In an age of fake news and clickbait content, authenticity for your brand on social media is is more important than ever. It may sound like a no-brainer, but there are missteps you can take that can turn consumers off, and stop your next customers from choosing to engage with you online.

But what does brand authenticity even mean when it comes to business?

Defined by the Journal of Consumer Psychology, brand authenticity refers to:

“the extent to which consumers perceive a brand to be faithful toward itself, true to its consumers, motivated by caring and responsibility, and able to support consumers in being true to themselves.”

The meaning is right there in the name: if your content marketing and social media efforts remain authentic, people will recognize you. The more they recognize you, the more likely they’ll be to engage with you. The more they engage, the more likely they’ll be to recommend you to friends and followers. We could keep going!

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Though it’s gone through its fair share of changes in recent years, SEO – the art of boosting organic traffic by improving search engine ranking – is here to stay.

Though blackhat tactics like keyword stuffing are (thankfully) a relic of the past, the art behind SEO is still vital and remains a key part of any business’ successful content marketing strategy. But are you doing enough to maximize your SEO for Google’s most recent updates? Are you making sure every facet of your marketing campaign is engaged and running at full speed?

Want to get the most out of your SEO? Then it’s time to rethink your strategy. Here are five common SEO mistakes to watch out for:

1.) Not Producing Content

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Is your website primed for lead generation and conversions? Let’s dive in and talk about what this important question really means - and how you can take concrete steps towards generating more leads right now.

Conversions: A Major Part of the Digital Marketing Puzzle

When all parts of your digital marketing strategy are working in harmony, something amazing happens. Your website is well-designed and responsive. It hosts stunning, informative content, which you amplify over email and on social media to extend your brand reach. Your on-page and off-page SEO are on-point, generating consistent, quality traffic to your site. Everything operating like clockwork - that’s a beautiful thing. 

But even in cases like this, it’s still possible that you’re not seeing the conversion rate that you might be hoping for. And at this point, worry sets in. 

After all, you may be thinking, what use is all of this traffic and brand engagement if people aren’t actually signing up or buying anything? 

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For a long time, Facebook leaned heavily on the idea that it was free – and always would be. Similarly, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram have absolutely no barrier to entry for individuals or organizations, as long as they’re old enough to sign up.

This low bar is what, in many ways, led to the social media marketing boom; potential customers signed up, and brands followed suit, leading to an online ecosystem full of constant conversations and access on both sides unlike anything that had ever been seen before.

So if social media is free, why do so many businesses hire marketers to handle their profiles? Well, the reality now is that…

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As recently as a few years ago, we had a better grasp on what “content” meant online. It referred to individual posts – blogs, vlogs, infographics – typically stored on your site and discovered or shared through different channels, including search engine rankings, social media, and email.

But today’s internet works differently. There are more social channels, more types of media to pick from, more content creators than ever before. And as a result, users’ preferences have changed over the years. The ways in which we consume content have changed fundamentally, for example; we multi-task more than ever, and are more likely to “skim” articles than read them in their entirety.

More broadly speaking, even the ways we think about content have changed fundamentally in recent years. It’s no longer discrete, but omnipresent, built into the very fabric of the way that we use the internet now. Readers and searchers have grown more savvy and media literate, and your approach to content creation needs to be as sophisticated as they are – crafted in a way that consumers find appealing and made accessible on the channels that your audience is already using.

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Search engine optimization, or SEO, is a process your brand can use to position itself highly on search engine ranking pages (also called SERPS).

In a lot of ways, SEO is one of the most important tools you can use to get future customers to find your business’s information online. It’s also an effective way to keep users coming back for more, and increase the likelihood that your newfound website visitors will be primed and ready to become eager conversions, either right away or at some point down the line.

In short, SEO really does matter. It’s an essential strategy for businesses of all sizes to have in place.

But, then, this beggars another question: What goes into a successful SEO effort today?

From the jump, it’s important to realize that SEO is a multi-faceted process, and a lot of different elements go into generating search engine success. It’s part art, part science, and part game – and you need to master all three of those buckets if you want to claim your rightful place at the top of the SERP.

Today, we’re going to focus on one part of the SEO formula that often goes overlooked: The user.

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In some ways, digital marketing can seem tough to break into for B2B companies.

For one thing, there’s the question of value, of whether the channels favored by digital marketers –including content creation, social media, email, and reputation management – are the right fit for their budgetary and time needs.

For another, there’s the simple question of how and where to start. This is particularly true for “hard” industries or niche businesses. When you work in high-level private security, manufacture an incredibly specific product, or deal with esoteric, dense concepts that the average consumer can’t possibly begin to understand, it’s easy to say that content marketing would be a waste of time.

But then there’s the other side of the coin. The documented, indisputable evidence that highlights just how effective digital marketing is for B2B lead generation and client retention.

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The Company:

Geek Chicago is a digital marketing agency and web development firm that is committed to serving growing businesses and the political world. Geek specializes in website design & development, as well as inbound marketing - including content writing/creation, search engine optimization, social media, digital communications, and reputation management.

Geek helps clients enrich their brands and grow their audiences. Our clients work across multiple industries, including real estate, architecture, law, politics, financial services, insurance, and home services.

Job Description:

We’re seeking an inspired and talented writer to create online content for our clients in the form of 1000- 1800 word content pieces (articles) for their respective company websites. Dynamic and creative writing styles desired. Candidates should have a familiarity with the major social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram). Experience managing paid social media campaigns, pay per click advertising, automated drip campaigns, and landing/squeeze pages is a plus.

This is a position for an entry-level candidate or associate. Previous professional experience is not required, but writing samples are a precursor to an interview. The position will be 16 -20 hours a week initially, with an expectation of growth. The work can be performed remotely with weekly or twice weekly virtual meetings.

Skills and Expertise:

• Dynamic and creative writing to formal and casual audiences. Able to adapt to the voices of our unique clients.
• Basic SEO knowledge is preferred, but not required
• The ability to work independently and remotely, while adhering to a prescribed publishing schedule.
• An ability to learn new subjects and concepts quickly, with a desire to expand your body of knowledge.
• Preferred: Experience with basic web design concepts and semantics.
• Proficiency in MS Office, GSuite (Google Apps Suite), and/or Content Management Systems (CMS - such as Wordpress, Joomla, Drupal, etc.)
• Experience on social media platforms - Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram
• Capability to prioritize multiple tasks and deadlines while maintaining attention to detail

Compensation:

Geek Chicago team members are hired as 1099 contractors, with assignment deadlines, and management of their own working hours. All staff are invited to twice weekly team meetings (Wednesday and Thursday mornings.) In time, talented staff can expect an opportunity for assignments and working hours to grow (if interested), and an opportunity to become a W2 Geek employee. The Copywriter position pays $14.50 - 16.00 per hour, commensurate with experience. W2 employees are offered health benefits and paid time-off.

Please send your resume and (2-4) digital assets/links in the form below.

Geek Chicago Job Application

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What do we mean when we talk about “content marketing?”

And we don’t mean that as a Philosophy 201 question, or anything like that.

No, we mean it literally: In practical terms, what is content marketing, and what does it do for small businesses like yours?

Content Marketing: A Brief Rundown of a Vital Digital Marketing Strategy

To the first part? We tend to define content marketing as a digital marketing strategy that lets you create and share multimedia content online, in order to reach audiences organically, and generate interest – and conversions – for your brand.

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Did you ever a parent, or maybe an employer, warn you that once something goes out on the internet… it’s there forever?

In a lot of ways, this actually true, and not just a parental scare tactic. The information that makes it out there about your business, both positive and negative, can have a lasting impact on your brand.

Today, the open nature of the web has made it easier than ever for users to find all sorts of information about you and your business online, for better and for worse. And while this is great when it comes to passing along your brand’s quality content and spotlighting positive reviews, unfortunately, the web is also a great place for anonymous users and strangers to spread false or malicious information, or leave negative reviews that could have lingering ramifications for your business.

That’s where reputation management experts come in! Let’s take a look at just what reputation management means in our digital age, and why our team’s expertise can do wonders for your brand:

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