Release Your Internal Marketing Warrior

In March of this year I made a decision: I wanted to get healthier.  The problem I have always faced is that I didn’t see the point of exercise, just for the sake of exercise.  Treadmills and stationary bicycles never did much for me, but I was looking for a way to regain some focus and start down a healthier path.

About a month ago I spoke with my good friend Ali who had recently started a training program to become a yoga instructor.  She convinced me to attend a class with her and I even though I’ve done yoga before, this was an entirely new experience.  After 75 minutes in a sweltering room (enduring one of the toughest workouts I’ve had in a while) the strangest thing happened. I felt stronger, lighter, and more focused.

Many times as marketers we get caught up in daily tasks and lose focus of what is really important.  When we lose focus, we may become uninspired, lazy, and complacent.  It is undoubtedly just as difficult, yet as essential, to breath new life into our marketing plans as it is to jumpstart our bodies.  The question is: where do we begin on the road to creating a “healthier” internet marketing strategy?

4 Tips For Strengthening Your Internet Marketing Plan

# 1- Become An Agent of Change – Don’t be Afraid to Try New Things
Fear consumes many people both personally and professionally.  A fear of failing or disappointment can often lead to a stagnant and uninspired plan for dominance on the web.   Instead of allowing fear to make an appearance, instead recognize that mistakes will be made, but they will be a learning experience. What are some changes you can begin implementing today?

• Surveys of existing customers
• Develop different ways of communicating with your audience (blog posts, social media outreach)
• Ask questions of industry thought leaders
• Join new virtual groups on LinkedIn
• Begin attending more events locally to gain industry insight

# 2- The Journey Is Just As Important As the Destination – Just Make Sure You Document
Along the way to creating your “perfect” internet marketing plan, there is a lot to learn.  Remembering that the journey leads to our destination will put us in the right frame of mind to learn from the experience.  As you’re making mistakes or experiencing success it is essential that you document the steps that you took to get there.

# 3 – Take Some Time to Breathe – Step Back and Survey the Situation
A true marketer knows that our industry is a very customer-centric business. Without our customers we wouldn’t have jobs.  It can become very easy to fall into time sucking tactics that may only put us further behind.  Before jumping head first into the newest social media platform or marketing tactic take some time to ask a few questions:

• Who will we target with this approach?
• What will be our core messaging or strategy?
• Why should we include this tactic?
• How will my team accomplish this tactic and how will this benefit my customers?
• How much will this cost in both time and money?

# 4 – Have An Open Mind – Brainstorm With Your Team Regularly
Collaboration with fellow team members can be of benefit to all parties involved.  Not only will collaboration open up new ideas, but it will also improve buy-in from other associates.  If you’re in an internet marketing rut, or just looking to breathe that new life into your plans to dominate the search and social web, be aware of the resources you may already have at your disposal.

All of the tactics mentioned above will lend themselves to creating a stronger, more cohesive marketing plan.  At one time or another, most of us have faced a situation where we knew our plan wasn’t working, but weren’t exactly sure how to fix it.  I hope that these tactics will become part of a stronger plan and give you the jumpstart you need to get on the road to internet marketing success.

I’m curious to know what experience you have had as a marketer attempting to breathe new life into and strengthen your internet marketing plans?  What were some of your biggest obstacles and what was the most important lesson you learned?

Namaste.

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© Online Marketing Blog, 2012. | Channel Your Internal Marketing Warrior: 4 Tips for Strengthening Your Marketing Plan | http://www.toprankblog.com

Are you optimizing your conference experience?

TopRank receives a lot of value from having me speak at conferences but you don’t have to be a speaker to realize a positive return from events. Small, large online or offline, there are numerous ways to optimize and maximize your return on conference involvment both in the short and long term.

If your company is considering whether to send you to events because of uncertain return or benefits, show them the following list.

In fact, if I were running a conference, I’d make sure these tips are shared with attendees, sponsors and speakers alike.

The first step in getting more value out of event attendance is to understand the “why”. What benefit that brings value to the business can you get from attending conferences, workshops, webinars and educational meet/tweetups? I like to say that I can “make money” at any conference. The reason why is that I am specifically aware of multiple ways to create value with events – beyond simply prospecting for new business. Here are 5 key benefits you can create from event participation and goals you can set for each:

1. Grow Your Network

There is no substitute for a quality network. It takes time to grow a personal network and if you’re advocating for your company, then community development is also ongoing. Attending events online and off are essential for productive networking that can result in a variety of valuable outcomes including:

• Recruiting
• Collecting competitive intelligence
• Vendor and consultant sourcing
• Partner sourcing
• Prospecting for new customers.

When you attend events, set goals for the kinds of contacts you want to make. Go so far as to make a list of people you want to meet if they’re particularly important to your goals. Initiate new connections with qualified prospects, marketing partners, vendors to outsource to and job candidates. At the same time, reinforce existing connections with contacts in your social networking pipeline. Each day, tally them up and plan how you will follow up. Follow on Twitter, connected on LinkedIn. Share useful tips, links and info that are relevant to your interactions with them. Give to get, but have a purpose and a goal for the connection.

Make sure you have goals and a purpose to your online and event networking. If you leave it to chance, you’re leaving a LOT of value on the table – for your competition.

2. Get Smarter. Repeat.

There are numerous benefits to attending conference sessions. The obvious is to hear smart speakers give presentations on important topics with useful tips. Sometimes speakers deliver on that promise and sometimes they don’t.

Don’t let bad conference content get in the way of getting smarter.

Pay attention to how the speaker gives their presentation and observe how the audience responds. You might think the information isn’t useful to you, but if the attendees are leaning forward, writing notes and holding up their phones and ipads to take pictures of the presentation slides, then the speaker is connecting.

You can benefit from understanding how the information is presented as much as from the actual tips. The format, sequence, design and presentation of information that connects is a model you can leverage for your own purposes: whether it’s speaking at a conference or event yourself or communicating and persuading people internally.

Planning your conference session attendance is essential. Think of how many sessions will you attend and how will you capture the information presented. Will you take notes on an iPad, laptop or (gasp) on paper? Will you take photos or video (where allowed)? Do you know where to get a copy of the speakers’ presentations? Introduce yourself to speakers and ask them a key question on video so you can review later and share with your team.

When meeting new people, discuss the sessions with them. Compare notes – it’s a great way to network and to get other opinions. Before the conference, make a grid or a plan for which specific sessions you’ll be attending. Often times, there is not much time between sessions and the difference between getting a good seat and standing room only can be a matter of minutes and you might miss out on the session entirely because rooms can fill up.

3. Curate and Create Content

Content Marketing is hotter than ever but sourcing content is probably one of the biggest challenges for companies getting into the content publishing realm. The good news is that events from Twitter chats to webinars to keynote presentations and breakout sessions all provide opportunities to capture, curate and even create content. Some examples include:

• Liveblogging – Transcribe what the speakers say word for word. Listen for key quotes or pieces of information and make a “list post” around a specific topic. Pre-write an article about the session topic and fill in stats and quotes from the speakers.
• Interviews – Reach out to speakers in advance and collect tips from their presentations as a way to help boost attendance to their session. Shoot video interviews of speakers or other smarties at the conference. Record podcast interviews with the same people. Capture single tips on video from a large number of people and compile into one video. Go to exhibitor booths and ask them for a 30 second pitch on video and compile them. Survey attendees on what they like best, tips they’ve heard, etc into a compilation video. With video, you might want to get sign-offs. Also, non-speakers may be reluctant.
• Journal – Keep notes and write a summary of key points from the day and publish like a journal entry. Link to other bloggers that are publishing liveblog posts at the same event.
• Curate – Use a tool like storify to curate the buzz of the conference. You don’t even need to be at the event to do this if a conference hashtag is used consistently.
• Track Your Own Buzz – If you are speaking, make sure someone from your team is tracking mentions of you, your company and topic on social streams like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+. Monitor any liveblogging of your presentations as well. Give people an incentive to liveblog your sessions too. If anyone liveblogs one of my presentations, I will send them a copy of Optimize (for example). Curate those mentions into a roundup post on your company newsroom.

Think about how you can leverage your conference experience to create new content for your company blog, articles, or process documentation. Set goals for how many content objects (blog posts, articles, videos, tweets, images) you’ll create each day. Organize what you will capture, with who and with what devices. Plan where you’ll publishing this content and when as well.  For curation, compile presentations posted to Slideshare, interviews others have posted to YouTube and liveblog posts covering interesting sessions – then add your own commentary as the icing on the cake.

The content you capture and create can supply a company blog with numerous posts and show clients, staff and prospective clients that you are on top of what’s happening in the industry.

4. Share the Smarts: Knowledge Transfer With Your Team

The explicit purpose of attending conferences is to hear industry experts share advice and insights into topics that your business can benefit from. Collecting actionable tips, statistics and other useful information form conferences to share with your team, clients and other groups in your organization can multiply the value of one person attending an event. If multiple people attend, the value can be even greater.

To make knowledge transfer from conference content work, it’s important to create a process for information capture, synthesis and distribution.

• Capture: Target specific speakers and sessions. Write questions you want answered and if the presentations do not contain those answers then pursue subject matter expert speakers to ask them directly. Capture information in text, audio, video and image. No one ever comes back from an event thinking they took too many photos. Maybe the wrong photos, but not to many. Also, be aware of conference policies on video and image capture.
• Synthesis: When you formulate questions, have specific applications for your business in mind. When you get the answers, filter the information in a way that will be practical and useful when it is shared – vs. all theoretical. Discuss the information and tips collected with fellow attendees to filter out what’s most useful.
• Distribution: Have a plan for how you will present the useful tactics, insights, statistics and case studies with your co-workers, clients and other interested parties.  You could write a report, you could create a presentation to give live or via webinar, you could compile video clips and images to narration. Individual tips could be saved on an internal knowledge base blog according to category. You could have a post-conference brown bag lunch discussion or a more formal presentation. There are many different options, but have them in mind before the conference to increase the likelihood they will actually happen and in an effective way.

Knowing you will be required to present the information you are gaining at a conference with the team back at the office can helps you focus on takeaways and practical interpretations of what’s being presented, instead of what you don’t like or the lacking presentation skills of the presenter.

5. Optimize the Marketing Value of Events

For nearly all events, I like to break things up into pre-event, during and after.  You could actually further distinguish near-after and long-after as well as a recurring component if the event is held at regular intervals, like many are on an annual basis.  Many conference speakers rely on the event to do the marketing. That’s a big fail.

Here are a few tips before, during and after the event to gain more attendees, more media coverage and post-event value:

Before the event:

• Write headlines, descriptions, tags and make trackable short URLs
• Pre-write tweets, updates and decide on a hashtag
• Submit your session to event listing sites, create events on Facebook and LinkedIn
• Create a contest or buzz around your presentation to inspire others to tell their networks
• Issue an optimized press release
• Schedule interviews with media attending the event and/or local media
• Connect with other speakers in advance
• Create a teaser for your presentation
• Announce your event attendance through email and your social channels
• When you meet people before your presentation, don’t be shy about sharing when you are speaking
• Create a check-in notice on Foursquare inviting people to attend your session

During the event:

• Create content the audience can participate with. I like to take photos of the audience and post to our Facebook page so they can tag themselves.
• Use tweetable, shareable content in your presentation
• Give something away to motivate desired behaviors like asking questions
• Always include a report or fulfillment piece in your thank you page
• Have someone on your team monitoring tweets and buzz during your presentation. Interact as appropriate

After the event:

• Curate buzz about the presentation into a blog post and/or newsroom post
• Follow up on questions asked and fulfillment deliverables
• Connect with new contacts through appropriate social channels
• Thank the conference for having you
• If you were on a panel, thank the panelists and moderator
• Thank any livebloggers that covered your session
• Use media coverage from the event in your newsroom, corporate email and other communications
• Follow up!!!!!

This should probably have been turned into an ebook on the topic, so congratulations on making it to the end of the post!  Heck, maybe we will make it into an ebook and add a few forms, checklists and examples.  In the meantime, share this list of tips with those in your organization that hold the purse strings for your event attendance. Try one or two of these tips for your next conference and share what you’ve done to get more value out of event attendance.

As always, if you like these tips, be sure to get your copy of Optimize for a deep dive into an integrated approach to optimizing your online marketing.

Gain a competitive advantage by subscribing to the
TopRank® Online Marketing Newsletter.

© Online Marketing Blog, 2012. | 5 Ways to Optimize the Business Value of Attending Conferences | http://www.toprankblog.com

Actionable Social Analytics

This recent infographic by awareness takes a dive into social analytics.  In an era where virtually every brand is online, it is essential that action is being taken off of the data we are collecting from social networks.  This infographic provides not only some of the Key Performance Indicators (KPI) that your company should be tracking, but how to calculate these numbers as well.  Examples of the KPI’s your company should be tracking:

• Brand Awareness & Reputation
• Marketing Program Effectiveness
• Lead Generation Effectiveness

Use LinkedIn to Get Juicy Industry Scoop
LinkedIn has proven to be a great recruiting mechanism and means of connecting business professionals.  Many organizations are now using the social networking platform to gain insight into potential clients.  Sounds a little bit like stalking to me, what do you think?  Via Inc.

You’re Fired! Facebook “Likes” Gone Wrong
Should companies have a say in what their employees post on social networks on their own time?  Can these posts or “likes” be grounds for termination?  That is exactly what judges are trying to figure out based on two recent cases where employees claim they were fired for what their employers deemed inappropriate “likes” on Facebook.  Via BtoB.

Google is King of the Mountain on Mobile
comScore’s Mobile Metrix report examines mobile media usage across different devices, applications, and web browsing.  According to this report, Google is leading the pack by reaching over 98% of the U.S. mobile audience.  Via TechCrunch.

Use Social Media to Target Existing Customers
Social media can be used in a variety of ways to target new and existing customers.  Your team can take a customer centric approach which involves answering questions and solving issues.  Additionally, social networks are a great way to offer loyalty programs which encourage repeat business.  This article offers 5 great tips for using social media to target your current customers.  Via Social Media Examiner.

Online Marketing News From the Top(Rank)

Shawna Kenyon – Facebook’s Stock Price in Context
Facebook is going public, well kind of. Last Thursday they announced the release of 337,415,352 shares to hit the marketplace, making Facebook one of the most valuable US Internet companies to date.  But is Facebook really a good investment? How does the offering/pricing compare to its tech counterparts?  Check out the Infographic in this article to see how Facebook stacks up.  Via Mashable.

Brian Larson -‘Cannibalization’ Not Good For Fast Food…Or Any Other Business
To be clear, we’re talking the cannibalization of revenue. Fast food giant Wendy’s launched the ‘W’ burger last year and saw sales for the new product display consistent growth. So where’s the problem? Sales of the ‘W’ burger were rising while higher ticket items were dropping. In effect, Wendy’s had been successful in down selling their menu. Let this delicious example be a friendly reminder that just because you can launch a product doesn’t mean you should.  Via AdvertisingAge.

Mike Yanke – Google Extends Search Results with ‘Sources’ Area
Extended information about movies, books, people and music will soon start populating the third column Google results as the search giant confirmed its ‘Sources’ experiment this week.  Learn more about this experiment – and see some early screencaps – in this article posted by Danny Sullivan of Search Engine Land.

Kodi Osmond – Google, Big Data & What it Means for SEO
Big data – it’s exactly what it sounds like.  Marketers have always been astutely aware of how gathering and analyzing customer data allows for relevant, impactful, and timely communications.  Google, one of the grand poobahs of big data companies, has alluded to how big big data will be for the future of search.  So is big data really the next big thing, and what big impact will it have on search marketers?  Via Search Engine Watch.

Time to Weigh in: Has your company used LinkedIn to target customers in the past?  If so what were your results?  What is your policy or preference on employees and social media usage, both personal and professional?  We look forward to your feedback on the news articles we found the most interesting this week.  Have a great weekend.

Gain a competitive advantage by subscribing to the
TopRank® Online Marketing Newsletter.

© Online Marketing Blog, 2012. | Online Marketing News: Take Action on Social Data, LinkedIn Gets the Scoop, Google Reigns Supreme, Google & Big Data for SEO | http://www.toprankblog.com

When you have a business that relies on attracting new business online the sheer volume of options can be confusing. Should offline advertising efforts transfer to online? Maybe email marketing? What about SEO or the hot topic, social media? So much focus is placed on tactics and channels, that a lot of misplaced digital marketing budget gets wasted or spent inefficiently.

To bring some clarity to the myriad online marketing options available, I think it’s worth marketers taking a holistic approach that starts with an essential understanding of goals and customers. Who are your best customers? Who are your worst? What do your best customers care about? What are their pain points and goals? While you’re answering those key questions, think about how your solutions meet the needs of your target audience and what stories you can tell to bring align those interests to a common goal.

To be an effective online marketer in today’s fast changing environment, it’s important to understand the customer journey though the sales cycle. That empathy helps internet marketers adapt to any changes in consumer behaviors. Curiosity about technology and trends will help marketers become smarter regardless of what changes occur in the industry, with specific channels or applications.

If you want to learn more about how a more customer centric and content focused internet marketing approach could work for your business, please give us a call or come to one of the events listed below. Over the next month or so, I will be speaking at a number of events drilling down into the strategy and mechanics of such an approach. Of course, a great complement to these events would be the book that Joe Pulizzi says will, “help take your online and content marketing to the next level”.

May 16, 1:00 pm Central
Webinar:  Optimize & Socialize for Better Content Marketing
Online Marketing Institute: Register Here (free)

The answer to better content marketing isn’t simply adding more content. Designing content that’s meaningful vs. mechanical for customers that inspires engagement and business outcomes enables brands to reach more people ready to buy, refer or share. This webinar will provide a framework for an Optimize and Socialize approach to content marketing that attracts, engages and inspires community and sales.

Key Takeaways:

• 3 Key consumer trends that spell opportunity for Social SEO
• A Framework for an optimized and socialized content marketing program
• How to plan search and social content across the sales cycle
• Essential KPIs and business outcomes for Social SEO and content marketing

May 23rd, 4:45 pm Pacific
Solo Presentation: Sales Cycle Optimization With Content, SEO & Social Media
Marketo Users Conference (Client), San Francisco: Register Here

While Google.com handles over 11 billion queries a month, competition for attention on the search and social web is at an all time high. There are over 65,743,590 blog posts published each month and more video is uploaded to YouTube in that time than the 3 major US networks created in 60 years. Content flows in every direction throughout a variety of platforms, formats and devices. The mass adoption of the social and mobile web has facilitated a revolution of information access, sharing and publishing.

Guiding customers on their journey through the sales cycle in that environment requires an integrated approach to content, optimization and social media marketing. Optimizing the sales funnel is essential to attract, engage and inspiring customers to buy and this presentation will provide attendees with a framework and tactics to develop their own Optimize and Socialize approach to sales cycle optimization.

June 1st, 8:00 am Central
Presentation: Optimize – How to Attract and Engage More Customers by Integrating SEO, Social Media and Content Marketing
Social Media Club, Redwood Falls MN: Register Here (free copy of Optimize for all attendees!)

How can small businesses approach their online marketing to achieve better visibility where customers are looking and socializing online? This presentation on Optimize will provide attendees a framework for organizing their content marketing that leverages both search and social media to attract more customers, shorten sales cycles and retain existing customers. Some of the key presentation topics to be covered:

• Major shifts in consumer search and social trends
• Key opportunities to improve online marketing strategy and performance
• How to integrate customer-centric SEO with social media and content marketing
• Using this knowledge to attract, engage, and inspire more sales online

June 7th, 9:00 am Eastern
Track Keynote: Optimize and Socialize for Better Content Marketing
BlogWorld New Media & Expo, New York: Register Here

Search, social media and content marketing are converging, and consumers are using numerous ways to discover, consume and act on content. In this session, you’ll learn how to use content marketing best practices to design information that inspires audiences to share, buy and recommend your brand.

Key Points
1. Learn the framework for an optimize and socialize approach to content marketing
2. Understand the framework for optimizing across the customer lifecycle
3. Know the difference between KPIs and business outcomes for web and social measurement

June 8th, 9:00 am Eastern
Keynote: Attract & Engage More Customers With An Optimized State of Mind
Vocus Users Conference (Client), Baltimore: Register Here

The worlds of Marketing and Public Relations are converging and now, more than ever, communications professionals need to accelerate their internet marketing skill sets to create a competitive advantage. This presentation provides an integrated approach to using content for optimizing awareness, engagement and action.

June 11, 10:30 am & 3:30 pm
Enterprise SEO
Content Marketing Optimization
SES Toronto: Register Here

Enterprise SEO: This session will also include a proven model of organization for your enterprise-level SEO campaign as well as a summary of key metrics that you should be measuring to drive ongoing SEO strategy.

Content Marketing Optimization: Pandas and Penguins and Zebras Oh My!  If your SEO is all about chasing tricks and shortcuts with content and links, then this session isn’t for you. If you are interested in building a competitive advantage focusing on customer centric content marketing that works with or without search engines, then make sure you have a front row seat.

It will be a busy 30 days but there’s been so much interest in a more integrated approach and with Optimize, that it’s been a real pleasure meeting and exchanging ideas with marketers looking for a more holistic perspective to marketing on the web. I hope to see you at one of these events.  To get a tase of these types of presentations, take a look at this deck from the Fusion Marketing Experience conference that I presented last week in Antwerp. It’s currently featured on the home page of Slideshare.

For anyone that liveblogs these events, please be sure to email me the link to your post and I’ll send you a copy of Optimize. If you have one, I’ll send you one to give away to your readers.  lee at toprank dot org

Gain a competitive advantage by subscribing to the
TopRank® Online Marketing Newsletter.

© Online Marketing Blog, 2012. | Holistic Optimization Across the Sales Cycle: Optimize Speaking Events May & June | http://www.toprankblog.com

During that process of continuous optimization, it’s important to take the temperature of trends for your specific target market as well as at a broad level. I’d like to use this post to take your general social media temperature when it comes to the most important social networks for business. This is a gut feeling check for how you perceive the list below of social media/network properties that companies are currently using for business purposes.

Please take a few seconds and take the following poll about mostly U.S. centric social media and networking sites. Pick up to 3.

Of course a proper digital marketing strategy that includes a social media component would identify specific social networks relevant to the target audience, but I think there’s some value in tapping into general trends and perceptions as well. I think there’s a bit of a rub between the idea of using a social network for fun as a user and using that same social network as a business. Therefore, it will be interesting to see which social networks, besides the obvious, are perceived as best for business use.

Gain a competitive advantage by subscribing to the
TopRank® Online Marketing Newsletter.

© Online Marketing Blog, 2012. | What Are the Most Important Social Networks for Business? | http://www.toprankblog.com

Marketing Deja Vu Getting You Down?

At some time or another we have all experienced that eerie sense of familiarity where we’ve “been there” or “done that” before.  Whether it is an actual memory or simply a “brain fart”, deja vu is an interesting experience.

Let’s assume for a second that deja vu is real.  If you found yourself in a situation you knew for certain you had experienced before that had ended badly would you have the tools necessary to change your course of action?  Many organizations have faced and continue to deal with “marketing deja vu” or ending up in the same situations over and over again.  What can you do to avoid making the same marketing mistakes more than once?

*Speaking of deja vu: If you are looking for additional tips on improving your marketing strategy be sure to reference the posts from the TopRankBlog archive that appear in this post.

4 Tips For Avoiding Marketing Deja Vu

#1 – Learn From Your Previous Marketing Mistakes

The best way to avoid repeating mistakes?  By learning from each experience.  Do not expect that you will have different set of outcomes from the same actions.  We must remember that marketing mistakes can mean a decrease in current customer base, as well as the loss of potential new customers.

3 Tips for Learning From Your Marketing Mistakes:

• Mistakes happen, the worst thing you can do is avoid dealing with the problem
• Move on but don’t forget the lesson you learned
• Don’t let frustration get the best of you

We All Make Mistakes:  20 Social Media Marketing Do’s & Dont’s

#2 – Create A Structured Marketing Process

Errors can in large part be attributed to lack of process.  A structured process provides a framework and guideline for accomplishing your marketing goals.  Marketing process improves your ability to:

• Plan effectively for future marketing needs
• Implement & Scale your marketing plan
• Test, implement, and refine marketing tactics

Implement A Process: Practical Tips to Make Your Blog More Useful & Interactive

#3 – Don’t Rationalize Bad Marketing Decisions

One of the biggest mistakes we can make as marketers is to rationalize bad decisions.  It is important that we accept and face the fact that we didn’t make the best choice.  Once we’ve overcome the hurdle of admitting fault it’s time to take action:

• Focus on why a particular marketing tactic didn’t work
• Determine how your team can improve going forward
• Debrief other team members so they can avoid making the same mistakes

To Be Avoided: 4 B2B Social Media & SEO Blunders to Avoid

#4 – Ask for Help & Advice to Improve Your Marketing Plan

Pride should never get in the way of improving your marketing strategy.  Some of the best ideas come from where you least expect. Suggesting collaboration with other team members and influentials can:

• Help you come to a conclusion for next steps faster
• Remind you of mistakes they may have made in the past that you will want to avoid
• Provide a fresh set of eyes that may have a different perspective

Get the Help You Need: 4 Tips for Becoming A Better Influencer

Take Action

You may have heard some or all of the tips listed above prior to reading this post.  However, I want you to ask yourself:  How many of these tips has my team actually implemented and stuck with?  A good starting point to get on the right track to avoiding ‘marketing deja vu’ is to ask yourself and your team a few simple discovery questions:

• What are 3 instances in where your marketing team has made the same mistake more than once?
• Did you expect different outcomes each time the mistake was made?
• What were those expected outcomes?
• What have you done to rectify these mistakes, or adapt your process to avoid them in the future?

Remember, if you can’t answer these questions on your own perhaps you should try asking other team members.  Or you may want to consider or contacting an agency like TopRank Online Marketing to learn how you can attract and engage current and prospective customers by avoiding common marketing mistakes.

Gain a competitive advantage by subscribing to the
TopRank® Online Marketing Newsletter.

© Online Marketing Blog, 2012. | It’s Like Deja Vu All Over Again: 4 Tips for Improving Marketing for Small Business | http://www.toprankblog.com

The quality of the experience, memories and the stories you get to tell after visiting other countries are usually the most meaningful. Sure “stuff” is fun to get, but how often do you think “I met too many cool people” vs. “I bought too many souvenirs”?

As I talk to other people about traveling (and online marketing), the spectrum of perspectives is pretty amazing. It’s just like the wide variety of perceptions towards optimization and social networking. For some people, both are simplified as checklists. Keyword list? Check. Take a picture of the Eiffel Tower? Check. But what did it mean?

The purpose of my day-trip to Paris (my first) was all mechanical. I was there mostly to get Flat Stanley photos for my 8 year old princess and to get lightly familiar with the Metro, navigating the city. I will make no claims whatsoever about having “seen” Paris. I didn’t “really” see, or more importantly, experience much of anything significant. As there is infinitely more to Paris than photos of the Louvre Museum, Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower, there is much, much more to SEO than keywords, Pandas, Pengiuns and links. There’s certainly a lot more to social networking than fans, friends and followers.

So the question is, why do you settle? Why do you let your company settle? Why are so many companies still siloing their SEO and social media marketing and counting success through KPIs? Even those companies that have developed their appreciation towards what SEO can do, get caught up in Google update drama or link counts and rankings vs. focusing on what’s important.

The same goes for companies that have some experience in the social media realm. Blog? Check. Fans, friends and followers? Check. Ooh look! Shiny object Pinterest. Check!

KPIs are not business outcomes. At least not for most companies. Rankings, organic non-branded search traffic, Google+ circle counts, video views, comments and retweets are KPIs. Last time I checked, none of them carry a wallet.

Optimize for experiences. Any content or media that a company publishes digitally can create an experience for prospects, customers, investors, employees, journalists, potential employees and industry peers. It’s important to monitor key performance indicators as it relates to search and social media attracting visitors. Engagement KPIs are important too. But I think there’s opportunity to look beyond the fan, friend, follower and ranking metrics to attempt to understand what progress in those areas actually means for the business.

London? Been there, done that. A while back, a peer in the online marketing world mentioned to me having been to London for a day. The summation was, “I’ve done London” check. I see the same assessments from online marketers about their SEO and social media efforts. They have a blog, they’re getting data on links, visits, retweets, likes and comments. Check. But that’s where it stops for them.

In the way that there’s more to Paris, London and the city where you live than seeing a few tourist spots, there’s more to your online marketing than measuring KPIs. They can indicate progress, but they are not the end goal when it comes to customer acquisition and engagement (the business my agency TopRank Online Marketing) is in. It’s also a big focus for my new book, Optimize.

My 30 min of internet at the Antwerp airport is about to expire. I wish I could finish this post, but maybe you can share your thoughts? Do you think most online marketers are practicing meaningful or more mechanical SEO and social media marketing?

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© Online Marketing Blog, 2012. | Is Your Optimization Meaningful or Mechanical? | http://www.toprankblog.com

Content Marketing World, We Found A Home

This recent video from Content Marketing Institute Founder Joe Pulizzi, provides some background into how Content Marketing World came to be.  If you are big or small brand, B2B, B2C, or virtually any organization that creates content this conference is for you.  Scheduled this year for Sept 4-6 in Columbus, Content Marketing World is now the largest content marketing conference in the world. TopRank is proud to be one of 4 exclusive media sponsors along with Copyblogger Media, Social Media Examiner and SmartBusiness Content Marketing.

Forget Big Brother – What About Giant Google?
Last week Google released its full FCC report which contained information about data collection from unsecured Wi-Fi connections.  It appears that Google’s Street View cars were not only taking photos of streets, but were also intercepting email and SMS traffic.  Read more to see what else Google has up their sleeve.  Via Forbes.

Searcher Personas Driving Landing Page Design
Determining what drives your customers to purchase is invaluable information for any online marketer.  Using searcher personas to determine what techniques to use for your landing pages will improve targeting and therefore your results.  What motivates people to click?  Read on to find out more.  Via Search Engine Land.

Google Keeps It Real (Time)
Google News is getting an upgrade.  Google will begin rolling out further integration between Google+ and Google News.  Starting today Google News users will be able to see what their circles are covering and what they have to say about trending topics.  Another new feature is a “realtime coverage page” which will surface Google+ comments and new articles as they become available.  Via TechCrunch.

Enhance SEO with Author Avatars
Launched in June of 2011, Google’s authorship markup allows websites to connect individual authors to their posts across the web by adding a simple rel=author tag to their content.  Google plans to use this information to help connect people with authors and ultimately their content.  Via ClickZ.

5 Key Strategies for Building Your LinkedIn Network
With over 150 million members, LinkedIn is a valuable asset for business professionals.  This article provides some seemingly simple but effective tips on sharing relevant and engaging information with your network. As well as tactics for continuing to grow your network on an ongoing basis.  Via Social Media Examiner.

Tip Top TopRank(ing) Internet Marketing News

Brian Larson – Your Search Results Just Went Retro
Bell bottoms made a comeback, so why can’t a simplified SERP as well? Although Bing originally led the charge in creating a more customized (and busy) SERP, the search engine is simplifying its search results. Don’t expect anyone to copy the Alta Vista UI, but Greg Sterling of Search Engine Land shares what this retro look means for Bing searches.  Via Search Engine Land.

Jolina Pettice – Segmenting Traffic Based of Value of Device
Search Marketers are used to segmenting traffic based on sources which are known to convert at higher rates. i.e. Search Engines vs Direct vs Referrals.  However, we may need to add an additional layer onto this segment to account for the type of device the visitor is using. For example, are visitors from iPads more valuable in terms of time-on-site and conversion than a visitor from a different type of tablet or desktop.  This may be a data piece to mine further, if your visitors are viewing your site from an array of devices.  Via Search Engine Land.

Shawna Kenyon – How 7 Top Brands Are Using Facebok’s New Ad Tools
In 2012 Facebook previewed a slew of new ad products to people outside the industry, though to some these new initiatives might have appeared to be ‘old hat’, advertisers see them as anything but.  Among the new products were Premium on Facebook, Reach Generator, Offers and Logged Out ads.  These new advertising offers came as a way to showcase new products and services in more than a two dimensional way allowing for ads to reach all of a brands fans and designed to expose them to things they might not otherwise see. The article above showcases 7 big brands and how they are utilizing the new services.  Via Mashable.

Time to Weigh In: What emphasis does your company place on developing customer personas?  Do you consider an article in your Google search more credible if there is an author avatar attached?  Is your company currently segmenting traffic?  If so, based on what data points?

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© Online Marketing Blog, 2012. | Online Marketing News: Content Marketing World!, Google Goes Big Brother, Searcher Personas, Retro SERPs | http://www.toprankblog.com

This is a reasonable question, because while it makes sense that content, SEO and social media (as well as email, online PR and advertising) should work together, the challenge for many corporate marketers and communications professionals is how. That’s where a good approach and plan come in to play and Optimize is a blueprint for such a plan – in particular, when it comes to optimizing and socializing content. Here are a few key considerations for integrating these high impact online marketing tactics:

The challenge of optimized integration. When SEO is owned by marketing and public relations runs social media and content creation is shared across multiple departments, integration of those tactics across a company’s content efforts can be a challenge. What brings things together are:

• Leadership support through common goals
• Identification of how an integrated approach will help each individual group as well as the company overall
• Training, process and tools/technology to enable integration of tactics

Find the low hanging fruit for an integration project and share the results upstream and horizontally. Make sure that as different departments work together to integrate Social, SEO and content (as well as other online marketing tactics where appropriate) that there is a feedback mechanism in place for those involved to see that they are having an impact. Even if it’s not specific to them, showing a trend line of how something like website traffic, or share of voice or leads and sales have improved during the time integration best practices are in place can be very motivating.

Make sense?

This week I’m in Belgium on my continued travels to spread the good word about an “Optimized State of Mind” and integrated online marketing. On May 3rd I’m giving a keynote presentation at Fusion Marketing Experience “Digital Marketing Integration: the Mix of Social, Search and Content“. Details on this keynote:

The sheer volume of content produced and shared by connected consumers is overwhelming. With independent search, social media and content marketing efforts, brands are hard pressed to find an effective model for integration.

The search and social web are reliant on content and it is through more effective content marketing that brands can cut through the noise to meaningful customer engagement and sales.

This keynote will outline key trends in the relationship between consumers and content by understanding Discovery, Consumption and Sharing preferences and how a content marketing strategy that integrates the best of SEO and Social Media can boost Digital Marketing effectiveness.

On May 4th I’ll be doing a workshop at Fusion Marketing to put those key integrated concepts into action: “Setting up a Winning Customer-Centric Content Marketing Strategy”. Details on this workshop:

Who are your customers? What do they care about? What content do you need to create in order to guide customers through the sales process from attention to purchase to advocacy? Get answers to these questions and more with a customer-centric content marketing strategy.

Improving content marketing isn’t about creating more content. It’s about content that’s meaningful vs. mechanical for customers that also inspires engagement and business outcomes. Effective content marketing helps brands reach more people ready to buy, refer and share. This workshop will provide the framework for an Optimize and Socialize approach to content marketing to attract and engage customers across the buying cycle.

Granted, I’m looking forward to a weekend in Antwerp and Brugge but I’m also excited to give these strategic and tactical presentations that exemplify the key messages of Optimize. Since the vast majority of our readers are not in Belgium this week, please be sure to check out future speaking events in the right sidebar of this site.

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© Online Marketing Blog, 2012. | Integrated SEO, Social Media & Content Marketing at Fusion Marketing Experience 2012 | http://www.toprankblog.com

Email continues to be one of the most effective online marketing tactics but many companies struggle to establish benchmarks or successfully improve performance. How many people are receiving, reading and acting on email messages? Those are all key questions to improve email marketing performance.

Email open rates can vary depending on the target industry and even the job function of the prospects.  Testing to improve email marketing performance is essential, but determining which variables have the largest impact on the overall effectiveness of an email campaign can seem overwhelming.

However, a process driven approach to identifying success factors that lead to increased conversions will set your company up for success both short term, and long term.

One way of improving your email marketing process involves testing: A/B or multivariate testing, to assess which tactics lead to the desired outcomes such as click throughs and conversions.

What is A/B & Multivariate Testing?

Put simply, A/B testing involves sending out different versions of any email campaign to segments of your existing customer or subscriber list.  Typically A/B testing includes changing only one element at a time, whereas multivariate testing includes multiple elements.  There are many variables to consider when running an email test so it is best to pick a maximum 3-4 items to test for each campaign.  If you are unsure about which variables to test please reference the list below for guidance.

What Can Be Tested?

As mentioned you don’t want to get carried away with testing too many variables at once.  Below I have included some of the tactics that your team may want to consider when running a A/B or multivarite email test.

• Time of Day
• Day of Week
• Subject Lines
• Body Copy
• Layout
• Calls to Action
• Design (including images)
• Personalization
• Offer

Sample Email Test

Who Should A/B Email Test Be Sent To?

If you search online or talk to marketing experts you may receive a variety of answers.  Depending on your list size you will want to send out A/B tests to a large enough segment to collect enough data to make an informed decision.  I would recommend splitting your list into three parts:

• Recipients of test A – ¼ of your list
• Recipients of test B- ¼ of your list
• Recipients of the “winning” email – ½ of your list

What Should Be Tracked?

• Open Rate
• Click Through Rate
• UnSubscribe Rate

A Best Practice Approach For Running A/B & Multivariate Tests for Email Marketing

Data Doesn’t Lie: Base  your course of action on proven numbers, not which email you BELIEVE will perform better.

Use Tools: Services such as MailChimp provide a tool for running A/B tests.

Test Often: The way that your audience reacts to information will evolve, make sure that your process evolves as well.

While we talk a lot about search optimization, social media and content marketing here at Online Marketing Blog, make no mistake: Email Marketing is a powerful communication and conversion tool. It integrates well with other online marketing efforts to both attract and retain customers. Remember ABO: Always Be Optimizing. It applies to email marketing performance just as much as pay per click or SEO.

I’m curious to know what tests your company may have run in the past.  What were your results?  How did these results shape your process going forward?

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© Online Marketing Blog, 2012. | Convert More Customers: Tips & Tricks For Running A/B Tests On Your Email Campaigns | http://www.toprankblog.com

Link Building for Business Blogs Doesn't Need to Be Risky

As a key component of a hub and spoke online marketing strategy, blogs can be very effective for social media network engagement, online PR, customer service, and as search engine optimization assets. While there are numerous cases studies of business blogs (I like to think Online Marketing Blog is one) providing tremendous value, blogs are simply software tools and what you get out of them is in proportion to how well you know how to use them.  One of the common areas of lost opportunity with business blogs is link building.

Despite Panda, Penguin and maybe someday “Zebra?”, updates from Google to further filter out what constitutes useful content and links on the web, links will always be valuable for attracting traffic.  Some online marketers chase exploits, tricks or shortcuts only to get spanked by a black and white named-animal update from Google.  Why not spend that creativity on something of value and competitive advantage that withstands the advancing filters applied by search engines?

Here are a few timeless tips for building natural links that will attract and engage customers to your business blog:

1. Create content worth linking to. No matter how many tactics you find here and elsewhere, there simply is no substitute for creating content that others may find useful. With an Optimized approach to online marketing, understanding your market and customers is essential for developing an approach for content, SEO, Social and promotions that result in links. If you understand what content types, topics and formats resonate with influential link sources and the communities around them, your content promotion and social networking efforts can become more effective, more quickly and a “win” all around.

2. Competitive Link Research on competing web sites or blogs will help identify who is linking to competitor sites that are not linking to yours. This is back link analysis 101 and can still be useful for spotting opportunities of all kinds. For example, if another web site or blog is already linking to multiple competitors in a list of resources relevant to your product or service, there is a chance they’ll link to your blog about the same product/service category as well. Monitoring the competition using SEO link tracking and social media monitoring tools can reveal many, many different types of linking and content opportunities. They can also reveal what NOT to do.

3. Engage on other blogs and industry news websites that allow comments. Interactions should always be useful, timely and relevant.  Simply promoting links to your event or blog post as the first time comment does not provide much value. It’s like interrupting a conversation and trying to sell something to a group of people that know each other and you’re the stranger. Develop connections, ask questions, answer them, share resources and recognize others that contribute. When guided by topical themes and objectives, those behaviors can be instrumental and developing connections with influential link sources and the media.

4. Make Sharing Easy where ever you’re publishing useful content, especially on blogs.  While the social proof offered by Twitter, Facebook, Google+ counters is fairly superficial, they do work at attracting attention and validating to the reader that the blog post is worth checking out. Make the act of sharing easy by including sharing options but also by including titles that are social media optimized. Share titles will pre-populate a Twitter sharing window with text that is more interesting from a social share perspective.

Don’t leave it to the reader to write their own description of the blog post they’re sharing, although that ability should certainly exist. Of course, title tags should be keyword optimized for search engines. Sharing expands the visibility of your content on social networks and communities. Shared links can be a useful signal for search engines and the expanded visibility can catch the eye of another blogger or journalist that might link back to the source from their own website or blog.

5. Guest post on other blogs and include a link to your blog in the bio. In the course of getting to know blogs that already rank well on the keyword phrases you’re targeting, you may notice that they often accept guest blog posts from others. Contact the blog owner and suggest a compelling post that would be first and foremost, valuable to their readers. If it makes sense editorially to link from within the guest post to your own blog, be sure to use relevant keywords as the link text. Do not use the exact same link text every time. Make the anchor text relevant to the source and the destination.

6. Write testimonials or case studies for services and software that you use. They may publish with a link back to your blog.  Testimonials must be well written, genuine and specific in order to be useful for the service/product owner. Get at the essence of what’s great about the product or service and even add something unique. If you’ve written a review of the product/service on your blog, that can also get you a link from their press page.

7. Event and Job listings should always have a link back to your blog. Blogs can be useful recruiting tools that help candidates understand the culture of your company. When purchasing job listings on other web sites, add a link to your blog. The listings may expire, but may also introduce your blog to candidates that write their own blog and decide to write about a listing with a permanent link to the hiring company blog. The same goes for event listings, which like job listings, are often syndicated to networks that turn up in RSS feeds, as Tweets and updates on other social networks.

8. Distribute optimized news via a wire service with a link to your blog included. Our client, PRWeb, is a pioneer in providing competitive SEO value with press release distribution. It is essential the the release is well-written and offers compelling news worth sharing and linking to.  Many blogs and some news web sites will re-publish your press release exactly as it was distributed, including good links back to your blog. Journalists use News Search engines to look up past press releases and research on stories, which presents an opportunity to be found and included.

9. Contribute Op Eds or Articles to industry web sites, online newspapers, magazines and association websites. Your article can include a link to your blog in the credentials area.  If you suggest content to another web site such as a letter to the editor, why not keyword optimize the title? You might also include a link back to your blog where you’ve written many more articles on the same topic. Those links build credibility of your article and also for you as an author and subject matter expert.

Along the lines of op eds and contributed articles, be sure your media relations efforts include a link request when an industry publication decides to include you or your company in a story. Many newspapers and magazine websites have a policy of not linking out, but if you are diligent in asking and give a good resource for the link destination, it could pay off very nicely. News websites can be very useful to search engines and link sources.

10. ABN – Always Be Networking and growing your social networks, email lists and channels of distribution. Share especially useful content from your blog where relevant. Be useful to others and they will useful to you by promoting your content and attracting links. Don’t be gratuitous when sharing links to your own content, but when you have something particularly special and valuable that’s highly relevant to a particular network, then by all means, share it with them. Some are bloggers as well and may link to it from their own blogs as well as pass the link along to others.

11. Sponsor content on web sites or newsletters archived to the web that allow you to include a link. It may be a nofollow link, but it may not.  Many newsletters sent via email are archived to the web or have landing pages on the web. Ask those newsletters if you can buy an ad or even contribute a short article.  The article credits should include a link to your blog where there are more resources on the same or similar topic.

12. Hire bloggers to write content for you. They’ll often cross-post it to their own blog with a link back to yours. Of course, you should be considerate and simply mention that this is ok, don’t ask them or require them to do it. If you have regular contributors to your blog, those bloggers may be prone to promoting and linking to their work on your blog as a way to build attention to themselves.

Bonus tip: When others link to you, THANK THEM!  Building good will is one of the most underrated marketing skills online. Be genuine, thoughtful and courteous. Also be SMART and driven to get links where it makes sense.

What linking tactics for blogs have you found to be most effective? What challenges are you facing in attracting other sites to link to your blog?

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© Online Marketing Blog, 2012. | 12 Timeless Link Building Tips for Business Blogs | http://www.toprankblog.com

Mighty Trends in Mobile Marketing

Every day we see mobile being used more and more for online shopping, local searches, email, social networking. And that is just scratching the surface.  This infographic from CultureLabel.com provides insight into the astounding use of mobile for Internet searches, as well as why mobile friendly marketing should be an essential part of your online marketing strategy.  Highlights include:

• 87% of the world’s population have mobile phones
• 300,000+ apps have been developed in only 3 years
• 74% of people use mobile at work

SEO SPAMMERS BEWARE! Google is On To You
Google’s recent webspam algorithm update (aka Penguin) released earlier this week is aimed at better filtering out spammy SEO tactics like: keyword stuffing, link schemes, cloaking, doorway” pages, etc. (Weren’t they already doing that?) Google’s official blog said “we also want the “good guys” making great sites for users, not just algorithms, to see their effort rewarded.”  The Panda updated affected about 12% of search queries on Google. Penguin is estimated to affect 3%. What changes do you think google will make next?  Via Google Webmaster Central Blog.

Google Launches Google Drive. All Your Files Are Belong to Us (what you say?)
The good news: Google launched a new cloud storage service that works with Google docs and syncs with your compter. You can upload and access all of your files, including videos, photos, Google Docs, PDFs, etc.  Via Google Blog

The not so good news: “Google Drive Sparks Privacy Concerns Among Businesses” CIO Journal. “Google Drive Doesn’t Work with iPad, iPhone” GottaBe Mobile. “Google Drive says it may ‘publicly perform’ your files. What’s that mean?” Christian Science Monitor. “Your Google Drive Files Can End Up in Ads” Wired Cloudline.

Selecting Social Networks for Business: Not An Easy Task
In an effort to stay up on the latest business trends many organizations will jump on board for a social network simply because it is new or receiving a lot of exposure. However, how much does that sort of fly by night strategy costing these companies?  It is essential that every company take the time to determine which networks are relevant for their type of business, as well as which networks their target customers are spending their time on. Via InformationWeek.

TopRank Online Marketing Team News

Jolina Pettice – 9 Tips to Develop a More Effective Internal Link Structure
The internal link structure of a website can be overlooked in the race to acquire inbound links. However, the link strategy on-site can be important in helping both search engines and users navigate the site.

From leveraging the most linked-to pages to understanding the information architecture and creating a link dashboard to help identify the impact of changes made on-site, this article is a great start to a more effective internal link strategy.  Via Search Engine Watch.

Joe Manier – The Hierarchy of Web Presence Optimization
What aspects go into a holistic optimization strategy for your business’ online presence?  Providing wonderful visuals from stage one of a website’s technical SEO foundation to the final stage of measuring   and improving your efforts, here is a high-level blueprint for succeeding online.  Via Search Engine Watch.

Mike Yanke – Swatted by Google Penguin?  Here’s Some Advice
Google’s latest algorithm update, Google Penguin, went live this week – and as designed – swatted down several websites that swan – or fell – in the seas of black hat SEO.  If you were one of those unlucky sites to be swatted down, what should you do?  Start by reading this post, full of advice, from SearchEngineLand.

Sara Duane-Gladden – How the B2B Social Media Marketing Experience Differs from B2C
Want to know more about how your social media marketing experience and efforts stack up against others? Check out this blog post from the Social Media Examiner that offers insight from the 2012 Social Media Marketing Industry Report. About 1,900 B2B marketers contributed to the study.  Via Social Media Examiner.

Brian Larson & Roxanne Hagberg – Your Webmaster Tool Belt Just Got Lighter
If you’re a fan of the Google Webmaster features robots.txt creation tool, subscriber stats or the site performance report, you might be interested to know that those tools are going bye-bye. Learn what other changes are in-store including the YSlow browser plugin or other Google tools such as Google Analytics and PageSpeed Online for Site Performance analysis and how that might impact your reporting in this post from Search Engine Land.

Time to Weigh In:  Has your team considered adding a mobile marketing strategy to your online marketing mix?  What process did you go through to determine which social networks were the right fit for your company?  Do you think that Google’s new Penguin update will affect your search visibility?

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© Online Marketing Blog, 2012. | Online Marketing News: Mobile Shows Muscle, Google Panda to Penguin, Google Drive(s) Storage | http://www.toprankblog.com

How Can You Become A Better Influencer? Tip: You'll attract more bees with honey than you will with vinegar!

Last week Lee Odden shared a post  on attracting the attention of influencers online.  Whether we’re talking about influencers with mass appeal, or those that have a closer and more personal relationship with their followers, each person presents an opportunity to learn and grow.

That got me thinking, when it comes to the inner workings of an organization: what makes a good influencer, and would I consider myself an influencer at TopRank Online Marketing?  In my opinion, there are some key factors that make a good influencer.

• Building a strong relationship and trust with your peers is essential in influencing their decisions.
• Having a team centric attitude towards those that you work with (no man is an island).
• Presenting an attitude that says “I’m lucky to be here” vs. “the company is lucky to have me”.

There is a certain power that comes with having influence over your peers.  A power that should not under any circumstances be abused.  After all, what is power without trust?  The bigger question to ask is: why should you want to be an influencer?  There are many benefits to being an influential member of a team including flexibility, trust, decision making power, and proof of ability just to mention a few.  I would like to dive into some of the qualities that I think make a better influencer, as well as some signs that you may already be an influencer and didn’t even know it!

4 Tips for Becoming a Better Influencer

#1 Listen More Talk Less:  Think back to your “Sales 101” training, what is one of the most important rules that salespeople must always remember?  Don’t talk yourself out of the sale.  By listening to what your customers (or in this case peers) are really saying, you can  better formulate recommendations that will have the largest impact on both their perception of you as well as the project, situation, or problem at hand.

#2 Give Before You Get:  One thing that I have found is that you cannot automatically expect that your peers will want to help you.  I enjoy seeing the organization I work for from a variety of perspectives and not just my own.  Being aware of when your peers may be struggling or need help is the perfect opportunity to offer your help.  Offering assistance on a fairly consistent basis will show that you are invested in making each person on your team successful, and are not simply looking to pull ahead of the pack. This will in turn increase your team’s willingness to help when you’re in a bind.

#3 Work Outside Your Comfort Zone: As online marketers our industry evolving at a rapid pace.  What was best practices when you go to sleep, may be vastly different than when you wake up the next morning.  There will always be tactics that you don’t know but  by charging full ahead and working on projects or platforms that are outside of your standard comfort zone you will increase your adaptability and ability to think on your feet. Adaptability and quick problem solving will increase perception that you are an innovator within the organization.

#4 Suggest Collaboration: I’m sure you’ve heard the saying: “two heads or better than one” well imagine what you could do when your whole team puts their brains together.  When we come up with ideas on our own without collaborating it’s easy to self validate concepts and consider only one point of view on the subject.  By creating an open brainstorming you will give your fellow team members an opportunity to share their opinions and feel that they have an impact on the end product, recommendation, or solution.  What you will end up with will most likely be a better version of what team members would have come up with individually.

4 Signs That You’re An Influencer & Didn’t Know It

While many of us may be working on becoming a bigger asset or a bigger influencer within our organization there are many people who are influencers, but don’t know it.  What are some signs that you may be more influential than you think?

• When your company is making new hires they ask if there is anyone you know that might be a good fit for the organization.
• You’re asked to work on projects or tasks that are outside of your job description.  Proof that you are adaptable and can work freely.
• Team members come right out and ask what you think they should do as it relates to one of their clients or customers.
• You’ve formed a meaningful and unique relationship with each member of your team, which shows that you are interested in them as an individual.

Truth Be Told: I shared what being an influencer means to me but I’m curious to know what you think.  Do you thinking working towards influencing your team members is a self serving strategy, or will it help the greater good?  Is there anyone in your organization that you would like to nominate as an influencer?  Why would you nominate them?

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© Online Marketing Blog, 2012. | Want to Have a Larger Impact on Your Organization? 4 Tips for Becoming A Better Influencer | http://www.toprankblog.com

Niche products often suffer from a universe of keywords that have low popularity counts and that creates a challenge. Because in the world of SEO, accountability starts with driving more organic, non-branded search traffic to a company website. If there’s very little demand for the keyword phrases identified, it can be frustrating for all.

A common reaction to that frustration is to accuse the products, company or industry as being “boring”.  But here’s the thing:

Challenges with marketing low popularity products isn’t an issue with the products being boring. It’s a problem with the marketers’ understanding of customers and the problems those product solve.  

If there’s a market for a product that solves a problem, then selling that product, as niche and “boring” as it may be, through SEO, content marketing or social media marketing has to do with better understanding the people and problems relevant to the product.

“One man’s junk is another man’s treasure” as the saying goes. What’s important is to understand the product and market well enough to know why a specific audience has value for it, what the end benefits are and the context for how prospects come to need and purchase it.

Here are 5 tips to help find ways to make marketing niche and low demand products more effective:

1. Who has bought the product in the past and why?  Current customers can tell you a lot that’s not revealed in analytics. Survey customers, sales people and customer service reps for the company to identify the company’s perception of their unique selling proposition and the actual reasons customers buy.

2. Segment buyers by common characteristics, pain points, goals and behaviors. Get in the mind of the customer and understand why, how and where they buy.

3. Map the buyer sales cycle from Awareness to Interest to Consideration and Purchase. What kind of content, search keywords and social topics are relevant to guide the buyer through the sales cycle (or better yet, attract them from other companies selling the same thing).

4. Optimize for a quantity of niche. Go horizontal and get creative with a wide variety of variations on keywords.  A keyword with a really low popularity count that is very high on relevancy only needs one sale to be profitable in many cases. Think about that and go wide for every situation there might be for buying the product.

5. Create a cycle of continuous monitoring, measurement and refinement that allows you to adapt and scale successes.

If you can think past keywords and get into the mind of the customer, their problem to be solved and the sales cycle they go through, you can develop an effective content marketing program that leverages search and social media to attract traffic, engage prospects and inspire both sales and social shares.  That’s the Optimized way of online marketing.

What are some of the tactics or situations you’ve solved with “boring” products or services?

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© Online Marketing Blog, 2012. | Marketing Boring Products – It’s Not A “Boring” Problem, It’s a “Knowing Your Customers” Problem | http://www.toprankblog.com

That’s Old News! [Infographic]

This new infographic from Schools.com dives into social media and how it is quickly replacing traditional journalism as a widely used news source.  Highlights:

• Facebook makes up 59.5% of news consumed online
• Since 2009, traffic to news sites from social media has increased by 57%

“5 Ways Businesses Are Using Facebook Timelines” New Facebook changes are opening the doors to even greater creativity for brands.  Additional storytelling and education of customers can now take place via the social networking giant.  Be sure to see this post for 5 awesome tips that you can apply to your organization’s Facebook page.  Via Social Media Examiner.

“What You Can Learn from a Deal Gone Bad”  Each lost sales opportunity is  learning experience.  Using that loss to determine what you could have done differently and how you could have better met the needs of your prospect are an invaluable education.  Read on to find out what else your team should consider when a sales lead is lost.  Via Inc.

“Marketing Research Chart:  Top-rated tactics for developing value propositions that resonate and convert”  Recent research by Marketing Sherpa found that 69% of B2B companies have a set of established value propositions that they believe differentiates them from their competition.  This study shares what these marketers said were the most successful tactics for developing these value propositions that resulted in customer conversions.  Via Marketing Sherpa.

“3 Social Community Strategies to Drive Innovation, Engagement, and Sales”  Marketing is only successful if brands or organizations are collaborating with their fans and online communities.  This post shares 3 great social media strategies that will position your company to engage more customers which will hopefully lead to more sales.  Via ClickZ.

“5 Great Starting Points for a Content Recycling Program”  Content creation can be an overwhelming task for companies of any size.  However, there is some good news.  Not all of your content has to be written completely from scratch.  Take a stab at repurposing and mix and matching existing content to cut down on time and investment.  Via Content Marketing Institute.

TopRank Breaking Team News

Sara Duane-Gladden: Crowd Riff Engages Social Fans, Especially at Events
With hundreds of millions of public Twitter streams, it can be difficult to make sense of all the chatter. Crowd Riff allows fans to connect with a brand’s site and view tweets about it in real time, without all the noise. It’s particularly useful for tracking tweets about an event. It also allows you to find your superfans by giving them a score based on what they tweet about your brand.
Via Media Bistro.

Mike Yanke: IAB & PwC: Search Still Tops Online Ad Revenues, and Share Grew in 2011
Search ad revenue continues to grow, per the latest data from the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) in partnership with Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC), as published by Search Engine Land.  Per this report, search capture $14.8 billion in ad revenue for the full year 2011, spiking almost 27 percent from the $11.7 billion capture in 2010.  Via Search Engine Land.

Jolina Pettice: Understanding the Pinterest Audience – Intro Guide for Marketers
Understanding the potential of Pinterest, begins with understanding the audience and how it does (or doesn’t) make sense to integration into your marketing mix.  According to HitWise, the demographics on Pinterest break down into 3 categories:

• Boomers & Boomerangs
• Babies & Bliss
• Families Matter Most

Want to learn more about what these different categories mean?  Read on!  Via Search Engine Watch.

Brian Larson: Google AdWords Now Automatically Matches Misspellings & Variants
People misspell things. There’s no way around it…and search queries are no exception.   Until now, savvy marketers have been accounting for misspellings and variations with their keywords. That’s now changed.  Via Search Engine Land.

Shawna Kenyon: Facebook’s Analytics Tool for Ads Will Soon Measure Actions Other Than ‘Likes’
In a few weeks Facebook plans to introduce a new feature called “Action Measurement” that will appear as a column and pie chart in Facebook’s Ads Manager. The new feature will allow marketers to dive deeper into user engagement data and go beyond typical stats. Read this article to learn more about the new capabilities.  Via Mashable.

Alexis Hall: 5 Colorful Sketches on Conversion Optimization
This post makes some great points on conversion optimization visually, using the iPad’s drawing tool.  The sketches includes insight on the conversion funnel and landing pages.  Via Search Engine Land.

Time to Weigh In: How much news do you consume on social networks vs. traditional media sources?  Have you adjusted to the new Facebook timeline?  Do you agree with the consumer categories set forth by Pinterest?

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© Online Marketing Blog, 2012. | Online Marketing News: Maximize Facebook Timelines, Maximize Value Propositions, Drive Engagement | http://www.toprankblog.com

Pursuing the “big influencers” alone, is probably one of the biggest fallacies on the web.

Put aside the challenges how to find influencers and consider what “influencer” means. To me, it’s someone that has earned ongoing attention of an audience or community and the ability to motivate others to action. There’s often a disconnect between the appearance of influence and those in a position to act on it.

Mass influence exists, but it’s often confused with popularity. They’re not the same thing.

Influencers with mass appeal are easy to find and get found often. They get pummeled with requests by others to do things: share this, promote that. Some of them take up those offers and lose credibility by over-promoting. While they have a significant community watching and listening to them, the ability to inspire action is often lost.

Maybe niche influence is what companies should be considering. Rather that just going after the big fish, target those that have closer, more intimate and meaningful connections with their networks.  Say goodbye to the idea that if you could just get that one famous person to say something positive about your software on Twitter, or Facebook or on a blog, then things are going to happen.  They probably won’t.

Go after a quantity of quality. Go after many different niche influencers. Not just the big fish.

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© Online Marketing Blog, 2012. | The Fallacy of Influence | http://www.toprankblog.com

Although Abraham Lincoln was not an online marketer his advice is still sound for us today: “Whatever you are, be a good one.”   Meaning, if you’re going to do something give it your best shot!  Many times we can get easily caught up in the newest social or content platforms that are sure to “increase revenue”, “win new fans and followers”, and just about any other empty promise that you can think of.

We know by now that social media is not simply a numbers game.  In order to be successful it is essential that you properly use the tools that are available, in the right way.  Below are a list of 3 tools that I found to be very beneficial for Pinterest for 3 very different reasons.

3 Pinterest Tools That Will Rock Your Socks

Pinstamatic – Incorporate Multiple Types of Content

This application is impressive for a few reasons.  It’s simple interface is easy to use and provides enormous value to followers.  With Pinstamatic users can:

• Include a screenshot of a website on a Pinterest board
• Leave a short (and optimized) message for followers
• Share Spotify tracks (I’m addicted and am really into this feature)
• Add a quotation with a unique font
• Recommend Twitter users to other followers
• Provide a calendar date
• Location based services which include address, title, and description

Business Application
I see a great benefit in Pinstamatic for B2B and B2C organizations.  The website screen shot feature is a way to feature your company website or social media profile.  Calendar planning is a fantastic way to make your followers aware of any events either on location or virtual that may be coming up.  The location based application is probably my favorite, I can see this turning into a place for customers to leave reviews of restaurants or businesses to share with their fans/friends/followers.

SpinPicks! – Curate Content on the Spin

SpinPicks! is an application available both on the web as well as internet enabled devices.  The setup is quick and painless, and the interface is simple and easy to use.  Whether you’re looking to add some randomness to your Pinterest feed or would like to focus on specific categories this is a great tool.

Business Application
Pinterest’s built in search bar enables users to search for categories.  However, it is not very intuitive.  SpinPick has approximately 40 pre-filled categories which allows users to search Pinterest, Twit Pic, Flickr, Reddit, and YouTube.  SpinPicks! is a great tool for currating content that is already trending, or finding something new to share with your followers.  SpinPicks is a fairly new company and it is my hope that they find a way for users to create and save categories for quick search – similar to creating Twitter lists.

Pinerly – Easy Access To Data

Pinerly is currently open on an invite only basis.  I’m assuming that the company is taking an exclusivity approach for testing purposes.  Awareness of your social media data as well as ease of use are both key ingredients for success.  Currently Pinerly is providing the following features to its users:

• Follow Pinners:  provides recommendations for users with similar interests
• Unfollow Pinners: ease of use for unfollowing those you want to remove from your list
• Popular Pins: increase your exposure by posting information that is trending
• Schedule Pins: schedule your pins throughout the day or week
• Pin Stats: data on your pins which will provide direction on next steps

Business Application
What Pinerly is great at doing is creating user awareness.  If your organization has the ability to review which pins are most popular you can re-direct your Pinterest marketing strategy to better meet the needs of those that are following you.  Also, I really appreciated the scheduling feature which allows for timely posts when your followers are most likely to see, engage with, and share your pins.

What Do You Think?

As we spend more time vetting out potential Pinterest tools I am confident that we will be adding additional applications to this list.  Which tools have you used that you believe have made your job as an online marketer using Pinterest more effective?  Which ones do you think have been all hype and no delivery?

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© Online Marketing Blog, 2012. | 3 Pinterest Tools That Will Have You #Pinning In No Time | http://www.toprankblog.com

Essentially, Optimize it’s a more holistic view of content and social media optimization than what you’ll often hear at events, read in other books and online.  So many optimization efforts are focused on chasing exploits and loopholes only to be shut down by search engine quality efforts. Why not focus on quality in the first place?

Optimization using keywords and links is making room for a new set of signals and tactics resulting in the need for a more customer centric approach. Many online marketers “get” the value of SEO, social media and even content independently, but working them together in a way that makes sense is often a challenge.

“Optimize” is organized in 3 phases (here’s a preview) and starts by answering why it makes sense to integrate search, social and content as well as practical examples for B2B, B2C, small business, a Fortune 50 and use case examples within organizations for marketing, public relations, customer service and recruiting.  There’s guidance on conducting audits for SEO, Content and Social Media for benchmarking and ongoing performance.

The second phase is by far the largest part of the book covering tactics and implementation ranging from customer segmentation and persona development to search and social keyword research, developing a content plan, on-page web page and social media optimization, social network development, promotion for links and measurement.

The third phase provides examples of bringing it all together and assessment for training and processes to scale an “Optimized State of Mind” to the rest of the organization.

Optimize is designed to be useful as a end to end guide for anyone that creates digital content in an organization that wants to extend the reach and usefulness of that content. That includes marketing, PR, customer service and other departments. The customer centric approach works as well for B2B as it does for consumer focused companies.

Optimize is also a great reference tool for experts. At the same time, Optimize can be used as a reference for those marketers and communications professionals that are experienced in a particular area and not others. They get the “why”, they need the “how”.

At the moment, there are a handful of reviews, webinars and interviews about Optimize but more are coming.  So far, I’ve had several speaking events specific to Optimize in Minneapolis, New York and Chicago with another coming up this week in Leeds, UK and then Antwerp Belgium. In between I’ll be visiting a number of regional events.

I owe a ton of thanks to the TopRank Online Marketing team for chipping in and helping out in a variety of ways. We’re really building something special at our agency and the real growth is just beginning now in 2012. Thank you too, to Mike Grehan, Vice President & Global Content Director for Search Engine Watch, ClickZ and Search Engine Strategies for writing an awesome introduction.

A HUGE thanks goes to the following search, social media and content marketing smarties for giving early endorsements of Optimize (many are best selling authors):

• Chris Brogan - Human Business Works, Author, Speaker
• Ann Handley - Chief Cupcake Officer, (Oops, I mean Chief Content Officer) MarketingProfs, Author, Speaker
• John Jantsch - Duct Tape Marketing, Author, Speaker
• Melanie Mitchell - SVP Search Marketing Strategy, Digitas, Author, Speaker
• Scott Monty - Global Digital & Multimedia Communications Manager at Ford Motor Company, Speaker
• Brian Clark - Copyblogger Media, Recovering Attorney, Entrepreneur, Speaker
• Joe Pulizzi - Junta42, Content Marketing Institute, Author, Speaker
• Mel Carson - Digital Marketing Evangelist, Community & Social Media Manager, Speaker & Blogger at Microsoft Advertising, Speaker
• Bill Hunt - BackAzimuth, SEO God, Author, Speaker
• Jay Baer - Convince & Convert, Author, Speaker
• Michael Stelzner - Social Media Examiner, Author, Speaker
• Amy Lamparske - Director, Digital Communications at Walmart
• David Alston - CMO Radian6, Speaker

I couldn’t imagine a more impressive group of people to give their approval for a book on this topic.

So many people have reached out to me, unsolicited to offer help to promote the book through speaking, interviews and social shares. I really, really appreciate that! After sharing insights with our readers for over 8 years it’s great to see that kind of appreciation to help get the word out about Optimize.

If you’d like a practical content marketing book that does a deep dive into both why and how, especially when it comes to SEO and Social Media Marketing, then I hope you’ll check out Optimize: Amazon – Barnes & Noble.

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© Online Marketing Blog, 2012. | Optimize – How to Attract and Engage More Customers by Integrating SEO, Social Media and Content Marketing | http://www.toprankblog.com

Instagram The Timeline

This infographic detailing the evolution of Instagram by Visually is powerful for a couple reasons, including the fact that the entire timeline is visualized through the use of Instagram photos.  From launching in 2010, to their first million users, and finally to the recent purchase of Instagram by Facebook this is a must read for any fans of the popular social app.

“LinkedIn Introduces Targeted Updates and Follower Statistics”  With over 150 million professional users worldwide, LinkedIn is a powerful marketing asset.   Recent upgrades revealed this week that marketers can now effectively target prospective clients with advertising campaigns and deliver unique content to those users Via SocialTimes.

“Agency Comes Up With ‘I Care’ Button For Social Media”  Have you ever seen something on Facebook such as a posting about a natural disaster or other tragedy, and chose to “like” the post?  Even if you’re simply showing your support something about clicking “like” may not feel right.  Company DDB Worldwide has created a new social response known as the ‘I Care’ button, which allows users to show support and may open up the door for organizations to seek donations.  Via Marketing Daily.

“5 Presentation Apps to Try” Applications for your mobile device or laptop can come in handy for business professionals on the go.  There are a growing number of software programs available if you’re in a bind or are simply looking for a new way to share your content.  This article includes 5 handy apps that any travelling marketer should give a try.  Via Inc.

TopRank Online Marketing Team News

Mike Yanke
comScore: Only Search Engine To See Drop In Queries In March Was Yahoo!
According to a recent report by comScore, search continues to be strong – with a 5% increase in queries experienced in March by Google, Bing – and even AOL and Ask!  Not joining the pack, however, is Yahoo! as the barely major search engine saw its queries decrease 5% over the same timeframe.  Disheartening news after last week’s announcement of planned restructuring and layoffs.  Via Search Engine Land.

Jolina Pettice
Google AdWords Adds ZIP Code Targeting, Location Insertion; Updates Location Targeting
According to Google, more than 20% of all searches are related to location. In order to improve the effectivness of geo-targeting, Google is now allowing users to tag ZIP codes, among other changes, within AdWords Location Targeting.  This change will surely have an impact as 88% of smartphone users who search for local information take action within one day, according to Google.  Via Search Engine Watch.

Shawna Kenyon
5 Ways to Market Your Brand with Location-Based Networks
With the rise in popularity of mobile location-based apps like Foursquare, location based marketing is something businesses should take advantage of. About 30% of smartphone owners access their social networks via their mobile browser, for businesses looking to include location based services this article provides some tips for getting started.  Via Mashable.

Sam Giehll
Rethinking Maslow’s Hierarchy: Implications for a Socially-Connected World
This article applies Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to the world of branding and marketing, especially when it comes to modern social networks.  Via Psychology Today.

Brian Larson
Pinterest Now 3rd Most Popular Social Network [Study]
Pinterest made headlines in February for referring more traffic than any other website.  Now, Pinterest is back in the news, but this time is about its onsite growth.  Via Search Engine Watch.

Roxanne Hagberg
Leaked: Google Analytics Is Making Its Way To Google+
Without the help of Twitter & Facebook, Google appears to be marching forward to provide more social data.  Following the recent addition of social reports in Google Analytics, confidential slides from a Google deck suggest Google Analytics can be integrated with Google+.   Analytics such as visits, page views, average time on site and bounce rate may be available soon.  Via Marketing Land.

Sara Duane-Gladden
Twitter Ads Earn More Money Per Impression Than Facebook Ads [REPORT]
Facebook gets a lot of attention for being a heavyweight when it comes to marketing and advertising, but some new information indicates Twitter may be more of a contender than expected when it comes to ads.  Check out this study to see how the numbers stack up when it comes to “per impression” earning.  Via Media Bistro.

Time to Weigh In
What are your thoughts on Facebook’s purchase of Instagram?  Do you think that you will use the image sharing application more or less? What affect will Google’s new geo-targeting changes have on your company?

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© Online Marketing Blog, 2012. | Online Marketing News: Facebook Gobbles Instagram, Sharing is Caring, New LinkedIn Stats, Location is Where it’s at: Literally | http://www.toprankblog.com

A lot has changed in the past year so I think it’s worth revisiting that list.

Blogs continue to represent highly effective content hubs for integrated SEO, Social Media and Content Marketing programs for all kinds of companies and industries, not just internet marketing. I’ve traveled to the UK many times and between my discussions with practitioners at conferences and the clients TopRank has in London, it’s clear that while there are many amazingly talented internet marketers in the UK, many companies are not as progressive in their approach.

Blogs are a great way to draw attention to solving that disparity and I’d like to draw attention to these useful internet marketing blogs covering everything from SEO to Social to Analytics to the intersection with other marketing channels.

Here’s that list of 35 UK internet marketing blogs below, organized alphabetically, for your consideration and comment.

Are these still the top blogs on digital marketing topics for the UK? What would you add? Which would you take out? This post is also an open invite for the authors of these blogs to do a review of Optimize.

• Apple Pie & Custard
• Blending the Mix
• Blogstorm
• Chris Garrett
• Clicky Media
• David Naylor
• Digitales
• Distilled
• Dixon Jones
• Econsultancy
• Epiphany
• Fresh Egg
• Fresh Networks
• Froggblog
• Hobo
• Holistic Search
• iCrossing
• Latitude Blog
• Liberate Media
• Malcolm Coles
• Murray Newlands
• Receptional
• Return on Digital
• SEO Chicks
• SEO Wizz
• SEO Gadget
• SEOptimize
• SEOUnique Blog
• Smart Insights
• State of Search
• Tamar
• The Wall
• Tim Nash
• Vertical Leap
• We Are Social

I will be in the UK again next week 4/18 at the ionSearch conference in Leeds, which has a great line up of speakers ranging from Matt Bush of Google to Kevin Gibbons of SEOptimise to Ralph Tegtmeier of, well, if you have to ask it’s better that maybe you don’t know

Dave Snyder from the U.S. will be there as well as Andy Atkins Kruger from WebCertain in York. There will be plenty of folks from Blueclaw Media, who is running the conference there as well.

At ionSearch I’ll be talking about the evolution of SEO in the form of Optimize (of course). I’d like to invite bloggers in the UK that are attending to do a review of Optimize.  We’ll feature any reviews on our book site with links and all.  To do  review of Optimize, just contact us at mail at optimizebook dot come for details.

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© Online Marketing Blog, 2012. | Top UK Internet Marketing Blogs 2012 | http://www.toprankblog.com