Direct Marketing

Industrial Blogging: There's no Such Thing as Perfect

Written by Kerry O'Malley Sunday, 29 August 2010 21:50

Here's an important fact for industrial businesses to grasp:  at last count (and this changes by the minute) there were 1.8 billion people ONLINE.  That is the number of people who have Internet access.  I would bet that a few (or more) of those 1.8 billion are your potential customers.  There are over 75 billion searches done on the Internet every month, and again, that number increases daily.

The number one reason people are doing searches on the Internet is to obtain information.  It may not always be "business" information, but nevertheless, this is the main reason people give for getting online.  Much of the information people look for IS business related, like: new vendors to work with, emerging trends and technologies, products they need to purchase, ways to do their jobs better, solutions to problems.

Now think about this:  some people have problems and yours may be one of the few companies that can provide them with a solution.  Can they find you?

If I use my own client base as the gauge for how well industrial companies are doing at "getting found" on the Internet, I would have to say "not very well."  The number one issue is that their websites simply aren't visible enough.  Whether a business is industrial or not, if it doesn't come up on the first page of search results and win the "click," it's probably not getting found.

Of course there's "pay per click" advertising, but many people when surveyed say they don't even look at the sponsored ads when they search.  I'm not saying "pay per click" is a waste of money; but if you want to get the most number of click throughs, you need to be listed on the first page of "natural" search results.

I realize that the successful online business model doesn't always translate well to industrial . . . but will it always be that way?  I think every business that has obtained a strong online presence (and visibility) has mastered two strategies:  blogging and social media.  If you truly master these two tools, you'll increase your online visibility, improve your search engine rankings, and generate exponential traffic to your website, which, in the numbers game equates to more new business.

I write a lot about manufacturers and industrial companies using social media on my blog, but rarely have I written about blogging.  I decided it was time to change that!

I am going to say this one more time (because I say it to my clients all the time):  every company that has a website needs a blog.  Here are some reasons industrial companies should be blogging:

1. A blog can become the central point for all of your other social media efforts.  Blog posts can be broken up into many different short posts for Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.  When people see your short posts and are interested, they can circle back to your blog or website and go deeper.
2. A well written blog that contains relevant content related to your company's expertise builds your company's credibility and reputation as a reliable authority.
3. Blogging is a way to brand your company that is less "in your face" than more traditional forms of marketing.  You're actually educating your industry and providing value at the same time you're promoting your expertise.
4. Blogs allow you to push content throughout the Internet.  It offers many more opportunities to amplify your message than you would have with a website alone.
5. Along with ongoing SEO work, nothing helps place you higher in natural search engine results than a blog with regularly updated content.
6. If you're submitting your blog posts to article websites and using them as teasers on social media sites, you'll increase the traffic to your website because more people will be linking back to it from your posts.

I have to end this by saying that I write this blog post after almost two weeks of not posting anything.  As a small business owner, I can totally relate when you say, "but there are not enough hours in the day to take care of my own business, much less WRITE about it."

I also understand the overwhelming feeling you get when you think you have to write three, two, or even one blog post per week.  I write this blog post after almost two weeks without writing because I accept that I cannot do it perfectly.  My customers (and family) will always come first. To throw up my hands and say, "because I cannot do it perfectly, I will simply not do it at all" - is like saying "because I can't exercise every day, I won't exercise at all."  We all know what THAT leads to . . . right?  Out of shape body?  Outdated website?  There's always a choice.

The New Marketing Communications Rules

Written by Kerry O'Malley Saturday, 24 July 2010 19:06

The Internet has and continues to affect just about every facet of business communications.  Although the industrial sector is behind in terms of embracing all the Internet has to offer, especially in the area of social media, they are beginning to take notice.  Websites for industrial companies are being redesigned with more strategic content that is search engine optimized.  Manufacturers who scoffed at all the fuss about Twitter a year ago are suddenly appearing in the Twitterverse and taking their first tentative steps at social media marketing. Engineers at industrial firms are joining groups on LinkedIn for industrial marketers where discussions take place about how best to harness the potential of social media networking.

Industrial marketing and sales paradigms are beginning to shift.  The days of "the hard sell" and "marketing in your face" are over.  Customers and clients are looking for relationships with vendors - not just their products and services.  In the service industries, the benefit of someone's expertise is often expected for free before it is paid for.  The world is getting smaller and competition is getting stiffer.  Customers expect vendors to be available in "Internet time" (24/7) rather than the traditional 8 to 5 business day timeframe.  Social media has created an environment in which the companies who get noticed are the companies who are more . . . well, social.

As all of these changes and new ways of communicating are evolving, it's good to understand the new rules of engagement for networking.  I read a blog post by Brad Shorr of Straight North, a web content development company, with a short but appropriate list of best practices for communication on the social web.  I couldn't say it better myself, so following is Brad's list straight from his post.

Read more: The New Marketing Communications Rules

Industrial Marketers: Yes, you CAN Blog!

Written by Kerry O'Malley Wednesday, 28 April 2010 13:46

I was meeting with one of my manufacturing clients recently and we were discussing whether or not he should add a blog to his company's website.  "I'm not a writer," he said.  "Plus, how will I keep coming up with ideas to write about?"  These are two of the most common objections I hear when I suggest blogging to an industrial company.

Here's the beauty of blogging:  You don't HAVE to be the greatest writer in the world.  Blogging is supposed to be a more casual style of writing.  Yes, there are bloggers who are published authors.  There are also bloggers who like my client, have never considered themselves gifted in this area.  As far as fresh ideas go, there is a literal universe of content available, even to the industrial marketer, in trade publications; in the news; on other blogs; on Twitter and LinkedIn discussion groups; in discussions with customers and vendors; and from employees in your very own company.

There are so many great reasons to blog:

• It positions you and/or your company as the "expert"
• It improves your search engine rankings
• It is always searchable and working for you
• It adds a human voice to your company or product's brand identity
• It adds value to your website and enriches your customers' and prospects' experience on the site

Blogging can be easy when you have a winning strategy.  Keep in mind the following tips for an industrial blog.

Read more: Industrial Marketers: Yes, you CAN Blog!

How to Get Your Website to #1 on Google

Written by Kerry O'Malley Monday, 12 April 2010 12:33

Improve your search engine ranking with industrial news releases and articles

One of the questions I get asked most often about industrial websites is, "how do we get our site to the top of the search engine results?"  There's not just one answer to the question, but something that can make a huge difference is creating high quality backlinks.  A backlink is an inbound link to your website from any other website.  Search engines often use the number of backlinks that a website has as one of the most important factors for determining that website's search engine ranking. Google's description of their PageRank system, for instance, notes that Google interprets a link from page A to page B as a vote, by page A, for page B.  More votes - higher ranking!

There are a number of ways to create a large number of backlinks to your website, but today I'm focusing on the use of news releases and articles. Regularly submitting releases and articles to article directories or free news release distribution sites is one of the most effective  methods of not only creating backlinks but also generating more traffic to your website.

Read more: How to Get Your Website to #1 on Google

Does Your Web Site Need a SEO Redesign?

Written by Kerry O'Malley Wednesday, 24 February 2010 17:36

A new web site may look fantastic, but if the designer hasn't taken into account the principles of Search Engine Optimization (SEO,) it's not going to be effective. If you have an older web site, it may do the job of telling people about your company, but if the pages load slowly and the content hasn't been updated in years, it's ineffective as well. In either case, you definitely need to consider a redesign.  Both web sites will receive a much lower volume of traffic than they COULD receive.

The newer site may get traffic for those looking specifically for that site, but anyone using a keyword search for your product or services won't find you. The older site with out of date content loses out because the search engines think the site is dormant or dead, due to the lack of fresh content. The only way to increase traffic to your web site (which translates to potential new business) is to build SEO into the web site.  For a newer design, this can be done more simply, through a conversion process.  For an older site, a complete redesign is probably in order.  For most industrial companies who are not selling product through their web site, this is a relatively painless and affordable process that can really pay off in new business inquiries.

Here are some web site issues that should signal it's time for a redesign.

Read more: Does Your Web Site Need a SEO Redesign?