevant industry related websites and offer them an article in exchange for some links (maximum of two). In essence this has become a PR's game as relationships need to be built with various bloggers/webmasters. Article ideas need to be pitched, which align with the website's audience. Content will need to be of good quality and provide value."

So it's obvious, what we currently do for our clients (identifying what content is of strategic value, writing and packaging it) we can do for web - with an SEO strategy behind it.

And last but not least, I've been guilty of complaining about things without getting involved, so the following are now on my "to do" list:

• Bug the DMMA to be part of the #DMMAdebate on social media measurement - I can't bear the thought of being in the same position as we are now with AVE's in two years time....
  
• Work with students at tertiary institutions such as CPUT to provide practical industry know-how.
  
• Join PRISA and help the Western Cape Charter reach their goal of reactivating the organisation.

So rock on 2013 - we're ready for you.