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Hi Dieter,

As a companion to the great answer from the RayFlexGroup, I have a few resources for you:

• Could Google Shopping Feeds Be a Thing of the Past? The post highlights some of the elements at work behind the scenes to render such results. It also shares some tips brands can use to increase the likelihood that their products show up similarly.
• Another great resource: 5 Essential E-Commerce Rich Snippets for Your Store
• There certainly is a schema markup for products.

Let us hear from you once you give it a try

RS

Hi,

I'm working on a presentation that helps brands answer this question. It really feels like one of those questions that should have a great, simple answer.

My quick-fast-dirty process looks a lot like this.

Brand-level

• Determine goals for brand
• Ascertain how content can help brand attain those goals

Competition

• Do a simple Google search to see which brands are competition for the same audience (e.g., using your money keywords)
• Pay close attention to the content they've created that's ranking well
• Try to create a short list of things you can do content-wise better

Audience

• Figure out who they are being visiting social media, Quora, Reddit, etc., and doing a keyword search to see who is using your terms
• Make at list of the folks who are influencers and what questions, concerns, issues are being raised
• Use this information to find other such platforms where similar audiences might be congregating (i.e., do a Google search or Twitter search or Facebook search to see what other groups key members might be a part of)

Content

Armed with your keywords, the questions you can likely answer and the types of content your competition is creating, you can being to think about the types of content you can and should create based on your brand's needs and goals.

For example, if you have an existing product that is now newer and better than ever, but you need to get people to learn about the changes, maybe you write a top of the funnel piece that includes your brand as part of a solution to a problem you found from online discussions. The maker of a sleek, redesigned wallet for millennials, say, might write a post titled "Why Your iPhone Case Should Never Double as a Credit Card Holder."

The key is to focus as much on the execution as the idea. That is...

• Have a clear goal with regard to each piece of content
• Know in advance which segment of the audience you're attempting to reach and what desired actions you wish for them to take
• Understand that publishing content is only part of the process. (It must be shared, promoted and, hopefully, amplified to be successful)

To help you get started, here are a few indispensable resources:

For help with what questions you should be answering:

* Answer the public

* http://keywordtool.io/

For how to come up with better ideas more easily:* Creating Demand for Products, Services, and Ideas that Have Little to No Existing Search Volume - Whiteboard Friday*GENERATING BETTER CONTENT IDEAS

Hi Rolando,

Hmmm... How about we look at this a little different:

• What are the blogs you're qualified to write for (e.g., some publications prefer authors be active members of the community or have written for similar publications in the past)
• Which publications would be worthwhile for your brand?
• Which of those publications accept guest authors?

You'll need to do a little digging, but a simple, easy-to-use way to find out if your ideal place to share content accept pitches is to do a simple Google Site search:

• site:domain.com “submit a guest post” or site:domain.com “guest post by”

This will help you figure out if the site you wish to write for offers guest posting opportunities.

Read these two posts: The No. 1 Reason Your Content Gets Rejected by Prominent Blogs  and Power Guest Posting for SEO

Have to confess: Track, Test, Tweak, Repeat is legit.

Similar to my Refine, Revise, Repeat for content creation and amplification.

So often we hear that something or another didn't work, when in reality the brand or the individual either didn't optimize the experience for the desired outcome, didn't have clear, defined goals in place or lacked the ability to track the effort's performance.

What I love about email is it's easy to track. From there, it's all about the TTR

RS

Recently, I wrote a Moz post on what I think comprises effective online marketing outreach via email: Why You Should Steal My Daughter's Playbook for Effective Email Outreach

Though I'm by no means an outreach expert, it's a topic I do feel qualified to talk about, owing to having worked with numerous PR/Outreach folks, seeing what works and what does not, and because of my experience working for and with Fortune 25s in a sales, outreach capacity. I'm wondering...

• What's the biggest challenge you've faced with regard to outreach?
• How are you addressing it?
• What's the No. 1 tactic you've used to attain success in email outreach?

RS

My latest post on the Moz Blog, Featured Snippets: A Dead-Simple Tactic for Making, explores how to keep Featured Snippets once you have them. I'm curious to know how many brands are actively working to get in the answer box, and for those who are, what's been the results?

No news is better than bad news.

RS

Sounds like you have some clients with strong content, then.

RS

The key is quality content. I know we hear that a lot, so much that it becomes cliche', but it's true. A simple way of thinking about this is to never create a piece of content you wouldn't feel comfortable asking someone you know and respect to share.

RS

I like the wait and see/get more data approach. It's often tough to see a cause and effect relationship when there are so many potential factors at work.

Sounds like your experience mirrors that of others, which seems to be as a result of Google taking more or a scalpel approach to penalizing content as opposed to the blunt-instrument trauma many faced in the past when entire sites were scorched.

We've been waiting on the latest Penguin rollout so long it would have been appropriate for Google to launch it with a creepy meme titled "I'm baaack." But now that it's here, what changes are you seeing to the websites you monitor or manage?

We'd very much enjoy hearing you stories, thoughts and proposed courses of action below in the comments.

If you need to get up to speed on Penguin 4.0, Dr. Pete's post, Penguin 4.0: Was it Worth the Wait?, is a great place to start, as is the latest Whiteboard Friday by Rand: Penguin 4.0: How the Real-Time Penguin-in-the-Core-Alg Model Changes SEO.

RS

Hi Jason,

Like Thomas and Sean, I think a lot of BuzzSumo. It's a product many brands have come to trust for content ideation and insight. I think it has the most value as a tool to see what content types you might want to consider for your vertical, in addition to helping you better discern what competitors are doing that you aren't.

For me, BuzzSumo is a great starting place, especially for brands who're eager to nail three key elements of content marketing:

• What content is performing best across the web, and why?
• What content is performing best in our vertical?
• What types of content performs best?

I'd certainly recommend giving BuzzSumo a try. It's an excellent product.

Let's turn this around a bit: It's ONLY a good opportunity for you, if you/your brand is uniquely qualified to fulfill the needs of the prospects in this niche.

Too often, brands mistake "great opportunity" for "great opportunity for me."

If (a) it is a great opportunity and (b) your brand is in the best position to own the space, it's at least worth exploring.

RS

BuzzSumo, like Moz Content, can provide you with a view of the best-performing content across the web, making it possible for you to see which content and content types would be most palatable for the audience served by your vertical.

As a freelance consultant who has been working solo for most of the last six years, I can empathize with you. I've had to test numerous tools and platforms to find the right for me.

First, keep in mind that what works for others likely won't work for you, so you'll have to do some experimenting as well.

• For project management, I've used Trello, Wrike, Basecamp, Freedcamp, Asana and a few others. For singular use, they are all fine, but as you have to share information across teams and with clients, you'll need the added capability and ease of use of platforms such as Asana and Wrike. They each have quirks, so experiment. I found Asana the most intuitive of the bunch. Also, keep in mind that a lot can be done simply through Google Docs and Google Sheets.
• If I had $200 for tools, I'd go with Moz Content or Buzzsumo ($99 each) for content ideation and Moz Pro for site analytics ($99). Admittedly, I'm biased as a Moz Associate. However, the key is having the ability to attain, access and discern information quickly and accurately, not have information on ALL THE THINGS. You could be successful with this small suite of tools, then over time add others such as Buffer and Followerwonk for social media.

RS

When the content developed Moz Content, I was excited as can be about having another tool in the content marketing and content strategy repertoire. I knew it could and would help marketers better identify the content they should be creating and make it easier for them to move the needle for their brands.

Since it's been available, I've had fun using Moz Content, seeing it as a great vehicle for flattening the learning curve for content ideation and creation.

In a recent post, Here's How I'm Using Moz Content for Mining Local Link Opportunities, David Farkas described how brands can use Moz Content to better create localized content.

I'd like to know how you're using it, or if you're using it:

• Have you tried Moz Content? And if not, what's stopping you?
• If you have used it, what are you really liking?
• What would you change?
• What, if any, additional features you'd like to see added?
• What tips can you share for helping others get the most out of the tool?

Looking forward to reading the comments below.

In a recent post, Craig Bradshaw shared how creating a URL profiler can work wonders for brands looking to learn what links competitors have attained and which links your brand should be trying to acquire.

We're wondering if your marketing team has made use of URL profiiers, for your brand or the brands you support, and if so have you found them to be worthwhile?

RS

When I ran the content marketing department for a successful agency in Dallas, I took our department down the precise path you now look at. I worked to identify (through social media interactions, in-person meetings at conferences and introductions by friends and acquaintances.)

What I found to be most successful was selecting individuals who had an understanding of PR. These folks can work wonders in helping you create, share and promote the types of content worthy of getting links and mentions. These are also the folks who are most likely to have the needed connections that can help the brands you work with attain meaningful traction.

When it comes to link building and outreach, mindset is as important is an important to the connections you hope to form.

RS

Excellent point, Donna. I do think data and storytelling form a formidable team, but their impact is certainly limited without the benefit of promotion.

RS