Posts Tagged: white

Social Media — No Comments
19
Apr 10

New Book Explains Why Small Business Owners Should Look Beyond Facebook … – Online PR News (press release)

New Book Explains Why Small Business Owners Should Look Beyond Facebook ... Online PR News (press release) LinkedIn is still primarily for the white collar professional. And Twitter, as a microblog, is more of a conduit to other social sites, not a social network ... Unica Adds Social Media Marketing Capabilities to Its Interactive Marketing ... MarketWatch (press release) What's Wrong With Social Media Marketing ? ClickZ News Unica adds social metrics tools to online solutions BtoB Magazine PR Web (press release)

Social Media — No Comments
19
Apr 10

“Open database of places”: Could it be true?

Since social media landed on the radar of business marketers, one of the toughest challenges has been how to keep up with the latest tools and platforms. It wasn’t long ago that I was charged with building my former company’s MySpace strategy. Man, that skin was something else. Today, marketers are faced with more opportunities than ever — but directing resources toward all of them is near impossible. So what do we do? Some of us bet on the front-runners; some us gamble on the new kids on the block; and some of us build our own networks.  Nearly all of us, though, are hoping for a universe where data is shared across platforms, allowing business to engage efficiently and effectively. The lead story in today’s SmartBrief on Social Media examines the possibility of such a system in the white-hot location-based services sector.  Erick Schonfeld’s back and forth with Foursquare CEO Dennis Crowley suggests that a shared database of places may not be impossible. Crowley calls a “Facebook Connect for places” an “amazing” opportunity that will be “fixed by next year.”  Next year? That would be impressive. If such an open database were to come to fruition, it seems plausible that it could start in the location-based area. These are, after all,  physical locations, not virtual spaces. What might be built could serve as a shared atlas, complete with rich data on users, businesses, transactions, reviews. The possibilities are exciting for developers, end-users and, of course, businesses. While we seem to be hearing more great case studies of companies leveraging location-based social services (which, incidentally, I’ll be covering in my session with Foursquare’s Tristan Walker at the upcoming Social Media Success Summit ), the truth is that the vast majority of businesses are still struggling to leverage these services — partially because the usage and data is so splintered. If Crowley’s prophecy proves correct, and an “open database of places” were to become a reality, would you (as a marketer) be more likely to engage with location-based social services? Image credit, Maica , via iStock

3c3b757d57button.gif “Open database of places”: Could it be true?

View original post here:
“Open database of places”: Could it be true?

Social Media — No Comments
25
Mar 10

How To Develop Great Content – SESNY

At Online Marketing Blog, content marketing is frequently a hot topic.  And with good reason:  it’s a vital skill for marketers. Not only do we at TopRank Online Marketing see great results implementing content marketing for clients, but the industry as a whole sees it as a clear trend.  Consider the following stats: 6 in 10 marketers plan to spend more on content marketing in 2010. 71% of bloggers who maintain blogs for a business – their own or one they work for – report that they have increased their visibility within their industries through their blogs (as just one example of content marketing in action). Content marketing plays an integral role in many of the top digital marketing tactics marketers implemented in 2009. In this fast-paced panel, 3 content marketers each shared some quick tips, trends and strategies for content marketing. Byron White, Chief Idea Officer, ideaLaunch Byron ran through an overview of 10 tips to follow when fleshing out a content marketing plan: 1.  Develop a content marketing plan – many digital marketers just dive in without any type of plan.  This is always a mistake, before going any further, you need to get organized and understand next steps 2.  Use free and paid research tools to research terms – there are a slew of both free and paid research tools which can help you define keywords necessary to create a keyword glossary.  Use tools in conjunction with your own creativity to create an inclusive list of terms. 3.  Find the hot topics and keywords – by understanding the industry and leveraging tools, you can discover hot/trending topics and keywords to be a part of your mix in addition to the mainstay terms. 4.  Develop customer profiles for testing/research the competition – building customer profiles and competitive research allows you to draw upon a knowledge base when creating content to both stand out from competitors and connect with your audience. 5.  Develop an SEO plan with “keyword silos” – made up of long tail and short tail keywords – in addition to building a keyword list, group it into like terms in order for your content team to leverage it in an effective manner during content creation. 6.  Score content for SEO strength – either via an automated tool or manually, score existing content for SEO strength in order to gauge what to optimize first. 7.  Infuse your brand with great content – on the web, your content is your brand (and your brand is your content). 8.  Create stories – people connect with stories more than just product pages and lists of features.  Tell stories and connect with prospects at a much deeper level. 9.  Define great content – know what great content looks like before you develop it.  You can’t create something remarkable unless you have a vision in mind. 10.  Document content publishing date – this is a frequently forgotten, but important tip.  Only by documenting new content publishing date can you track/trend success of that content over time. Of course, metrics are key – track interaction and engagement with content.  Get to a point you understand how your content, whether a blog post or a product page, is converting and working for your brand. Heather Lloyd-Martin, CEO, SuccessWorks Heather spoke on developing great content in the B2C and B2B space. Why care about content?  The best SEO is good content, according to Seth Godin.  If you want people to convert, link to you or even visit your site you need quality content. Main advantage of good content?  Control.  Great content allows you to gain control of your site. Tip # 1:  Think about your target audience Start by creating a customer persona.  The questions you need to answer to do this include: Who is your target audience?  (hint: it’s not everyone) Do you have multiple audiences? How old is your typical buyer/reader? What education level do they have? What are their average levels of income? What benefits are important? Tip #2: Expand your keyphrase universe Look for opportunities to build out new, unique content.  Reach both hit and long tail phrases, and create content that speaks to a broad mix of terms.  One way to do this is build out a resource section to answer both broad and ultra-specific, detailed questions. Tip #3:  Free your content from “fake SEO rules” “Party like its 1999…but don’t optimize your site that way.”  I.E. – there’s no need to follow a specific keyword density to rank.  Instead focus on quality first, keywords second. General SEO content rules: Keyphrases in headlines/subheadlines Keyphrases in hyperlinks Keyphrases throughout the content (but not forcing it) Keyphrase-rich title Focus around 2-3 keyphrases per page Tip #4:  Help your titles sizzle off the surface of SERPs When you’re on a SERP, there are 10 results and users need to pick one. Try to keep your titles to around 70 characters Include your main keyphrases Clearly explain what the landing page is about Include benefit statements (such as “free”) whenever possible Tip #5 There is always something you can do Beware the “website mullet.”  Check for outdated copy.  Some of the worst offenders can be press pages, conference/events pages, old articles, etc.  Where possible, update copy or add additional content if you have older areas of a website gathering cobwebs. Also, if you want to build out a new section of the site to make your content friendlier but can’t change the template:  start a blog or create a new section of the site.  Don’t let technical issues get in your way. Jonathan Allen, Director, Search Engine Watch Jonathan spoke on the idea of using other people’s websites/social sites to gain rankings and an audience.  The theme  was on mash-ups – aka remixes of content. Define your goal – is the goal of this content to persuade or sell people to take action or is it more long-term, to develop links to improve your search engine rankings/brand awareness.  Develop personas – I.E. connectors, those hyper-connected individuals who will help your content spread.  By reaching them, you achieve the highest propensity for your content to spread. Create content – it must be relevant and must be compelling. Connect – once content starts to spread, connect with others and encourage them to share so it spreads further. Rinse and repeat – when you find a formula that works, continue to leverage that to create additional content. 

Social Media — No Comments
23
Feb 10

15 Social Media Answers From OMS10

Online Marketing Summit 2010 in San Diego is host to a smorgasboard of internet marketing topics and this afternoon I am priveledged to participate on a panel about Social Media. Panelists include: Chris Baggott, CEO, Compendium Blogware Lee Odden, CEO, TopRank Online Marketing Michael Senger, CEO & Founder, StoneMass Caitlin McCabe, Founder, WhiteLabel Marketing Ben Hanna, VP Marketing, Business.com That’s a lot of people for a panel, so moderator Jason Baer decided that in the spirit of Twitter, we’d keep bios, questions and answers succinct and at 140 characters or less. For those that can’t be here I thought I’d share the prep questions and my short answers with you. If you’re at OMS and you live blog this Social Media Leaders Forum, please leave a link in the comments. What’s your advice for individuals just getting started using Twitter? Have some idea of what you want out of Twitter. Connect with people of similar interests and goals and engage with them. What’s your advice for individuals just get started using Twitter? Have some idea of what you want out of Twitter. Connect with people of similar interests and goals and engage with them. What’s the #1 myth preventing companies from embracing social media? To start when you’re ready. You’ll never be ready. But you need to do it anyway because it’s the only way towards progress. What’s the best way to integrate social media with other marketing efforts like email, direct mail, etc? Strategically. Learn what customers want and leverage social technologies across channels to make it easier for them to get it. What are the main differences between B2B and B2C social media programs? More romancing in B2B & emphasis on qualitative interactions. Mass appeal of B2C provides large audience engagement opportunities. Is social media best used for customer acquisition, or for customer retention? Both. Social media is essentially word of mouth and once you start facilitating that and customer conversations, you create a cycle of acquisition & retention. How do social media and SEO work together? Yin & Yang. Social network channels of distribution promote content & attract links. Optimized social content grows networks via search discovery. What’s the biggest mistake most companies are making in social media? Outsourcing customer engagement. Companies know their own business and customers best and lose opportunity by not participating themselves. What’s the most overrated social media site or tactic today? Google. LOL. Actually, the one your customers are not using. When is it okay for companies to not engage with their customers in social media? That’s like saying when should you not answer the phone at your business? For severe dissenters invite offline discussion. Does it make sense to make a Facebook fan page at the core of your social media initiative? If the audience to reach is all about Facebook, then why not? Only caveat is that you don’t “own” 3rd party web sites. How can agencies work best with their clients in social media? Be a guide, partner, educator, trainer and source of ongoing support and innovation. Help them help themselves. What’s the one social media skill set that you wish more potential employees had? Honesty about skills. Social media user & expert are very different. Passion, curiosity and ability to really listen, learn and create value using social technology. How important (really) are geo-location services like Foursquare and Gowalla? If you were a brand, how interested would you be to know all the most active people visiting your stores? Many Advertising & social networking tie-in opportunities. With so many companies now using social media, what’s the best way for a brand to stand out? Find remarkable people to curate & tell your brand’s story. Listen to, engage with & empower customers. How can you measure the effectiveness of social media efforts? Start with goals, outline a strategy and how to best reach audiences. Then pick the right tools and metrics aligned with those goals. There you go. I think this exercise proves that shorter is not always better. There’s so much more that’s meaningful to say about each of these questions. I may come back and add to this post after the session or we might just use them as inspiration for a series of blog posts.  Until then, be sure to read this roundup of 25 social media marketing tips . What are some of your most pressing questions about social media? About integrating social media with other channels?

Social Media — No Comments
18
Feb 10

Social media puts on a tie

The biggest barrier to maximizing the potential of social technology — in sales, PR, marketing or even internal collaboration — is the persistent notion that it is mysterious, complex and utterly impractical. Millions of people that your organization is trying to reach are still staying away from social networks because they don’t feel like they “get” what they’re for. Your boss doesn’t want you using social networks for work because they look like toys. Maybe you’re even still stumbling a little as you build your social presence, still treating these platforms like mystical alien artifacts that will explode if not handled with the utmost care. We need a Rosetta Stone to get us all on the same page, establishing once and for all that social media is neither quantum physics, nor voodoo, nor frivolity. For a long time, I thought that something would be a new, more evolved social network — something so intuitive that anyone could look at it for a minute and understand what it was for. But I was wrong. The key isn’t some magical new network. It’s e-mail. Everyone who uses the Internet understands e-mail — even if they don’t necessarily use it that often. It is the closest thing the Web has to common ground. That is why things like Google Buzz and Microsoft’s new Outlook Social Connector are so important. In a few years, social media won’t be some crazy waste of time that only young people understand — it’ll just be another part of e-mail. OK, that’s over simplifying it a little bit — there will still be profiles and apps and all sorts of other higher functions. But the building blocks of social media — connections and updates — will become universal. I think that once those elements are in place, they become a gateway drug of sorts. Once you get the benefit of simply connecting with people and sharing information, you start to see the benefit in all those other tools, as well. The good news for those of use who are already using the technology is that as networks gain participation, they have the potential to become more useful to everyone. You may also see the distinction between networks matter less, even as more niche networks gain popularity — because we’ll be connecting to it all through e-mail. I also think it will bring a change in focus away from understanding tools and on applied business functions — worrying about the marketing part of social-media marketing instead of stressing about the latest tools. What other changes will e-mail integration bring? Any potential problems on the horizon? Anyone not convinced that e-mail will change the way nonusers look at social networks? Image credit, AndyL , via iStock

3c3b757d57button.gif Social media puts on a tie

Here is the original post:
Social media puts on a tie