You don’t need a grandiose Marketing Plan — Just start.

 

I created this blog by just sharing my on-the-job experiences. This article is meant to help you organize “What” you want customers to know.

Customers search the web for solutions (answers) to problems they are trying to solve. Search engines curate (index) knowledge. The formats below simplify organizing your knowledge. Google and its “natural language” algorithm likes these formats, making it easier for them to recognize your genius!

Our goal is to make it easy for customers to find solutions (our products) to problems. The Plan is the “How”, but you need to know the “What” first. Here are ways to present your answer to “What” you want customers to know about what you have to offer.

 

1Dictionary Glossary of Terms

Glossaries on e-commerce sites are part of a marketing strategy. They can be used to describe products, and the definitions point to your products. No writing skill required. Just chunks of 1-3 sentences will do. And the topic being defined in each chunk should link to one of your relevant products. Great SEO!

 

2Resource Guide – your favorite “Go To” sites

Why not create a list of your favorite websites you find helpful in doing your job? Next, list them for your colleagues. As a bonus for you, quality outbound links (to high-ranking sites) from your website helps the search engine understand your offering and increases trust and quality of your site in Google’s view. Look for site’s with the greatest “Domain Authority”, and there are SEO tools that will do this for you.

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“Customers search for solutions (answers) to problems they are trying to solve “

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3SlideShare – you’ve already got the paragraphs

Linked-In owns SlideShare, and this influences the SEO value of SlideShare. You’ve already got written content on your website, literature and existing PowerPoint presentations. Just re-purpose the content, breaking it into simple, short sentences and link to the relevant content on your site. SlideShare is basically a PowerPoint. Use each slide to hold a short paragraph. Copy and paste it from the content you’ve already worked hard to create.

 

“We reach our goal when we make it easy for customers to find our products.”

 

 

4Checklists and Cheat sheets

Most people don’t like to write. But if you asked them to make a checklist on some topic they know well, they could crank out the content. If it’s a technical topic, ask an internal subject matter expert (SME) to give you 5 benefits customers should look for when comparing you to competitors. Write down what the SME says. Try Excel checklist templates and put in your own basic content. 1 or 2 sentences for each checkpoint will do.

 

5Document what you already know

I started my blog just writing about topics I already knew. In plain, simple language as if I was having a conversation with a colleague. Everyday you’re executing on knowledge you’ve gained. Just put it on paper. Start with a single sentence. Your next thought will come naturally. Document your knowledge.

 

“Breakdown and Re-Purpose your existing content”

 

6Your Toolkit

What software or websites do you go to for answers on any specific topic everyday? You know what they are and use them repeatedly. Just copy and paste the URLs or bookmark them.  Sprinkle each link with an introductory sentence stating why the link is great! Now you’ve got a list of resources your like-minded readers will appreciate. And you’ve got some quality outbound links (SEO).

 

7Video is No longer a new frontier

Gone are the days when making a short video required technical expertise. Video editing is no longer a new frontier. With paid and free video editors, you can look like a pro. Start here to see a list of the “15 Best Video Editing Tools for 2017“

 

How Do You Walk to Kansas?

No matter where you in the U.S., walking to the center of our country begins the same way: one step at a time. Then another, and another.  Dorothy knew this (sorry, couldn’t stop myself).

We reach our destination when we make it easy for customers to find our products. Now you should have some new ways to begin your journey and reach your audience almost effortlessly. Strategies, tactics and execution are fine. Just don’t let them get in the way of starting.