Content Creation & Social Media Advice: Don’t Force It!

By |2016-10-12T16:51:07-07:00October 13th, 2015|Content, General, Strategy|

One of the most difficult things being a content producer is, duh, producing content. Whether you are under a deadline, asked to write about something that you aren't passionate about, or your content creation engine is simply stale, getting inspiration to write about something...anything...can be like getting blood from a stone. Content writing should be inspired, otherwise you risk coming across as forcing your writing. And your audience is savvy to this.   Content, whether in the form of writing, photos, videos, or what-have-you, is what fuels social media. Social media allows for content sharing, audience development and engagement, discussion, feedback (even negatively), and subsequent idea generation. Content cannot exist without this. But if your content is not compelling, doesn't tell a story, lacks substance or is simply boring to your audience, you might want to avoid sharing it, or at least, re-work it. The worst thing you can do is just write to have a bunch of words on a screen or piece of paper. Many so-called content "gurus" or "rock stars" make their living by churning out written words laden with keywords or SEO-optimized phrases. While this does potentially accomplish something, by gaming ranking within search engine results for example, if you read these articles, they sometimes lack compelling substance - something that sparks and idea or reaction from the reader. Don't get me wrong, there definitely IS a place for this type of content within a business's content and social strategy, but it shouldn't be the sole source of content. A good content creation strategy should have a balance of content types, whether it is visual or written. Also, it obviously depends on the business type. A consumer brand's content [...]

How a New Website or Redesign Can Help Refocus your Business

By |2016-10-12T16:51:07-07:00October 24th, 2013|Content, General, Strategy|

If you are feeling that you need to shake things up a bit in your business, consider doing a new website or redesigning your existing one. Seriously. The process of re-architecting your web presence is a form of catharsis and rebirth. It can help you fine-tune your existing marketing messages, focus your unique value proposition and re-define your visual identity. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" you respond. That is all well and good, but if you don't take a few risks, the rewards don't come as frequently. In fact, the exercise in re-evaluating how people interact with your business on the web can actually help you refocus your business to better help them. This site, HTD Strategies, is new as of October 2013. Prior to that, it was just a figment of my imagination, a concept and a dream. And then something clicked and ideas moved from my synapses to the digital bits and bytes you see before you. Ideas became reality. While this is an accomplishment, for me the entire process of focus and definition was more rewarding than the actual end result. So I got to thinking, why did it feel so good? As with any project, its completion is extremely satisfactory. There is nothing better than putting a check in the box, after all, we are all ruled by to-do lists, project plans and action items. But as I reflected back on the past couple of weeks, I realized that the process of designing a new website (or redoing an existing one) is actually quite critical to businesses. It's as important as repainting a dingy room or mowing the lawn or building a new addition on your house. Not only [...]

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