Making a content marketing plan: How to create a content matrix

Writing in the 1st century BCE, the Roman author Publilius Syrus observed that “a good reputation is more valuable than money” (Honesta fama melior est pecunia). That sentiment remains true over two millennia later. In the Internet Age, our online personas contribute a great deal to our reputation, and they are particularly important for those who seek to position themselves as authorities. Simply producing authoritative content isn’t enough (for a refresher on what, exactly, is authoritative content, check out this post). You also need to have an online persona that bolsters your credibility.

Forget Google Page Rank. Today, the SEO world is all about Google AuthorRank -- a quality rating that links your content with your Google+ profile.

Primary sources can transform forgettable content into authoritative, standout work. Drawing on experience as a historian, this post shows where to find them, how to use them critically, and why relying on secondary sources alone can lead to misinformation.

Information databases are strong options for writers who wish to connect with a corporate audience in particular. The corporate audience is an especially engaged group of readers that actively utilizes content in their daily work. If your content is informative and well-written, you should consider publishing it on an information database in order to reach these readers.

SEO is a vital tool for building an audience, but not all of these strategies are worth pursuing.

The other day, I stumbled upon a pop culture relic entitled “The Kids’ Guide to the Internet.” Produced in 1997, the video follows Peter and Dasha Jamison as they introduce their friends Andrew and Lisa to the joys of cyberspace. The sites they visit are static affairs filled with low-resolution images and text in Times New Roman. They’re relentlessly utilitarian and often devoid of interactivity (though Peter does send an email to President Clinton at one point!). Fast forward almost 30 years later, and the Internet looks very different. And it’s not just a matter of aesthetics, either. The modern Internet is a far more collaborative place where engagement and interactivity reign supreme.

In November 1919, Walter Lippmann published an article in The Atlantic entitled “The Basic Problem of Democracy.” Despite the passage of time, it feels eerily prescient.

As an Authoritative Content publisher, you already publish high-quality content online, and you've probably already attracted at least a small audience. So why would you want to hire a content strategist?

In our last post, we talked about how content quality is more important than ever. Search engines such as Google want high-quality content, and authoritativeness is one of the factors they consider when evaluating material. But what does it mean for content to be authoritative, and why is that relevant?