It really frustrates me when I see digital agencies offering to manage social media for a client during an event, when clearly they’re missing the point altogether.

People are free to check-in at events (Foursquare, Facebook places etc), you don’t need an agency to do this. Event attendees are also free to tweet about the event, if they wish to do so.

Attract and convert unknown prospects into willing customers with content. It starts before the event; create a buzz with interviews with speakers, blog posts with burning questions (which will be answered at the event), and a video round-up from previous year / event.

During the event, record debates, include reviews and discussions and take the conversation online. Of course you can suggested a hashtag, but you can come up with anything with a hash symbol in front of word. Again, you don’t need an agency to do this.

Post-event; gradually release in-event material, 2^nd chance webinar follow-ups and Q&A with leaf panelists.

You only need to use an agency for:

• Generating a content management strategy.
• Technology expertise.
• Copywriting and PR services.
• Distribution of content online, before, during and post-event.
• Video services if required.

If using an external agency, remember to use someone that has content at the heart and understands exactly what you’re trying to achieve.

Inspire others to develop ideas to get ahead of the competition.

We already have the ability to share blog posts, videos, twitpic our own photos and even connect with people online.  But how do you share other peoples’ visual content?

Sometimes our own images aren’t good enough, and there’s no point in duplicating what’s already out there. That’s where Pinterest steps in, the only photo sharing tool that gets it.

Whenever you see a great looking image online and think that your followers would enjoy it too, “Pin it”. Pinterest gives you the ability to share other peoples’ images online, as well as organising them into your own set of folders on a Pinterest profile, whilst maintaining credit to the source.

There’s nothing better than seeing one professional recognising another professional’s work. Not only will your followers benefit from relevant interesting content (and be thankful for it), but you’ll also earn the respect for sharing it.

It’s also a great way to share your own images. If you tweet something once, or even blog about a recent project, it can be lost in the moment. Pinterest allows you to repurpose your content in a new and sharable way.

Grab the “Pin it” bookmarklet for your browser here. This will allow you to Pin any images that you see on the web to your account. It’s also worth adding the sharebar widget to your website/blog with your existing Twitter and Facebook share buttons.

What has Pinterest done for you?

Whilst at Marketing Clout I looked at Picuous, a new online tool which looked set to transform the way we share images online. A year on and they have failed, packing up shop and offering their domain for sale. Why?

Picuous was doomed to fail from Day 1. They made it very time consuming to share images, the very thing they were trying to promote, I.e. the ability to easily share and track your images online.

Users had to upload their images to Picuous first, and then embed them into websites or blogs, using the service’s own code (similar to YouTube and Vimeo videos). Not very efficient for images when you think about it. They probably should have developed a WordPress (WP) plugin or something …

Two very important lessons learned.

First off, don’t become another image host. Unless you’ve caught onto a photography niche like Flickr, people want things made easy. They want to upload their own images to their own website/blog and keep control. Not to mention your hosting and bandwidth costs from hosting a gazillion of other peoples’ files.

Secondly, keep an eye on the competition. Pinterest ticked most of the boxes from Day 1. Pinterest allows you to “Pin” interesting images that you come across on the web, not just your own. This way of doing things is far more attractive to a wider audience. Keep things simple.

Sorry Picuous.

SEO does exist and doesn’t have to be a bad word. However some people get caught up on it and end up writing for search engines and not humans.

Keyword filled articles and websites are rubbish. The content doesn’t read write and is full of nonsense. Even if there’s some substance to it, no doubt it will just confuse the reader.

- This might still get you visitor numbers but soon as search engines become smarter this will only penalize you.

When people head to a search engine they may not know your brand name or even product. Instead they will be searching for answers to questions.

As a business you should be writing up articles and blog posts on a regular basis that help answer those pain points. Don’t fill it with sales, fll it with advice. A blog is perfect for adding value to what you do. This is how customers will find you.

SEO isn’t dead. Look at your content, that’s the problem.

* Check out the attached slideshare presentation for more of an insight into content marketing.

Links:

• http://www.slideshare.net/MarketingClout/content-marketing-getting-started
• Linkedin question and answer

Content Marketing isn’t new. It has been around for a while but social media platforms has given it new momentum. It’s all about writing quality relevant articles around your products and services for your customers. This isn’t sales.

People find businesses not by searching company names or even products. Instead they search questions to their problems. If you publish blog posts that help customers answer these problems then they will find you.

There’s so much content out there, people don’t have the time to sometimes find it. People analyse your webpage in a split second and if it isn’t relevant or looks rubbish then they’re gone. That’s why you need quality written stuff. Even video is helping to boost SEO for people/businesses.

Enough said … A lot of learning is done through practice. Get out there and get stuck in.

Google Terms:

SEO
Google Panda Update
Content Marketing
Content Strategy
Blogging SEO
Video SEO

Links:

Content Marketing intro on Slideshare
Linkedin Answers – I gave a similar answer not that long ago.
Video SEO blog post

Links:

• http://www.slideshare.net/MarketingClout/content-marketing-getting-started
• http://www.linkedin.com/answers/marketing-sales/search-marketing/MAR_SRC/93…
• http://www.marketingclout.co.uk/blog/seo-revived-video-star-how-boost-your-…

Original Linkedin question and answer