Karl Ribas' Blog

Book Review: The Truth About Creating Brands People Love

2013-07-10T09:00:00.000-05:00

Creating brands people love seems so easy, and yet creating brands people love requires more than simply love of a product and spectacularly creative advertising - it requires intelligent, strategic, and coordinated decisions in many areas of marketing. This is my review of The Truth About Creating Brands People Love by Brian Till and Donna Heckler.

"Creating brands people love seems so easy. Just look around at all the wonderful brands that we experience every day. Yet, creating brands people love requires more than simply love of a product and spectacularly creative advertising - it requires intelligent, strategic, and coordinated decisions in many areas of marketing. Packaging, promotion, advertising, positioning, distribution, and pricing are just some of the important functions that, when successfully managed, lead to profitable brands that matter to consumers."

Effective brand building is built on a foundation of principles and guidelines that run counter to our natural way of thinking. For example, building an effective brand requires not only understanding what a brand stands for, but what it doesn't stand for. Similarly, it means understanding not only who the brand is for, but who it isn't for. Such thinking is not natural as most companies want to believe that their brand appeals to everyone when in truth this is not the case. Grasping this very concept is the first step to building a successful brand that people will love.

In their book The Truth About Creating Brands People Love, authors Brian Till and Donna Heckler provide both practical and applicable branding advice, and do so while evaluating many of today's top companies across a wide range of industries. They offer concrete marketing strategies necessary for creating a sustainable brand.

Till and Heckler are leaders in brand marketing. Till is a Professor of Marketing at Saint Louis University and Heckler is the Lead Brand Strategist for Monsanto. Together, they make the perfect team. I first learned about their book through Amazon. I am continually researching and buying design and marketing related books and this happened to be one that Amazon recommended. Normally, I'm hesitant towards Amazon's recommendations, but upon further review I decided to give it a shot. I'm glad I did.

Book Review

Learning about and implementing brand strategies are among my absolute favorite tasks as a website design and marketing professional. Branding is a topic that has always captivated me. It's the simple idea of a company's perceived value being, at times, greater than its actual value that interests me. Or, that reputation can have more influencing power than price. Or, that consumers can become so passionate about a brand that they'll happily defend it at the drop of a hat.

The Truth About Creating Brands People Love is a decent read with respect to brand marketing. The book acts as toolbox for ideas, strategies, and techniques that can be used to transform a great product or company into a profitable brand people will love. Till and Heckler provide real life examples of how today's big brands have benefited from these very concepts, and even go on to mention how some brands have even been hurt by not doing so.

The very purpose of this book is to illustrate universal truths about brand management. These truths transcend context and provide highly important insights to any and all industries. In other words, the lessons learned in this book are as relevant to a marketing manager for a steel producer as for a cereal maker; as meaningful to a brand manager for coffee machines as for a ski resort; as useful to someone running an art gallery as to someone managing a high-end hotel.

My only complaint, if you want to call it that, is that a few of the later strategies/chapters get somewhat repetitive with those of earlier ones. In fact, I'd say that the book could have been trimmed down to maybe 45 chapters or so, instead of 51. However, this my opinion, and you might not agree.

Overall, at 224 pages, it's a fairly short read, and held my attention which can't be said for many other books in this category. The Truth About Creating Brands People Love is full of proven strategies that that brand managers and even small businesses can use to create a product or company brand that is worth loving. I'd certainly recommend this book to anyone tasked with creating strong brands and/or managing them effectively over the long-run.

Experiment: 32 Logos in 30-Minutes

2013-06-04T09:00:00.000-05:00

EXCERPT: Logos bombard us. Think clothing, cereal isles, TV commercials, and Internet ads. From the moment we wake to the moment we sleep, they're an ever-present part of our daily routine. As a person who designs company logos and brand identities, I'm okay with this. I know the importance of a good logo and understand the role it plays in our world.

Logos bombard us. Think clothing, cereal isles, TV commercials, and Internet ads. From the moment we wake to the moment we sleep, they're an ever-present part of our daily routine. As a person who designs company logos and brand identities, I'm okay with this. I know the importance of a good logo and understand the role it plays in our world.

According to Dharma Singh Khalsa, M.D., in his book Brain Longevity (1999), the average American sees 16,000 advertisements, logos, and labels in a day. Consider for a moment that this was nearly 15 years ago; can you imagine how much more we're subjected to today? With the adoption of the Internet and mobile devices, I would imagine that the number of brand marks we see daily has doubled if not tripled.

This had got me thinking. Assuming that the number of advertisements, logos, and labels Americans see in a day has grown significantly, does anyone even notice? I'll ask you. Are you aware that you're seeing 16,000+ brand marks each and every day? I wasn't.

I decided to run a quick and simple test that would further illustrate the constant presence of logos in my daily life. I spent the first 30-minutes of a normal working day (starting with the alarm clock) documenting the brand marks on the products I interact with, and this is what I found:

32 Logos in 30-Minutes

Many of you are no doubt thinking "32 logos... is that all. Big deal." In all actuality, it is a huge deal.

First off, all things even (which we know they are not) 32 logos per half-hour equates to 1,536 logos per day. Second, consider for a moment that I only documented the brand marks of those products I used and not those that I had seen but ignored - other foods, toiletries, books, TV shows, and clothing. When you factor in these missed opportunities, the overall number grows immensely, and all before even leaving my house.

Try it yourself. Maybe not as soon as you wake up, but what about right at this moment? Look around. How many logos can you see? How many will you remember seeing? What are your feelings towards those brands?

Conclusion

For many companies, a logo is the most recognizable element of their brand, and therefore it not only needs to be memorable, but be able to standout against the tens of thousands of other logos that consumers see daily. One perfect example of this is McDonalds. In fact, as you read this I'm betting that most of you will begin to picture golden arches. The same could be said of "Microsoft", "Apple", "FedEx", and "Target". Can you visualize their respective logos? I'm sure most can.

Now, granted, these are large companies with the necessary resources and budgets to continually push their brand in front us each and every day. But, that aside, they are also excellent examples of brands with simple, well-designed logos. And that's more of my point really.

I encourage every reader to review their company's logo (personal brands too) and determine if it, in itself, is unique enough, recognizable enough, and memorable enough to stand out in a crowd of all the other logos that cross our paths daily. If not, now might be good time to seek a logo redesign, or at least consult with a designer.

Is Facebook's Graph Search a Google Killer?

2013-05-07T11:40:00.000-05:00

Thanks to an audience of more than 1 billion monthly active members, Facebook doesn't just have big data, but rather access to an enormous amount of data. Better yet, the world's largest social network is finally ready to put that data to good use with the release of Graph Search. This has search and social marketers asking... are we witnessing the beginnings of a "Google killer?"

Thanks to an audience of more than 1 billion monthly active members, Facebook doesn't just have big data, but rather access to an enormous amount of data. Better yet, the world's largest social network is finally ready to put that data to good use with the release of Graph Search. While its certain that Facebook's Graph Search promises to be a game changer for search and social marketers alike, is it possible that we're witnessing the beginnings of a "Google killer?" Let's review.

What is Facebook's Graph Search?

Facebook's current search offering is only capable of turning up results for people, pages, groups, or apps before directing users on to Bing for a more comprehensive web-based search experience. Graph Search, however, aims to solve this problem by allowing users to conduct phrase-based queries and discover alternative information. This information is based on data that Facebook has collected from its members over time.

Graph Search is in beta and only available to a limited number of Facebook members. The feature focuses on four main areas: people, photos, places, and interests. With that, Facebook members will have the ability to place personalized searches for a variety of information that ranges from casual questions like "movies my friends like" to direct ones like "restaurants nearby."

For example, if I happened to be in the market for a new book and wanted to read something in which my friends have already read, I could place a search on Facebook for "books my friends like" and Graph Search will provide a personalized list of books that my friends have liked. In addition, search results will feature other data, including the names of friends who had liked a certain book and how many total likes each book has on Facebook.

Here is an example of Facebook's Graph Search in action:

It is well known that Facebook's mission is to make the world more open and connected, and Graph Search promises to play a major role in this idea by providing users with a new way to explore their connections. Graph Search is able to map out each user's relationships with people and the things they care about. This information, referred to as the graph, is big and constantly expanding with new people, content, and connections. Naturally, though, comes the next question... how will Graph Search impact businesses?

Graph Search and Local Searching

Consider for a moment that more than 600 million users visit Facebook on a daily basis. With the addition of Graph Search, isn't it likely that these users will have fewer reasons to use other location-based search services, like Yelp, Foursquare, and Google Maps, if they get better and more personalized results on Facebook? Why yes it is, and that is what makes Graph Search worth paying attention to.

Moreover, Graph Search compiles its results in a visually appealing way and provides users with key personalized information that is unavailable elsewhere, such as the names of friends who have liked or check into a business and when. In fact, knowing which of my friends liked what and when is far more important to me than a third-party review from some random person... especially, if we're talking restaurants and eateries.

That being said, if Graph Search truly does become the search feature that Facebook wants it to be, businesses with Facebook Pages will want to optimize their social strategies to ensure that their brand is among the top results when a search is conducted. However, appearing first in the search results may be easier said than done.

Optimizing for Graph Search

Although little is known about Graph Search, there are a few social best practices that Page managers should leverage now.

The most important thing to know about Graph Search is that likes will likely matter... a lot. Search results are based on Facebook's understanding of a brand's follower counts, which means that businesses with large fan bases will be more likely to turn up in the results for various searches. Additionally, likes will not be the only factor to help determine where businesses end up in Facebook's Graph Search results. Expect other interaction types, such as check-ins to be influential, as well. I can definitely see how the number and frequency of check-ins may help brands appear high on search results.

So, what are brands and page managers to do? Well, if it isn't yet obvious, businesses will need to focus on creating engagement with and between their fans. This can be done through a combination of publishing great content as well as offering incentives for those fans that take specific actions. One example is to offer discounts on in-store purchases when a customer checks in through Facebook.

Aside from encouraging engagement with fans, I suggest that brands also continue to invest in their profile and make sure it is complete and updated. Page managers should verify that the name, category, vanity URL and information within their Page's ‘About' section is correct.

Is Graph Search a Google Killer?

In closing I will say this... while there have been many theories floating around regarding the implications of Graph Search, I for one don't believe it to be a ‘Google Killer', at least not right out of the gate. Graph Search will undoubtedly affect location-based platforms, as previously mentioned, but in my opinion Facebook is quite far from contending with Google in terms of complex web searching.

With that said, I do believe that Graph Search could indirectly create a few issues for Google in terms of Bing and market share. Consider this... if Facebook can't find results for a member's query, it directs users to Bing for web-based results (as it did previously). The difference is, however, that Graph Search is much more robust than Facebook's previous search offering, and if members start using this feature on a regular basis, those users could end up on Bing more often than not, at which point it is up to Bing to keep them coming back. While it is far too soon to call this new search functionality a Google killer, it does have the potential to improve Bing's market share. And that, we know, could be deadly in its own right.

10 Benefits to Hiring a Yahoo! Store Designer

2013-04-04T09:00:00.000-05:00

You might be asking yourself, do I really need to hire a Yahoo! Store designer or can I just create my own website using my team and the tools and resources that are available to us? The short answer is no. One does not need to hire a designer to develop their new website. However, the longer answer might surprise you. Consider these 10 benefits.

Today's post is one that I originally wrote back in March of 2012 for the Yahoo! Store blog. The topic of why to hire a professional website designer versus taking your design needs in-house is still one that is highly relevant, and very much debated today. Here are my thoughts on subject.

You might be asking yourself, do I really need to hire a Yahoo! Store designer or can I just create my own website using the tools and resources that are available to me? The short answer is no. One does not need to hire a designer to develop their new website. However, the longer answer might surprise you.

The Yahoo! Store platform is very versatile, as well as easy-to-use - that is to say that one doesn't need to be a programmer in order to create their own website. In fact, the simplicity of the Yahoo! Store platform is actually one of the reasons it is so popular. Mostly any one can use it. Yahoo! Stores are also favored because of their hosting capabilities and shopping cart security, but that's for another post.

While Yahoo! does make it easy to create a website, this doesn't necessarily mean Store owners should be the one creating it. Consider this; doing one's taxes is often as easy as copying information from one sheet, placing it into a box on another, adding and subtracting, and mailing the finished product to the IRS. Yet, many of us still hire a tax professional. Why is that? It's because overlooking something or making an error can be quite costly for us in the long run. Simply put, the risks associated with making a mistake outweigh the cost of hiring a professional. Well, the same can be said for website design.

It is for this reason, and those to follow, that I recommend hiring a professional Yahoo! Store developer.

Why Hire a Yahoo! Store Designer

Aside from being a sound, financial decision, hiring a Yahoo! Store designer to develop your new website does have its benefits. The following are 9 additional benefits to hiring a Yahoo! Store designer, versus taking the project in-house.

Designers Are Creative. Is Your Team?
By their very nature, designers are creative people. They have a deep understanding for what looks good, and what doesn't. For example, designers know which colors work great together, and which will clash. They understand that certain fonts work well online, and that others are simply difficult to read. Designers know which layout schemes create the very best browsing experience for users, and which will lead to confusion.

Furthermore, and probably more important, designers know what is appropriate when creating a website. Consider this; when a business hires a Yahoo! Store designer they are trusting them to conceptualize a design and layout that not only helps to meet their business needs, but one that is also appropriate for their target audience. Banks need websites to appear business-like, professional, and secure. Waterparks need websites to appear fun, colorful, and exciting. Knowing when it's ok to be playful and when to be professional is important. Is your in-house team capable of making those decisions? Can they design a website that meets your target audience's expectations?

Designers Are Experienced in Web Design. Is Your Team?
Designers design or they wouldn't be designers. While I will agree that not all designers are equal in the sense that some are undoubtedly going to be better than others, they will at least all have portfolios of the work they've done previously. Some will be good. Others will be better. The point I am trying to make is that by hiring a Yahoo! Store designer you are in fact hiring a professional with years of experience.

As in any profession, having experience means knowing how to complete specific tasks, troubleshooting specific problems, and not making simple, beginner mistakes. Also, having experience means being able to provide businesses with invaluable assistance in the design process. For example, a designer will be able to explain what will and won't work based on their previous experiences and know-how. How much experience in website development does your in-house team have? What assistance will they be able to offer?

Designers Can Customize and Modify. Can Your Team?
The Yahoo! Store platform is built on templates. Store templates can be customized, but only through extensive RTML programming and expert graphic design. In fact, designers can take what would otherwise be a standard ecommerce website, and modify it to meet the specific needs of their clients. Yahoo! Store modifications may include custom layouts, programming, graphics, and add-ons. Is your in-house team able to provide the level of customization necessary to make your website stand out among other Yahoo! Stores? Can they meet all your design needs?

Designers Are Accountable For Their Work. Is Your Team?
In the event an unfortunate, unforeseen problem should arise with your Yahoo! Store, having a designer to lean on can mean the difference between a cheap, quick solution and a costly, time-extensive fix. Allow me to explain.

If your business is like most, time literally means money. The longer your website is out of commission, the longer your business continues to lose money. In a scenario where a company designs their website in-house, that company would be solely responsible for correcting any and all shortcomings. This isn't the case when hiring a designer.

Yahoo! Store owners should be just as concerned with after-sale service, as they are with their initial design. Had the business employed the services of a designer, he or she would be accountable for creating an accurate and timely solution for any problem that might arise. Furthermore, most designers would jump at the chance to correct problems associated with their work. How accountable will your in-house team be when website problems arise? More importantly, how quickly will they be able to solve them?

Designers Are Resourceful. Is Your Team?
Similar to that of a carpenter, designers have a toolbox full of tools at their disposal for when specific tasks are at hand. When hiring a Yahoo! Store designer, there will be no need for businesses to purchase high-end programming software, design tools, or even reference guides. In fact, your designer will have everything needed to complete most design projects.

However, in the rare, off-chance designers do find themselves needing something extra, most are going to be resourceful. They will know what, how, and where to attain what they need. Does your in-house team have all the necessary tools of the design trade? Will they know how and where to acquire those they are missing?

Designers Are Well-Connected? Is Your Team?
I would consider one's being "well conected" as an extention of one's being "resourceful," but more to the point that designers can leverage their working relationships - friends, co-workers, and colleagues - when a specific project or problem presents itself. Possible connections will likely include other Store designers, programmers, artists, photographers, and marketers.

With that said, hiring a Yahoo! Store designer means having indirect access to an entire team of well-connected industry professionals. For example, should a client request a feature outside of my expertise, say a motion graphic or video, I can call upon my friend and motion graphic artist, Matthew Butler to assist. Through their designer, Store owners will likely find solutions to their current and future needs. How many industry professionals are included in your in-house team? Who will they turn to when a specialty project arises?

Designers Work Fast and Will Save Time. Can Your Team?
Hiring a Yahoo! Store designer will save time, especially when deadlines are at stake. As I've already established, designers are both experienced and resourceful. This means they can work fast. While I can't speak for every designer, in my neck of the woods clients can expect to have their custom Stores operational and accepting orders within 2-weeks time. Such a timeframe can mean a world of difference when launching a new website.

Furthermore, hiring a Store designer means being free to do what you and your team do best, manage the many aspects of your business. Does your in-house team even have the available time to develop your company's online presence? How long will it take them to get your site up and running?

Designers Can Increase Web Traffic. Can Your Team?
While it wasn't always the case, overtime, many Yahoo! Store designers had evolved their services to include website marketing. Through a deep understanding of how search engines work and what they look for, designers can create a company website that not only meets an owner's design goals, but one that is search engine friendly as well.

Search engine friendly websites are those that appeal to search engines. Key characteristics include informative meta-tags, keyword-focused headlines and page content, and clean, easy-to-parse source code. In addition, designers may specialize in other website marketing services, such as paid search advertising and social media marketing. Is your in-house team capable of generating relevant website traffic? Can they grow your business through search engine optimization and other marketing channels?

Designers Remain Updated on Industry Standards. Does Your Team?
Website designers understand that standards are always changing, both in website design as a whole and specifically with the Yahoo! Store platform. It is for this reason that designers work hard to remain fluent in the latest programming standards, browser standards, and design, layout, and usability standards. There is a lot to learn, and even more to keep up with.

Designers dedicate a large part of their week to continuing education via classes, books, magazines, articles, blogs, and other resources. With all that is involved with running a business - managing employees, paying bills, purchasing and tracking inventory, etc. - will your team be able to learn and remain updated on proper website design standards? Are they your best long term solution?

Where Does This Leave You

Hopefully, I have been able to instill in you a new appreciation for Yahoo! Store designers and the many benefits they provide. There is great value that can be leveraged when hiring a designer to build your company's website, and the decision to pass on professional assistance should not be taken lightly. For the very reasons I've outlined above, I hope to have at least inspired you and your team to consider professional design services, versus taking the project in-house.

8 Website Navigation Tips Your Users Will Love

2013-03-19T09:30:00.000-05:00

EXCERPT: Without a clear path to products and content and logical choices for narrowing searches, visitors will likely decide that shopping a site is not worth their time and energy. That or they may conclude that the site doesn't sell the product they're looking for and leave in search of one that does. In either case, this results in unnecessary website abandonment.

Poor navigation is without a doubt one of the leading causes of website abandonment. Without a clear path to products and content and logical choices for narrowing searches, visitors will likely decide that shopping a site is not worth their time and energy. That or they may conclude that the site doesn't sell the product they're looking for and leave in search of one that does. In either case, this results in unnecessary website abandonment.

Fortunately for website owners, there are many straightforward tactics that can be implemented to make site navigation better and prevent abandonment by those visitors who become lost. Consider the following design and navigation tips when creating a satisfying and productive shopping environment for your customers.

Allow Visitors to Navigate Your Site from Any Page

It's not unheard of for visitors to become stuck after they arrive on a site from search engines or from links displayed on other websites. In most cases, this happens when website owners focus more on improving landing page conversions than they do on addressing the navigation needs of their users. To correct this, I recommend that owners add their site's primary navigation scheme to every page, and, when possible, eliminate users from having to visit the homepage in order to find their way.

Only Show Refinements That Have Results

Arriving on a page with no product or content is one way website visitors can become frustrated. Typically, this problem occurs when a website first launches or when an owner is in the midst of adding new products, services, or information to the site. Owners will often create their new pages and navigation links ahead of time, and add content days or weeks later when it is received. While being prepared is certainly a good thing, upsetting visitors with broken links or pages without content is not.

Display Breadcrumb Trails

As visitors browse a site, they often need to know how they got to the page they're on, and how they can get back to an earlier starting point. I recommend that website owners show their visitors the refinements they've applied or page's they've previously visited in order to get to the page they are currently on. Doing so will make it easy for them to move up the navigational ladder without having to click the back button on their browser.

Offer Viewing Options for Browsing

No two website visitors are really alike. Different visitors will have different ideas as to how they want to see a site's content or products. For this reason, I recommend that website owners choose a default method such as a grid or list view for displaying information, but also provide visitors with an option to change it for one that works best for them. Grid views let people see more content above the fold with bigger images and fewer details, while list views show smaller images but contain more details. A hybrid view combines these benefits, offering larger images and more product details.

Offer Refinements on Ratings and Reviews

More and more website owners are embedding user ratings and reviews onto their sites and for good reason too. Traditionally, owners list their ratings and reviews in order as received, and not give any consideration to how site visitors will want to view them. This is a big mistake. Instead, I recommend owners provide refinement options that allow users to view reviews by pros, cons and best uses, and sort by newest, oldest, highest rated or most helpful. In doing so, owners will go a long way in reducing their visitor's research time, as well as the number of steps needed to make a purchase.

Show Color Refinements Using Color Palettes

In addition to helping visitors choose a color option, color palettes add visual appeal to a site's product navigation and take up less space on the page. This is a clear win-win scenario. Furthermore, visitors respond more quickly to a display of actual colors than the names of colors in text. For example, using with a color palette, website owners can remove any confusion that often arises from using "artistic" color names such "southwest sunset" - do they mean yellow, orange or something in between?

Use Banners to Enhance Category Pages

Banners help give website visitors a visual confirmation of their location on a website. For example, a banner with images of microwaves, toasters, and refrigerators will likely indicate to visitors that they're now shopping the "kitchen appliances" section and not "outdoor furniture". Additionally, banners also help highlight sales, special promotions and popular results relating to the section, as well as shipping specials and related product information.

Organize Product and Content Links in a Way That Makes Sense

While it might make sense for website owners to want to show their higher margin products first, visitors will likely have a different opinion as to how pages and navigation should be displayed. When in-differences such as this occur, website visitors may become annoyed or worse yet, assume the site is without what they're looking for and leave. Therefore, I recommend that owners spend an adequate amount of time learning the needs and expectations of their target audience, and then organize product and content accordingly.

In the end, a successful website experience is about being able to address the questions and concerns of each visitor, and to do so as easily and quickly as possible. By implementing the design and navigation changes I've outlined above, and by testing various options to see which ones work best, website owners can improve their site and lower their abandonment rating.

Personal Branding Tip: Be Yourself

2013-02-06T08:50:00.000-06:00

Some readers will undoubtedly be uncomfortable with the idea of being labeled as a "brand". However, what they fail to realize is that many elements of their personal brand have already been labeled long ago. In almost every situation, personal branding is at play. Since you are already being labeled for being you, you might as well embrace it!

Many people will ultimately view personal branding as a form of self-promotion and selfishness. I can't argue with this as in many ways it is. However, this doesn't mean personal branding is a bad thing.

Personal branding is the process of discovering what is true and unique about oneself and sharing it. Each and every one of us has a unique value proposition that differentiates us from others and helps us to stand out from a crowd. Personal branding helps us to identify this value and articulate it to others. In this way, individuals can enhance their recognition as experts in their field, establish reputation and credibility, advance their careers, and build self-confidence. Simply put, developing your brand makes you a more valuable asset, whether to the company you work for, a potential employer, or your own enterprise.

Some readers will undoubtedly be uncomfortable with the idea of being labeled as a "brand". However, what they fail to realize is that many elements of their personal brand have already been labeled long ago. Consider this, one is literally a representative of the products they buy, the lifestyle they live, and the connections they have. Throughout our life, we have made decisions among competing brands, choosing some brands over others, and along the way have built up attitudes, impressions, and beliefs about the foods we eat, cars we drive, clothes we wear, people we interact with, and companies we work for without even noticing. The various corporate brands we support shape our own personal brands, and ultimately what others think about us.

In almost every situation, personal and professional, personal branding is at play. Since you are already being labeled for being you, you might as well embrace it! And, for what it is worth, it might as well be the REAL you.

Above All Else, Be Yourself

There are several tips, tricks, and strategies I could share on the topic of personal branding, and each would be immensely helpful. In fact, I may one day write about them individually. However, I feel that none of them is as important or will better serve you more in your personal branding efforts than this one: simply be yourself.

There is a misconception that branding is all about changing who you are in order to fit others' expectations. While image management is typically just that - a product of conscious manipulation - personal brand is about sincerity.

In true personal branding, authenticity is required. Those who pretend to be someone they are not run the risk of being exposed. Just as good romantic relationships are based on genuineness, openness, and a willingness to be up front from the start, in business your relationships depend on authenticity. Authenticity showcases exactly who you are and what you can deliver. For example, if you brand yourself as a graphic designer, you should be able to back that up with a portfolio of solid design examples.

A false image may get you some short-term success, but over time, others will likely see through it. Rather than constructing a false image and working hard to maintain a deception, you should pay attention to what is truthful and amazing about you and work hard to make the most of it.

Allow me to clarify if I may...

In closing, I wanted to address some early feedback that I received on this post prior to publishing. I am in no way suggesting that individuals shouldn't be concerned with their brand's perception as long as it's accurate and authentic. This is certainly not the case and could lead to a bad brand experience. Instead, I am advising readers to be "real" with the information they do decide to share.

For example, while publishing photos of yourself and friends falling down drunk at a bar may in fact be an accurate representation of your Saturday evenings, it is not something you'll want to share with your professional network. The truth of the matter is that perception is a major element to the personal branding experience. In other words, it's important to be selective as well as authentic when building your personal brand.

Book Review: 'Logo Design Love'

2013-01-02T09:00:00.000-06:00

Design is an ever-evolving profession. Those of us apart of it are committed to always improving our skills, and growing creatively and professionally in order to attract the kind of work we so desire. In his book Logo Design Love, author David Airey provides a guide for designers, and those inspiring to be designers. This is my review of Logo Design Love.

"Reuters magazine proclaimed in 1997 that "In the last 30 years, mankind has produced more information than in the previous 5,000." Because humanity is now producing such a vast amount of information, we're seeing logos that are increasingly similar to one another. This poses a problem for companies that are trying to differentiate themselves visually, but it also creates an opportunity for designers who are skilled enough to create iconic designs that stand above the crowd"

Design is an ever-evolving profession. Those of us apart of it are committed to always improving our skills, as well as studying, learning, and growing creatively and professionally in order to attract the kind of work we so desire. In his book Logo Design Love, author David Airey provides a guide for designers, those inspiring to be designers, and anyone else wanting a better understanding of the logo design business.

Airey is a self-employed graphic designer from Northern Ireland who specializes in brand identity. I first learned of David and his book a short while ago through one of his blogs which is also titled Logo Design Love. In fact, it was this blog that eventually landed him his book deal. Being a frequent reader of David's blog, I was already a fan of his work as well as his detailed writing style. When I had finally noticed that he'd written a book on logo design and brand identity, I bought it on the spot.

Book Review

Designing logos are among my favorite projects to take on as a freelance graphic designer, mainly because logo design is directly linked with branding. If you've been following my blog as of late than you're probably already aware that I've become quite the advocate for personal and company branding.

Branding is a topic that has always captivated me. It's the simple idea of a company's perceived value being, at times, greater than its actual value that interests me. Or, that reputation can have more influencing power than price. Or, that consumers can become so passionate about a brand that they'll happily defend it at the drop of a hat.

How does this relate to logo design? Well, in most cases, a logo is the most recognizable feature a company has... the face of the brand if you will. For example, if I were to mention the name "McDonald's" most will immediately picture golden arches. I'm betting you did. The same can be said of Microsoft, Apple, Ford, and Target. For me personally, designing a company's brand's identity - the logo that first comes to mind - is a challenging, yet fun and worthwhile experience, as David highlights in his book.

Logo Design Love is an absolute fantastic read because of the level of detail the author dives into at every step of the design process. Airey uses real life examples of his work and experiences working with clients to explain why brand identity is important, how to create iconic logos, and how to best work with clients to achieve success as a designer.

Furthermore, Airey offers practical advice for graphic designers and does a great job of covering key topics relevant to freelancers, such as the logo design process and properly pricing one's own work. In fact, one of the biggest takeaways for readers will likely be his concept of mind maps. Airey introduces mind mapping as a useful brainstorming technique to help in drafting ideas prior to even turning on a computer. This is one technique that I'll be implementing into my logo design routine.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. It's a fairly short read and to the point, and held my attention which can't be said for many other books in this category. Logo Design Love is full of useful, real life business advice for the freelance designer, and I'd certainly recommend it to anyone who might fit this description.

Don't Just Build a Newsletter, Build a Brand

2012-12-11T07:30:00.001-06:00

The digital world is saturated with generic newsletters and un-engaging consumer emails. Yet even when companies do offer value to their subscribers, they often overlook one crucial thing: effective branding. For some, 'brand' just means having your corporate logo on your letterheads, email signatures and social media profiles. But branding means so much more than that.

Today's post is from guest author Andrew Tipp. Andrew writes on behalf of little green plane, an industry-leading company that provides award-winning email software, campaigns and services. He is a writer, blogger and editor, a director of youth media organisation IP1, and has previously worked in PR, communications and social media for travel social network gapyear.com.

The digital world is saturated with generic newsletters and un-engaging consumer emails. Yet even when companies do offer value to their subscribers, they often overlook one crucial thing: effective branding. In fact, many marketers have misconceptions about what the term brand actually means. For some, 'brand' just means having your corporate logo on your letterheads, email signatures and social media profiles. But branding means so much more than that.

Commercially or personally - your brand is your identity. It should communicate who you are and what you do. It's your ideals, ethos and values. And it needs to be more than just typography and logos; it needs to be demonstrated in the way you communicate with your customers.

Why is this related to newsletters? Because you can use your newsletters to effectively introduce subscribers to your brand and engage them. Here are some tips for building your brand through email marketing.

Email recipients are your audience, not just your customers

Even if your one goal is to turn email opens into conversions, you don't have to treat your subscribers as mere prospects. You don't have a subscription database; they've got an audience base. And if you hook these people in with your key brand messages - if they understand and believe in what you do - then they won't just be your audience; they'll be your fans.

If you really impress your audience, they'll become online 'word-of-mouth' ambassadors for your brand - leaving a trail of positive reviews and endorsements in their wake. Remember that all newsletter readers are potential advocates of your brand.

Use newsletters to engage, not just broadcast

For this strategy to be successful you need to really connect with your email audience, not just feed them offers and information. You need to engage rather than broadcast.

Take the time to plan out your newsletter content. This might be a combination of news, offers, graphics, imagery, competitions, social media activity and calls-to-action. Experiment with weighting the email differently. What mix is effective for your brand? What will help create an immediate impression of who you are?

There are no definite rules for how to communicate your brand through email, but some principles just work. Have a voice. Ask questions. Be interesting. Occasionally it might be appropriate to challenge your subscribers. Put yourself in your audience's shoes; what engages you when you receive a branded email? What creates a feeling of affiliation with the brand?

Create a design that reinforces your brand

Once you have developed your goals, established your brand and planned your email content then you need to create a newsletter design that works for your strategy. Obviously, the design you use needs to reflect the brand you've established; it doesn't have to necessarily look cutting edge - it just needs to be appropriate for your brand's tone, style and services.

So if you're a company that offers online design and marketing consultancy products, then your newsletter needs to look sharp and super slick. If you sell office cabinets you don't need to re-invent the wheel; something clean and functional will do.

While off-the-shelf templates can serve a purpose, working with a designer to create an original template that reinforces the messages of your brand is a good idea. Producing a custom newsletter using a bespoke design can help you align your branding across all your online platforms.

Track the progress of your brand-building

The purpose of building your brand, either in a newsletter or elsewhere, is to help grow your company. And any strategy or plan that attempts to boost your business needs a way of measuring success, so think about how you can do this.

You'll probably get a feel for how people are reacting to your brand-building through experience and anecdotal evidence, but you can also crunch some numbers to back up your brand exercise with data; track the email open, click-through and conversion rates. Are the numbers going up or down? What effect have your branding efforts had?

You can run surveys with your customers. What do they think your brand stands for? How do they feel towards your brand? Have their feelings changed? Are they more likely to buy what you're selling?

You could also track actual email subscriptions. Find a place for your newsletters on your company website or blog - give people a taster of what your newsletter approach is and what type of email they'll receive from you. Does the branding help? Are subscriptions going up?

Branding is a piece of the jigsaw

Finding the way to blend and maximise your branding and marketing isn't superficial; the thought behind your brand and how you demonstrate it across your online presence makes a difference, and can produce tangible - and positive - improvements to your bottom line. Obviously, well-done branding isn't as important as your actual products or services, but it's part of the puzzle. And doing it well is a step in right direction.

SES Conference Recap: Chicago 2012

2012-11-21T09:40:00.000-06:00

EXCERPT: Search Engine Strategies is a good conference for many reasons. However, with that, I have always had a love/hate type of relationship with it. I've been attending SES conferences dating back to 2003, and have at times publicly criticized the quality of its sessions, speakers, and overall agenda. This year, however, was a good year.

Last week I was able to get away for a few days to attend a Search Engine Strategies conference with All Web's GM, Michael Roebuck. The conference was a 3-day event that took place at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Chicago. Being located only 1.5 hours west of the city, Michael and I were able to travel by Amtrak, which I must say is quickly becoming my preferred way to travel to and from the city. Taking the train is super easy, enjoyable, and more importantly allows me to work quite comfortably while traveling.

Search Engine Strategies is a good conference for many reasons. However, with that, I have always had a love/hate type of relationship with it. I've been attending SES conferences dating back to 2003, and have at times publicly criticized the quality of its sessions, speakers, and overall agenda.

This year, however, was a good year. I felt that SES Chicago 2012 featured quality keynotes and panel discussions, and a great lineup of sessions on industry relevant topics. In fact, I'm confident in saying that this was one of my favorite conferences in the past few years.

Here are some more of my thoughts:

Keynotes & Panel Discussions

SES Chicago had 4 keynotes/panels slotted throughout the 3-day conference. While I wasn't able to attend the first day's morning keynote with Avinash Kaushick due to travel, the feedback I've received has all been positive. I'm sure it was a great session, and being a fan of Avinash's blog I'm really sorry to have missed it.

The remaining 3 panel discussions were quite good as well. In fact, my favorite was the "SEO 2013: The future of Search" discussion that took place between Bruce Clay, Dan Cristo, Andrew Delamarter, and Anne Kennedy. In this session, the panel outlined their ideas and opinions for how search will continue to grow as an industry and play an even bigger part in a company's overall marketing efforts.

Here are 3 key takeaways for this panel:

"SEOs are to be the QB of marketing. Everything should go to and through them first."

"SEOs will need to be skilled in PPC, social marketing, and email marketing both vertically and horizontally."

"Search in the future will be less about keywords and more about 'objects'. Future searches will be object base through bar code scans, Google glasses, Siri, etc."

Sessions

I feel that those in charge of selecting this year's topics and speakers were dead on in terms of relevance and timing. Seriously... a great job indeed. Additionally, I found the scheduling of each session-block to really work well with my interests. Normally, I'll find two or more interesting sessions in the same time slot, but not this year. I was able to attend every session that I wanted to without a scheduling issue.

My favorite session of the entire conference, and quite possibly of any conference I've ever attended previously, was the "Link Building in a Post-Penguin World" session with Jon Ball of PageOnePower. Jon was an outstanding speaker and presenter, and his advice and insight on building quality links was amazing. In fact, I begin jotting down everything Jon was saying at first, but realized that it would be easier to simply download his presentation afterwards. For those that attended the conference, but missed this particular session... do yourself a big favor and do the same.

Expo Hall

Sadly, I have mixed feelings on this year's expo hall. While one part of me thought that this year's vendors were relevant, not only to my needs but to the industry as a whole, while another part of me believes that it was quite small in size. The expo hall consisted of only a couple dozen vendors total, which was sort of a letdown.

This is something that I've actually commented on several times before. Learning about new tools, companies, and services relating to my industry was always something that I greatly enjoyed about attending SES. However, now, not so much.

Summary

Overall, SES Chicago 2012 was a great conference. As always, it was nice to get out of the office for a bit and learn something new within a conference-type setting. Additionally, being in Chicago this time of year is always fun. It wasn't too hot, nor cold, which makes getting around the city on foot very enjoyable.

If interested, you can view my SES conference photos on Flickr.

Book Review: "Me 2.0"

2012-10-16T09:23:00.000-05:00

EXCERPT: Many people believe that personal branding is just for celebrities such as Paris Hilton or Justin Beiber, yet each and every one of us is a brand. Personal branding, by definition, is the process by which we market ourselves to others. As a brand, we can leverage the same strategies that make these celebrities or corporate brands appeal to others.

"Personal branding is about unearthing what is true and unique about you and letting everyone know about it. As a brand, you are your own free agent; you have the freedom to create the career path that links your talents and interests with the right position and the ability to move both vertically and horizontally, now and throughout your career."

Many people believe that personal branding is just for celebrities such as Paris Hilton or Justin Beiber, yet each and every one of us is a brand. Personal branding, by definition, is the process by which we market ourselves to others. As a brand, we can leverage the same strategies that make these celebrities or corporate brands appeal to others. In Me 2.0: 4 Steps to Building Your Future, author Dan Schawbel teaches business professionals how to survive and thrive in the digital age. He provides readers with many of the tools necessary for defining and achieving personal brand success.

Schawbel is one of the leading authorities on personal branding, and founder of the Personal Branding Blog. I first learned of him and his book a couple months ago when I came across a 2010 article that he authored for Tamar Weinberg's blog titled "How to Use Social Media for Personal Branding." I was so impressed by his work that I began searching for more of it until eventually I found his book on personal branding. Me 2.0 seemed right up my alley, and so I bought it.

Book Review

However, personal branding is a different animal altogether. Personal branding is the concept of branding oneself as if they were a product, service, or company. As brands, these individuals will market themselves, as well as their careers, education, and experiences, in a personal way so that they may influence their target market and build a relationship with them. Over the years I have become quite knowledgeable on the ideas surrounding personal branding, but this book provided me with a few additional points of views.

Schawbel uses his real life experiences to explain how he was able to create a powerful personal brand, and position himself to meet his personal and career goals. Furthermore, Schawbel offers practical advice for college students and young professionals who feel doubt, emotional stress, and fear of failure when approaching the current job market. In fact, one of the biggest takeaways for readers will likely be his 4-step program for commanding one's own career. This section features how to first discover and create one's own personal brand, and offers detailed examples for ways one can communicate and maintain their personal brand after it has been established.

Overall, Me 2.0 is a fairly good book. I found the it to be a rather short and easy read, with a few remarkable and actionable insights. However, I certainly wouldn't recommend it to just anyone. Those who are somewhat versed in personal branding may find the author to be overly obvious in his assessments, and that the book fails to deliver the one or two golden nuggets they so desire. Again, the book is good, but not for all audiences. In addition, I found that some of the methods and technology to be slightly outdated, but that's to be expected with time.

Personal branding isn't going anywhere, despite how technology evolves, and to compete now and in the future, one has to manage their brand. Those with confidence, drive, and the ability to use the full potential of modern technology - including creating a powerful personal brand to define themselves and achieve their goals - will be at the forefront of this bold new world. Me 2.0 will help to keep you ahead of the competition.

Email Lists: Building vs. Buying

2012-09-19T09:00:00.000-05:00

EXCERPT: Purchasing email addresses for most industries and markets is easy to do, and takes very little time and effort. However, does this mean that purchased lists are as relevant and convert as well as "home grown" lists? In this post, I outline the differences of building versus buying email lists, as well as my personal preference.

Email marketing plays an integral role in many of today's most successful online companies, and for good reason too. Email marketing provides businesses with an opportunity to quickly, easily, and cheaply engage their most loyal customers, and compliments other marketing initiatives quite well.

For example, one company may choose to use email marketing for customer retention purposes, while another uses it to cross-promote and grow their other marketing verticals, such as blog subscribers, social media following, and requests for new print catalogs.

Regardless of how you plan to use email marketing to grow your online business, it's important to note that a company's email marketing strategy is only as strong as its email list - the individual list of email addresses obtained by the company. Email marketers worth their weight will agree that companies operating with highly targeted and relevant email lists will experience greater success than those who don't. This much is clear.

However, what's not so clear and often the focal point of many discussions is how a company comes to acquire their email marketing lists. There are two options; build or buy.

What is Building an Email List?

Building an email list is a process, and a time-consuming one at that. The idea is to obtain the email addresses of one's most loyal customers, as well as the permission to use it, for the purposes of sharing relevant and timely content. It's important to note that it is the customer that volunteers their information and requests to be contacted. Traditionally, email addresses are collected one at a time through the use of an online form. Using this method for email collection, companies can ensure that their lists remain highly targeted, and only contain those individuals interested in receiving email updates.

What is Buying an Email List?

Buying an email list is the process of purchasing a list of names and email addresses that a third party has collected. Traditionally, little information is provided about how these email addresses are obtained, only that they are targeted to specific industries and markets. For example, a broker may prepare a list containing mostly men of a certain age that have purchased tobacco online. In turn, they may sell this list to online cigar retailers. While there is little that can be done to corroborate the quality of a purchased list, it is a quick and easy way to break into email marketing, which is valued by some companies.

My Preference on Building vs. Buying Email Lists

In Email Marketing, one is only as good as the company they keep, and that means maintaining a vibrant, growing list of engaged customers. As a website marketing professional, I tend to favor the "home grown" option over simply buying a list of names and addresses. Not only does purchasing email addresses go against my personal belief on marketing ethics, but I am also a firm believer that a home grown list is far more relevant than a purchased one, and will ultimately convert better too.

It has been my experience that when buying email addresses from a third party, most of the addresses, say 50%, will be outdated or no longer valid. These emails are likely to go to spam and in-turn may hurt your company's reputation, deliverability, and sender score. Of the remaining 50% that actually reach a valid inbox, most will be ignored.

I find it best for marketers to always take a walk in their audience's shoes, and first determine how their solicitation will be received. Consider for a moment how one might react to finding an email from an unknown source or company soliciting a product or service to which they have no intention of ever purchasing. Similar to receiving a telemarketer's phone call, customers will likely ignore the advance and delete it without agitation.

Furthermore, building an email list from scratch offers email marketers multiple advantages, including the ability to segregate their list into smaller, more targeted niche markets. Imagine being able to divide a list of emails based on a customer's product or service preference, requirements, birthday, and countless other variables important to one's business. Such segregating would make sending separate, relevant messaging to different groups of recipients easier, more cost effective, and highly profitable.

5 Basic Tips for Building an Email List

In closing, I would like to offer the following 5 basic tips for building an email marketing list:

Advocate Customer Privacy

The idea that one's private information is likely to be shared or sold is not only disheartening to most, but can limit a person's desire to sign up for anything online, including email subscriptions. Therefore, if your company is not in the business of buying, selling, or sharing customer information then make it known. Create and promote your company's privacy policy and provide assurances whenever possible that your customer's personal information is well cared for.

Make Signing Up Simple

Signing up for an email subscription should never be difficult. Instead, companies should only focus on collecting the information they need, and nothing else. In most cases, an email subscription should require customers to provide their name and email address. Requiring customers to provide other information such as a mailing address, phone number, and date of birth may cause concern and stop them from subscribing.

Provide Subscribers with Content Options

One should never assume that their customers will want to receive EVERY email update. Instead, companies should segment their messaging and allow customers to subscribe to those emails that interest them most. For example, some subscribers may wish to receive newsletters and promotions, but not company announcements or even specific service and product updates. By giving subscribers content options, companies are able to provide a quality email experience while ensuring their efforts remain targeted and relevant.

Offer Incentives for Signing Up

Companies wishing to grow their email lists should give serious consideration to the idea of rewarding customers just for signing up. For example, a company that excites their customer base with a promise of a free gift upon joining their email community will likely do better than one with no offer. A gift can be anything from a sample of product to a favorable discount. However, it is important that the offer is unique and relevant to your target audience, and does much to entice customers.

Highlight the Value of an Email Subscription

While your company's email newsletter may not be for everyone, who is going to know if you don't express the value it provides? Simply put, don't just create a form and place it on the side or bottom of your website expecting anyone and everyone to sign up. Instead, companies should focus on helping customers to understand the kinds of content they are going to receive via email, as well as the value of said content. For example, a restaurant that says "Register Your Email" isn't likely to do as well as one that says "Receive our weekly newsletter and get daily lunch and dinner specials, new menu selections, and other restaurant updates."

In Closing...

In closing, I wish to acknowledge that while I may not be a personal fan of buying email lists for the purposes of email marketing, doing so is certainly a viable option and one that many companies use. Purchasing email addresses for most industries and markets is easy to do, and takes very little time and effort. However, does this mean that purchased lists are as relevant and convert as well as "home grown" lists? I have argued against this idea, but would love to hear other points-of-views on the topic.

What do you think? Is one type of list better than the other? Which do you prefer to work with?

5 Tips for Better Brand Defense

2012-08-10T09:10:00.000-05:00

EXCERPT: Brand defense is the action of defending one's brand from an attack. A brand attack is anything that directly threatens brand value thereby rupturing the trust that customers have in the brand. It's important to note that brand attacks can happen anywhere, at any time, and by anyone.

Building a brand in today's world means more than simply spending money on mass media and advertising. Companies need to understand that building a brand now requires building a resilient brand - one that is well-defended and is properly prepared when a crisis strikes.

With social media connecting the world as it does, true and false information about a brand can travel fast. Even the strongest brands can be leveled in a flash. A company's ability to defend themselves and do so quickly is a key component in building a strong, quality, and long-lasting brand.

What is Brand Defense?

Brand defense is the action of defending one's brand from an attack. A brand attack is anything that directly threatens brand value thereby rupturing the trust that customers have in the brand. It's important to note that brand attacks can happen anywhere, at any time, and by anyone, including disgruntled customers, competing companies, and even employees. Brand attacks may include:

A disgruntled employee blogging about their grievances.
A third-party website posting a negative review of a product or service.
A company's executive team behaving poorly in public.
A change in product packaging which generates negative customer feedback.
An unethical competitor that spreads incorrect information about a company.

Why is Brand Defense Important?

Brands are the bedrock of a business. People trust in what they see, hear, and ultimately 'feel' about a brand, which results in purchase decisions and loyalty to return again. Additionally, when we choose a brand, it is as much about declaring who we are and what we value as it is about the product. We choose proudly and display those choices proudly.

The brands that we choose use the right ingredients, purchased from the right suppliers, and produced by the right employees, in the right manner. We trust that they deliver quality, but we also trust everything that they stand for. However, what happens if that trust is damaged?

The importance of brand trust means that any breach of our faith in a brand can be fatal to the relationship. If "our brand" behaves in a manner that suggests our trust is misplaced, we terminate that relationship quickly and decisively. Unrepaired breaches are particularly harmful as this traditionally leads to a loss in future business. Under these conditions, building a resilient brand and defending it against both intended and unwitting acts of attacks needs to be a company's number one priority.

5 Tips for Better Brand Defense

Since brand defense is a major component to building a strong, resilient brand, I'd like to introduce the following 5 tips for better brand defense. These strategies can be applied to your company's current branding initiatives, as well as your own personal branding efforts.

Manage Brands Defense Programmatically

Simply acknowledging that brand attacks exist is not a defensive strategy. Instead, companies need to manage brand defense programmatically, and with great focus on assessing brand risks and developing formal defensive strategies.

Assess Brand Risks
Assessing brand risks is the process of identifying threats or potential attacks that may face a brand. As my examples above clearly demonstrate, brand damage can be anything, big or small, and come from anywhere, including from within. While planning for the unknown is often difficult to do, forethought is a crucial when developing a resilient brand. It is important that companies hold routine brainstorming sessions to identify common brand risks, as well as those that are outrageously ridiculous.

Develop A Formal Brand Defensive Strategy
A brand defense strategy is a step-by-step guide for how to defend your company against a specific attack. It is important that every brand risk be given a unique and detailed plan of action. Within each strategy, companies should outline the tasks associated with defending the brand, as well as the names of those involved and their specific roles and responsibilities. The idea is to have everything ready to go when an attack occurs, so that a company can move effortlessly into defense mode.

Don't View Brand Defense as Just a Social Media Problem

Brand defense is not just about managing the adverse impact of social media. Yes, social media is likely to play a major role in a company's brand defense operations, but attackers are resilient and will come at a company from many different directions. Companies that concentrate all of their defenses on social media will ultimately be left unprepared to deal with a wide range of other brand attacks, such as those from other digital media, print media, and offline conversations. Diversity is important when playing brand defense.

Deploy Early Warning Systems to Monitor Brand Attacks

An early warning system is a method for detecting brand attacks immediately so that companies may respond quickly and limit the amount of damage caused by each attack. Notifications of an attack can come in many forms. The three most common are online monitoring software, direct customer complaints, and employee testimonials. Regardless of how a company is notified of an attack, all notifications should be taken seriously and dealt with immediately.

Furthermore, early warning systems will undoubtedly be unique to each company. However, I strongly encourage companies to enlist the efforts of both employees and customers in their early detection methods. Give them the tools and resources to report attacks, and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by how effective they can be.

Assume That Tomorrow's Brand Attacks Will Be Different

Brand defense is a game best played by those companies capable of learning and adapting. As companies learn to defend against specific brand attacks, attackers will also adapt and launch entirely different brand attacks no doubt using newer, faster forms of readily available technology. The battle will proceed in this way forever. Therefore, it is important that your brand become resilient through continuous adaptation to the times and technology.

Don't Let Brand Defense Become Another Employee Chore

Brand defense is not another chore to be governed by your employees. Everyone within a company should be tasked with brand defense, and play a part in building and preserving brand value. Executives should lead the way by communicating brand challenges, goals, and defense strategies to employees, and encourage their participation.

Furthermore, I'd strongly encourage companies to dedicate an entire committee to the brand building process. These brand managers would be responsible for evaluating risks, developing defense strategies, defending against attacks, and embedding brand intelligence throughout the entire organization. "One brand, one team" is the mindset of resilient brand.

In Closing...

There is no denying that building a resilient brand will take time, money, and a lot of effort. However, doing so is absolutely important. If you make every effort to defend your brand and behave as if your reputation were money, you'll earn your customers' permission to build this most valuable of assets - your brand - long, long, into the future.

Google's Penguin Update: The Basics

2012-07-25T09:25:00.000-05:00

The Google Penguin update certainly sounds adorable, but this new development has started to strike fear in the hearts of some SEO experts and internet marketers. Rolled out recently, this update is seen by many as a game changer for how sites are marketed and promoted on the internet, altering how people go about building up traffic for their sites.

Today's post is from guest author Frederic Lawrence. Frederic is a SEO and online marketing specialist, guest blogger, and a member of mac how community. His interests include economics, politics, music, IT, and science.

There is much confusion around the Google Penguin update. With misinformation coupled with a bit of panic, it seems that many people haven't gotten the real scoop on what Penguin means.

What is Google Penguin?

Google Penguin is the search giant's newest algorithm update. Announced late April, 2012, this new update is supposed to hinder the search result rankings of blogs and websites that violate Google's terms for webmasters. The idea is that techniques known as black-hat SEO like cloaking, link schemes, duplicate content, and keyword stuffing would become more easily detectible. Penguin was recently updated again on May 25, 2012, and it is now in version 1.1.

What Does Google Penguin do?

As mentioned, Google Penguin is supposed to detect techniques webmasters use that are in violation of Google's policies. In languages like English, Chinese, Arabic, and German, the percentage of searches that are affected by penguin are about three percent. As Penguin finds unnatural links and other indication of black-hat SEO, it will end up docking the site's ranking in the search results, putting the pages further back down the list. In severe instances, Google may strike the pages from search results altogether.

How is Penguin Different?

Google had previous search algorithms. The first was Panda; it came out in February 2011. User experience was something that Google was concerned with at the time, and Google Panda was designed to reduce rankings for sites that didn't provide a good user experience. Google wanted the sites that would be at the top of search results to be high quality. The algorithm's logic worked to determine the quality of a site. An update to this previous version early in 2012 looked to target sites that had very little above the fold content. That being said, Google Penguin is different because it is not looking at quality issues; it is trying to put an end to spam on the web.

Is My Site in Trouble?

If you utilize black hat SEO techniques, yes, but then again, it always was. However, if you have a lot of unnatural links, you may be at greater risk now. If you have paid text links that have perfectly matching anchor text, you may be a target, as it looks like you are trying to manipulate PageRank more than anything. Spammy comments with links back to your site, guest posts on low quality sites, heavy use of article marketing sites, and links from sites that have been flagged for harboring malware all happen to be issues that might get you in trouble.

Can I Fix My Site?

You can fix your site, even if you already have gotten in trouble with Google Penguin; you may not be able to rise back to the top of search results, however. If you haven't had issues due to Penguin yet, you should start to undo the previously listed link problems that could get your site in trouble. Then you should go about remedying any other issues such as cutting out things like keyword stuffing or cloaking. You should do all you can to keep your site on the up and up, as the algorithm is being changed all the time; just because your site won't be flagged by Penguin today doesn't mean that it won't get found out tomorrow after another update.

Conclusion

This was just some information about Google Penguin. For many webmasters, Penguin truly is nothing to fear. For many, Penguin is truly something to be celebrated, as this new algorithm may finally give other sites a chance to rise to the top of search result rankings. For those who used spammy techniques and blackhat SEO, they may find that their sites are in trouble, and switching to more legitimate means to build traffic could be just the ticket. While some marketers thought that this update could be the end of the web as we knew it, it appears that isn't going to be the case, and even if it was, would an end to low quality, spammy sites dominating search results be a bad thing?

9 Recruiting Strategies to Build an Online Community

2012-06-04T09:00:00.000-05:00

EXCERPT: Without an audience to read, share, and "like" one's content, social marketing is pointless. Instead, companies need to focus on building their communities around like-minded individuals who actually wish to receive their timely updates, say customers, employees, and colleagues. The following are 9 helpful recruiting strategies for building an online community.

Building a REAL online community of friends and followers is one of the most difficult tasks assigned to social media marketers. However, it is also one of the most important.

Without an audience to read, share, and "like" one's content, social marketing is pointless. Instead, companies need to focus on building their communities around like-minded individuals who actually wish to receive their timely updates. By building highly relevant online communities in this fashion, companies are able to develop long-term relationships with their followers, and greatly improve the chances of meeting their social media goals.

Furthermore, when building an online community, I find it best to recruit those already associated with a company and have shown interest in their products and services. Too many times, companies will approach social marketing with the intention of soliciting sales from new customers instead of, what is more likely to happen, soliciting repeat business from past customers. It is for this reason that I encourage businesses to build their online communities around customers and clients, employees, colleagues, and other industry related individuals.

9 Recruiting Strategies for Building an Online Community

The following are 9 helpful recruiting strategies for building an online community:

Tag Your Online Store

This probably comes across as a no-brainer, but one would be surprised as to how often businesses fail to implement social icons onto their sites. I recommend that companies begin their community recruiting strategies by first advertising their social media involvement on their own websites (and blogs). By displaying profile icons for each of their online communities, businesses can further increase their social media exposure to those most interested. This is a simple, yet very effective strategy.

Tag Your (Physical) Store Front

Similar to a business' online store, brick and mortar stores should also be tagged with social media logos and community information. I recommend store owners take advantage of their in-store foot traffic and advertise their social communities through flyers, window decals, indoor and outdoor signage, and bag inserts, as well as on business cards, appointment cards, and cash register receipts. Anything and everything is fair game.

Tag Your Email Signature

If an online company is like most, I would venture to guess that a majority, if not all, of their customer, colleague, and vendor communication is being done through email. It is for this reason that I recommend that every email signature, companywide, be tagged with their social media information. In addition to each person's name, address, and contact information, email signatures should also feature traditional social media icons and link directly to company profiles.

Create a Package Insert

Companies that sell and ship products will often print-out a copy of each order and include it in with their shipment. In addition, I would recommend that package fillers include a second insert that solely focuses on social media recruitment. An insert should explain which social sites their company is active on, how to find and follow, and what benefits exists for customers turned community members.

Create an Invoice Stuffer

Similar to a package insert, an invoice stuffer is a great way to recruit customers into one's social media community. Invoice stuffers work best for those companies which bill for services, rather than sell and ship products. Traditionally, such stuffers are used to advertise company specials, sales and promotions, and updates. I recommend companies create an invoice stuffer insert that solely focuses on social media recruitment, and encourages customers to join their communities.

Update Your 'Call-Waiting' Message

Companies that receive larger than normal call volumes will likely already be using an automated music and/or announcement service for when customers are waiting or are placed on hold. Traditionally, recordings are short and will plug store hours, website services, and ongoing promotions. I recommend that companies create an additional phone announcement which focuses on their social communities and provides callers with information pertinent to them joining.

Update Your 'Thank-You' Page

A 'thank you' page is the final page that a shopper sees when placing an online order. Traditionally, this page is an opportunity for businesses to thank their customers, and share with them specific details regarding their purchase. I have found that this is also a perfect opportunity for social media recruiting. I recommend that businesses dedicate a section of their 'thank you' page to showcasing their social media profiles, and encourage customers to follow along.

Update Your Confirmation Email

It is very common for businesses to email their customers an order confirmation immediately following a purchase. Order confirmations will include a purchase summary, shipping updates, and other pertinent information relating to their order. I recommend that businesses customize this email to also include links to their social media profiles as well as information encouraging customers to join their community.

Create and Send an Email

Most businesses have email marketing strategies already in place. This is the process of marketing to one's customers and followers through the sending of company specials, sales and promotions, and updates. I recommend that businesses take advantage of their current mailing list and create and send specialized emails promoting their involvement on social media sites. Recruiting email subscribers into social media followers is often at times very easy to do, and highly profitable.

How to Create an Apple Touch Icon for Your Website

2012-05-18T10:00:00.000-05:00

EXCERPT: When browsing online with an Apple mobile device, users have the option of saving web pages directly to their home screen. When a page is saved, an icon is generated to which users may use to access said page without having to launch their browser. Essentially, users are able to create a bookmark that is given priority placement.

When browsing online with an Apple mobile device (iPod Touch, iPad, and iPhone), users have the option of saving web pages directly to their home screen. When a page is saved, an icon is generated to which users may use to access said page without having to launch their browser. Essentially, users are able to create a bookmark of sorts that is given priority placement amongst their apps.

Unfortunately, by default, Apple will use a screenshot of the page when creating a home screen icon which will often look hideous and illegible. Thankfully though, website owners have the ability to change this by designating a specific icon graphic, called an Apple Touch Icon, to be used instead.

What is an Apple Touch Icon?

In short, an Apple touch icon is basically a favicon for Apple mobile devices, and, if set, is displayed when a user saves a web page to their home screen. For example, the Apple touch icon for this website looks like this:

How Do I Create an Apple Touch Icon?

To create an Apple touch icon, you will likely need the assistance of a graphic designer or have access to and knowledge of graphic editing software, such as Photoshop. Begin by creating a square graphic that is sized to 129 by 129 pixels, and then saving it in .png format. 129-pixels is the perfect size for the Apple iPad, and will allow other devices to properly resize as needed.

Also, when creating your icon, don’t worry about adding fancy rounded corners or glowing effects. While these are key characteristics of Apple icons, the device will do this automatically.

How Do I Implement My Apple Touch Icon?

You will be pleased to know that Apple has made implementing touch icons very easy to do. You have the following two options:

Option 1: Standard Icon

Standard Apple touch icons are rendered with a gloss effect and rounded corners. To implement a standard icon, apply the following code into the head section of your website:

Option 2: Precomposed Icon

Precomposed Apple touch icons are rendered with rounded corners, but without a gloss effect. To implement a precomposed icon, apply the following code into the head section of your website:

With either option, your icon will need to be hosted online. This means that you will need to edit the code provided above and specify the correct path location of your icon (within the 'HREF' section). Also, you can only implement one of these options, not both.

The following is a side-by-side comparison of what each looks like:

Why Website Owners Should Use an Apple Touch Icon?

Hopefully I’ve been able to give you enough information to create and implement your own Apple touch icon. However, some of you are undoubtedly questioning why it is that you should want to create and implement one. Why not just use the default screenshot that Apple captures, right? I will tell you why not: design and branding.

Creating a Complete, Customized Design

Like most website owners, design is important to you. I imagine that you wish to control every aspect of how your website looks and functions. Let me start by saying that there is nothing at all wrong with this for I feel the same way. Creating an Apple touch icon will not only make users happy (because they won’t be subjected to seeing a lame, generic icon on their home screen), but also help you to provide a more complete, customized website experience through design.

Brand Development

I am a HUGE advocate for branding. Proper use of company and personal branding can have a long lasting effect on one’s ability to grow their business, whatever it may be. I strongly encourage all website owners, if given the opportunity, to tie-in their brand’s logo, color scheme, and messaging whenever possible. Creating an Apple touch icon is one of those opportunities.

Give it a shot. If not for design or branding purposes, create one to help brighten up other people’s iPod, iPhone, and iPad home screens.

Book Review: "Brand Resilience"

2012-04-25T10:15:00.000-05:00

EXCERPT: Brand reputation is more important now than it ever has been before. With social media connecting the world as it does, true and false information about a brand can travel fast. Even the strongest brands can be leveled in a flash - by disgruntled customers, competing companies, and even internal sources. Brand Resilience is an absolute fantastic read!

"While you can manage certain aspects of your brand, you can't control the weather. You can't control the media. You can't control what your competitors do. You can't even control the behavior of your own employees. Which means that the most effective barrier to competition - your trusted brand - is exposed to danger from any number of directions. Even the most loyal customer can change allegiances when the trust that underpins that loyalty is threatened."

Brand reputation is more important now than it ever has been before. With social media connecting the world as it does, true and false information about a brand can travel fast. Even the strongest brands can be leveled in a flash - by disgruntled customers, competing companies, and even internal sources. In Brand Resilience: Managing Risk and Recovery in a High-Speed World, author Jonathon R. Copulsky shows companies (and individuals) how to play brand defense in the twenty-first century.

Copulsky is a veteran marketing executive and consultant working with many of today's leading brands. I first learned of his book last October while attending Search Engine Strategies in Chicago. I was fortunate enough to sit in on a session in which he was speaking and was very much impressed to say the least. In fact, I would venture to say that Copulsky was the most interesting speaker I had the privelege of seeing during that particular conference. He plugged his book, and I bought it.

Book Review

In my years as an Internet marketing professional, I have given great thought into the ideas behind branding. I've become quite knowledgeable on topics of brand building, brand marketing, and brand advocating. However, not once had I given consideration to idea of brand defense, and the role it might play in a long-term branding strategy. That is, until I read this book.

Brand Resilience is an absolute fantastic read. Copulsky uses real life examples to explain how brand damage even in the smallest sense can mean millions or billions in lost profits. For example, we need look no further than to 2009 and at Tiger Woods whose story is in essence the near-total takedown of man who once held the highest popularity rating of any figure.

Furthermore, Copulsky offers practical advice for managers engaged in building and protecting long term brand value. In fact, one of the biggest takeaways for readers will likely be his 7-step program for managing brand risk and recovery. It features how to access brand risks, how to create and deploy warning systems, how to repel brand attacks, how to adapt brand defenses, and more.

Overall, I found the book to be a short easy read, but filled with remarkable and actionable insights. The author does a terrific job of clearly identifying brand risks and providing a blueprint for proactively managing these risks. Simply put, this book is a must read for anyone involved with shaping and delivering brand strategy.

How to Use the Yahoo! Store Page Redirect Manager

2012-03-13T10:30:00.000-05:00

Page Redirect Manager is a relatively new feature which is designed to assist Yahoo! Store owners with their search engine optimization (SEO) and site management efforts through 301 redirecting. Using this feature, Yahoo! Store owners can now easily create, edit, and delete page-level 301 redirects for their websites.

Page Redirect Manager is a relatively new feature (launched in September, 2011) which is designed to assist Yahoo! Store owners with their search engine optimization (SEO) and site management efforts through 301 redirecting. Using this feature, Yahoo! Store owners can now easily create, edit, and delete page-level 301 redirects for their websites. In addition, one does not need access to hosting nor have programming knowledge to use this tool. I cannot begin to explain how happy this update has made me.

A number of logical reasons exist for why a Yahoo! Store owner would wish to permanently redirect one page to another. However, up until this release, store owners were not able to do so. In fact, not being able to implement a 301 redirect was, in my opinion, one of the biggest shortcomings of the entire Yahoo! Store platform. As an Internet marketing professional who happens to specialize in Yahoo! Store development, I'm sure you can imagine just how frustrating this was.

The Page Redirect Manager is available for all Yahoo! Merchant Solutions and Yahoo! Store accounts. Users can create specific rules for handling 301 redirects either through the redirect table - a friendly, easy-to-use interface - or by uploading a CSV file containing their redirect rules. Page Redirect Manager can be used to create a maximum of 50,000 redirect rules, which should be sufficient for most Yahoo! Store owners.

Before I jump in and begin my tutorial on how to use the Page Redirect Manager tool, I think it might be best if I first outline some of the basics.

What is a 301 Redirect?

A redirect is exactly as it sounds... directing something to a new or different place than where it was originally intended. In this case, I am referring to an Internet user. There are many reasons as to why a website would choose to redirect its visitors, but the most common reason is because a page has either moved or been removed.

A 301 redirect is considered a "permanent redirect". On the surface, a 301 redirect will seamlessly move website visitors from an original location (old page) to a newly specified location (new page). However, below the surface, a 301 redirect informs search engines and other server crawlers that a specific page will no longer be available, and to begin referencing the new URL instead of the old.

Why is Using 301 Redirects Important?

A 301 redirect is extremely important to website owners. A 301 redirect will help to transfer site visitors from point A to point B with little effort and error. In addition, as I alluded to above, a 301 redirect signals to search engines that a switch is being made. Search engines will take this as a queue to remove the old page from their index and direct users to the new URL.

Furthermore, and more to the bigger picture, search engines will also pass along any and all search engine value that the old page has accumulated on to the new page. This includes age merits, value from inbound links, and search engine rankings. Therefore, even though a page might be brand new, through 301 redirecting it can have all the benefits of an already established page.

When to use a 301 Redirect

Once again, a 301 redirect should only be used when the original page location will never be available again. We're talking a permanent redirect from one page to another. While I am sure there are numerous reasons for why a Yahoo! Store owner would wish to use a 301 redirect, the 3 most common examples seem to be:

Example 1: A store owner wishes to optimize their page URLs for better search engine placement thereby recreating an established page so that its URL now includes keywords. Assuming the old URL is already indexed by search engines and ranks well, a 301 redirect will ensure that all previous page value is passed along to the new URL.

Example 2: A store is selling a product that has now been discontinued. If this particular product page has accumulated search engine value and currently ranks well, store owners might opt to transfer this value to a similar product, rather than simply deleting it.

Example 3: An online merchant wishes to transfer their website from their current content management system (CMS) onto the Yahoo! Store platform. If their current pages receive significant traffic and already rank well within search engines, a 301 redirect would help to retain its overall value when moving the website over.

The Yahoo! Store Page Redirect Manager can be used to create 301 redirects to assist with each of these efforts, and others.

How to Use the Yahoo! Store Page Redirect Manager

Creating 301 redirects with the Yahoo! Store Page Redirect Manager is easy. Follow these 6 steps to create a single redirect, one at a time.

Step 1: Navigate to Page Redirect Manager

After logging into your store control panel, locate and click "Page Redirect Manager". This link is located within the "Site Settings" column.

Step 2: Create a New Redirect

Locate and click "Create New Redirect". The button is located above the redirect table, on the left side of the screen. When clicked, a new row will open at the top of the redirect table, where users can create your page redirect.

Step 3: Enter "Old Page URL"

Locate the "Old Page URL" field within the redirect table. Enter the URL of the page you wish to redirect.

Step 4: Enter "New Page URL"

Locate the "New Page URL" field within the redirect table. Enter the URL of the page you wish to redirect to.

Step 5: Save Redirect

Locate and click "save". The button is located on the right side of the New Page URL field. Once saved, the newly created page redirect will appear in the redirect table.

Step 6: Publish Redirects

Locate and click "Publish". The button is located above the redirect table, on the right side of the screen. Follow through by clicking the "Yes" button when a confirmation box appears.

Additional Things to Know

Yahoo! has created an excellent FAQ guide to address commonly asked questions regarding the Page Redirect Manager. In addition, I took the liberty of including the following 4 troubleshooting tips to which I found to be quite helpful in my 301 redirect efforts.

Redirects CAN Be Uploaded in Bulk

In the event users wish to redirect a large number of URLs at one time, a CSV template can be downloaded, edited, and uploaded to create a maximum of 50,000 redirects.

Redirects MUST Be Published

It is important to note that page redirects must be published (Step 6) before they take effect. Simply creating a redirect will not make it live.

Redirects MUST Be Absolute URLs

It is important to note that when entering values for the Old Page URL and New Page URL that they are absolute URLs. Relative URLs (ex: index.html) will not work.

Old Page URLs MUST Already Be Deleted

It is important to note that Old Page URLs must first be deleted prior to setting up a redirect. Redirects will not work while Old Page URLs still exist on the site.

7 Repeat Business Strategies for Small Businesses

2012-02-09T09:50:00.000-06:00

The Internet is no longer an untapped resource of revenue for small businesses, as it once was in the past. Competition is extremely heavy, and it would now seem that every small business on the planet has a website. Yes, being successful online because a company was one of a few in their niche industry with a website are long gone.

The Internet is no longer an untapped resource of revenue for small businesses, as it once was in the past. Competition is extremely heavy, and it would now seem that every small business on the planet has a website. Yes, those early days of being successful online simply because a company was one of a few in their niche industry with a website are long gone.

With so much competition online already and more coming daily, how do small businesses adapt?

There is, of course, no single correct answer to this question. Every company operates differently to achieve different goals, and with that each will have their own strategies for dealing with increased competition. However, one strategy that I believe every small business should consider when dealing with increased competition is Repeat Business Marketing - those strategies focused on generating revenue from current or past customers. Allow me to explain.

As the age old saying suggests, it is much easier to keep a customer than it is to create a new one. This saying exists because the process for finding, attracting, and converting shoppers into customers takes a great deal of time, money, and effort. Simply stocking a product and hoping for the best is not going to be enough in a competitive online world. In addition to this, there are really only a handful of online marketing initiatives available to attract new customers (SEO, PPC, Social, etc.). The chances of a company using the same or similar marketing channels and strategies as their competition are very likely.

The one competitive advantage that every small business has over their competition is the ability to reach out and solicit business from current and past customers. Soliciting repeat business is a viable marketing strategy that every merchant should consider, and for these reasons:

Repeat Business Marketing is Easy
In most cases, a repeat business strategy can be implemented by a company directly, and without the need for outside consulting. With most repeat business strategies, there are no pages to optimize and no bids or ads to manage. In fact, repeat business strategies can be as simple as calling or emailing a past-customer.

Repeat Business Marketing is Cheap
Most repeat business strategies require very little overhead and can be implemented much cheaper than the cost of those geared towards attracting new customers. Also, as previously mentioned, there is little need for a marketing consultant which has the potential to save quite a bit.

Repeat Business Marketing is Targeted Marketing
Repeat business strategies provide merchants with the ability to directly engage a large group of extremely targeted buyers - those that have not only shown interest in a company's products and services, but have also opened up their wallets to purchase said products and services once already.

Repeat Business Marketing Removes the Middle-Man
Repeat business strategies usually feature one-on-one communication between a company and their customers, and because of this, there is no need for a "middle-man" to facilitate the engagement between the two parties, such as a marketing firm, a search engine listing, or an ad.

The following are 7 repeat business strategies that I personally recommend for small businesses with limited budgets. Consider combining a few of these ideas with those of your own to develop a long-term marketing campaign.

Send a Business Card with Every Order

One cheap and easy repeat business strategy is to include a company business card (or refrigerator magnet) with every order shipped. The idea is a simple one; unless a company is a big brand like Amazon or eBay, not every online shopper that decides to buy from them is going to remember their company's name and URL. In fact, most may forget as quickly as 10 minutes after placing their order. A business card (or magnet) is likely to find its way to the customer's fridge where it can serve as both a reference and a reminder for future orders.

Send an Occasional Email Offer

Sending the occasional email offer (Email marketing) is one way in which a company can create a one-on-one engagement with their current and past customers. This engagement, if done correctly, is likely to lead to additional repeat business. Sending an email is both simple and free, and will not only help a business remain top-of-mind with their customers, but a worthwhile promotion may increase sales.

Offer Gift Certificates with all Order Discrepancies

A time will come when a shipping mistake will occur. The most common errors seem to be shipping the wrong size or color of a product, or the wrong product altogether. Mistakes will happen. How a company addresses their mistakes will be key in determining whether or not that specific customer will be back in the future.

In addition to simply correcting the problem, say refunding the buyer or shipping out the correct order, my recommendation is to include a gift certificate that can be used with the customer's next purchase. By doing so, the company is showing that they take order discrepancies very seriously and is committed to customer satisfaction. Also, by providing such an offer, the company is giving their customers a reason to purchase again and themselves another shot at making a great impression. Something as simple as 10% off or $10 off their next purchase can turn a botched order into a life-long customer.

Include Free Samples with Every Order

The word "free" is very rarely said or meant in a world where everything now costs a pretty penny. Offering free samples of products is a great way to not only attract new customers, but to also encourage repeat business as well. A company can use their free sample promotion to introduce customers to something new, such as a different type, brand, size or flavor of the product they ordered. If the products compliment each other well enough, this strategy may encourage customers to not only re-order in the future, but to possible increase their next order to include both products.

Integrate a Login / Password Shopping Cart

This idea is a simple one. For most online shoppers, having an account with an online merchant means not having to enter several lines of billing, shipping, or credit card information with each visit. This convenience ensures that customers receive a head-ache free and speedy check-out process upon future visits, which, by default, encourages repeat business from past customers.

Integrate an Automatic Re-Order Program

This repeat business strategy is perfect for those companies that sell consumables, such as specialty foods, health and beauty products, tobacco products, medications, etc. The idea is to offer customers the option to have their order automatically replenished after a specific amount of time. Customers that enroll into the program, agree to have their credit cards charged and refills shipped at a time they specify. For example, every 2-Weeks or every 2-months.

The benefit to such a system is that the customer no longer needs to continually shop for their products. With regards to the company, the benefit is the promise of future repeat business, as well as the security of not losing a customer because he or she forgets to reorder, forgets the company's name and website address, or finds an alternative supplier with cheaper prices.

Implement a Rewards (Card) Program

This strategy is one that works very well in the offline world, and with a little creativity could be implemented to drive repeat business online. The idea is to reward customers simply for their repeat business. For example, some popular reward programs promote "buy 10 get 1 free" or "5% off every purchase with our rewards card." With a quick brain-storming session, every company should be able to create and implement a rewards program that not only provides value to their customers, but in the end also promotes repeat business.

What Google's "Above Fold" Update Means for SEO

2012-01-25T21:29:00.001-06:00

In an ongoing effort to help users find higher quality websites in search results, Google has launched an algorithmic change that looks at the layout of a web page and the amount of content that is visible once users click on a result. This update is said to impact websites where only a small amount of content above-the-fold is visible.

In an ongoing effort to help users find more high-quality websites in search results, Google has launched an algorithmic change that looks at the layout of a web page and the amount of content that is visible once users click on a result. This new algorithmic update is said to impact websites where there is only a small amount of visible content above-the-fold or when relevant content is persistently pushed down by large blocks of ads.

What does this mean for website owners? In a nutshell, if you maintain a cluttered website above the fold - to the point where site visitors are not able to locate the content that Google has promised they would find - then you risk annoying Google users, and thus Google. And, as we all know, Google doesn't take to well to websites that annoy them. We're talking penalties.

Why the Change?

As I alluded to above, it all comes down to user-experience. If search engine users aren't happy, Google is not happy. Google has said to have received numerous complaints from their users who have become annoyed with not being able to find their desired content after clicking on a listing. Personally, I can relate to this. I cannot begin to count the number of times that I've landed on a website, only to utilize a "Control+F" (find) to locate the information I was originally looking for. Needless to say, this leads to a poor user-experience to which Google is now trying to avoid.

Google is quoted as saying:

"Rather than scrolling down the page past a slew of ads, users want to see content right away. So sites that don't have much content "above-the-fold" can be affected by this change. If you click on a website and the part of the website you see first either doesn't have a lot of visible content above-the-fold or dedicates a large fraction of the site's initial screen real estate to ads, that's not a very good user experience. Such sites may not rank as highly going forward."

What to Do if You Find That Your Site Was Affected

According to Google, this algorithmic change will noticeably affect less than 1% of searches globally - that's less than 1-in-100 searches. However, if you believe that you've been affected by this recent algorithm change, consider how your pages use the area above-the-fold and whether the content on the page is obscured or otherwise hard for users to discern quickly.

If you decide to update your page layout, consider using Google's Browser Size tool, among others, to see how your website will look under different screen resolutions. Find the solution that works for you, and roll with it.

How Should You Move Forward?

First things first, do not just sit back and ignore this update... not if you value your site's high rankings! As an Internet Marketing professional, it is my recommendation to be proactive. Pool the resources of both your design and marketing teams, and create an adequate solution. The goal is simple. Satisfy Google's need for a high quality user-experience by ensuring that each pages' most relevant content is found above the fold.

Furthermore, if you haven't given much thought in the way of user-experience, I'd strongly suggest that you start. Google is hell bound on delivering the best possible search user experience and, as this update proves, that means taking care of their users even after the click. Google has said that this is one of over 500 improvements expected to roll out this year. I'm not a gambler by any means, but I'd wager that "user-experience" will be the basis for more than a few of them.

Making Standout Posts for Small Business Blogs

2012-01-12T11:10:00.000-06:00

Small business bloggers must capture their reader's attention if they want to market their blogs with any lasting effect. If your blog's content doesn't attract a reader's attention, there's no way you can hope to compete with other businesses competing for exposure. I would recommend that you take an honest look at work on your business's blog.

Today's post is from guest author Kimberly Wilson. Kimberly is from accredited online colleges, she writes on topics including career, education, student life, college life, home improvement, time management etc.

Small business bloggers must capture their reader's attention if they want to market their blogs with any lasting effect. If your small business blog's content doesn't attract a reader's attention, there's no way you can hope to compete with other businesses competing for exposure. It should be motivation enough that your business must compete against countless competitors for your customer's attention. There's always another insurance blog or another small business consulting website if yours doesn't look glamorous enough.

If your small business is struggling to establish itself online, I would recommend that you take an honest look at work on your business's blog. Warning signs of a suffering or stagnating blog include the following: low readership on the blog (few unique "hits" on the blog), few to zero comments on blog posts, or returns on advertisements put up alongside the blog, if any. If your blog languishes in neglect from potential customers, you have to do something about it if you expect any kind of online success for your business. Now, I'm not suggesting that you post ridiculous material simply to draw a wider readership. But there are ways to make your posts look fresher, more interesting, and overall more engaging with potential readers and customers without compromising the ethics of your business.

Keep it Fresh

Keeping your content up-to-date is pivotal to remaining relevant in your customer's sphere of interest. You can't expect to build a reliable customer base if you post once every two weeks about issues covered months ago. You can stay on top of things by frequently visiting news sites that feature stories related to your business. You can subscribe to any number of news hubs (CNN, FOX, Huffington Post) for notifications and instant updates on breaking news. If you're not sure about the latest trends, there's nothing wrong with checking out the competition for insight into the hot topics in the blogosphere. Even if a topic has been picked over by everyone else, you can put your own perspective on it to make it feel fresh to your readers. You won't have to worry about recycling current news as you write your content from a new or innovative angle, regardless of your business's specialty. If you continually blog about current events then readers will rely on you for their industry news.

Outstanding Post Titles

It sounds like a trite detail, but it makes all the difference in blogging. It's critical that you give your blog posts titles that would interest potential customers. For instance, if your small business is about management consulting, make blog titles that assert your business's expertise. Use snappy, emphatic phrasing like "How to Deal with Terrible Bosses" for posts aimed at HR managers and staff looking for management advice. If you're running a blog for a small, web-based floral service, you might opt for more titles like "3 Badass Birthday Bouquets" to grab a reader's attention. Think of a title that you'd like yourself. You're the best judge of your customer base and their needs.

Engage the Readers

You're trying to attract readers to your business. That means you want them to have a genuine interest in your services, some desire that grows organically from a customer's experience with your site. You do this by offering substantive content that informs the reader and makes them want to know more about how your business works. To run a successful business blog, you must start a dialog with your readers as if they were customers in a real store or during a live consultation. Be personable and engaging with your readers; you don't want your business's blog to read as a giant advertisement. Readers will usually interpret business blogs that appear to be selling something as a spammy website not worth their time.

You can also engage your readers by directly responding to comments and queries that they post on your blog. As you connect with your readers, you'll notice a jump in reader participation and the number of hits on your blog. And once you've earned the trust of your readers, it's only a matter of time until some of those readers turn to your businesses services and become customers.

12 Social Media Tips for Small Businesses

2011-12-30T14:29:00.002-06:00

Social marketing provides a challenge like no other marketing strategy does... especially for small businesses with limited resources. In fact, the biggest gripe I often hear from small business owners is that social marketing is too expensive and time consuming to implement. Yes, I will agree. But, that doesn't mean it necessarily has to be.

It's no secret that I work with a lot of small businesses. I absolutely love doing so, too! I believe the reason I enjoy working with small businesses as much as I do is because of the unique challenges that each provides. Some internet marketers view working with a limited budget (and therefore limited resources) as being a headache. I, on the other hand, consider it to be a challenge. As a person who enjoys a good challenge, I view small business marketing as an excuse to go beyond traditional search and social marketing initiatives where one has to utilize creativity and an assortment of different types of strategies to be successful. In other words, a good challenge equals good fun.

For the most part, social media is free to use. Sure, there are tools for sale that do make managing and tracking social media efforts much easier, but necessary, they are not. That alone is an obvious plus for small businesses. As far as time goes, well, there is no getting around it. Social marketing does and will continue to require diligent monitoring and participation. The trick is coming up with a strategy that not only fits your company's needs, but also helps to make social media efforts less daunting. Furthermore, social media marketing can be both expensive and time consuming to invest in social business.

With the start of a brand new year just days away, it's not uncommon for businesses to set new marketing goals and expectations. In fact, I know of several small businesses that have already committed to starting social media marketing campaigns immediately following the first of the year. With that, I thought it would be both fun and helpful to outline a list of tips, suggestions, and strategies for getting started in social media. I put together a small group of 12 Internet marketers (myself included) and have asked them to share something that would be helpful to the true, blue small business owner. Here are their responses:

Karl Ribas, VP of Search Marketing - All Web Promotion

My advice to small business owners looking to get started with social media marketing is to first and foremost create a plan, and then execute it. Like most marketing strategies, social media marketing begins with a plan. Jumping into social media and simply posting everything everywhere is not a valid approach. In addition to first determining which social platforms to use, businesses must also decide on their voice, content, and posting timeline.

Voice: Your voice is the overall tone in which you will use when sharing your content. For example, will you address your followers as the company, or as an individual from within the company? Determining your voice beforehand will eliminate confusion and keep your profiles and updates consistent.

Content: I can't stress how important great content is to social media. Your content is what will set you apart from others in your space, and is the sole reason why your customers will be connecting with you in the first place. It is absolutely imperative that you spend adequate time determining not only the types of content you'll want to share, but the messaging too.

Timeline: A timeline is a detailed schedule for when and how often you will be posting your social media content. It is often suggested that businesses update their profiles daily. I, on the other hand, am a firm believer of posting as frequent as it makes sense to do so. Determine your publish rate and remain as consistent and routine as possible.

Tamar Weinberg, Social Media Strategist - Techipedia

My advice to small business owners looking to get started with social media marketing is to work your ass off! Social media is NOT the new 'it' thing. It was in 2007, yes. In 2012, you are vying for attention among millions of other businesses. You can succeed if you work real hard toward it, but if you're going to just spend 5-10 minutes a day here and there, you will never see the benefits. Don't treat social media with a "set it and forget it" mindset. It's definitely something you need to work toward every. single. day.

Taylor Pratt, VP of Product Marketing - Raven Tools

My advice to small business owners looking to get started with social media marketing is if you only have time to do one thing social media related, make it to monitor mentions of your brand. The last thing you want is to miss out on reputation issues because you're out of the loop. You want to be able to answer any questions/problems customers have had to help ease the negative impact those reviews/mentions might have on future customers. A successful social media campaign requires lots of time, so if you don't have that available to you, this is the next best solution. It's also a great way to help promote those positive mentions that come in about your business.

Rob Snell, Owner - Gun Dog Supply

My advice to small business owners looking to get started with social media marketing is to be VERY careful to not get distracted by Facebook and Twitter. You can't deny that social media is another killer app of the Internet, but it's important to remember that you don't make payroll by how many followers or friends you have. Allocate the proper amount of marketing time to these channels that they deserve based on REVENUE that they send to your site.

Also, do not forget about all the work left to do on your own website, specifically creating SEO-friendly unique content on product pages, writing reviews, and crafting buyers' guides. Create this conversion-friendly content on YOUR domain first, and then PROMOTE it via the proper social media channels!

Julie Joyce, Director of Operations - Link Fish Media

My advice to small business owners looking to get started with social media marketing is to closely investigate how their competitors are using it in order to see not only the types of tweets and Facebook updates but also the general accepted tone. For example, a social work agency probably isn't going to use off-color humor, but someone selling cheeky t-shirts with rude slogans on them would probably do better if they did. You need to know what's unacceptable for your audience or you risk alienating your followers.

Chris Winfield, Chief Marketing Officer - BlueGlass

My advice to small business owners looking to get started with social media marketing is to first find out where your customers (or potential customers) are actually spending the most time and concentrate your efforts there. Don't get caught up in the hype about the new 'social media site du jour'. If you customers aren't there, it doesn't matter how hot it is, it will be a waste of your time and money. Check your analytics to see where people are coming from and, even more important, simply talk to your customers and ask them. You'll be shocked at how effective this can be!

Catherine Seven, Founder - SEOwhat.com

My advice to small business owners looking to get started with social media marketing is to use social media as a tool to reach, touch, and get into the trends of your customers. Don't simply try and sell them! Instead, interact with them as "friends" and make that social bond. Remember, they are on the social platform to get away so make it fun to be your friend. Give them Q&As, quizzes, and prizes, and in return you'll be building a brand that they'll love to be apart of.

Also, use social media as a way to explore new product offerings. For example, create a poll and let your fans and followers choose the color of your next product. In turn, these types of strategies will help your customers to feel valued, and not solicited! This will help you with getting the conversation right the first time.

Liana ‘Li' Evans, President and CEO - Da Li Social

My advice to small business owners looking to get started with social media marketing is to look for opportunities and tools to integrate with your marketing efforts wherever possible. Small business owners shouldn't feel like they need to be on every social channel, that's why the integration and use of tools can be vitally important. Listening tools, such as Trackur, help companies find the most important channels to engage in and can also be extremely helpful in creating an integrated marketing strategy.

Remember, at the end of the day, it's about the value you give to your customers. If you can integrate that value across all your marketing channels, you'll be a lot more successful in your marketing efforts.

CK Chung, SEO Consultant - WEBOSIS

My advice to small business owners looking to get started with social media marketing is to get involved in the conversation! They should find the channels where their audience is voicing their opinions and provide feedback. Whether it's a "thanks" to a positive comment or a "how can we help you" to a negative comment, there's a ton of opportunity out there to interact with customers very easily via social media. To take it even further, they can set up keyword searches to find prospects who may not be communicating directly with them. To add to that, small businesses can even monitor responses to competitors to offer their alternative solution. The possibilities are endless!

Dustin Woodard, President - SEO Naturale

My advice to small business owners looking to get started with social media marketing is to remember that social media, whether it be Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Stumble Upon, Google+, or other networks, is about increasing your online brand exposure and influence with real people - this means you need to be actively following and interacting with others in useful or entertaining ways. Unless you are a big brand, simply launching a presence isn't enough to build a following.

Lyndi Thompson, Marketing Buzz Bee - BizeeBee

My advice to small business owners looking to get started with social media marketing is to not underestimate your current network. Before you run off and try to network with everyone under the sun reach out to your own network. From leads, feedback to even free labor you will find this network is eager to be supportive and spread the word about your business on and offline.

Additionally, I believe the following tips will also serve small businesses well:

Find Gold in Following Up: Social media is jammed pack with distracting information flying in and out every direction. If you reach out, expect to have to reach out several times in order to get a good response. Try different types of media from Twitter to Email marketing to keep in engaged with your community. Don't have high expectations that one touch is going to get you the results you want.

With Your Channels Combined: If you expected to build a house with just a hammer you will quickly realize it isn't going to happen. Social media is ONE tool at your disposal. Be sure to arm yourself with a variety of tools to get the job done and don't give up on social media because it hasn't been the tool that solves all your problems. Invest time into learning, investing and combing your resources and tools to create a strong marketing strategy for 2012.

Core Goals: It is easy to get excited and run off working on a fun project. However, review your core goals and maximize your time and effort to support your business goals. If you need more customers through the door then make sure you have a way to measure your efforts around that goal. Too tough to measure? Skip that idea until you can.

Keith Weigold, Chief Engagement Evangelist - Nutlug

My advice to small business owners looking to get started with social media marketing is to create a content calendar for your blog, tying it to your social media channels.

A simple way to go about it is to first brainstorm with all employees what your company would do if invited to a party: not about what you sell/make/distribute, etc.... but what you can specially do to HELP a customer. Think of things that are unique to your company - stories that are entertaining, informational, educational, and/or inspirational. That's Nutlug's "Old MacDonald's" method to delivering engaging content: E-I-E-I-O (the O is for objectives-based, meaning all content must address both the customers' and marketer's objectives).

Once you've got a great list of blog ideas, schedule them in a calendar by week for the year. Many find this daunting, so consider at least a quarterly calendar. Then add in all of the other events - sales, promotions, seasonal focus points, holidays, etc. - which will fill the content calendar. Understand the calendar is a fluid thing - if something external pops up (a social media trend, a hot topic, social/cultural/economical/weather events, whatever....be it local, national, or global), know that your content topics can be shifted to allow for reacting to these influences.

Finally, OBEY your calendar. Start working on posts a good two weeks out if you can, so you're not scrambling to catch up with your due date. Work on them when you can - doesn't have to be in the office/at work -- if inspiration and time strikes you at home, go with it!

Content should be created first, then considered for channel. If a post doesn't make sense sharing through LinkedIn, for instance, then don't share it there. Your readers/customers will appreciate that you've used relevant content for relevant channels, and you'll have plenty of other opportunities later to reach them through their channel of choice. I even use a column for each content element to see where it will 'live' (other than the blog itself). Remember that social media is about having a conversation with people/customers that have invited you to THEIR party. Don't be the boor in the corner shouting 'buy me, buy me,' but the engaging guest with a crowd developing around them because of the two-way, relevant stories you're sharing.

In closing, it is obvious that social media is far too important of an online marketing strategy for any business, big or small, to simply just ignore. Hopefully, this much is clear. Social marketing, when done correctly, can be very rewarding... especially for small businesses. I hope that my advice plus the advice of those Internet marketing experts mentioned above will in some way prove to be useful to those of you planning to implement social marketing campaigns this coming New Year.

Using Google AdWords' 'See All Keywords' Feature

2011-11-14T15:04:00.003-06:00

I'd like to discuss one of Pay Per Click's most underused tools, the "See All Keywords" feature from Google AdWords. This feature was previously known as the "Search Query Report" in older versions of the Google AdWords interface, and does exactly as its name suggests... shows advertisers all queries that have triggered their ads.

Relevancy is, without a doubt, the most important element of all online marketing. I can't stress this enough. Getting one's marketing message in front of a select group of individuals whom actually welcome it, and at a time and place that is acceptable by them, is absolutely key to any successful online marketing strategy. Also key, is getting that high quality exposure at the best possible price.

Today, I'd like to discuss one of Pay Per Click's most underused tools, the "See All Keywords" feature from Google AdWords. This feature was previously known as the "Search Query Report" in older versions of the Google AdWords interface, and does exactly as its name suggests... shows advertisers all queries that have triggered their ads. For marketers, this information is undeniably irreplaceable!

How to Use the "See All Keyword" Feature

To "See All Keywords", follow these directions:

1. Navigate to the appropriate level within the account. The "See All Keywords" feature can be used on the account, campaign, and adgroup levels.

2. Click the "Keywords" tab.

3. Select the date(s) that you'd like to review. Please note that there is a 2 to 3-day delay when using this feature. For example, Monday's data won't likely be available until Wednesday or Thursday.

4. Select "See All Keywords" from the "See Search Terms" drop-down option.

At this point, I prefer to export my data into Microsoft Excel where I am able to color-code, sort, and organize it to my liking. To do this, click the "Download" button located just above the report, and select your desired options.

Why Use the "See All Keywords" Feature

Why is learning which queries triggered an ad important? Once an advertiser has a clear understanding of how Google will match their ads with the queries it receives, they can then better optimize and fine-tune their campaigns for relevancy, while saving money in the process. For example:

Improving Quality Score

PPC marketers understand that today's Google is all about relevancy, so much so that it utilizes an algorithm, dubbed Quality Score, to determine which ads rank, where, and for how much per click. In fact, Google is so committed to providing relevant results for its users that it promises advertisers top-placement at lower-than-average click fees just for being relevant. Imagine that... pay less to rank higher.

One way in which advertisers can improve their Quality Scores is by improving their Click-Through Rates (CTR) - the number of times an ad is shown versus being clicked. To do this, advertisers will want to be sure that 1) they are in fact bidding on the most appropriate keywords for their business, and 2) that the impressions they do receive are of the highest relevancy. In other words, it does a company no good to display an ad for "Nike Socks" when all they sell is shoes.

By utilizing the "See All Keywords" feature, advertisers will be able to see which keywords they're ranking for and will be able to adjust. In the previous example, a Nike shoe retailer will be able to see that they're being ranked for "sock" related terms and can therefore negative match these terms and any others they deem unfitting. Another option may be to change Match Type for a specific keyword as well. These changes will limit an ads exposure, thereby limiting its impressions and improving their overall CTR - same number of clicks, but shown less. And, as I've already mentioned above, removing unwanted impressions boosts click-through rates, which in-turn boosts relevancy, which in-turn boosts Quality Score, which in turn means getting higher search engine placement at lower costs.

Removing Unwanted Clicks

This is a no-brainer, really. Search engine marketing is unique in that it allows advertisers the ability to market directly to those individuals that want to know more about a company's products and services. With this level of accuracy, why would a company choose to waste their time and, more importantly, their money advertising to anyone else? Well, they wouldn't necessarily.

By utilizing the "See All Keywords" feature, advertisers will be able to determine whether or not a keyword is a good fit for their campaign just by reviewing the many queries related to it. For example, if a campaign includes the keyword "Jack Black", as in the boutique brand of men's skin care, but Google seems to only match it to those queries relating to the actor Jack Black, than this particular keyword will likely need to be removed. Keywords with alternative meanings or interpretations are often at times poor keywords to include within a campaign. There are of course exceptions to this, but in most cases an advertiser can eliminate unwanted, irrelevant clicks by avoiding such terms altogether. By doing so, an advertiser will make their overall campaign cheaper, and better their cost-per-conversion (CPC).

Finding Alternative Keywords

One last incentive to using the "See All Keywords" feature is getting a first-hand look at the exact verbiage used when a company's target audience searches for their products and services. Such insight will pay mass dividends, especially when used in accordance with a company's PPC campaign, as well as other online and offline marketing strategies. Knowing which keywords a company's target audience uses will not only help advertisers to better understand their audience's needs, but also help them to find new, relevant keywords to which they can now bid on... thereby increasing the overall relevancy of their campaign.

Furthermore, any knowledge gained from using this feature can be applied when managing other accounts from other providers. Should you decide to negative-match a keyword on Google, you'll most likely want to do so on Bing as well.

Book Review: "Zero to 100,000"

2011-10-13T09:33:00.003-05:00

Envision 100,000 people who are passionate about you, your business, and your brand! We’re talking about people who buy your stuff, and then tell their friends how incredibly great you are without being paid to do it. Zero to 100,000 is your easy, low-cost social media plan for finding them so they can make you stunningly, incredibly successful

Close your eyes. Now, envision 100,000 people who are passionate about you, your business, and your brand! We’re talking about people who buy your stuff, and then tell their friends how incredibly great you are without being paid to do it. People who follow your every move, look to you for guidance, and can’t wait to hear what you’re up to next.

Your 100,000 people. Your two football stadiums full of cheering fans. They’re out there, looking for you. Zero to 100,000 is your easy, low-cost social media plan for finding them...connecting with them...giving them what they want so they can make you stunningly, incredibly successful!

Technical Editor

In February of this year, I agreed to play a role in the development of an upcoming social media marketing book titled "Zero to 100,000: Social Media Tips and Tricks for Small Businesses". I signed on as the book's technical editor and was asked to review the book, page by page, and ensure the accuracy of the strategies, processes, and information being presented. Today, I am happy to report that the project is complete and the book will be launching later this month.

First of all, I would like to express how proud I am to have played a part in such a project. This was my first experience editing a book, and I am okay with admitting that I was very hesitant to do so. However, after researching the project a bit further and the authors - Sarah-Jayne and Dean Gratton - it was clear to me that this was something I could not pass on. As my wife the teacher would say, "It's time to put on your big boy pants and get to work".

I was responsible for reading each chapter of the book, testing the ideas and strategies illustrated, and making editorial suggestions where necessary. I found the entire editing process to be very rewarding, and I had a lot of fun participating.

Book Review

As the title implies, Zero to 100,000 covers two of my favorite topics, social marketing and small business marketing. I am very familiar with both sets of strategies, as well as how to combine them to create specific marketing opportunities. However, while editing this book, I was finding that I was being introduced to several key concepts, strategies, and ideas that were new to me. As a person who sees himself as an expert in the Internet marketing field, admitting that I don’t know everything already is sometimes difficult to do. However, this is true testament to the authors and the level of knowledge they share in their book.

I feel that this book is perfect for those individuals and small businesses looking to get started in social media marketing. There is a lot to learn when marketing a business through social media, and this book does a fantastic job of covering the basics, as well as the necessities. In fact, Sarah-Jayne and Dean have written Zero to 100,000 to serve as a social marketing playbook of sorts. It will instruct you on everything one needs to know to set-up and manage their social media channels for success.

Furthermore, I’d certainly recommend this book to veteran marketing professionals as well. Zero to 100,000 is a great book for getting the “creative juices” flowing, and may introduce alternative strategies for implementing common social marketing concepts. Additionally, the authors do a remarkable job of highlighting different management strategies for a variety of channels, such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. I feel that there is something to be learned for every level of reader.

"Zero to 100,000: Social Media Tips and Tricks for Small Businesses" launched earlier this month and is now available for purchase. Give it a read!

How Thinking Like Honeybees Can Help Boost SEO

2011-09-23T09:39:00.007-05:00

Honey bees are fascinating. They produce honey by collecting nectar and help pollinate hundreds of plants and vegetation in the process. They are responsible for around 30% of the food we eat. As SEOs, let's take a closer look at the honey bee, and at how thinking like a bee can actually help us to boost our content strategy while providing endless love from the 'Big G'.

Today's post is from guest author Joe Williams. Joe Williams runs SEO courses in London. And he likes to think of fun ways to explain SEO topics.

Honey bees are fascinating. They produce honey by collecting nectar and help pollinate hundreds of plants and vegetation in the process. They are the all-round good guys and are responsible for around 30% of the food we (gratefully) eat. As SEOs, let's take a closer look at the honey bee, and at how thinking like a bee can actually help us to boost our content strategy while providing endless love from the 'Big G'. Shall we?

Just as every bee knows that it needs quality nectar to make quality honey, SEOs know that they need quality content to make a quality pages - those worthy of being ranked by search engines. The problem is, however, websites are in need of 2 different kinds of content and while we mainly focus on one type, we often forget about the other. Websites need content that is capable of selling a product or service, as well as content that is capable of building value through links and social sharing. Allow me to explain.

Honey Content

Honey content, in this analogy, is a reference to the highly optimized content that appears on commercial pages - those pages that sell products and services, and drive business and revenue. These pages usually feature product or service information to which it has been expertly written to meet the needs of an audience and the goals of the publisher. Traditionally, this content is the first place SEOs choose to optimize when starting a strategy, and features top-level relevant keywords.

However, while honey content does indeed play an important role in the online experience, it does feature one major drawback. Honey content is traditionally dry content that is in no way interesting, exciting, or fun. Therefore, in comparison to other forms of online content, honey content does very little to attract links naturally.

As SEOs, we understand that this is a pretty big issue. Inbound links are extremely important to the search engine ranking process, especially for those websites within high volume and competitive markets. Without inbound links, any optimization strategy, basic or otherwise, performed on our honey content is essentially worthless.

What's the solution? Creating "Nectar Content".

Nectar Content

Nectar content is awesome, compelling, and fun content that has more mass appeal and therefore has a greater opportunity to be appreciated by all. This appreciation, of course, leads to more social sharing and inbound linking - two factors in which Google (and other search engines) base their ranking algorithms on.

The goal behind creating nectar content, at least as far as this analogy is concerned, is to capitalize on the value (link love) that is often generated because of it. Indirectly, this value will funnel down to other pages, such as honey content pages, and will help to boost their overall value as well.

The question you should be asking yourself is how can I create nectar content?

How to Create Nectar Content

Creating nectar content is often overlooked by larger companies and is a great opportunity for the little guys to succeed with smaller marketing budgets. The following are 6 tips to consider for when implementing nectar content into your website:

Maintain a Blog

Create a blog and post regularly about your industry's topics.

Conduct Industry Interviews

Interview someone that is influential and well-respected in your industry.

Create Useful Lists

Compile valuable and relevant information and resources in the form of a list.

Create Useful Tools

Create a tool that is useful to those in your target industry. (An accountant providing an online tax calculator)

Design Infographics

Create an easy-to-share graphic that lets your industry knowledge shine through and arouse interest in you industry.

Get Creative

Do something or create something that has never been done before.

Karl Ribas' Blog

Book Review: The Truth About Creating Brands People Love

Book Review

Experiment: 32 Logos in 30-Minutes

32 Logos in 30-Minutes

Conclusion

Is Facebook's Graph Search a Google Killer?

What is Facebook's Graph Search?

Graph Search and Local Searching

Optimizing for Graph Search

Is Graph Search a Google Killer?

10 Benefits to Hiring a Yahoo! Store Designer

Why Hire a Yahoo! Store Designer

Where Does This Leave You

8 Website Navigation Tips Your Users Will Love

Allow Visitors to Navigate Your Site from Any Page

Only Show Refinements That Have Results

Display Breadcrumb Trails

Offer Viewing Options for Browsing

Offer Refinements on Ratings and Reviews

Show Color Refinements Using Color Palettes

Use Banners to Enhance Category Pages

Organize Product and Content Links in a Way That Makes Sense

SPONSORED ARTICLE: Concierge by CoolHandle

Personal Branding Tip: Be Yourself

Above All Else, Be Yourself

Allow me to clarify if I may...

Book Review: 'Logo Design Love'

Book Review

Don't Just Build a Newsletter, Build a Brand

Email recipients are your audience, not just your customers

Use newsletters to engage, not just broadcast

Create a design that reinforces your brand

Track the progress of your brand-building

Branding is a piece of the jigsaw

SES Conference Recap: Chicago 2012

Keynotes & Panel Discussions

Sessions

Expo Hall

Summary

Book Review: "Me 2.0"

Book Review

Email Lists: Building vs. Buying

What is Building an Email List?

What is Buying an Email List?

My Preference on Building vs. Buying Email Lists

5 Basic Tips for Building an Email List

Advocate Customer Privacy

Make Signing Up Simple

Provide Subscribers with Content Options

Offer Incentives for Signing Up

Highlight the Value of an Email Subscription

In Closing...

5 Tips for Better Brand Defense

What is Brand Defense?

Why is Brand Defense Important?

5 Tips for Better Brand Defense

Manage Brands Defense Programmatically

Don't View Brand Defense as Just a Social Media Problem

Deploy Early Warning Systems to Monitor Brand Attacks

Assume That Tomorrow's Brand Attacks Will Be Different

Don't Let Brand Defense Become Another Employee Chore

In Closing...

Google's Penguin Update: The Basics

What is Google Penguin?

What Does Google Penguin do?

How is Penguin Different?

Is My Site in Trouble?

Can I Fix My Site?

Conclusion

9 Recruiting Strategies to Build an Online Community

9 Recruiting Strategies for Building an Online Community

Tag Your Online Store

Tag Your (Physical) Store Front

Tag Your Email Signature

Create a Package Insert

Create an Invoice Stuffer

Update Your 'Call-Waiting' Message

Update Your 'Thank-You' Page

Update Your Confirmation Email