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5 Content Marketing Tips To Attract Your Ideal Client

If you are looking to establish your brand and build trust with your potential clients, these content marketing tips can help.

But before I delve into that, it just dawned on me that you may not know what content marketing is… so let’s take a quick look. Content marketing is about putting valuable information out there that would allow your customers to become familiar with your products and services. It isn’t about selling as much as it is about making sure that you Educate your customers on what your products and services are and how they can be used to help them.

So here are a few content marketing tips that will help you build your brand while also attracting your ideal customer.

First…

… You must understand or be very clear on who your target market is. Define what their needs are and what their wants are. Think about what are some of the problems they face and what solutions your products and services offer? As you are putting this list together, also think about the types of questions or objections they may have. Once you flush this out, put together a list of topics.

A second content marketing tip…

… is to plan out your calendar. In other words, have a content calendar that shows what you are going to publish and when. You can make this a month in advance, 2 months or 3 months in advance. It’s up to you. Some people will do the entire year. Keep in mind, that just because you make it out doesn’t mean that you can’t change it. You can change it anytime you like.

Now, I want to give you a word of caution…

… as well as another tip…

… Content marketing takes a lot of time so be sure that your content is something your readers want and that your content is not too long. People have a short attention span and like to get in and get out.

A fourth content marketing tip…

… is to publish your content across multiple channels. For instance, one channel may be a blog post, another a pdf, another a video or social networking sites. You just want to be sure that you are maximizing your exposure. By getting your content out in various forms, this allows you to reach more people on the level that they choose. Some people don’t have time to read, so watching a quick video or listening to audio may be better for them.

One final tip for content marketing is…

… to be sure to use keywords in your content so that people can easily find it when they do a search. The SEO rule of thumb (right now) is to use a keyword for every 100 words. So, if you have a 400 word blog post, you will want to make sure that you use your keyword 4 times. Don’t overdo it because Google doesn’t like that and make sure that your usage make sense.

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Thai Culture – An Overview (Part 8)

There are dozens upon dozens of books that take an in depth look at Thai history and culture. I am not going to try to emulate them here. What I am going to do is tell you what you need to know to make a comfortable transition. This is part 8 and the final article in a series on Thai culture.

Cultural Oddities
The Feet – Always take off your shoes when entering someone’s home. Never use your feet to point or do something your hands can do such as closing a door. Never rest your feet on a table or on a car dashboard. In relation to this, if someone is lying down, never step over them. Walk around them. Note, as with most things in life, when you are among very close friends, these rules of politeness can go out the window. Observe your friends and when unsure, border on the side of caution. Never point your feet at a Buddha image or at a Monk.

The Head – Never touch someone on the head. The only exception is a small child or a significant other with whom you are very close.

Blowing Your Nose – It’s extremely rude to blow your nose in public. The Thais will excuse themselves to the privacy of the bathroom for this or sniffle until they can reach such a place.

Picking Your Nose – Contrary to what logic might dictate, while blowing one’s nose is considered very rude and disgusting, it’s perfectly acceptable to pick it. No matter how many times I see it, I can never quite accept a beautiful young girl with her finger up her nose.

Yes – The Thais don’t like to disappoint. And although it defies Western logic, if you ask for something and the real answer is no, you will often be told yes. Be aware of this. If you suspect the answer may be no, but are told yes right away, don’t assume it means yes. Double and triple check and offer a way out such as ‘If no, mai pen rai, really’. In this way, the Thai will not lose face by telling you no if the answer is indeed no.

Volume – The volume at which many Americans speak never ceases to amaze me. Even when the person I am speaking with is 2 feet away, they project their voice as if they are on stage on Broadway. In the US this may be considered a show of strength and confidence or maybe everyone is just hard of hearing. I honestly don’t know. What I do know is that speaking at this volume in Thailand will result in making the person you are speaking with feel extremely uncomfortable, not to mention embarrassing yourself. Here again can be found another contradiction in Thai culture, for volume from all other things does not seem to bother anyone. Dogs bark constantly. Music is played by outdoor karaoke bars at ear shattering volumes. Trucks drive around cities with giant speakers, broadcasting news of the latest motorcycles or laundry detergent. And no one seems to mind. But raise your voice when you speak and you will bother all of those within earshot.

Eye contact – Don’t look a superior directly in the eye. While this is considered a sign of respect and trustworthiness in the West, in Thailand, as with a tiger, this is a sign of a challenge and disrespect. If you find yourself speaking with someone of obvious superior status, look slightly down or past them, but not directly in the eyes.

Misc. – If you must walk between two people or walk in front of someone who is watching TV or some other event, always bend over slightly. This is a show of respect. Failing to do so is quite rude.

If someone is sitting, never stand over them and speak. This makes you look arrogant and belittles the person sitting. In schools across the country, when a student comes into a room to speak with a teacher who is sitting at a desk, the student kneels down to the level of the teacher. It is a simple show of respect.

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The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative

As of January 23, 2007 the new Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) requires all travelers to and from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda to present a passport or other accepted document that establishes the bearer’s identity and nationality in order to enter or re-enter the United States. The goal is to strengthen border security and facilitate entry into the United States for U.S. citizens and legitimate international travelers.
Under this law the following documents are be acceptable to fulfill document requirements:

• U.S. Passport: U.S. citizens may present a valid U.S. passport when traveling via air between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda, and may also use a U.S. passport when traveling via sea and land borders (including ferry crossings).

• The Passport Card (also referred to as the PASS Card): This limited-use passport in card format is currently under development and will be available for use for travel only via land or sea (including ferries) between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda. Similar in size to a credit card, it will fit easily into a wallet.

• DOS and DHS also anticipate that the following documents will continue to be acceptable for their current travel uses under WHTI: SENTRI, NEXUS, FAST, and the U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document. Members of the U.S. Armed Forces on active duty traveling on orders will continue to be exempt from the passport requirement

The passport requirement does NOT apply to U.S. citizens traveling to or returning directly from a U.S. territory. U.S. citizens returning directly from a U.S. territory are not considered to have left the United States and do not need to present a passport.

U.S. citizens traveling from U.S. territories need not to present a passport to re-enter the United States. As long as the territories are a part of the United States. U.S. citizens returning directly from a U.S. territory are not considered to have left the U.S. territory and do not need to present a passport. U.S. territories include the following: Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Swains Island and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Children are also required to present passports under the rule. Yes, children will be required to present a passport when entering the United States at airports. More information on obtaining a passport for a minor can be found at http://travel.state.gov

Here’s what will happen to you if you attempt to re-enter the U.S. without a passport or an alternative travel card. Under the law, the new documentation requirements may be waived under certain circumstances. These exceptions include individual cases of unforeseen emergency and individual cases based on “humanitarian or national interest reasons.” In addition, the State Department has processes to assist U.S. citizens overseas to obtain emergency travel documentation for those with lost or stolen passports. There was a time when if a U.S. Citizen lost or their pass port was stolen you could go to any U.S. Embassy and get a new one issued right on the spot.

For the general public, people who apply for entry but do not have appropriate documentation will be referred for secondary screening at the port. In secondary, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers will evaluate any evidence of citizenship or identity the individual may have and will verify all information against available databases. However, to prevent delay at the ports of entry, they encourage all U.S. citizens to obtain the appropriate documents before they travel.
What impact recent legislation may have on the deadline of implementation for the land and sea phase is unknown.

While recent legislative changes may permit a later deadline, both the Departments of State and Homeland Security are working to put all requirements in place to implement the land and sea phase by the original deadline of January 1, 2008. Advance notice will be provided to enable the public to meet the land/sea border requirement.

Over 70 million U.S. citizens hold valid passports, an estimated quarter of the eligible population. The number of passport applications and issuances continues to grow. In fiscal year 2006, the U.S. Department of State issued over 12.1 million passports.

DHS has prepared a separate economic analysis, known as the Regulatory Assessment (RA), which is summarized in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) published August 11, 2006, and is available in full for review and public comment from the Federal Register docket. DHS has determined that the benefits – facilitation of travel and increased security in the air and sea environments – justify the potential costs. A complete and detailed “Regulatory Assessment” can be found in the docket for this rulemaking: [http://www.regulations.gov;] see also http://www.cbp.gov. For further information, please contact DHS.

Registration at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate (in the country you are visiting) makes your presence and whereabouts known, in case it is necessary for a consular officer to contact you in an emergency. During a disaster overseas, American consular officers can assist in evacuation were that to become necessary. But they cannot assist you if they do not know where you are.

Registration is particularly important for those who plan to stay in a country longer than one month, or who will travel to:

*A country that is experiencing civil unrest, has an unstable political climate, or is undergoing a natural disaster, such as an earthquake or a hurricane.

*A country where there are no U.S. officials. In such cases, you should register at the U.S. embassy or consulate in an adjacent country, leave an itinerary with the Consular Section, ask about conditions in the country that you will visit and ask about the third country that may represent U.S. interests there.

If you are traveling with an escorted tour to areas experiencing political uncertainty or other problems, find out if your tour operator is registering your trip through the State Department’s travel registration website . If it is not, or if you are traveling on your own, you can still register with the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate through the State Department’s travel registration website .

In accordance with the Privacy Act, information on your welfare or whereabouts may not be released to inquirers without your expressed written authorizations. Registration through the website is not considered proof of citizenship. Remember to leave a detailed itinerary and the numbers or copies of your passport or other citizenship documents with a friend or relative in the United States.

Travel Warnings are issued when the State Department recommends that Americans avoid a certain country. The countries listed below are currently on that list. In addition to this list, the State Department issues Consular Information Sheets for every country of the world with information on such matters as the health conditions, crime, unusual currency or entry requirements, any areas of instability, and the location of the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate in the subject country.

Côte d’Ivoire 06/01/2007

Iran 05/31/2007

East Timor 05/11/2007

Nepal 05/07/2007

Eritrea 05/02/2007

Yemen 04/30/2007

Philippines 04/27/2007

Uzbekistan 04/25/2007

Congo, Democratic Republic of the 04/24/2007

Sri Lanka 04/05/2007

Afghanistan 04/04/2007

Algeria 03/22/2007

Central African Republic 03/06/2007

Liberia 02/16/2007

Kenya 02/06/2007

Burundi 01/24/2007

Nigeria 01/19/2007

Israel, the West Bank and Gaza 01/17/2007

Haiti 01/10/2007

Indonesia 01/09/2007

Lebanon 12/22/2006

Saudi Arabia 12/19/2006

Pakistan 12/05/2006

Chad 11/20/2006

Syria 11/13/2006

Sudan 10/05/2006

Iraq 08/28/2006

Somalia 06/05/2006

Bosnia-Herzegovina 03/30/2006

Colombia 01/18/2006

US Airways – International Travel Tips