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5 Trite Phrases Content Marketers Should Stop Using

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Clichés are poison to good writing. Especially when it comes to content marketing—something that should be communicating your brand’s unique image and creating trust between you and your reader. Using clichés is a quick way to ensure your words don’t stand out. Unfortunately, content marketing has developed a culture with an entire glossary of buzz words that most writers default to, and that can make a lot of articles sound like white noise.

Anyone researching your product or business is likely doing so because they want to know what makes it special. What makes your brand stand out from the rest? What do you offer that your competitors don’t? Try as you might, just about every online marketing company in San Diego will tell you using trending terms like the following aren’t likely to convince your readers that you’re very different at all.

1. Dynamic

 This is one of those words that has become so widely (mis)used that it’s possible few people know its original meaning. “Dynamic” is a term originally used in physics relating to the “motion of material objects” that’s now grown to describe anything that’s complex, adaptive, or otherwise favorable. From teams and work environments to a single professional’s approach to his or her work, “dynamic” is used everywhere and it sounds dishonest as a result.

2. Results-driven

 When was the last time you were attracted to a brand or company that cited stagnation as a goal? No one is driven by lack of results and resistance to advancement, and certainly no one is going to advertise that they are. Show, don’t tell, your readers that you focus on results.

3. Outside the box

 This term is so overused that just about everyone has heard (if not used) it at some point. If you want your reader to believe your organization is unique, it’s best to think outside the box and go for a phrase that’s creative and hasn’t been repeated a million times over.

4. Innovative

 Just like “outside the box,” using the term “innovative” instantly communicates the opposite of its meaning. “Innovative” means to “introduce something new or different”, and choosing such a commonly used word is derivative rather than innovative in nature.

5. Leader/Thought Leader

 Proclaiming your brand or company as the leader in ABC or calling yourself a thought leader in XYZ is not only trite, it’s presumptuous and misleading. It seems that everyone is a leader these days, but who does that leave to follow? Like the other words on this list, these terms can be avoided by simply demonstrating you’re a leader through your values and actions—rather than following all the other “thought leaders” and using their terms.

For more information about content marketing strategies that can help increase your online exposure, contact Saba, Inc. at (858) 277-1717. We are a full-service internet marketing company in San Diego, specializing in SEO, PPC management, social media, and web design and development.

How to Choose the Right Social Media Platform for Your Business

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With all of the different social media platforms, how do you choose which platform is ideal for your small business or service? Consider the following:

  • Who is your customer?
  • Are your customers mostly male or female?
  • How often do you want to interact?
  • What is the story you want to tell?

Once you have defined who you want to interact with, then understanding the strengths and assets of each platform will help you identify which ones you will want to participate in.

Facebook

Facebook is an excellent way to keep in touch with your current customers. This is an ideal place to introduce new launches or offer discount coupons. There is no character limit for posts, so Facebook is also an ideal platform to expound on any promotion, as well as post photos. Keep in mind, posting on Facebook also comes with stiff competition and your updates may get lost in the shuffle.

Twitter

Twitter is short and sweet, but don’t let the lack of characters determine the influence of this platform. Because of hashtags, this is a powerful way to gain the interest of new customers. Content on Twitter works best when it’s both timely and topical. This includes business updates, news in your related field, or interesting content from outside sources that’s worth sharing.

Pinterest

This format is ideal for businesses that are more visual. Posting great photos of your products or your business motto is a great way to draw people directly to your website. If your business is in anyway geared towards women, related to food, or deals with DIY, Pinterest is your go-to.

Google+

Although Google+ can feel slow at times, the user base is huge and the competition is relatively low comparatively. One of the biggest benefits to using Google+ is the boost your SEO efforts get, too. That alone could be well worth it.

Depending on your social media marketing objectives, you might also consider options like LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube. LinkedIn is great for B2B, although B2C companies are beginning to really figure it out, YouTube is ideal for demonstrating your product or providing how-to guides for customers, and Instagram can help supplement Facebook and Twitter, and works well for artsy businesses.

If you could use help managing your social media campaigns, reach out to Saba, Inc. We’re a local SEM company in San Diego, offering SEO, PPC, social media, and website design and development. Learn more about our services by calling (858) 277-1717 and speaking with one of our marketing specialists today!

 

4 Lessons Content Writers Can Learn from Comedians

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Content writers utilize many different styles and voices depending on their subject and whom they’re writing for. And often, this means looking to outside sources to research tone and language, among other things. Next time your online marketing team is diving into a project, suggest they take a cue from an unlikely source—comedians. Wondering why? Here are four lessons content writers can learn from comedians.

1. Command attention immediately

Comedians don’t wait to grab an audience’s attention and neither should a content writer. Whether they open with one of their best jokes or let the awkward silence drag on to elicit nervous giggles, they know the importance of making an impression out of the gate. Content writers, too, should hone their introductions to make sure readers are drawn in from sentence one.

2. Tailor content to your audience

Comedians do their homework on the cities they visit and utilize that knowledge to play on audience likes and dislikes. Likewise, content marketers should focus on the audience they’re writing for and know what they want and need. Give Bill Burr’s 2007 recording “Emotionally Unavailable” a listen and pay attention to how he uses funny subway anecdotes to pander to a big city crowd. This subject isn’t coincidental: “you know what I love about that joke?” he asks. “That joke only works in cities that have subways.”

3. Be original

Anyone familiar with the comedy world knows what stealing from others can do to your career. If you’re unaware, just read up on the controversy over Dane Cook’s supposed plagiarism of Louis C.K.’s jokes. Similarly, using other people’s ideas—or worse, outright plagiarizing—will only harm your reputation and that of the brand and/or business you’re writing for.

4. Know how (and when) to deliver your punch line

Transitions, timing, and proper build-up are just as important in content writing as they are in comedy. Of course, content writing requires that your main point be established early on, whereas a comedian has more leeway to use mystery to keep an audience engaged—but it’s still important to leave your readers with a satisfactory ending.

Need help creating engaging content for your website? Call Saba, Inc. at (858) 277-1717 and find out what working with a reliable SEO company in San Diego can do for your business. We believe content is king and can help you connect with your audience and increase traffic.

The Best Podcasts for Online Marketers

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Podcasts are one of the easiest ways for digital marketers to stay up-to-date on the latest news, trends, and resources for online marketing. If you’ve got a long commute for work or want to break up your workday, here are a handful of podcasts worth a listen.

Tropical MBA Podcast

This podcast started back in 2009 as the Lifestyle Business Podcast. Today, “Tropical MBA Podcast” is run by business partners, Dan and Ian, who work together to host an informative podcast dedicated to helping people build location-independent businesses. When you subscribe to their blog, you immediately gain access to over 200 back episodes of the Tropical MBA Podcast.

This Week in Startups

Hosted by Jason Calacanis, “This Week in Startups” brings weekly stories from the world of entrepreneurship straight to your inbox, an excellent resource for online content marketers. You’ll get an inside look at the goings-on of the tech world and strategies for growing your business.

The Mad Marketing Podcast

Marcus Sheridan, successful entrepreneur and founder of The Sales Lion blog, brings his unique style to his podcast, a question-and-answer type interaction between host and listeners. Instead of interviewing others, Marcus answers questions himself, and adds in the occasional bit of personal experience to help keep things lively.

The Old Marketing Podcast

For sixty minutes a week, hosts Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose discuss marketing stories from the past week. They offer their opinion on something either great or terrible going on in the content marketing industry. They publish notes on their podcasts every Saturday, which can be accessed online. The archive goes all the way back to when the podcast started in November 2013.

Six Pixels of Separation

President of Twitch Image, Mitch Joel, hosts a weekly podcast focused on the world of marketing from the perspective of his digital marketing agency. Archives of over 450 episodes are available online at their website, all the way back to May 2006.

The Content Warfare Podcast

Hosted by Ryan Hanley, a VP of Marketing, The Content Warfare Podcast regularly interviews expert content marketers in an effort to learn the strategies they use to win the fight for their portion of the online marketplace.

Looking for more resources? Need a helping hand to manage content? Call Saba, Inc. today at (858) 277-1717. We’re a trusted San Diego SEO company, helping businesses across the U.S. and Canada connect with their target audiences and improve overall business. We offer complimentary website audits and are happy to answer any questions you might have!

Instagram Marketing Just Got Real

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Instagram, the photo-sharing giant acquired by Facebook in 2012, recently opened its advertising platform to all brands. This development represents a staggering opportunity for brands positioned to take advantage and increase social media marketing efforts.

It should come as no surprise that Instagram would attempt to capitalize on its captive audience. In fact, Facebook predicts that ad revenues from the social network could reach $5 billion by 2020. The company has been working with premium brands to date, manually approving all ads. A wise approach as it ensures the company doesn’t alienate its user base. So far, ads have appeared as “buy” links at the bottom of sponsored images. These ads are quite unobtrusive and have been well received. However, it remains to be seen how followers will react to ads from brands they’re not familiar with, and Instagram risks sacrificing quality control and alienating users.

Previously, the only option open to other brands was to place links in each photo’s “description” area. These links tend to perform poorly unless seen by a highly engaged audience. However, the network recently unveiled a new advertising format: Carousel Ads. These ads will allow any brand to create an ad set consisting of multiple images. According to Instagram, Carousel Ads will empower marketers to tell “sequenced stories.”

Naturally, an individual company’s results will depend on the quality of its images. Instagram users don’t engage with the platform to consume advertisements. All ads must be visually engaging—a challenge that isn’t present to such a degree on any other social network. On the other hand, the carousel format has the potential to engage users in a way that single-image advertisements cannot.

When it comes to managing any form of social media marketing, making sure you have the time to devote to managing each platform is critical. If you need help getting your new campaign up and running or could just use an extra hand overseeing your marketing efforts, reach out to Saba, Inc, a leading San Diego online marketing company.  Give us a call today at (858) 277-1717 to request a free website audit and consultation!

Is Content Marketing Here to Stay?

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Content marketing is a large aspect of SEO and website management, and while the concept and strategies may evolve over the years, there are no signs that it’s going to become irrelevant anytime soon. Wondering if content marketing is here for the long haul? As a San Diego SEO firm that believes content is king, we certainly think so!

You Cannot Force a Consumer to Buy

During most of the 20th century, the primary method of advertising and selling a product was through push marketing. As the market became saturated with ads, people became annoyed with pushy sales tactics and opted to avoid push marketing altogether. The widespread use of ‘Ad Block’ is a prime example of this. Now, content marketing is necessary because it convinces consumers to believe in brands through the distribution of high-quality content. If your content is considered informative, entertaining, or useful, consumers share it within their circles and your products are promoted. This happens without consumers ever becoming annoyed with push marketing tactics.

High Search Engine Ranks Depend on Sharing Content

If your website or blog is consistently updated with new content, you will have more opportunities to share your brand through social media marketing and attract new visitors. According to Google’s current algorithms, if many people click into your site and read your content regularly, you will be rewarded with a higher search engine rank, which will lead to more traffic visiting your site.

Content Demonstrates Your Credibility

While your primary goal is to perform your job well and serve your clients, content marketing will draw in consumers by showing that you know what you are doing. As long as the internet is a tool that is available to a great number of people, creating and distributing your knowledge through content is the best way to demonstrate your credibility. This can be done through informational videos, how-to guides, or editorials about industry news. Sharing this useful content can increase your reputation within your industry and its consumers.

Have questions or need help developing a content marketing strategy for your business? Call Saba, Inc. at (858) 277-1717 and speak with a friendly online marketing expert. We specialize in SEO, PPC, and social media marketing, and we also offer web design and development. Request a free website audit and consultation today!

The Role of Web Design in SEO

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From social media marketing to keyword research, there are plenty of things that can be done to increase the traffic and conversion rate of your website. While these aspects of SEO and brand promotion are important, the design of your website can mean the difference between success and failure. By designing your website in a manner that allows Google’s crawlers to easily access all content, you will improve your chances of receiving a top spot in search results.

Use HTML 5 Carefully

HTML 5, the most up-to-date version of the webpage markup language, is often praised for its flexibility and ability to create beautiful webpages. While many websites with HTML 5 are visually appealing, they are often heavily oriented around CSS and Java. In general, these are bad SEO practices that limit the content that Google can view. Instead, opt for a simple and responsive design that is based on standard HTML. Google may reward you with a higher search engine rank by prioritizing high-quality content over stylish effects and graphics.

Use the Same URL for Mobile and Desktop Versions

Some webmasters have made the mistake of using separate URLs for mobile and desktop versions of their sites. Not only does this make it more difficult for people to access your website, but it also harms your SEO efforts by splitting your total visitors and keywords across multiple sites. Responsive design is the most trusted way to prevent this problem. This will keep all of your web content on one URL while making your site compatible with most devices.

Place Prominent Links in Accessible Locations

If a link to one of your pages or external content is clicked frequently, you should make sure it’s in a highly accessible location. Navigation menus are one of the best options for this. If you move a popular link to a less accessible location, it could undermine your SEO efforts.

Web design plays a large role in the search engine rank of sites. By following tried and tested design practices, you will ensure that your site works with search engines.

 

Could you use a professional hand creating your website? Reach out to the experienced San Diego Web Design and SEO company, Saba, Inc.  Even if you aren’t starting from scratch, we can provide a complimentary website audit to help you revamp your site.  Call us at (858) 277-1717 today!

The Psychology of Search Engine Marketing

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While it is easy to view each of your website visitors as a statistic, you should understand that each one is a person that arrived at your site through a unique psychological process. By getting inside the heads of your visitors, you can discover how to increase the potential of your SEM and pay-per-click marketing efforts.

Understand Consumers

Keep in mind different groups of people will think of certain keywords when they are searching for a particular service or product. By paying attention to the age group and gender of your target audience, you can discover the keywords that will draw in the customers. This can increase your conversions and long-term profits. To better understand your target audience, you can learn from your existing clients and customers. Through direct conversation or surveys, ask them how they came to your site and be sure that they answer you in a detailed manner. You can compare all of the information you receive to discover trends that can be used to improve your internet marketing efforts.

Create Engaging Content

As a general rule, people like to be entertained. You should take advantage of this by including photos, interesting facts, or humor in your content. This is especially useful on social media platforms where you will quickly be rewarded with shares and re-tweets for your wit or entertainment value. People are also more likely to remember an image than a dry line of text, so include some great photos that are relevant to your business.

Write Content for How People Search

When people enter a query into a search engine, they are not always using the one or two keywords that you anticipated when you wrote your most recent article. Instead they are using the keywords along with a chain of question words like ‘how’, ‘what’, and ‘why’. Writing tags and keywords in question form can help improve your SEO efforts.

Learn Why People Share Content

Carefully analyze your target audience and anticipate why they may share your articles with friends, coworkers, and family members. Many people share content because it is entertaining, relatable, or supports a cause they believe in.

By examining the psychology of consumers, you can increase website traffic and conversions. Get ahead of the competition by constantly thinking of what your audience may be thinking.

Interested in Learning More?

Learn more about SEM and SEO for your business by calling (858) 277-1717 and requesting a free consultation and website audit from the internet marketing experts at Saba, Inc. In addition to online marketing, we also offer website design and development and social media management.

Top Things to Look for in an SEO Company

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If you are looking for an SEO professional to help you improve your search engine marketing efforts and drive traffic to your website, you should perform the appropriate research before trusting a particular company. This will ensure you receive top-quality search engine optimization services with a satisfactory return on investment. Here are the top things to ask yourself when considering an SEO company.

Do They Have Experience?

As the business of SEO services continues to grow, many individuals will create SEO companies for the sole purpose of profiting. These companies may only have limited experience in web design, keyword research, and other aspects of search engine optimization, so it may be wise to choose a San Diego SEO company with an established reputation. By checking out a company’s about page and client reviews you can gain a solid understanding of their experience. In general, the company with the most experience and positive reviews is your best option.

Do They See More Than Just Numbers?

Some SEO companies get so absorbed in numbers and statistics that they forget about your goals. This a major red flag when choosing an SEO company. When you meet with the representative of an SEO company, you need to figure out if they will help you with branding, targeted marketing, and other important areas. Analytics is a large part of SEO, but it is not everything. Be sure your SEO professional can see the larger picture before you place the success of your website and business in their hands.

Are They Informative?

A reputable SEO company understands that their clients are not SEO experts. Because of this, they will inform clients about what needs to be done and how they will get there. They will make an active effort to inform clients about keyword research, local SEO, and other SEO topics that will help them reach their business goals. You should be sure that your SEO professional will provide this information before you finalize any hiring contracts.

Are Their Strategies Current?

With big updates to search engine algorithms occurring on a semi-regular basis, it is of the utmost importance that SEO companies use methods that address changes. For example, many SEO professionals state that iFrames are poor for SEO because web crawlers were previously unable to access web content within them, but this is no longer an issue. SEO professionals who use outdated information like this should be avoided because they are no longer relevant for your purposes.

Looking for a top SEO company to help guide your online marketing efforts? Schedule a complimentary consultation with Saba, Inc. We believe in honesty, transparency, and have more than a decade of experience in SEO and online marketing. Call us today at (858) 277-1717. We look forward to speaking with you!

Creating a Pinterest Marketing Strategy for Your Business

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Many business owners and webmasters know that social media can attract visitors and increase conversion rates, but they often only focus their efforts on Facebook and Twitter. By using Pinterest as part of your social media marketing campaign, you can show off your products and insight while increasing conversions. Here’s what you need to do to create a Pinterest marketing strategy for your business.

Decide on Your Brand

If you use Pinterest or social media to promote your product, you will find that marketing a brand is far more effective than hard sales tactics. In general, internet users are put off by sales posts, so you should decide on a message and promote it through informative or entertaining posts. If you wish for people to associate your brand with a positive message, focus on creating uplifting and inspiring posts.

Use a Logo

Pinterest is driven by images and snippets of information on a virtual pinboard. Because of the platform’s emphasis on visual media, you may benefit by adding a small logo or watermark to the images that you post. This will increase the recognition of your brand by people on Pinterest and from across the web. If you decide that this is a good tactic for you, use a simple logo that represents your company well.

Create Informative Posts

One of the best ways to promote your product on Pinterest is to show how it can be useful in making life easier or more enjoyable. If you know of a creative way to use your product, share it on Pinterest and people may buy your product to try it for themselves. This will also increase your credibility since consumers and Pinterest users will view you as a source of valuable information.

Summarize Content

Pinterest offers businesses the opportunity to share information from their main website in the form of posts. By capturing the gist of a new article or blog post in a short summary, you can share your message with Pinterest users and draw them to your website. Be sure to include links to your website whenever posting content in this manner.

Whether you plan to use Pinterest, Facebook, and/or Twitter to promote your business, consult with an internet marketing company in San Diego to develop the best social media strategy for your business. For more information or to request a free website analysis and consultation, call Saba, Inc. at (858) 277-1717.

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