We recognize at Content4Demand that content marketing serves a wide variety of purposes. Perhaps the original content marketing objective, however, is still as relevant as it ever was: search engine optimization.
That’s why this graphic, from the 2011 MarketingSherpa Search Marketing Benchmark Survey, remains relevant to B2B marketers:
A lot of these tactics actually impact content creation and content marketing. But content creation as a dedicated discipline plays a unique role here; it’s both relatively difficult and potentially extremely effective as a search marketing tool.
This blog post from Derek Edmond at Search Engine Land helps with that dilemma, because it identifies some underrated content marketing assets that deliver a lot of bang for your buck – if you take advantage of them.
Check out his post for the complete list. One of his suggestions, however, caught my eye because it’s so incredibly simple, yet so many B2B web sites completely screw it up: the 404 error page.
Finally, while there may be nothing more annoying that landing on a broken webpage, a little creativity in the error message can go a long way to alleviating frustration and bring the visitor back to the site. While we typically recommend a clear error message with links to core navigational elements and social media profiles, humor and creative expression are often welcome too. At the least, maybe you’ll get a link in one of these collections for your efforts.
I love this advice. Nobody wants a potential customer to see a 404 page, but mistakes happen from time to time. The trick is knowing how to turn your mistakes into opportunities.