Mequoda Daily: Seven Principles of Content Marketing in the Digital Age - Part 4

In This Issue: Mequoda Daily Content Marketing: Seven Principles of Content Marketing in the Digital Age - Part 4 A Mequoda Content Marketing System depends on building user relationships that begin with email capture Trouble Viewing? | Send to a Friend | My Account | Subscribe to RSS | Whitelist Us | Subscribe | Unsubscribe

December 2, 2010   Seven Principles of Content Marketing in the Digital Age - Part 4 By Don Nicholas A Mequoda Content Marketing System depends on building user relationships that begin with email capture. In 2011, more than ever before in the history of publishing, the database is king. Building user relationships starts with the proven strategy of acquiring a potential paying customer's email address and permission to send valuable free information, as well as your marketing messages. When I remember the "old days" of marketing print publications via direct mail, and the importance of acquiring (usually renting) SRDS postal mailing lists, it gives me pause. The advent of email changed direct response marketing more than any other Internet application. The email address is both unique and ubiquitous. It's usually both permanent and portable. And content-rich email is a phenomenally discrete, unobtrusive, economical and efficient medium by which to communicate with your customers, regardless of whether your database comprises thousands or even millions of names. Your database of users - you may be reluctant to call them customers until they purchase a premium product - can grow to include postal addresses, Twitter handles, first and last names, telephone numbers, the states and regions in which they live, their purchasing patterns - numerous useful data that are demographic, psychographic and behavioral. The extent to which you build this database will depend, in part, on the price of your premium products and how much your customers trust your brand. Our last Content Marketing Seminar of 2010 will take place on December 16 in Boston, MA. Sign up now to attend this live, one-day event and learn the most up-to-date strategies for content marketing. Content marketing principle #4: Build User Relationships Who is your customer? Why does he or she buy your product? Have there ever been two more basic questions about the essential marketing strategy of any business? Online, as in a brick and mortar store, long-term customer relationships are built on trust. The trusted vendor earns the repeat customer. Database marketing done well enables personalized marketing. Consider Amazon, and its persistent, personal recommendations for additional purchases based on previous purchases and site searches. Done well, database/personalized marketing creates happy, valuable, and enthusiastic customers. Done poorly, it makes marketers look inept and antagonizes customers. Building customer relationships begins with capturing email addresses when users visit your website. Posting valuable free content enables search engines and users to find your website, and sets up what Seth Godin calls permission marketing vs. interruption marketing. Your free content provides the incentive, and enables users to sample your brand before eventually becoming paying customers. But without the names/addresses in your email database, permission marketing is impossible. For B2B publishers, your user file may eventually be tied to an Act contact and customer management database, enabling your sales force to record and access every inquiry, purchase and other touch point. In 2011, building user relationships begins with email capture. In my next blog post we'll discuss content marketing principle #5: Maximize Customer Value.   View Blog Post & Leave a Comment [-503.623013-] Featured Product Discover & Master the Seven Step System that Thousands of Content Marketers, Producers & Publishers are Using to Make Millions Online. Register today >>> Newest Complimentary White Papers Content Marketing Strategy Basics - Learn the Seven Components of the Content Marketing Strategy Email Copywriting Basics - Begin Creating Email Marketing Campaigns that Result in Higher Open Rates Google Keyword Tool Basics - Instructions on How to Get a Higher Page Ranking in Google by Utilizing the Google Keyword Tool SEO Campaign Management Basics - Tips on How to Receive More Website Visibility Twitter Tutorial on Maximizing Website Traffic - Learn How to Use Twitter More Successfully Website Homepage Design Basics - Create a User-Friendly Website that Engages Visitors Download more complimentary white papers >>>   FEATURED EVENT Content Marketing Seminar 2010 December 16th - Boston, MA -The Conference Center at Waltham Woods Register today >>>     UPCOMING WEBINARS 12/14: Actionable Analytics 1/11: SEO Campaign Management 2011 TOP 5 COMPLIMENTARY WHITE PAPERS 12 Master Landing Page Templates Increasing Website Traffic & Building Email Marketing Lists Email Design Best Practices Internet Business Models and Strategies SEO Copywriting Handbook More free white papers >>> CONNECT WITH US

About Mequoda Daily The Mequoda Daily provides free, valuable tips that publishers need to build better websites. Through the Daily, publishers take advantage of sharing industry best practices with close colleagues and publishing professionals worldwide. These publishers aspire to conquer the challenges of website publishing, such as bringing print content online, creating new online revenue streams and building more profitable websites. For more information, visit http://daily.mequoda.com. Design by Free blogger template Subscription Administration You are receiving this email because you are subscribed to the Mequoda Daily email newsletter. Help us be sure that this email newsletter gets to your inbox. Adding our return address mequoda@e.mequoda.com to your address book may 'whitelist' us with your filter, helping future email newsletters get to your inbox. Unsubscribe? Clicking the "junk" button in your email client won't take you off our list. If you want to unsubscribe, please do it properly by removing yourself from the Mequoda Daily email newsletter. This message has been sent to genci125@gmail.com WCIDV2:34D834127374E1630B901E76AF7E1A2F04DC1F058AE15511 Did a friend send this to you? Sign up for our newsletter and recieve a special report-Seven Online Publishing Secrets-at no cost to you. Forward this email to a friend Unsubscribe from the Mequoda Daily email newsletter Manage your email preferences Send feedback to the Editor Need to contact us? Contact us by email. Mequoda Group, LLC www.mequoda.com 77 Main Street Hopkinton, MA 01748 (866) 713-1005 We value your privacy and will not rent your email address to anyone. View our privacy policy. Copyright © 2010 Mequoda Group LLC and the Mequoda Daily. All rights reserved.