The Internet is littered with various type of contents that sifting through its long list of website and posts may look like an impossible task to the untrained eye. Fortunately, search engines, especially Google, have developed a method in classifying and ranking these contents, so that web users can find related posts to the keywords they have typed in the search box.

For your business to stand out amidst the competition, it has to have that wow factor and meet specific requirements in order to rank first. You can’t just expect to rank high in search engines if your content sounds rubbish and lacks substance. While you are not expected to write poetic and classic pieces like literary masters do, the content you post should be at least creative and engaging enough aside from containing relevant and useful information in your field.

No matter what kind of marketer you are, content matters.

The reasons for this are manifold. Yes, there’s content marketing, which has long been called the “new black” in the marketing arsenal. Content marketing has risen to prominence for a slew of very, very good reasons. It’s customer-centric, rather than sell-centric. It’s about you rather than me, and it’s the marketing of attraction rather than interruption.

Content has also become popular due to the democratization of media. Everyone can do it (though doing it well is another story entirely). Blog? Podcast? Video? All you have to do is own a phone.

Media channels are flooded with content, especially social media. Can you imagine what these platforms would be like without any content in it? And when browsing through your newsfeed, the thing you least like is reading about fakes news or lousy content that shouts spam. You don’t want to waste your time on these clickbait contents. Modern consumers want to read about something informational, where they end up one information smarter than they did before opening that link.

Content isn’t just for marketers. Content originates across the organization, primarily in public-facing functions such as sales, HR, customer service, product development and in the executive suite.

The culture of content is arising not just because brands are publishers, but because employees are publishers, too. Some will shrug this off this as noise rather than signal, but the proliferation of channels, platforms and devices is further enabling employees to speak on behalf of the brand.

Add to that requests from teams in social media, sales, thought leadership, real-time marketing, recruitment and customer service, and the demand has never been higher for continual content creation, refinement, repurposing and reformatting.

Content can help elevate numerous functions, from social selling to diverting calls from a call center to most cost-efficient digital channels. Smart organizations evangelize this message for cost savings, employee empowerment, thought leadership and other benefits.

(Via: http://marketingland.com/content-matters-no-matter-type-marketer-217413)

The contents your brand post speak a lot about your company and people will base their opinions depending on the message you communicate to them.

Online contents also reach a global audience. Your content should be friendly enough that people of all walks of life and nationalities can relate to or at least target a specific industry or niche and try to build your expertise so people listen (or read, in this case) everything you talk about something in that field.

Brands are no longer merely peddling products, Ané Honiball reckons. They’re producing, unearthing and distributing information.

Do you remember the big hoo-ha years ago about subtle product placement in movies or on TV? Well, the big shift from traditional to native content is no surprise, really, given the fact that gripping content is hugely effective in adding value to the user experience.

We’re seeing everyday how cleverly designed content marketing strategies morph into powerful relationship building and brand positioning tools. It’s a great way to take businesses – both large and small – to the next level. Brands are no longer merely peddling products; they’re producing, unearthing, and distributing information.

(Via: http://themediaonline.co.za/2017/06/is-content-marketing-the-new-black-with-brands-becoming-content-publishers/)

It’s all about the user experience now. Consumers don’t just buy things or avail of services because that’s what they see on ads but more so because they benefit from these brands. Consumers support a brand they believe in, and they can only learn more through quality content a brand posts about their products and the mission and vision of the company.

It’s like hitting two birds with one stone actually. Aside from ranking high on search engines and be seen by your consumer-base, engaging and quality content helps you streamline your traffic so you target the right people with your posts and most likely make a sale after or change their perception about your brand for the better. If you think about it, there is so much more to quality content especially that so much in the world has gone digital. People check the web first for many of their needs, which is why taking the time in crafting contents that stand out from the rest and really speak about your brand is a great investment over time.

It’s The Quality Of The Content That Counts was originally seen on www.allsystemsgomarketing.com

We all value our privacy. Of course, who wants to get all their garbage exposed for the entire world to know? But sorry to burst your bubble because you have been spied on for a long time now without you knowing. Sorry to break the news to you if you don’t know about it yet. But can you help it if you just love the web? It almost has all the answers you are looking for and best of all, you can have it in an instant. Google Chrome is perhaps the best search engine there is mainly because Google has crafted various related services that make life a breeze and it’s so easy to use too. It contains millions of articles and links that people may find useful in their daily lives.

Unfortunately, this beloved browser is hiding a deep dark secret. It’s been spying on us all along. For the past 18 years that Google has been around, it has taken note of all your Google searches – yes, all. It remembers all the things you’ve asked Google for, even those naughty questions you are too embarrassed to ask another person, even to a doctor. It’s really scary to have all your deepest darkest secrets archived by no other than a tech giant like Google who won’t have second thoughts of selling it to third parties if the price is right.

During the hoo-ha, one of the spooks with whom I discussed Snowden’s revelations waxed indignant about our coverage of the story. What bugged him (pardon the pun) was the unfairness of having state agencies pilloried, while firms such as Google and Facebook, which, in his opinion, conducted much more intensive surveillance than the NSA or GCHQ, got off scot free. His argument was that he and his colleagues were at least subject to some degree of democratic oversight, but the companies, whose business model is essentially “surveillance capitalism”, were entirely unregulated.

He was right. “Surveillance”, as the security expert Bruce Schneier has observed, is the business model of the internet and that is true of both the public and private sectors. Given how central the network has become to our lives, that means our societies have embarked on the greatest uncontrolled experiment in history. Without really thinking about it, we have subjected ourselves to relentless, intrusive, comprehensive surveillance of all our activities and much of our most intimate actions and thoughts. And we have no idea what the long-term implications of this will be for our societies – or for us as citizens.

(Via: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jun/18/google-not-gchq--truly-chilling-spy-network)

Although it is quite a common knowledge today that we are being watched online, some are still oblivious to this chilling fact. Billions type in questions on Google on a daily basis. The same can be said for the billions of Facebook users who log in daily to their SNS accounts. All your queries, likes, comments, posts, etc. all leave a digital footprint that people inside the organization can use to their advantage, whether to be sold to third-party businesses for instance or even tapped by the government for information during disasters or terror attacks.

Google claims it wants to help you in every way possible. They are a search engine, a smart thermostat, a map, a video site, a place to create content and socialize and much more.

The list goes on and on with what they do and offer based on their many acquisitions.

What they don’t tell you in any way obvious, is that they scan every slice of Google that you use. All that information . . . becomes part of your “permanent record.” They argue it’s useful in order to customize your experience.

Google is doing everything they can to subvert your right to be forgotten. They seem to know literally everything you’re doing and what the temperature in your house is.

Remember, this is the same Google that was fined millions of dollars by several different countries when they literally stole IP addresses and WiFi passwords from citizens’ homes as they drove by in their quest to map the world. By this time we are all exhausted by the mind-numbing targeted ads and content we receive. Who is that really useful to? To them of course.

(Via: http://www.mirror.co.uk/tech/what-yahoo-hack-taught-facebook-9205897)

In reality, spying has been a part of Google’s plan all along. It has worked like a data vacuum alongside Facebook and many others in compiling personal data and browsing habits of consumers either to be sold to data brokers, businesses, and even the government for a profit. Every single one of your searches is added to your permanent online dossier and the list just adds up as you continue to use these platforms today, tomorrow, and in the future.

The only way to fight this practice is to walk away from it all. But then, can you really do it in a world that is quickly becoming digital in all aspects as the days go by. Unless you decide to live off the grid, you need these modern conveniences as you communicate with people and basically survive. It’s a tough call, really. Your best recourse is to limit the amount of personal information you share online and never forget that you are being watched since studies show that when people know they are being observed, their behaviors change and becomes more calculated leaving you less room to make careless mistakes.

The following blog post Google: Modern Digital Spy was first seen on https://www.allsystemsgomarketing.com/

We all hear the term “breaking the Internet” once in a while. That’s when someone or something does something really mind-blowing that virtually everyone on the planet who uses the web is talking about it all at the same time. Celebrities and performers are often responsible for this amazing phenomenon but it can also be other prominent figures in various niches. Some even end up as funny memes that stays on the annals of the web forever.

Aside from becoming a sensational star, you can also break the Internet as a means to promote and grow your brand. The potential is limitless if you just know how to market your brand right. And what better way to let the entire world know about your brand and what you offer through social media. SNS may have its many flaws but it proves to be a helpful tool in tapping the right market and delivering the essence of your brand. You can be all over the Internet once you capture the attention of the countless SNS users all over the globe. For instance, Facebook is not just a great platform to connect with friends but it is also a great avenue for entrepreneurs to target consumers via Facebook Ads and Facebook Retargeting.

Whether you’re building a brand on social media, marketing a business event, or campaigning for a cause, you’re fighting everyone else for space — not just your immediate competitors.

In today’s market, social media noise is a serious problem, hindering a company’s reach on the powerful marketing medium.

What’s more, today’s audience is constantly interrupted and have begun to show signs of ad aversion.

It makes perfect sense to focus a great deal of your time and effort in social media marketing because a big chunk of Internet users are on social media too. However, there are millions of competitions too for the attention of the public. Even traditional advertising is no longer that effective in promoting your brand. If you don’t know what you are doing, you might end up wasting your time, money, and effort in a fruitless endeavor that may even send you to bankruptcy.

Social networks have grown more crowded, and users’ attention spans have dramatically dropped. About three years ago, Ogilvy predicted that reach for brand content on social would eventually drop to zero.

You could rely on social media ads if it wasn’t for the surge in usage of ad blockers, or your audience telling you they hate ads.

Despite these drawbacks, several brands are managing to engage communities and drive business through social networks.

(Via: https://www.searchenginejournal.com/social-media-noise/197377/)

Don’t underestimate the power of quality and straight-to-the-point content. While consumers like seeing flashy banners and logos sometimes, the new breed of consumers now also want to know more about your brand and what they can get from you before deciding to click that link to your website. If the content you post can capture the consumer’s divided attention, then you may be on to something good.

Social media has become one of the most effective marketing tools ever. It’s created an entirely new sub-genre of marketing and has become a digital publicity beast. If you’re a business owner developing a marketing strategy, including social media to boost your company’s brand awareness is a no-brainer. But before you start creating profiles for your company, you need to determine which platforms would be best to promote your brand and improve your organization’s name recognition.

When choosing the right social media channels to focus on, you should consider the type of products and services you offer as well as who your target audience is. Additionally, each platform has different groups of users characterized by certain demographics, so having a solid understanding of each channel’s reach is crucial to your overall social media strategy.

(Via: http://www.business2community.com/social-media/boost-brand-awareness-social-media-01864156#A7gI4jhffA6J87qm.97)

It’s pretty obvious that there are different types of social media platforms and it targets different demographics too. Facebook is an all-time favorite by many of all ages while LinkedIn is used sporadically by professionals when they are looking for work or needing to hire employees. Instagram focuses on the visuals and Twitter alongside the former is mainly used by older Millenials who like flaunting on social media.

The bottom line is, it’s the type of content you post that matters whenever you use social media. Creating customized content is non-negotiable knowing that various social media platforms differ. Once you understand what posts to publish in what platform, what keywords to use, etc. you won’t have a hard time breaking the web and catapulting your brand to fame and fortune, which is the reason why you are in business on the first place.

The following blog article Breaking The Internet With The Help Of Social Media was initially published on All Systems Go Marketing Blog

Everyone wants to be an entrepreneur. Unfortunately, a flair for business can’t always be taught or learned but often an inborn trait. However, that does not mean that you can’t learn to be a good businessman as you go along. There are certain business practices that you can learn over time. After all, a lot has changed and the market isn’t the way it used to. For the most part, the rapid progress of technology is what changed everything we know about business. Social media is a big business driver now and even natural-born entrepreneurs should learn about various SEO practices to make their brand stand out amidst the crowd.

If you think you got SEO mastered already, you’re quite mistaken because local SEO is actually a little different than just basic SEO. Getting reviews and building links are just some of the things you need to remember if you want your local business to stay afloat despite the continued dominance of franchises. There are also certain mistakes you’ve been unconsciously doing that are detrimental to the growth and success of your brand. Knowing what these mistakes are early on can save you from a lot of headaches later in the game.

For some reason, more than ever before, it seems like most business owners (and many marketers) are equating content with SEO. It’s like suddenly, the only thing that matters is content, content, CONTENT. If multiple pages aren’t added to the site every month, then obviously, no SEO has been performed.

Hopefully, everyone reading this knows that the “content, content, CONTENT” play is way off-base. The problem is that most business owners don’t know, and many of us aren’t doing a sufficient job of educating business owners to show them why. If there’s a huge disconnect between what marketers know and business owners believe, we’re all going to have problems keeping clients.

So this month’s edition of Greg’s Soapbox is calling out the “content, content, CONTENT” play and showing why overloading on content is a bad strategy.

(Via: http://searchengineland.com/stop-overloading-local-seo-content-275013)

Content may drive traffic and sales but like everything else, too much of something is not always a good thing. You may be overcrowding your site with useless data that isn’t working to your advantage and the clutter may even drive consumers away. You don’t want that to happen if you want your business to stay profitable indefinitely.

Where do you start? The most important first step is to devise a plan. It takes time, even for a properly optimized site, to be recognized and assessed by search engines as being friendly, relevant and having authority on given topics. Identify your target audience and consider how their needs are to be met by your service or product. Competitors should be identified and studied. Plan for how much time will be allotted to SEO efforts and don’t shrug it off. SEO is not a “set it and forget it” type of marketing technique. And don’t forget a plan for measuring and assessing results, using free tools like Google Analytics. Unless you track your results, you can’t know if your efforts are paying off or if adjustments need to be made. Ask yourself and your team members “what is local SEO to me and what do I want to accomplish using it?” This exercise will help you see the strategy as less of a tedious activity that’s supposed to help increase your business and more as an important business tool that will help you achieve great results over time.

(Via: http://www.business2community.com/seo/beginners-guide-local-seo-strategies-small-business-01855295#zHMTPQcV8WcPWSYU.97)

Mastering SEO for local businesses is no rocket science but it’s not an easy feat to pull off either. It can be tricky for newbies in the market but with a little help, you’ll do just fine and may even make a lot of bucks along the way. First on your list is to establish your business profile as you set-up your listing. Next on your list is to write compelling and quality content that consumers would actually want to read. Your goal is to convert them into paying customers after reading your post while doing this in a subtle and business-like way.

And because the Internet is a global platform, think of your business as a global brand too. Everyone on the web is a potential customer. So, make sure to list your brand all over the Internet. Then, don’t forget that link building helps build your credibility as an authority in the niche you are in. It likewise helps a lot when ranking since people will often come back to sites they feel they can trust and educate them on various things. And last of all, it’s all about reviews. Happy customers will help spread the word for you. They will be the testament to how your brand delivered its promise, whatever it may be. But remember to remain flexible at all times since change is the only permanent thing in the world, even on the web.

What Local Businesses Need To Know About SEO Find more on: All Systems Go Marketing