Content marketing often reaches consumers through their direction or instigation (clicking on a link), not through passive—or sometimes unwilling—observation. It delivers information in the form of a blog post, email, article in a print or online publication, or a video that informs buyers with relevant content.

Just as your small business credit card helps you manage the financial part of your business, content marketing helps you manage the essence of your business: your product or service, corporate message and reputation. Nielsen found that 58 percent of consumers trust editorial content, according to InboundMarketingAgents.com. They trust the information because it helps them in some way—whether it’s understanding a problem or discovering the hidden benefits of solving a problem.

To generate content that works as a fruitful marketing tool, it helps to be aware of what content marketing isn’t. Search engine optimization (SEO) expert Lee Odden points out on TopRank that it’s not simply creating volumes of content. It’s strategic, not “mechanical spray and pray.”

Generating content starts with identifying the themes of your business and how your products can solve problems. One of the easiest ways to narrow down your content creation needs, Right Source Marketing stated in “How to Grow Your Business with Content Marketing,” is to identify up to a dozen themes and focus on building a campaign around each of them.

There’s no way to sugarcoat it—producing content that converts prospects to customers can be a daunting undertaking. One reason is that context is often needed for the information in an article, video or blog post, content marketing expert Brian Clark stated on Marketing Land. Provide context by developing what’s known as “cornerstone content” around the topics people need to understand in order to do business with you, Clark advised.

Inspirational content marketing begins with meaningful storytelling, SEO expert Odden said. Then, that meaningful storytelling must be targeted to your current and prospective customers.

Publishing content and optimizing it to attract readers is a step in the right direction, but it’s not the end of the line, according to Right Source Marketing. Content distribution is a strategic marketing tactic, not random attempts to get your message out. Distributing the content entails comprehensive research about your audience and must be disbursed in outlets sought out by your targeted consumer group.

If you’re serious about content marketing, an editorial calendar to plan pieces in advance is essential. An easy way to start to build your editorial calendar is by being aware of holidays, seasons and upcoming events that pertain to your products or services.

There is literally enough information online and in university courses about content marketing to earn a degree in it. Fortunately, by knowing the basics — and keeping up to date with the ever-changing Google Panda and Penguin algorithms — you can begin to position your business to reap the benefits of this most credible form of marketing.

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1. 27% of total US internet time is spent on social networking sites.
2. 15% of total US mobile internet time is spent on social networking sites.
3. Social media produces nearly double the marketing leads of trade shows, telemarketing, direct mail or PPC.
4. Social lead conversion rates are 13% higher than the average lead conversion rate.
5. 21% of marketers say that social media has become more important to their company over the past 6 months.
6. 74% of all marketers say Facebook is important to their lead generation strategies.
7. Companies that generate more than 1,000 Facebook likes also get close to 1,400 website visits daily.
8. 52% of all marketers have found a customer through Facebook in 2013 so far.
9. On Facebook, brand posts achieve 50% of their reach within 30 minutes.
10. 85% of Facebook fans of brands recommend them to others, compared to 60% of average users.
11. 43% of all marketers have found a customer on LinkedIn in 2013 so far.
12. 36% of all marketers have found a customer on Twitter in 2013 so far.
13. 59% of Twitter users have visited B2B tech brand sites, compared to only 40% of average internet users.
14. 25% of consumers who complain about products on Facebook or Twitter expect a response within an hour.
15. Women (48%) are more likely than men (43%) to regularly check out a brand’s social page.
16. 23% of marketers are investing in blogging and social media this year—a 9% annual increase.
17. Approximately 46% of online users rely on social media, when they make a buying decision.

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Active Participation

A quick snapshot of any social media campaign is to look at the number of users who are accessing your social media profiles. With Facebook, it would be the number of “likes.” With Twitter, it would be the number of retweets. However, these numbers aren’t the only ones you should be studying. Go deeper. The key to social media is engagement. For instance, Facebook provides its page administrators with a detailed analysis of the percentage of comments generated and views. The other networks have metrics such as page views and mentions that can also indicate the kind of volume your company is attracting.

Bounce Rate

Are your visitors arriving at your site from your social media profiles but leaving immediately? Take a look at the time spent on your website from your different traffic sources. If you find that visitors are spending less than a minute on your website, then maybe your landing page needs better copy. Or maybe you’re attracting the wrong audience.

Conversions

You want social media campaigns to convert, either into subscriptions, sales or any other items that you’re offering as part of your sales funnel. If your sales increase after launching a successful social media campaign, then it worked. However, those numbers can also be used to determine the return on investment when it comes to expanding your reach. For instance, if you have a 5% increase in sales with a 10% increase in site traffic then it follows the more traffic, the more sales.

Not all of the metrics are simple to track and may require some advanced tools. It’s very important to take the time to have the right measurement and analytical tools in place before you start a social media campaign. Without the right tools, you won’t be able to determine if your campaigns were successful or an abysmal failure.

For help with Social Media Management, learn more about our services here.

The tips above are provided by CorporationCentre’s You Inc.

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By this year, that number can go up to 90%. Next to Google, YouTube is the biggest search engine on the internet. There are over 60 hours of video uploaded every single minute for a total of around 4 billion videos being posted every day.

About 800 million users stop by YouTube every month. That’s an amazing range of audience to try and tap into and that is just YouTube.

In the business arena, consumers spend more time at a website watching a video as opposed to a site without that type of content. More folks would rather watch a video than read text so how can you tap into potential customer base?

That’s easy: You have to create your own videos. If you’re not convinced yet, consider these other factors:

Videos can be the best way to convey a lot of information.

A video can deliver a lot of messages in a short amount of time. This is especially important when it comes to company branding. Writing blog posts will only take you so far. With a video, you can reinforce the positive attributes of your company’s product in a memorable way.Make videos with humor and you’ll go even further in terms of brand retention. You’ll also be able to form your company’s personality through your video presentations. That’s going to be extremely valuable.

Videos can have multiple uses.

A video docked on your website can be a terrific asset, but a good video has a broad range of uses. It can be purposed on YouTube and other sites to bring traffic back to your site. The video can also be embedded in an email newsletter or used in a sales presentation.

Videos are what your customers want.

Consider the tale of two websites. One has fun videos and the other just copy. Which one will get more engagement? The one with videos. If you want to keep your customers engaged give them what they want and that would be video content. In other words, if you’re not making videos your competitor will.

Videos will continually be useful.

There are some studies that declare by 2014, the vast majority of mobile data traffic will be video. Every Smartphone and pad device has the capability to watch videos. By creating this type of content you’ll be positioning your company to be “on the go” wherever your customers are headed.

To get started with videos for your customers, contact us now.

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Five reasons to work from a coffee shop, cafe or library:

1. Change of Environment Stimulates Creativity

2. Fewer Distractions from Co-Workers, Family

3. Community and Meeting New People

4. Freedom to Change Seats or Locations

5. Easy Access to Refreshments

There are a few things to consider, such as having access to a power outlet or coming fully charged, and finding an ideal seat (comfortable chair, enough table room, not too close to a door or cash register).

One entrepreneur shares his rationale on the above points in a blog post: Why you should work from a coffee shop, even when you have an office available here.

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It is argued that SEO provides a greater return on investment than any other comparable form of marketing. However, SEO is not simply about choosing the right keywords.

Here are some ways that you can beat your competitors at SEO:

1. Focus on content creation.

2. Plan keyword targeting strategies carefully.

3. Stay abreast of SEO news.

4. Monitor your competitors’ backlink profiles.

5. Monitor your competitors’ on-site SEO activities.

To discuss SEO options for your website or blog, please contact Daniel Design.

For more on the these SEO suggestions, view this article descriptions on the 5 tips.

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According to Stanford University’s definition, Responsive Web Design involves:

A website that responds to the device that accesses it and delivers the appropriate output for it uses responsive design. Rather than designing multiple sites for different-sized devices, this approach designs one site but specifies how it should appear on varied devices.

As displayed in the graphic below, the elements and content automatically adjust and re-size based on the screen size and device.

Why Responsive Web Design is Relevant

1. More people are accessing information on mobile devices. You need to be able to invite them to view your site based on their preferences.
2. Images not fixed shapes and sizes – they should be fluid. In Responsive Web Design, they adjust accordingly.
3. It is easier than you think.
4. To be heard, viewed, acknowledged online through your website, you have to adapt.

“The control which designers know in the print medium, and often desire in the web medium, is simply a function of the limitation of the printed page. We should embrace the fact that the web doesn’t have the same constraints, and design for this flexibility. But first, we must ‘accept the ebb and flow of things.” – John Allsopp, “A Dao of Web Design”

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So much of our world is online and has changed how we view things and how we organize them. We tend to see only the most recent items at the top of our email inbox. Very little remains in our digital work that isn’t urgent or timely. Take a look at your email inbox and then look at your physical inbox, if you have one. Better yet, look at your refrigerator or bulletin board. You’ll likely notice you’ve kept things far longer than is strictly necessary. You might have a magnet calendar from last year you haven’t thrown away but you’ve deleted plenty of emails that are no longer relevant to your life.

We have a tendency to hold on to physical reminders of things we like or need to do. We also keep things because it’s easier than throwing them out or because we find them interesting or aesthetically pleasing. That’s why business cards can be so powerful. So before you head out to your next conference or networking event, load up your pocket with a stack of business cards.

Modern Advantages

One massive advantage you have over your forebearers is modern printing technology. Way back in the (relatively) dark ages, printing custom stationary items was expensive and took a long time. You also probably had to order a huge quantity or pay a premium for a small print run. Now, printers are using digital technology to their advantage and yours. Scrambling to get your new title on a card before a big meeting? Don’t sweat it, because printing business cards from Overnight Prints is one of many solutions that will have you looking like a polished professional in the board room.

If your company or your clientele are tech savvy, add a QR code to your card. Thusly, you can provide a tactile and electronic business card at the same time.

Design Options

Though you may not be passionate about the merits of ecru versus bone; embossing over engraving or adding a watermark, significant thought should be put into the design and layout of your business cards. No matter how “cool” a certain style might look, your card must reflect the nature and character of your business. A card for a graphic designer from a hip, fun agency should look entirely different from the card of a C.P.A. at a serious investment firm. While non-traditional shapes, die cuts (cut outs) and glossy finishes are attention grabbing, use them thoughtfully and selectively. Designing business cards isn’t like choosing upgrades for a car: more isn’t always better! If you’re having trouble making a choice, consult a trusted colleague or ask your printer for advice.

Next time you leave the office, take a few of your new, memorable business cards with you. You never know when you’ll really need one.

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Why Making a Hard-to-Crack Password Matters

Maintaining your internet security is imperative in today’s business digital era. Over 8 million Americans were victims of online identity theft in 2011.

In this infographic, you can investigate how crucial adding only a few characters to your password can be.

The following infographic was put together by LifeLock.

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Why start a healthcare mapping resource? There are two problems that iAmSick.ca addresses. The first is a systematic problem that is burdening the Canadian healthcare system; and the second is a problem related to inconveniences experienced by Canadians who seek same-day primary care options. How has design helped them get started?

“Daniel brought artistic insight to our logo design, taking into account our vision and requirements. He worked with us through many iterations to refine the logo into one that best represents our brand.” – iAmSick.ca Team

This is destined to be a popular tool – helping both the healthcare industry and everyday citizens. The Canadian healthcare system is overburdened with unnecessary Emergency Room visits. Almost half of all ER visits are non-critical, and it costs the government more per patient for an ER visit compared to receiving similar treatment at an urgent care centre, walk-in clinic or family doctor. Patients are inconvenienced by the ineffective use of consumer technology when it comes to healthcare in Canada. What about just Googling instead? Searches for nearby same-day healthcare options in Canada often deliver results that are incomplete, noisy or out-of-date, and information is dispersed across various websites. For ERs, urgent care centres and walk-in clinics, patients register in person and spend unproductive hours in a waiting room.

Visual Identity Design Process

The design process included the overall visual identity – including colours, typography, supplementary imagery and even naming options. The colour combination is designed to be unique to the overall healthcare industry, to help this fresh new tool be identified. Various colour options are displayed in the boxes to the right.

The iAmSick.ca logo was designed to be easily applicable to a future mobile phone App (see square versions below). Various iterations were created for the iAmSick.ca Twitter account and Facebook page (along with header graphics and backgrounds).

“Ever visited another city, and needed healthcare services? This will help, as there is a lack of awareness of healthcare options for travellers,” the creators explain. “International students aren’t fully aware of all healthcare providers that accept UHIP health insurance plans, Canadians traveling out-of-province may be unaware of their healthcare options, and international visitors to Canada may have travel insurance but are unaware of their healthcare options. We are working towards providing users with all the information they need in a single place.”

Overall iAmSick.ca consolidates information about emergency rooms, urgent care centres, walk-in clinics and pharmacies onto a map that makes it easier for patients to learn about their surroundings and see relevant information.

Upon beta launch, the tool only shows information for Ontario, but the team is working towards showing all Canadians what’s nearby, what’s open at the time of search, wait-time information if its available, and more.

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