21 Useful Tips for Digital Content Marketing to Build Your

Business and Personal BrandBlogs, Instagram, Pinterest

and Houzz

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Chris VaughnDirector of Marketing

DigitalSherpa@ChrisHVaughn

Lauren ThomasCampaign Manager

DigitalSherpa@HelloLT

Lynda SimontonClient Experience

Manager@LyndaSimonton

Tweet us! #GardenBlogConf

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Tweet us! #GardenBlogConf

Follow Along At:http://slideshare.net/DigitalSherpa

365 POSTS: 7 LESSONS LEARNEDOne Year. One Website.

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Tip 1: Always Be Analyzing

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The Lightbulb Problem

The blog post with over 1,000 visitors but no readers

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While Exploring Google Analytics…

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No Shares? No Comments?!?

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“Light Bulb” Related Keyword Visits in Google Analytics

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TIP 2: BE THOROUGH

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TIP 3: CONSIDER CONVERSION

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TIP 4: MEASURE RESULTS

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TIP 5: TEST. THEN TEST SOME MORE.

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Call To Action

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TIP 6: TAKE ADVANTAGE OF AVAILABLE (AND FREE) TOOLS

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Google Analytics

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Google Keyword Planner

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TIP 7: SEO IS AN ONGOING PRACTICE. NEVER STOP OPTIMIZING!

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VISUAL STORYTELLING 101

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Tip 8: Define Your Voice & Visuals

• What does your brand sound like?– “Tone” and personality– Key messages

• What does your brand look like?– Logos, colors, etc.

• Optimize your profile for each social network

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Visual Branding: The Home Depot

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Visual Branding: The Home Depot

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Tip 9: Images > Words

• Facebook posts with pictures generate more engagement

• 59% of top brands are on Instagram

• Create a visual content strategy• Share photos that are relevant to

your brand• Use images to tell your stories

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Image via iStockphoto, AleksandarNakic

Images Engage on Facebook

• Photo posts get 39% more interaction– 93% of the most

engaging posts on FB – 53% more likes– 104% more comments – 84% more click-throughs

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Tip 10: Think Themes

• Before & After• How-To• Inspiration Boards• Behind the Scenes• Holidays / Seasons • Pop Culture

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Images via Lifescape Associates and Digital Sherpa

Tip 11: Repurpose Content

• Cascade content across platforms

• Shoot once, use thrice• Create photo collages

– Tools: Pic Stitch, Diptic, Pixlr

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Image via Home Depot

Tip 12: Experiment with #Hashtags

• Use hashtags to join larger conversations– Industry, Geography,

Products/Services, Trends• Tools:

– Facebook Graph Search– Twitter Search– Tagboard (Beta)

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Facebook Post via Digital Sherpa

Tip 14: Take Advantage of Video

• Video marketing is a powerful way to communicate with your audience– Share brand culture/values– Showcase products/services– Share DIY/how-to tips– Highlight happy customers

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Tip 13: Leverage Analytics

• Track engagement – Demographics– Popular content– Best times to post

• Tools: – Facebook Insights– BlitzMetrics– Statigram

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Screenshot via BlitzMetrics

Ready? Let’s Do This!

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PUTTING IT ALL INTO ACTION

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Over 2,000,000 photos have been uploaded to Houzz and there are over 14,000,000 users every month.

Tip 15: Change the Conversation

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Client’s Cottage Garden

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More is More

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Listen and Learn

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Tip 16: Raise Your Ranking

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Get Reviews

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Tip 17: All About Organization (Key Words are Critical)

• Geography – How do people search your area?

• Style• Project scope

– What type of business do you want to attract?

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Under the Hood: Houzz Optimization

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Pinterest generates more referral traffic to business websites than YouTube, Google+ and LinkedIn COMBINED!

Tip 18: Create a Business Account

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Under the Hood: Pinterest Analytics

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Tip 19:Keep Thinking about Search

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130 million people enjoy this photo sharing app

Tip 20: Share a Variety of Content or Stick to a Clear Theme

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Tip 21: Tag People You Know

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Bonus Tip: Be a Good Community Member

• Share valuable information• Interact and help• Give credit where credit is due!

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Q + AQuestions? Ask away!

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• Download our presentation here: http://slideshare.net/DigitalSherpa

• Connect with us!– Chris Vaughn – chris@digitalsherpa.com– Lauren Thomas – lthomas@digitalsherpa.com– Lynda Simonton – lsimonton@digitalsherpa.com

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