We sweat the small stuff, so you don't have to...
That's the essence of this blog. I troll the internet on a nearly daily basis, looking for relevant direct and web marketing to allow you, valued reader, to benefit from the bits of knowledge I discover. At the same time, I'm in learning mode and still trying determine how to market my own freelance business these channels. It's a lot like returning to school, but it's all self-directed study, choosing my own subjects...and not having to worry about getting to class on time.
So the biggest buzzwords I keep encountering in my virtual travels are these:
social media marketing
Big Data (always capitalized)
email marketing
mobile sites
content marketing
My intention for the next few weeks is to take these terms and make them relevant to you as an adventure travel business and what you can do to incorporate them into your marketing.
First up, content marketing...
What is it? Basically, it's a way to take your sales copy and turn it into useful information that attracts, engages and converts your soft prospects into solid buyers. You want to send out this valuable stuff to a targeted, specially chosen audience - in this case, people likely to be young to middle-age adults in a higher socio-economic bracket, college-educated, active, environmentally conscious...the ideal adventure travel seeker.
Content marketing is never one-and-done. It's an ongoing process that requires constant refinement of your SEO and quality of your message. With SEO, you'll want to use the right keywords and phrases that rank high up in Google, but beware. You don't want to overload your website copy with them. Otherwise, the deceptively cutesy-named Google algorithms (i.e. Panda and Penguin) will penalize your site and send it further down the black hole of cyberspace.
Of course, SEO can be a real time-consuming pain in the rear. That's why it's great if you can find a qualified SEO expert who can help find those keyword nuggets and integrate them into your copy in smooth, seamless manner.
The other thing to remember with content marketing, as the linked article mentions, is you never resort to screaming, hyped-up used-car salesman selling. It's assuming a helper role - you're here to inform, not sell. Through the brilliance of your message, your prospects come to "know, like and trust" you, as Sonia Simone at Copyblogger writes. From there, the door to a sale can magically open up.
So here's a quick and dirty example of how to do content marketing for the nonexistent Tippy Canoe Tours:
Imagine gliding down the Wailua River in Kauai in sturdy yet light canoe. A sprinkling of rain splashes over you on the tropical breeze, but the sun overhead tells you that it's going to be another beautiful day in paradise. You can rest assured that your adventure will be great, because we've been doing this for over 40 years...
And...how not to do it:
Want to ride a canoe down the Wailua River? Then come to Tippy Canoe in Kapa'a, and we'll give you the most awesome trip in Kauai.
See the difference?
I'd love to hear what you have to say about your experiences with content marketing. Please feel free to leave a comment below!