SEO for Lancaster, PA and beyond.

“To stand out you need to be wherever those customers are looking and that means social, that means search, that means word of mouth.” – Lee Odden, CEO of TopRank Online Marketing

A few weeks ago a tweet by Bob Tripathi, founder of Instant E-Training, alerted me to a fantastic video interview with Lee Odden, CEO of TopRank Online Marketing. When it comes to search, social, and content, Lee Odden is the one of the best so I had to click, watch and listen.  Here are a few of my favorite takeaways from this content marketing strategy gold mine:

1. Create searcher personas
Searcher personas reflect people: They are the many faces of your customers. What are their wants, needs, and consumption habits? What are their typical online behaviors during different phases of the buying cycle? Answer these questions to determine their search behavior. Understand your personas and optimize your content uniquely for them.

2. Create relevancy
Meeting the needs of personas creates relevancy and is the first step in developing relevant content. Relevancy is the connection between what people want and what you want to sell. “Instead of optimizing for keywords ’cause they’re popular, we’re actually optimizing for keywords that we know are a reflection of where that customer is in the buying cycle, ” explains Odden.

3. Listen to customers
There are a variety of social media monitoring and data collection tools that allow you to collect information about your customers. Which social media channels they prefer, their buying habits, as well as common phrases or social keywords they like to use can be discovered with these tools. Another big benefit is this information helps you create socially interesting or relevant content.

4. Distribute and promote
Crappy content with a snappy headline will beat high quality content with a boring title every time. Package your content to purposefully inspire others to share it or link back to it. Distribute it on your platform, to social media and to other online publishing communities. An RSS feed and social sharing tools are must haves (for example Slideshare and Revver).

5. Create an engaging social community
People with common interests like to connect with each other so create a place where they can do this. If your community has the right climate your customers will happily share information and tips about your brand with one other for you. Don’t push your brand at your community; rather, encourage your community to enthusiastically share your brand.

6. Measure your results
Social monitoring AND analytics tell where engagement is happening. This information enables you to intelligently scale any approach up or down as needed. Evaluate both on a regular basis and refine your content marketing campaign as needed.

If this information piques your interest then Odden’s newly released book Optimize is a must have.  ”Optimize will provide you with the tools necessary to plan, implement, and scale an integrated content marketing strategy which will boost your relevance and increase your online visibility.”  I ordered mine and can’t wait to read it!

The Creative Marketing Channel specializes in optimized content marketing and distribution. Improve your Google rank, deepen visitor experiences, and increase brand awareness, leads, and conversions when you hire The Creative Marketing Channel to create your company’s content.  Connect with us on YouTube, Linkedin, Twitter, Google+and Facebook. Email us at cl@2designs.com.

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SEO for Central PA and beyond.

Danny Sullivan, editor and chief of Search Engine Land broke the story first.  Any day now Google will release a focused new algorithm update whose sole purpose is to seek out and penalize over optimized websites. Should you be wary of Google’s impending update? What exactly is an over-optimized site?

1. An over optimized site has too may keywords says Matt Cutts, head of the webspam team at Google. For example, let’s say your company wants to market to Lancaster, New Oxford, Abbottstown, Hanover, Gettysburg, York, Harrisburg, and Camp Hill Pennsylvania. Well, that’s a mighty long list of keywords. An outdated or uneducated web designer or SEO company will litter a list like this throughout your site – in your meta data (the hidden area only search engines read), behind your photos, in your header and footer, and throughout your content. Cutts says these websites will get the smackdown.

2. An over optimized site has exchanged too many links, according to Cutts. Did your website or SEO company participate in a link exchange program on your behalf? If you’re not sure, you’d better find out. Very soon, websites with an overabundance of backlinks acquired from link exchange sources will feel the pain.

According to Cutts, one of the best things you can do is remove low quality content (like long keyword lists) from your site and replace it with compelling, useful content which answers visitor questions and inspires visitor actions. If a user finds the answer to his/her search question on a website, he/she will not bounce out, return to search, and click further search results. Instead, he/she will stick around, showing Google this website answered a query with useful content. The result: This visitor is happy. Sullivan reminds us, “You have to think beyond signals that are just SEO: They (search engines) are extracting sentiment now. ” In other words, it matters whether visitors are happy or annoyed. Social sharing, leaving a comment, spending time, signing up, and visiting more than one page are all indicators of visitor happiness.

If you’re concerned about Google’s upcoming algorithm change, email me at CatLockey@gmail.com. I’ll look over your website content and code (for free) and let you know if I see any keyword stuffing, weak content, or other visitor deterrents.

To learn more about the difference between low quality content vs. compelling, useful content, check out these posts:

Your Content Marketing Core Matters

Six Content Marketing Myths – Digital Marketing Wisdom for Businesses

6 SEO Ripoff Dead GiveAways: Don’t let that Marketer Make a Clown out of You

Corporate Content Marketing for Best in Class Results

Content Marketing: What it is and Why it Works

The Creative Marketing Channel belongs to oz 2 designs LLC – a small, flexible, full service digital marketing agency.  Connect with us on YouTube, Linkedin, Twitter, Google+and Facebook or call us at 717-586-8386. Email us at cl@oz2designs.com.

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SEO for PA, MD and beyond.

Sharks circle when food is nearby and small businesses who vaguely grasp SEO are good food.  Perhaps your business has received a call like this, “Hi this is James Walker, data service provider for Google, Yahoo, and Bing.  Hey listen wanted to give you guys a call, we’ve got a really good opportunity there in your marketplace, uh, we’ve got openings on the first page of the search engines specifically for your your industry, um so when you get in, give me a call … Essentially what this does is that anybody in your area that’s looking for the products or services that you offer, uh, it’s guaranteed your your website, your business  will come up on the first page of the search engines, um, so call me when you get it, huge huge opportunity…”

SEO is optimizing digital assets (website, blog, videos etc…) for search.

SEO definitely offers your businesses a “huge, huge opportunity.” At least that much is true about the cold call script above.  Fact is, more than any other marketing strategy, SEO has the greatest impact on lead generation. Therefore; small business owner, you’re on track when you say you need SEO.

What’s the worry?  SEO is SEO right?

Not all SEO is good SEO. I love this statement from Hubspot’s Corey Eridon’s  7 Sure-Fire Signs Your SEO Sucks,  “There are lots of things from the 90s that are still quite magical … alternative music, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, boy band choreography. 90s SEO is not on that list. That means if you are trying to reach an arbitrary keyword density percentage, creating keyword dense doorway pages that redirect to another destination, freaking out over your meta keywords and keyword stuffing your meta description field, or engaging in link buying, link farming, or link exchanges, your SEO is way out of date. Not only will these black hat tactics not help your SEO, but they will also fiercely harm it. Google Panda has made sure of that.”

How to protect your business from the 90′s SEO specialist.

Here is your armor. The only SEO that offers a huge, huge opportunity is the written word.  Those paragraphs on your website – they matter a whole lot. A real SEO specialist is a content marketer who will optimize your website (and other digital assets) based on your business goals and research findings.  She/he will create useful, compelling, optimized content around longtail keyword phrases. We’re talking about pages of the written word both visitors and search engines  read.  Optimized content will answer visitor queries, draw the reader in, and inspire comments and social sharing.  For deeper understanding read “Your Content Marketing Core Matters”  which details how to optimize a website.  Small business takeaway – SEO  is about content.

2012 SEO is Content Marketing.

Google continues to weed out  B.S. on the web by penalizing all of the black hat tactics listed above as well as weak content, redundant content, copied content, poor visitor engagement, shoddy backlinks and too many ads on a website.  Google rewards websites and other digital assets for fresh, relevant content that answers visitor queries,  encourages visitor engagement and inspires visitor actions – especially social sharing on Google+.

Call or email the Creative Marketing Channel

Improve your Google rank, deepen visitor experiences, and increase brand awareness, leads, and conversions through proven SEO strategies – call or email us at 717-586-8386 or cl@oz2designs.com.   Connect with us on YouTube, Linkedin, Twitter, Google+and Facebook.  The Creative Marketing Channel belongs to oz 2 designs LLC – a small, flexible, full service digital marketing agency.

Learn more about SEO here:

Your Content Marketing Core Matters

Six Content Marketing Myths – Digital Marketing Wisdom for Businesses

6 SEO Ripoff Dead GiveAways: Don’t let that Marketer Make a Clown out of You

Corporate Content Marketing for Best in Class Results

Content Marketing: What it is and Why it Works

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Best in class companies utilize content marketing for brand awareness, customer acquisition, lead generation, and customer retention. It’s no surprise more than 60% of ALL companies plan to substantially increase their content marketing efforts in 2012.  Why is content marketing so popular? What content marketing tactics do best in class companies employ? Here, in part six of my six part content marketing series, I answer these questions and more.

Why is corporate content marketing so popular?  Great content ranks well in search and a good search ranking leads to more traffic, leads, and conversions. Google’s Panda update in 2011 changed SEO forever declaring content the primary force responsible for best rankings.

What kind of corporate content does Google like best? According to Rand Fishkin of SEOmoz, Google rewards interesting, unique content because this type of content fosters visitor happiness. Yes, Google actually looks at visitor happiness now. Is your content engaging? Do visitors spend time reading it? Does your content answer visitor queries? Does it motivate visitors to perform an action? Does it inspire them to return to your site (your content core)? If you answered yes to these questions then Google is already giving your content and your search rank a big thumbs up. “Think more broadly about on page optimization – not just keywords,” explains Fishkin. Compelling images and creative content encourages a deeper experience for your visitors. (From Advanced On-Page Optimization – Whiteboard Friday by SEOmoz). Big takeaway: More relevant, unique and interesting content directly correlates with higher rankings and a deeper visitor experiences.

How do best in class companies create all of their great content? Producing enough engaging content continues to challenge most companies to some degree. One way they meet this challenge is outsource their content marketing to businesses like mine. Take a look at the percentage of companies who outsourced content marketing in 2010 and 2011:

(Data from MarketingProfs B2B Content Marketing: 2012 Benchmarks, Budgets & Trends).  Since 60% of all companies intend to increase their content marketing in 2012, I predict outsourcing percentages will grow as well.

What content marketing tactics do best in class companies employ? According to the MarketingProfs /The Content Marketing Institute’s report ” B2B Content Marketing: 2012 Benchmarks report, Budgets & Trends,”  best in class companies share 7 content marketing practices:
1. They invest 31% of their marketing budget into content marketing.
2. They segment their content based on the buying cycle.
3. Content marketing is C-Suite supported.
4. They plan to increase their content marketing over the next 12 months.
5. They use at least nine content marketing tactics.
6. They outpace less effective companies adopting blogs, articles, videos, eBooks, social media, and mobile content.
7. They have an effective distribution network using at least 3 – 4 social channels at a higher rate than their peers.

The Creative Marketing Channel specializes in optimized corporate content marketing and distribution. Improve your Google rank, deepen visitor experiences, and increase brand awareness, leads, and conversions when you hire The Creative Marketing Channel to create your company’s content.  Connect with us on YouTube, Linkedin, Twitter, Google+and Facebook. Email us at cl@2designs.com.

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SEO for PA and MD and beyond. Part 5 of a 6 part content marketing series.

This week I realized I’m surrounded by a plethora of SEO marketing clowns who relentlessly call and knock on my clients’ doors. They weasel their way in, these filthy clowns, and dazzle my clients with false data and poor methodology. Yet twice in the last month, these same clowns have collected over over $8,000.00 from two of my customers, promising big results in a very short time span.

I know I’m preaching to the choir here since those of you reading my blog are equipped to make smart digital marketing decisions. But, just in case one of my crazed, high rolling local customers is reading this post, here are 6 dead giveaways you’re going to be ripped off by a marketer.

1. A door to door or phone salesman is trying to sell you internet marketing. Think about this for minute. You probably use the internet – haven’t seen this company on the internet – yet that is what this salesclown is trying to sell you. Internet visibility from a company with an invisible internet presence. Hmmm.

2. They’re going to give you a “bigger listing” and a video on THEIR platform and then drive traffic to your listing all for a contract and a thousand dollars a month. They may even throw in some PPC ads. Heads up everyone. Why on earth would you want to drive traffic to any place but your website? As renowned digital marketing blogger Adam Singer says, you must be your own media company. When you put money into pushing leads onto someone else’s platform then you are depriving yourself of the long term, permanent benefits of a solid SEO/content marketing strategy.

3. Their online reviews are awful and bloggers have taken the time to write about their unethical business practices. Take Yellowbook for example. A quick search and it’s easy to see to find all kinds of negative reviews, complaints, and videos. Yet, Yellowbook is the salesclown who sold one of my clients – that’s right – first by phone and then person to person. And, the greatest irony of all is they found my client after I backlinked them to this online phone book. Ouch! Bet you can guess where I’ll never be backlinking again.

4. They have a horrible website grade. I’m a big fan of grader.com – a free tool which looks at your site’s basic SEO and makes SEO recommendations. Bottom line is anyone who claims to be competent in SEO should have an A grade. Yet, a local “SEO specialist” who bamboozled my second client has an F. Here’s a copy of his report (I crossed out his name…this time.)

5. They don’t blog regularly.  This first hit me when I read “7 Signs You Shouldn’t Hire *That* SEO Agency.”    Since content marketing is SEO then an empty blog or no blog indicates lack of knowledge about the industry. If they aren’t doing what they need to do for their own company, it’s not realistic to think they will work miracles for you.

6. They think SEO, content creation, web design, and social media marketing are separate entities and are to be created separately.  None of these are created in silos anymore. This is yet another reason a qualified digital marketing company is a far better choice than a partitioned “specialist.”  Search engines  look for everything from solid architecture and quick download speed to metadata and unique content. What do the search engines value? Take a look at my new company video and find out.

My company won’t call you repeatedly or knock on your door to bedazzle you with false data and pushy marketing.   Yes, it’s a lot less interesting to learn your business needs to consistently add original, optimized content to your blog and website in order to grow your digital footprint. Nevertheless, this is a necessary part of every smart digital marketing plan.  Results will not be instantaneous but they will definitely be long-lasting and cumulative.  You can easily find my company on Google’s first page of organic listings – the same place you want to be found. Simply type in “PA digital marketing” or “MD digital marketing” and there we are.

The Creative Marketing Channel belongs to oz 2 designs LLC, Pennsylvania and Maryland’s first choice for 3D animation, SEO, SEM,  website design, social media, content marketing, print design, email marketing, and all things interactive and digital.  Inquire about hiring us here. Connect with us on YouTube, Linkedin, Twitter, Google+and Facebook. Email us at cl@2designs.com and stay tuned for part 6 of this 6 part content marketing series.

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Content marketing for Philadelphia, PA and beyond – Part IV of a Six Part Series.

In the last five years video has transformed itself into a non-negotiable content marketing asset. Video viewing, now part of nearly everyone’s online behavior, is proven to directly influence online buying.   If you haven’t jumped into video yet, here are compelling reasons you should.

Millions watch billions of online videos every day.
101 million people in the U.S. are going to watch 1.3 billion videos TODAY.  “178 million U.S. Internet users watched online video content in June (2011) for an average of 16.8 hours per viewer. The total U.S. Internet audience engaged in more than 6.2 billion viewing sessions during the course of the month … ”  Online video is a significant part of our online lives with a 706% growth in the last five years. Today,  84% of all people aged 12-65+ consume online video. Although both men and women equally likely to watch online video, men watch 1.7 times more than women. (From comScore Releases June 2011 U.S. Online Video Rankings and comScore’s Online Video by the Numbers)

Online video influences C-Suite behavior.
26% of US executives view work related videos daily, 20% view them several times a week and 20% view them several times a month. What’s most interesting is C-Suite behavior after they’ve viewed an online video.  64 – 66% of the time they visit the video vendor’s website and  53% of them conduct a search for more information. Of the executives who view videos daily, 51% of them make a business related purchase after watching a work related video. (from eStrategy after hours Executives and Online Video Charts based on Forbes Insights data.)

Sharing video is a popular past time.
People not only like to watch videos, they like to share them with others. One in three online video viewers will leave a comment, two in five viewers upload videos themselves, and one in two viewers regularly shares videos with others. More than half of all viewers watch online videos with others as well. (from comScore “Online Video by the Numbers”)

Create a video marketing plan before you start.

Put together a video action plan with discrete goals (plan from comScore “Online Video by the Numbers”)

Is your goal to…
Increase website/microsite visits?
Improve brand opinion?
Introduce a brand message to a larger audience or a more niche audience?
Drive direct online or offline purchase behavior?
The technology infrastructure of the Internet affords these opportunities to you.

Determine where and how your target audience is consuming video

Keep your mind open to using the new opportunities online video affords:
Using a YouTube Partner as a brand advocate
Developing branded content that spurs conversation
Cross pollinating your social media campaigns with video
Use the many resources and measurement companies available to determine if your goals have been met
Most any goal can be easily and discretely measured

Does your business need to integrate video into a smart content marketing strategy? The Creative Marketing Channel belongs to oz 2 designs LLC, Pennsylvania and Maryland’s first choice for video animation and special effects, website design, content marketing, print design, email marketing, and all things interactive and digital.   Inquire about hiring us here. Connect with us on YouTube,  Linkedin, Twitter, Google+ and Facebook. Email us at cl@oz2designs.com and stay tuned for part 5 of this 6 part content marketing series.

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Content Marketing for Lancaster, York, Harrisburg, Camp Hill, PA and beyond – Part III of a Six Part Series.

The biggest trade show in the world is happening right now and it’s hard to miss those businesses participating.  That’s because the show is online and active participants know how to show up on search.  Visit their websites and you’ll find a treasure trove of valuable information and takeaways.  How did these businesses become so authoritative online? The answer is content marketing. Interested? Most businesses are. Before venturing forward, let’s take a look at six content marketing myths and the reality that disproves them.

1.  Myth: Content marketing is delivered in written format only.
Reality:  Most content marketing requires writing but not all of it is delivered in written form. Content marketing includes article posting, in-person events, enewsletters, case studies, blogs, white papers, webinars, webcasts, print articles, videos, social media, microsites, research reports, data driven content, podcasts, digital magazines, mobile, virtual conferences, ebooks and more.

2.  Myth: Content Marketing and SEO are separate entities
Reality: Google permanently merged content marketing and SEO with their Panda update and most recently, their freshness algorithm update giving preference to useful, recent and relevant content.  Search engines rank all digital content and determine whether or not it will be easy to find. For better understanding, take a look at search engine land’s fascinating Periodic Table of SEO Ranking Factors below:

As you can see, content, HTML, and architecture determine whether on not your information will be listed on search.  Known for our fresh research based content combined with smart HTML, my company gives customers excellent organic search results. The bottom line is content marketing generates leads and conversions only if SEO is a strong part of the package. Truly, at this point, one does not exist without the other.

3.  Myth: Websites should be created separately – a content marketing strategy can always be applied later.
Reality: A website should never be created in a silo: It is your content marketing core and the foundation for your entire content marketing strategy.  Yes, a content marketing strategy can be applied later but your website will probably need to be rewritten and reconstructed.

4.  Myth: Sharing content on social media platforms is a website replacement.
Reality: Never hand over your conversion power to the whims of someone else’s platform.  No amount of  sharing on any social platform will ever bring you the organic search results a strong core will bring.  Here’s a bit of data, “Corporate websites rank as the #1 online source of new leads for business; second overall to personal referrals. ” (from Media Post’s Research Brief: Website is Key to B2B Sales).

5.  Myth: Content marketing is easy and can be passed off to an intern or college student.
Reality: Hahaha!

6.  Myth: Advertising replaces content marketing
Reality: The ROI of content marketing always beats the ROI of advertising.  Why? Because “Generic search leads to clicks on organic (free search) links 142% of the time.”(from  Media Post’s Search Blog).  In addition, advertising clicks only happen while you’re paying for them whereas organic search clicks continue long after you paid for your new content. Nevertheless, advertising has value which is why my digital marketing company integrates ads with solid content marketing for both brand awareness and clicks.

Does your business needs a strong content marketing strategy from a qualified digital marketing agency? The Creative Marketing Channel belongs to oz 2 designs LLC, Pennsylvania and Maryland’s first choice for SEO,  SEM, animation, website design, content marketing, print design, email marketing, and all things interactive and digital. Inquire about hiring us here.  Connect with us on Linkedin, Twitter, and Facebook. Email us at cl@oz2designs.com and stay tuned for Part 4 of this 6 part content marketing series.

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Content Marketing for Baltimore, Maryland and beyond – Part II of a Six Part Series
Businesses around the globe know content marketing brings traffic, leads, and conversions. From social media to webinars there are a multitude of content marketing assets. Yet, each and every content marketing strategy must begin – and end – with your website. When constructed using a solid content marketing strategy most websites make a a bold appearance in organic search.  Below I share what constitutes an effective content marketing core.

Creation of a Fierce Digital Contender
Google looks for relevant, original, optimized content and solid website construction which is why search engine friendly websites feature smart content marketing. Here, I’ll briefly share how my company creates a fierce digital contender.  First, (after we qualify a client) we learn all we can about his/her business and business goals. Our Objective: Create a a drilled down list of categories with future expansion in mind.  We create our list through a demographic and keyword evaluation process.  This means we ask A LOT of questions, review a lot of materials and do research.  After our list is approved, we move to the construction, design, and content creation phases.  The end result: A stunning website complete with a solid content marketing strategy for maximum ROI.

A Solid Content Marketing Core Example
Janney Painting Inc., an East Coast commercial and industrial painting company in Manchester, Maryland hired my company to create their new website. Take a look at it:

Rather than the traditional “Contact Us” and “Services” buttons you see something far more detailed and specific.

Search Results Tell a Story

Now, take a look at their organic Google search results – keep in mind their new site was loaded to the internet September 7th 2011.

More noted Google search results:

Quarry Painting Company #8
Asphalt Plant Painting – #7
Grain Elevator Painting Contractor #5

A Strong Core for Long Term ROI
The results my company achieved for Janney Painting Inc. in less than two months are impressive. Janney Industrial Painting’s ROI to date is an astounding 524%.   My company recently created their brand new blog and their first article. Over time, Janney Painting Inc.’s organic rank for a multitude of relevant keywords and phrases will continually increase inspiring even more traffic, leads, and conversions.   As a marketing tactic, SEO’s ROI for both products and services is an astounding 68% or higher. To survive and thrive in today’s digital world, every B2B and B2C business needs a strong content marketing core.

About The Creative Marketing Channel
Do potential customers find your website on search? If not then your business needs a strong content marketing strategy from a qualified digital marketing agency.  The Creative Marketing Channel belongs to oz 2 designs LLC, Pennsylvania and Maryland’s first choice for SEO,  SEM, animation, website design, content marketing, print design, email marketing, and all things interactive and digital. Inquire about hiring us here.   Connect with us on Linkedin, Twitter, and Facebook. Email us at cl@oz2designs.com and stay tuned for Part 3 of this 6 part content marketing series.

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Content Marketing for PA and MD businesses – Part I of a Six Part Series.

A marketing and PR phenomenon has exploded online and its name is content marketing. Businesses of all sizes know content marketing brings active participants more traffic, leads, and conversions.  Data shows the more content you have, whether it be website pages, blog articles, or landing pages, the better your results.

Please define content marketing.
Wikepedia’s definition is on target, “Content marketing is an umbrella term encompassing all marketing formats that involve the creation or sharing of content for the purpose of engaging current and potential consumer bases….as a means of achieving a variety of business goals. These may include: thought leadership, lead generation, increasing direct sales, introducing specific brand language and improving customer retention.”  According to Wikepedia, I’m a content engineer – “a new breed of marketer who creates, optimizes, and distributes the different types of content required to engage customers on the social web, based on the data of many analysis tools.”

What does content marketing look like?
Take a moment and scroll through this useful content marketing infographic by Marketo:

As you can see, content marketing has many faces: Social Media, Article Posting, In-Person Events, ENewsletters, Case Studies, Blogs, White Paper, Webinar/Webcast, Print Magazines, Videos, Promoting Content in Traditional Media, Microsites, Print Newsletters, Research Reports, Data Driven Content, Podcasts, Digital Magazines, Mobile, Virtual Conferences,  and Ebooks.  Engaging content is shared FIRST on one’s website and or blog and then distributed through Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, YouTube and/or other social media.

A worthwhile challenge
According to Marketo’s infographic, businesses struggle with creating engaging content. That’s understandable considering the skill set needed to do so.  Engaging or compelling content requires creative thinking, product/service knowledge, marketing savvy, the art of writing, the science of search engine optimization, and an understanding of website construction.  In addition, for best ROI, a competent digital marketing group uses analytics and social media monitoring tools before, during, and after content creation and distribution.   As mentioned in “Businesses Boldly Invest in Digital,” optimizing websites using analytics data is 2011′s most deployed digital marketing tactic. Clearly, content creation is far more creative and strategic than copywriting.  And, because it’s so effective, content marketing budgets continue to grow as businesses of all sizes strive to participate in what can be described as the best pull marketing strategy of all time.

Digital marketing for businesses
Content marketing is one of many effective digital marketing strategies The Creative Marketing Channel provides for businesses.  It’s no wonder we’re Pennsylvania and Maryland’s first choice for SEO, SEM, animation, website design, content marketing, print design, email marketing, and all things interactive and digital.  Connect with us on Linkedin, Twitter, and Facebook. Email us at cl@oz2designs.com and stay tuned for Part II of this six part content marketing series.

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If you think you are, then you have a problem. Why? Because social media is all about having a voice.  People tend to view social media platforms as free societies, a paradigm that renders strong arm business tactics helpless. Want to fail on Linkedin?  Simply adopt one of these 6 communication styles and you too can be the King… of Nothing.

6 communication styles known to alienate others on Linkedin

1. The Know it All

The know it all consistently corrects others whenever possible.  No one likes a know it all. If constantly correcting others is your typical way of “sharing” then you’re most likely alienating your readers.

2. The Arrogant Participant

This personality is similar to the know it all except he/she adds a dash of rude to every comment.

3. The Yes Woman/Man

Have you positioned yourself as someone’s wingman – always chiming in with a statement that parallels your “leader.” If you chronically participate on Linkedin this way, it appears you cannot think for yourself.

4. The Group Control Freak

Local group admins are most prone to this. Do you act like you’re the King of Linkedin and try to micromanage your group? Even worse, do you make threatening statements to group members implying they won’t receive business if they don’t follow your rules?  Then, you’re a bully.

5. The Spammer

Want to lose connections fast? Then, email them constantly after they’ve connected with you.  Use subject headings like: “Earn $20,000 a Month from Home” or “Free Whitepaper, Download Now.”

6. The Innovative, Entrepreneurial Expert

Avoid using these, and other overused terms in your profile. Why? Because when you use words like this you’re also holding up a sign that reads, “I don’t understand social media.”

Keep in mind when you alienate others on Linkedin, you also alienate them from your brand.  If you find yourself in this position, your best move is to hire someone to handle your social media interactions. There’s a good chance a professional marketer can salvage your brand before it’s too late.

About The Creative Marketing Channel
The Creative Marketing Channel belongs to oz 2 designs LLC – a small, flexible, full service digital marketing agency. Oz2 is most often hired by medium and large businesses for social media marketing, content creation, animation, and website design.   Connect with us on Linkedin, Twitter, and Facebook. Email us at cl@oz2designs.com.

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