You have this Content Marketing thing down, right? Or, at the least, you have a plan. You have that strategy and have an idea of where you are going with that content marketing plan.

BTW – if you need some help, here are a couple of articles that can get you going:

• The Best Content Marketing Examples
• 50 Must-Know Statistics to Improve Your Lead Generation Strategy

There are several reasons why you want to incorporate video into your content marketing plan. One important reason to consider is the enhancement of your personal or corporate brand through video marketing. Video is a powerful story telling medium; videos are sharable content assets that can be marketed across multiple platforms.

That said, we all know that video content marketing and video production do not just happen overnight.  They also do not happen without any effort.

What Comes to Mind When Considering the Video Content Marketing

Some of the obvious things coming to mind are video production or video acquisition.

For those of you who are already video producers, think you are video producers, or are the fearless types, this step probably doesn’t hang you up that much.

However, there is another group of people who may wonder how you are going to come by the video in the first place. I am not suggesting that you worry about it, but rather, evaluate your options.

Here are three ideas right from the starting gate:

• Produce the video yourself.
• Purchase the video.
• Hire someone to make the video for you.

The Cost of Doing Business

More than likely, the cost of acquiring your video is going to be in the order that they appear in the above list.  So, producing the video yourself is likely to be the least expensive (but not necessarily inexpensive).  Purchasing the video is the next one up the cost ladder.  Hiring a professional is likely to be the most expensive.

Let’s talk about the different options that you have for each of those, so you can see that it is not just one path, but a variety of options within each method.

Method 1: The Do-It-Yourself Video

If you already have the experience and the video software, then the expense is a different focus.  It is more about video production and the time involved in getting it done.  If you do not yet have the software, there is going to be the cost of the software. However, that doesn’t mean that you have to spend a ton of money.

On the low end of the spectrum, there are some video software packages that may cross your email that range around $30 or so. Granted, they may not be top of the line, but it gets the job done, and that is the goal here.

Moving up that ladder are software packages like Techsmith’s Camtasia, available for Mac or Windows (at very different costs and capabilities). This is a really good option for the midlevel. You can create some really professional results with this software without having to take a second mortgage on the house. Granted, it will likely require some focused time to learn how to use the software.

If you are a little lower on funds and time, another option for the do-it-yourselfer is to create a live video. Fortunately, with the option of the Google Hangout and the Facebook Live, there is the opportunity to create a video of you chatting with your audience or another individual or team.

While it is great to add that polish to the live video, there is a bit of forgiveness for the raw element of the live video. This creates a focus on the content and less about the production skill set. This allows for less time (in production) and less money (not requiring the professional software).

Method 2: Purchase the Video

Another option for obtaining/acquiring that video is to purchase it.

This can be done at sites like Big Stock Photo, where the price of the videos, considering the high quality, is pretty reasonable, or many other similar stock image/video sites.

Technically, you could use the video “as is” after purchasing it on a stock site.  However, more than likely you will want to combine this method with Method #1, the do-it-yourself. You will likely want to combine the video with a bit of production process, adding some text and animation, etc.  Fortunately, Camtasia allows the adding of text/animation.  There are also lower dollar applications that do it, too.

There are online options that provide how-to mechanisms and functionality. Those would include Sparkol (VideoScribe) for whiteboard/explainer videos and PowToon for animations.

One other area of purchase is PLR, which stands for “Private Label Rights.” In some cases, people will create videos and sell them to others. The buyers use the videos in membership sites, articles, or other video marketing endeavors. The best PLR to consider is sold as a limited edition product. That means that there are fewer people out there who are using the same video or set of videos. However, the advantage of PLR is that the price reflects the bulk access of the videos. Because of that, you could acquire videos in a cost saving transaction.

Method 3: Hire a Professional

Finally, there is the option of hiring a professional videographer and/or a professional video marketer to produce and market your video for you.

When hiring quality service, this can be very expensive, and it is not surprising that it can reach the five digits in pricing. Quality service costs money, considering the cost of production, the electricity, the skill, etc.

On the other end of the spectrum, there are those who will advertise professional video services for $5. Yes, you got it, at places like Fiverr. Two of the categories that come to mind are Whiteboard/Explainer Videos and a search that involves a service, like “do a whiteboard video.”

The key thing to keep in mind, when hiring a professional is that you do get what you are paying for in the service. So, while the person charging $5 may be very talented, you are not likely to get the $5,000 service for $5.

As long as you can manage your expectations, this may be a viable option for you, realizing that low dollar may mean a bit lower quality.

Video Marketing

If it were all about the making of the videos and that is it, we could all retire to our easy chair. However, there is that piece, regardless of the video making method, which requires marketing.

Whether it is the video that is motivating the marketing or we are marketing the video, the same steps are taken. The following articles will help you on your way in that direction:

• 10 Stats About Video That Marketers Need to Know
• 4 Interactive Video Marketing Examples That Mastered the Medium
• Live Video Marketing: What You Need To Know About This Hot Trend in 2017

Conclusion

When it comes to video content marketing, there is an easy way to describe your action step.  That is, get in there and get it going.

There are two parts of any video content marketing strategy (and actually more than two). The one part is the production (or acquisition) of the video, and the other is the distribution or marketing aspect.

It also depends on what the purpose is. Is the video the primary content? Or, is the video the method of marketing something else like a product or service? Either way, you have some action steps that you can even do today.  Hey, that could even be a case of using your Microsoft PowerPoint application to export a video… Then, post it on YouTube. 🙂

You hear the term, “Reputation Management” and what comes to mind?  It is one of those things that often conjures up a response of “I have it covered” or “I’ll get it covered someday.”

Maybe you do have it covered, and if so, that is great!

But, have you taken the time to sit down and think about Reputation Management? Including what it entails and whether or not it even matters to your business?  Have you considered its impact on professional or personal branding?

Considering Online Reviews and Freedoms

Somehow, the term “reputation management” doesn’t have the best reputation. Many brands associate this term with crisis management. Because of this interpretation, it sometimes means we don’t consider it until there’s a problem.

In many ways, the reputation management industry has reinforced this negative way of thinking. The industry may instill a fear that our businesses will be ruined by scathing reviews.

Hey, the industry isn’t wrong. Also, if that is how money is made by the experts, that makes sense. It is not an entirely unfounded fear. This is a world where consumers have immediate accessibility at their fingertips. The way they think about a brand’s reputation has changed.

Reputations now consist of comments, mentions, reviews, and recommendations from universe-altering online commentators and/or applications. Our online reputation is what differentiates us in the marketplace. It doesn’t matter if we’re selling hot dogs in New York or applying for a job in Kentucky, we are affected.

Both small business owners and Fortune 500 companies recognize this fact: Our reputations have the power to bring opportunities to our door. At the same time, it diverts customers to our competitors if not used properly.

So, what do we do about all this reputation stuff?

Shifting Gears and Introducing Reputation Management

What will happen if you start thinking about your brand’s reputation the same way you think about your marketing strategy?

The first issue you will encounter is the marketing channel. As odd as it may sound, it’s unlike any other. A brand’s reputation relies solely on what others say or do not say about them. Your customer’s voice is not something you can buy or control. Or, at least not in a perfect world, eh?

Online reviews have an enormous influence over potential customers’ behavior. Not only do reviews determine whether a brand is visible on social media, but also how people perceive it. In turn, they play a key role in whether or not consumers will purchase anything from that brand.

First Steps in the Reputation Management Process

In some cases, companies and brands may not have had their reputation management in place in time to avoid a bit of a crisis. In those cases, your brand may have suffered some hits to your reputation. And, in that case, it is probably time to get some help.

It is also possible that you haven’t suffered a crisis (yet) and that you are at this point for another reason.  Maybe you just need to ensure that all of your ducks are in a row.  The reason that this topic comes up may be to ensure that you are ready in case “hits” come your way later. In other words, maybe you are the type of person who would rather be prepared than unpleasantly surprised. That is great! You are taking things into your own hands at the right time.

There are different approaches when it comes to a reputation management plan. This includes the process of strategizing.

Two of those options include:

• Do-it-yourself approach;
• Hire experts.

Do-It-Yourself Versus Expert Management

You could do it yourself, and that is likely a good approach when attempting to use money wisely, but you also need to be careful that you do not repeat common mistakes in reputation management because of a lack of experience in the area.

Another option is to hire experts to do it for you and save the day.  This allows you to take advantage of the experience that others have in the area of reputation management. If you have the money to support hiring someone, it is usually better to have the experts do it for you. They have been there and done that.  They are less likely to make those common mistakes that beset newbies.

An example of a service that can help you in that area is the one mentioned on Wikipedia (ReputationDefender).

Another key advantage to hiring an agency is that they can help you setup your reputation management system. So, the benefits of using an agency that specializes in reputation management include:

• The knowledge that comes with experience.
• The experience that comes with the knowledge AND experience.
• Getting the job done right… the first time.
• Continuous process improvement.

What You Need to Know About Reputation Marketing

There are some things that stay the same, whether you choose the do-it-yourself route or you hire an agency.  We can start with what you need to know about reputation management and reputation marketing.

If you are taking the do-it-yourself route, this is the outline that you would be using to formulate your own plan.

If you are taking the agency route, this will help you to understand the process and what questions to ask when deciding on who it is that will be handling your reputation management.

Since customer reviews are probably the most dynamic element in building a brand’s reputation, it’s a good idea to focus on reputation-building venues in order to:

• Monitor;
• Acquire;
• Amplify.

Monitoring

For a small business owner with a minimal marketing budget, monitoring online reviews can become a painful process. Staying abreast of what your customers say can be challenging, particularly if your business’ footprint spans across several online review sites.

But, in spite of the pain, monitoring gives you the opportunity to influence potential customers. It allows you to read feedback from current ones. While it may not be fun, if you are able to take in these reviews (monitor), you are well equipped.

But, keep in mind; you can hire an agency to do this for you if the pain of reading the bad reviews is too much for you. This is one of the reasons why hiring an agency may work out better for you than the do-it-yourself method.

And, remember, just because there may be bad reviews does not mean that you are bad. Sure, if there is valuable feedback, use it and improve. However, if it is not applicable then that is where it just causes pain and either we grow tough, thick skin, or hire someone to monitor for us.

Acquiring

What business doesn’t want to see glowing reviews online? Unfortunately, the majority of reviews we see are negative.

What is it with human nature that we seem to be eager to say all the negative stuff and we keep the positive stuff to ourselves? Shouldn’t we share the positive stuff? That is the thing; it tends to be what we see in human nature… unfortunately.

So, how do you generate more positive reviews? A genuine request is the best route to go. When brands go the extra mile for their customers, you see a reciprocation of the generosity. We have seen that happen, time and time again, in our own business. So, it is true that that seems to be the best approach to acquiring positive reviews.

Here is an example:

Amplifying

Building a credible reputation is what makes or breaks a brand.

To kick things up a notch, take those positive reviews and implement them into your marketing mix. For example, if you primarily participate on social media platforms, transform those positive reviews into social media posts. You can use them in blog posts, too.

Here is an example how-to:
Consider capturing positive responses via screenshots.  After doing so, build them into a shareable media component. Use it to encourage others to add to the positive flow. It is amazing how much the positive reviews result in more positive reviews. My testimonials SlideShare, above, literally doubled just by sharing the SlideShare!

In Conclusion

A brand’s reputation is invaluable. Far too many brands remain in the mindset of tending to their reputation only when problems arise. With a little adjustment in approach, brands can seize an enormous marketing opportunity. This allows them to win over both current and potential customers.

Now, it is time to take notice and take action!

You have content marketing all figured out, eh? You are cruising through 2018’s business strategy planning without a hitch. However, do you have animated content calculated into your overall plan?

Image by Deborah Anderson from 123rf.com graphic (used by permission)

You already know this: if you’re serious about increasing your brand’s online presence and authority, you need to produce killer content.

Your content needs to entertain or educate. In other words, it needs to have an engagement factor. Having strong engagement represents success.

This is the one way that you are able to compel your readers to take what is known as a call to action (CTA). Hopefully, your CTA is something that benefits you.

According to some sources, there’s been a certain percentage of increase in businesses using animation for marketing purposes. Even going back a couple of years to 2015, there are reports of increased sales when using animation or explainer videos.

Why is this so?

It is likely because animation possesses the ability to communicate a brand’s spirit. Animation also has the capacity to deliver content in a way that surpasses the expectations of the audience.

What Animation Can Do for You and Your Brand

When executed properly, animations can help catapult your brand into superstardom.

Animation grabs your audience’s attention and keeps them engaged. Also, you can integrate animation into your advertising strategy—so it can serve a dual purpose. It helps your content to be more appealing, which results in more engagement and encourages sharing.

Are you thinking that animation is often associated with cartoons? Fortunately, animated videos have been making a name for themselves in the digital marketing arena and are much more than cartoons. But we can still enjoy a cartoon here and there when it helps to promote our brand.

How Do You Get There from Here?

How do you acquire animations or the ability to produce them yourself?

The first step is to decide what you plan to do with animation. In other words, are you going to use it to encourage engagement? Are you going to use it to keep the interest of those reading other content on your site?

You might want to make a list of questions similar to the two above and then analyze it. Evaluate how you intend to use animation to your brand’s benefit.

When you have decided how, move toward the acquisition step. Oh, and the topics below might help you to analyze how you want to use animation.

Also, keep in mind that none of this has to be set in stone. You can change directions as you see fit.

Ok, now for the acquisition list.

There are basically three options:

• You can do it yourself. Create your own animations or explainer videos after acquiring training on how to create animations for your company.
• Purchase the videos and animations (choose from BigStock.com; 123rf.com; or PLR videos, preferably limited edition).
• Hire a professional to create the animation or video for you.

How Do You Use Animation in Your Branding Efforts?

Understanding how to use animation in marketing isn’t as difficult as is seems. There are many ways to utilize animation to boost your online visibility.

For example, animated graphics have come a long way since the days of your childhood. Created to suit your brand, content can be delivered narratively or delivered with graphics only.

Many times, there are incredible videos with musical backgrounds and text overlays (i.e. posters). These can be very effective.

Animated infographics are another way of presenting animations. They are phenomenal at delivering statistical information in a way that entertains your audience. Long gone are the days of boring PowerPoint presentations.

Animation Can Tell the Story

Speaking of animated infographics, if you were to look at a SlideShare media presentation (below), is it an animated infographic, a SlideShare, or a variation on the PowerPoint presentation? Then again, do we need to define what it is or can we just enjoy it?

Do you see how the SlideShare above is beneficial in the branding process?

It’s in the Mail

If you happen to be an email marketer, you can instantly draw attention to marketing messages with animation. Animation also utilizes limited space by showcasing your product or service as opposed to explaining it.

If you choose to use animation in your emails, make sure that the files are compatible with the recipient’s devices. Ensuring compatibility is complicated at first.

But with some attention, you will be able to create a more simplified reading experience for your audience. By doing so, you will be able to accommodate branding benefits as well.

Inspired by Television

If done correctly, website animation is another way to keep new prospects on your site longer. Animation can give your website special effects that would cost an arm and leg if filmed in specific location spots. When used appropriately, caricature drawings can also make your product or service more appealing.

Website animation may keep visitors on your site longer -Deborah AndersonClick To Tweet

The cost of video production can be expensive, but it can be quite expensive to add to that the cost of hiring “extras,” actors, or speakers to perform the task on camera.

Adding your own voiceover (or hiring someone at a reasonable cost) to an animation can save you thousands of dollars compared to a full-fledged video production project.

Maximizing Your Animation

Making the most out of your marketing efforts is the name of the game when it comes to maximizing your videos. That said, there are few guidelines you should keep in mind:

• Keep it short. Think about entertaining snippets of information as opposed to long presentations. (Also, is it me or has our attention span been getting shorter lately?)
• Focus on the customer. Prospects want to know what you have to offer and how you can help them. Get to the message and keep it customer-centric.
• Focus on branding. Animation videos are perfect for delivering key messages about your brand. You can even create the animation effect by converting your PowerPoint slideshows into animations—yes!

Conclusion

As content marketing continues to change, so should your marketing strategy. Never underestimate the power of animation when it comes to converting leads into returning customers.

If that means that you stop off at Fiverr.com to pick up some affordable videos or video production services in the area of animation, then give it a try.

Keep in mind that you generally get what you pay for, so don’t expect $50k worth of effort for $5. However, if you hire someone for $5 and the work is not up to par, what you’ve done is like going on a date at Starbucks—it’s not likely to break the bank.

Experiment a little. Look into that animation schooling for the do-it-yourself approach. Then when you become the next expert, hang a shingle and make some money on the side, creating high-priced, high-quality animations for the next guy (or gal).

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Deborah Anderson wears many hats in her addiction to acquiring knowledge. From professional training as a sound engineer at the Los Angeles Film School to graduating summa cum laude in software architecture, and then on to become the director of Information Technology at the high profile Bel Air Investment Advisors, she often comments that she is only just beginning. She enjoys sharing her knowledge discoveries with her readers and is always ready to offer a helping hand.

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As a writer or blogger, you enjoy what you do. That said, there are times when you feel that you do not have any more content to share. Where are you going to get your next idea?

If you are news reporter or even a blogger who covers news, maybe the key issue is to pay attention to what is going on in the world and to try to catch it before everyone else does.

However, what do you do when there is nothing new happening? Or what if there is so much happening that your hard work as a writer is lost in all of the noise?

Ask yourself: what inspires you? What is supposed to inspire you? Or are you supposed to be inspired at all?

Observations from Those Around Us (Innovative Technology)

I used a process to search for news for this article. Specifically, I was looking for innovations in technology. After all, if I want to be inspired, I should pick a topic first, eh? And it is helpful if I pick a topic that interests me, such as technology.

What I found were some interesting results. There were not quite as many as I thought I would find, but they were interesting nonetheless.

While the U.S. political scene still seems to intrigue members of the press around the globe, innovative technology is still able to be a compelling story.

Maybe The Guardian’s report on the environment seems a bit like old news, but there are other topics of interest in the area of innovative technology.

Innovations for the Ultra Lazy or Super Brilliant

One example is that of the car that drives itself.

No, I am not watching too much science fiction on Netflix. I am serious.

There is testing for self-driving cars, and the testing is occurring in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Those who expect tech breakthroughs to come out of Silicon Valley, California might find this news surprising, but rumor has it that there is a connection.

Either way, the state of Arizona is providing support for the development of self-driving cars and the encouragement to move forward in this innovative technology.

In this case, Arizona took the steps to make the public roads available to pioneer this new technology.

Is this news surprising? Well, if you were not expecting it, it probably was surprising.

Was it unexpected? Again, that is very likely.

What does that have to do with writing? We will come back to this question.

The Jon Morrow Course on Guest Blogging

No, this is not meant to be an advertisement for the Jon Morrow Guest Blogging Course, but I am givingthe course an unpaid testimonial because I think it is that incredible.

The real reason I am bringing it up is that there is something Jon Morrow mentions that is inspiring in and of itself. Yes, instructions can inspire!

Granted, I can’t share the content of the course with you, as that would be inappropriate and unfair to Jon Morrow. So instead, let me give you a sort of synopsis of a real life experience that I had, which hints at what Jon Morrow teaches.

In other words, I could claim this insight as my own, but I am giving credit where credit is due. The experience is my own. The application of it is inspired by the teaching of Jon Morrow.

The Surprising Experience

As most of you who know me are already aware, I served as a Chief Technology Officer in the Los Angeles financial industry.

If any of you have been there and done that, you know how the market can get busy and hectic (to a crazy level!). It can get too busy to take a break for lunch and sometimes too busy to do other needed things, if you know what I mean.

This is not an attempt at an excuse. If anything, it is a confession.

Here is that confession… ready?

There were days when I didn’t eat “people food.” Instead, I lived off of red licorice (we had a “candy drawer” that happened to be across from my office) and cups of tea or Diet Coke.

After a while, I lost ten pounds, even though I was already underweight. Granted, it was probably from the lack of healthy living and the lack of nutritious yet calorie-containing food.

It was also probably from the exercise of running around like a chicken with its head cut off.

However, at the end of the day, I could say, “I Lost Ten Pounds with a Red Licorice Diet.”

That is surprising, isn’t it? How about unexpected? (Well, it probably wasn’t what you expected in reading this article, was it?)

It is not an untrue statement, but it could be misleading, although that is probably content for another article.

Needless to say, that headline is an unexpected and/or surprising way to look at a weight loss story.

Relating It Back to What We Know About Writing

So how does my example relate to Jon Morrow and writing?

Writing is about bringing surprising content to the forefront.Click To Tweet Rather than saying that you are writing an article about dieting, look at what is surprising.

If the article starts with how enjoyable rice cakes are, you might lose your audience. But if people hear about eating licorice and losing weight, they might be more interested.

The key is that you still need to be truthful, assuming truthfulness is one of your ethical principles. So if I were to write the article about red licorice, I would also include the part about the exercise that happens naturally during the workload in that environment.

I would also, in all good conscience, include something like a disclaimer that says I cannot honestly recommend that eating only red licorice is a healthy way to live.

Bringing It Full Circle

So to write about innovative technology, we would find that interesting and inspiring story or event. In this case, it is the self-driving cars that are being tested in Scottsdale, AZ.

The earlier political story I referred to about politics and environmental technology (that complains about Trump) simply is not as interesting as that of the self-driving car.

From the latter story, we find that we are inspired (are you inspired by stories of self-driving cars?).

Once we have 1) searched for our topic, 2) found our story or stories and 3) been inspired, we are ready to 4) extract our surprising tips or notes and finally 5) develop our story.

Now it is your turn to try this process for yourself. Go ahead and find your own story of self-driving cars and see where it leads you. Don’t forget to come back and share it with us.

Save

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Deborah Anderson wears many hats and her addiction to acquiring knowledge. From professional training as a sound engineer at the Los Angeles Film School, to graduating summa cum laude in software architecture, and then on to becoming the director of Information technology at the high profile Bel Air Investment Advisors, she often comments that she is only just beginning. She enjoys sharing her knowledge discoveries with her readers and is always ready to offer a helping hand.

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You have been using WordPress for quite a few years now. In fact, you are so accustomed to using WordPress that you are not sure how long you have been using it… exactly. And, it isn’t difficult to swap the word website with WordPress, thinking they are one and the same. You would not be far off in your assessment and you are right there with the rest of us!

WordPress, in its core form, is free. That is something that should excite us but something we sometimes forget. It is almost like we expect it and so, of course, it is free, right? Yet, when you lift up the hood to see what is included in WordPress and think about it, it really is phenomenal when you consider all that we get with WordPress.

Hey, even going back to version 2, it was amazing. This is especially true if you consider that back in the dark ages, we all had to code our sites from scratch or hire someone. Now, even the least technically-minded individual has a chance with the simplicity of WordPress. I’m not saying it is simple, but compared to hand-coding, it is simpler than it used to be in the pre-WordPress days.

Now, it is not unusual for there to be generous strides forward in the development of the WordPress core, but we are seeing some really innovative moves with this 4.8 version that has arrived.

We are going to take a quick tour through those innovations, but first, let’s cover a section on prerequisites, eh?

Prerequisites for a Valuable WordPress Experience

The knowledge of prerequisites is needed, even when it is not the most fun topic.  Unfortunately, we sometimes do not realize it until we hit a bump in the road.

The reason it is foremost in my mind is that I HAVE hit that bump. Yes, me. Even though I know better, I am capable of getting so excited that I move forward and I don’t realize that I have not covered all of my bases.

A Hosting Provider that Meets Your Needs

First of all, you need to select web hosting that meets your needs.

What are your needs? Ok, let’s use technology as an example. Your needs are sure to go beyond a simple assessment of technical skill, but let’s use that one to give you an idea of performing your own analysis.

Ask yourself the question of how technology savvy you are. Are you pretty technically-minded and only called a support team once every ten years? If so, score yourself as a ‘10’ on a scale of one to ten.

Or, are you the type that would be content if you were intravenously connected to the support team 24/7 because you need that much help with your technical hosting needs? That is ok. Hey, we all need help somewhere, right? But, if that is the case, score yourself at a one on the scale.

Analyzing It

Now, looking at your scale, if you are somewhere near 10, then maybe support is not the most important. For those types of people, things like command-line access is more important (I only know because that is the type of person I am. I would “die” if I did not have command-line access to my servers at all times.)

If you scored closer to the one on that scale, then that 24/7 technical support should be high on your list of requirements. Also, it isn’t enough that there is the support, but you need to have knowledgeable support. The best way to test that out is to actually ask them a few tricky questions and see how they do. Are they friendly? Are they warm? Most importantly, do they truly know what they are talking about and does their advice work? How long do they make you wait? This is just a sampling of the questions you should consider.

A Hosting Provider that is Familiar with WordPress

Ok, I’m being kind, by using “familiar.” You actually want to find a hosting company that would qualify as “rock stars” when it comes to dealing with WordPress.

Keep in mind that the hosting company is not necessarily your personal technology team, but they should be able to handle the basics when it comes to things like WordPress installation (if that isn’t already handled by a handy dandy button in the control panel).

Use a similar process of questioning the team/company to see if they measure up to what your expectations are, in the area of WordPress hosting. If you are not sure, consider some WordPress forums and see what ideas pop there. Also, check out the WordPress articles here on Dragonblogger.com.

Prerequisites on Your Server

For all intensive purposes, this is something handled by your hosting provider. However, even if it is handled by your hosting provider, you will still want to be aware of it so that you can ask the right questions.

This is an area where I think it would be least confusing to send you to Google to search. Why? I am concerned that I could take you on a tangent if I break down every possible scenario when it comes to server requirements.

That said, I do want to give you one morsel since I have run into it. For example, if you PHP is not up to the current version, it is possible that your WordPress will not run as smoothly.

Let’s stop for a moment. It is possible you can skip the rest of this section.

So, if you do not know what PHP is, but your hosting company meets your needs with customer service, simply ask their support team if the PHP version is current. Let them worry about it.

If you are the type, like me, who manages his or her servers, then you probably already know what PHP is and are already Googling, if you haven’t already taken care of it.

Explaining It With a Car Scenario

Let’s say you are planning a trip from New York City to Los Angeles and you are going to road trip it. Let’s say you find a pink 1965 Mustang V8 with no A/C. It looks great. But, can it handle the road trip? Can YOU handle the road trip (with no A/C)? You would probably be better off either upgrading the car (to one with A/C, which I hear is not done easily) or simply going with a vehicle that is closer in age to 2017. Upgrading that car, as “pretty” as it may be, is like doing brain surgery with pencils (thanks to my hubby’s description).

How does this car scenario relate to our topic of PHP?  If the server is not ready for WordPress, we don’t blame the WordPress, instead, update PHP (a.k.a. call your hosting provider). In the same way, don’t blame the pink car, just tuck it aside and use one of its younger (much younger!) cousins for the road trip. 🙂

Enough geekspeak… let’s get to the fun stuff with all of the new things that come with our WordPress 4.8!

WordPress 4.8 and New Features

There are so many new features in WordPress 4.8. For an official list, visit the WordPress 4.8 feature list. Then again, you can stay here, reading this article, and see the same list J

Ok, so it is not entirely about widgets, but there is a lot to discover in the new widgets that are included in this 4.8 version.

Before we start, let me say that for those of you who depended on widgets that allowed you to insert code into your sidebar, life just got easier! Plugins like WP PHP plugin, even though it has not been updated for two years, have helped some of us to do things in WordPress that were not possible before this. But, now, your problems are solved (even the two-year wait) because it is “in there” when it comes to WordPress 4.8. And, you know what else? You don’t have to be a coder to use it!

Image Widget

Previously, we either had to use an HTML or PHP widget to add code that would trigger an image in our WordPress sidebar. Then, there were some plugins that would allow limited functionality in that department, even the image insertion itself.

But, there were two problems with that:

• We were dependent on that plugin, even if it was free.
• In some cases, we needed to be coders to understand what to do. Add to that the accidental process of turning the plugin off and then seeing the messy code on our site because we turned off the “code” widget that was feeding it!

Well, cross off those two problems because now you can add the image without knowing code. It is as simple as adding an image to your blog post.

Think of the possibilities! You can add your headshot or even a recent event. Make it pop up there as if it is automatic! (And, without pulling your hair out doing it!)

Using this image widget, you can upload an image or you can add it from your media library in WordPress. For most of you, that is a process with which you are already familiar.  That is the functionality allowing you to add the things like links, captions, and other WordPress functionality. Be sure to check out the video, above, to see how this will simplify your life!

Video Widget

Video is super popular these days. It has always been popular, but it is accessible for non-professional, non-videographers, to join in on the fun.

This means that you need a place to put it. And, why not utilize the accessibility that the WordPress 4.8 version offers you!

While it is still advisable to load your video from a video site like YouTube or Vimeo, you have the ability to do it from your own site. Just keep in mind that if you are low on space, with your hosting plan, that YouTube (and others) may still be the best option. Even when size-reduced, videos use needed hosting space.

Similar to the Image Widget, the Video Widget allows you to upload a video or load it from your WordPress media library.

Audio Widget

Just like video, audio is also gaining in popularity.

Oh, we always had music, but now we have this popular activity called podcasting!

It used to be a chore to find a place to properly host podcasts (yes, there are differences, but I’ll spare you for the moment). Whether you are doing it the “proper” way or not, you can throw that podcast up on your site with an ease that was not available in earlier versions of WordPress.

Again, you can add it through the upload process or the media library. And, you can embed audio from another (external) source. These options allow you a flexibility that frees you up to do what you do best, whether that is the podcast itself, writing your next blog post, or another activity that defines the spectacular you.

Rich Text Widget

As we mentioned at the beginning of this section, adding rich text used to require another plugin. Ok, so we were talking about images. But, the same thing goes here. Now, you can have rich text without having to code it into another plugin.

Isn’t this something that you have been waiting for for a while? It is like having a mini post capability right there with the widgets!

And, this may help you in other areas, such as the quantity of plugins you need.

If you had to add a bunch of plugins to get the functionality that you wanted, namely rich text, you can now do it with this improved WordPress functionality. If you are able to turn off a couple of plugins as a result, it means that you may be coming closer to your goal of a faster loading website. No promises, but a step in the right direction helps, eh?

With this new text widget, you have the basics that are available in your post functionality (when in the “Visual” tab). This includes bold, italic, lists, and links.

Are you a code geek? You can still add HTML manually. J

Link Boundaries

Have you ever been frustrated when updating a link in your WordPress blog posts?

Some of us coders solve it with manual editing.  They edit links in the “Text” tab instead of the “Visual” tab in WordPress and use raw HTML code.

But, how is that fair for all of the non-coders out there? Quite frankly, it doesn’t seem fair.

Well, now life is fair. At least when it comes to those pesky links. Now WordPress has introduced “link boundaries” into the mix. This should solve the issue of added text ending up outside of the link, or linked as text (which obviously is not the link).

WordPress streamlines the process by adding this boundary to each of the links, allowing that editing process to focus on what it is supposed to focus.. the link.

Nearby WordPress Events Dashboard Widget

How many of you already participate in the WordPress community activities, whether online or offline group meetings?

Now, you can find out about these Meetups right within your WordPress installation!

This feature may not be for everyone, but for those who desire to participate in WordPress community activities, this makes life so much simpler!

Now, you don’t have to put sticky notes reminding yourself to check to see when the next meetup is occurring. It is right there, inside your WordPress dashboard!

And, you know what else? It automatically geolocates (with the correct settings and permission). That means that you don’t have to look through a list of possibilities, but can see what is happening right near you! How convenient is that?!

The Rest of the Added Features

Here is a listing of some of the other features that WordPress 4.8 includes (especially of interest to developers):

In Closing…

Ok, so what did we say in this article? Or, more importantly, what are the key points?

It boils down to two points. The first is to ensure that you are ready for all of this wonderfulness that WordPress 4.8 offers you.  For example,  hosting, prerequisites, handled by your hosting provider, etc.

In other words, do not take the museum piece car to use as your comfy road trip vehicle.

Secondly, check out all the cool stuff that you get with the free WordPress 4.8 software! And, for that, all you need to do is scroll up and check out the feature list and explanations 😉

Phrases like content marketing, digital marketing, social media marketing, and the like can float past a person and result in a yawn.

This yawn is probably because the reader needs some sleep, but lost passion can also contribute to that yawn.

When the marketer, whether it is you or another agency, loses the passion for what they are doing, the audience knows it! It is as evident as if you wrote it in a social media post, tweet, or the blog. It is almost as if you wrote it as a sentence in your blog article

So, how do we light a fire under us to keep that passion going? How do we ensure that our readers are not clicking off the page to go to another site?

Defining Content Marketing

The definition of content marketing, from 15 years ago, to the definition of content marketing now, is different.

Without going into the past (and professionally confusing ourselves), let’s focus more on what content marketing is today.

Content marketing has more to do with eliciting engagement from your target audience. This is basically a matter of creating a relationship with your audience. By doing so, you are hopefully obtaining that engagement on the first piece of content that they see, but also encouraging them to return to engage some more, on additional pieces.

Doesn’t that sound like the makings of a good business-customer relationship to you?

Content marketing is also more of a strategy than it is an item on a task list. It becomes the framework on which the building of your task list happens. There is the case of it becoming a strategic framework for the marketing of your business. It is also the dissemination of information related to your niche (helping to build your subject matter expert standing; niche authority; and branding).

The content marketing of today involves strategic components. OnPoint Marketing mentions one of them in a way that is easier for us to picture and helps to define content marketing using one of the methods, which is that of aiming for the low-hanging fruit. You see, content marketing, while it does involve writing, is not only about writing.

Let’s find out what that entails.

Understand the ROI of Content Marketing

The basic premise that is the foundational point of “The Content Formula” (by Michael Brenner and Liz Bedor) is the calculation of the return on investment (ROI) that content marketing provides.

Granted, it is much more than that, but it is definitely helpful in the area of ROI calculation.

This is one way to look at it, but it is a helpful way to look at it. It is like having a formula. Oh, granted, those who love math probably really love it. But, even for those who do not love math (Yes, you can handle it!), it is something a bit more tangible to handle, once you get the idea of how to process it.

And, let’s face it if we can understand IF we are getting some sort of content marketing result (the ROI), that helps, doesn’t it? And, even more so, if we can figure out just what that result is (the actual ROI calculation), then we have that tangible something as if it is in our hand.

If we are motivated to move forward in success in this business, you are in the right spot. This is true even if the goal is to be able to pay a utility bill! Having something tangible moves us toward seeing that come to fruition. And, for most of us, being able to see something come to fruition gives us some sort of spark. Am I right?

What comes after the spark? Hopefully, it is the fire of your passion!

Find Your Passion!

Ok, is that spark starting to warm your creative juices? Are you feeling that urge to move forward and write some incredible articles?

Sometimes passion has to do with the material that you are writing about and sometimes it is the writing itself that is the passion for you. Just like, for some people, writing is a scientific process, and for others, it is an artistic process.

For a minority, it is actually both (combining the scientific and artistic approach to the world).

Whatever it is that creates that passion in you, go with it. Your audience will sense it, and if you are good at parlaying your message, they will feel it with you, and that gives a better chance of engagement.

Remember, this isn’t only about a formula (even if it may involve a formula), but the passion is about the awareness of the excitement that already exists in you. It is about sparking it and then moving on from there, even in this beautiful world of content engagement.

Why? Well, that is the next topic… engagement.

The 1000 True Fans

To help understand the concept of building engagement, let’s step back and consider another way to look at it.

It is the “1000 True Fans” as discussed by Kevin Kelly.

The idea is that the goal is 1000 true fans rather than millions of contacts on the list. With millions of contacts on a list, it is possible that that is 999,999 people who are not engaging with your content. Does that really benefit you in any way?

By aiming for a smaller number than one million, and seeking to engage each and every one of them, you will actually do better. You will be building a relationship that creates loyal followers (who engage and buy your stuff!).

Summing It Up in a Plan

If you have heard the quote, “You fail to plan because you plan to fail,” then it makes sense that planning needs to be a key component in any content marketing strategy.

The reason that passion is important is that you will lose your audience if it is as dry as dust.

If content marketing is your goal, then you need to ensure that there is an aspect of engagement built into your process (which includes writing).

When was the last time you felt like engaging with a piece of content that is as dry as dust? See the point?

Now, go share that passion of yours (writing) and start engaging on a regular basis. You will soon realize that you are doing what is called “content marketing” and you are current with what it is supposed to be, in this day and age.