SEO is Dead...and Other Good Content Marketing Reads
https://www.smartcompany.com.au/technology/seo/seo-is-dead/
"Search engine optimisation (SEO) has been a prominent strategy in marketing plans for over 20 years. But for the sake of businesses, marketers and SEO professionals alike, it’s time we call it. SEO is dead."
It's satisfying to read this perspective, especially written by an industry veteran. I cannot tell you how many times I've heard clients discuss SEO as something that can be outsmarted, gamed, or bought. It doesn't work, it goes against the point of 'Search', and breeds confusion. And because of this confusion, it's created a cottage industry of nonsense. There's a difference between making your website is optimized for 'Search' and buying/manufacturing backlinks to make your brand seem like an authority on a specific topic.
"People no longer make a knee-jerk purchase because of an ad they happened to see on TV or online. Instead, they consider various options and do their research before making a decision."
I love the graphic that leads into this article, by the way. Pia, the author, is 100% correct in saying that great content is essential for long-term lead generation. Far too often, brands think about lead-generation as a short-term gain, as a task that will last as long as a single sponsored post. Lead-generation has a long-tail, and that tail should be full of content.
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/354378
"Puts your audience first. Be customer-focused, not company-focused. You’re delivering helpful, valuable content and letting the customer decide when they trust you enough to buy from you."
"Gets published consistently and continuously. You’re building trust by proving you’re an expert in the matter over time rather than publishing one-offs."
Another great read that hammers-home the point that your efforts should be not only be consistent, but also be audience-focused. I feel like we could do an entire deep-dive on audiences, and how it's completely acceptable to ignore 99%+ of the population when developing your content strategy. Typically, less than 1% of the population is even interested in your product, service, or even your category. Don't try and appeal to everyone, just focus on your audience exclusively.
"If you think dominating a single platform is enough, think again. Your leads on Facebook are not on YouTube, and those on YouTube are different to those reading posts. The key to your success is to repurpose your content across multiple (relevant) platforms."
What I like about this article is the emphasis on diversifying content across multiple platforms. When I explain to people that we're an 'Integrated Marketing company with an emphasis on content', they understand the 'content' part of that, but what does 'Integrated Marketing' mean? It means you aren't operating in silos, there are no 'one-off projects', and instead you're always thinking about the business development stack before content is created. This author's point is that you shouldn't stop at just one platform, make sure you are using that content on as many applicable platforms as possible, and make sure those platforms are included in your planning before production.
