I believe that consistently posting quality original content on your website, on forums, on article submission sites, and so on is absolutely critical to your marketing and SEO strategies. As search engines revamp their algorithms to emphasize relevancy, and as prospects become more computer and Internet savvy, content lays the foundation for every other strategy - from SEO to PPC to social media marketing.

Branding is about consistency in your message, your logo, your mission statement and your site. I search everyday for clues on how other firms have successfully marketed their firms, to emulate what works, or what I perceive to work.

My perception

Publishing great content builds credibility. This is simply common sense. The Internet has grown to become a global resource for information. Why? Because it's users are there searching for what? Information!! If not yours, then your competitor's!

I love walking into shops that don't have computers or Internet connections. They do still exist. Most of them come to agree that having an online presence is like mining for gold online with an offline shovel. See Mining Online Gold with an Offline Shovel by Joel Christopher (Author) and George McKenzie (Author). Add to that, prospects do business with firms or reps they know, like and trust, so building credibility enhances business relationships over the long haul.

Internet Marketing Guru, John Reese, once wrote that content is not king - it's Kong. Content levels the playing field on the Internet. The web has made it easy for small businesses to reach more people than ever before, opening up a variety of avenues to provide great content, and thus, solidify their business's success.