Creek Content

End content chaos. Communicate clearly.

New Year’s Resolutions… For Your Content?

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Vowing to lose weight this year? Wanna take more techno-breaks? Maybe you’ve resolved to quit smoking or make new friends. Like millions of other people, you may have made personal resolutions for 2013. But have you considered making resolutions for your content?

It may sound silly, but the new year is a great time to look back at your content and make plans for the year ahead. Here are four resolutions to consider when it comes to your business’ website content:

  1. Perform an audit. Look back at the content that’s currently live on your site. Are there gaps? Does the review inspire new ideas? Use this audit time to review your site’s analytics as well. Are there specific search terms bringing potential customers and clients to your site? Do you have the content to make a visit worth their time?
  2. Create a calendar. I’m sure there’s a line that should go here about the path to great content being paved with good intentions. The truth is: Creating a good editorial calendar now serves as a great foundation for your site’s content this year. Of course, you’ll want to write as inspiration strikes, but planning a bit ahead will allow for content to occur even on those days where the creative juices aren’t flowing quite so freely.
  3. Freshen things up. If a potential client visits your site today, will they see the same testimonials, case studies and blog posts that they saw when they visited 6 months ago? If you answered yes to that question, it’s time to add something new. Resolutions 1 and 2 will come in handy here.
  4. Don’t forget photos and videos. Don’t forget: Content is much more than just the words on the page. When was the last time your banner images were updated? Do you have videos on your site? Would audio files like podcasts be beneficial to your customers and clients?

A great year of engaging, educational informative content starts today. (And so does my diet.) Contact us if we can help complete your content audit/inventory, create custom content or provide a plan for meeting your business’ goals through content. It’s what we do, and what we love.

4 Reasons to Give Content Away for Free

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I take lots of photos for a local pet rescue group. Lots. Hundreds each year. I volunteer my time, my equipment, my editing and my eye, and it’s one of the most fulfilling things I’ve ever done in my life. Photos — just like blog posts, white papers, videos, articles, quizzes and so much more — are pieces of content that can make or break your website and even your business plan. No matter how pretty the design may be, without quality content, readers won’t make repeat visits to your site.

Content — quality content — is a valuable commodity. More and more, companies large and small are recognizing that it is just as important a piece of the website puzzle as great design. So, why would anyone — individual or business — give content away for free?

  1. To stay on top of trends. What’s the latest and greatest in your industry right now? Are you in-the-know about the next big social media trend? Be the first to write about it and you’ll likely be considered a thought-leader and expert in your field.
  2. To make themselves (more) marketable. If your company makes the best widgets in town, you probably know everything there is to know about widgets. That makes you the authority on widgets! When you give away content — articles or videos about how widgets work, for instance — others will then start looking to you more frequently for your expertise.
  3. To secure clients and partnerships. Sometimes, just like the nibbles and bites we can grab when wondering the aisles of Costco, clients and potential partners want a taste of what’s to come. Although they’ve probably seen your work elsewhere, they may want to know — without spending a dime — exactly what you can do for them. Provide an article for their website, pair up with them to produce an eBook, produce a podcast together. Don’t just tell them what you can do for them, show them!
  4. To build a portfolio. Sure, a company can build a portfolio based on their work from their own websites or published materials, but if that company has had blog posts or articles published on, say, Mashable.com, SocialMediaToday.com and TechCrunch, they carry more weight. Provide a high-quality piece of content to a big-name industry source for publishing, then show the world.

Have you ever given content away for free? What was your experience?

Ready for a Smackdown?

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Website smackdown, that is.

On Thursday, Feb. 16, the Nashville Chapter of the American Marketing Association is hosting NAMA’s eSIG Website Smackdown at eSpaces. Experts in several web-related fields such as website design, user experience and and development — including our own Laura Creekmore — will give no-holds-barred feedback on 10 different websites the night of the main event. Thirty additional websites will receive written feedback from one member of the panel.

You can enter your website for the Smackdown or register through NAMA’s website. The deadline is Friday, February 10, at 5 p.m. for your website to be included.

All About Women Q&A With Laura Creekmore

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Creek Content Founder and Principal Strategist Laura Creekmore was recently featured on All About Women, answering questions about social media for business, educating yourself on social media as a parent and the privacy concerns that accompany it all. All About Women is a non-profit organization by and for women, designed to help those who want to live healthier lives.

Laura answered questions ranging from simply defining the term “social media” to more delicate questions about privacy. For instance, what social media tools should small businesses be using?

“There’s no one right answer to this question. Start by thinking about your customers… Where do they spend their time online? What do they expect to be able to do there?” Laura goes on to explain that Facebook isn’t perfect for every business — neither is LinkedIn or Twitter.

“If you don’t need to use Twitter to reach your customers, it still may be one of your most valuable research and professional-connection tools; it is for my company.”

Personal vs. Business Blogging in Austin

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If you happen to be in Austin Saturday, you should come see me at BlogathonATX!

This Saturday marks the third Blogathon in Austin, which started innocently when organizer Ilene Haddad asked on Twitter if anyone wanted to get together and blog one afternoon. It’s now a day-long event that includes a tech room with experts to help you tweak (or even start) your blog, awesome food donated from great local businesses to keep us fueled for the day, and presenters who will answer blogging and social media questions related to content, finding your voice, engaging your audience and much more. Like me. I’ll be in the hot seat answering questions about personal vs. business blogging.

For instance: If you’re a business owner, should you have a business blog and a personal blog? What about separate social media accounts? Companies have social media policies, should individuals have personal policies?

We’ll be doing lots of things related to blogging — helping each other brainstorm ideas, offering input on design and maybe even starting new blogs with new friends over shared interests. But they’re also be lots of learning and fun. And I think that’s my favorite part.