storytelling beyond the campfire - why search engines & users care about content
DESCRIPTION
This information was presented by Ross Monaghan, Director, Ditigal Marketing at Zeon Solutions on Thursday, January 23, 2014 at the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market. The slides walk through how storytelling and content are impacting not only the customer’s experience, but the search engine visibility and conversion rates of their websites. As the digital ecosystem evolves, it is becoming more and more important for businesses to understand the specific content to provide prospects or customers at specific junctures in their lead or purchase funnel.TRANSCRIPT
Why Search Engines & Users Care
About Your Content
Presenter: Ross Monaghan
Why are we talking about
STORYTELLING?
Shouldn’t we be talking about “keywords?”
Or on-page optimization?
Doesn’t think so…
How do we know that?
Introducing
Penguin Panda
• Heuristics count• Time on site
• Bounce Rate
• Number of pages viewed
• Returning visitors
• Thin light content
• Brand related queries
• Engagement (shares/comments)
• Over optimization• Keyword stuffing
• Anchor text manipulation
• Link schemes
• Anti overly used Advertising
• Spammy links
How can you tell if you were affected?
1. Analyze the algo dates vs. your data
2. Dimension by keyword vs. past
3. Search Query data in Webmaster Tools
Unaffected Affected
4. Filter by “Web”
5. Export your data (90 Days Saved)
OK. So you’re in the clear…
Right?
OK. Let’s say you are…
What can we do to please Google?
SPEND $$$
Want Users to get the information they were Looking for Quickly.
Want it to be a Good Experience which Others Share and trust that you have provided just that per the Data.
So how do we do this?
We need to be Real.
We need to show Passion.
We need to simplify Data.
We need to tell Stories.
Why?
Stories typically create a Higher Engagement
Why?
Because as humans we enjoy listening to Experiences both negative
and Positive.
Why?
Because we love Heroes.
Why?
Because we have Aspirations to get better each day and Enjoy Life.
So how do we tell these stories online?
Types of Storytelling on a Website
• In your face…obvious
• Subliminal
•User Generated
In Your Face Examples…
•About pages
•Category pages
•Product detail pages
•Blogs
Subliminal
•Colors
•Design
•Headers
• Images
User Generated
•Comments
•Reviews
•Contests
•Gamification
•Polls / Surveys
•Blogs
So how do we tell these stories online?
Top Ten Keys to Storytelling1. Authenticity and Transparency
2. Create opportunities for your content to be shared
3. Curate / re-purpose other content
4. Makes sure content is SEO friendly
5. Encourage Linking from other sites
6. Make commenting and liking part of the story you are telling
7. Reward people for liking or commenting on your content
8. Take care of your influencers – they keep your lights on
9. Create relationships and continue to cultivate over time
10. Be relevant
Forms of Engaging Content
•Videos
•Reviews
• Shares (social)
•Real Time Content
• Tribal Nature
•Breaking News
• Stories
Video
Reviews
Shares
Real Time Content
Tribal Nature
Breaking News
Stories
Each and every example included
An Experience
We have to remember that people don’t wake up to buy your product…
They wake up to enjoy a new “experience”.
Find a way to communicate how your product allows aspirers to
Live their Dream.
A few great examples…
So why does all this impact how
sees you?
4 R’s
Relevance
Recency
Rapport
Resonate
Things to keep in mind…
Technical Optimization Musts
1. Develop a Video Sitemap.xml
2. Leverage Rich Snippets
3. Implement Schema.org microdata1. Reviews
2. Locations
3. Events
4. Product information
4. Google + & +Local
5. Authorship
Remember Retailers
People need your product to do awesome things…so show and tell them
how others have done just that!
Everyone is competing for Market Share
Great Content drastically improves
• Conversion
• Engagement
• Return Traffic
• Merchandising
• Shares / Virality
Ross Monaghan
Director, Digital Marketing
Zeon Solutions
@RossMonaghan
LinkedIn.com/IN/rossmonaghans
Download the Presentation
http://slidesha.re/1bQSONK