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Tips On Creating An Effective Content Strategy And Being SEO-Savvy

Entering The SEO Kingdom

According to GMU Online, the challenge is to write smarter and become SEO-savvy by creating compelling and engaging content that will not only appeal to readers but that will simultaneously be optimised for search engine results.

As a content writer or copywriter, you are no longer only writing for readers (a target audience), you are also writing for Google – a demanding and ever-changing external force. This requires fortitude and nuanced skills.

Wearing two hats 

As a content writer, you need to get your head around these dual expectations, and for that, you will need to wear two hats. The success of your online business or e-commerce store will require more than just writing good content.

Your strategy includes two main goals:

1. Appeal and resonate with the end-user: your customers, clients, prospective audiences and target readers.

2. Solve a particular problem or answer a search query – keywords.

By wearing two hats – the hat of ‘creative writer’ and the hat of ‘keyword/SEO copywriter’ – you will not only be writing killer content, but you will see the results in your Google rankings. When a user types a term or phrase into a search engine, a list of websites will magically appear that will ‘match’ – or are relevant to – the specific search query keywords inserted. This matchmaking service is dependent on SEO.

Writing for SEO means optimising your content for search engines to make sure your website ranks higher than others for the same targeted keywords or search terms and phrases.

When a blog is more than just a blog 

Blogs are probably one of the biggest ways of connecting with customers and audiences, and they are your biggest chunks of online content. But when it comes to optimising your blog content within the kingdom of SEO, there are helpful plugin tools that will ‘audit’ your blog for effective use of targeted keywords – making sure your site content meets the highest SEO standards (Squirrly and Yoast are two of the big names).

These tools do not care how good your blog is, (they are not Grammarly), they just care how often and strategically the relevant keyword combinations are spread throughout your article so that your blog can rank. They are two of Google’s matchmaking minions, behind the scenes, detecting and analysing.

Your reader, on the other hand, does care how well written and engaging your blog is, and they don’t want to stumble over ill-placed, clumsy and over-used keyword terms randomly placed throughout an article. The tension, as a content writer, is having to please two masters, and both are hard taskmasters.

Woven through your inspired blog copy needs to be these technical little search terms, and they need to fit into the sentences and phrases as naturally, creatively and organically as possible. That takes skill.

The devil is in the detail…always 

As a copywriter, before you can even think of putting ‘pen to paper’ with inspirational content, you are embroiled in a fact-finding mission that involves attention to detail, and that means you have to become a keyword collector. Because your content is so much more than just content – your first call of duty is collecting highly-effective keywords. Basically, you need to become a ‘keyword junkie’ – that is the price you pay when writing for SEO. This requires research and data collection.

How do you figure out what keywords and search terms your potential customers are using? This is one of the key pieces of the SEO puzzle.

  1. Be tech-savvy: use free keyword generator tools, such as Google Trends and Google Search Console to help you determine your optimal keyword list, check your indexing status and optimise visibility of your website. (Also take advantage of Google autocomplete and Google Adwords Planner). Hubspot’s content strategy tool will help you plan your SEO strategy and optimise your content.
  2. Be a networker: ask your friends, employees, customers and potential customers – those familiar with your business, service or product – what questions they need answered, what topics are trending for them, and what problems they need solving. 
  3. Be a social butterfly: social media channels are a wonderful place to hang out, (even if you are an introvert), where you can find out the best keyword search terms you need to be focusing on. Facebook’s graph search tool allows you to find out what is trending and what people are searching for, and Twitter’s search functionality lets you in on trending topics, keywords and hashtags.

As search engines crawl your site, they are programmed and on the prowl to index pages based on the keywords to help determine the purpose of the content. This affects rankings, and that directly impacts your content and copy.

Copy, SEO and action

In moviemaking, lights + camera + action = the super trio of celebrity success. But in the world of digital technology and performance marketing, the equation is copy + SEO + action = the super trio of content success. If you want to push out killer content that will achieve your action goals, then this is your magic formula.

Your action goals (CTAs) are to convert customers – to get them to take some action that will benefit you and them. That could be awareness (getting them to visit your website), subscribing, liking, sharing, requesting a quote, adding to cart, buying, donating, etc.

Entering The SEO Kingdom

The means of these action goals is your content and SEO combo. Once your keyword collection data is sorted, then, and only then, can the fun begin – you can start writing. You now get to find your voice, your muse and your writing mojo – you get to write your story, (which will, of course, include strategically placed keywords). We are all wired for story – it is primal to our human make-up. As a content writer, you need to tell a good story, whether your role or focus is informer, persuader or influencer.

SEO keywords and technical search terms need to be couched in the wonder of creative storytelling, and as a wordsmith, this is where you live and breathe. Your reader may well be searching for a solution, an answer, a product or a service, but they are looking to find that within the world of story. Once they click on your ranked link (because you did your SEO homework), they are wanting to emotionally connect with the credibility and trustworthiness of your brand beyond the keyword search – that is what will make a difference, and that is what will make your website content stand out above that of your competitors.

Power of a story

You may be writing content for SEO, but you are actually writing content for people. Show them respect by ensuring your content is excellent, authoritative, substantial and relevant. As you take the user on a journey, your words need to capture their imagination, allowing them to connect with your brand story as they connect with your product or service.

This ‘content packaging’ will hopefully be leading the user to an action goal and to your cart. Besides being a blogging wizard, you also need to be on top of on-page optimisation and make it a constant priority.

On-page optimisation (aka on-page SEO/on-site SEO) means optimising your individual website:

  • To help search engines understand your website and its content.
  • To help search engines identify whether your website is relevant to a search query.
  • To rank higher and earn more relevant traffic in search engines.

All the content on your website needs to be high quality and relevant (not just blogs) – this includes page titles and category descriptions, headers, meta descriptions, titles, as well as alt text for images. When all these aspects are creatively optimised for SEO, your website’s visibility will improve in search results. It is simple cause and effect, and Google always rewards high-quality content. 

Effective on-page SEO will result in users not bouncing, but continuing to view and interact with the content on your website. They will stay a while. Helpful tip: the aim of text optimisation should always be to create content that is not only built around one keyword, but that covers term combinations and entire keyword clouds in the best possible way.

Google Analytics – the proof of the pudding

When writing content for SEO, Google Analytics is the Big Friendly Giant of the performance marketing world. It is an invaluable tool to guide your content strategy, telling you the good, the bad and the ugly. It will be the left brain messenger giving you scientific insights on what is working and what isn’t and how to optimise your website, campaigns and content.

Entering The SEO Kingdom

Google Analytics is a free tool tailor-made to help you refine your content, increase your audience and keep them engaged, and improve your rankings and drive sales. There are many factors at play and you need to know which questions to ask and which metrics to consult. As a content writer writing for SEO, we suggest you sign up for Google Analytics 101 ASAP or else make good friends with someone who really understands the ins and outs of Google Analytics.

Google Analytics can give you insights on how much organic SEO traffic your website is getting and where that traffic is coming from, which keywords are driving traffic to your website and to a particular page, and where to concentrate your SEO efforts going forward.

GMU ONLINE
+27858887305
info@gmu.online
gmu.online/e

The Odd Number Announces 62 Finalist Spots In 2020 Pendoring Awards

The Odd Number has taken the lead in the Pendoring Awards 2020 finalist list with 62 finalist spots. The agency is no stranger to the awards, as it was ranked number two with 136 points for its exceptional performance in 2019.

The Odd Number has been nominated under the print communication, film, and radio categories for their creative and conversational work for clients such as Assupol, Mass Discounter, Population Services International and Salvation Army.

‘With our team’s vast experience, we are able to continue rising to the occasion and produce global level creative and story-telling work without losing our core value, which is to produce truly African creative and strategic work. The fact that we are the leading finalists this year further demonstrates our impact within the industry and our growth as an agency,’ said Sibusiso Sitole, chief creative officer and co-founder of The Odd Number.

The Pendoring advertising awards are a truly unique initiative that celebrates the 10 indigenous languages in South Africa. The awards have been around for 25 years, originally created in 1995 to promote and stimulate the use of Afrikaans in advertising. Pendoring has gone through several changes to celebrate South Africa’s indigenous languages. The move to include and reward the best indigenous language advertising without any separation has been lauded as groundbreaking and as the most meaningful platform for the acknowledgement of local creative work by creatives and marketers across the board.

‘Our agency has continued to grow and evolve over the years, and so have the people that we work with. We appreciate our clients who have trusted us with their brands over the years and we are excited about the nominations and the recognition of the work that we do,’ concluded Sitole.

THE ODD NUMBER
www.theoddnumber.co.za

Marketers And Brands Can Encourage Responsible Behaviour During Covid-19

Victor Koaho, IMC Lead at The MediaShop.

Victor Koaho, IMC Lead at The MediaShop, says Covid-19 fatigue is real, but marketers are still responsible for their brands. With the lockdown regulations being relaxed since 16th September 2020, people have come out in numbers to be active and continue with their lives.

It seems that consumers have forgotten about the pandemic, and those who were complaining about their businesses being impacted are already operating as if there was never a pandemic to begin with. Consumers are visiting places of entertainment without observing the basics of social distancing, wearing masks or sanitising. People have been arrested leaving places of entertainment on weekends around 02h00 in the morning as opposed to closing at 24h00 midnight.

At the beginning of September, we saw club owners, promoters and musicians take to the streets of Johannesburg and Durban, stressing that they had not worked in six months and it was proving to be difficult to provide for their families. The interesting thing is that it is these very same owners, promoters, and musicians who were complaining about how their income had been impacted who are now flouting the law, but as marketers and brands we are equally to blame, as we associate our brands with these activities without putting measures in place to ensure that these festivities adhere to the current regulations that are put in place.

Towards the end of November, brands and distributors will be talking about Black Friday and encouraging consumers to participate in getting products and brands at a cost-effective rate from their nearest stores. Knowing how South Africans respond to sales, this day could become a nightmare to manage with potentially thousands of people not adhering to social distancing regulations.

So the responsibility to ensure that we do not get back to level 3 or 4 is upon us as marketers to keep reminding the companies that distribute our brands and their respective consumers that we are still under lockdown regulations and should behave. Let us not be reckless, because this could have more devastating effects on our economy, which will also result in brands losing out on further valuable revenue.

THE MEDIASHOP
+27112584000
www.mediashop.co.za

Coca-Cola Launches Cappy’s Nurture The Moment Campaign

Coca-Cola Company has launched a new marketing campaign for its juice brand Cappy that invites consumers to ‘Nurture the Moment’. The campaign invites people to find the beauty in simple moments of connection and is being rolled out across TV, radio, outdoor media, digital and social media.

‘I’m excited about this campaign as it touches upon something this year has taught us – that family moments are important. Although life can be busy and complicated, no moment is too big or small to be nurtured by the bold and refreshing taste of Cappy,’ said Stephan Czypionka, Marketing Director for Coca-Cola Southern and East Africa.

‘Last year, we conducted in-depth consumer research before setting out on the creative process for this campaign. The Coca-Cola Company is focused on growing its juice offering across Africa so the team made sure data and customer insights were used to inform the brief and underpin the creative process,’ added Czypionka.

If there is one thing that this year has taught us, it is that the little moments matter. Perhaps working from home meant more time for a parent to linger with family over breakfast instead of rushing out the door. Maybe a work call ended early and they were able to play dinosaurs with their toddler. Despite the challenges of the past year, many of us found the beauty in these micro-moments of connection with our loved ones. ‘The campaign aimed to capture these heart-warming moments in a series of vignettes that reflect the change in mindset that many of our consumers have had over the past few months of lockdown,’ said Czypionka.

Compared to how it is typically depicted, Coca-Cola’s insights showed that juice is a versatile beverage that can be consumed anytime and on-the-go. So the campaign focused on showcasing the different moments throughout the day when juice is a preferred beverage of choice, emphasising its versatility. ‘It’s going beyond the classic territory where juice advertising sits, which usually just focused on the benefits of the beverage. This campaign elevates the product, bringing in that emotional connection. It’s the warmth and relevance captured by this campaign that sets it apart,’ said Czypionka.

Coca-Cola’s returnable glass bottles feature prominently in the latest Cappy Burst campaign, which features more than 200 pieces of content. Social and digital media remains a priority, but they are also rolling it out across the traditional platforms of radio and television. The beauty of digital is that the audience becomes an active participant in the campaign and naturally helps amplify content. The campaign invites people to share the special micro-moments in their lives on social media to keep the conversation flowing.

The company worked with Cullinan & Cullinan, a boutique advertising agency, on the campaign. ‘The team did an outstanding job in portraying everyday situations with warmth and humour. There was a natural chemistry amongst the cast, with the result that each vignette depicting relevant slices of life comes across as relaxed,’ said Czypionka.

‘I’m confident that the campaign will go global. It launched in South Africa first, and will be rolled out across Africa in 2021. There’s already interest from marketing teams outside of the continent looking to apply the campaign in their market, which is very exciting. The African marketing team has already established itself as capable of developing original marketing campaigns for export across The Coca-Cola Company’s universe and there is no doubt that ‘Nurture the moment’ has global appeal in a time of great uncertainty.’

Coca-Cola
https://www.coca-cola.co.za

#Loeries2020 Creative Week Speakers Share Tips On Creating Purposeful Campaigns

Loeries 2020 Entries Now Open

Loeries media partner, Modern Marketing, asked some of the 2020 Loeries Creative Week speakers why advertising awards are important for the industry as well as their tips on creating successful and purposeful campaigns.

Several renowned names on the global creative stage will enthral the advertising and brand communications industry when the Loeries Creative Week broadcasts its virtual event (taking place from 16-20 November 2020). The event will have three channels with over 75 hours of content.

Tips on creating successful and purposeful campaigns

 

Why are advertising awards important for the industry?

LOERIES 
www.loeries.com
MODERN MARKETING
+27114501650 
info@modernmarketing.co.za
www.modernmarketing.co.za

Next Creative Leaders Competition Recognises SA Copywriter

Bongiwe Neema Nouse, a copywriter at The Odd Number in Johannesburg.

Bongiwe Neema Nouse, a copywriter at The Odd Number in Johannesburg, has been selected as the MENA/Africa Regional winner in the Next Creative Leaders 2020 competition, run jointly by The One Club for Creativity and The 3% Movement.

Next Creative Leaders (NCL) is a portfolio competition that identifies, celebrates and gives a global platform to talented women and non-binary creatives who are making their mark on the world with both their work and a unique point of view on creative leadership that’s changing the industry for the better.  The complete list of 25 winners from 12 countries is available here.

The competition recognises those who are stepping into leadership roles, including copywriters, art directors, designers, Associate Creative Directors, newly-promoted creative and design directors with less than one year in the role, and creative teams who are doing game-changing work.

Entrants were judged by a diverse jury of 88 creatives from 25 countries on four-to-six pieces of creative work, their background and information about how they — and their work — are pushing the industry forward and making a positive contribution in terms of diversity, mentoring and advocacy.  

THE ONE CLUB FOR CREATIVITY 
oneclub.org
THE ODD NUMBER
www.theoddnumber.co.za

Eclipse Communications Reflects Full-Service Offering With New Brand Identity

Jacki McEwen-Powell, Eclipse Communications Founding Partner.

Previously known as Eclipse Public Relations, the agency has rebranded to Eclipse Communications to reflect its full-service communications offering. The agency unveiled its new look in celebration of its growth as an agency.

Eclipse Communications Founding Partner, Jacki McEwen-Powell, said that the rebrand is more than just a name, service or corporate identity change – it is a strategic move.  ‘As we extend our African footprint beyond the three major city centres in South Africa and four in-country communications partners in Kenya, Nigeria, Namibia and Israel, we needed to ensure we evolved our brand identity to reflect who we are and how we are represented in the industry.’

The agency’s brand positioning, ’Guiding your Growth’ is a philosophy that underpins every aspect of what Eclipse Communications does and is applied to the clients it works with as well as the people it employs and retains. The visual rebrand is clean and striking, with circular linework, symbolic of the moon’s orbit. The new versatile design is reflected on its revamped website, social media platforms and all other communications collateral. 

McEwen-Powell said the simple, clean lines of the new logo speak to the agency’s adeptness at cutting through the clutter with messaging that is strong, purposeful and on point. ‘We have retained our hallmark midnight blue colour as we believe it engenders trust and represents the stability and harmony we pursue in our business.’

CEO and Founding Partner, Steve Powell concured, ‘We are not just a PR agency. We are not just a digital agency. If you can diversify from one core competency, it gives you more strings to your bow. If you can diversify into different areas of industry, it gives you further strings to your bow. We have developed into an adaptive, cross-functional agency, with many strings to our bow and the right people to pull those strings. Our diversity in people talent has led to a greater diversity of thinking, creativity and opportunity, generating additional revenue streams and an exciting future as we look forward to further growth.’

ECLIPSE COMMUNICATIONS
eclipsecomms.com

Sanlam Offering Financial Insights And Tools To Creatives At #Loeries2020

Sydney Mbhele, Chief Executive: Brand at Sanlam.

The theme of the 2020 Loeries Creative Week is #CreateChange, and Sanlam will be offering financial insights and tools to creatives who work in this fast-paced industry that sees many talented individuals struggling to find time to focus on financial planning.

Sanlam has affirmed its commitment to South Africa’s creative industry through a partnership with the Loeries, Africa and the Middle East’s biggest creative festival. Sydney Mbhele, Chief Executive: Brand at Sanlam said the creative industry has the power to catalyse meaningful change in the South African economy. ‘In light of the turbulent economic environment, and the devastating effects of Covid-19, we believe there is value in using the power of creativity to make a difference in people’s lives.’

He said that the so-called ‘orange economy’ plays a vital role in stimulating an economy. ‘Creativity breeds new ideas and new products that directly translate into value, both financial and societal. The impact is pervasive.’ 

Mbhele said that financial excellence and creative excellence have many parallels. ‘Both require good planning and strong partnerships. Behind every piece of award-winning work, there is some extremely smart planning. Unfortunately, it is not always true that the same level of planning is applied to finances – and that is where we come in. We are looking forward to helping some of South Africa’s brightest creative minds plan for their financial futures.’ 

Sanlam will offer financial insights and upskilling to creatives through a series of webinars, newsletters, a dedicated page on the Loeries website and a strong presence during the Loeries Creative Week broadcast, taking place from 16-20 November 2020.

Loeries CEO Preetesh Sewraj said, ‘Our partnership with Sanlam is an opportunity to continue our trend of innovation at the Loeries. This will be the most expansive programme ever initiated by the Loeries and a financial services provider to bring valuable financial insights to the industry. Sanlam is also a highly ranked brand in the Loeries Official Rankings 2019, proving that creative excellence really does lead to business results.’

The Loeries has rewarded creativity for over 40 years and its focus is on fostering creative excellence in the advertising and brand communication industry across Africa and the Middle East. There is good reason why winning a Loerie is the highest accolade for creativity and innovation across the region.

Culminating in the biggest creative gathering in the region, Loeries Creative Week gathers the best, most innovative, minds for a festival that offers networking, creative inspiration, and the recognition of great work. This year, to accommodate the impact of Covid-19, entries were free and yielded a record number of submissions.

LOERIES 
www.loeries.com

Matrix Communications Group Partners With TMI Media

Quinton Jones, MD of Cape Town-based TMI Media and Kgaugelo Maphai, Chairperson of the Matrix Group.

Quinton Jones, MD of Cape Town-based TMI Media, announced that they will be partnering with Matrix Communications Group – chaired by Kgaugelo Maphai – as part of their growth strategy.

TMI Media has in the last three years been recognised by winning a number of awards including the Financial Mail Adfocus Independent Media Agency of the Year in 2017 and 2018. Jones said, ‘I couldn’t think of anyone better to partner with and to help us take the business to the next level in our journey. I have always respected Maphai and the fact that he puts people and agency culture first, resonates with me. I’m excited about the future and what this partnership and the group will deliver for our growth.’

Jones is passionate about digital media and creating innovative media solutions for clients. During his 20+ years in media and communications, he has had the opportunity to run media divisions at numerous big agencies including TBWA Hunt Lascaris and most recently in his role as Group MD of Carat. 

‘It made sense that we find one of the best, local, independent media agencies to partner with, and Jones and his team have consistently punched above their weight. I’m impressed by their ability to win awards and clients in the last couple of years. Our group strategy is to partner with businesses that are owner-led and managed, and who are experienced, passionate, and driven to deliver great results for clients. TMI Media certainly fits the bill and together, we hope to achieve our ambitious plans. We look forward to the opportunities this partnership will provide,’ said Maphai.

‘We will continue to offer innovative solutions for clients and ensure that we contribute in bringing talented and diverse media professionals into the industry. We want to prove that local agencies can also deliver engaging and groundbreaking work,’ said Maphai. The group has plans to open an office in Gauteng and to also conquer key markets in the rest of the continent through a strategic partnership, which is currently being finalised.

Matrix Group
matrixgroup.co.za

Provantage And TAPTAP Drive Greater Integration Of Mobile And Out-Of-Home

Provantage Media Group (PMG) has taken its digital offering to the next level with the launch of Sonar geo-location technology, having partnered with TapTap to drive greater integration of mobile and Out-of-Home (OOH).

The audience powered mobile geo-location offering will allow for the extension of campaigns from OOH into the digital realm. PMG, through its various divisions, will be offering this geo-location service to all its campaigns to create additional reach, fostering greater integration of OOH and mobile, and offering brands the opportunity to drive more personalised engagement and a closer connection with consumers.

This follows PMG signing an exclusive agreement with Africa Media Alliance that will see it roll out Sonar across all its divisions, with a focus on PMG’s digital platforms, in the form of its digital place-based networks and digital boards. Africa Media Alliance is the sub-Saharan Africa venture partner of global behavioural and location intelligence technology platform, TapTap Digital, having launched the TapTap product in South Africa in 2019.

TapTap leverages geospatial technology and artificial intelligence for multi-dimensional audience planning, omni-channel media activation, and advanced online and offline measurement.

‘This venture is the result of extensive research into finding the right partner and has been driven by the growing link between OOH and mobile. The link is further enhanced through the ability of pairing geo-locational technology with campaign roll-outs in order to deliver even more effective solutions for brands,’ said Jacques du Preez, CEO of Provantage Media Group. ’It is well known now that OOH and mobile integration drive brand lift, recall and ROI, and we’re excited to be able to offer our existing and future clients a world-class mobile integration service alongside our various OOH platforms. This will change the OOH landscape in Africa.’

Sonar product will allow for campaigns delivered within the airport space, for example, to extend their reach using location-powered mobile OOH. ‘By geo-fencing airports, malls, golf courses, billboards, commuter nodes and activation zones, we can drive additional awareness and engagement across the various locations, as well as retarget consumers who have been in these locations, via their mobile devices,’ said Du Preez. ‘Based on the brief, we can build custom audience segments using multiple location-enhanced data points, to effectively amplify specific sites/locations.’

Sonar can run campaigns in 36 African countries and its total reach across the continent is over 200 million users and billions of impressions. What this means is that PMG could provide an integrated OOH and Mobile campaign for a client that runs concurrently in South Africa, the Ivory Coast and the United Arab Emirates (Sharjah) – all countries in which PMG has a presence.

‘We are very excited about this partnership – it further entrenches TapTap as an omni-channel, scalable location intelligence and technology-rich platform driving business for brands, both big and small,’ said Garth Rhoda, Director of Africa Media Alliance. ‘We were looking for a partner in the OOH space and were attracted to the Provantage heritage, their innovative approach with their products, and their diversity in their offering, covering many demographics in the market. We look forward to assisting more clients in amplifying their messages into the digital space, focusing on extending the reach and driving engagement and performance for brands.’

Continued integration of OOH and mobile

OOH and mobile are increasingly being integrated as the platforms complement each other, and, if combined, are able to optimise interaction with an audience and represent an efficient way to maximise reach.

In a piece titled ‘Case Studies: OOH + Mobile Integration Drive Lift, Recall, and ROI’, Rainbow Kirby-Stearns and Elizabeth Rave suggest that ‘Data + Mobile + OOH = Results.’ They go on to cite research shared in Campaign, which showed that mobile click-through rates increased by up to 15% when supported by OOH. Additional research from Outsmart stated that better performing OOH campaigns created a 38% uplift in short-term brand action taken via mobiles, with 66% of all actions being direct to the brand itself.

The days of treating advertising touch points as if each works in isolation is long past and marketers are being forced to ask themselves which combinations of ad exposures work best to influence customers. Specifically, this applies to a consumer segment for which the smartphone has become an ever-present tool.

PROVANTAGE MEDIA GROUP
www.provantage.co.za

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