First off, I think I'm going to actually write this up as a guide, so stay tuned. There's a lot to say about social media. If you haven't already done so, read my article about Ben & Jerry's dropping email marketing in favor of only using social media to interface with their customers online.
Using social media is easy for a company like Ben & Jerry's. All they have to do is hire someone...like me ;). But what if you're a small or even a medium-sized business? Do you really want to run your business and deal with Facebook, Twitter, your blog (I hope you have one), checking your buzz with Google News and Google Alerts, etc, etc, etc? I don't think so. If I didn't do this stuff for a vocation, I'm sure that I wouldn't spend nearly as much time as I do online--I wouldn't have the time.
So, what do you do if you recognize the value of social media? Well, you could just keep on writing those checks to the Yellow Pages, but we all know how much that's doing for you. Or...you could hire a social media manager. Someone like me who lives, eats, and breathes this stuff.
Interested in finding out more? Just leave me a comment and we'll set up something.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
Should You Ditch Email Marketing?
Recently, Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream decided to drop their email marketing campaign in favor of social media marketing via Facebook and Twitter. You can read an informative article about this, here.
So, since B&J did it, you should too, right?
Hold on, Hoss! Not so fast.
Apparently, B&J's customers indicated to the company that they didn't like email marketing and preferred social media instead. I can see why. Despite the double opt-in thingy, email is still somewhat intrusive. Every few weeks, I go through my InBox and clean out subscriptions to stuff that I don't really want anymore. You can quickly clog your InBox with junk, making the important emails difficult to see. (I have several email addresses for this very problem, but it's still a headache.)
I never subscribed to B&J's email list, but I can imagine a scenario where I might have wanted a coupon or something for a container of Chubby Hubby (or whatever), but now I'm just tired of all the other emails for things I'm not interested in.
Like Internet marketing in general, at least when done properly, social media like Facebook puts the power in the customer's hands, not in the company's hands. So, I can certainly understand B&J's customers opting for Facebook and Twitter, rather than email.
Is this a trend?
I wouldn't be surprised if it ended up as a trend in online marketing, but right now, I don't think you should ditch your email marketing efforts for social media. Like B&J, you'll be smarter if you let your customers make that decision for you.
So, since B&J did it, you should too, right?
Hold on, Hoss! Not so fast.
Apparently, B&J's customers indicated to the company that they didn't like email marketing and preferred social media instead. I can see why. Despite the double opt-in thingy, email is still somewhat intrusive. Every few weeks, I go through my InBox and clean out subscriptions to stuff that I don't really want anymore. You can quickly clog your InBox with junk, making the important emails difficult to see. (I have several email addresses for this very problem, but it's still a headache.)
I never subscribed to B&J's email list, but I can imagine a scenario where I might have wanted a coupon or something for a container of Chubby Hubby (or whatever), but now I'm just tired of all the other emails for things I'm not interested in.
Like Internet marketing in general, at least when done properly, social media like Facebook puts the power in the customer's hands, not in the company's hands. So, I can certainly understand B&J's customers opting for Facebook and Twitter, rather than email.
Is this a trend?
I wouldn't be surprised if it ended up as a trend in online marketing, but right now, I don't think you should ditch your email marketing efforts for social media. Like B&J, you'll be smarter if you let your customers make that decision for you.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Backlinks, More Important Than Ever!
I was corresponding with a well-known Internet writer a few weeks ago. Believe me, this "girl" really knows her stuff when it comes to how to game the Internet to create not only traffic, but more importantly a sense of authority when it comes to content. We exchanged a few emails, and I realized, however, that she and I have completely different opinions about one very important part of search engine optimization, or SEO. We differed greatly about the importance of backlinks.
Just in case, let's define "backlink." A backlink is a text link coming from another site that points to a page on your site. For instance, let's suppose you own Site A. A backlink is a link on Site B that sends the visitor to a page on Site A, when clicked.
The importance of backlinks is huge! They are one of the main ways that it seems Google decides how important your content is. The more links coming in, the more important your content, the more worthy of being ranked highly.
My writer friend seemed to downplay the importance of backlinks, however. Because she sees the Internet as more of a network of links that are followed by humans. Someone reads a post on a blog they like, it links to your site, and they click on that link, thus becoming traffic for your site. That's great! But if you can get specific pages on your site ranked highly for various keyword phrases, then you get the "human" traffic, but you also get the traffic from searches.
It seems that Google is in agreement with me, also. (Or at least I'll just assume they are! :) ) With the recent MayDay algorithm change, it seems that Google is relying more on off-page factors than on on-page factors for ranking. That might mean that backlinks are now more important than ever before!
Backlinks are a tricky subject, though. I don't have the time to write a treatise on them right now, but I promise you I'll write a few more posts about the nuances of proper backlinking.
Just in case, let's define "backlink." A backlink is a text link coming from another site that points to a page on your site. For instance, let's suppose you own Site A. A backlink is a link on Site B that sends the visitor to a page on Site A, when clicked.
The importance of backlinks is huge! They are one of the main ways that it seems Google decides how important your content is. The more links coming in, the more important your content, the more worthy of being ranked highly.
My writer friend seemed to downplay the importance of backlinks, however. Because she sees the Internet as more of a network of links that are followed by humans. Someone reads a post on a blog they like, it links to your site, and they click on that link, thus becoming traffic for your site. That's great! But if you can get specific pages on your site ranked highly for various keyword phrases, then you get the "human" traffic, but you also get the traffic from searches.
It seems that Google is in agreement with me, also. (Or at least I'll just assume they are! :) ) With the recent MayDay algorithm change, it seems that Google is relying more on off-page factors than on on-page factors for ranking. That might mean that backlinks are now more important than ever before!
Backlinks are a tricky subject, though. I don't have the time to write a treatise on them right now, but I promise you I'll write a few more posts about the nuances of proper backlinking.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Is Fake The New Authentic?
My family loves to eat at this bakery/sandwich shop near where we live. This place is a chain, and there are several of these types of chains across the country. We've eaten here for years. So much so that we're on a first name basis with the manager.
About a week ago my wife had the idea of contacting this restaurant and asking them if they would donate their leftovers to a local charity. Of course, they said they would, and I was enlisted as the person to pick up the baked goods.
So, last night I went over to the bakery/sandwich shop. I got there just before closing. The night manager...
(yes, this actually does have quite a bit to do with internet marketing, so hang in there! :) )
....as I said, the night manager told me that 1) I had to get there before 9pm, or they wouldn't let me in, and that 2) I would have to wait until all the customers were gone before they could pack everything up and give it to me.
This didn't sound unreasonable, but for some reason she felt the need to explain herself.
She apologized that I had to get there before nine. She said they were allowed to open the front door only once after closing.
I joked and said, "What do you do, sleep here?"
She understood the joke, but continued to point out all of the hidden security cameras in the ceiling. They were all over the place!
OMG! I had been in this restaurant probably hundreds of times, but had never even seen the cameras.
"What are the cameras for, intruders?"
"No, they're for us," she said. Apparently, the home office has people who sit around and watch the videos streaming from all of the chain's stores, watching to see if an employee is doing anything "wrong."
I can understand this. Employee theft is a big thing! But actually watching everyone? That seems a little Big Brotherish.
So, I grabbed a glass of iced tea, sat down, and read the paper. But I couldn't really focus, because I kept looking for and finding all those little hidden cameras.
Of course, being the creative storyteller that I naturally am, my mind went haywire, and I imagined people at the home office using computers to analyze how long it takes people at each table to eat, how people eat, what they eat, how much the leave on their plates--the possibilities are endless.
Also, I wondered how "tracked" the employees are. Do they count the number of smiles per unit time? Do they do time and motion studies on someone getting a cookie for a customer?
None of this made any sense given the incredible friendliness of the staff! I would have never guessed that these folks were micromanaged to this point. Heck, micromanaged? How about nanomanaged!
So, as I thought through this, I realized that the friendly atmosphere of this eatery might be nothing more than an intricately created sham! I know I'm going a little too far, but the thought did occur to me.
You see, one of the reasons we eat there is because of the manager and his staff. This is the way businesses used to be run, with the owner and staff knowing you and treating you as if you were valued beyond the dollars you spent.
But do these folks value me beyond that?
It was kind of like we were on the Wizard of Oz, and we pulled back the curtain--to see what?
So, why am I writing this, and what in the world does it have to do with your business on the Internet?
Here's the deal.
The Internet is all about authenticity.
People don't just go to the store and buy stuff anymore. They research on the Internet. They find trusted advisers, friends, impartial blogs.
But recognizing this, we marketers have tried mightily to create the impression that our company, website, blog, Facebook account is...real.
I've done it. And if you're honest, and if you're in marketing, you've done it.
Did you know over half of the Facebook accounts are fake? I don't know about Twitter, but I would bet that's true for them as well!
We work hard to make Google believe that our website content is worth ranking highly. In a way, we're kind of like criminals, in that we work so hard at gaming the system that it would actually be easier to do it the old-fashioned, honest and true way.
So,what I'm suggesting is this.
Let's drop the pretense.
Let's quit trying to manipulate, brand, position.
Let's be...well, honest is the only way I can describe it.
Want to build a blog about your business? How about this idea? Let's throw the doors open and let your customers in. Let's tell them what they need to know. But also let's show them your faults, and how you actually did try to make things right. Let's show folks where you're better and where you need work. (Then let's ask these same visitors how you can get up to speed in your weaker areas!)
There's awesome power in honesty and truth!
Want to create a blog for your business, or a general online presence, that will absolutely blow your competition out of the water?
Email me. I'll be happy to tell you how to do it. But actually, it's just a matter of being real!
About a week ago my wife had the idea of contacting this restaurant and asking them if they would donate their leftovers to a local charity. Of course, they said they would, and I was enlisted as the person to pick up the baked goods.
So, last night I went over to the bakery/sandwich shop. I got there just before closing. The night manager...
(yes, this actually does have quite a bit to do with internet marketing, so hang in there! :) )
....as I said, the night manager told me that 1) I had to get there before 9pm, or they wouldn't let me in, and that 2) I would have to wait until all the customers were gone before they could pack everything up and give it to me.
This didn't sound unreasonable, but for some reason she felt the need to explain herself.
She apologized that I had to get there before nine. She said they were allowed to open the front door only once after closing.
I joked and said, "What do you do, sleep here?"
She understood the joke, but continued to point out all of the hidden security cameras in the ceiling. They were all over the place!
OMG! I had been in this restaurant probably hundreds of times, but had never even seen the cameras.
"What are the cameras for, intruders?"
"No, they're for us," she said. Apparently, the home office has people who sit around and watch the videos streaming from all of the chain's stores, watching to see if an employee is doing anything "wrong."
I can understand this. Employee theft is a big thing! But actually watching everyone? That seems a little Big Brotherish.
So, I grabbed a glass of iced tea, sat down, and read the paper. But I couldn't really focus, because I kept looking for and finding all those little hidden cameras.
Of course, being the creative storyteller that I naturally am, my mind went haywire, and I imagined people at the home office using computers to analyze how long it takes people at each table to eat, how people eat, what they eat, how much the leave on their plates--the possibilities are endless.
Also, I wondered how "tracked" the employees are. Do they count the number of smiles per unit time? Do they do time and motion studies on someone getting a cookie for a customer?
None of this made any sense given the incredible friendliness of the staff! I would have never guessed that these folks were micromanaged to this point. Heck, micromanaged? How about nanomanaged!
So, as I thought through this, I realized that the friendly atmosphere of this eatery might be nothing more than an intricately created sham! I know I'm going a little too far, but the thought did occur to me.
You see, one of the reasons we eat there is because of the manager and his staff. This is the way businesses used to be run, with the owner and staff knowing you and treating you as if you were valued beyond the dollars you spent.
But do these folks value me beyond that?
It was kind of like we were on the Wizard of Oz, and we pulled back the curtain--to see what?
So, why am I writing this, and what in the world does it have to do with your business on the Internet?
Here's the deal.
The Internet is all about authenticity.
People don't just go to the store and buy stuff anymore. They research on the Internet. They find trusted advisers, friends, impartial blogs.
But recognizing this, we marketers have tried mightily to create the impression that our company, website, blog, Facebook account is...real.
I've done it. And if you're honest, and if you're in marketing, you've done it.
Did you know over half of the Facebook accounts are fake? I don't know about Twitter, but I would bet that's true for them as well!
We work hard to make Google believe that our website content is worth ranking highly. In a way, we're kind of like criminals, in that we work so hard at gaming the system that it would actually be easier to do it the old-fashioned, honest and true way.
So,what I'm suggesting is this.
Let's drop the pretense.
Let's quit trying to manipulate, brand, position.
Let's be...well, honest is the only way I can describe it.
Want to build a blog about your business? How about this idea? Let's throw the doors open and let your customers in. Let's tell them what they need to know. But also let's show them your faults, and how you actually did try to make things right. Let's show folks where you're better and where you need work. (Then let's ask these same visitors how you can get up to speed in your weaker areas!)
There's awesome power in honesty and truth!
Want to create a blog for your business, or a general online presence, that will absolutely blow your competition out of the water?
Email me. I'll be happy to tell you how to do it. But actually, it's just a matter of being real!
Friday, June 25, 2010
Static or Dynamic?
First off, let's define what we're talking about. By "static" and "dynamic", I'm referring to websites, of course. A static website is one that doesn't change, or rarely changes. A dynamic website is one that changes frequently. Now, a lot of folks are very confused about which websites are static and which are dynamic. So, let's talk about that. Then I'll tell you why this topic is so extremely important, when it comes to SEO (search engine optimization).
Take a look at this site. It's for Woolfson Eye Institute, a well respected clinic in Atlanta (and other places).
If you clicked on the link, above, you were taken to the site, and what you saw is this: The site loaded, and there were some really neat, colorful graphics that either loaded at the same time as the site itself, or just a few milliseconds after (according to the speed of your Internet connection).
So, with those flashy, eye catching graphics, that site's dynamic, right?
Wrong!
That site's static.
Okay, let's look at another example.
Here's a site. johnchow.com.
When you land on this site, there's nothing moving (except for the ads). So, this site is static, right?
Sorry! :( Wrong again. (Of course, I set it up like this, so don't feel bad.)
This site is dynamic.
So, what's the difference between the two? Both are colorful. Both have stuff that moves. Why is one static and one dynamic and what the heck difference does it make?
Here's the deal.
The Woolfson site is just a collection of webpages that never change. They might update their homepage or their contacts page every now and then, but for the most part the content on this site will be the same day after day after day.
John Chow's site is a blog. The content changes several times a day. New content is being added. The homepage changes every time something new is added. That's what we mean by dynamic. New content is being added on a regular basis, which means that Google has to come visit the site on a regular basis in order to keep its index current.
So, yeah! It's all about Google and other search engines, right? Right!
You do want Google to index pages on your site, don't you? Also, the more pages you have with keyword optimized content, the more traffic you get! So, it behooves you to have a site where there's content being added regularly.
You don't have to be like John Chow and add two or three posts a day. But you do have to add content on a regular schedule. Once a week is fine for a business blog.
How do you make a site dynamic instead of static? How is this magic accomplished?
In a word, the blogging platform of choice is WordPress. (John Chow's blog is built with WordPress. So, are most blogs for serious bloggers, or for businesses who see the potential of a dynamic website.) You can make a dynamic site with just HTML, but that takes a lot of unnecessary work. Use WordPress!
Bottom line? If you don't have a business site, then build one with WordPress. If you have a business site that doesn't have a blog, add a WordPress blog.
Over time, you'll be amazed at how much traffic you'll get, and if you do everything else right, how many more sales you're making!
Take a look at this site. It's for Woolfson Eye Institute, a well respected clinic in Atlanta (and other places).
If you clicked on the link, above, you were taken to the site, and what you saw is this: The site loaded, and there were some really neat, colorful graphics that either loaded at the same time as the site itself, or just a few milliseconds after (according to the speed of your Internet connection).
So, with those flashy, eye catching graphics, that site's dynamic, right?
Wrong!
That site's static.
Okay, let's look at another example.
Here's a site. johnchow.com.
When you land on this site, there's nothing moving (except for the ads). So, this site is static, right?
Sorry! :( Wrong again. (Of course, I set it up like this, so don't feel bad.)
This site is dynamic.
So, what's the difference between the two? Both are colorful. Both have stuff that moves. Why is one static and one dynamic and what the heck difference does it make?
Here's the deal.
The Woolfson site is just a collection of webpages that never change. They might update their homepage or their contacts page every now and then, but for the most part the content on this site will be the same day after day after day.
John Chow's site is a blog. The content changes several times a day. New content is being added. The homepage changes every time something new is added. That's what we mean by dynamic. New content is being added on a regular basis, which means that Google has to come visit the site on a regular basis in order to keep its index current.
So, yeah! It's all about Google and other search engines, right? Right!
You do want Google to index pages on your site, don't you? Also, the more pages you have with keyword optimized content, the more traffic you get! So, it behooves you to have a site where there's content being added regularly.
You don't have to be like John Chow and add two or three posts a day. But you do have to add content on a regular schedule. Once a week is fine for a business blog.
How do you make a site dynamic instead of static? How is this magic accomplished?
In a word, the blogging platform of choice is WordPress. (John Chow's blog is built with WordPress. So, are most blogs for serious bloggers, or for businesses who see the potential of a dynamic website.) You can make a dynamic site with just HTML, but that takes a lot of unnecessary work. Use WordPress!
Bottom line? If you don't have a business site, then build one with WordPress. If you have a business site that doesn't have a blog, add a WordPress blog.
Over time, you'll be amazed at how much traffic you'll get, and if you do everything else right, how many more sales you're making!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Now, I'm Connected!
I posted a few posts back about connecting this blog with Twitter. To do that, you use a service called TwitterFeed. Well, I did...and it didn't. Don't know why. I think I was jumping the gun a little, and not confirming something. Well, we're going to try this again!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
MayDay or Great Content?
I know a lot of folks (me included) who've had web pages that were on page one, which are now in the twenties or even thirties! This all happened, apparently, because Google decided to tweak their algorithm again. This particular tweak is called "May Day" because it happened in May, and also because it caused a lot of consternation among webmasters.
According to Matt Cutts, May Day is here to stay! The bottom line about May Day is that it's designed to weed out thin affiliate type pages that don't have any real, meaningful content on them. What's interesting to me is that I've got thin affiliate pages with no meaningful content that were not affected, and I've got pages that I thought were meaningful, which were affected. Go figure. From what I can tell, Google went too far, and I suspect they'll be tweaking their algo so that it's not quite so punitive on pages that have real content on them.
May Day is here to stay, and we'll just have to get used to it and learn to construct sites and content to rank highly again. This will probably mean making content that's geared toward wowing the human user. After all, that's what Google really wants, isn't it? To rank the best pages on top for human consumption?
Here's another tidbit we need to think about--synonyms. Again, according to Mr. Cutts, Google is serving up pages for synonyms a whopping 70% of the time! What this means is as content writers we can't just focus a page too narrowly on a given keyword phrase. We've got to make it clear to The Google that such and such synonyms are also what the page is all about. So, the synonyms have to be used. Well, when you think about it, that's closer to "good writing" as you were taught in school. The only question is density. How often do I have to use a given synonym so that it's recognized as such by Google. Also, what about proximity? The answers to all of this will shake loose as we write and watch how well our content ranks over the course of the next few months.
According to Matt Cutts, May Day is here to stay! The bottom line about May Day is that it's designed to weed out thin affiliate type pages that don't have any real, meaningful content on them. What's interesting to me is that I've got thin affiliate pages with no meaningful content that were not affected, and I've got pages that I thought were meaningful, which were affected. Go figure. From what I can tell, Google went too far, and I suspect they'll be tweaking their algo so that it's not quite so punitive on pages that have real content on them.
May Day is here to stay, and we'll just have to get used to it and learn to construct sites and content to rank highly again. This will probably mean making content that's geared toward wowing the human user. After all, that's what Google really wants, isn't it? To rank the best pages on top for human consumption?
Here's another tidbit we need to think about--synonyms. Again, according to Mr. Cutts, Google is serving up pages for synonyms a whopping 70% of the time! What this means is as content writers we can't just focus a page too narrowly on a given keyword phrase. We've got to make it clear to The Google that such and such synonyms are also what the page is all about. So, the synonyms have to be used. Well, when you think about it, that's closer to "good writing" as you were taught in school. The only question is density. How often do I have to use a given synonym so that it's recognized as such by Google. Also, what about proximity? The answers to all of this will shake loose as we write and watch how well our content ranks over the course of the next few months.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
So Why Do We Need Social Media, Again?, Part II
I should probably call this post, "So What's So Cool About Social Media?", but I wanted you to know it's a continuation of the thought process I started in the last post.
So, here's Home Depot with an egregious complaint sitting on the Internet for all to see. As a matter of fact, if you Google "Home Depot Blog", you'll see this guy's post right at about the number three spot! Not only that, but the title of the post about the guy calling his wife a vulgar name just begs you to click on it.
(For the record, I really like Home Depot, and have only run across very helpful people there. So, please don't think I'm dissing HD. I'm not. I'm exploring the awesome power of social media.)
As I said, here's Home Depot with this complaint, and they're apparently not making much of an attempt to mitigate the situation. Well, guess what? I don't think HD's stock is going to fall because of this, and I don't really think their bottom line will be affected too much. They're just too big!
What I do think, however, is this. Problems like this coupled with social media give smaller businesses just that much more power to level the playing field with companies like HD. Thanks to the Internet and savvy keyword research, etc, your site can rank as well as HD's does for targeted keyword phrases.
Now, you're not going to outrank HD for phrases like "makita tools", or something really generic and huge. But you could easily outrank HD for a phrase like "professional grade tables saws Atlanta." See what I mean?
These more specific phrases (called long-tailed keyword phrases), especially when you combine them with some sort of local attribute are quite easy to rank for. And, if you're the high end hardware store down the corner in Atlanta, you don't need for someone in San Francisco to find you. You just need for people in Atlanta to find you.
Now, couple this with really savvy social media marketing. Where you actually keep track of all the online complaints about your business, contact these folks, and seek the rectify the situation. Tell me that's not a way to build a local business?
Okay, so your business is not local, maybe it's global, but much more specific than HD, which sells everything under the sun. Global competition for keywords is harder right now than local, but still it's very doable. Instead of slicing up the marketing space geographically, you're slicing it up conceptually. Again, with the Internet and a solid understanding of social media (blogging, etc), you can go head to head with your larger competitors, carve out a niche for yourself, and flourish!
So, here's Home Depot with an egregious complaint sitting on the Internet for all to see. As a matter of fact, if you Google "Home Depot Blog", you'll see this guy's post right at about the number three spot! Not only that, but the title of the post about the guy calling his wife a vulgar name just begs you to click on it.
(For the record, I really like Home Depot, and have only run across very helpful people there. So, please don't think I'm dissing HD. I'm not. I'm exploring the awesome power of social media.)
As I said, here's Home Depot with this complaint, and they're apparently not making much of an attempt to mitigate the situation. Well, guess what? I don't think HD's stock is going to fall because of this, and I don't really think their bottom line will be affected too much. They're just too big!
What I do think, however, is this. Problems like this coupled with social media give smaller businesses just that much more power to level the playing field with companies like HD. Thanks to the Internet and savvy keyword research, etc, your site can rank as well as HD's does for targeted keyword phrases.
Now, you're not going to outrank HD for phrases like "makita tools", or something really generic and huge. But you could easily outrank HD for a phrase like "professional grade tables saws Atlanta." See what I mean?
These more specific phrases (called long-tailed keyword phrases), especially when you combine them with some sort of local attribute are quite easy to rank for. And, if you're the high end hardware store down the corner in Atlanta, you don't need for someone in San Francisco to find you. You just need for people in Atlanta to find you.
Now, couple this with really savvy social media marketing. Where you actually keep track of all the online complaints about your business, contact these folks, and seek the rectify the situation. Tell me that's not a way to build a local business?
Okay, so your business is not local, maybe it's global, but much more specific than HD, which sells everything under the sun. Global competition for keywords is harder right now than local, but still it's very doable. Instead of slicing up the marketing space geographically, you're slicing it up conceptually. Again, with the Internet and a solid understanding of social media (blogging, etc), you can go head to head with your larger competitors, carve out a niche for yourself, and flourish!
So Why Do We Need Social Media, Again?
I know a lot of companies are struggling with social media. They just can't get their hands around how incredibly efficient and fast the Internet is. Well, let me rephrase that. It's not just the Internet, but mobile media as well. Stories like this one can cause a great deal of damage to a company. Check out this story about Home Depot, here. It's about a guy who heard a Home Depot employee call his wife a vulgar name.
Used to be that an employee like that would have caused some damage to the company's reputation. Let's say the couple tells everyone at church. Let's say they tell, oh, 100 people. According to the blogger, above, his story has been linked to not a few times. That story is not just speech. It's not ephemeral like that. It's on the net, and it's going to stay there for a long, long time. Can you imagine how much damage something like that, or a few items like that can do to a business like Home Depot?
If you own or work in a business, and you're interested in how your customers, investors, and everyone else view your business, then you're going to have to learn to manage social media like blogs.
Bottom line: that's why you need folks like me. Folks who know how to use social media to the advantage of a business!
Used to be that an employee like that would have caused some damage to the company's reputation. Let's say the couple tells everyone at church. Let's say they tell, oh, 100 people. According to the blogger, above, his story has been linked to not a few times. That story is not just speech. It's not ephemeral like that. It's on the net, and it's going to stay there for a long, long time. Can you imagine how much damage something like that, or a few items like that can do to a business like Home Depot?
If you own or work in a business, and you're interested in how your customers, investors, and everyone else view your business, then you're going to have to learn to manage social media like blogs.
Bottom line: that's why you need folks like me. Folks who know how to use social media to the advantage of a business!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Networking
This is a short post to see if I've hooked up Twitter and Facebook okay. I took this blog's RSS feed and then using twitterfeed.com, hooked up the RSS feed first to Twitter, then linked Twitter to my new account on Facebook. Let's hope it all works fine.
The goal, of course, is social networking!
Once I get a following on Twitter and also friends on Facebook, my posts here will be available to all! Pretty keen, huh?
BTW, that's a really good model for building any site. Now, whenever I build a new site, I make a new Twitter account and a new Facebook account at the same time. (Note to self: I should start advertising this when I sell these babies.)
Okay, let's see if this works!
The goal, of course, is social networking!
Once I get a following on Twitter and also friends on Facebook, my posts here will be available to all! Pretty keen, huh?
BTW, that's a really good model for building any site. Now, whenever I build a new site, I make a new Twitter account and a new Facebook account at the same time. (Note to self: I should start advertising this when I sell these babies.)
Okay, let's see if this works!
When Did It Become Spam?
One of my all time favorite books on copywriting is by Joe Sugarman. I've forgotten the name, but it was released a couple of years ago. In the book, Sugarman talks a lot about his direct marketing business, writing those long form ads that you saw in magazines, and a host of other issues related to good copywriting.
In case you don't know, Sugarman is the BlueBlockers sunglasses guy.
In essence, the way Sugarman's business worked is this: he compiled a catalog of various products, then he bought mailing lists and mailed those catalogs out.
Okay, I get catalogs all the time. Although, I rarely get them just out of the blue like that. So, what is that?
Right! That's Spam!
But back then, we didn't think of it as spam, we thought of it as junk mail.
Even now, when the mail comes, I head over to the trash can by my desk and sort through the mail. I drop the obvious solicitations into the basket, then take the residue and actually look at that.
This would be the analog to sending an email and it not being opened! Now, direct marketers have all sorts of tricks to get you to open the letter, and I'm not going to get into that, here. Because with email marketing it's different.
You can't send unsolicited emails!
For a while, I wondered why. I actually got my start in Internet marketing as a spammer of sorts. This was when I started teaching in public school.
I wrote a report about how to manage a classroom. That's something that teachers would pay at least a few bucks to learn, I thought. At that time, I had hardly learned about Internet marketing. I had no idea how to sell the booklet, so I started combing through school websites all around the country and built a sizable list of emails.
I then methodically sent emails to all these folks telling them about my report.
Oddly enough I was well received. I even sold a few reports!
Lord knows how many state and federal laws I broke!
Just so you know, this was about five years ago. :)
What this did for me, though, is it showed me the awesome power of the Internet to create money and make business opportunities. Of course, I don't spam any more. I use double opt-in email lists, like everyone else.
So, when did unsolicited advertising become spam? When the power of the Internet ramped up the messages per unit time to the point that it became overwhelming.
Four or five pieces of unsolicited mail each day is not overwhelming. It's a very small pain in the neck. Five thousand unsolicited emails, however, would be overwhelming to the point of preventing you from functioning!
That's when it became spam.
In case you don't know, Sugarman is the BlueBlockers sunglasses guy.
In essence, the way Sugarman's business worked is this: he compiled a catalog of various products, then he bought mailing lists and mailed those catalogs out.
Okay, I get catalogs all the time. Although, I rarely get them just out of the blue like that. So, what is that?
Right! That's Spam!
But back then, we didn't think of it as spam, we thought of it as junk mail.
Even now, when the mail comes, I head over to the trash can by my desk and sort through the mail. I drop the obvious solicitations into the basket, then take the residue and actually look at that.
This would be the analog to sending an email and it not being opened! Now, direct marketers have all sorts of tricks to get you to open the letter, and I'm not going to get into that, here. Because with email marketing it's different.
You can't send unsolicited emails!
For a while, I wondered why. I actually got my start in Internet marketing as a spammer of sorts. This was when I started teaching in public school.
I wrote a report about how to manage a classroom. That's something that teachers would pay at least a few bucks to learn, I thought. At that time, I had hardly learned about Internet marketing. I had no idea how to sell the booklet, so I started combing through school websites all around the country and built a sizable list of emails.
I then methodically sent emails to all these folks telling them about my report.
Oddly enough I was well received. I even sold a few reports!
Lord knows how many state and federal laws I broke!
Just so you know, this was about five years ago. :)
What this did for me, though, is it showed me the awesome power of the Internet to create money and make business opportunities. Of course, I don't spam any more. I use double opt-in email lists, like everyone else.
So, when did unsolicited advertising become spam? When the power of the Internet ramped up the messages per unit time to the point that it became overwhelming.
Four or five pieces of unsolicited mail each day is not overwhelming. It's a very small pain in the neck. Five thousand unsolicited emails, however, would be overwhelming to the point of preventing you from functioning!
That's when it became spam.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Keywords: Do We Still Need Them
Okay, I'm back on the Inbound Marketing thing. I really like the material in this series, to access it, click here. Again, I've got an issue with this. So, I would like to talk about one of the "sticking points" that I have with this material. If you're thinking about doing this course, don't think I'm saying this material is not good. It is. What I'm doing is being picky. I guess that comes with experience! :)
So, here goes.
In one of the videos one of the presenters said that when writing a blog post, you don't really have to worry about keywords. Well, yeah...and no!
Here's the deal.
The blogs that these folks focused on were blogs for companies like Graco, Best Western, etc. In other words, corporations that have been around for quite a while.
Bottom line, here, is these companies don't really have to worry about traffic! People were looking for these guys online before they even had a decent online presence.
But what if you're a new business? Or you're a medium sized business without a really strong online presence?
You better pay attention to keywords in this case? As a matter of fact, if you pay attention to SEO (search engine optimization), you can compete with businesses 100x your size. That's the power of the Internet! It's a level playing field. Well not exactly level if you have someone (like me) in your corner who really understands SEO.
So, keyword analysis is not dead! Not by a long shot! It's basically David's slingshot to Goliath's sword.
So, here goes.
In one of the videos one of the presenters said that when writing a blog post, you don't really have to worry about keywords. Well, yeah...and no!
Here's the deal.
The blogs that these folks focused on were blogs for companies like Graco, Best Western, etc. In other words, corporations that have been around for quite a while.
Bottom line, here, is these companies don't really have to worry about traffic! People were looking for these guys online before they even had a decent online presence.
But what if you're a new business? Or you're a medium sized business without a really strong online presence?
You better pay attention to keywords in this case? As a matter of fact, if you pay attention to SEO (search engine optimization), you can compete with businesses 100x your size. That's the power of the Internet! It's a level playing field. Well not exactly level if you have someone (like me) in your corner who really understands SEO.
So, keyword analysis is not dead! Not by a long shot! It's basically David's slingshot to Goliath's sword.
Social Media and Business: Graco's Corporate Blog
Lately, I've been following a video course from Inbound Marketing University. So far, I would say that I know most of this stuff. That's not to say this is not good material. It's just that I've been living, breathing, eating, and sleeping Internet marketing for the past three plus years. I agree with most of what they say, although sometimes some of the emphasis is not what I would stress.
I'll give you a case in point.
Check out Graco's Corporate Blog, here.
I'm probably wrong about this. I'm quite sure Graco's done a ton of analysis of their market. But there's one thing that strikes me about this blog. It's all female! Look I'm a guy, so I know that would jump out at me. But this blog is nothing but females.
Okay, so you're saying, but Graco sells strollers, that's a "female" thing, right? Sure, but as a father of twins, you can bet I've spent countless hours happily pushing a stroller!
Where I live, in downtown Atlanta, for instance, I constantly see Dads proudly pushing strollers! Not only that, but when we bought our stroller, you can bet I put in my two cents about how it was made. Was it strong enough to carry my two kids in it? Would it last? You know, Dads look at things differently from Moms. So, frankly, If I were Graco, I would include a little more of the male point of view.
Just a thought.
I'll give you a case in point.
Check out Graco's Corporate Blog, here.
I'm probably wrong about this. I'm quite sure Graco's done a ton of analysis of their market. But there's one thing that strikes me about this blog. It's all female! Look I'm a guy, so I know that would jump out at me. But this blog is nothing but females.
Okay, so you're saying, but Graco sells strollers, that's a "female" thing, right? Sure, but as a father of twins, you can bet I've spent countless hours happily pushing a stroller!
Where I live, in downtown Atlanta, for instance, I constantly see Dads proudly pushing strollers! Not only that, but when we bought our stroller, you can bet I put in my two cents about how it was made. Was it strong enough to carry my two kids in it? Would it last? You know, Dads look at things differently from Moms. So, frankly, If I were Graco, I would include a little more of the male point of view.
Just a thought.
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