MAKINGTRACKS

How Creating Great Content Can Get You Free Marketing All Across The Internet.KEVIN MCINTOSH

INTERNET USAGE PATTERNSAMONG BUSINESS DECISION MAKERS*• 77% of business decision makers say the Internet is the place tofind out about new products and companies – more than twice asmany as the next highest medium• 47% of business decision makers say that the Web hasinfluenced them to make a purchase or obtain a service for theirbusiness• The Internet is the dominant media vehicle consumed bybusiness decision makers during the week and second only to TVon the weekend

AMONG EMPLOYED WORKERS WHO USE THE INTERNETAT WORK OR HOME**• 76% Have bought products online• 53% Have watched YouTube or other online video content• 35% Use Facebook, LinkedIn or other social networking sites

* Source: Business Decision Makers Online Survey, Washingtonpost.com partnered withMORI Research and Nielsen/NetRatings @Plan** Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project Survey. March-April 2008.

The online marketing strategy for a lot of small to medium-sized businessesconsists of building a website, slapping the dot com address across all of their corporatecommunications and waiting for the new business to come running through door.The only problem is, it’s a strategy that's working less and less.

YOUR INTERNET FOOTPRINT COULD BE MUCH BIGGER. FREE.BY KEVIN MCINTOSHThe exponential growth of websites andSEO experts who know how to schmoozeGoogle’s search algorithms has made theInternet a competitive stomping ground.Those highly coveted first page organiclistings have become the online equivalentof leasing an office in the high-rent busi-ness district. And in the case of a highlycompetitive keyword search, getting a firstpage listing can be an ongoing SEOexpense that’s out of reach for most smallto medium-sized businesses.

The website of the average business hasbeen demoted from being an ever-activenew business development tool to beinglittle more than a static, online brochure.And because of the Mt. Everest-sized pilesof information-rich content coming out onthe web each day, traditional marketingcontent isn’t exactly making its way to thetop of the “things-to-read” heap.So it’s time for businesses to develop anew online marketing strategy.

During the pioneer days of doing businessonline, many thought the Internet wouldlevel the playing field for small and largebusinesses alike. But those hopes faded asbusinesses with enough money to throw atsearch engine marketing started buying upthe playing field in giant-sized chunks.But now, there are new chunks of realestate on the Internet and they're availableto businesses just like yours. And for themost part, they're free. Which means anybusiness can start to leverage these differ-ent chunks of the Internet to its advantage.What's the real value of these newerInternet parcels? The people who arevisiting and settling there. They're yourfuture marketing and PR teams. And yourfuture clients.

Embed codes. Trackbacks. Social book-marking. Photo sharing. Widgets. Tweetswith url links. Comment boxes. These arejust a few of the online marketing tools thatare making it possible for smaller andmedium-sized businesses to leave tracksall across the Internet.And as your prospects run across yourtracks, they will always lead back to thepiece of Internet real estate that you cancall your own–your blog. Here prospectscan access more of your track-worthycontent and the relationships can grow.

Embed codes. Trackbacks. Social bookmarking. Photo sharing. Widgets. Tweets with url links.Comment boxes. These are just a few of the online marketing tools that are making it possiblefor smaller and medium-sized businesses to leave tracks all across the Internet.

The popular rallying cry among bloggers is,“Content is king." That's because theInternet is a highly competitive marketplacefor information and entertainment. And withthe mountains of new content added everyday, the competition is greater than ever.So it's the best content that wins.When content is track-worthy, it takes on alife of its own. Because by using tools likethose mentioned earlier, you and otherInternet users can spread your contentaround, leaving tracks back to your blog.For example, in 2006, Blendtec launched aseries of videos in which the company CEOused their blenders to grind everydayhousehold objects including golf balls, softdrink cans and a Hannah Montana doll.In less than a week after the video wasposted to YouTube, over 6 million visitorshad landed on the company’s website (theynow have a blog). Today if you Google,“Will it blend” you’ll find 400,000 sets oftracks made by people spreading the word.Less than 2 years since, sales are up 6x.

Great Content Spreads More Tracks

Welcome To The New Internet Frontier

Stake Claim To Chunks Of The Internet

However, you don’t need hundreds ofthousands of links to your blog. And youdon't need a hilarious video. A well-writtenarticle that introduces a paradigm shift orsome other form of thought-leadership canbe just as "track-worthy." It all depends onwhat you're marketing and who you'remarketing it to.

For people to want to make tracks with yourcontent, the content has to be better thanthe rest of the content out there. It has tobe spectacular. It has to either entertain,provoke, inform or educate better than thecompeting content.When it's passed along, the content standsa greater chance of being welcomed,especially if the person making the trackshas influence in the community. And sincepeople form online communities with othersof common interests, information can gettracked around much faster online thanoffline. It's digital word-of-mouth.However, when the content is great, it can

start making tracks offline, as well. After all,communities built around common interestsstill gather in the offline world.Content that offers a unique solution to aproblem shared by a community can bevery strong. Because online and offline,problems are a frequent topic of discussion.The type of content you create will dependon the audience you're trying to reach. Butit should always point back to your blog.

Viral marketing success stories like BlendTec are the exception.However, you don’t need hundreds of thousands of links to your blog or website.And you don't need a hilarious video. A well-written article that introduces aparadigm shift or some other form of thought-leadership can be just as "track-worthy."It all depends on what you're marketing and who you're marketing it to.

Tracks Are Like Digital Word-Of-Mouth

Are You Ready To Make Tracks?The tools exist for you to make tracks allacross the Internet. And for the most part,the tools are free. But to get others to trackyour content around, your content must betrack-worthy.

Kevin McIntosh is a Digital Word--Of-Mouth Strategistand Copywriter in the Nashville market.

He has worked on the marketing campaigns of over adozen Fortune 500 brands including RCA, DuPont andBB&T.

He helps clients develop "track-worthy" content andshows them how to leverage online tools to get freedigital word-of-mouth marketing across the Internet.

Telephone: 615-469-5225Blog: http://kevinmcintosh.comTwitter Address: @macwriter

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