Content Marketing as an SEO Tool
By Meredith Oliver, Meredith Communications

If you're looking for a new way to promote your business online, you might want to try your hand at content marketing. This strategy involves using the written word to inform, educate and sell to your prospects. Content marketing includes blogs, online news releases, special reports (or white papers), e-books, e-newsletters, articles and much more.  

If it sounds like content marketing involves becoming a publisher, you're right. But that's not as scary as it may seem. The Internet has forced companies large and small to change the way they advertise. People are searching online for products and services, so it makes sense to create multiple opportunities for your customers to find you online.  

That's where content marketing comes into play. When you write a blog post, you have an opportunity to communicate useful information to your target audience on a regular basis. As the audience comes to depend on that info, they'll start to see you as a trustworthy source to do business with.  

Offering a special report or a monthly e-newsletter on your website accomplishes two goals: you can collect email addresses in exchange for the special report or newsletter, enabling you to build up your prospect database, and you're providing information on a particular topic that interests your customers.  

Content marketing helps your website in the search engine rankings, too. For instance, when you write an article related to your industry and submit it to article directory sites like Ezinearticles.com, you can include a bio about yourself and your company, and include a link to your website. You can do the same when you submit an online news release. The more times that you get your company's name and website mentioned online, the better chance you have of achieving a higher ranking on Google, Yahoo and Bing — as long as you've included keywords related to your topic in the content.  

To learn more about Meredith Oliver, and content marketing, visit their website at www.creatingwow.com.

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