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“Wendy’s book is an impressively thorough account of the marketing options open to Internet businesses today. I have it within reach of my desk and I intend to make good use of it.”
–Michael Masterson, Publisher, Agora, Inc., Early to Rise
You’ve already got great content — now, monetize it!
Dozens of top publishers, marketers, business owners, and entrepreneurs are already using Wendy Montes de Oca’s SONAR Content Distribution ModelTM to earn amazing ROI from content they already have. You can, too—even if you’ve never done Internet marketing before! Content Is Cash shows you how to systematically integrate and synchronize today’s best web marketing techniques to drive more traffic, buzz, leads, and sales for your business. It’s not theory. It’s a proven, cost-effective and real-world strategy allowing anyone with content to turn traffic into profits...and the results are quantifiable!
Inside you’ll find powerful, easy, and virtually no cost ways to maximize content syndication, online PR, social networking and bookmarking, article directories, and guerrilla marketing inforums and message boards…to achieve breakthrough results on even the smallest budget!
You’ll Learn How To:
• Discover and leverage useful, valuable, actionable content you didn’t know you had
• Drive more value from content by repurposing, repackaging, refreshing, re-bundling, and republishing
• Create more visibility, traffic, and awareness for your website and brand
• Link content more tightly with prospecting and sales initiatives
• Syndicate and aggregate content to extend its reach
• Make your content easier to find on the Web—simply and inexpensively
• Adapt your strongest content into high-performing online press releases
• Encourage viral marketing, pass-along readership and word-of-mouth buzz
• Measure your performance against the 3 O’s: outputs, outcomes, and objectives
• Apply SONAR techniques and increase search engine presence, organic visits, lead generation, and sales efforts
• Use SONAR with other tactics such as affiliate marketing, joint ventures, online advertising, ad swaps, guest editorials and more
Content is Cash: SONAR in Action
Download the sample pages (includes Chapter 8 and Index)
Foreword by Bob Bly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .XI
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
1 Content Rules! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Hidden Places to Find Your Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Old Newsletters, Articles, and Blog Posts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Old or Outdated Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Bonus Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Events: Teleseminars, Conferences, Webinars, and More . . . . .12
Interviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
General Website Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
2 Online Content Syndication: What You Need to Know. . . . . . . 15
Content Syndication Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Content Aggregators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
The Art of Article (Content) Marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Content Syndication and Search Engines:
Debunking the Duplicate Content Myth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
The Article Directory: The Nucleolus of Your Web Content Marketing Efforts . . . .21
Secrets to Successful Article Marketing and Keyword Selection . . . .24
Choosing the Right Article Directory: The Importance of Rank and Relevance? . . . . . . .30
To Outsource or Not to Outsource…That Is the Question! . .. .32
3 The Power of Search: Understanding Search Engine Optimization for
More Effective Content-Based Marketing Efforts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Keyword Density . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Redundancy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Tagging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Other SEO Secrets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
SEO for PDFs: Make Your PDFs Search Engine Friendly . . . . .38
4 What Came First: The Guerrilla or the Web? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Guerrilla Marketing and Social Media: The Rules of Engagement . . . .44
10 Rules of Social Marketing (Guerrilla) Etiquette . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Social Marketing Success Secrets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Relationship Building and Bonding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Engage in a One-on-One Dialogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
Branding and Free Advertising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
Conversion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
Twitter Caveat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
5 What Is Content? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Making the Most of Your Video Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
Content for Product Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
Content for Syndication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62
Seven Emotional Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
Know Your List! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
6 Learning and Leveraging the SONAR Content Distribution Model™ . . . . . 67
What Is SONAR Marketing? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
S: Syndicate Partners, Content Syndication Networks, and User-Generated
Content Sites .70
O: Online Press Releases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72
N: Network (Social) Communities and Social Bookmarking Sites . . . . . . .75
A: Article Directories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78
R: Relevant Posts to Blogs, Forums, and Message Boards . . . . .79
SONAR in Action: Putting It All Together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80
S: Syndicate Partners, Content Syndication Networks, and User-Generated
Content Sites . . . . . . . . . .84
SONAR Observations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96
Does Your Content Have “Legs”? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97
SONAR Takeaways . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100
7 SEO for SONAR: How to Get Found by Search Engines . . . . 103
Business Services/Marketing Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108
Alternative Health/Health Publishing Example . . . . . . . . . .109
Business Services/Marketing/InfoPublishing Example . . . . . .111
Business Services/Self-Help/Professional and Personal
Development Example . . . . . .113
SEM for SONAR: How to Get Found by Search Engines . . . .115
Helpful Hints for Writers When Working with Search Engines . . ..116
8 SONAR in Action: Results and Analytics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Case Study #1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120
Case Study #2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120
Case Study #3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121
Case Study #4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121
Case Study #5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122
Case Study #6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122
Case Study #7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123
Case Study #8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123
SONAR: Keeping It Real and Replicating Results . . . . . . . . . . . .124
How Is SONAR Measured? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125
The Three Os—Outputs, Outcomes, and Objectives . . . .126
9 Monetize the Traffic: A Blueprint to Building a Site That Leverages SONAR. . . .. . . . 129
Dissecting the Ideal SONAR Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131
Lead Generation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133
Sales and Cross-Selling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140
Boosting Your E-Commerce Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .147
Bonding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .151
Branding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .156
Credibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159
More “Best of ” SONAR Websites… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .160
10 Dovetailing SONAR with Other High-Performing Internet Marketing Tactics . . . .. . . . 169
Joint Ventures, Affiliate Marketing, and Ad Swaps . . . . . . . . . .170
Online Advertising: Tips and Tricks of the Trade . . . . . . . . . . . .174
Tip #1: Watch What’s Happening in the Industry . . . . . . . .174
Tip #2: Research Which Ad Is a Higher Performer . . . . . .174
Tip #3: Business Negotiations 101 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176
Tip #4: Due Diligence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .177
Tip #5: Real-Time Reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .177
Tip #6: Test Ad Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .178
Tip #7: Don’t Just Talk the Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .179
Tip #8: Try to Get Goodwill Freebies for SEO . . . . . . . . . . . .179
Tip #9: Buy More, Get More . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .180
Media Cheat Sheet: “Must Know” Questions and Answers . . . . . . . . . .180
Online Public Opinion Polls for Editorial and Lead-Generation Success . . . . .181
Finding Customers in a Web 2.0 World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .182
11 How to Write Great, Free Content (That Gets Read and Passed Around!) . . . . . . .. . . 189
Industry Viewpoints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .191
Michael Masterson, Publisher, Agora, Inc., Early to Rise . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Jason Holland, Managing Editor, Agora, Inc., Early to Rise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .192
Brian Kurtz, Executive Vice President, Boardroom, Inc., Bottom Line Secrets . . . . .93
Christopher Ruddy, President and CEO, Newsmax Media, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .193
Steve Kroening, Editor, Soundview Publications, Inc., Second Opinion
Newsletter, Women’s Health Letter, and Real Cures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .194
Alice Wessendorf, Managing Editor, Healthier Talk . . . . .194
Sean Brodrick, Natural Resource Analyst, Uncommon Wisdom Daily, Weiss Research, Inc. . .194
Dr. Jonny Bowden, Publisher, In Step with Jonny: Straight Talk Nutrition for the 21st Century . . . . . . . . . .195
Bob Bly, Publisher, The Direct Response Letter, CTC Publishing . . . . . . . . 196
12 Best SONAR Platforms and Measuring Success. . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Gauging Your SONAR Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .201
A Glossary: Key Terms to Know When Deploying SONAR or Any Online Marketing Strategy . .207
TOC, 9780789741080, MF