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The Audience, The Character, The Voice, and The Content

Most of the content I come across online about SEO, social media, and marketing are typically flashy, rocket-to-the-top promotions or theoretical assumptions about how and what Google and AI are doing, which is not what this piece will be about by any means. A few years ago, I began to focus heavily on the fact that each client (and sub-clients, which I’ll explain in a later blog) has a unique character and voice. Not only do their business and the services/products they provide have distinct characteristics, but I, as their marketing/content creator and strategist, unconsciously created a voice and dynamic character to coincide with each client’s content produced. Ideally, this character, voice, and content combination needs to be not only reflective of the business but also speak directly to their clients or customers. While Web Force KC’s clients have become widely diverse in terms of industries, the overall approach to creating unique, relevant, and effective content pieces, big and small for each of them, has not changed but has, in fact, vastly evolved.

Character Driven Search Engine Optimization, Social Media, and Website/Blog Content Combined Can Create A Company’s Voice Accurately

Whether it’s a simple and time-sensitive social media post on GAME DAYS for the group of smoke and vape shops in KS, MO, and TX we work with or the quality, professional lawn and landscaping voice urging potential customers to secure spring lawn care and landscape services in the dead of winter, I’ve found that switching back and forth between characters has become much easier. That being said, I have over 12 years of practice doing it.

What is interesting in today’s online arena is finding the balance between engagement and creating content that is not only witty, cute, and/or informative but also helpful, sprinkling in the all-important call to action. “Why should you hire ‘X’ company?” “Why should you shop at ‘Y ‘store?” Thoroughly knowing and somewhat becoming each character often allows me to also walk in the shoes of their potential clients and customers, which before seemed virtually impossible and, quite honestly, felt weird. With all of the analytics and tracking tools available to marketers today, it seems almost absurd not to have fictional yet authentic characters and accurately representative voices in any online marketing content, as it will often give a very defined inside look at what works, what doesn’t, and how the overall strategy can be improved and refined.

While no marketing strategy is perfect or guaranteed, for that matter, making sure that your company or organization has a distinct voice and character that accurately reflects the goals, values, and vision is never a bad thing to have. Just like riding a bike, learning to ski, or even learning to type furiously with little error, creating a solid voice that reflects your character takes time, practice, and a ton of effort. And remember that as your company/organization grows, so too does the voice and character, ideally for the better.

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August 27, 2023
There Are No Mic Drops In Marketing

Like Han Solo said in Star Wars, “You know sometimes I amaze even myself,” I, too, like putting together clever content, sitting back and patting myself on the back. But the reality is that there is no ‘mic drop’ in marketing of any type. Every day, an effective marketer must create engaging content that strives to beat and outsmart their clients’ competition while at the same time educating and compelling their potential customers to act. More importantly, a consistently effective content marketer’s goal should be to not only outdo their clients’ competition but also to outdo themselves. From photography and graphic design to social media posts and blog/website content, keeping things fresh is a chore, but the rewards are worth it for the client, and it also tends to keep my job interesting.

Content Writing and Search Engine Optimization Services In Kansas City

Over ten years ago, my biggest fear wasn’t whether or not Web Force KC would succeed but rather if I would eventually run out of ideas for content. After all, most of my clients’ services don’t change for the most part, which means that I would be required to continually describe the same things differently and repeatedly for years potentially. Sure, the messages and call to action remain relatively the same, but as I developed more strategic and time-relevant content, it all changed for the better. While there have been many blog and social media posts I’ve done that weren’t exactly Pulitzer prize-winning material, the goal has always been to remain consistent and not dwell on a writer’s block type of day because, well, they can and do happen. Like in any creative process, there will be highs and lows, and I’ve found that the key to making the most of the highs is to bang out as much content as possible when I know I’m riding that wave. Oftentimes, what ends up happening is that I learn a new angle to an old concept that I can take and use moving forward until the next bright spot appears. The idea that I’ll one day write THE golden piece of content that is so good I’ll never have to type again is non-existent at this point, and I find that if I just put my fingers on the keyboard, the ideas will start flowing sooner or later. Sometimes a little good old-fashioned research can get the gears moving, or checking out what the competitors are up to can lead to an effective piece of content, but it’s never enough in the world of SEO. To put it plainly, the goal is not necessarily to write the best piece of content I’ll ever do on any given day, but it is to write something better than I have previously, even yesterday. So far, so good, as I have clearly not run out of ideas after publishing over 10,000 blogs and website pages since I started Web Force. If I do happen to get wrapped up in the moment thinking I’m super-cool for a solid piece of content today, I may drop the mic but knowing full well that I’ll have to pick it back up tomorrow and do it all over again. That’s why I love doing what I do.

Call Web Force KC at (816) 462-9128 for web design and online marketing in Kansas City.

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June 2, 2022
Same Concept, Different Blog

Content marketing can be tough especially when the business you’re writing for doesn’t really change that much. However, I’ve learned to find ways around getting into a writer’s slump primarily by realizing and accepting that no matter how much you’ve written about a given subject, product, or service, there is always more that you can do but it doesn’t always come easy.

SEO and Content Marketing in Kansas City, MO

I write a TON of content for my clients and it’s really easy to get burned out but thankfully I’m never really short on ideas (most good, some not so good.) As I’ve acquired more clients and my older clients have grown, I’ve had to find new ways to market them and, honestly, some weeks it goes as smooth as silk and others it’s like pulling teeth. Look at it this way: for one of my oldest clients, I have written and published over 1,800 blog posts and hundreds of website pages and while their business never really changes much with the exception of adding new products to their retail store, the content I write on their behalf has to be ever changing, unique, engaging and relevant in order for it to be effective. Sure some content is better than others but the key has been to be consistent with regularly publishing blog posts and making adjustments to the overall page structure of their website(s) when necessary for all of my clients to help them grow their businesses.

A few weeks back, I was in burn out mode and started thinking about examples in my life and the world I observe of how individuals are able to take the same concept(s) and re-imagine them over and over again without getting sick and tired of doing it. At the time, I was getting back into old school Metallica and I thought, “Boy, they must be so over playing the song ‘One’ at every single show for weeks and months at a time.” The thing is that ‘One’ (one of my least favorite Metallica songs) was a massive hit and there are likely fans in the audience every night they play that are only there to hear that one (no pun unintended) song. Having seen Metallica live (among other metal bands) many times over the years, I noticed they always find ways to change things up a little bit in their biggest songs but overall the singalongs and melody remains constant which is cool for the audience but probably also good for the band that has played these songs hundreds if not thousands of times. It made me realize that even though I may feel like I’m writing about the same products and services for my clients over and over again, I have to find new and innovative ways to change it up for my audience as well as for myself so I don’t go insane or get severely burned out. It’s not that there won’t be days when I’m just not feeling it and the words don’t flow like a river but realizing that this is the way that artists, marketers, and people that are just good at what they do have to make changes and adjustments to keep their audiences’ and their own interest focused. Content marketing probably isn’t as cool as a Metallica song but it felt good to connect the two and whatever makes me think, makes me better at what I do. That’s what Web Force KC does (for itself and) for our clients.

Call Web Force KC at (816) 462-9128 for effective web design and online marketing in the Kansas City area.

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July 17, 2020
Content Marketing Kicks Ass

Photo by Kaitlyn Baker on Unsplash

I’ve always loved writing. I can’t remember the actual moment when I realized that writing came naturally to me but I know it was when I was very young. As a teenager I wrote a ton of poetry and other odd literary project most of which was real hit and miss but nevertheless writing was and continues to be a creative outlet that has not only gotten me through some pretty rough times, it has quite honestly kept me sane (still does). I’m lucky enough to get paid to write for my clients and I don’t take that responsibility and privilege lightly. Through my content writing on their websites, blogs, social media, and other marketing projects, I get to literally become the online voice of that business which is enormously fun but can often times be very difficult.

Search Engine Optimization and Content Marketing in Kansas City, MO

Writing for a business is content marketing and the best part about it (at least for me) is that I’m rarely at a loss for words or ideas. The trick to effective content writing is finding new ways to describe the same products or services over and over again in new ways that are relevant to my clients, their customers, and ultimately the search engines which is why they pay me to write in the first place. Looking back at some of my early content marketing work, it was pretty evident that the rules of the search engines weren’t very strict like they are today. In fact, I remember writing blog posts that were so absurdly overly keyword heavy that any normal person reading it would think a lunatic wrote it. That may have worked then but it certainly doesn’t work now in 2020.

Photo by Skye Studios on Unsplash

Rich, unique content is what Google says they want to see and these days when you lay the keyword babble on too heavy, you’ll likely get penalized and loose rankings. This means that there must be a balance between relevant content that is unique, current, and most importantly makes sense to both potential customers reading it as well as the search engines in order to be effective. It sounds more complicated than it really is but it does take some practice to get content to consistently flow and at the same time be functional for online marketing goals. Integrating what’s currently going on is an easy way to create content that is engaging and relevant but there are some really deep pitfalls you’ll probably want to avoid if you go that route. For example, leaning one way politically with your business’ voice will inevitably cut off any potential customers that are on the opposite end of the political spectrum of you which isn’t good. A good rule of thumb I use when I’m debating whether to use an outside current event or mindset in content is to ask myself “is there a large group that are vehemently opposed to this?” If the answer is yes or even maybe, I don’t do it. Don’t get me wrong, I could care less if someone gets offended by my personal opinions but they have no place in my business communications or my clients’ content for that matter.

Photo by hannah grace on Unsplash

I guess the best advise I can give on content marketing is just keep typing no matter what (you can always go back and edit later), keep the content upbeat, and keep it current and relevant to where you are and what’s going on there. Don’t try to explain your whole business in one content piece but instead try breaking up parts of what you do or what you sell into separate content. Don’t expect all of your content to make you surge up in the search engine rankings because you’ll be very disappointed. Obviously some content will be more productive and effective than others and the key is to maximize those that really kick ass and learn why they performed so well so that you can take your future content to the next level.

When I first started in the SEO/online marketing industry the phrase “Content is King” could be heard in pretty much every sales pitch or presentation to new clients and it still holds true today. Sure you can go and pay Google a mountain of money to show up prominently and immediately with AdWords but the fact is that once you stop paying, you immediately become invisible again. With content marketing and search engine optimization, your online presence is built organically which, in my opinion, is much more powerful, effective and lasting. Especially when you consider that most Pay Per Click ads only see a roughly 2% click through rate which isn’t much for what you pay. Content marketing works exceptionally well but it is by no means the most simple and easy path to succeed online. However, when done correctly, content marketing can be the most powerful and effective tool in your online marketing arsenal and that is why I enjoy it so much.

If you have questions about content marketing, SEO, or web design in Kansas City, feel free to get in contact with us.

Call Web Force KC at (816) 462-9128 for web design and online marketing in Kansas City.

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May 14, 2020
The Art Of (Online) War

Photo credit Felix Mittermeier

All industries have competition and that not only applies on the ground but also online. The goal of any marketer should be to position their clients to give them the advantage over their competition and, of course, make them money while they do it. At Web Force KC, we’ve seen our share of competitive industries and have successfully marketed them to help them grow but not without a fighting a few battles along the way and having to declare all out war on their competition. It’s not a simple task because there really is no ‘one size fits all’ solution for online marketing because the internet is an ever changing landscape and each industry presents its own marketing challenges. The ultimate goal is to get our clients’ websites onto the first page of the search engines, more specifically Google as it sees 92% of all search traffic because once you show up there for what your business does, people can easily find and more importantly contact you to do business. It is all out war in marketing and the competition is always looking to get an edge on you and your marketing strategy.

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Photo credit Birmingham Museums Trust

At Web Force KC, we take these battles personally which is why we constantly monitor, track, and analyze our clients’ competition. We do this for several reason which I’ll explain in a moment but in the initial stages of putting together a marketing plan, it’s more to get an feel for how the industry works, what the common keywords are, and ultimately learn about the business itself so that we our content writers can speak to it and write about it confidently. We’ve seen our clients’ competition blatantly stealing website content, product images, keyword strategies and their overall marketing plan which sucks but it’s just part of the game. Web Force KC has had to go so far as to install anti-copyright software on many of our clients’ website due to repeated incidents of copyright infringement which, to be quite honest, was somewhat flattering when it first happened but is quite infuriating now (PSA: we have filed suit and will continue to sue for copyright infringement when we find it). Unfortunately, there’s not much that can done legally when our clients’ competitors use a keyword strategy we create or revamp their entire marketing plan to keep up with ours unless of course they slip and accidentally copy content word for word. No one really owns the rights to any keywords or keyword sets (unless perhaps they contain a business’ name which is not a wise idea) so it then becomes a matter using keywords more effectively to win. Tracking how our clients rank for specific keywords and keyword sets on Google that apply to their business is a way to show progress and performance but we also track the competition as well to keep ourselves in check. Slowly but surely as our marketing plan unfolds, we topple the competition that are sometimes huge companies with massive marketing budgets that have no idea what happened until it’s too late which is exactly where we want them: scrambling on the defense. We exploit the competitors’ online weaknesses using our strengths and protect our clients’ rankings and online presence with a continuous assault of content and adjusting strategically when necessary.

It’s not all out war in a traditional sense but it has become more and more apparent that many of our clients’ competition have had to make dramatic adjustments to their marketing plans due to our efforts which we take a lot of pride in and thoroughly enjoy. It’s not a matter of working harder on a clients’ marketing campaign by producing more content more frequently but instead it’s working smarter, more strategically, and always being one step ahead of the competition. When our clients’ competition is trying to play catch-up and we continue to relentlessly move forward, that’s a win and that’s what Web Force KC does. Winning the war online against your competitors will better enable you to win the war on the ground which is what effective marketing should do.

Call Web Force KC at (816) 462-9128 for web design and online marketing in Kansas City.

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April 23, 2020