SEO Archives

Tweeting Locally

One of the many things I enjoy about marketing is attempting to generate the most results with the least among of time, money and effort. I want to get more for less. From an advertising standpoint, that means, for instance, that just because the Super Bowl pulls in a large audience each year, it may not make sense to put your message in front of that audience unless a significant percentage of it might represent potential customers for your products or services.

Social media is a lot like that. Just because social media can deliver an international audience doesn’t mean that it makes sense for you to be out there communicating with an international audience. In fact, for many businesses, Continue reading “Tweeting Locally”

Are You Making Your Web Site the Hub of Your Content Marketing Activities?

I’ve said it often and will continue to say it to groups I have the opportunity to engage with around marketing communications issues: “If you don’t have a web site you virtually (pun intended) don’t exist.” Think about it. Continue reading “Are You Making Your Web Site the Hub of Your Content Marketing Activities?”

Content Marketing Best Practices From Online Influencers

As of July 1, Jeff Haden’s June 8, 2015, LinkedIn post, “7 Things Employees Wish They Could Tell Their Bosses,” had grown to about 481,000 views, more than 1,800 likes, and 307 comments. Haden, a ghostwriter and speaker, is a LinkedIn Influencer. Similar to other Influencers, his posts often go viral. Most of those who are attempting to engage with an audience online, though, struggle to generate even 100 views. What can the masses learn from online influencers, whether they are the capital “I” LinkedIn variety or from a wider array of content outlets? Continue reading “Content Marketing Best Practices From Online Influencers”

Do Your Metrics Reflect Value or Vanity?

Measurable, reliable, quantitative data is constantly being sought after by marketers. In comparison to relatively more concrete elements of a business, such as finance and operations, marketers often feel pressure, whether real or perceived, to provide some sort of measurable return on investment for their efforts. Sure, your new website design looks great, but has it directly contributed to increased online sales? Unfortunately, for many marketing efforts, it can be difficult to convincingly tie a dollar spent on marketing to dollars earned in new business.

This pressure is evaluated in a Harvard Business Review article by Eric Ries called “Entrepreneurs: Beware of Vanity Metrics.” Vanity metrics, Ries explains, Continue reading “Do Your Metrics Reflect Value or Vanity?”

Contextualized Advertising: Just “Preaching to the Choir”?

The older I get, the more I recognize the inevitable cycles that occur all around me, from fashion trends to areas of marketing focus. It’s the yin and yang of life I suppose; we naturally shift back and forth between preferences for one thing or another. And, it is likely true that there is nothing really “new” under the sun, just recycled or updated twists on things that have gone before.

Except, perhaps, in the world of online marketing. One of the latest trends–contextualized advertising–offers marketers the ability to almost “get inside the heads” of potential consumers to deliver messages to them based not only on places they’ve visited online, but for things that might be geographically or contextually relevant to them.

For instance. You’re walking down the street on a hot summer day and you get a text message telling you about a great deal on ice cream at a shop that is now literally 10 steps away from you. Or, you’re driving to a vacation destination and a special deal on a hotel at the next exit pops up. That’s contextual advertising and it’s all the rage right now. Although, of course, nobody quite knows yet Continue reading “Contextualized Advertising: Just “Preaching to the Choir”?”

SEO: Optimizing for the “right” words and phrases–those that drive real results!

If you Google the term “strategic communications” my company — Strategic Communications — is likely to show up on the first page of the results you see. Great, right? Well, not necessarily. But, the fact that it does, and the results that I see, have provided me with some key insights into the types of words and phrases that I, and my clients, should be optimizing for. Continue reading “SEO: Optimizing for the “right” words and phrases–those that drive real results!”

Why You Should Be on Google+

Google+ is one of those relatively new social media tools that puzzles many, myself included. I’ve checked it out, dabbled with both a personal profile and a business page, deleted both, and started all over again. I have a few people in my circles and some people have me in theirs (many who are absolute strangers to me).

Recently, though, I had one of those “a ha!” moments about Google+ and why, for just about anybody hoping to be “discovered” online, it’s a must-use tool.

Here’s the thing: Continue reading “Why You Should Be on Google+”

Should You Have a Blog?

A business colleague of mine recently asked me what I thought about the value of a blog. Seems a vendor she was working with was recommending a blog and she really didn’t see the value. There are, though, two very important reasons that those wishing to build an online presence should consider managing a blog (and a few other, secondary, reasons). Continue reading “Should You Have a Blog?”

Are You Listening to — and Learning From — Your Web and Social Media Analytics?

I spent my first 10 years in the field of direct marketing which, at that time, was very measurable compared to other forms of advertising. Today, online marketing allows marketers to gather even better and more immediate results on how they’re doing. Surprisingly, though, (at least to me) there are still a number of organizations–large and small–that are not using analytics to evaluate how they are doing in terms of connecting with, engaging and influencing their target audiences. And, in some cases, they are not acting on the information they attain.

Continue reading “Are You Listening to — and Learning From — Your Web and Social Media Analytics?”